Here, David Harmon offers ten “Moments of Insight” that he has had in the parks over the years. The list should be understood as a representative sample of the kinds of introspective experiences the parks offer, rather than as a ranking of the best—something that really is impossible, since all of us bring different sets of values and expectations to our national park experiences. 
 
(Author’s Note, November 2023: My essay was originally written for Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective in 2016.  Were I writing it today, I would include an important addition to the segment that describes Eero Saarinen’s central role in creating the Gateway Arch at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. In 2018, the Memorial was redesignated as Gateway Arch National Park.  As part of the relaunch, the park’s museum, which is located beneath the Arch, was completely redesigned to acknowledge the growing consensus that the Arch "honors historical events that are now understood as deeply problematic within the larger trajectory of American history, including the dispossession of Native American land, cultural genocide, the extension of slavery, centuries of conflict and ill will with Mexico, environmental degradation and the emergence of a myth of American exceptionalism,” as an article in the Washington Post put it at the time.  While Saarinen’s remarkable architectural genius is in the spotlight in the video essay presented here, I ask viewers to keep this more complex and troubling context in mind as well.)

Written by David Harmon. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Laura Seeger, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, and Katherine Weiss. 
 
 A textual version of this video is available at https://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/top-ten-origins-moments-insight-america-s-national-parks  
 
This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.

America's National Parks: 10 Moments of Insight

S11:E2 – Are bears even real? Jamin was on the verge of losing all belief and was beginning to think that bears were simply a threatening thought that ensured campgrounds stayed tidy. His faith was restored we saw a breathtaking black bear run across our path on the Little River Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains. 

Come with us as we go “East in the Airstream” to The Great Smoky Mountains, Imagination Mountain campgrounds, Gatlinburg, Tennessee Cider Company, Pigeon Forge and Rainbow Falls. For more context, check out the video that accompanies this podcast (S11:E2 The Great Smoky Mountains | This Park Was FULL of Surprises) on YouTube (https://youtu.be/EfoOrkbZDqU). 

Send us your feedback and thoughts via email at travelfomopodcast@gmail.com. Have your own travel story? Attach a voice memo to your email, and you could hear your own voice in a future episode of the podcast.
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Travel FOMO is hosted by a husband and wife duo, Jamin and Hilarie Houghton. Learn more about them at www.travelfomopodcast.com. Subscribe to Travel FOMO in two different ways: (1) Watch their adventures on YouTube and (2) Follow audibly from wherever you listen to podcasts. 

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Great Smoky Mountains: Where Bears Are NOT Just Mythical Creatures 🐻 😲

Smart conversations about today’s most interesting topics - a history podcast for everyone, produced by Origins from Ohio State's Department of History

New tracks tagged #Great Smoky Mountains