BANCROFT
LIBRARY
<•
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
(Knos 31.
YOUR NATIONAL PARKS. Illustrated.
THE STORY OF SCOTCH. Illustrated.
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN WONDERLAND.
Illustrated.
THE STORY OF A THOUSAND-YEAR PINE.
Illustrated.
IN BEAVER WORLD. Illustrated.
THE SPELL OF THE ROCKIES. Illustrated.
WILD LIFE ON THE ROCKIES. Illustrated.
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
YOUR NATIONAL PARKS
JOHN COLTER, THE DISCOVERER OF YELLOWSTONE PARK
a ®w&f to ttje Rational parks
YOUR
NATIONAL PARKS
BY
ENDS A. MILLS
WITH DETAILED INFORMATION
FOR TOURISTS
BY
LAURENCE F. SCHMECKEBIER
And with Illustrations and Maps
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
€be fttoersibe press Cambridge
1917
COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY ENOS A. MILLS
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Published June 79/7
TO
GEORGE W. PERKINS
AND
WILLIAM A. WELCH
WHOSE STATESMANSHIP, ENERGY, IDEALS, AND COURAGE
ARE MAKING THE PALISADES INTER-STATE PARK
"THE GREATEST PARK IN THE WORLD"
PREFACE
ST. Louis had a memorable "flag day"
a little more than a century ago. Within
twenty-four hours the yellow and red flag
of Spain was run down and the tricolor run
up; this hauled down and the Stars and
Stripes run up. The Louisiana Territory
thus became a part of the United States.
In a flash, the western boundary of this
country was changed from the Mississippi
River to the Rocky Mountains.
Scarcely were the Stars and Stripes fly-
ing, before Lewis and Clark were on their
way to explore the vast and mysterious
Louisiana Territory — the West. Theirs
was one of the most comprehensive and
successful exploring expeditions on record
— one of the greatest of outdoor expedi-
tions. There were adventures and hard-
ships, but after two years the party re-
turned to civilization with the loss of only
vii
preface
one man. The resources of the great West
were definitely placed before the world.
This expedition revealed the extraordi-
nary resourcefulness of Lewis and Clark and
brought out also two other characters who
are worthy of a place in American litera-
ture and whose achievements might well be
a source of inspiration in American life.
These are John Colter, who afterwards dis-
covered the Yellowstone, and Sacagawea,
the " bird woman." Sacagawea was the one
woman of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
She rendered remarkable service, and her
name will be forever associated with explo-
ration, with woodcraft, and with the
National-Park wildernesses.
Just before the returning Lewis and
Clark expedition reached St. Louis, it met
trappers starting up the river — going into
the great West. This was the real begin-
ning of the trapping industry, which for
nearly two generations was the dominating
influence of the West.
The West was thoroughly explored by
viii
^trefate
the trappers. In a number of States they
formed the first permanent settlement.
The trappers harvested the furs of lakes
and streams throughout the mountains
and built up the "Commerce of the Prai-
ries. " We are indebted to them for the
Oregon and Santa Fe trails. All history
shows no more picturesque or resourceful
character than the trapper. Among them
were such great men as John Colter, James
Bridger, and Kit Carson.
The trapper was followed by the pros-
pector. The trapper did not search for
gold. The prospector did not look for furs
or fertile lands. In a different way the
prospector exploited the same territory as
the trapper and thus placed the resources
and the romance of the West before the
public.
Closely following the trapper and pros-
pector was that rugged and aggressive
character, the cowboy. He had a definite
part in the forward movement of the fron-
tier. The cowboy cared nothing for furs, or
ix
preface
gold, or fertile lands. He was interested in
the rich grasses for his cattle. He, too, had
his short day. These characters — the cow-
boy, the prospector, and the trapper —
tarried for a brief moment on the frontier
when the farmer, the first lasting settler,
arrived. All these armed and vigorous peo-
ple, the wearers of buckskin, were people
of individuality and power. They made
great changes throughout the West, and
hastened its final development.
Pioneer men and women are among the
great and influential figures in history.
They were human, they were honorable,
and we do honor them. They did not want
or need sympathy. They were getting
much, perhaps the most, from life; they
were happy. We think of theirs as being a
life of sacrifice, but it really was a life of
selection. They were away from the crowd
— from the enemies of sincerity and indi-
viduality. Of all people they were most
nearly free. But the pioneers are gone.
