No. 887 Robert C. Heyder, 2017

File — Box: 80, Folder: 3

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Robert C. Heyder, former superintendent of Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Mesa Verde National Parks, discusses his long service in the National Park Service with a particular focus on his tenure at Zion National Park, 1972-1979. Mr. Heyder, a Korean War veteran, served in the National Park Service for nearly half a century and during his time observed numerous changes in the system and at individual parks. He talks about Zion National Park’s encounters with motorcycle gangs in the early 1970s, a climber’s televised scaling of Angel’s Landing, accidental deaths in the park, the successful desert bighorn sheep reestablishment program, an Air Force F-111 fighter-bomber crashing in the park, the removal of the Cedar Breaks Lodge, and numerous other happenings. Mr. Heyder also discusses the expansion of Capitol Reef National Monument and attitudes at Capitol Reef and Zion regarding the federal government.
Project: Outdoor Recreation oral history project.
Interviewer: Leighton M. Quarles.

Dates

2017

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.