Name: The Empire of Grandeur (1915 – 1919)
Released: 2009-09-29

The National Parks: America's Best Idea

S1 · E3 — The Empire of Grandeur (1915 – 1919)

S1:E3 · The Empire of Grandeur (1915 – 1919)

Episodes

6 episodes in this season

The Scripture of Nature (1851 – 1890)

114 min

The Last Refuge (1890 – 1915)

131 min

Now Playing

The Empire of Grandeur (1915 – 1919)

111 min

Going Home (1920 – 1933)

115 min

Great Nature (1933 – 1945)

114 min

The Morning of Creation (1946 – 1980)

114 min

The National Parks: America's Best Idea

TV Series

20091h 51m7.9

Documentary

Now playing

The Empire of Grandeur (1915 – 1919)

Season 1 · Episode 3 · Sep 29, 2009

In the early 20th century, America has a dozen national parks, but they are a haphazard patchwork of special places under the supervision of different federal agencies. The conservation movement, after failing to stop the Hetch Hetchy dam, pushes the government to establish one unified agency to oversee all the parks, leading to the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916. Its first director, Stephen Mather, a wealthy businessman and passionate park advocate who fought vigorously to establish the NPS, launches an energetic campaign to expand the national park system and bring more visitors to the parks. Among his efforts is to protect the Grand Canyon from encroaching commercial interests and establish it as a national park, rather than a national monument.

More details

The National Parks: America's Best Idea

TV Series

20091h 51m7.9

Documentary

Now playing

The Empire of Grandeur (1915 – 1919)

Season 1 · Episode 3 · Sep 29, 2009

More details