The Museum of the National Park Ranger, located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming provides visitors with the story of the National Park Service and some of the most important park rangers to have existed within the system. National Park Rangers are imperative to the conservation efforts of the National Park Service or NPS.
NPS began as a US Federal Agency August 25, 1916. They have over 21,000 employees with 392 units. Not all of the units are national parks; only 58 are including Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is one of the oldest national parks in the United States. It was established by US Congress in 1872 as a national park. It extends from the northwest corner of Wyoming to just inside Montana and Idaho. There are a couple of entrances into the park; one from the east and the other from the west.
In the 80's a fire raged through part of Yellowstone National Park. Without the National Park Rangers this fire could have been more devastating than it was. Today much of the area has experienced a re-growth. Unfortunately Yellowstone has recently had a wildfire affecting another area of the park. The fire towers in the park are all filled with trained fire fighters who are also park rangers to help stop the fires.
The Museum of National Park Rangers outlines these fire towers and the duties required of the rangers there. It also will list some of the men and women who have served the park during the fires and at other times. The museum is located in the historic Norris Soldier Station. The entire building is dedicated to the history of the national park rangers. It discusses when national park rangers came about, why they are needed, and even highlights the tools of the profession.
Also included in the museum are some memorabilia of past rangers and the history of rangers. For example uniforms and how they have changed over the course of the century are provided for visitors. There is also a short film which describes the history of the National Park Service and how it has been instrumental in keeping Yellowstone as a park. Park entry fees are $25 per vehicle or $12 per individual for those who may walk or bike through the park. The museum will be free for those who pay the park entrance fee.
The building housing the museum was built in 1908 for soldiers on patrol. A lot of the building had to be completely rebuilt due to disrepair, but original materials and the original floor plan was used. The museum is staffed with retired National Park Service employees. These employees volunteer their time, so there are no real set hours for the museum. It is open when there is a volunteer to run it.
The museum does not have a gift shop for souvenirs. It is just about the history of the Yellowstone, the park rangers, and the National Park Service. However the Norris Geyser Basin Museum does offer a bookstore, which is nearby.
Smokey the Bear Advertising and he later was appointed
George Bush Senior as the Top Park Ranger in California.
I can't think of his first name but have a picture of
him with Stars on his colar.
His last name was Earnest.