Preserving Scenes of America’s Conservation History
Woodstock, Vermont
“...[I]n the vocabulary of nature, little and great are terms of comparison only; she knows no trifles, and her laws are as inflexible in dealing with an atom as with a continent or a planet.”
--From Man and Nature, George Perkins Marsh, 1867 (p. 548)
The George Perkins Marsh Boyhood Home, now part of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, became a National Historic Landmark in 1967. The three individuals who give the park its name - George Perkins Marsh, Frederick Billings, and Laurance Spellman Rockefeller - each contributed to the conservation movement in North America through their writings, practices, and political involvement.
Today, the park celebrates the development of conservation in America, and its preservation by the NPS (since 1992) continues the legacy of conservation on this Vermont landscape.
Between May and October, visitors can explore the blooms of the formal gardens and guided tours of the mansion at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (NPS Photo, park website).
George Perkins Marsh
George Perkins Marsh was born in 1801 and raised on this rural property in the rolling hills of Vermont. During his life on the family farm, Marsh could clearly observe the impacts of deforestation, which had dramatic effects on hillside erosion and the nearby Ottauquechee River.
In 1864, he published “Man and Nature,” which offered a new interpretation of the relationship between wilderness and civilization. The work influenced the development of land management skills, and it continues to be recognized as an important publication of the American conservation movement.
George Perkins Marsh, ca. 1850 (Photo by Mathew Brady via Library of Congress)
Frederick Billings
When Frederick Billings bought the property in 1869, he soon began a thorough campaign of remodeling, landscaping, and construction. He also developed a forest park and carriage road network through the wooded property and replanted much of the forest land that had been cleared during its the early use. His actions put into practice the latest scientific theory on land management.
These reforestation efforts are still standing as one of the first designed tree farms in Vermont. The forests of Mount Tom are part of the National Tree Farm system and are managed as a “cultural forest,” focused on private and public education, recreation, and natural resource values.
View of the big meadow at the Billings Farm and Museum, looking toward Mount Tom. This shows the relation of the forested hillside lands to the agricultural fields of the valley. The mansion is visible in the center. (From Survey HALS VT-1, Library of Congress)
It is said that Billings was so devoted to the operation of his farm that, as he lay on his death bed, he was still giving detailed descriptions of how it should grow into the future.
Mary and Laurance Rockefeller
In 1954, Mary French Rockefeller assumed ownership of the estate of her grandfather (Frederick Billings), which she used as a summer home with her husband Laurance Spellman Rockefeller. During their tenure, they rejuvenated the property and the town of Woodstock.
Laurance, an avid conservationist, had been heavily influenced by camping trips with his father and brothers. In 1992, the Rockefellers donated the mansion and grounds to the NPS to create the park, deciding that preserving the landscape that influenced and reflected these three individuals was the ideal place to celebrate the conservation movement in America. Rockefeller was added to the park’s name in 1998.
View of the Billings Farm & Museum, including the south peak of Mount Tom to the right. (From Survey HALS VT-1, Library of Congress)
Celebrating Preservation in Vermont & Around the Country
This week, we focus on historic preservation in Vermont as we continue the state-by-state celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Please join us with #50for50 and share the preserved places that matter most to you.
Visit the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP website for more details, history, and to plan your visit.
Photos and drawings from the Historic American Landscape Survey, HALS VT-1, Library of Congress
Mansion Grounds and Forest at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP: Cultural Landscape Inventory (PDF)
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Exhibit - Google Cultural Institute
As we continue the National Park Service’s 50 for 50 campaign to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, we are crossing Nebraska is search of preservation stories.
Five national trails pass this way:
California National Historic Trail,
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail,
Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail,
Oregon National Historic Trail, and the
Pony Express National Historic Trail.
Imagine crossing these vast plains and spotting a rocky bluff in the distance, interrupting the open sky.
Scotts Bluff, towering 800 feet above the North Platte River, has long stood as an dependable and recognizable landmark for people moving across the plains. It’s a view that was known by Native Americans, fur trappers, emigrants making the journey west, and modern travelers.
