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Gerald R. Ford holds a special place in
the heart of the National Park Service family. He will be remembered
by the world for his many accomplishments as President of the United
States and his compassion in healing the nation’s wounds following
the war in Vietnam. For the National Park Service, he is considered
one of our own; he is the only American President to have served as a
park ranger in the National Park Service.
 In
the summer of 1936, Gerald Ford worked as a seasonal park ranger at
Yellowstone National Park. Ford later recalled that time as, “One of
the greatest summers of my life.” According to his supervisor at
Yellowstone, Canyon District Ranger Frank Anderson, Ford was “a
darned good ranger.” While serving in Yellowstone, one of Ford’s
assignments was as an armed guard on the bear-feeding truck. The
National Park Service no longer feeds the bears, but Ford always
remembered that duty and often regaled his family with stories about
the bear-feeding truck. During his summer at Yellowstone, Ford also
worked in the Canyon Hotel and Lodge meeting and greeting VIPS, a job
Ford explained to his supervisor was “undemocratic and un-American to
give special attention to VIPs.” According to Wayne Repogle, Ford’s
roommate that summer, one of the duties that Ford particularly
enjoyed was the early morning check. From 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. every
morning, each automobile in camp had to be checked for make, model,
state and license number. Repogle indicated that the rangers had to
run most of the time to get 150 to 200 licenses listed in two hours.
As a football player, Ford was very fit and saw this duty as an
opportunity to stay in shape. Repogle stated that Ford genuinely
enjoyed, “everything we rangers had to do.”
As President of the United States, Ford oversaw an era when the
National Park Service, under the leadership of Director Gary
Everhardt, tightened the criteria for national parklands. Previously,
for an area to be recommended for inclusion in the National Park
System, an area had to be considered nationally significant and lend
itself to administration, preservation, and public use. The new
emphasis would also consider whether the area was assured of adequate
protection outside the System and whether it would be available for
public appreciation and use under such protection. During his time in
office, President Ford added eighteen new areas to the National Park
System.
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Areas Added to the National Park System under
President Gerald R. Ford
- Boston National Historical Park, MA
- Big Cypress National
Preserve, FL
- Big Thicket National Preserve, TX
- Clara Barton National Historic Site, MD
- John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, OR
- Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, ND
- Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, NY
- Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, AL
- Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, OH
- Canaveral National
Seashore, FL
- Chickasaw National Recreation Area, OK
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, AK/WA
- Valley Forge National Historical Park, PA
- Ninety Six National Historic Site, SC
- Obed Wild and Scenic
River, TN
- Congaree Swamp National
Monument, SC
- Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site, CA
- Monocacy National Battlefield, MD
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Related Links and Resources:
• Hiker Killed By Grizzly Bear In Yellowstone National Park
• Hikers Injured in Yellowstone Grizzly Encounter
• Fatal 2011 Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Attack
•
Official Report of Brian Matayoshi Grizzly Fatality
•
Official Report of John Wallace Grizzly Fatality
• Fed Bear Killed By Park Service
•
Photographer Attacked By Grizzly Bear
• Fatal Black Bear Attacks
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