Craters of the Moon Historic Context Statements

Recreation and Tourism in the Craters of the Moon Region, 1924-1942:
SUMMARY

Tourism at Craters of the Moon was more about changing perceptions of the volcanic landscape than the construction of tourist developments. For most of the nineteenth century, tourists viewed the Snake River Plain and places like Craters of the Moon as volcanic wastelands. Drawn to natural wonders like Shoshone Falls, tourists favored familiar scenic landscapes--falling waters, tranquil lakes, picturesque peaks--to unremitting desert. By the turn of the century, tourists were changing their opinions of the plain and the Craters country for the better, due to the coalescence of several historical forces: disenchantment with an urban-industrial society, an increased interest in outdoor recreation, the advent of the automobile, and improved highways.

Driving automobiles over better roads enabled scenic tourists to experience places like Craters of the Moon on their own terms, making them more likely to find the region less threatening and more appealing. They would also find the monument more appealing in contrast to the nation's crowded cities and vanishing wild lands, a realization tourist promoters also made. In the years surrounding World War I, this trend was symbolized best by the "See America First" campaign and Idaho's own version--"See America First: Begin with Idaho." Perhaps most representative of this was Robert W. Limbert, who helped sell Idaho's diverse and spectacular scenery to Idaho and the nation between 1915 and the early 1930s. Craters of the Moon received the benefits of his promotion, which led to its establishment as a national monument in 1924. Moreover, Limbert's promotions added to those of boosters from Arco and the Big Lost River basin who pinned their hopes of economic growth to scenic tourism--Craters of the Moon being a central attraction.

Craters of the Moon's establishment officially sanctioned the lava country as a tourist attraction, something worked for by local boosters for years. But the transformation was slow. The monument was largely undeveloped. Tourists relied on guide services to visit the strange landscape, and for the most part relied on travel literature and their own sense of motoring adventure during their visits. The National Park Service rectified this situation in the latter 1920s and 1930s by developing better roads, trails, campgrounds, and bathroom facilities. But the most significant effort was undertaken through private enterprise with the construction of Crater Inn. Although never a successful business, the rustic lodge, guest cabins, and gas station epitomized early tourism in national parks. It was the only enterprise of its kind in the monument, operating between 1927 and 1958.