More than eight decades later, White Sands transitioned from national monument to national park, but the dunes had already been a destination for generations.
Source: White Sands National Park (via Facebook)
NPS Photo/Allison G. (Cover)
As the National Park Service celebrates its 110th anniversary, White Sands National Park is looking back at its own place within the history of America’s national parks.
White Sands became a national park in 2019, making it the second-newest national park in the country, but federal protection of the dunes reaches back much further.
The area was established as White Sands National Monument in 1933 under President Herbert Hoover.
About 4,000 people attended the opening ceremony, according to White Sands National Park, and an estimated 34,000 visitors came during its first year.
More than eight decades later, White Sands transitioned from national monument to national park, but the dunes had already been a destination for generations.
“People have been enjoying the dunes for much longer,” the park noted while marking the National Park Service anniversary.
The National Park Service was established in 1916 to oversee the growing collection of national parks and monuments under federal protection. Today, White Sands is among the places preserved as part of that system.
For park staff, the anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect not only on the history of the National Park Service, but on the continuing relationship between visitors and the gypsum dunes of southern New Mexico.
“White Sands National Park is a special place for so many,” park officials wrote, “and we are honored to continue to preserve it for everyone to experience.”
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