The frontier no longer exists, and the
preface
days of the wilderness are gone forever.
Yet, in our magnificent National Parks we
still have a bit of the primeval world and
the spirit of the vigorous frontier. In these
wild parks we may rebuild the past, and
in them the trapper, the prospector, the
cowboy, and the pioneer may act once
mor,e their part in the scenes that knew
them.
These wilderness empires of our National
Parks have been snatched from leveling
forces of development. They are likely to
prove the richest, noblest heritage of the
nation. Here the world is at play, here are
scenes ever new and that will greatly help
to keep the nation young.
In the words of John Dickinson Sherman :
"It is as if Nature in these places had
in self-defense devoted all her energies to
scenery, proclaiming to the nation, 'Here
I will make playgrounds for the people.
Here is nothing for commerce or industry.
Here is natural beauty at its wildest and
best. Elsewhere man must live by the
xi
preface
sweat of his brow. Here let him rest and
play. Here I will rule supreme for all
time/"
There are seventeen National Parks.
New ones will early be made and there are
at least twenty other scenic regions which
should at once be added. No nation has
ever fallen for having too much scenery.
Scenery is, indeed, one of our most valuable
resources, and these Parks will enable us to
build up a scenic industry of magnitude.
Already they are being developed with
roads and trails, and before long there
will be in all of them hotels and camps
for visitors of every taste, together with
special camps and provision for school-
children.
I have tried to describe a few of the won-
ders of the Parks and to suggest the larger,
fuller use of them. Through most of the
Parks described I have had happy excur-
sions afoot, alone and unarmed. Not only
do the Parks contain some of the world's
sublimest and most beautiful scenes, but
xii
preface
each Park is a wild-life reservation, a place
where guns are forbidden. Thus protected,
these wildernesses will remain forever wild,
forever mysterious and primeval, holding
for the visitor the spell of the outdoors,
exciting the spirit of exploration. Within
them will survive that poetic million-year-
old highway, the trail. Among their path-
less scenes wild life will be perpetuated.
Chains of mountain-peaks will ever stand
— "the silent caravan that never passes
by, the caravan whose camel backs are
laden with the sky" — with purple forests,
mountain-high waterfalls, vast and broken
canons, wind-swept plateaus, splendid lakes,
and peaks and glaciers often touched with
cloud and sunshine.
Our National Parks will continue for
generations to come to be the No Man's
Land, the Undiscovered Country, the Mys-
terious Old West, the Land of Romance
and Adventure. My great hope and belief
is that they will become a marked factor
in public education. Surely, these wonder-
xiii
preface
lands mean much for the general welfare,
and will help to develop greater men and
women — to arouse enthusiasm for our
native land, and for nature everywhere.
E. A. M.
CONTENTS
I. THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK ... 3
1. A CAMP-FIRE THAT MADE HISTORY . . 3
2. THE DISCOVERY OF THE YELLOWSTONE . 10
3. THE GEYSERS, LAKES, AND STREAMS . . 28
4. AGES OF FIRE AND ICE 38
5. THE PETRIFIED FORESTS 45
6. AREA; TREES, FLOWERS, AND ANIMALS . 51
7. ENTRANCES . 53
8. ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY 54
9. LOST IN THE WILDERNESS 58
II. THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK .... 65
1. ICE-KING TOPOGRAPHY . . . . . 70
2. TREES AND FORESTS 76
3. PLANT LIFE 79
4. THE REALM OF FALLING WATER ... 83
5. SEEING YOSEMITE 88
6. HISTORY OF YOSEMITE 93
III. THE SEQUOIA AND THE GENERAL GRANT NA-
TIONAL PARKS 99
THE BIG TREES 104
IV. MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK . . .116
