Laurance Rockefeller's 1952 boat sighting sparked creation of Virgin Islands National Park

In 1952 Laurance Rockefeller sailed past the largely untouched island of St. John, noting its absence of infrastructure such as roads and electricity. Moved by its natural beauty, he and his nonprofit, Jackson Hole Preserve, began purchasing property and over about four years secured roughly 5,000 acres. The organization then handed the land to the federal government, a key step that led Congress to establish Virgin Islands National Park in 1956.

The park opened to visitors later that year and has since grown, with Congress adding submerged waters in 1962 and further land in later decades. Today the park covers more than half of St. John, protecting forests, beaches, reefs and historic sites. The initial donation remains a landmark achievement in Rockefeller’s long conservation career.