Using Repeat Photography to Examine Change in a U.S. National Park Gateway Community: A Case Study of Estes Park, Colorado

<p>Since the creation of the National Park Service in the United States, tourists from around the world visiting America's national parks are served by gateway communities. Gateway communities are the towns and cities that border public lands and protected spaces. The impact of our visits on these gateway communities is considerable, with many gateways and their residents relying on consistent and ever-increasing visitation to national parks to spur economic growth and development. To better understand the impacts that national park designations have had on their gateway communities, it is important to determine what changes have occurred both physically and culturally in these communities. This research is a case study of Estes Park, Colorado, the gateway community of Rocky Mountain National Park, the third most visited national park in the United States in 2018. This project utilized a repeat photography method to analyze the changes in Estes Park since the establishment of Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915. This analysis suggests that Estes Park has grown considerably around tourism, with new development focused mainly on meeting the needs of visitors and a larger resident population spurred by the creation of the park.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Year dc:date.available

2019

Author dc:creator

• Lebeda, Caitlin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Matthew Taylor
• Helen Hazin, Ph.D.
• Michael Kerwin, Ph.D.

• Estes Park
• gateway communities
• repeat photography
• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Geography
• Nature and Society Relations

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1593

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-2593