Horace Marden Albright was only 26 during that August in 1916 when the National Park Service was created. A wily Californian, bursting with energy, he was possessed by a vision of how to preserve the nation's grandeur.
His boss, Stephen Mather of the Department of Interior, the other midwife of that legislation, was off in the Sierra wilderness. Albright was so convinced that the legislation signaled the beginning of something great that he was determined to seize the moment. In those wonderful days, one young man with heart could move mountains--or at least help preserve them. He persuaded his congressional staff...