On Valentine’s Day in 1884, both the wife and mother of a young Teddy Roosevelt died of illnesses, leaving him with a two day old daughter. The young Harvard graduate and successful author resigned from the NY Assembly, and he went out west to mourn in the wilderness. His experiences would bring him through battle with his rough riders in Cuba to the White House, where he repaid his debt to nature by protecting 230 million acres of public land. Presidents Lincoln and Grant—no strangers to suffering—had already protected Yosemite and Yellowstone respectively, and in 1903 President Roosevelt camped in each park with Muir and Burroughs respectively, expanding Yosemite and changing from hunter to wildlife observer in Yellowstone. As parks or monuments Teddy signed into law Crater Lake, Grand Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Mesa Verde, Olympic, Petrified Forest, Pinnacles and Wind Cave, plus Chaco, Devils Tower, El Morro, Gila Cliff Dwellings, Jewel Cave, Montezuma Castle, Muir Woods, Natural Bridges, Tonto, and Tumacacori.

But my hero Teddy Roosevelt is not the man I write about today. The secret behind the first NPS Director, Stephen Mather, was hidden from view until 1987 when his faithful assistant and successor revealed near the end of his own life that Mather was suicidally bipolar. A contemporary and kindred spirit of Muir and Roosevelt, Mather climbed Mt Rainier in 1905, explored Kings Canyon and Sequoia and helped found Save the Redwoods. Upset over the inconsistent and weak protection in the parks he visited, Mather lobbied Washington and got a job as Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Using his own funds, he organized an expedition and invited the head of the Appropriations Committee and the press, including the National Geographic Society editor. Mather’s enthusiasm was both manic—jumping into waterfall pools—and inspiring. As a direct result, President Wilson created the National Park Service, and Mather became its first leader.

Despite his months-long ‘Death Valley lows’ Mather was responsible for many of the decisions that converted protected public lands into the National Park experiences that we enjoy today. He pushed back the loggers, miners and ranchers who were extracting private wealth from our public lands. He lobbied to create many park units, including Indiana Dunes (postponed due to the urgency of WWI). He had iconic lodges built, like Old Faithful Inn above, and he limited development in many spectacular parks to just one dramatically scenic road. These exuberant and thrilling experiences in nature were his ‘Going to the Sun highs’, and he devoted all his energy to perfecting them. Mather was a staunch environmental defender, a visionary parks evangelist, and a brilliant marketer who wanted to share the joy of these wonderful places with everyone.

Humans have long sought solace in nature, so preserving havens in national parks is essential for humanity. People like Stephen Mather, who suffered from debilitating bouts of deep depression, desperately need nature both to recover from sadness and to be inspired into joyful action. This human bond with natural beauty and affinity with wildlife is what drove Teddy Roosevelt to rebound from his tragedies and Stephen Mather to overcome his mental illness. And as President and NPS architect, both worked tirelessly to protect our public lands for future generations.

Mather is well remembered in many NPS sites, from Mather District in Yosemite, Mather Gorge at Great Falls, Mather Parkway at Rainier, Mather Point in Grand Canyon and Mount Mather in Denali. His friends created bronze Mather plaques that can be found at over 50 park units across the country. Despite our current crazy and dangerous warming of our atmosphere, the plaques thank Mather with the following quote.