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Rudy Dale | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> The Art of U.S. National Parks Signs tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

The Art of U.S. National Parks Signs | Meanderings around the globe | Landscapes | Tango & dance | Family | Friends & Acquaintances | Farrell High Class of '81 Reunion | Visiting Italy | Kenai Fjords National Park | Valles Caldera National Preserve

The Art of U.S. National Parks Signs


For many Americans, our fondest childhood memories were those mid-summer encounters with the generally brown & white signs that augured the imminent approach of a national park, the fabled Yellowstone, Yosemite, Everglades or Grand Canyon national parks, and so many other spectacular repositories of America's natural, cultural and historic heritage. The excitement we felt on such an ocassion is easy to recall - we've entered a special place, stepped onto hallowed ground, encountered mesmerizing vistas, explored wild and remote terrain. Whether you're a culture vulture or a greenblood, the 406 units of the U.S. national park system, administered by the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), offer a broad and deep selection of the American experience. This page is a collaborative effort, which began with my initial cache of 30+ images, but so generously endowed since by a treasure trove of images by professional colleagues and many new acquaintances. Regardless of the source, for the first time anywhere, we may now get a sense from these amazing and diverse entrance signs of that same excitement that struck those of us who sought out America's Best Idea - the national parks. With the centennial of the NPS just nine years away, now is as good a time as any to rediscover and relive that childhood thrill.

The newest unit signs added are of Charles Young Buffalo Soldier and better images for the new signs at Hagerman Fossil, Minidoka & New Bedford Whaling.
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace
Acadia
Acadia
Adams
Adams
African Burial Ground
African Burial Ground
Agate Fossil
Agate Fossil
Aleutian World War II
Aleutian World War II
Alibates Flint Quarries
Alibates Flint Quarries
Allegheny Portage Railroad
Allegheny Portage Railroad
Amistad
Amistad
Andersonville
Andersonville
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Aniakchak NPP
Aniakchak NPP
Antietam
Antietam
Apostle Islands
Apostle Islands
Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
Appomattox Court House
Appomattox Court House
Arches
Arches
Assateague Island
Assateague Island
Aztec Ruins
Aztec Ruins
Badlands
Badlands
Baltimore-Washington Pkwy
Baltimore-Washington Pkwy
Bandelier
Bandelier
Bent's Old Fort
Bent's Old Fort
Bering Land Bridge
Bering Land Bridge
Big Bend
Big Bend
Big Cypress
Big Cypress
Big Hole
Big Hole
Big South Fork NR
Big South Fork NR
Big Thicket
Big Thicket
Bighorn Canyon
Bighorn Canyon
Biscayne
Biscayne
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Blue Ridge
Blue Ridge
Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington
Boston
Boston
Boston African American
Boston African American
Boston Harbor Islands
Boston Harbor Islands
Brices Cross Roads
Brices Cross Roads
Brown v Board of Ed
Brown v Board of Ed
Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon
Buck Island Reef
Buck Island Reef
Buffalo River
Buffalo River
Cabrillo
Cabrillo
Canaveral
Canaveral
Cane River Creole
Cane River Creole
Canyon De Chelly
Canyon De Chelly
Canyonlands
Canyonlands
Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Lookout
Cape Lookout
Capitol Reef
Capitol Reef
Capulin Volcanic
Capulin Volcanic
Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg
Carlsbad Caverns
Carlsbad Caverns
Carter G Woodson
Carter G Woodson
Casa Grande Ruins
Casa Grande Ruins
Castillo de San Marcos
Castillo de San Marcos
Castle Clinton
Castle Clinton
Catoctin
Catoctin
Cedar Breaks
Cedar Breaks
Chaco Culture
Chaco Culture
Chamizal
Chamizal
Channel Islands
Channel Islands
Charles Young Buffalo Soldier
Charles Young Buffalo Soldier
Charles Pinckney
Charles Pinckney
Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
Chickamauga
Chickamauga
Chickasaw
Chickasaw
Chimney Rock
Chimney Rock
Chiricahua
Chiricahua
Christiansted
Christiansted
City of Rocks
City of Rocks
Clara Barton
Clara Barton
Congaree
Congaree
Colorado
Colorado
Coronado
Coronado
Cowpens
Cowpens
Crater Lake
Crater Lake
Craters Of The Moon
Craters Of The Moon
