California State Park Rangers (Images of America)

The first park ranger in the world was appointed in California in 1866. Galen Clark was chosen as "Guardian of Yosemite," at what was then Yosemite State Park, and the concept of rangers to protect and administer America's great nature parks was born. The tradition continued in 1872 with the establishment of the first national park at Yellowstone. From the earliest days, park rangers have been romanticized; they are explorers, outdoorsmen, tree lovers, animal protectors, police officers, nature guides, and park administrators. The park ranger has become an American icon, whose revered image has maintained itself to this very day.

Author Michael G. Lynch is a 35-year veteran of California State Parks as a field ranger, supervising ranger, and superintendent. He has been active in a wide variety of park-ranger and law-enforcement associations, including the California State Park Rangers Association and the International Ranger Federation. He was named Police Historian of the Year in 2006 by the California Law Enforcement Historical Society. For nearly two decades, he has developed and maintained a large collection of photographs chronicling the history of California's dedicated state-park professionals.