Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
Episode Guest
Chelsea Nelson – Interpretive Park Ranger
Park Stats
Location: West Branch, Iowa
Park designation date: August 12, 1965
President when the park was created: Lyndon Johnson
Park size: 186.8 acres
Number of Visitors in 2023 – 109,728
Fun Facts:
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- Herbert Hoover lived in this home for 4 years before moving down the street (with 5 people)
- He referred to the home as “physical proof of the unbounded opportunity of American life.”
- Visiting this site includes the boyhood home of Herbert Hoover, a blacksmith shop, school house, Friends Meetinghouse, President Hoover and his wives grave, and more.
- The site has 2 miles of trails that are used for hiking, snowshoeing, and birdwatching.
Speed Round
What is your earliest park memory?
Valley Forge. I grew up in Germany. My dad was in the Air Force. When you are growing up overseas and learning about American history, and then you happen to go on vacation to see family in Pennsylvania, and they take you to a place called Valley Forge, it just hits different. I sat there like “WOW! George Washington was here”
What made you love the parks?
It makes you feel like and see things that are bigger than yourself.
What is your favorite thing about Herbert Hoover National Historic Site?
Watching people’s opinions change or being enlightened.
What is your favorite thing to do at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site?
Meet people from around the world.
What park have you yet to visit but is on your bucket list and why?
Sequoia National Park. I love being in the woods. I’ve never been there and I just want to be an ant at the bottom of those trees.
What are three must-haves you pack for a park visit?
- Floppy hat
- Sunglasses
- Chapstick
What is your favorite campfire activity?
Ghost stories.
Tent, camper, or cabin?
Cabin
Hiking with or without trekking poles?
Trekking poles
And what is your favorite trail snack?
Monster Mix
What is the best animal sighting that you’ve had?
Bison. This was a class field trip in high school. We unloaded the bus and were walking towards the gazebo. This was at Teddy Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. We walked around a little bend and the bison was standing right there. Our teacher had everyone walk slowly back to the bus.
What is your favorite sound in the parks?
The babbling brook under the footbridge (at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site)
What is the greatest gift the parks give to us?
A sense of wonder, whether historical or nature.