Near Baker in White Pine County, Nevada — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Stephen Tyng Mather
July 4, 1867 - Jan 22, 1930
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2014
1. Stephen Tyng Mather Marker
He laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the Stephen Tyng Mather series list.
Location. 39° 1.22′ N, 114° 16.474′ W. Marker is near Baker, Nevada, in White Pine County. Marker is on Mather Overlook Road south of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive when traveling south. Marker is located at Mather Overlook, just south of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, about 7 miles west of the Great Basin National Park entrance from Lehman Caves Road (Nevada State Highway 488). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Baker NV 89311, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 1 other marker is within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Osceola (approx. 10 miles away).
More about this marker. Marker is a large metal plaque with bas-relief Stephen Tyng Mather bust profile, mounted vertically on long waist-high stone wall.
Also see . . .
this page online
He was the founding director of the National Park Service in 1916. Prior to his involvement with NPS, he was an influential industrialist who had become personally wealthy from his involvement with Twenty Mule Team Borax. Mather was a dedicated conservationist, a member of the Sierra Club, and friend and admirer of John Muir; and an avid mountain climber. On a trip through Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks in 1914 he was shocked by the conditions he found. Mather wrote Secretary Franklin Lane a highly critical report on the mismanagement of the national parks. He and Lane were friends from their student days at the University of California. Quite succinctly Lane responded, "Dear Steve: If you don't like the way the national parks are run, why don't you come on down to Washington and run them yourself." (Submitted on December 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2014
2. Stephen Tyng Mather Marker (wide view)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2014
3. Stephen Tyng Mather Marker (wide view from Mather Overlook)
via National Park Service, 1928
4. Stephen Tyng Mather
Proudly wearing the National Park Service Ranger uniform he designed.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2014
5. Great Basin National Park Entrance Sign, Lehman Caves Road (Nevada State Highway 488)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2014
6. Great Basin National Park Sign (located on US Highway 50, near Baker, Nevada)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 17, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 6, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 175 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 4. submitted on February 17, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 5, 6. submitted on December 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
