The National Parks: America's Best Idea - Part 1: The Scripture of Nature

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In 1851, word spread of California's beautiful Yosemite Valley, attracting visitors who wished to exploit the land for commercial gain as well as those who wished to keep it pristine. This episode relates how a Scottish-born wanderer named John Muir made protecting this land a spiritual calling. In 1864, Congress passed an act that protects Yosemite from commercial development - the first time in history that any government put forth such an idea. Control of the land was given to California. Meanwhile, a "wonderland" of geysers, mud pots, and sulfur pits in the Wyoming territory was also protected. Since it was located in a territory, rather than a state, it became America's first national park: Yellowstone
Introduction: The National Parks: America's Best Idea - A Film by Ken Burns - Part 1, "The Scripture of Nature" (1851-1890) (2:53)
Nature's Superlatives (2:21)
Preserving Connection to the Land (2:08)
Home in the Parks (1:56)
Co-Owning Magnificence (1:56)
Story of the Parks and of People (2:26)
Yosemite (2:26)
First Tourists in Yosemite (2:08)
Giant Sequoias (1:31)
Nature's Influence on America's Growth (1:48)
Transcendentalism and Manifest Destiny (3:09)
Set Aside as Monument of American Idealism (3:00)
Gathering of Life and Spirit (2:51)
Conflicting Ideals for Yosemite (2:50)
John Muir (4:06)
The John Muir Who Walks (5:02)
Ecstatic Holy Man (2:37)
Unconditional Surrender (2:26)
Yosemite's High Priest (2:41)
Precedent for Natural Parks (1:37)
Deep Love of the Land (1:50)
Colter's Hell (3:25)
An Attraction Beyond Wildest Dreams (3:30)
Old Faithful (2:55)
Everts' Experience (5:10)
New Exploration (2:16)
First National Park (2:42)
The Politics of a Park (3:15)
Indian War in Yellowstone (4:33)
Tourists Flock to Yellowstone (3:21)
Stopping 'the Park Grab' (3:06)
The Debate Rages (2:58)
Muir Returns to the Wild (3:15)
Views of the Natural World (2:39)
Muir Re-Engages the Wilderness (2:28)
Muir's Return to Yosemite (2:57)
Desire for More Preservation (2:27)
Battle for the High Country (2:37)
'Wildness Is a Necessity' (2:36)
Credits: The National Parks: America's Best Idea - A Film by Ken Burns - Part 1, "The Scripture of Nature" (1851-1890) (4:15)

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