The Empire of Grandeur (1915-1919) -
national parks: america's best idea

The conservation movement pushes the government to establish one agency to oversee all the parks, leading to the National Park Service in 1916. Its first director seeks to protect the Grand Canyon from commercial interests and establish it as a national park.

Episode Duration: 1 hour 56 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 103

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About National Parks: America's Best Idea:

The film is a human history set against the most stunning backdrop imaginable.

The film works its way chronologically through the history of the national parks featuring characters -- some famous, most not, from every walk of life -- who dedicated their lives to insuring all could enjoy these places.

The film explores how the national park system came to be and examines some -- but not all -- of how these majestic places came to be national parks.