National parks aren’t just for adults. If you’re planning a trip to a park with your kids this summer, make sure you check out the site’s Junior Ranger activities when you visit. These programs help children appreciate and connect to our parks – whether it’s walking in the footsteps of famous people, exploring beautiful landscapes, developing new interests, or just having fun.
Here’s how it works: Before your visit, go to the park’s webpage to learn about its special kids’ activities. Most of the nation’s 400+ national park sites offer Junior Ranger programs. When you’re on site, check in at the visitor center. That’s where kids will typically receive a free park-specific activity book that helps them learn about the landmarks, history, wildlife, geology or other themes unique to that park.
After your kids complete the activities in the book, they’ll need to present it to a park ranger to receive a special Junior Ranger badge and certificate. Often, they’ll also take a pledge to learn, protect, and explore their national parks.
For kids who can’t visit in person, the National Park Service website offers a Junior Ranger Online section featuring videos, games, and songs, allowing families at home to connect with parks around the country. And many parks have their own Virtual Junior Ranger programs. Voyageurs National Park, for instance, includes fun activities on its website, as well as the opportunity to download the Virtual Ranger badge. U.S. Grant National Historic Site created a special Bicentennial Virtual Ranger Activity Book to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Grant’s birth.
Finally, for those kids who want to go the extra mile, why not let them dress like a park ranger with a special Junior Ranger Vest and Flat Hat! JNPA carries a wide range of Junior Ranger products like these in our online store, including mini building blocks, pins, and activity books.
However you introduce national parks to your kids, they’ll be sure to get more out of their visits when they become Junior Rangers!
If you haven’t yet visited the newly renovated Old Courthouse at Gateway Arch National Park, be sure to add it to your ‘must see’ list. The grand old building reopened to the public on May 3 after being closed for several years, both to accommodate extensive structural improvements and to install new exhibits.
The Courthouse has played a seminal role in St. Louis history, and in the national struggle for civil rights. Slave auctions were held on its steps. Inside its walls more than 300 enslaved African Americans filed suit for their freedom. Among the most prominent cases were the first two trials of Dred and Harriet Scott’s bid for freedom from enslavement. The building was also the scene of Virginia Minor’s efforts to secure women’s right to vote.
“The Old Courthouse has been the site of some of the most pivotal moments in American history, and now it will offer visitors an even deeper connection to its past,” said Jeremy Sweat, Superintendent of Gateway Arch National Park. “With the new exhibits, enhanced accessibility, and structural updates, the Old Courthouse will continue to be a vital educational and cultural resource for generations to come.”
The Old Courthouse renovation marks the final phase of the $380 million CityArchRiver project—the largest public-private partnership in National Park Service history. The building’s updates enhance visitors’ experiences while preserving its architectural beauty:
All-New Exhibits: Compelling galleries that delve into the stories of Dred and Harriet Scott, African American life in St. Louis, the continued struggle for civil rights, and the courthouse’s architectural and legal legacy.
New Accessibility Features: Installation of the first elevator in the building’s history, which allows all visitors access to the second floor to tour the historic courtrooms.
Structural and System Improvements: Renovated ceilings and flooring, a state-of-the-art fire suppression system, upgraded heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, and general restoration and improvements.
The renovations included major updates to JNPA’s gift shop inside the Courthouse. The 1,400-square-foot space was carefully designed to complement the historic architecture of the building. From custom fixtures to interpretive banners, every detail was chosen to reflect the building’s distinctive character and storied past. In addition to the thoughtfully curated book collection, the shop offers Old Courthouse-inspired apparel, accessories, drinkware and memorabilia. We invite you to stop in during your visit, or order from our online store.
Tomorrow we commemorate an important milestone in the history of our nation. On April 30, 1803, the United States and France signed the Louisiana Purchase agreement. With one stroke of a pen, the U.S. purchased 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River at a cost of $15 million (approximately $371 million in today’s dollars). For roughly 4 cents an acre, our nation doubled its size, expanding our borders westward.
