Mesa Verde Junior Ranger Guide

The idea for the Junior Ranger Program of the National Park Service (NPS) arose in 1930, 16 years after the creation of the NPS. Now, almost every national park has its own Junior Ranger Program. Upon completion of a colorful booklet with activities that guide children through the natural and historical surroundings, the child is presented with a plastic badge that mimics those worn by park rangers.

The cover of the Mesa Verde Junior Ranger Booklet displays a sketch of a typical cliff dwelling built by the Ancestral Pueblo people. The artist constructs a fusion of past and present by incorporating the Pueblo people in acts of daily life alongside a young girl wearing modern clothing. There is a stark contrast between this girl’s attire and physical characteristics, and those of the Puebloan girl who sits next to her. While the Puebloan girl sketches her own art into the sandstone floor, the modern girl physically asserts her presence by touching the art that the other girl is creating. Furthermore, the modern girl becomes the focal point of the scene through her vibrantly colored clothing and central positioning within the composition, in contrast with the various shades of tan and brown in which the sandstone architecture and Pueblo people are drawn. She sits in the sunlight while the Ancestral Puebloans are in shadow; her clothing is drawn with detail while the Puebloans’ features are hazy in the background. This girl’s centrality to the scene of ancient life in Mesa Verde suggests that the Junior Ranger Program not only attempts to educate children, but encourages them to define the natural and historical spheres of the national parks in relation to themselves.