The tradition of gathering around the campfire is as old as society.

These days, it's arguably a staple of the summer months in particular,

moments spent around the flames coupled with any number of guitar strum songs,

ghost stories, or nights spent under the stars.

It's popular in our parks, too, with

evening campfire programs led by park rangers on the schedule at any number of National Park

Service units. Many of these programs invite visitors to bring a blanket, a flashlight, a jacket,

and a pocketful of questions. But there was once a campfire or three that played a crucial

role in the preservation of these wild and historic places. In 1903, the United States was

wrapped up in a period of economic growth. The Gilded Age saw the northern and western United States

developing at an unprecedented pace, much to the

concern of conservationists like the famed John Muir, who was set to embark on a worldwide tour

promoting national parks with friend Charles S. Sargent that spring. He would only change his

plans when a coaxing letter arrived in his mailbox.

Quote, I do not want anyone with me but you, the letter wrote, and I want to drop politics absolutely for four days and just be out in the open with you.

The letter's author, President Theodore Roosevelt.

Recognizing the value of the opportunity a few nights under the stars what the president

might provide for the conservation movement, Muir sent a letter to Sergeant.

Apologetically, he canceled his appearances, noting, quote, I might be able to do some good

in talking around the campfire. He was right, and over the course of three nights in the

Yosemite Valley,

Roosevelt and Muir would converse over the smoldering coals of the campfire, solidifying not only

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