"A Fast Ride into the Depths of the Earth": Integrating Natural and Technological Wonders at Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Authors

  • Emily Marlowe Drew University

Keywords:

Carlsbard Caverns National Park, Technology, National Parks, Environment

Abstract

This paper argues that the 1931 installation of an elevator into Carlsbad Caverns National Park transformed the site into a unique, hybrid attraction where tourists could simultaneously celebrate nature and technology. While Americans resisted modifications to other national parks at this time, the elevators in Carlsbad Caverns drew almost no opposition. Media coverage that glorified the elevators and metaphorical language that rhetorically integrated technology into the caves led Americans to celebrate, rather than resist the elevators. This acceptance of large-scale technology in Carlsbad Caverns challenges historical understandings of nature and technology in the 1930s.

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Published

2014-05-28

Issue

Vol. 2 (2014): NCSU Graduate Journal of History

Section

Articles

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