Creating a National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park was established on January 26, 1915. The creation of the park was the result of decades of work by leaders like naturalist Enos Mills, who spent years crossing the country speaking about the beauty of the Rockies and the need to preserve it. Other park advocates included hotel owner F.O.Stanley, Colorado Gov. George Carlson, Mrs. John D. Sherman of the National Federation of Women's Clubs, and Congressman Edward Taylor, who worked to get community and legislative backing for the park, fought mining and lumber companies, and acquired land for public use. Many of the park's buildings and roads were originally built during the Great Depression, by workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps.