A chapter in the history of the American conservation movement: Land, Trees, and Water, 1890-1915

Subject(s): Ballinger, Richard Achilles, 1858-1922, Bliss, Cornelius Newton, 1833-1911, Boone and Crockett Club, Burroughs, John, 1837-1921, Burton, Theodore E. (Theodore Elijah), 1851-1929, California--Hetch Hetchy Valley, California--Mount Tamalpais, California--Muir Woods National Monument, California--Yosemite National Park, Cannon, Joseph Gurney, 1836-1926, Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908, Colby, William Edward, 1875-1964, Conservation of natural resources, Dams--Environmental aspects, Dorr, George B. (George Bucknam), 1853-1944, Eliot, Charles William, 1834-1926, Garfield, James Rudolph, 1865-1950, Grinnell, George Bird, 1849-1938, Hague, A. (Arnold), 1840-1917, Harriman, Edward Henry, 1848-1909, Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901, Hearst, George, 1820-1891, Hitchcock, Ethan Allen, 1835-1909, Huntington, Collis Potter, 1821-1900, Irish, John P. (John Powell), 1843-1923, Johnson, Robert Underwood, 1853-1937, Kent, William, 1864-1928, Lane, Franklin K., Maine--Acadia National Park, Maine--Mount Desert Island, Manson, Marsden, 1850-1931, Mather, Stephen Tyng, 1867-1930, McFarland, J. Horace (John Horace), 1859-1948, McKinley, William, 1843-1901, Merriam, C. Hart (Clinton Hart), 1855-1942, Mills, Enos A., 1870-1922, Muir, John, 1838-1914, New York (State)--Niagara Falls, Noble, John W. (John Willcock), 1831-1912, North Dakota--Badlands, Olmsted, Frederick Law, 1870-1957, Olney, Warren, 1841-1921, Osborn, Henry Fairfield, 1857-1935, Phelan, James D. (James Duval), 1861-1930, Phillips, W. Hallett (William Hallett), 1853-1897, Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946, Redwoods, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Root, Elihu, 1845-1937, Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1841-1927, Sierra Club, Smith, Hoke, 1855-1931, Southern Pacific Railroad Company, Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930, Turner, Frederick Jackson, 1861-1932, Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946, Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924

In this chapter excerpt from his book John Muir and His Legacy: The American Conservation Movement, Stephen Fox examines efforts to expand Yosemite National Park, the battle between preservationists and conservationists over the use of forests, and provides portraits of John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, John Burroughs, and Theodore Roosevelt. He looks at the work undertaken by the conservation movement to preserve Niagara Falls, the redwood forests of California, and Mount Desert Island in Maine. Fox concludes the chapter with a look at the battle over the city of San Francisco’s desire to build a dam at the southern end of Hetch Hetchy valley in Yosemite National Park. In addition to looking at the life and work of Muir, the chapter provides information on many lesser known figures in the turn of the twentieth-century conservation movement.

A listing of the officers and the members of the executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees of the Theodore Roosevelt Association is found on the second page of the excerpt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1981

Creator(s)

Fox, Stephen R.

Language

English

Period

Theodore Roosevelt and Public Memory (1919-present)

Page Count

18

Production Method

Printed

Record Type

Image

Resource Type

Essay

Rights

No permission is required from the Theodore Roosevelt Association to use items in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal collection for educational purposes. For permissions, contact William Tilchin at (516) 921-6319 or by email at wnt@bu.edu.

Citation

Cite this Record

Chicago:

A chapter in the history of the American conservation movement: Land, Trees, and Water, 1890-1915. [1981]. Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o306005. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Fox, Stephen R.. A chapter in the history of the American conservation movement: Land, Trees, and Water, 1890-1915. [1981]. Image.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o306005.

APA:

Fox, Stephen R.., [1981]. A chapter in the history of the American conservation movement: Land, Trees, and Water, 1890-1915.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o306005.

Cite this Collection

Chicago:

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.

APA:

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.