The historic purchase included land from 15 current U.S. states and two Canadian provinces: the entirety of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska; large portions of North Dakota and South Dakota; parts of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Continental Divide; the portion of Minnesota west of the Mississippi River; parts of New Mexico and Texas; New Orleans and the area of present-day Louisiana west of the Mississippi River; and small portions of Alberta and Saskatchewan. (The western and northern borders of the acquired land were later amended by subsequent treaties with Spain and Great Britain.)
Architect of the Capitol, Wikimedia Commons
President Thomas Jefferson had long been eager to acquire the Louisiana Territory, especially the strategically crucial port of New Orleans. He authorized his negotiators to pay France up to $10 million just for New Orleans and the Floridas. But when they were offered the entire territory for an additional $5 million, they quickly agreed to the deal. Eventually Congress was persuaded to ratify the agreement and fund the purchase.
Three Flags Day ceremony, courtesy of the Missouri History Museum Collections
Though the Louisiana Purchase agreement was officially signed on April 30, the U.S. did not take immediate possession of the land. Spain had been in control of the territory since 1763. And although France re-acquired it in a secret deal in 1800, the region was still administered by Spain and needed to be formally turned over to France. It would be nearly a year before this was completed. Eventually on March 9, 1804, the transfer began in St. Louis. The Spanish flag was lowered and the French flag hoisted. It would fly for 24 hours before being removed and replaced by the American flag.
In actuality, France controlled only a small portion of the Louisiana Territory when it was deeded to the U.S. Most of the land was inhabited by thousands of Native Americans, representing dozens of tribes. So in addition to the French possession, we purchased the right to obtain Native lands by treaty or by conquest, to the exclusion of other colonial powers.
Courtesy New Orleans Museum of Art
As we now know, for Indigenous people west of the Mississippi River, the Louisiana Purchase was the beginning of more than a century of land loss, forced relocation, and threats to traditional lifeways. As additional territories and U.S. states were established, more and more Americans from the East traveled west, leading to conflict with Indigenous peoples. Ultimately, Native tribes were forcibly moved onto reservations, losing vast swaths of their homelands. It wasn’t long before the federal government would force them to change their ways of life and try to erase their religions and cultural heritage.
The fate of enslaved and free African Americans also became entangled in the newly acquired lands. As states organized within the Louisiana territory, the tensions between the pro-slavery South and the anti-slavery North intensified. The desire to maintain a balance between “free states” and “slave states” required a series of fragile compromises. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was a temporary solution, though as agreements became more difficult to achieve, civil war became inevitable.
We join our friends at Voyageurs National Park as they proudly celebrate the park’s 50th year with the National Park Service: quite an impressive anniversary. Since 1975, this pristine site in northern Minnesota has been a sanctuary of natural beauty, cultural heritage, and outdoor recreation. Yet as notable an achievement as this is, the history of the park’s 281,000 acres goes back much farther – and we mean wayback.
Voyageurs National Park is one of the few places in North America where you can touch rocks half the age of the Earth. The exposed rock that greets visitors today dates from the creation of the continent, representing the southern edge of the volcanic bedrock that forms the core of North America.
At one time, massive, explosive volcanoes deposited layer after layer of ash and lava. Subsequent uplifting, folding, tremendous pressure, and superheating created the park’s igneous and metamorphic rock. Over time, erosion wore down the volcanic mountain range, and the ice ages brought glaciers that moved rivers of ice and exposed ancient Precambrian rocks that had formed over two billion years ago!
As the glaciers receded, torrents of melted water filled low-lying areas, creating the numerous lakes, streams, and bogs of today’s landscape. Another byproduct of glaciation are rocks known as “glacial erratics” that were carried on sheets of ice. These displaced blocks – ranging in size from pebbles to blocks the size of automobiles – are evident throughout the park today, helping form its undulating topography.
Although not nearly as old as the park’s geology, the first signs of humans’ arrival go back at least 10,000 years. Evidence of Native Americans, fur-trading voyageurs, European settlers and homesteaders, and of early logging, mining, and commercial fishing operations are scattered throughout the park.
