FRIENDS of ARCHES and CANYONLANDS PARKS The Bates Wilson Legacy Fund

About Bates Bates Wilson served as superintendent of Arches National Monument from 1949 to 1972. During that time, he advocated for the creation of a National Park in the area that is now Canyonlands. Wilson led government officials on jeep tours featuring lengthy talks over campfires and hearty dutch oven dinners. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall joined one of these tours in 1961, and began lobbying congress for the proposed park. These efforts came to fruition on September 12, 1964 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Public Law 88-590 establishing Canyonlands National Park. Bates became the first superintendent which, along with his role as chief advocate for the park’s creation, earned him the title "Father of Canyonlands." Bates' career with the National Park Service began in the early 1930s when he worked as a foreman for a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) construction crew around Santa Fe, New Mexico. After taking the park ranger exam in 1937, Bates accepted an entry-level position at Saguaro National Monument. However, two days before he was to start, the superintendent at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was pulled into the army and Bates was awarded the job of "acting custodian" (what would now be "acting superintendent") at Organ Pipe. Bates retired from the National Park Service in 1972 but remained close to Canyonlands. He maintained a ranch in Professor Valley, just 20 miles north of Moab, and served as chairman of the Canyonlands Natural History Association until his death in 1983.		Home About Bates About The Friends The Parks Donate Contact Us PO Box 1680 Moab, UT 84532 (435) 259-0108