Location: Wyoming

Photo Essay: The Rockefellers, National Parks, and Public Lands

The nation’s parks, perhaps our most remarkable public resource, have a history of development through private giving.

A sepia- toned landscape photograph of the Grand Teton National Park. The mountain range are reflected onto the lake while the trees frame the shot.
1920s 1940s

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Creates a National Park

Who defines the public good? The showdown caused when a wealthy philanthropist bought land and tried to give it to the American people.