Bill Burke has served as the Historian for the Cape Cod National Seashore for the past 30 years in a variety of roles including assisting researchers and educators by providing access to the park’s collection of archives, historic photographs, and objects. In the depths of the Great Depression, the National Park Service first floated the concept of a national seashore for the wild, undeveloped lands of Cape Cod’s “Great Beach.”  This presentation by Burke includes the philosophy behind new parks, the master plan for the seashore, growing pains, big compromises, lingering controversies, successes and failures, and what the future might hold.