Slogan Origin: Take Nothing But Pictures. Leave Nothing But Footprints
Museum Sign? Park Sign? Boy Scout Adage? Sierra Club Motto? Spelunkers Adage? Conrad L. Wirth? Anonymous?
Question for Quote Investigator: Humans are now visiting remote and pristine locations around the globe. People are drawn to beautiful, historic, memorable, scenic, and enigmatic locales. A crucial admonition is impressed on visitors to these significant places. Here are two instances from this family of sayings:
(1) Take only memories; leave only footprints.
(2) Take nothing but photographs. Leave nothing but footprints.
Would you please explore the provenance of this guidance?
Reply from Quote Investigator: This advice is difficult to trace because it can be expressed in many ways. The earliest close match located by QI appeared in July 1954 within an article published in a Cameron, Missouri newspaper about Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. This U.S. park features cliff dwellings and petroglyphs. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹
The museum contains numerous examples of Indian culture and art. A sign says: “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.”
Thus, the earliest evidence suggests that the U.S. National Park service popularized this guidance, but the originator remains anonymous.
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
In 1911 “ The Typographical Journal” of Indianapolis, Indiana printed a partially matching expression which employed the contrasting words “leaving” and “taking” together with the word “memories”:²
All things must perish at last, and so, after a week of entertainment de luxe, perhaps somewhat strenuous at times, our visiting delegates have faded away, leaving nothing but pleasant memories behind, and, we hope, taking nothing but pleasant memories with them.
In July 1954 the saying appeared on a sign in a museum at a U.S. national monument as mentioned previously. In the same month a newspaper in Pottsville, Pennsylvania published a slogan employed by Boy Scouts who were hiking the Appalachian Trail:³
“We have done little cleaning up along the way”, the Scouts say.
“We leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures.”
In September 1954 a columnist in a Camden, New Jersey newspaper relayed a report from U.S. travelers who saw a sign while visiting Zion National Park in Utah:⁴
The sign, placed there by Park Rangers, handed out good advice to tourists. For it read:
“Take nothing but pictures — and leave nothing but your footprints.”
In October 1958 the “Sierra Club Bulletin” published a short piece mentioning signs posted on litter boxes in Windsor, Berkshire near London. One sign employed an instance with the word “photographs” instead of “pictures”:⁵
And here’s a sign we can all understand, used in many national parks and monuments: “Take nothing but photographs — Leave nothing but footprints.”
Also, in October 1958 a columnist in “The Atlanta Constitution” of Georgia reported on a sign with the phrase “leave only” instead of “leave nothing but”:⁶
SIGN OF THE TIMES. Marian (Mrs. C. W.) Smith of Marietta reports this sign, “Take Nothing but Pictures, Leave Only Your Footprints” as being posted at Walnut Canyon National Monument, Ariz.
In April 1960 Conrad L. Wirth, director of the U.S. National Park Service, authored a piece in “Boys’ Life” magazine which included a version of the maxim with the word “leaving” instead of “leave”:⁷
Take all unused food with you. Leaving surplus supplies behind anywhere encourages bears and other animals to wreck the camp sites in their foraging.
Leave the least possible evidence that you’ve been there. As one adage says, “Take nothing but pictures, leaving nothing but footprints.”
In 1961 a newspaper in San Angelo, Texas published an article about a local group of cave explorers who referred to an instance of the adage:⁸
Although the San Angeloans aren’t affiliated with any state or national speleological society, they still honor the national society’s unofficial motto: “Take only pictures . . . leave only footprints.”
In 1962 “The Times-News” of Twin Falls, Idaho printed an instance with “memories” instead of “pictures”:⁹
For instance, at the entrance of trails into the Bridger wilderness area, in the Wind River mountains behind Pinedale, Wyo., there are signs urging you to “take back with you only memories, leave only your footprints.”
If everyone followed this advice, America’s wilderness areas would last for generation after generation.
In 1963 a newspaper in Van Nuys, California printed another instance with “photographs” instead of “pictures”:¹⁰
The Sierra Club stresses the observation of all National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and State Park regulations, especially those regarding smoking, campfires, and water pollution, and has adopted the motto, “Take only photographs; Leave only footprints.”
In 1964 a newspaper in Scarsdale, New York printed a variant with the phrase “take nothing”:¹¹
Although signs throughout the Center ask that no plants be taken. It is a losing battle. The Nature Center is for all to enjoy, and when plants are removed. They are lost to the future visitors. A good rule is to take nothing and leave only footprints!
In conclusion, this family of adages entered circulation by 1954. The creator’s name remains unknown. U.S. national parks have placed the saying on signage. Also, the adage has been employed by scouting organizations and the Sierra Club.
Image Notes: Picture of cliffs at Bandelier National Monument from Jael Coon at Unsplash. The image has been cropped.
Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Paul Rauber whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Special thanks to Barry Popik for his pioneering research on this family of sayings. Popik located citations beginning circa 1957. Also, thanks to the Sierra Club librarian at William E. Colby Memorial Library, in Oakland, California who located the 1958 citation in the “Sierra Club Bulletin”. All errors are the responsibility of QI.
Update History: On June 1, 2023 the October 1958 citation in the “Sierra Club Bulletin” as added to the article.
[1] 1954 July 8, The Cameron Sun, Bandelier National Monument, Quote Page 3, Column 4, Cameron, Missouri. (Newspapers_com)
[2] 1911 September, The Typographical Journal, Official Paper of the International Typographical Union of North America, Volume 39, Number 3, San Francisco Mailers, Quote Page 313, Column 1, J. W. Hays, Indianapolis, Indiana. (Google Books Full View) link
[3] 1954 July 8, Pottsville Republican, Appalachian Trail Trek: Pigeon Dallies A Bit — But Scout News In Time (By Carrier Pigeon to ‘Republican’), Start Page 1, Quote Page 17, Column 1, Pottsville, Pennsylvania. (Newspapers_com)
[4] 1954 September 16, Courier-Post, Life Hereabouts by Jake Weiner, Quote Page 2, Column 1, Camden, New Jersey. (Newspapers_com)
[5] 1958 October, Sierra Club Bulletin, Volume 43, Number 8, Quote Page 13, Publisher Sierra Club, San Francisco, California. (Verified visually; thanks to Sierra Club librarian at William E. Colby Memorial Library in Oakland, California)
[6] 1958 October 6, The Atlanta Constitution, You Just Can’t Quite Keep Up by Leo Aikman, Quote Page 4, Column 5, Atlanta, Georgia. (Newspapers_com)
[7] 1960 April, Boys’ Life, An American Treasury: Our National Parks by Conrad L. Wirth (Director of National Park Service), Start Page 46, Quote Page 68, Column 3, Published by Boy Scouts of America, New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Google Books Full View) link
[8] 1961 July 22, San Angelo Standard-Times, Spelunkers Brave Bats by Vern Griffin (Standard-Times Staff Writer), Quote Page B1, Column 4, San Angelo, Texas. (Newspapers_com)
[9] 1962 September 18, The Times-News, Sports From All Angles by O. J. Smith (Times-News night editor), Quote Page 8, Column 1, Twin Falls, Idaho. (Newspapers_com)
[10] 1963 July 11, The Van Nuys News, Sierra Club Unit Plans July Meet, Quote Page 1B, Column 2, Van Nuys, California. (Newspapers_com)
[11] 1964 August 20, The Scarsdale Inquirer, The Code of the Silent Watcher: Take Naught, Leave Footprints! by Margaret Cornwell, Quote Page 6, Column 5, Scarsdale, New York. (NewspaperArchive)