The best way to experience the magnificence of Voyageurs National Park is by visiting. Short of that, you can read more about the park’s geologic features by ordering a copy of A Story Written in the Rocks from JNPA’s online store.
A difficult chapter in the history of race relations in America is the focus of one of JNPA’s newest park partners. Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument was included as a National Park Service site in 2024. It commemorates the events of August 1908, when African American residents of Springfield, Illinois, were targeted and attacked by thousands of White residents.
Courtesy of NPS
The riot erupted after two Black men were accused of crimes (many of them later unsubstantiated) against White residents. As with many other race riots of this era, the accusations served as a pretext to force Black residents from their communities. White mobs in Springfield destroyed Black homes and businesses and lynched two Black men. After three days of violence, the state militia helped restore order, arresting approximately 150 participants. Few, however, were ever convicted.
Courtesy of NPS
This shameful episode was just one of numerous incidents of racially motivated riots and violent acts that took place in many American cities in the late 19th and early 20th-centuries. This particular riot captured national attention because it took place in Abraham Lincoln’s hometown. It eventually led to the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.
Archeological excavation at the site. Courtesy of NPS
The National Monument was established in August 2024 very near where the 1908 riot started. While there is nothing left of the original buildings, archeological evidence gives a rare glimpse into a community devastated by racial hatred. The foundations of five homes and related artifacts show how residents lived in the predominately Black neighborhood called the “Badlands.” The site is a rare surviving resource directly associated with race riots in America.
Those interested in visiting the Springfield Race Riot site can begin their journey at Lincoln Home National Historic Site, just one mile away. There they can get information about the new National Monument and discover a self-guided walking tour of the park. Eventually, the National Park Service plans to develop programs and facilities to breathe new life into the stories surrounding the Springfield race riot. This is part of the agency’s ongoing commitment to telling a more complete story of the civil rights movement in America. JNPA is proud to be a partner in this endeavor.
JNPA is proud to add to two new National Park Service sites to the list of partner parks that we serve. One site highlights the heroic story of a previously enslaved man, the other a sad reminder of Black-White conflict. This blog post will focus on the former, New Philadelphia National Historic Site. Our next post will tell the story of our other new partner park, Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument.
Courtesy of Gerald McWorter and Kate Williams McWorter
In 1836, the small village of New Philadelphia sprang up in west central Illinois, one of hundreds of villages and towns that emerged in rural America as settlers headed west. But New Philadelphia was not a typical pioneer community – it was the first American town founded and legally registered by an African American.
Frank McWorter (who called himself Free Frank) spent the first 42 years of his life as an enslaved man in South Carolina and Kentucky. Yet he aspired to freedom and independence. With the money he saved from outside jobs that his enslaver allowed him to hold, Free Frank was able to purchase freedom for his wife and himself, and ultimately 14 additional family members. In 1830, the couple and their freed children moved to the free state of Illinois, where they paid $100 for an 80-acre parcel of land and set up a pioneer homestead and farm in Pike County.
Courtesy of Gerald McWorter and Kate Williams McWorter
Free Frank officially registered and platted the town into 144 lots in 1836. He named it New Philadelphia, presumably to honor the city of Philadelphia, which had strong anti-slavery sentiments.
Soon the McWorters were joined by other settlers – both Black and White – drawn by nearby transportation routes and an abundance of natural resources. In 1865, it was a vibrant town with a population that peaked with as many as 100 residents, 30 percent of whom were Black. Federal census records from 1850 to 1880 report that residents worked as cabinetmakers, shoemakers, a wheelwright, a carpenter, a physician, teachers, ministers, merchants, and blacksmiths. The town served as a stagecoach stop and supported a post office for a time.
Courtesy of Gerald McWorter and Kate Williams McWorter
Black and White people freely intermingled throughout the town – on the farm, in church and at school. While other small towns in the area documented incidents of racial violence, researchers haven’t found evidence of any such occurrences in New Philadelphia.
