A look at the past, a look ahead with the National Park Foundation

The National Park Service was established in 1916 to protect and America’s national parks and monuments for future generations. The National Park Foundation is essential to these preservation efforts. According to their website,

The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help protect more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, connect all people with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and engage the next generation of park stewards. 

Pendleton supports the NPF through sales of National Park Collection blankets, home goods, accessories, and apparel. To date, we have contributed over $1.7 million dollars to support the NPF mission. If you’ve made a purchase from the Pendleton Park collection, stop right here and give yourself a nod. You are a vital part of this contribution.

Which brings us to…

The stickers.

National Park blankets have been around since 1916, when James Hill, president of the Great Northern Railway, commissioned a Glacier blanket to encourage rail travel to one of America’s first national parks. Designs and labels have changed over the 100+ years we’ve been weaving these blankets. Some of you know that the octagonal designs on our current National Park blanket labels are inspired by the window stickers given to people who traveled to our national parks in the early part of the last century.

Americans are prone to fads, and these stickers were a big one. The ability to travel by car—a new pastime for most Americans—and the opportunity to see the wonders of America combined in the teens and twenties. Because travelers love to commemorate their journeys, the acquisition and display of National Park windshield stickers became a serious fad in the 1920s. The National Park Service has a fantastic feature on these stickers and how they evolved over time.

You can read it here: Portable Posters

This excellent article is packed with information and examples (who knew that these stickers were two-sided?). Here is an excerpt.

The “trophy collecting" craze for these “portable posters" exploded in 1923…The NPS received both the credit and the blame for the trend. A November 3, 1923, newspaper article noted, “Motorists on tour began to prize their stickers and, it is said, some make trips to parks as much for the purpose of acquiring a windshield trophy as to enjoy the attractions offered. All was well, as long as the use of stickers was restricted to national parks. But almost every resort, hotel, and community in the country seized upon the idea to gain advertising and the sticker craze ran riot."

At the same time, newspapers began printing articles in backlash against what E. W. Gale Jr. called “Stickeritis" and the “Plague of Pasters." Safety issues were raised as drivers couldn’t see out windshields covered with stickers. With tongue firmly in cheek, Gale suggested “the next models [of cars] will all be equipped with oversize windshields and have periscopes so that you may stick stickers to your heart’s content and still have some idea of your whereabouts."

Go read the entire post. And then, since there’s over a month of summer left, you can certainly find a park before Fall arrives! If you’d like to commemorate your trip to one of America’s Treasures with a souvenir, consider a blanket, a mug, a tree ornament or a keychain. Enjoy yourselves through an unobstructed windshield. You can see more of the splendor that way.

Thank you for your part in raising over $1.7 million for America’s national parks with your purchases of Pendleton National Park collection merchandise. We couldn’t do it without you.

More information

The National Park Foundation: Learn more here 

Pendleton National Park Collection: Blankets and more

Fred Coldwell posts: Vintage Park Blankets

History of the Glacier blanket with gorgeous photography: