Alva Review-Courier -

As we saw last week, the United States created its first national park – Yellowstone – in 1872. In the 1890s the government established three more national parks to assist the country’s growing tourism industry.

All of the first four national parks were located in the American West, as much of that region had beautiful topography that many people believed was not conducive to any economic pursuits other than tourism.

The rise in western tourism coincided with a flurry of railroad building largely financed by the U.S. government. People who had moved to the West wanted manufactured goods shippe...