In more recent times, spanish explorers and miners came to the basin in pursuit of salt, gypsum, and other resources. White sands to become a national park alamogordo daily news. Located in southern new mexico, the popularity of the monument draws nearly half a million visitors each year to the national park service s southwestern region. Numerous parking areas along the drive allow visitors to stop and walk in the white sands. Efforts to preserve the areas brilliant gypsum dunes had begun in the late 1800s, but it was the enthusiasm of local booster tom charles that finally led to the parks creation. Into the great white sands book launch and celebration of our next national park, with a digital exhibit of stunning photographs and readings from the book. Over 10,000 years ago the first people came to white sands national park in search of food, water, and shelter.
A year of life on the great beach of cape cod by henry beston. Upon arriving at the national park, raja and his owners. Personal stories of the natl parks 4 diary analysis worksheet. I read this book while visiting the monument this weekend, and these pages definitely contain more information than what you will find in the parkmonument brochure, or in.
Jan 02, 2017 on august 25, 2016, the national park service celebrates its 100th anniversary. White sands historic district white sands national park u. The founding years, 1933 this is a book i wish i had read many years ago. May 03, 2011 ten years after it first came out, the national parks. Albuquerque to white sands national monument 4 ways to.
Trying to remember when you last heard about gypsum. Follow the story of raja, a family dog from india, who goes with his owners to a national park. White sands national parks conservation association. Dallasfort worth to tucson is around a 15 hour drive so we decided to stop at white sands in new mexico the first night to break it up. Naive is the feminine of naif, old french for inborn or natural, which comes from the latin nativus, or native. This is a little sneaky, since technically the first national park, yellowstone, dates back to 1872. In 1990, the visitor center and adjacent seven buildings, also built between 1936 and 1940, were officially designated as the white sands national monument historic district. The information contained in this website is historical in scope and is not meant as an. Route 70 approximately 15 miles 24 km southwest of alamogordo and 52 miles 84 km northeast of las cruces, in western otero county and northeastern dona ana county. Efforts to preserve the areas brilliant gypsum dunes had begun in the late 1800s, but it was the enthusiasm of local booster tom charles that finally led to the park s creation. Before visiting, please check with individual parks regarding changes to.
They may look like mounds of snow, but the dunes in this park are made of a rare form of crystallized gypsum. Adventuring into the surreal landscape of white sands national park in southern new mexico for many. Americas best idea remains hands down the best book about the history of the national parks. The creamy, sculpted dunes of white sands national. White sands national monument is dwarfed by the white sands missile range, a military testing area for the u. Arizona memorial, this catalog spans american history and territory both, with practical advice on how to reach each park, when to go, and what to do there. Great sand dunes national park and preserve wikipedia. White sands became a national monument on 18 jan 1933 by order of president herbert hoover. List of books and articles about national parks online.
Apr 26, 2012 national park week seems like an appropriate time to check your personal library to ensure its up to snuff when it comes to the national parks. National park books dvd dvd postcard bluray national park books bookdvd combo bookbluray combo ecommerce, open source, shop, online shopping. White sands national monument becomes the countrys 62nd national park. In 1933 the national park service was given trusteeship over areas previously under the jurisdiction of the agriculture and war depts. Each of the trails in white sands national park is different. White sands is a very new national park, though its been a national monument for many years. While the parks and their natural beauty get most of the. Great wavelike dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the worlds largest gypsum dunefield.
All of these books make great gifts for children, allowing them to revisit favorite parks or read up on parks they hope to. The history of a national monument schneiderhector, dietmar on. National geographic complete national parks of the united. A short history of white sands national monument white. Jan 12, 2020 59 illustrated national parks, celebrating 100 years of wilderness and wonder 59 illustrated national parks features 160 pages with 59 national park illustrations, 12 oil paintings, historic photographs, a did you know. Written by dayton duncan, and ken burns, the companion book to the film is a sweeping.
