105 years ago today, President Teddy Roosevelt designated the Grand Canyon as a National Monument. This photo shows Mather Point. Not a bad view right?

Photo: W. Tyson Joye, National Park Service 

On this date in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida’s Pelican Island as the first wildlife refuge in the United States. The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the world’s premier system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife and plants. Since 1903, the System has grown to more than 150 million acres, 556 national wildlife refuges and other units of the Refuge System, plus 38 wetland management districts.

In this photo, the first employee of the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Warden Paul Kroegel, kneels with a Pelican.

Photo: USFWS

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is host to almost three million visitors a year from across the country and around the world. They come to marvel at the majestic beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota and to learn about the birth, growth, development and the preservation of our country. Over the decades, Mount Rushmore has grown in fame as a symbol of America-a symbol of freedom and hope for people from all cultures and backgrounds. All the cultures that make up the fabric of this country are represented by the memorial and surrounding Black Hills.

Photo: National Park Service