Courtesy of Gerald McWorter and Kate Williams McWorter
Free Frank remained committed to helping emancipate enslaved people. As a free Black community only 20 miles from Missouri, New Philadelphia eventually became a stop on the Underground Railroad. According to descendants, his first cabin contained a cellar where freedom seekers could hide on their journey north. His sons even traveled with some freedom seekers to help them reach Canada.
Courtesy of Gerald McWorter and Kate Williams McWorter
Over the ensuing decades, New Philadelphia declined, and most of its buildings were buried under farmland. But historical documents, oral histories, archeological research, local groups, and descendants have kept the town’s story alive. In late 2022, the National Park Service designated the town as a National Historic Site.
There are few visitor amenities on the site today, apart from an information kiosk and outdoor exhibits. But visitors who stroll along the ¼-mile walking trail can use their mobile devices to take an augmented virtual reality walking tour of the old town. NPS has plans to develop programs and additional facilities to bring New Philadelphia and the heroic story of Free Frank McWorter back to life.
What’s your favorite fruit? Apples or bananas? Blueberries? Maybe peaches or strawberries? Could you imagine a day without coffee? Or a world without chocolate? (Aaaghh!!!)
Well, if any of these foods are on your must-have list, you can thank a pollinator – specifically one of the thousands of birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other insects that move pollen from plant to plant. We rely on these little critters for one out of every three bites of food we eat. Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and more than a third of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators for successful seed and fruit production, making pollinators a vital link to our food security, economy, and overall environmental health.
So what does this have to do with national parks and public lands?
The National Park Service is committed to preserving our natural pollinator populations, especially those species that are in decline. In many parks, species inventories are helping site managers know which pollinators are present so they can better understand the state of park ecosystems and make decisions about how to manage them.
Seventeen national parks are currently being surveyed for bees and butterflies in a project that started this spring and will continue through 2026. In collaboration with university and NGO partners, these projects will address ecological priorities for pollinator conservation identified by park staff. These include invasive plant removal, grazing management, controlled burning, and habitat restoration.
Mississippi National River & Recreation Area – one of JNPA’s partner sites – is included in this long-range pollinator study. At the same time, park staff are also taking steps to protect the Monarch butterfly. In order to ensure adequate supplies of Monarch-friendly nectar, they have planted numerous “pollinator gardens” throughout the park, each of which feature milkweed plants, the only plants that monarch caterpillars can eat. In this way, the park hopes to reverse the years-long decline of its Monarch populations.
Gardeners at Gateway Arch National Park are also serious about helping pollinators. The plants you’ll see in the luscious Explorer Garden at the park’s northern tip were selected with the intention of creating a friendly stopover for native pollinators. For an in-depth look at seven of these native plant species on the Arch grounds, check out this short video.
Finally, there are many things you can do to help keep our pollinator populations healthy, even if it’s just in your own backyard. The NPS website also contains valuable information about how to attract local or migrating pollinators, including planting and landscaping tips, and opportunities to record your own sightings of pollinators on your next trip to a national park.
So the next time you see a tiny bee, butterfly, or hummingbird flitting from flower to flower, take a minute to appreciate its beauty AND its critical role in nature.
Visitors to the White Haven estate at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site sometimes happen upon a curious stone building behind the historic house. This humble little structure looks a bit out of place amid the other wooden buildings on the site, and it has undergone several transformations since it was built. What was it used for?
White Haven, circa 1850. Stone building is visible to the immediate left of the main house. Photo credit: NPS
National Park Service archeologists believe the stone building was probably built well before the Civil War – perhaps as early as 1840 – when Grant’s in-laws, Frederick and Ellen Dent, owned and farmed the 850-acre slave plantation. Enslaved laborers are thought to have worked there, cooking food, sewing clothing, and cleaning laundry; and some enslaved cooks may even have lived in the attic.
Although the main house on the estate featured a basement kitchen, its wood construction would have been prone to catching fire during the cold winter months, so cooking duties would probably have shifted to the cooler stone kitchen during the summer.