Find all the transport options for your trip from albuquerque to white sands national monument right here. How national parks tell our storyand show who we are. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. White sands national monument, in southcentral new mexico, lies within the armys 3,150squaremile white sands missile range, and the road into the 225squaremile monument. This is a short, highly informative book full of general information about the history and ecology of white sands national monument, which is located in southern new mexico. More than 220 of the 377 national park sites are cultural sites, focusing on history, anthropology, and archaeology. No matter the date, im all for more celebration of americas beautiful spaces, historic sites. According to the national park service nps, us national parks supported over 292 million recreational visitors in 2014. It was truly epic to be able to sled down sand dunes at white sands national monument in new mexico and explore a grove of giant sequoia trees at sequoia national park in california as i began to plan out our trip, i had a couple of trusty guides, including national. White sands historic district white sands national park. The park was originally designated great sand dunes national.
This is a printable white sands map, which doesnt look as nice but is much easier for printing and just showing the park basics. Newshour, history channel, colonial williamsburg, and several ken burns series. Rome2rio makes travelling from albuquerque to white sands national monument easy. Rising from the heart of the tularosa basin is one of the worlds great natural wonders the glistening white sands of new mexico. National monuments in the usa can be overlooked due to the popularity of national parks, but their beauty and enjoyment are just as enjoyable for the hearty adventurer. When someone discovers i work for the national park service, they invariably ask if i get to wear the smokey bear hat. I wish it had been more detailed, exploring the background and history of each park, but i suppose this would have turned into a series, rather than a oneoff. Great sand dunes national park and preserve is located in saguache and alamosa counties, colorado at approximately 37. Into the great white sands photography book and exhibitions. The collection of vintage pictures in black and white is remarkable.
Set in a landscape of native plants, the historic district preserves this unique architectural style and is a tribute to the plans of the architects and the fine. The monument story, however, can be traced to the waning years of the 19th century and is linked to the nationwide growth of the national park idea that followed the establishment of yellowstone national park in 1872. White sands national park is an american national park located in the state of new mexico on u. It protects the largest gypsum dune on earth, a remnant of bygone lakes. Wayside exhibits at pullouts along the drive provide information about the natural history of the park. Guide books will be coming with its new status, but for now, this is a great allaround book, focused on photos. National monuments can be set aside by executive action through the antiquities act created by theodore roos. Ten books you should have in your national park library. Two summers ago, my kids and i visited more than a dozen national parks and monuments. The white sands dunefield fit the description of what the national park service sought in prospective sites. White sands national park books and guides national parked.
A kids guide to americas parks, monuments and landmarks by erin mchugh publishers synopsis. I read this book while visiting the monument this weekend, and these pages definitely contain more information than what you will find in the park monument brochure, or in. White sands was established as a national monument in 1933 and redesginated as a national park in 2019. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Dec 02, 2016 to celebrate this years 100 th anniversary of the national park service, national geographic introduced three new books and updated a favorite title, enabling kids to plan, explore and get excited about national parks. The wonder of white sands high country news know the west. New mexicos white sands national park hit the big leagues in december 2019, becoming the countrys 62nd national park. Witness and learn the unique history of the park from prehistoric times to the atomic age and its. Guadalupe mountains national park national geographic trails illustrated. Books that take place in national parks score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Here is the official white sands national monument map 1. Camping at white sands national monument last week i took a 7 day road trip to arizona with mike mezeul to chase monsoon storms with mike olbinski and andy hoeland.
Raja is plagued by nightmares of a lion every night, the family is worried and thinks that the vacation will make raja feel better. The trinity site in the white sands national park represents one of the most monumental points in human history. Into the great white sands book launch national parks. Death canyon a jake trent novel by david riley bertsch. Includes a foldout commemorative quarter collector. The word naive is french, but its a useful concept in any culture. Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. The park is situated at an average elevation of about 4,000 feet 1,219 m in the tularosa basin and comprises the southern part. White sands national monument in the state of new mexico, united states of america is a massive field of sand dunes made of gypsum crystals. Like in the tv series of the same title that it follows almost word for word, the story is very well told. Rome2rio is a doortodoor travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. White sands national park is the home of the worlds largest gypsum dune field. Visitors are always encouraged to check before making the trek. Spring migration is in full swing here in the great lakes, and your humble birding columnist has been run ragged.