Dome Rock, looking southeast from the entrance of the monument. This butte rises 4,396 feet above sea level (NPS, 2014).
Scotts Bluff National Monument, designated in 1919, is significant for its paleontological and archeological resources that contribute to an understanding of the prehistory of the high plains. The site has played an important role in western migration, exploration, and settlement. A second layer of historic significance is evident in the landscape features that were added with the development of Scotts Bluff National Monument in the early half of the 20th century.
The North Observation Point was constructed in 1938. It was one of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) projects that changed the landscape of Scotts Bluff during the Great Depression (NPS, 2014).
Preserving a Significant Landscape
The Scotts Bluff National Monument landscape was added to the National Register in October 1978 in recognition of its major role during the period of migration and settlement of America’s western frontier.
In 1995, the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office agreed with the determination that the landscape was also significant for its development national monument between 1927 and 1948. This period includes the depression-era work programs, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided labor for the development of visitor use and administrative areas.
The Civil Works Administration (CWA) employed 114 men to begin work on the summit road. They dug the first two tunnels, graded the road from the bottom to the face of the third tunnel, leveled the top parking lot, and started grading the road to the third tunnel location. This was a short lived program of the depression and work on the road paused for a year in April 1934 until there was money to resume (NPS photo and caption, Scotts Bluff National Monument).
The development of the monument during this era exemplifies the National Park Service’s architectural and landscape design style through the use of regional building styles and construction methods. The National Register listing, updated in 2012 to reflect the discovery of additional archeological sites and the development of the site during the Great Depression and Mission 66, identifies the period of significance as 1930 to 1958.
Revisit our Then and Now post featuring Scotts Bluff National Monument (2014)
William Henry Jackson
A view of Scotts Bluff National Monument, painted by William Henry Jackson, was one of the featured landscapes in the recently-published Cultural Landscapes Program Centennial Poster Series.
Jackson himself had crossed the plains as a young man in 1866, so the challenges and vastness of the experience were familiar to him. His paintings suggest a quiet admiration for the courage of these travelers in search of a better life, rather than a loud, patriotic boom of an expanding nation.
Wagon Train, by William Henry Jackson. NPS/Scotts Bluff National Monument museum collection [SCBL 53].
Visit the Scotts Bluff National Monument poster page on our website to download the poster and to see more about the landscape and William Henry Jackson.
MORE
Oregon Trail Ruts Cultural Landscape Report
National Register of Historic Places nomination: Scotts Bluff National Monument
Scotts Bluff Summit Road, Photos from Survey HAER NE-11, Library of Congress
More images in our Scotts Bluff National Monument landscape Flickr album
On August 8, 2015, the Kawaihae Fire started on the Big Island of Hawaii, burning rapidly through the Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site on the island's northwest coast. Native Hawaiian Organizations maintain strong traditional ties here to the ruins of the last major ancient Hawaiian temple. Just below Puʻukoholā Heiau, on the coconut tree-shaded beach known as Pelekane, is the site of the court of King Kamehameha I. Yet, the fire raged across this “kapu” place, once limited to the royal family, priest, and nobility, forcing traditional ceremonies to be cancelled and exposing archaeological and cultural artifacts to vandalism. Then, a massive flash flood swept through, further impacting the park’s significant cultural resources.
The National Park Service’s Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team moved in to assess the damage and conditions of the precious site. Consisting of Marti Witter, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Brian Rasmussen and Joe Svinarich, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Jim Roche, Yosemite National Park, Amy Hoke, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Adam Johnson and Elizabeth Gordon,Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, and Rick Gmirkin, Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, the team noted that the low-intensity fire resulted in minor direct damage, but the indirect impacts of erosion, fire-killed hazard trees, and looting were a much bigger concern. Emergency stabilization was urgent with more intense storms looming. They immediately got to work, replacing timbers of a retaining wall, removing hazard trees, and building sand-bag barriers around effected cultural features.