Photo credit: NPS
Yet a workplace for enslaved people wasn’t the end of the little building’s story. Sometime after slavery was abolished, a permanent kitchen was established on the first floor of the main residence and the stone building ceased to function as a summer kitchen. The roof and walls of the neglected building collapsed.
Photo credit: NPS
Then in the 1940s or 1950s, the private owners of White Haven expanded the west wall of the stone building, rebuilt and re-roofed it, and used it as a three-car garage. Changes to the structure included rebuilding exterior walls, removal of the wall dividing the two rooms, replacement of the gabled roof with a shed roof, and a concrete floor.
Photo credit: NPS
After the National Park Service acquired ownership of White Haven in 1990 (a purchase facilitated by JNPA), workers restored the stone building to its original appearance. Archaeological digs yielded numerous broken dishes, crockery, silverware, as well as sewing equipment from the nineteenth century – further evidence of the domestic tasks enslaved laborers were performing at this site.
On your next visit to the park, be sure to pay a visit to the summer kitchen building, where you’ll find additional information about its many uses.
Are you a fan of national parks? Beyond just paying them a visit, do you want to get more involved in their events and activities? Then National Park Week is for you!!
In August of 1991, the very first National Park Week was established to honor the National Park Service’s 75th anniversary. Since then, it has been celebrated in April alongside Earth Day. This year, National Park Week is April 20-28, and each day is themed around a unique aspect of the national parks.
It is also Park Rx Day, focusing on the connection between the health of people, the health of parks, and the health of our planet.
If you are in Missouri, we highly recommend attempting the NPS Wellness Challenge. All seven of the national park sites in Missouri offer challenges in three categories that visitors can complete: mental, physical, and learning. If you complete a challenge, you can earn a Wellness Challenge Badge!
Visitors take a walk through history as part of the NPS Wellness Challenge at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. Credit: NPS
April 21 – Volunteers
Have you ever wanted to volunteer at a national park but either lived too far away or could not find activities that fit your schedule? Now you can volunteer VIRTUALLY as a citizen archivist! Ahead of the upcoming 250th anniversary of American Independence, the National Archives and Records Administration is collaborating with the National Park Service to have volunteers transcribe Revolutionary War Pension Records. These records hold incredible, untold stories of the American Revolution, and once transcribed, will be a permanent contribution to our country’s historical record.
Want to get outside to volunteer? Gateway Arch National Park is having its first ever BioBlitz on April 28. Volunteers will use the iNaturalist app to document various types of wildlife found in the park.
April 22 – Earth Day
On Earth Day, you can join an event at a park near you, or you can learn about all the great ways to practice conservation at home. By taking a few small steps, you can do your part to help protect pollinators, birds, bats, oceans, and even our night skies!
April 23 – Innovation
National Park sites are full of innovative ideas, programs, and technology. For Innovation Day, check out a few of our past blog posts about innovation in some of our partner parks:
After joining the webinar on Workforce Wednesday, young people between the ages of 15 and 18 can take the next step on their National Park Journey by researching and applying for opportunities with the Youth Conservation Corps! One of our partner parks, Voyageurs National Park, even has an upcoming opportunity May 13 – June 13 for Corps members to repair boardwalks and complete trail maintenance in the park.
Youth Conservation Corps installing a bridge at Niobrara National Scenic River. Credit: NPS
April 26 – Community Connections
Did you know that the National Park Service’s work does not stop at a park’s boundary? Every day, parks across the country partner with their surrounding communities to expand their mission of conserving the natural and cultural resources of our country for the “enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” A few notable examples in the JNPA network of sites include:
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area– This park is incredibly unique because the National Park Service owns only 67 of the 54,000 acres that the park encompasses. The rest is made up of city, state, and regional parks, a national wildlife refuge, and private businesses and homes. This “partnership park” can only achieve its mission by working closely with the community to achieve their shared goals.
Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative (LMDI)- This outstanding grant program is funded by the National Park Service and co-administered by JNPA. These grants fund small-scale cultural heritage projects at not-for-profit community organizations in the Lower Mississippi Delta Region.
