Mason, Kathy FINDLAY THE UNIVERSITY OF FINDLAY 12/22/04 Dear Dr. Epp, I am sending a copy of my look, Natural Musicians since you had expressed some interest in it l am sorry that it has some water damage i my office flooded of my copier of the book were stored there This copy is yours if youd like to keep it Aircerly, Kathij A. Mason 1000 North Main Street Findlay, Ohio 45840-3695 419-422-8313 Page 1 of 2 Epp, Ronald From: Epp, Ronald Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 11:54 AM To: mason@findlay.edu Cc: BWyckoff@nps.org; Epp, Ronald Subject: Mackinac Island & -Acadia NP history Kathy S. Mason Assistant Professor of History University of Findlay Findlay, Ohio 419-434-4756 Dear Kathy, Last October I contacted you regarding your newly published "Natural Museums" and my work on George B. Dorr, founder of Acadia National Park. Recently I consulted with National Geographic magazine to validate and correct several paragraphs contained in an article on Acadia published in the November 2005 issue. One claim therein that Acadia was the first national park East of the Mississippi (which I did not see in advance) has resulted in letters to the editor (see below). I'd like to give you the opportunity to weigh in on this issue especially since your book clearly documents the history of Mackinaw as a national park. My own view that I will send off to Barbara Wyckoff is that the "national park" concept is-during this timeframe (1874-1916)-imprecise and devoid of consistent application until the NPS is established. Even Park Service promoters like Robert Sterling Yard restated Dorr's congressionally endorsed claim and park literature over the decades reflected the fact that Acadia was the first sustained national park East of the Mississippi. Nonetheless, based on the work of historian Kathy S. Mason the distinction must be conceded to Mackinaw Island. When all is said and done, chronology is of less importance than the most telling distinctiveness. of Acadia: that it was the first national park donated entirely by private citizens. I look forward to hearing from you ASAP. I plan to send the previous paragraph off to Barbara by the 17th I expect that she has also referred this issue to one or more of the NPS historians but I think she would appreciate your input as well. Ronald Epp, Ph.D. Director of University Library & Associate Professor of Philosophy Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211 ext. 2164 From: BWyckoff@NGS.ORG [mailto:BWyckoff@NGS.ORG] Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 12:43 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: National Geographic--Acadia NP history 11/15/2005 Page 2 of 2 Hi Ron: An interesting question has come up, and I wonder if you have encountered this in your research. In our Acadia article we say that Acadia NP was the first national park established east of the Mississippi. Park Service contacts verified that, and the fact is written just about everywhere the park is mentioned. We are getting letters saying that this is wrong--that Mackinac Island State Park was established as a NP in 1875, two years after Yellowstone and 41 before Acadia. Mackinac (Mackinaw?) was returned to the state in 1895 and remains a state park today. If the letter writers are correct, and a quick search says they are, then Mackinac was the first national park east of the Mississippi, not Acadia. Have you come across this in the research you've done about Dorr and the park? Thanks for any advice you might have. Hope all is well. Regards, Barbara Barbara L. Wyckoff Research Editor National Geographic Magazine 1145 17th St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-4688 phone: 202 857 7229 fax: 202 828 6695 or 202 857 7295 bwyckoff@ngs.org 11/15/2005 Message Page 1 of 3 Epp, Ronald From: Epp, Ronald Sent: Monday, October 25, 2004 10:56 AM To: 'Kathy Mason' Subject: RE: Before the Park Service Dear Ms. Mason, I was very pleased to receive your email this morning and to learn of "Natural Museums." Congratulations! The title of your work is most engaging, entirely appropriate to the theme and historical context. Frankly, I'd given "natural musems" some thought as well as a chapter heading for my biography. Yes, I would like a personal copy and if you send it I will certainly reimburse you for the expense. I have already placed an order for the title to be added to the Shapiro Library collections. It will interest me to know what you make of the early efforts of Mather, Albright, Olmsted, and others to not only deal with the genesis of the NPS twin imperatives ( access VS. preservation ) but also with the massive publicity effort to promote the parks immediately prior to and closely following 1916. Park standards and management, as you rightly argue, are a reflection of the natural and cultural character of parks added to the system--unfortunately, it has been my experience that many who work for the NPS have little interest in the historical forces that shaped the current system. I'm anxious to read your work and will respond shortly thereafter. Ron P.S. Would you mend if I mentioned your work to the Florentine Film folks? Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 603-645-9685 fax Original Message From: Kathy Mason [mailto:mason@findlay.edu] Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 7:16 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: Re: Before the Park Service Dear Dr. Epp, I'm sorry that it has taken SO long for me to respond to your query. 