From William Henry Jackson's first survey photographs of Yellowstone in 1871, through the Civilian Conservation Corps building the modern park infrastructure, through Ansel Adams' iconic landscapes, to today. Public domain. Free to download. Free to share.
This gallery is a tribute. The photographs collected here come from the National Park Service archives, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and other public domain sources. They are arranged chronologically — from the first surveys of Yellowstone in 1871 to the protests of 2025 and rangers still on duty in 2026. If a photograph here moves you, share it. They were paid for by all of us.
Survey Era · 1871–1900
1871
Yellowstone — First Photographs
The Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 returned the first official photographs of Yellowstone, taken by William Henry Jackson. Combined with Thomas Moran's paintings, these images convinced Congress to make Yellowstone the first national park.
William Henry Jackson · Public Domain · USGS / National Archives
1872
The Yellowstone Act
Signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. The first national park in world history. 1.2 million acres set aside in perpetuity.
National Archives · General Records of the U.S. Government, RG 11
1894
The Cavalry Saves the Bison
Cavalry officers who captured infamous Yellowstone bison poacher Edgar Howell, posing with some of his victims. The capture led to the Lacey Act of 1894 — the first federal wildlife protection law in US history.
U.S. Cavalry · Public Domain · Library of Congress
Roosevelt & Muir · 1903–1916
1903
Roosevelt & Muir at Glacier Point, Yosemite
President Theodore Roosevelt and conservationist John Muir at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park, 1903. They camped together for three days. The trip is widely credited with persuading Roosevelt to use the Antiquities Act to protect millions of acres of public land.
Underwood & Underwood · Public Domain · Library of Congress · LC-USZ62-89972
1916
The Organic Act
Signed by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916. Created the National Park Service and gave it the founding mission still in force today: to conserve "for the enjoyment of future generations."
National Archives · RG 11
1922
Mather & Albright
Stephen Mather (left), the first Director of the National Park Service, and Horace Albright, his deputy and the agency's second Director. Photographed at Yellowstone. Mather paid the salaries of the first park rangers from his personal fortune.
National Park Service · Public Domain · 79-SM-5-495
"There will never come an end to the good that he has done."
— Inscription on the Stephen Mather plaque · Installed in every national park after his death · 1930
CCC Era · 1933–1942
1933
CCC Trail Builders
Civilian Conservation Corps workers building one of the 13,000 miles of foot trails the CCC constructed across the National Park System in nine years. Three million young men served. Most of the trails they built are still in use today.
National Archives · Public Domain
1935
CCC Camp
A typical CCC camp. Enrollees were paid $30 a month — most of which they sent home to their families during the Great Depression. The CCC operated more than 4,500 camps across America's public lands.
National Archives · Public Domain
1933
Going-to-the-Sun Road
The Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, completed in 1933 with substantial CCC labor. One of the most spectacular drives in America. Engineering of this caliber would not be undertaken in a national park today.
National Park Service · Public Domain
Ansel Adams · 1940s
1942
Castle Geyser Cove, Yellowstone
Ansel Adams' photograph of Castle Geyser Cove, taken on commission for the Department of the Interior. Adams was hired in 1941 to photograph national parks for a planned mural project at the Interior building. World War II interrupted the project. The photographs survive.
Ansel Adams · Public Domain · National Archives 519992
1942
The Tetons and the Snake River
Grand Teton National Park, photographed by Ansel Adams for the Department of the Interior project. This image was selected to be carried aboard the Voyager Golden Record in 1977 — sent into interstellar space as a representation of Earth.
Ansel Adams · Public Domain · National Archives
"There is nothing so American as our national parks. The fundamental idea behind the parks is that the country belongs to the people."
— Franklin D. Roosevelt · Great Smoky Mountains National Park · September 2, 1940
Wilderness Act & Modern Era · 1964–2024
1964
LBJ Signs the Wilderness Act
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Wilderness Act on September 3, 1964, designating the first 9.1 million acres as protected wilderness. The Act's primary author, Howard Zahniser, died four months earlier — never saw it pass.
LBJ Presidential Library · Public Domain
2018
Grand Prismatic Spring
Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring, the third-largest hot spring in the world. The colors come from thermophilic bacteria — heat-loving microorganisms that thrive at 160°F. Photographed by NPS staff. Public domain.
National Park Service · Public Domain
2019
Milky Way over Arches
The Milky Way at the North Window in Arches National Park, Utah. Arches is a designated International Dark Sky Park. The Park Service has actively reduced light pollution to preserve night-sky viewing — increasingly rare on a continent of cities.
National Park Service · Public Domain
2020
Sunrise — Cadillac Mountain, Acadia
For most of the year, Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park is the first place in the United States to see sunrise. The Acadia carriage roads were built largely with Rockefeller family funding and CCC labor.
National Park Service · Public Domain
2021
Lake McDonald — Glacier
Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, Montana. The famous "rainbow rocks" of Lake McDonald are easily visible through the clear water. Glacier has lost approximately two-thirds of its named glaciers since 1900.
National Park Service · Public Domain
2022
Wrangell-St. Elias — America's Largest Park
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska — at 13.2 million acres, it is the largest unit of the National Park System and larger than the country of Switzerland. Created in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
National Park Service · Public Domain
"The parks do not belong to one state or to one section. The Yosemite, the Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon are national properties in which every citizen has a vested interest."
— Stephen T. Mather · First Director of the National Park Service · 1917
Today · 2025–2026
2025
Mammoth Cave Ranger
A ranger at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky — the longest cave system in the world. The DOGE staff cuts of 2025 hit Mammoth Cave especially hard. Maintenance, scientific research, and emergency response services were among the first cut.
National Park Service · Public Domain · Photo: D. Pelren
2025
Protests Against the Cuts
A coalition of unions, local governments, and nonprofits filed a lawsuit on April 28, 2025 to block the DOGE-driven layoffs. A lower court issued an injunction. The administration appealed. Protests have continued.
National Parks Conservation Association · Used with permission
2026
Capitol Reef Petroglyphs
A park ranger shows ancient Fremont culture petroglyphs on the sandstone walls of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. The petroglyphs are between 700 and 1,300 years old. Without rangers to protect them, vandalism is the leading threat.
Shutterstock · Editorial use · April 2026
"This is the most extreme, unrealistic and destructive National Park Service budget a President has ever proposed in the agency's 109-year history."
— Theresa Pierno · NPCA President · May 2025
★ A Note on These Images
Most photographs in this gallery are public domain works of the United States government — taken by NPS staff, the U.S. Cavalry, the National Archives, or the Library of Congress. Public domain images may be used freely for any purpose. If you are inspired by a photograph here, download it. Share it. Use it. They are yours. Direct links to NPS image archives: nps.gov multimedia archive · npgallery.nps.gov · NPS Flickr · National Archives Catalog.
