Tag Archives: Scenic American Landscapes series

Happy Birthday, Glacier National Park!

Posted on by

On this day in 1910, Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana was established. Created from ancient upheavals and the artistic whittling of glaciers, its magnificent peaks and valleys are revered by local Native American tribes and are an awe-inspiring experience for visitors.

Named for the glaciers that sculpted the landscape more than 10,000 years ago and for the Little Ice Age glaciers there today, Glacier National Park preserves more than a million acres of rugged peaks, panoramic valleys, flowering alpine meadows, sparkling rivers, spectacular lakes, and great wooded forests in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

The park’s Triple Divide Peak straddles the Continental Divide. From this location, the water that falls west flows to the Pacific Ocean, while the water that falls northeast and southeast flows to the Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Ranges in elevation and the variable climatic conditions created by the park’s location yield a patchwork of habitats enjoyed by biologically diverse plant and bird communities.

More than 1,800 species of plants have been identified in the park to date. The park is a haven for wildlife with 277 species of birds and 67 species of mammals, including bald eagle, wolverine, lynx, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, and wolf. The park is also home to one of the largest remaining grizzly bear populations in the lower 48 states.

Issued earlier this year, the 85-cent Glacier National Park stamp is part of the Scenic American Lanscapes series. On June 23, the Postal Service will release a second set of Scenic American Landscapes stamped cards featuring 10 stamp images from the Scenic American Landscapes series, including Glacier National Park.

America’s Landlocked Rain Forest: The Great Smoky Mountains

Posted on by

Encompassing approximately 800 square miles of mountainous terrain in both North Carolina and Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life. Scientists believe that the 12,000 identified species of wildlife account for only one-tenth of the organisms that flourish there. Also found in the park are structures that represent the Southern Appalachian Mountain culture of the settlers who once lived in the area.

The mists that enshroud the Great Smoky Mountains are the result of evaporation and incredible downpours that qualify the park’s highest peaks as rain forests. Those who follow the park’s hundreds of miles of hiking trails find that in the Great Smoky Mountains, nearly every stream or river leads to a waterfall. Established by Congress in 1934 and dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, the park receives some 10 million visitors annually.

To celebrate National Park Week, we’re holding a daily contest here on the blog centered around our love of national parks. Each day’s single winner will receive a set of the Scenic American Landscapes stamped cards, which showcase photographs from parks across the country.

To enter the contest for today, simply answer the following question:

How many acres does the largest national park measure?

Submit your answer to uspsstamps [at] gmail [dot] com and remember, spelling counts! The winner will be selected at random and notified by email. Deadline for entries is 12 p.m. EST on Sunday, April 29. Good luck!

The Grandest Things in Our National Parks

Posted on by

In 2010, the Postal Service, in conjunction with the National Park Service, released The Grandest Things, a 166-page book that combines history and nature in a brand new way. With breathtaking images of sites throughout the national park system coupled with corresponding stamps, the book enlivens the senses and illuminates an indispensable service in our country.

Though seemingly unrelated, parks and stamps tell intertwined stories and frequently share a common goal: to preserve what Walt Whitman called “the grandest things” for future generations. From the inception of the National Park Service to the now more than 84 million acres of federally protected land,The Grandest Things takes you through time with fascinating images, stamps, and stories.

Perhaps the most striking element of the book is its visual tour across America—with more than 75 national parks, monuments, and memorials, and amazing photographs of just some of the sites that make these places so incredible. From the volcanoes of Hawai’i to the deciduous forests of New England, The Grandest Things covers the nation, coast to coast.

In addition to the rich, image-based history detailed in the book, The Grandest Things also includes nine mint-condition stamps and a special collecting section for mounting, as well as background information on each of the stamps. Eight of the stamps come from the Scenic American Landscapes series, which began in 2001. The ninth stamp is the Old Faithful, Yellowstone stamp, issued in 1972 to commemorate the nation’s first national park.

To celebrate National Park Week, we’re holding a daily contest here on the blog centered around our love of national parks. Each day’s single winner will receive a set of the Scenic American Landscapes stamped cards, which showcase photographs from parks across the country.

To enter the contest for today, simply answer the following question:

The name for this magnificent book comes from the following Walt Whitman quote:

We see that while many were supposing things established and completed, really the grandest things always remain; and discover that the work of the New World is not ended, but only fairly begun.

In what Whitman piece does this quote appear?

Submit your answer to uspsstamps [at] gmail [dot] com and remember, spelling counts! The winner will be selected at random and notified by email. Deadline for entries is 12 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 26. Good luck!

Voyageur National Park’s Ancient, Traveling History

Posted on by

Established on April 8, 1975, Voyageurs National Park on the northern edge of Minnesota includes four lakes connected by waterways, more than 500 islands, a strip of mainland shore, and 26 smaller inland lakes, most of them located on Kabetogama Peninsula, the park’s largest landmass. More than one-third of the 218,054-acre park is water.

The park was named for the voyageurs, French Canadians legendary for their canoe trips for fur trading companies in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Fifty-five miles of the park’s northern boundary was a portion of the voyageurs’ historic route.

The park’s rock formations, many more than 2.5 billion years old, are some of the oldest exposed rock in the world. A combination of habitats supports a wealthy diversity of life, including approximately 700 species of flora, more than 240 species of birds, and 53 species of fish. Fifty-three miles of trails for hiking, 32 miles of trails for cross-country skiing, and 110 miles of groomed trails for snowmobiling complement this spectacular array of wildlife.

While most of the waterways are frozen from mid-November until late-April, almost 250,000 people visit the park annually.

To celebrate National Park Week, we’re holding a daily contest here on the blog centered around our love of national parks. Each day’s single winner will receive a set of the Scenic American Landscapes stamped cards, which showcase photographs from parks across the country.

To enter the contest for today, simply answer the following two-part question:

How many national park stamps were issued in 1934 and to which parks do they pay tribute?

Submit your answer to uspsstamps [at] gmail [dot] com and remember, spelling counts! The winner will be selected at random and notified by email. Deadline for entries is 12 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 25. Good luck!

The Wildlife and Stunning Views of Grand Teton National Park

Posted on by

Originally established in 1929 to protect part of the Teton Range and lakes near its base, Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming was expanded in 1950 to include much of the adjacent Jackson Hole valley.

Now encompassing nearly 310,000 acres, Grand Teton National Park is characterized by the majesty of its rugged mountains that tower some 7,000 feet over glacial lakes and a valley, through which runs the Snake River.

Renowned for its climbing and hiking trails, the park receives most of its nearly 2.5 million recreational visitors a year in the warm summer months, many of whom marvel at the park’s wildlife. Diverse habitats within the park create opportunities to view moose, elk, bison, pronghorn, black and grizzly bears, and hundreds of species of birds, including bald eagles, ospreys, and trumpeter swans—the largest waterfowl in North America.

Other popular park activities include boating, biking, horseback riding, and fishing, and in the serene winters, ice fishing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

To celebrate National Park Week, we’re holding a daily contest here on the blog centered around our love of national parks. Each day’s single winner will receive a set of the Scenic American Landscapes stamped cards, which showcase photographs from parks across the country.

To enter the contest for today, simply answer the following two-part question:

When was the Yosemite Act signed and what did it do?

Submit your answer to uspsstamps [at] gmail [dot] com and remember, spelling counts! The winner will be selected at random and notified by email. Deadline for entries is 12 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 24. Good luck!