Camping Equipment and the Establishment of the National Park Service
In 1915, Stephen T. Mather, the first director of the National Park Service (NPS), led a backcountry trip in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range, which is now known as the "Mather mountain party." This expedition, which included notable figures such as Department of the Interior employees, newspaper and magazine writers, conservationists, politicians, businessmen, and scientists, was a promotional success and helped foster advocacy for national parks.
Mather's friends, who were prominent conservationists and associates, gifted him a camping outfit in 1926. This outfit, now part of the National Park Service History Collection, included a Woods Arctic eiderdown sleeping bag and a canvas and rubber air mattress, made by the Atlantic-Pacific Manufacturing Corporation of Brooklyn, New York, and the Woods Manufacturing Company Limited in Odgensburg, New York, respectively. The bag also contained additional items, including a comforter and mosquito netting.
The camping gear was stored in the warehouse at Yosemite National Park, marked as property of Director Horace M. Albright. However, the saddle bags were not found with the rest of the gear. By 1966, only the air mattress, pillow, one blanket, and a collapsible water bucket remained in the bag. The Woods Arctic sleeping bag, one blanket, comforter, mosquito netting, and hi-cut boots were missing.
The history of Mather's camping gear for the next 40 years is unclear, but it resurfaced at Yellowstone National Park by 1966. By 1968, Yellowstone returned the gear to Yosemite, and it was accessioned to the Yosemite museum collection. After Mather's death, Yosemite National Park Superintendent Charles Goff Thomson wrote to his widow, asking if he could have the Woods sleeping bag, but it is unclear whether he ever received it.
The missing gear's fate remains a mystery, as no records have been found. It's possible that Albright took the Woods Arctic sleeping bag with him upon retirement, but it's unclear why he left the other gear behind. The camping gear given to Mather in 1926 was worth approximately $200 at the time, which is equivalent to approximately $3,650 today.
Fast forward to 2016, the term "glamping" was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary. This term, a portmanteau of "glamorous" and "camping," is a fitting description for Mather's luxurious camping setup. Despite the passage of time, Mather's glamping gear continues to be a testament to the enduring spirit of adventure and conservation in the National Park Service.
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