We’d like to say mahalo and #HatsOff2 the BAER team and all the volunteers who helped protect this special piece of our heritage.
Paloma Bolasny got her first taste of working for the National Park Service's preservation programs through an internship with the National Council for Preservation Education. Now, she's a wizard at managing youth programs! As coordinator of the National Park Service's Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program and the Latino Heritage Internship Program, she’s inspiring the next generation of heritage conservationists, so#HatsOff2 Paloma! Her internship training programs get young people involved in hands-on preservation work like archaeology and oral history in parks across the country. She is thrilled to promote youth programs within cultural resources and over the past few years her programs have grown, creating more meaningful opportunities for youth to learn and work with the National Park Service!
Judith Collins fondly recalls the summer trips her family took to national parks across the country: “I think those experiences allowed me to see our environment not just as natural or built, but as evidence of our shared history. I see the effect we have on it during our lifetime and understand the responsibility we have to protect it.” Today, Judith is the historical architect at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, where she oversees the preservation of more than 150 years of architectural history. Across Lake Michigan, on the south side of Chicago, she helps as the Acting Cultural Resources Specialist at the brand new Pullman National Monument. #HatsOff2 Judith!
The Diversity Scholarship Program (DSP) supports and strengthens the work of community leaders and emerging preservation professionals by sharing with them a broad range of preservation tools and networks that focus on increasing diversity in preservation.
Interested in attending this year’s PastForward, National Preservation Conference? The Diversity Scholarship Program supports attendance of both community leaders who are new to preservation and emerging preservation professionals.
Apply by May 5th!
This year’s conference will be held November 15-18 in Houston, Texas.
Preservation and Reconstruction at Grand Portage National Monument
The reconstructed structures of Grand Portage National Monument, on the shore of Lake Superior and surrounded by land owned by the Grand Portage Band of the Minnesota Chippewa, represent only a small percentage of the buildings that once occupied the site. The landscape includes the sites of the North West Company’s Fur Trading posts on Grand Portage Bay and at Fort Charlotte, as well as the approximately nine mile portage trail that connects the two.
National Park Service map of the Grand Portage National Monument. Please visit the park website for the interactive version and to plan your visit.
The Grand Portage site is nationally significant because of its association with the fur trade and the exploration and colonization of the northwest, its historic and geographic link between the U.S. and Canada, and its state of preservation in a semi-wilderness setting. It has been a significant setting for traditional Ojibwe heritage and cultural practices before, during, and after the arrival of Euro-Americans.
Today, preservation of the landscape’s history and features follows several paths. Archeological and natural resource investigation are used to expand our understanding of how humans have used the portage and the shoreline over time. The buildings and stockade of the trade depot are reconstructions, enhancing the image of how the landscape might have looked at the height of the fur trade era. Additionally, interpretive demonstrations provide visitors with the feeling of life during the historic period.
Not just any lawn: This mowed area is rich in archeological resources representative of several time periods. Features associated with the area include Ojibwe burial sites, voyageur encampments, and village structures (NPS/CLI team, 1999).
A Look at the Grand Portage National Monument Landscape
Transport yourself to the north shore of Lake Superior, at the place where the vast lake connects to the northwest interior by way of the Kitchi Onigaming, or the Grand Portage. Look around with us.
The wide views from the stockade area and surrounding high points over Grand Portage Bay have long been a critical part of this landscape. At the height of the fur trade era, it was important to be able to see the ships and canoes as they approached in order to prepare the depot for the arrival of cargo. The depot had a watchtower for these long-range views, as well as to monitor the stockade in case of fire.
Although the surrounding area is no longer the virgin timber that the voyageurs knew, the Grand Portage passes through the dense, second-growth forest of what is now the northeast tip of the Minnesota, giving the contemporary traveler a view of the trail as it might have appeared two centuries ago.
In the late 1790s, the Grand Portage corridor through the thick woods of northern Minnesota was the highway to northwestern Canada. Every summer, voyageurs carried tons of furs down the path in one direction, and tons of trade goods in the other direction (NPS, Grand Portage National Monument website).
