Ecology & Conservation

Enos A. Mills (1870-1922) was the driving force behind the 1915 founding of Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, which ensured the preservation and ongoing public enjoyment of one of the United States' great wilderness regions. Mills recognized visitors' need for guidance and education, and in this evocative, easy-to-read autobiography he tells of his experiences as a homesteader and nature guide. The great naturalist John Muir encouraged Mills to assist in the promotion of parks and forests by conducting close observations of wildlife and writing and lecturing about his findings. Mills took his mentor's advice to heart, producing more than a dozen books and hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles. He also trained both men and women as nature guides, creating a new professional role for females during an era when such opportunities were rare, and he paved the way for what the National Park Service today terms "interpretation."