National Park Service turns 106. Here are the sites in IL you can explore this summer
Thursday is the 106th birthday of the National Park Service, and the U.S. Department of the Interior agency celebrates each year.
The NPS operates 423 sites across America considered important to cultural heritage and recreational opportunities. It was officially established Aug. 25, 1916, via the “Organic Act,” signed by then-President Woodrow Wilson. At the time, the NPS has oversight of 35 parks and monuments, though it would steadily increase holdings in the coming years.
Several NPS sites are older than 106, including Yellowstone National Park, which was established from land in the then-Wyoming and Montana territories through the Yellowstone Act of 1872.
National parks in Illinois
Illinois is home to handful of NPS holdings, including the Lincoln Home National Historic Site and Pullman National Monument, as well as parts of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail and the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
Here’s what to know about each, including the dates they were established.
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
This NPS holding in Springfield was established in August 1971 and centers around the home of former President Abraham Lincoln.
In 2021, nearly 90,000 visitors came to the site and it ranked 224th overall in the system for popularity.
Pullman National Monument
This Chicago monument was included in the park system’s holdings in Feb. 19, 2015, by former President Barack Obama, who prior to his presidency served as a U.S. senator from Illinois.
“The park tells the story of one of the first planned industrial communities in the United States, the sleeping car magnate who helped create it, and the workers who lived there,” an NPS description of the site reads. “The district is significant for its influence on urban planning and design, as well as its role in American labor history, including the 1894 Pullman Strike and Boycott.”
National historic trails in Illinois
The Lewis and Clark NHT has a foothold in southwestern Illinois and stretches about 4,900 miles. It was established in November 1978 via an amendment to the National Parks and Recreation Act.
The Mormon Pioneer NHT begins in Nauvoo, Ill., and runs 1,300 miles, marking the voyage of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Salt Lake City, Utah, from 1846 to 1847. It became part of the park system in 1978.
The Trail of Tears NHT has branches in nine states and marks the plight of Indigenous Americans forced off their lands by the U.S. government under the 1830 Indian Removal Act. Thousands of Native Americans died as a result of the ethnic cleansing. The national trail crosses into southern Illinois. The historic trail as related to the park service dates to 1987, with additions added in 2009.
Just across state lines
Those in the metro-east may want to head to St. Louis and celebrate 160 years of the NPS with a visit to Gateway Arch National Park.
It was the 68th most-visited site in the park system in 2021 with more than 1 million visitors.
The park was founded in 1935 and known as Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The arch was completed in 1965.
The structure symbolizes the westward expansion of the U.S., via the Louisiana Purchase, in the 1800s. The Old Courthouse is currently closed, according to the NPS website.
How to celebrate with the NPS
The system celebrates its birthday each Aug. 25. This year, the system is encouraging visitors to share their “wow” moments while visiting the parks.
You can share a photo, video, memory or more with a post on social that includes the tags #NPSBirthday, #FindYourPark or #EncuentraTuParque. An initial deadline was Aug. 15, but you can still tag your submission, the NPS said.
Some rules include:
- Video can be no more than a minute long and you are asked to film horizontal shots.
- Submissions must be your original work.
- By submitting, you consent to the NPS using your material.
You can also email your submission using “WOw 106” in the subject line.