Creating a National Park The place we call Theodore Roosevelt National Park was created in 1947. Two important things happened in the 1930s. First was the Great Depression. Many people could not find work or make money. Second was the Dust Bowl. Too much farming and not enough rain turned the grasslands into dusty fields. Many farmers and ranchers sold their land to the federal government. The national park was created from these lands. But first it had a different name. In 1947 it was called Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park. Do you wonder what the difference is? The National Park Service uses different names for the type of park. We have regular national parks, but also historic sites, seashores, battlefields and more! We used a special name since this was a memorial to Theodore Roosevelt. When people saw the land had special plants, animals and geology, they changed it to a national park. Today, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a protected ecosystem for wildlife. An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things. The plants, animals, rocks, dirt, air, water and everything else make an ecosystem! All of these objects are linked together. Removing or changing one part of an ecosystem can have big effects on the other pieces. National parks like this one protect ecosystems around the country. They also protect our history. Do you know the coolest thing about the national parks? They belong to the people! But we will learn more about this idea later. First, let's learn more about Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The park also protects the awesome landforms we call the "badlands." The term Badlands is a special name given to this area. The name has been around long before the national park. Keep reading to find out what the Badlands are! You can also return to the main Learn About the Park page. Go to the vocabulary page to review the blue words you learned here. |
Last updated: August 19, 2015