During the week, people are encouraged to visit their local parks or take a trip to a new park and enjoy all it has to offer. Our curated selection of books is presented to enhance your understanding of your western national parks, as well as the region and the people whose history is rooted in the west. Ranchers also took advantage of the expansive grasslands in the basin until the bombing of pearl harbor during world. Ten years after it first came out, the national parks. This week the country celebrates national park week, a collaboration between the national park service and the national park foundation, the official charity of americas national parks, to honor our national treasures. The tularosa basin in southern new mexico, a high desert area, averages 4,000. The park is situated at an average elevation of about 4,000 feet 1,219 m in the tularosa basin and. New mexicos white sands is the newest national park. Hinesh vithals novel national park will entertain young and older children alike. Commercial filming has been happening at white sands national monument since 1950. The national park service nps has a major stake in living up to that trust of presenting an accurate and comprehensive view of the past.
Its a small park, but loaded with unique geographic features and plenty of fabulous birds. New books about americas national parks the seattle times. The world s largest gypsum dune field, the 275squaremile dunes of white sands national monument are a geologic oddity more than 250 million years in the making. Dec 23, 2019 white sands national park is the home of the worlds largest gypsum dune field. Kim heacox has written a dozen books, five for national geographic on biography, history and wildlands conservation. White sands national monument images of america kindle. That work is collected in his new book, into the great white sands. A photographer lovingly documents new mexicos desert national monument. You can explore the various areas and features of the dune field, so have an adventure and enjoy one or all of the parks four trails. The idea was to form an allweather national park from a variety of public and private lands including a part of the mescalero indian reservation, the malpais lava flow near carrizozo, all of the white sands dunefield, white mountain, elephant butte reservoir, and lake b. The history of americas national parks the boston globe. Allow 30 minutes driving time for the 16mile round trip, plus additional time for walking, photography or stopping at pullouts. A few weeks back, april 1826, it was national park week.
Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional. You are welcome to walk anywhere within the park as long. National park week seems like an appropriate time to check your personal library to ensure its up to snuff when it comes to the national parks. The nps history electronic library is a portal to electronic publications covering the history of the national park service and the cultural and natural history of the national parks, monuments, and historic sites of the u. A historians experience in the national park service. While my answerno, i am a behindthescenes staff person who rarely meets with visitorsmay be disappointing, further elaboration of my job and the role of a historian at a national park often piques interest.
Most of the new mexico dunefield actually lies outside the boundaries of the park. The national park service centennial has inspired a flurry of books about our parks and the people who maintain them. A guide to glacier bay national park and preserve national park service handbook by national park service u. Youll hear about the actual birds right here in a couple weeks, but for now i want to focus on. Among my recent travels was a stop at ontarios point pelee national park. The area had already sparked scientific interest with the first published research occurring in scientific journals in 1870. From yellowstone to the statue of liberty, from the hallowed ground of gettysburg national military park to the pacific waters shrouding hawaiis u. The park service, in contrast, didnt come around until 1916. Chalks, those blackboard chalk material and this is a huge field making it look like a paradise. White sands national park is an american national park located in the state of new mexico on. The range of films covers the spectrum from movies such as transformers and the book of eli to music videos with artists pink floyd, boyz ii men, and puff daddy, along with many documentaries and commercials. The perfect guide for your next family adventure, this funfilled book explores more than 75 u.
Album beautiful offerings deluxe edition licensed to youtube by curb records on behalf of fervent recordsword. Today, its location between several military bases means the monument is sometimes closed due to missile tests. Here, in no particular order, are 10 books you definitely should have in your library. Apr 07, 2017 in 1990, the visitor center and adjacent seven buildings, also built between 1936 and 1940, were officially designated as the white sands national monument historic district. Enjoy them to the fullest by shopping our collection of national parks handbooks, history books, childrens activity guides and books, park guides, maps, posters and more, including posters by famous graphics artist, charley harper. At that point 14 national parks already existed in the united states, the oldest being yellowstone, which had been set aside by federal law, back in 1872, as the first national park anywhere in. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. White sands national monument dancing sea horses san antonio, texas hemisfair 68 index roadrunner new stamp free america national geographic school bulletin, may 6, 1968 number 30. Congress has since authorized the preservation of significant historic sites and the establishment of national memorials, national historical parks, national parkways, national lakeshores and seashores, national. White sands superintendent dennis ditmanson trace the parks history as.
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