During the summers of 1950 and 1951, when I was in graduate school at Marquette University in Milwaukee, I had a seasonal job with the Department of Tours of the Union Pacific and Chicago Northwestern Railroads as a tour escort. I took tour groups, by rail, from Chicago to both Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Parks.
Not much later, when my wife had a young family we began camping vacations and travel which eventually led to visits to over 200 National Park locations in most states including Alaska and Hawaii.
We heard President Nixon’s resignation remarks on the radio in 1974 while stopped at the Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone.
Our youngest son, now a Conservation Officer in Idaho, did seasonal work in Yellowstone, summer and winter, Shenandoah, Rocky Mountain and Zion.
Most recently, my wife and I enjoyed Saguaro East and West in 2012 and I made the Honor Flight from Milwaukee in November 2012 to visit the WWII and other Memorials.
Sincerely,
Yellowstone National Park
America's first national park is named after the river that runs through it. Within the park's massive boundaries, visitors can find mountains, rivers, lakes, waterfalls and some of the most concentrated geothermal activity in the world. The park has 60% of the world’s geysers, as well as hot springs and mud pots. It is also home to diverse wildlife with the largest concentration of mammals in the Lower 48 states, including grizzly bears, wolves, bison and elk.
State(s): Idaho Montana, Wyoming,
Established: 1872
“They are a national treasure and a statement of our values.”
National parks represent the best of America. Why do you care about protecting and preserving them? Tell us why parks matter to you!
Success! Thanks for sharing your story with us.
You’ll be notified by email when your story is approved and added to the collection on the My Park Story homepage.
In the meantime, you can share your own story page with your family and friends — and help us spread the word about these priceless memories and priceless places!
Here’s your unique story page link:
{{ storyUrl }}-
Greetings from Yellowstone National Park
I visited in the summer of 2024, before my junior year of college began. We flew all the way from Georgia to Montana just to see it, and it was more stunning than I could have ever imagined. I recently created an ad campaign advocating for the protection of this…
Preserve Our Parks
Make a tax-deductible gift today to provide a brighter future for our national parks and the millions of Americans who enjoy them.
Donate Now