1. THE SPLENDID WILD-FLOWER GARDEN. . 122
2. GLACIERS OF MOUNT RAINIER . . . .130
V. CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK . . . .137
VI. GLACIER NATIONAL PARK 148
HISTORY OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK . .157
xv
Content^
VII. MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK . . . .161
VIII. ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK . . .175
IX. THE GRAND CANON 190
X. LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK . . .211
XI. HAWAII NATIONAL PARK 221
XII. THREE NATIONAL MONUMENTS
1. THE OLYMPIC NATIONAL MONUMENTS . 230
2. THE NATURAL BRIDGES AND RAINBOW
BRIDGE NATIONAL MONUMENTS . . 236
3. MUKUNTUWEAP NATIONAL MONUMENT . 239
XIII. OTHER NATIONAL PARKS 242
1. WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK . . . 242
2. SULLY'S HILL PARK 244
3. CASA GRANDE RUIN RESERVATION . . 245
4. HOT SPRINGS RESERVATION . . . . 246
5. PLATT NATIONAL PARK . . * . . 248
6. MOUNT MCKINLEY NATIONAL PARK . 248
XIV. CANADIAN NATIONAL PARKS . . . .251
1. JASPER PARK 252
2. ROCKY MOUNTAINS PARK .... 254
3. YOHO PARK 256
4. WATERTON LAKES PARK . . . . . 258
5. REVELSTOKE PARK 260
6. THE ANIMAL PARKS ...... 260
7. ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS PARK . . . 261
8. FORT HOWE PARK 262
XV. PARK-DEVELOPMENT AND NEW PARKS . 264
XVI. THE SPIRIT OF THE FOREST ; . . . 282
XVII. WILD LIFE IN NATIONAL PARKS . . .296
xvi
Content^
XVIII. IN ALL WEATHERS . . ... . .317
XIX. THE SCENERY IN THE SKY I . . . 340
1. TIMBER-LINE . . . :. . . .340
2. ABOVE THE TIMBER-LINE .... 345
3. THE WORK OF THE ICE KING . . .351
4. HIGH PEAKS 356
XX. JOHN MUIR * . 360
XXI. NATIONAL PARKS THE SCHOOL OF NA-
TURE 366
XXII. WHY WE NEED NATIONAL PARKS . . 378
XXIII. THE TRAIL . . . . . . . . .388
APPENDIX
A. ACT OF DEDICATION OF THE YELLOWSTONE
NATIONAL PARK 397
B. THE NATIONAL PARKS AT A GLANCE . . 400
C. PROPOSED NATIONAL PARKS 403
D. NATIONAL MONUMENTS 405
E. DOMINION NATIONAL PARKS OF CANADA . .412
BIBLIOGRAPHY 415
GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL PARKS
INTRODUCTION . . '. v-r>. . . . .425
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 433
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 444
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK 455
GENERAL GRANT NATIONAL PARK .... 459
MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK .... 460
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK 470
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK 475
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK 488
xvii
Content^
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK . . . .491
THE GRAND CANON 495
LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK . . . .500
HAWAII NATIONAL PARK 502
MOUNT MCKINLEY NATIONAL PARK . . .505
HOT SPRINGS OF ARKANSAS 506
MINOR NATIONAL PARKS
CASA GRANDE RUIN 508
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK 508
PLATT NATIONAL PARK 509
SULLY'S HILL PARK 509
NATIONAL MONUMENTS . . .1 . . .510
CANADIAN PARKS
ROCKY MOUNTAINS PARK 515
YOHO PARK . . . t f, » ? ,. • • .516
GLACIER PARK . ,,...,.,./ ,^ (.if. . .517
JASPER PARK ./,«.,, r , . . .518
REVELSTOKE PARK 518
WATERTON LAKES PARK 519
BUFFALO PARK . ,'.•... ' ; . . 519
ELK ISLAND PARK . ;< -Y& / ^KT'V'T . . 520
ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS PARK 520
FORT HOWE PARK 520
INDEX .. .. , , ^ > ; ... .521
ILLUSTRATIONS
JOHN COLTER, THE DISCOVERER OF YELLOWSTONE
PARK Frontispiece
From a drawing by E. S. Paxson
MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF THE NATIONAL PARKS
AND NATIONAL MONUMENTS .* • j * , . . i
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL
PARK ^ . . l\ ""•''. 30
From a photograph by George R. King
OLD FAITHFUL GEYSER, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL
PARK , ,. . 34
From a photograph by Haynes, St. Paul, Minn.