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Island
Cumberland Island
Curecanti
Curecanti
Cuyahoga Valley
Cuyahoga Valley
Dayton Aviation Heritage
Dayton Aviation Heritage
Death Valley
Death Valley
De Soto
De Soto
Delaware Water Gap
Delaware Water Gap
Denali
Denali
Devils Postpile
Devils Postpile
Devils Tower
Devils Tower
Dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dry Tortugas
Dry Tortugas
Ebey's Landing
Ebey's Landing
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edison
Edison
Effigy Mounds
Effigy Mounds
Eisenhower
Eisenhower
El Malpais
El Malpais
El Morro
El Morro
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene O'Neill
Everglades
Everglades
Federal Hall
Federal Hall
Fire Island
Fire Island
First Ladies
First Ladies
Flight 93
Flight 93
Florissant Fossil Beds
Florissant Fossil Beds
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Fort Bowie
Fort Bowie
Fort Caroline
Fort Caroline
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson
Fort Frederica
Fort Frederica
Fort Laramie
Fort Laramie
Fort Larned
Fort Larned
Fort Matanzas
Fort Matanzas
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry
Fort Necessity
Fort Necessity
Fort Point
Fort Point
Fort Pulaski
Fort Pulaski
Fort Raleigh
Fort Raleigh
Fort Scott
Fort Scott
Fort Smith
Fort Smith
Fort Stanwix
Fort Stanwix
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Union
Fort Union
Fort Union Trading Post
Fort Union Trading Post
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Washington
Fort Washington
Fossil Butte
Fossil Butte
Frederick Douglas
Frederick Douglas
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg
Friendship Hill
Friendship Hill
Gates of the Arctic
Gates of the Arctic
Gateway
Gateway
Gauley River
Gauley River
General Grant
General Grant
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Washington Birthplace
George Washington Birthplace
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
Geo. Washington Mem'l Pkwy
Geo. Washington Mem'l Pkwy
Gettysburg (Nat'l Battlefield)
Gettysburg (Nat'l Battlefield)
Gettysburg (Nat'l Cemetery)
Gettysburg (Nat'l Cemetery)
Gila Cliff Dwellings
Gila Cliff Dwellings
Glacier
Glacier
Glacier Bay
Glacier Bay
Glen Canyon
Glen Canyon
Golden Gate - Fort Mason
Golden Gate - Fort Mason
Golden Spike
Golden Spike
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
Grand Portage
Grand Portage
Grand Teton
Grand Teton
Grant-Kohrs Ranch
Grant-Kohrs Ranch
Great Basin
Great Basin
Great Sand Dunes
Great Sand Dunes
Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains
Greater Washington
Greater Washington
Greenbelt
Greenbelt
Guadalupe Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains
Guilford Courthouse
Guilford Courthouse
Gulf Islands
Gulf Islands
Hagerman Fossil Beds
Hagerman Fossil Beds
Haleakala
Haleakala
Hamilton Grange
Hamilton Grange
Hampton
Hampton
Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Hawaii Volcanoes
Hawaii Volcanoes
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Homestead
Homestead
Hopewell Culture
Hopewell Culture
Hopewell Furnace
Hopewell Furnace
Horseshoe Bend NMP
Horseshoe Bend NMP
Hot Springs
Hot Springs
Hovenweep
Hovenweep
Hubble Trading Post
Hubble Trading Post
Independence
Independence
Indiana Dunes
Indiana Dunes
Isle Royale
Isle Royale
James A Garfield
James A Garfield
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Jewel Cave
Jewel Cave
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
John D Rockefeller
John D Rockefeller
John F Kennedy
John F Kennedy
John Day Fossil Beds
John Day Fossil Beds
John Muir
John Muir
Johnstown Flood
Johnstown Flood
Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree
Kalaupapa
Kalaupapa
Kaloko-Honokohau
Kaloko-Honokohau
Katmai
Katmai
Kennesaw Mountain
Kennesaw Mountain
Kenai Fjords
Kenai Fjords
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
Keweenaw
Keweenaw
Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon
Kings Mountain
Kings Mountain
Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
Knife River Indian Villages
Knife River Indian Villages
Korean War Veterans
Korean War Veterans
Lake Chelan
Lake Chelan
Lake Clark
Lake Clark
Lake Mead
Lake Mead
Lake Meredith
Lake Meredith
Lake Roosevelt
Lake Roosevelt
Lassen Volcanic NP
Lassen Volcanic NP
Lava Beds
Lava Beds
Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark
Lewis  Clark
Lewis Clark
Lincoln Boyhood
Lincoln Boyhood
Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Little Bighorn
Little Bighorn
Little River Canyon
