Customer Reviews

Rocky Mountain National Park

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This book provides a paint-by-the-numbers history of a national park. The chapters go through the topics you'd expect, in the order you'd expect them: the region before European Americans arrived, the arrival of the first whites, promoters of the region and the people who worked to make it a national park, establishment of the park, growth of the park, and the challenges that the park faces today. The material is clearly presented and well-written for a university press book.

If you are live near Rocky Mountain National Park, or are thinking about a visit, this book might be interesting to you. But the book lacks a strong sense of why this particular story should be told. It comes across as having been written by someone who loved the park, noticed that there wasn't a standard history of the park, and so he decided to write one. It would be a valuable reference, covering all the information that one would want in such a book. Alas, it never goes beyond this, and lacks the inspiration that would make this story compelling to a wider audience.

This book provides a thorough, engaging and fascinating historical account of human activity in the area of Colorado now known as Rocky Mountain National Park. The book includes sections detailing prehistoric Native Americans activity in the area, the first European & American explorers, settlement of the area, the struggle to create the national park and early park promotion, management & use. The narrative continues into modern times, ending with a brief discussion of challenges & questions facing this popular park at the end of 20th century (the hardback edition I read was printed in 1983). The history includes plenty of colorful stories, little-known facts and some interesting early photographs. For anyone interested in Colorado history, or anyone who enjoys Rocky Mountain National Park, this book is an invaluable resource. The book may also serve as an inspiration to anyone concerned about protecting America's natural treasures today. Though nearly a century in the past, the heroic and noble efforts of individuals like Enos Mills to preserve this priceless landscape for the enjoyment of all, despite intense opposition from some of his neighbors & powerful business interests, provides a laudable example for modern times.

A thorough history, well written and spiced with anecdotes, this book shows the surpising rapidity with which the settlers in the area adapted to its greater value as a tourist mecca than as a ranching or mining prospect. It then dramatizes how the Park Service learned to negotiate the competing claims of wilderness lovers, water needs of ranchers, and vehicle visitors to provide an acceptable experience for all the varied lovers of the Rockies.