Here is some history about the National Parks.

In 1872, Congress opened Yellowstone National Park as a “as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.”  In the beginning, the Secretary of the Interior managed Yellowstone.  Then there were more parks with lots of different groups trying to take care of them.  The groups did not work as a team, so they couldn’t plan.  On August 25, 1916, President Wilson made the new National Park Service.  It was one big group whose job was to maintain all of the National Parks.  This was better because they were working together.

The National Park System includes historic places that are important to our country’s history, scientific places, and valuable natural land.  There are National Parks all across the United States of America.  To make a new National Park, Congress must decide if the new park should be created.  The National Park Service is still trying to make parks and to maintain the parks we already have.