Little River Canyon
Little Rock
Little Rock
Longfellow
Longfellow
Lowell
Lowell
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Maggie Walker
Maggie Walker
Mammoth Cave
Mammoth Cave
Manassas
Manassas
Manzanar
Manzanar
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller
Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House
Mesa Verde
Mesa Verde
Minidoka
Minidoka
Minute Man
Minute Man
Minuteman Missile
Minuteman Missile
Missouri
Missouri
Mojave
Mojave
Monocacy
Monocacy
Montezuma Castle
Montezuma Castle
Moores Creek
Moores Creek
Morristown
Morristown
Mount Ranier
Mount Ranier
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Muir Woods
Muir Woods
Natchez
Natchez
Natchez Trace
Natchez Trace
The National Mall
The National Mall
National Park of America Samoa
National Park of America Samoa
Natural Bridges
Natural Bridges
Navajo
Navajo
New Bedford Whaling
New Bedford Whaling
New Orleans Jazz
New Orleans Jazz
New River Gorge
New River Gorge
Nez Perce
Nez Perce
Nicodemus
Nicodemus
Ninety-Six
Ninety-Six
Niobrara
Niobrara
North Cascades
North Cascades
Obed
Obed
Ocmulgee
Ocmulgee
Olympic
Olympic
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City
Oregon Caves
Oregon Caves
Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
Organ Pipe Cactus
Organ Pipe Cactus
Ozark
Ozark
Padre Island
Padre Island
Palo Alto
Palo Alto
Pea Ridge
Pea Ridge
Pecos
Pecos
Perry's Victory
Perry's Victory
Petersburg
Petersburg
Petrified Forest NP
Petrified Forest NP
Petroglyph
Petroglyph
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks
Pinnacles
Pinnacles
Pipe Spring
Pipe Spring
Pipestone
Pipestone
Piscataway Park
Piscataway Park
Point Reyes
Point Reyes
Port Chicago Naval Magazine
Port Chicago Naval Magazine
Poverty Point
Poverty Point
President's Park
President's Park
Prince William
Prince William
Puukohola Heiau
Puukohola Heiau
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau
Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge
Redwood
Redwood
Richmond
Richmond
Rock Creek
Rock Creek
Rocky Mountain
Rocky Mountain
Roger Williams
Roger Williams
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter
Ross Lake
Ross Lake
Russell Cave
Russell Cave
Sagamore Hill
Sagamore Hill
Saguaro
Saguaro
Saint Croix
Saint Croix
Saint Croix Island
Saint Croix Island
Saint-Gaudens
Saint-Gaudens
Saint Paul's Church
Saint Paul's Church
Salem Maritime
Salem Maritime
Salinas Pueblo Missions
Salinas Pueblo Missions
Salt River Bay
Salt River Bay
San Antonio Missions
San Antonio Missions
San Francisco Maritime
San Francisco Maritime
San Juan - El Morro
San Juan - El Morro
San Juan Island
San Juan Island
Sand Creek Massacre
Sand Creek Massacre
Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
Saratoga
Saratoga
Saugus Iron Works
Saugus Iron Works
Scotts Bluff
Scotts Bluff
Sequoia
Sequoia
Shenandoah
Shenandoah
Shiloh
Shiloh
Sitka
Sitka
Sleeping Bear Dunes
Sleeping Bear Dunes
Springfield Armory
Springfield Armory
Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
Steamtown
Steamtown
Stones River
Stones River
Sunset Crater
Sunset Crater
Tallgrass Prairie
Tallgrass Prairie
Thaddeus Kosciuszko
Thaddeus Kosciuszko
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Rossevelt Birthplace
Theodore Rossevelt Birthplace
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Thomas Stone
Thomas Stone
Timpanogos Cave
Timpanogos Cave
Timucuan
Timucuan
Tonto
Tonto
Tumacacori
Tumacacori
Tupelo
Tupelo
Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee Institute
Tuskegee Institute
Tuzigoot
Tuzigoot
USS Arizona Memorial
USS Arizona Memorial
Ulysses S Grant
Ulysses S Grant
Upper Delaware
Upper Delaware
Valles Caldera
Valles Caldera
Valley Forge
Valley Forge
Vanderbilt Mansion
Vanderbilt Mansion
Vicksburg
Vicksburg
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands
War in the Pacific
War in the Pacific
Voyageurs
Voyageurs
Walnut Canyon
Walnut Canyon
Washington Monument
Washington Monument
Washita Battlefield
Washita Battlefield
Weir Farm
Weir Farm
Whiskeytown
Whiskeytown
White Sands
White Sands
Whitman Mission
Whitman Mission
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
Wilsons Creek
Wilsons Creek
Wind Cave
Wind Cave
Wolf Trap
Wolf Trap
World War II
World War II
Womens Rights
Womens Rights
Wrangell - St Elias
Wrangell - St Elias
Wright Brothers
Wright Brothers
Wupatki
Wupatki
Yellowstone
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Yosemite
Yucca House
Yucca House
Yukon Charley Rivers
Yukon Charley Rivers
Zion
Zion