10/25/2004 Table of contents for Library of Congress control number 2004000270 Page 1 of 1 Table of contents for Natural museums : U.S. national parks, 1872- 1916 / Kathy S. Mason. Bibliographic record and links to related information available from the Library of Congress catalog. Note: Contents data are machine generated based on pre-publication information provided by the publisher. Contents may have variations from the printed book or be incomplete or contain other coding. Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Before the National Park Service 1 Origins of an Idea: Hot Springs Reservation 2 A Worthless Wonderland: Yellowstone National Park 3 The "Gem of the Straits" Becomes a National Park: Mackinac Island 4 Nature's Majestic Marvels: Yosemite, Sequoia, and General Grant 5 Natural Gems or Inferior Parks? Wind Cave, Sullys Hill, and Platt 6 "That Future Generations May Know the Majesty of the Earth" : The Establishment of the Nati Bibliography Index Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication: National parks and reserves Uni http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0413/2004000270.html 10/25/2004 Page 1 of 2 Epp, Ronald From: Kathy Mason [mason@findlay.edu] Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 7:16 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: Re: Before the Park Service Dear Dr. Epp, I'm sorry that it has taken SO long for me to respond to your query. I recently published a book, Natural Museums: US National Parks, 1872-1916 (Michigan State U. Press, Aug. 2004), that is based on my dissertation research. I think that you would find this to be a bit more polished than my dissertation! In this book, I examine the early history of eight national parks that were founded before 1916, including Yellowstone, Yosemite, Sequoia, and some supposedly "inferior" parks (such as Mackinac and Wind Cave.) I argue that even before the park service was founded, Congress, the interior department, and the American public were developing general notions about the park standards and management. The earliest parks were expected protect grand, monumental attractions that would edify visitors. By the twentieth century, the parks were supposed to be wilderness areas, wildlife reserves, and recreational centers, as well as m onuments to national greatness. I believe that the stories of the "inferior" parks, along with the history of the "crown jewel" parks, can shed light on early park standards and management. I'm not sure if my work will be any help to you. I can send a copy of my book to you if you think you might be interested Kathy Mason Responsibility Dr. Kathy S. Mason Department of History, Political Science, and Law and the Liberal Arts The University of Findlay 1000 N. Main St. Findlay, OH 45840 (419) 434-4756 mason@findlay.edu Original Message From: "Epp, Ronald" Date: Friday, October 1, 2004 9:40 am Subject: Before the Park Service Dear Ms. Mason: > Professor Kirby kindly provided me with your current address when I > emailed him regarding your dissertation. 10/25/2004 Page 2 of 2 Recently I discovered a citation to your 1999 dissertation in > Dissertation Abstracts. We have been traveling the same intellectual > path though yours was of broader scope. For the past four years I have > been researching and am now writing a biography of George Bucknam Dorr > (1853-1944), founder and first superintendent (1916-44) of Acadia > National Park. My research has been archival in character involving > research in the National Archives, Harvard's Houghton Library, the > Rockefeller Archive Center, the National Park Service Historical > Collections in Harpers Ferry, and scores of other repositories in the > Middle Atlantic States and New England. I'm a consultant for one > of the > producers of "America's Best Idea: the National Parks," a 10 hour > documentary being developed now by Florentine Films (Ken Burns' > production company). > > Since 1916 is a banner year for the park service and the establishment > of Sieur de Monts Monument (that quickly evolved into Lafayette then > Acadia National Park), I am now completing research into the decade > immediately preceding this banner year for the conservation > movement. I > was about to order a microfilm copy of your dissertation when it > occuredto me that lacking an abstract of your work I might better > approach you > directly and determine whether you believe that your work may be > helpfulto my inquiries. Having spent SO much time reading and > analyzing the > work of Pinchot, Mather, and Albright I'm sure that we have many > overlapping interests and points of view. If you are continuing > researchinto the development of the NPS, there may be some > documents in my 700 > item bibliography that would be helpful to you. > > I hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience. > > > Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. > Director of Shapiro Library > Southern New Hampshire University > Manchester, NH 03106 > > > > 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 > 603-645-9685 fax > 10/25/2004 Message Page 1 of 1 Epp, Ronald From: Epp, Ronald Sent: Friday, October 01, 2004 9:40 AM To: 'mason@findlay.edu Subject: Before the Park Service Dear Ms. Mason: Professor Kirby kindly provided me with your current address when I emailed him regarding your dissertation. Recently I discovered a citation to your 1999 dissertation in Dissertation Abstracts. We have been traveling the same intellectual path though yours was of broader scope. For the past four years I have been researching and am now writing a biography of George Bucknam Dorr (1853-1944), founder