In addition to the portage, the cultural landscape consists of maintained areas in and around a stockade reconstruction, mowed areas mixed with grassy meadows, conifer stands that may be of CCC-era origin, some traces of domesticated vegetation and above ground archaeological resources associated with the Grand Portage Village, and a remnant lakefront road.
Although this was not the longest, most difficult, nor most spectacular of the portages, the Grand Portage (or the “great carrying place”) was a vital link in the fur trade, and a strategic route connecting Lake Superior to the northern interior waterways of the continent. Grand Portage was the headquarters of the North West Company, a powerful British fur trading firm. Because of the company’s importance, Grand Portage was the only location of military activity in Minnesota during the Revolutionary War, when British soldiers were stationed there to protect the company’s property.
Various groups have reenacted the portage crossing that was once carried out by the Voyageurs during the fur trade era (NPS/Grand Portage National Monument Archives, date unknown).
This Place Matters
The landscape’s significance is based primarily on two separate but interrelated themes. As a historic site, it was an important meeting place, rendezvous location, and overland link between two essential water routes at the height of the 18th and 19th century fur trade. This period (1731-1804) is represented by reconstructions of the complex.
Historic encampment among white spruce during Rendezvous Days 2014 (NPS, Grand Portage NM website).
It is also a significant setting for the traditional Ojibwe heritage and cultural practices from before, during, and after the arrival of Euro-Americans, and it was the location of an Ojibwe community in the Grand Portage Reservation between 1854 and the 1940s.
A view of the Grand Portage village, taken around 1920, shows the alignment of the 1914-1938 lakefront road around which the village buildings were clustered prior to excavation and subsequent reconstructions that led to the relocation of the village (NPS, Grand Portage National Monument Archives).
The earliest written descriptions of the Grand Portage area originated with the French explorers, missionary priests, and government officials. When British traders arrived, the combination of French experience and British capital and goods led to great success in the fur trade enterprise. Large-scale British trade over the Grand Portage began around 1775. At the peak of the trade, there were over a thousand voyageurs in the company’s service, who usually carried two 90-pound packs over for portage between Fort Charlotte and Grand Portage on each trip.
This painting by H. Sivertson interprets a likely scheme for the depot and surrounding camps as they may have appeared during the fur trade era. There were at least 16 structures associated with the depot (from print of original painting, in Cultural Landscape Inventory).
The use and development of the site, from transportation route to trading post to village to national monument, has always involved the local Ojibwe. During the first reconstructions (1938-1940) and the road alignment, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided employment and training to the Ojibwe community.
The National Park Service continues a unique relationship and management agreement with the Grand Portage Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. The cultural landscape is entirely surrounded by tribal land, and the park is entirely maintained by tribal members.
Ojibwe traditions like the powwow gatherings have long been an important part of the identity and history of the landscape. Although this particular event how occurs outside NPS lands, other similar traditions (like the annual Rendezvous) remain (NPS, Grand Portage National Monument Archives).
Reconstructing the Past
Today, the reconstructed stockade, Gatehouse, Great Hall, Kitchen, and Warehouse/Canoe Shed help to convey the historic landscape, and seasonal living history exhibits interpret voyageur and Ojibwe culture.
A group of voyageurs lands their canoe on the shore of Grand Portage Bay during the North West Company Partners Arrival Ceremony, part of Rendezvous Days 2014 (NPS, Grand Portage NM website).
The reconstruction of these features followed a great amount of research, and their appearance and locations aim to represent what is known about the historic period as accurately as possible.
This view of the stockade site, ca. 1936, offers a clear view of the 1914-1938 lakefront road just before the road’s realignment due to excavations (NPS, Grand Portage National Monument Archives).
The Great Hall is believed to have been constructed around 1785. The site was first excavated in the mid-1930s by Minnesota Historical Society archeologist Ralph Brown, and it was reconstructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps under the direction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1938-40. After the building was destroyed by a fire in 1969, the National Park Service had an opportunity to conduct additional archeological testing and more research. The Great Hall was again reconstructed in 1971-72, and this version is believed to be a more historically accurate representation. The Great Hall was reconstructed by Native Americans the first, if not both, times.
