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“Middle Parks: Development of State and Provincial Parks in the United States and Canada, 1890-1990” A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the Department of History University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By By Jessica M. DeWitt Copyright Jessica Marie DeWitt, February, 2019. All rights reserved. Permission to Use In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my dissertation work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my dissertation work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis/dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis/dissertation. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis/dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of History Room 619, Arts Building University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i Abstract This dissertation is a comparative study of the development of state parks in the United States and provincial parks in Canada from 1890 to 1990. The study focuses on four park system cases studies: Pennsylvania and Idaho in the United States and Ontario and Alberta in Canada. This study relies on three main levels of comparison. Firstly, it compares the development of parks at the national level. Secondly, it compares the development of parks in the East and West. Thirdly, it compares the development of rural and urban/near-urban state and provincial parks. These comparative levels of analysis are aided by two primary methodological techniques. The first method is a timeline visualization of park development through time that relies on a colour- coded categorization system. Under this system, each park in each park system is mapped on the timelines based on the primary reason each piece of land was chosen. The eight categories are as follows: Education (Environment), Historical, Post-Agriculture, Post-Industry, Post-Timber, Preservation, Recreational, and Resource Extraction. This methodology is paired with an individual park case-study approach that illustrates how the patterns identified by the timelines affected individual parks, both socially and materially. In the first half of the century, all four park systems prioritized the acquisition of affordable land in rural regions. By the second half of the century, all four park systems had altered their park development priorities to accommodate geographic accessibility over economic viability. In both cases, preservation was not the primary objective of park development. The timelines demonstrate that preservation did not become a priority of any of the park systems until the 1980s. This study asserts that park history should look beyond park borders to the peripheries and greater regions in which each park lies in order to fully understand each park in its entirety and how each park relates to broader historical forces. This study shows that parks were not simply tools of preservation or recreation. Rather, forces that supported use of these parks and protection of these parks coexisted and were often one and the same. ii Acknowledgements Special thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Geoff Cunfer, for his steadfast support, calming wisdom, and helpful guidance throughout this entire process. Thanks to Dr. Sean Kheraj, Dr. Keith Carlson, Dr. Martha Smith, and Dr. Ernie Walker for their input and direction. This project was made possible due to financial support from the University of Saskatchewan, Department of History and the Historical GIS Lab, as well as the Laurier Archives’ Joan Mitchell Travel Award. Thank you to Jane Westhouse for organizing and making many of my research trips possible. Thank you to Ron Hise at Heyburn State Park for going above and beyond to provide me with material on the park’s history. Thanks to Dr. Allen Dieterich-Ward for taking the time to show interest in my project and provide encouragement. Thank you to Dr. George Warecki for taking the time to send me some of Gerald Killan’s personal research files. Thank you to Network in Canadian History and Environment executive members who invited me into their organization and have offered both professional and personal support over the past five years. Thank you to Dexter Meyers for being a source of constant support over the course of this endeavor. Thank you to Sarah York-Bertram for being an unceasing source of fortitude and comradery. Thank you to Jean-Luc D’Eon for helping me find the strength to get over the finish line. Thank you to LeBeau and Llewellyn for their loyal companionship. And lastly, thank you to my dear friends and colleagues who have enriched my life, leant a shoulder to cry on, cheered my successes, and made this process fully worth it. iii Table of Contents Permission to Use…………………………………………………………………………..……..i Abstract..........................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents………………………………………………………………...……………...iv Tables………………………………………………………………………………………….…vi Figures...………………………………………………………………………………………...vii Abbreviations…………………………………………………………………………………....ix Chapter One: Introduction: Middle Park Syndrome….………………………………….…...1 Chapter Two: The Growth of the Provincial and State Park Concept…………..…………27 Pennsylvania……...……………………………………………………………………...29 1. The State Forest Park Era (1900-1929)…………………………………….....29 2. The Civilian Conservation Corps “CCC” Era (1930-1945)……….………….36 3. The Goddard Era (1955-1980)………………………………………….……..39 4. Post-Goddard Era (1980-2000)…………………………………………….….41 Ontario…………………...………………………………………………………………42 1. Utility and Profit Era (1893-1949)………………………………………….…42 2. Post-War Recreation Boom (1950-1979)……………………………………..44 3. Preservation Era (1980-2009)…………………………………………..……..48 Idaho……………………………………………………………………………………..52 1. Era of Disinterest (1908-1929)………………………………………………..53 2. Conservationist Governors Era (1950-1979)………………………………….55 iv 3. Reluctant Responsibility Era (1980-2009)………………………………….…56 Alberta……………………………………………………………………………………58 1. Depression Era (1930-1949)…………………………………………………..58 2. Urbanization Era (1950-1979)………………………………………….……..65 Drawing Comparisons………………………………………………………………...…66 Chapter Three: Average Man’s Wilderenss: Algonquin and Its Timber…………………..79 Chapter Four: Reviving the Distant Clarion: Cook Forest State Park, Its Trees, and Its River…………………………………………………………………………………………....111 Part One: The Trees………………………………………………………………...…..112 Part Two: The River……………………………………………………………...……..124 Chapter Five: “A Park Must Have Water”: Water Management and Recreation..……...140 Mill Creek Dam Proposal………………………………………………………………141 Pennsylvania’s Recreational Lakes……………………………………………………..148 Gull Lake, Alberta………………………………………………….………………..…154 Chapter Six: People on the Peripheries: Expanding the Social History of Provincial and State Parks…………………………..…………………………………………………...….…166 Cottagers………………………………………….…………………………………….167 Heyburn State Park and the Coeur d’Alene…………………………………………….170 The Commingling of Stewardship and Exploitation: Private Park Tourism………..….182 Just Friends: Voluntarism and Parks…………………………………………………....189 Chapter Seven: “Nearby and Natural”: Accessibility and the Flexibility of the State and Provincial Park Concept………...............................................................................................196 “Unsurpassed Natural Setting for a Great City”: Pennsylvania’s Point State Park...…..199 v “A Dramatic Departure”: Ontario’s Bronte Creek Provincial Park………….…………207 “Do not want hippies, motorcycles, or Catholics:” Alberta’s Fish Creek Provincial Park……………………………………………………………………………………..217 “Eagle Island State Park itself is not important”: Idaho’s Eagle Island State Park…….223 Chapter Eight: Conclusion………………………………...………………………………....230 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….………..235 vi Tables 1.1. Individual Rural and Urban/Near-Urban Park Case Studies…………………………….….23 vii Figures 1.1. Representation of kinds of parks represented in titles of presentations and posters at the annual meeting of the American Society for Environmental History, 2004-2015………………..3 1.2. Park System Case Studies: Alberta, Idaho, Ontario, and Pennsylvania…………...…..……22 2.1. Pennsylvania State Park Development, 1900-1929……………………………………..…..36 2.2. Pennsylvania State Park Development, 1930-1949…………………………...…………….38 2.3. Pennsylvania State Park Development, 1950-1979………………………...……………….40 2.4. Pennsylvania State Park Development, 1980-2009……………………………..…………..42 2.5. Ontario Provincial Park Development,