January 10, 2013, was a “monumental” day for the California national monument known as Pinnacles when it formally became this country’s 59th national park. Pinnacles National Monument was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. The park was created for the vision and preservation of local homesteaders and later was developed by a group of residents living in the area who went by the name “Pinnacle Boys.” What today is Pinnacles National Park has grown physically since that first inception to its present size of about 26,000 acres in the southern portion of the Gabilan Mountains. Volcanic rocks and pines along the west slope of High Peaks. The park hosts between 350,000-400,000 visitors per year, many from Europe and Asia. Yet,...