Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
Episode Guest
Tim Van Cleve
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
Park Stats
Location: Church Creek, Maryland
Park established: December 19, 2014
President when the park was created: Barack Obama
Park size: 480 acres
Speed Round
What is your earliest park memory?
When I was a youngster in Indiana, we would go to Illinois. Lawrenceville, Illinois, where my mother grew up and where all her family lived. In Vincennes, Indiana, there is George Rogers Clark National Monument. We would go by it every time. And I always begged my parents to stop. Sometimes they did, but that is part of the National Park Service.
Also as a kid going down to the Smokies.
What made you love the parks?
The history. As a kid, the history and the story. As a young boy thinking “oh, wow! They’re shooting at each other. Woo.” And then when I was in graduate school, it worked out when I paired my graduate work with the National Park Service.
And, so just, it clicked. It was a nice fit.
What is your favorite thing about Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park?
My favorite thing is talking to the visitors and telling her story. Also, the bigger story of the Underground Railroad and how she fits into that story. And guiding them to those sites that are part of the story.
What is your favorite thing to do at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park?
Talk to visitors.
What park have you yet to visit but is on your bucket list and why?
Isle Royale, because I’m a big backpacker and I want to go up and hang out with a moose.
What are three must-haves you pack for a park visit?
- National Parks Passport Book
- Bottle of water
- Some literature…not too much because I like to explore on my own, too
What is your favorite campfire activity?
I’m a backpacker, so we cold camp, which means that we usually don’t ever have a fire. But I know after a hard day’s backpacking, I love a good meal.
Tent, camper, or cabin?
Tent
Hiking with or without trekking poles?
Without
And what is your favorite trail snack?
Smoked salmon
What is the best animal sighting that you’ve had?
About 10 years ago, I was with a National Park Service buddy in the northern part of Glacier. On one of the last days we were up there, we’d been in the backcountry for about seven days. While backpacking we saw a moose in a pond just sitting there feeding on the grasses below the waterline, just not a care in the world.
And that was pretty cool.
What is your favorite sound in the parks?
Birds. One of my favorite parks is Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in New Mexico, where I’ve worked before. One of the missions has an area where you can sit down. And it’s known for its songbirds. You sit down and I’d take my lunch out there, eat, and listen to the birds.
What is the greatest gift the parks give to us?
Beauty and education. Whether it be historical education or scientific education, you can pick and choose what you want to learn. There’s such a vast variety of knowledge within the parks. And of course the beauty.