In November 1928, Frankin Roosevelt’s uncle, Frederic Delano, wrote to Stephen Mather and suggested that Stephen go to Warm Springs,...

The 1929 NPS Director’s report to the Secretary of the Interior states that the recently counted elk population of Yellowstone National...

Among the letters in the Stephen Mather archives is one from Neal Begley, President and General Manager of Hertz Driv-Ur-Self Stations in...

On February 5, 1929, Dr. W.S. Benedict wrote to Stephen Mather to express his feelings upon learning that Stephen had resigned from his position with the National Park Service. In a one-page typed letter, Dr. Benedict wrote: “I am extremely sorry to hear of your recent illness, and also your resignation from the National Park Service. Your very valuable services and cooperation will be missed by that body, I know, as your efforts during the last twelve years have done mor

Among the hundreds of typed and handwritten letters, telegrams, and invitation regrets and acceptances in the Bancroft Library archives...

In the southeast corner bedroom of the Homestead is a mourning picture remembering Deacon Joseph Mather and his wife Sarah. The...

The Mather Homestead archives hold Stephen Mather’s honorary degrees and academic hoods worn for ceremonies at the University of...

In 1926, Stephen Mather commissioned Thomas Harlan Ellett for a major renovation and expansion of the Homestead. We have a letter that Bertha sent to Ellett in July 1926, “As Father is out in the West for the summer…” Bertha explains, “We are all pleased with your plans for the addition…” But, “The porch seems, however to be a more difficult problem…” Bertha goes on to detail the difficulty and includes her own drawings for “what seemed the best plan to me…” Why do we h

The archived letters at the Bancroft Library reveal not only the depth of respect and admiration felt for Stephen Mather, but its breadth as well. From conserva-tionists to clergy, from writers to railroaders, and to the military as well. In January 1929 Major-General Hugh Lenox Scott wrote to Stephen Mather. A brief excerpt… “My dear Mather…It was with real sorrow that I saw in the press of your resignation from the Park Service which you have built up so splendidly by y

Among the letters archived in the Bancroft Library are several from leading clergy who knew Stephen and shared their respect and...

An earlier blog (Saturday in the Park with Eleanor), looked at Eleanor Roosevelt’s participation in the dedication of the Mather plaque...

In a July 1929 letter to Stephen Mather, William Basinger, Passenger Traffic Manager of the Union Pacific System wrote in part: “The...

Before there were HoJos, or Holiday Inns, there was Fred Harvey. In his 1926 Annual Report of the National Park Service, Stephen Mather includes a paragraph about lodgings at Grand Canyon National Park… “On the south rim and in the canyon, tourists are accommodated at hotels and camps operated by Fred Harvey. El Tovar Hotel and Bright Angel cottages on the south rim give excellent service to visitors, and those taking overnight trips into the canyon found Hermit Creek cabin

In a February 1929 letter from Monte Carlo, Ruth Moran wrote to Stephen Mather… “I was so sorry to hear of your illness last autumn, and...

Among the materials archived at the Bancroft Library is a two page note to “Dearest Jane and Betty” from Harriet Chalmers Adams, whom the...

From his days at the New York Sun to inviting Gilbert Grosvenor of National Geographic to join the 1915 Mather Mountain Pary, Stephen Mather knew the impact of the press and, as NPS Director, he recognized the benefits the press could bring to his vision for the national parks. From two notes from the Berkeley archives, we know that the press felt a closeness and warmth toward Stephen Mather as well. In a Christmas telegram greeting, Franklin Pierce Adams simply writes: “

Fifty-six years before there was Walmart, there was W.T. Grant Department Stores. From its founding in Lynn MA in 1906, W.T. Grant...

In a letter to Stephen Mather, John Roberts White mentions Judge Fry, his predecessor, mentor, and moving force behind the development of...

In a letter to Stephen Mather NPS Superintendent John Roberts White writes, ”… It was good to see you even in the movies which were shown...

Yes, there was a time, before texting and TikTok, when an indelibly evocative picture could be found in a written line…when a letter could fully and unaffectedly convey both wonder and warmth. We have such a letter, sent to Stephen Mather by British-born John Roberts White, the Superintendent of Sequoia National Park It is transcribed here in its entirety. September 27, 1929 Dear Mr. Mather, It is