Reshaping Our National Parks and Their Guardians: The Legacy of George B. Hartzog Jr.

6: Urban Recreation Programs and Areas

93 When George Hartzog became director of the Park Service in 1964, many American cities lacked adequate outdoor spaces that provided opportunities for recreation. In a rush to grow, America’s quaint old towns had given way to an ever-widening circle of homes, businesses, roads, and parking lots. Government officials and planners had not assured a sustainable balance between development and open spaces.1 At the same time, an increasingly industrialized and urban society had rewarded people with more free time to pursue the good life. They traveled in record numbers and sought places they could go to enjoy the outdoors. Unfortunately, ugly, polluted, and congested cities afforded few natural areas for escape. Furthermore, a healthy economy ignited a development spree that gobbled up accessible resources suitable for outdoor recreation. Due to limited budgets, the Park Service struggled to meet the heightened demand for outdoor recreation that taxed even the ability of the ambitious Mission 66, the ten-year capital-improvement program initiated during Wirth’s directorate, to keep up. “There are millions of young people that are being reared in asphalt and concrete jungles completely isolated from their natural and cultural inheritance,” Hartzog emphatically told Congress, “and they are growing up with no appreciation of the important values that undergird our Republic.”2 As President Lyndon B. Johnson fought to build a Great Society, concern about the lack of accessible outdoor spaces reached the national level. The National Park Service, under Hartzog’s leadership, became one of many CHAPTER SIX Urban Recreation Programs and Areas 94 chapter six agencies that stepped forward to enhance programming efforts and add urban recreation areas. Hartzog was sensitive to the winds of change and to the interests of those above him.3 His own socioeconomic background combined with his interest in the ministry gave him a special empathy for the underprivileged. During his superintendency of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in downtown St. Louis, he had witnessed how that park just “rejuvenated that whole city.”4 He could easily envision parks and special programs doing the same for other cities. He knew his agency could lead in this effort, and he recognized the potential political benefits. His gravitation toward urban programs and areas seemed almost predetermined. The addition of urban recreation areas to the National Park System, however, stirred strong emotions both within and outside the agency. As historian Ronald Foresta observes, “No question has been so debated within the National Park Service as that of the appropriateness of urban parks in the National Park System. Aside from the use versus preservation question, no issue has been its equal in forcing the agency to ask itself questions about its basic mission or in involving it in controversy.”5 Traditionally,Americansassociatednationalparkswithgreatscenicwonders like Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon. They could easily imagine a ruggedly handsome ranger silhouetted against a backdrop of remote mountain peaks, but they had difficulty picturing one leading an interpretive walk along a beach in the shadow of skyscrapers with jets flying overhead. Many struggled with accepting a new type of park that emphasized mass recreation over resource protection. Few questioned the merits of providing recreational opportunities for city dwellers, but many debated whether the Park Service should be the agency to provide it on a large scale. Some thought the Park Service was trying on a new pair of shoes. Whether the discomfort arose from newness or just a poor fit was not apparent. That the shoes were ever allowed to be tried on, however, pointed to strong support for the Park Service’s involvement . Even as powerful as he became, Hartzog could not have made such a move alone. An influential mixture of presidential, congressional, departmental , and private interests pushed at the same time that Hartzog aggressively pulled his agency toward accepting urban parks and programs. In reflecting on his career, Hartzog pointed to his urban initiative as one of his proudest accomplishments as director. “I brought parks to the people,” he declared, “[and] made them relevant to a changing urban population.”6 . urban recreation programs and areas 95 At first glance, Hartzog’s focus on urban parks and programs seemed a major departure for the Park Service. In reality, it was not. The National Park System has always been an ever-changing entity. Since their creation, national parks have evolved to reflect the country’s changing interests, needs, and values. They are made to embody what Americans...