Governor James Scrugham moved the federal government to give 8,500 acres of the Valley of Fire to Nevada in 1925.

Park development began in 1933 by Civilian Conservation Corps workers. Dedicated prematurely on Easter Sunday 1934, the park was officially established by the state in 1935 by Col. Thomas W. Miller, as chairman of the new park commission.

World W ar II fiscal neglect and the 1941 Land Exchange Act almost eliminated the park from the state park system. Led by the tenacious Col. Miller, the 1955 legislature revitalized the system with sound support and funds. Authorized acreage is 58,000.