Most of the other structures follow a similar progression, resulting in the reconstructions that stand today.
The initial reconstruction of the palisades in 1927-38 employed methods and materials originally used by the North West Company in the late 1700s (NPS, Grand Portage National Monument Archives).
Preservation in Minnesota
This week, we are highlighting preservation in Minnesota in the state-by-state celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Like its history, preservation of the Grand Portage National Monument landscape has multiple layers. It is a significant historic site with a wealth of cultural and natural resources. It is a reconstruction based on archeological evidence, historic research, and observations of the natural environment. It is the site of ongoing living history programs that actively interpret and demonstrate both Ojibwe culture and heritage and the history of the fur trade.
If one idea becomes clear as you look around Grand Portage National Monument, it’s that we might only be scratching the surface of how many stories this landscape can tell. As the approaches to broader interpretation and additional reconstructions at this site continue to develop, it really is an example of “heritage in motion.”
A 1857 painting by Eastman Johnson shows the area east of Grand Portage creek. It shows a mix of Bureau of Indian Affairs buildings and traditional dwellings, but it’s difficult to identify any distinct spatial pattern in these early views (NPS, Grand Portage National Monument Archives, printed in Cultural Landscape Inventory).
National Register of Historic Places nomination (PDF)
Preserving the layered history of the Isle Royale landscape
Surrounded by the chilly blue waters of Lake Superior, Isle Royale National Park in Michigan is a rugged island defined by rocky shoreline, boreal forest, colorful lichens, and hardy moose and wolves. Given the extreme weather conditions of winter in the northern Great Lakes, the island is closed to visitors from November until mid-April. For the remaining months of the year, the island is an invitation to backpackers, boaters, kayakers, and scuba divers.
(Photo courtesy of NPS/Isle Royale National Park on Facebook)
The Chippewa Indians called the place Minong, which traditionally translates to “The Good Place.” The isolation, wilderness, and natural resources that characterize Isle Royale were influential to the development of its cultural landscapes, and the stunning beauty and natural bounty of Isle Royale have been drawing people to its shores long before it became a national park.
Many descendants of the island’s original Ojibway visitors still live in the Grand Portage and Thunder Bay areas. Later, parts of the island developed as the fishing, mining, and tourism industries boomed in the region. Many of the cabins, docks, lighthouses, and resort structures continue to stand as visible reminders of those who have passed this way before.
Postcard of Rock Harbor Resort from 1906 (NPS/Courtesy of Isle Royale National Park on Facebook).
Today, 14 cultural landscapes have been identified within the park, primarily associated with the mining, fishing, maritime, and resort histories of the island.
For the National Park Service’s state-by-state celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, we are considering the value of preservation in Michigan with a closer look at the significance of just one of these landscapes: Edisen Fishery and Rock Harbor Lighthouse.
Boundary of the Edisen Fishery and Rock Harbor Lighthouse cultural landscape, located on what is known as Indian Head Point. The fishery docks can be seen on the upper left (near point “A”) and the lighthouse is almost directly across to the right (partway between points “D” and “E”). (Vanbeek/NPS 2015, via Cultural Landscape Inventory report).
Rock Harbor Lighthouse
The Rock Harbor Lighthouse, built in 1855, is one of the oldest on Lake Superior. It was built in response to increased harbor traffic associated with the region’s boom in copper mining. The light guided boats through the Middle Island Passage during the island’s period of historic mining.
Rock Harbor Lighthouse with tower and keepers house (Survey HABS MI-386 at Library of Congress).
The copper industry proved unprofitable towards the end of the 1850s and the need for the lighthouse declined, eventually leading to its abandonment in 1859. The light was reactivated during a second period of mining, then abandoned again in 1879. After that, the lighthouse was occasionally used as a shelter by the growing summer resort community.
