A Word of Introduction 



To me no picture of the national parks is complete unless it includes 

 the rangers, the "Dudes," the "Sagebrushers," and the "Savages." I 

 like to picture the thousands of people gathered about the park camp- 

 fires, asking questions of the rangers. In fact, I like to be at the campfire 

 myself, and listen to the thousands of questions asked about the parks 

 and their wild life. Especially am I interested in the replies of the 

 rangers. These men of the mountains have become keen students of 

 human nature. In their brief, informal talks, they have learned to 

 anticipate many of the questions of the visitors. 



I like the idea of this book, "Oh, Ranger!" It tells the story of the 

 parks in the simple, informal style of the rangers. It gives the rangers 

 the credit due them for their fine work in guarding the national parks 

 and preserving them in their primeval beauty. It breathes the spirit 

 of the people who belong to the parks, who make possible the parks as 

 they are today. 



They are a fine, earnest, intelligent, and public-spirited body of men, 

 these rangers. Though small in number, their influence is large. Many 

 and long are the duties heaped upon their shoulders. If a trail is to be 

 blazed, it is "send a ranger." If an animal is floundering in the snow, 

 a ranger is sent to pull him out; if a bear is in the hotel, if a fire 

 threatens a forest, if someone is to be saved, it is "send a ranger." If a 

 Dude wants to know the why, if a Sagebrusher is puzzled about a road, 

 it is "ask the ranger." Everything the ranger knows, he will tell you, 

 ex-cept about himself. "Oh, Ranger!'' now tells you about him. 



The national parks are more than the storehouses of Nature's rarest 

 treasures. They are the playlands of the people, wonderlands easily ac 

 cessible to the rich and the humble alike. They are great out-of-doors 

 recreation grounds, where men, women, and children can forget the 

 cares and the sounds of the cities for a few days. The serenity of the 

 i mountains and the forests is contagious. With three million Americans 

 under its spell each year, if only for a short time, it is a powerful in 

 fluence in our national life. It has been one of the pleasures of my work 

 as Director of the National Park Service to tell the people about their 

 parks, to urge them to see their wonders, and to find new and easy ways 

 for visitors to reach the parks. The whole purpose of Congress in 

 creating the national park system was that the American people might 

 enjoy them and benefit by them forever. 



So I am glad of the opportunity to write this short introduction to 

 "Oh, Ranger!'' which tells the story of the parks in a new and interesting 



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