BACKGROUNDER

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Public Information Officer
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Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park has been a place of exploration for over 11,000 years. With
glaciers surrounding the meadows and peaks, the Ute tribe seasonally dominated the area until
the late 1700s. The Utes left their mark by leaving spearheads and scrapers along nomad trails.

The U.S. government obtained the land that is the Rocky Mountain National Park through the
1803 Louisiana Purchase. However, that didn’t stop Spanish explorers and French fur trappers
from settling on the outskirts of the land.

In 1859, the Pikes Peak gold rush brought in miners and speculators that led to short-lived
settlements like Lulu City. This gave way for industries to settle into the area in the 1860s. With
them they brought in tourists.

With the growing tourists came the growing support for the national conservation and
preservation movement in 1900. This movement was led by Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford
Pinchot and John Muir. Enos Mills, a nature guide and lodge owner, supported the movement by
advocating for the creation of a 10th national park in 1909.Their wish came true on Jan. 26, 1915
when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Rocky Mountain National Park Act.

In 1915, private lands began to surround the area and led to the first superintendent, managers
and rangers to welcome in visitors to the park. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the
Civilian Conservation Corps was established that built roads, trails and buildings to draw in more
visitors. They also built the Trail Ridge Road that established the Rocky Mountain National Park
as an auto park that welcomed automobiles.

The surge of visitors soon declined with the start of World War II. This forced Congress to
approve the Mission 66 program that focused on repairing facilities by 1966 to bring back the
influx of visitors. The program started to work during the late 1960s and early 1970s and led to a
mistreatment of the park’s land.

During the 1970s, the Rocky Mountain National Park shifted its message to start educating the
visitors on the park’s preservation efforts through ranger programs, campground talks and
seminars.

The Rocky Mountain National Park is still considered a place for exploration with its
recreational activities ranging from horse backing riding to wilderness camping. The park brings
in an average of 4 million visitors each year and continues to focus on education through its
landscapes.

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