The NPS stabilized the lighthouse tower in 1962 and conducted extensive preservation maintenance and restoration from 1980 to 1982. Today, a dense cedar forest grows around the lighthouse, which historically would have been an obstruction to the light’s visibility. It served as an important beacon for the busy harbor, and it was said to be visible from 14 miles out on Lake Superior.
The interior of the lighthouse is currently maintained as an Isle Royale and Lake Superior maritime museum, with the first floor available for exhibits.
Edisen Fishery
Together, the Rock Harbor Lighthouse and Edisen Fishery reflect the historic economy and settlement practices of the region dating to the middle of the 19th century. While the sites don’t share a concurrent period of significance, they are related by their proximity on the peninsula and their demonstration of the layered history that shaped the island landscape.
The Edisen Fishery is an example of the small scale commercial fishing operation that thrived on the island from the 1880s to the 1930s. Fisherman traditionally came to Isle Royale in mid-April and returned to the mainland (typically to Minnesota) by November. The fishing complexes on the island were simple, made primarily of salvaged material and intended for temporary use by these seasonal fishermen.
The Edisen Fishery Honeymoon Cottage (Jackson/NPS, 2014).
The first structures at the Edisen Fishery, the net house and the sleeping cabin, were constructed in 1895. Five years later, two local fisherman, Mr. Mattson and Mr. Anderson, constructed the fish house and Edisen residence.
The Edisen Fishery Residence (Jackson/NPS, 2014).
Mike Johnson, Peter Edisen’s father-in-law, purchased the fishery in 1905, and the Johnsons and Edisens both used the complex for fishing operations for a period of time. Between 1928 and 1939, the fishery and the lighthouse were occupied concurrently when Arnold and Milford Johnson lived in the lighthouse and used it for a small commercial fishing operation.
The Edisen Fishery Log Sleeping Cabin (Jackson/NPS, 2014).
The net house was used as the main residence until 1951, when it was converted back to its original use. Fishing practices continued at the site after official acquisition by the National Park Service, and Peter Edisen continued to fish from the Rock Harbor complex until the 1970s. The daily catch was often served in the dining room at the Rock Harbor Lodge.
Edisen Fishery Net House (Jackson/NPS, 2014).
Inside the Fish House (Hauser/NPS, 2008).
Domestic gardens were commonly planted by the fishing families on the island. There is little evidence of the food garden that was maintained by Laura Edisen, but many ornamental flowers and non-native plants persist.
Several factors, both environmental and regulatory, contributed to the demise of the fishing industry on Isle Royale. Licensing requirements for commercial fishing, introduction of smelt and sea lamprey into the lake, and the 1931 nomination of the park as a wilderness all made it harder for fishermen to make a living on Lake Superior. Additionally, changes in the industry’s technology during the 1930s brought new equipment and techniques, hastening the depletion of the lake’s fish.
Net mounted on a net reel (Hauser/NPS, 2008).
At the peak of the industry in the 1920s, 75 families were registered to fish on the island. By 1991, only one family on the island, the Sivertsons, was licensed. Stanley Sivertson died in 1994 at the age of 80.
The Edisen Fishery Net House was restored by the NPS in 1975-76, and the Fish House, Residence, and Sleeping Cabin were restored in 1987-89. Today, it is maintained as an interpretive landscape.
Documenting the Historic Landscape
Both the fishery and the lighthouse were nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. This list identifies the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation, and these particular nominations focused on the structures and buildings in this part of Isle Royale.
The cultural landscape inventory report, which uses the same criteria for determining historic significance as the National Register, offers a deeper exploration of the entire site’s history, use, and preservation by identifying and documenting the natural systems, views, vegetation, small scale features, and circulation patterns that also contribute to its significance.
Rock Harbor Lighthouse National Register Nomination (PDF)
Edisen Fishery National Register Photos (PDF)
Rock Harbor Lighthouse National Register Photos (PDF)
Edisen Fishery National Register Nomination (PDF)
Rock Harbor Lighthouse and Edisen Fishery Cultural Landscape Inventory park report
