In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the history of U.S. national parks.
Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:
- Yellowstone National Park turned 150 years old this year. Natalia recommended historian Rachel Louise Moran’s book Governing Bodies; American Politics and the Shaping of the Modern Physique. Niki cited historian Sarah Phillips’ book This Land, This Nation: Conservation, Rural America, and The New Dealand this Atlantic essay by David Treuer. Neil discussed this Smithsonian magazine article. Natalia recommended historian Megan Kate Nelson’s book Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America, and Neil talked about the exclusionary policies in national parks outlined in this USA Today article.
In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:
- Natalia shared her latest column for Observer, “Coss Marte’s CONBODY Combined Fitness and Social Justice. Now He is Adding Legal Cannabis.”
- Neil discussed the Netflix series Keep Sweet: Pray and Obeyand his 2008 Slate essay, “Short Creek’s Long Legacy.”
- Niki recommended Katherine Rosman’s New York Times article, “That Voice You’re Hearing? It Might Be Hers.”











![A lantern slideshows four overlapping illustrations of the Earth depicting its tilt at different time periods in the past, present and future. Dates represented are 13000 BC, 5544 BC, 1921 AD, 2296AD. Handwritten in blue ink at bottom left corner of plate is the text 'G53 CLW [illegible] Aug '22'.](https://i0.wp.com/publicseminar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Wragge_Earth.jpg?fit=768%2C749&ssl=1)

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