The “U.S. Park Ranger” badge continued to be worn by rangers until 1960. Badges for other positions were discussed in 1940 but not introduced until after World War II. The first shield-shaped badges were flat and made in two-pieces.

Secretary Walter J. Hickel restored the bison to the Interior seal in 1969 and the Park Service redesigned its badge to match in 1970. These gold “bison badges” were marked “National Park Ranger.” New uniform standards restricted their use to law enforcement rangers.

When first issued, rangers and officers wore the silver shield-shaped badge marked “U.S. Park Ranger.” Within six months, some argued that chief rangers should have gold badges and that officers should not wear the same badges as rangers.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR is superimposed over the US in 1/8-inch letters. As was common practice with badges at the time, all the letters are stamped into the metal instead of being raised. The park rangers may have worn this badge or one stamped "park ranger" rather than "forest reserve ranger."

The first hats worn by rangers in the Park Service were Stetsons like those of the Army. These were usually creased fore and aft, but there were no regulations on the subject and it was left to the ranger to do whatever styling he wished.

After hostilities ceased, new badges were obtained by the NPS in 1946. There were five different badges in this series: chief and assistant chief ranger, park ranger, park guard, park warden, and park guide.

First used in the 1890s, badges represented the authority of rangers and scouts to protect wildlife in western parks. This exhibit explores the evolution and significance of badges in the National Park Service.

May 4, 2021 · Then, as now, the badge was a significant symbol to the NPS, to park visitors, and to the employees like Yosemite’s women rangers who wore it. In 1928, the Civil Service reclassified park rangers into three types: park rangers, ranger-naturalists, and ranger-checkers.

National Park Service rangers are among the uniformed employees charged with protecting and preserving areas set aside in the National Park System by the United States Congress and the President of the United States.

The first documented collar ornament to be worn on the uniform of a park ranger was the US from the collar insignia of Army officers. This shows up in two portraits of rangers in Sequoia National Park circa 1910 and 1912-16. It was easy to obtain and dressed the uniform up to look official.