Guardians of the Yosemite: A Story of the First Rangers

By: John W. Bingaman

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Synopsis: In Guardians of the Yosemite: A Story of the First Rangers, which was first published in 1961, John W. Bingaman provides the reader with a fascinating account of the early days of park rangers, who took charge just as the U.S. Army withdrew from Yosemite. As Dr. Carl Parcher Russell puts it so succinctly, “the precedents and practices established by [the park ranger] were all-important in shaping the protection principles which characterize the present-day Ranger Department.”In the author’s own words, “the purpose in writing this book is to leave permanent records of the First Rangers who contributed so much during their long years of service, and to bridge the gap from the military to the civilian protection and administration of Yosemite National Park.“During the years of my service in Yosemite, from 1918 to 1956, I found there was very little information on the lives and activities of the First Rangers. Some of these men were still in service when I became a Ranger. However, many had died and their records were few and scattered.“In the old days, one would hear the remark, ‘It is a privilege to work for the Park Service.’ It was a privilege for me to serve thirty-eight years in the Yosemite Ranger Service, to be associated with the many fine Park people and the guardians and administrators of the National Park Service whose principal purpose was to serve loyally the cause of the parks.”