National Park Service Uniforms: The Developing Years, 1932 - 1970

The first few decades after the founding of America's system of national parks were spent by the men working in those parks first in search of an identity, then after the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916 in ironing out the wrinkles in their new uniform regulations, as well as those of the new bureau. The process of fine tuning the uniform regulations to accommodate the various functions of the park ranger began in the 1930s. Until then there was only one uniform and the main focus seemed to be in trying to differentiate between the officers and the lowly rangers. The former were authorized to have their uniforms made of finer material (Elastique versus heavy wool for the ranger), and extraneous decorations of all kinds were hung on the coat to distinguish one from the other. The ranger's uniform was used for all functions where recognition was desirable: dress; patrol (when the possibility of contact with the public existed), and various other duties, such as firefighting. Regular civilian clothing was authorized to be worn when doing hard physical labor, such as building roads or similar projects, where the uniform might become soiled or torn. The rangers were required to furnish and maintain their own uniforms in a presentable manner from their low pay, placing an undue burden on their shoulders. Consequently, civilian clothing was quite often worn when patrolling the backcountry, especially in the wintertime, since the chance of meeting the public was very remote.