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Round silver badge with an eagle in the middle center, marked National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

National Park Service Badge

Issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior
1906 – 1920

The Department of the Interior (DOI) issued badges to park rangers in 1898. It issued new badges in 1906, bearing an eagle and marked "National Park Service" a decade before the NPS was created. Many felt that rangers should look as ordinary as possible, to better apprehend law breakers. In 1908, DOI decided that a uniform was not necessary, as "the National Park Service badge furnished by this Department is sufficient means of distinction of National Park Service employees."

Nickel-plated metal. Dia 5.1, T 0.9 cm
NPS History Collection, HFCA 310