Ansel F. Hall (May 6, 1894 in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

– March 28, 1962) was an American

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

. He was the first Chief Naturalist and first Chief Forester of the United States National Park Service.

Early career

Hall was graduated in 1917 from the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

with a degree in

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

. He joined the then-infant National Park Service as a ranger in

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and toda ...

. His Park Service career was then interrupted by military service in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. From 1920 to 1923, Hall served as the first Park Naturalist of

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

, where he established innovative interpretative programs, founded the Yosemite Museum Association, made geological models and native crafts, mounted

natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

specimens, and edited the seminal ''Handbook of Yosemite National Park'', published in 1921.

National service

Hall's energy and competence attracted attention in Washington and he was promoted to serve in the following posts: *1923 – 1930: Chief Naturalist of the National Park Service. *1923 – 1933: Chief Forester and Senior Naturalist of the National Park Service. *1933 – 1937: Chief of the National Park Service Field Division. In 1930, Hall co-wrote (with

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, Social criticism, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the U ...

's sons) a report for an

foundation which "...advocated a revolutionary new concept: a regional approach to park development, the creation of truly large, interconnected parklands that would define an urban landscape...", and which led directly to the establishment of the

East Bay Regional Park District The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a Special-purpose district, special district operating in Alameda County, California, Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay (California), East Bay area of the San Fra ...

in the Oakland area In 1933 - 1934, Hall led an expedition to the Rainbow Bridge - Monument Valley area, which produced thousands of valuable photographs of Indian life in the

Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...

area of that time. Hall left the Park Service in 1938 to operate concessions in Mesa Verde National Park. Later he worked as a consultant in park design and interpretation and wrote books on the topic.

Publications

Hall, Ansel Franklin. ''Guide to Yosemite: A handbook of the trails and roads of Yosemite valley and the adjacent region'' (Sunset Publishing House, 1920) Hall, Ansel Franklin. ''Guide to Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park: A handbook of the northern section of Sequoia National Park and the adjacent Sierra Nevada'' (Hall, 1921) Hall, Ansel Franklin, editor. ''Handbook of Yosemite National Park: a compendium of articles on the Yosemite region by the leading scientific authorities'' (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1921) LCCN 21014069. Library of Congress Call No. F 868.Y6 H18. Hall, Ansel Franklin. "Mount Shasta" in ''Sierra Club Bulletin.'' 1926. Vol. 12. No. 3. pp. 250–67. Publications of the Sierra Club. Hall, Ansel Franklin. ''Yosemite Valley: An intimate guide'' (National Parks Publishing House, 1929) Olmsted Brothers and Ansel F. Hall. ''Report on proposed park reservations for East Bay cities, California / prepared by Olmsted Brothers and Ansel F. Hall, in consultation with the East Bay Regional Park Association; for the Bureau of Public Administration, University of California'' (1930) Hall, Ansel Franklin. ''A Guide to Sequoia and General Grant National Parks'' (National Parks Publishing House, 1930) Hall, Ansel Franklin. ''General report on the Rainbow Bridge-Monument Valley Expedition of 1933'' (University of California Press, 1934) Hall, Ansel Franklin. ''A pictorial guide to Mesa Verde National Park'' (Smith-Brooks, 1951; Mesa Verde Company, 1960) Hall, Ansel Franklin. ''Mesa Verde, a brief guide'' (publishing details unknown) Turner, Jack, author, and Hall, Ansel F, photographer. ''Early Images of the Southwest: The Lantern Slides of Ansel F. Hall'' (Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1998). Turner, Jack, author, and Hall, Ansel F, photographer. ''Landscapes On Glass: Lantern Slides For The Rainbow Bridge - Monument Valley Expedition'' With a foreword by President Bill Clinton. (Durango Herald Small Press, 2010). 978-1-887805-31-5

References

sfgate article referencing Hall-Olmsted Report

External links

*

(1961)
Complete text of Hall's ''Handbook of Yosemite National Park''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Ansel Franklin 1894 births 1962 deaths People from Oakland, California Sierra Nevada (United States) Yosemite National Park National Park Service personnel 20th-century American naturalists