October 9, 2013
Knife River Indian Villages closed
Park rangers went to the national park office Oct. 1 to complete paper work and leave messages, hoping that the U.S. Congress would pass a budget before the government shutdown, Park Superintendent Wendy Ross said.
“We were all watching the television,” she said. “I know I was up until 12 that night.”
But the House and Senate failed to pass a budget, effectively sending 800,000 government employees into unemployment. “Unessential” offices were closed, including 401 national parks.
“It was pretty demoralizing,” Ross said. “We didn’t know how long we were going to be shutting things down for. Do you take the irrigation system and clean it out for the winter?”