Crosby Farm at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Credit: NPS
Swearing in a Junior Ranger at Voyageurs National Park Credit: NPS
April 28 – Arts in the Parks
When you think of national parks, art may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, all five of the “fine arts” play an important role at national park sites.
Painting – Beginning in the 1800’s, beautiful landscapes of the American West were captured by the painters of the Hudson River School. These paintings helped inspire support for the creation of the national parks. This tradition continues today with the NPS Artist-in-Residence program.
Sculpture – The Ellsworth Rock Gardens at Voyageurs National Park is home to over 200 abstract rock sculptures.
Architecture– Standing at 630 ft, one of the most iconic architectural marvels in the National Park Service is the Gateway Arch.
Music – Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, Oxford American, and composers Christopher Parker and Kelley Hurt partnered to create a musical tribute to the Little Rock Nine, a jazz composition entitled “The No Tears Suite.”
Poetry – A new initiative this year is “Poetry in Parks.” U.S. National Poet Laureate Ada Limón selected historic American poems which will be displayed as public works of art on picnic tables in seven national parks. The installations will be unveiled throughout the summer and fall.
Rock sculptures at Ellsworth Rock Gardens/Voyageurs National Park. Credit: NPS
No matter what theme speaks to you, no matter how old you are, no matter if you visit in person or virtually, go to a national park next week!
Pop quiz! What animals are small, furry, eat thousands of mosquitoes every night, and are critical to many natural ecosystems? Bats!
National parks are home to 45 species of these cute (to some!) little mammals, each of which play an important role in nature. Yet they have recently been decimated by a deadly disease. Luckily, Missouri National Recreational River and many other national parks are working to rescue bat populations.
Why is it so important to protect bats? In contrast to the pop culture depiction of tiny flying vampires, most bats eat insects, fruit, plant nectar, or small animals such as fish or frogs. In fact, only three of the nearly 1,500 bat species in the world drink blood, and they only live in Central and South America. Insect-eating bats feed on so many flying pests that their contributions would add up to more than $3 billion worth of pest control in the United States alone!
A lesser long-nosed bat covered in pollen from an agave flower. Credit NPS.
Additionally, bats are excellent pollinators. Do you enjoy tequila? Well, thank bats because they are the number one pollinator of blue agave! Bats also contribute to the ecosystem by supporting cave communities, distributing seeds from the fruit they eat, and serving as prey to other animals. Bats have even inspired technological advances such as sonar systems designed after bats’ echolocation and new types of drones inspired by bats’ thin, flexible wings!
It’s clear that bats are AMAZING animals, so what is wreaking so much havoc on their populations? It’s a disease known as white-nose syndrome, caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans. The fungus infects bats during hibernation, covering their face and wings. This causes the bats to wake up more frequently, use up their fat reserves, and starve before winter is over. The fungus is easily transmitted through physical contact, either with infected bats or on cave surfaces. Because the fungus spreads through contact, it can also be carried on shoes, clothing, and supplies. That’s why scientists urge people who visit caves to thoroughly decontaminate all of their clothing, shoes, and supplies before and after their visit.
A northern long-eared bat with visible symptoms of white-nose syndrome. Credit US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Missouri National Recreational River, a JNPA partner park, began an acoustic monitoring program in 2014 to monitor bat populations in and around the park. Acoustic recorders were installed to detect the calls bats use for echolocation. Different species of bats have different calls, so this system can also determine what species are in and around the park. Researchers then review the recordings and analyze the data.
A bat acoustic monitoring station at Missouri National Recreational River. Credit NPS.
So far, scientists have determined that eight species of bat call the park home: the big brown bat, eastern red bat, hoary bat, silver-haired bat, little brown bat, northern long-eared bat, evening bat, and tri-colored bat. Although white-nose syndrome has been detected in nearby populations in South Dakota, thankfully it has not been detected within the park boundaries.
If you want to learn more about bats and how to help protect them and their habitats, visit the National Park Service website.
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