and first superintendent (1916-44) of Acadia National Park. My research has been archival in character involving research in the National Archives, Harvard's Houghton Library, the Rockefeller Archive Center, the National Park Service Historical Collections in Harpers Ferry, and scores of other repositories in the Middle Atlantic States and New England. I'm a consultant for one of the producers of "America's Best Idea: the National Parks," a 10 hour documentary being developed now by Florentine Films (Ken Burns' production company). Since 1916 is a banner year for the park service and the establishment of Sieur de Monts Monument (that quickly evolved into Lafayette then Acadia National Park), I am now completing research into the decade immediately preceding this banner year for the conservation movement. I was about to order a microfilm copy of your dissertation when it occured to me that lacking an abstract of your work I might better approach you directly and determine whether you believe that your work may be helpful to my inquiries. Having spent so much time reading and analyzing the work of Pinchot, Mather, and Albright I'm sure that we have many overlapping interests and points of view. If you are continuing research into the development of the NPS, there may be some documents in my 700 item bibliography that would be helpful to you. I hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience. Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 603-645-9685 fax 10/1/2004 UF - Meet Our Staff Page 1 of 1 HOME ADMISSION ACADEMICS ATHLETICS CAMPUS OFFICES UF ONLINE SEARCH EVENTS & NEWS LIBRARY SUPPORTING UF SHOP UF DIRECTORY Directory > Employee Directory FINDLAY THE UNIVERSITY OF FINDLAY MEET OUR STAFF Kathy Mason Assistant Professor of History E-mail: mason@findlay.edu Office Address: 112 Howard St. # B On Campus: 4756 Off Campus: 419-434-4756 FOR INFORMATION 1-800-472-9502 or 419-422-8313 Fax 419-434-4822 The University of Findlay 1000 North Main Street Findlay, Ohio 45840-3695 What's On 5 the This Page Last Updated: 10/01/2004 09:38:40 NEW Site Questions? webmaster@findlay.edu http://www.findlay.edu/staff/staff.asp?Return=directory&ID=715 10/1/2004 Page 1 of 1 Epp, Ronald From: Jack Kirby [kirbyjt@muohio.edu] Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2004 4:53 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: Re: Kathy Sue Mason Dear RE: Kathy Mason is one elusive woman. I don't have her address, but think I read or heard that she now has a position in western Ohio, at the U. of Finley (Finley U?), in Finley, OH. Perhaps they have a website with links to faculty. Good luck. jtk At 02:25 PM 9/30/2004 -0400, you wrote: Dear Dr. Kirby: I have been unsuccessful in locating one of your doctoral students, Kathy Sue Mason, who completed a dissertation with you in 1999 on "Before the Park Service." For the last four years I've been researching the life of George Bucknam Dorr (1853-1944), Founder and first superintendent of Acadia National Park. Much of my research has covered the archival literature for the years pursued by Ms. Mason and it would be helpful if I could contact her before my biography of Mr. Dorr is fully developed. Any assistance that you could provide would be much appreciated. Thank you. Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 603-645-9685 fax 10/1/2004 Michigan State University Press Natural Museums Kathy S. Mason Page 1 of 3 Home Contact Sales Authors Editors Titles Search Natural Museums NATURAL U.S. National Parks, 1872-1916 MUSEUMS US National 1872-1910 Kathy S. Mason In 1872, the world's first national park was founded at Yellowstone. Although ideas of nature conservation were not embraced generally by the American public, five more parks KATHYS MASON were created before the turn of the century. By 1916, the year that the National Park Service was born, the country could boast of fourteen national parks, including such celebrated areas as Yosemite and Sequoia. Kathy Mason Kathy S. Mason demonstrates that Congress, park superintendents, and the American public were forming general, often tacit notions of Kathy S. Mason is an the parks' purpose before the new bureau was established. Assistant Professor of History at the University Although the Park Service recently has placed some of Findlay, Ohio, and has emphasis on protecting samples of North America's published widely in the ecosystems, the earliest national parks were viewed as areas of environmental natural museums-monuments to national grandeur that history, women's history, would edify visitors. Not only were these early parks to and social and cultural preserve monumental and unique natural attractions, but history they also had to be of no use to mining, lumbering, agriculture, and other "productive" industries. Natural Museums examines the notions of park monumentalism, Click here to learn "worthlessness," and national significance, as well as the more about this parks' roles as wilderness preserves and recreational author. centers. PRAISE FOR NATURAL MUSEUMS: "This book makes an important contribution to the history of America's greatest idea, the national parks. By chronicling the early parks, it brings into bold relief debates about the purpose and management of the parks that continue today. It offers engaging history and revealing analysis." - -Dave Dempsey, author of Ruin and Recovery: Michigan's Rise as a Conservation Leader World Rights 128 pp., 6.00" x 9.00", 2004 Paper, 0-87013-711-5, $24.95 BUY THIS BOOK! http://msupress.msu.edu/bookTemplate.php?bookID=2218 10/25/2004