This New Book Digs Into the Weird Side of National Parks

Are bodies buried inside Hoover Dam? Was the Gateway Arch designed to control the weather? Did soldiers’ wounds glow after a Civil War battle? No, these are not the storylines for an updated version of The Twilight Zone. Instead, they are some of the questions explored in Mysteries of the National Parks, a new book by Terrain contributor Mike Bezemek.

Featuring 35 tales of disappearances, phenomena, and outright weirdness, the book offers a compelling mix of outdoor adventure and true crime set in America’s national parks. We caught up with Bezemek to discuss the book’s origins and most intriguing aspects.

Why did you write this book?
I’ve been lucky to visit so many awesome national parks over the years. Growing up in Northern California, I started with impressive parks like Yosemite, Point Reyes, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and more. After moving to St. Louis, I continued to explore amazing Midwestern parks like Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Buffalo National River, and Mammoth Cave — many of which I’ve written about for Terrain over the years.

When my wife and I moved to the Southeast, we began exploring other types of National Park System [NPS] units, including historic sites and battlefields. During one East Coast road trip, we started in Washington, D.C., at the National Mall and Ford’s Theatre. Both are managed by NPS, which is often forgotten. From there, we continued through the Outer Banks of North Carolina, going to Wright Brothers National Memorial, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.

Fort Raleigh is an excellent NPS unit that protects the site of the lost English colony, which mysteriously vanished from Roanoke Island in the late 1500s. As we drove away, I began to realize how many fascinating mysteries I’d come across at NPS units over the years. After several months of preliminary research, I decided there was enough for a whole book.

What surprised you the most while doing your research?
I spent about three years researching and writing the book, and there were nonstop surprises and discoveries. At first, I thought I understood the basic details of various mysteries I planned to include, but there was always more to unravel with each story.

I set a chapter at one of my favorites, Canyonlands National Park. That mystery is about the scientific debate surrounding Upheaval Dome, which may be the remnants of an ancient meteorite crater. This led me to realize how many other impact craters are hidden across the U.S. at places that outdoor adventurers regularly visit.

Another surprising story comes from Mammoth Cave, where the total length of this underground system remains unknown. To learn why, it’s necessary to understand the exploits of the “far-out” 1970s cavers who had a hunch that Mammoth Cave might be the longest in the world. They spent years crawling through tight passages, shoving themselves inside mud-filled tubes, and wading through underground rivers, trying to map a dizzying maze that’s hidden from sight.

What will Terrain readers be most intrigued by?
I hope Terrain readers will particularly enjoy the Midwest chapters and maybe find some new parks to visit. The book is organized into five U.S. regions, and the mysteries come from across the entire country and National Park System, currently 433 units and counting.

One chapter covers the twisted history of the Gateway Arch, a longtime national memorial that was controversially redesignated as a national park in 2018. I knew firsthand that St. Louis locals have mixed opinions on the Arch. As a result, there’s not only some entertaining ridicule but some strange conspiracy theories, including a recent one that the Arch can control the weather. I wanted to unravel why.

The Arch’s controversial past seems to be one culprit. It starts with a rigged election during the Great Depression, followed by the racist eviction of African Americans from a historic district that was subsequently demolished. The Arch grounds then become an eyesore gravel lot for decades before a design competition nets a ton of wacky ideas, with the winning architect being accused of stealing the design from fascist Italy.

There’s a lot more, including a 1930s “psychic” high school student, and the Arch becoming a magnet for extreme daredevils. I hope that knowing this crazy backstory may help people see the Arch a little differently. It truly is one of a kind, and a fun place to visit, even if some critics have hilariously called it a grotesque croquet wicket and a giant hairband.

Is there any Midwest place that you think should be a national park?
There are several proposals around the Midwest to create new national parks. Some proposals seek to expand upon or redesignate existing NPS units, such as in the rugged Driftless Area of Iowa and around the stunning Niobrara River in Nebraska.

The nearest one is the proposed Great Rivers National Park, which would center around Alton, Illinois, and the confluences of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois rivers. That is a great area, but it remains to be seen if national park designation is the right choice.

Often, business leaders want the national park designation because those units have the highest recognition and potential for tourism. However, it’s important to remember that there are several types of NPS designations that can be used to fit the local situation, goals, and politics, including national recreation areas, national rivers, national preserves, or comparable state designations.

There’s also a lesser-known designation called national heritage area, where NPS serves an advisory role to help boost tourism, but individual units remain independently managed. A Great Rivers national heritage area designation might be more realistic in the near term, and it could be a step in the right direction for that area.

What’s your biggest takeaway after writing this book?
The more time I spend visiting and researching our national parks, the more I’m reminded how special the National Park System really is. The United States invented the concept of public national parks, starting with the Yosemite Grant Act and Yellowstone Park in the 1800s. We have some of the best national parks in the world, with visitors coming from across the nation and from countries abroad.

Despite having widespread support across party lines, the national parks and other mixed-use areas like national forests are currently facing a number of concerning threats. These include mass layoffs, budget reductions, and misguided proposals to shrink or sell off public lands or open them to destructive mineral extraction.

Now is definitely a critical time to step up for the national parks. One way to get involved is by following the efforts of Outdoor Alliance, a nonprofit whose mission is conservation powered by outdoor recreation. They have set up an easy messaging feature to help supporters contact their congressional representatives and senators about protecting the parks.

Most outdoor adventurers know that our national parks are truly exceptional. But if we don’t protect the parks now, the biggest mystery may come years from now, when we look back and wonder, “Why didn’t we save the parks when we had the chance?”

Author: Shawn Donnelly is the managing editor of Terrain.

Top image: Courtesy of Sourcebooks.