Developing the American Economy Featured Places

Parks

Since 1916, the American people have entrusted the National Park Service with the care of their national parks. With the help of volunteers and park partners, we safeguard these more than 400 places and share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. Find a few of those stories here and then Find a Park to find more of all Americans' stories.

Grand Portage National Monument, Minnesota: Grand Portage National Monument, entirely within Grand Portage Indian Reservation, is next to Gichigami, or Lake Superior. The Park protects two depots of the North West Company, the main depot on Lake Superior and the site of Fort Charlotte on the Pigeon River. The 8.5 mile Grand Portage trail connects the depots and contains most of the acerage of the Monument. Explore the partnership of the Grand Portage Ojibwe and the North West Company during the North American fur trade and the NPS today.

Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, Arizona: The squeaky wooden floor greets your entry into the oldest operating trading post on the Navajo Nation.When your eyes adjust to the dim light in the "bullpen" you find you've just entered a mercantile.Hubbell's has been serving Ganado selling groceries, grain, hardware, horse tack, coffee and Native American Art since 1878.

Salem Maritime National Historic Site: When the United States was young, ships from Salem, Massachusetts helped to build the new nation's economy by carrying cargo back and forth from the West to Asia. The historic buildings, wharves, and reconstructed tall ship at this nine-acre National Park tell the stories of the sailors, Revolutionary War privateers, and merchants who brought the riches of the world to America.

Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park, California: Explore and honor the efforts and sacrifices of American civilians on the World War II home front.Find out how they lived, worked and got along. Many faces, many stories, many truths weave a complex tapestry of myths and realities from this time of opportunity and loss.

Other Places

The National Park Service cares for America's more than 400 national parks…and works in almost every one of her 3,141 counties. We are proud that tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individual citizens ask for our help in revitalizing their communities, preserving local history, celebrating local heritage, and creating close to home opportunities for kids and families to get outside, be active, and have fun. Find a few selected important places outside the parks here and explore the links for more. Then explore what you can do to share your own stories and the places that matter to you.

Huilua Fishpond, Hawaii: Huilua Fishpond, in Kahana Bay on the Island of Oahu, illustrates the unique aquafarming practices of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiians were the only ancient Polynesian people to build controlled artificial fishponds for their aquafarming.

Kenai Mountains Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area: highlights the experience of the Native Alaskans, Russians, explores, gold miners, and settlers who traveled through the branching valleys and over the waters of this rugged mountain coordinator. Public lands have preserved this scenic landscape as viewed by early travelers. In this heritage area, the isolated historic communities that developed around transportation and the Gold Rush are dwarfed by the sweeping landscapes, by the magnificence of the mountains and the strength and dominance of nature. The corridor communities share a sense of that it is a special place.

The MotorCities National Heritage Area preserves, promotes and interprets the history of the automotive industry and labor movement in southeast Michigan. Through a variety of educational, community outreach and tourism programs, the MotorCities celebrates the automotive culture by treasuring the past to inspire the future.

Cache La Poudre River National Heritage Area in Colorado: The river has been crucial to the economic development of the region as well as a major recreation area.This area has also contributed to Western water law and the evolution of complex water delivery systems.Visitors can see the many head gates, flumes, water measurement devices, and intricate network of ditches along the Cache la Poudre River, all created to modify the river's flow in an attempt to meet the water need of urban development.