GRAND CANON FROM ARTIST POINT, YELLOW-
STONE NATIONAL PARK ... . . . .42
From a copyright photograph by Haynes, St. Paul
PETRIFIED FORESTS IN AMETHYST MOUNTAIN,
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK '. ' . . . 46
Adapted from an illustration of the United States Geological Survey
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF YOSEMITE VALLEY ... 66
HALF DOME, YOSEMITE . ;. •"."•'' . . . 70
From a photograph by George R. King
UPPER AND LOWER YOSEMITE FALLS . . .84
From a photograph by the Pillsbury Picture Company
LAKE TENAYA, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK . . 88
From a photograph by the Desmond Company
THE FOUR BROTHERS, SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK 104
From a photograph by Lindley Eddy, Ranger, Col.
xix
STAGE ROAD, MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK .118
From a photograph by Curtis &* Miller, Seattle, Wash.
MOUNT RAINIER FROM PARADISE VALLEY . . . 124
From a photograph by Curtis &• Miller
CRATER LAKE AND WIZARD ISLAND .... 138
From a photograph by the Riser Studio
PHANTOM SHIP, CRATER LAKE ..... 144
By permission of the National Park Service
MCDERMOTT FALLS AND GRINNELL MOUNTAIN,
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK 150
From a photograph by Haynes, St. Paul
SPRUCE TREE HOUSE, MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK 166
From a photograph by Arthur Chapman
ESTES PARK AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL
PARK . . . I*'"'"' . . ; V . . . 176
From a photograph by Enos A. Mills.
LOCH VALE, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK 180
From a photograph by W. T. Parke, Estes Park, Colo.
FERN LAKE, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK 188
From a photograph by H. T. Cowling
LOOKING WEST FROM NORTH SIDE OF GRAND
CANON, SHOWING POINT SUBLIME AND Isis
TEMPLE 192
By permission of the Department of the Interior
LASSEN PEAK IN ERUPTION . *<; ..=.», . . 214
From a copyright photograph by B. F. Loomis
MOUNT ST. HELENS FROM THE TIMBER-LINE TRAIL
ON MOUNT RAINIER . . . . „• r . . 234
From a photograph by A. H. Barnes
XX
RAINBOW NATURAL BRIDGE, RAINBOW NATIONAL
MONUMENT . . . .... . . 238
From a photograph by the Geological Survey
ILLECILLEWAET VALLEY, WITH MOUNT SIR DON-
ALD IN THE DISTANCE, GLACIER PARK, CANADA 252
From a photograph taken for the Commissioner of Dominion Parks
TETON MOUNTAIN REGION: PROPOSED ADDITION
TO YELLOWSTONE PARK . . , , . . 266
From a photograph by J. E. Stimson
MOUNT BAKER FROM THE WEST 270
From a copyright photograph by W. H. Wilcox, Port Townsend,
Wash.
MOUNT ST. ELIAS FROM EAST SIDE OF AGASSIZ
GLACIER, ALASKA 274
From a photograph by J. C. Russell
ON THE ROAD TO SHERMAN TREE, GIANT FOREST,
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK 282
From a photograph by George F. Belden
ELK IN JACKSON HOLE 296
From a photograph by S. N. Leek
BLACK BEAR CUBS, SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK . . 304
From a photograph by Lindley Eddy
LONG'S PEAK, FROM CHASM LAKE, ROCKY MOUN-
TAIN NATIONAL PARK 320
From a photograph by Enos A. Mills
ABOVE THE TlMBER-LlNE IN THE ROCKY MOUN-
TAIN NATIONAL PARK, SHOWING LONG'S PEAK . 346
From a photograph by H. T. Cowling
JOHN MUIR IN MUIR WOODS 360
From a photograph by Herbert W. Gleason
TRAIL NEAR TIMBER-LINE, INDIAN HENRY'S PARK,
MOUNT RAINIER 388
From a photograph by Curtis &• Miller
xxi
MAP OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK . . . 436
MAP OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK . . . .446
MAP OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK .... 476
MAP OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK . . 492
The maps and bird's-eye view are used by permission of the Na-
tional Park Service, Department of the Interior.
MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF NATIONAL 1
V/A^
6 Chad'™
2>^ „••" Geneseo ^d^T^xC • ".r
,-,-^^25^
W.chii^
By permission of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior
YOUR NATIONAL PARKS
YOUR
NATIONAL PARKS
i
THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
I. A CAMP-FIRE THAT MADE HISTORY
ON September 19, 1870, a number of
men were chatting around a camp-fire in
the wilds of northwestern Wyoming. They
had been exploring the Yellowstone won-
derland. They had seen the geysers, —
little hot-water volcanoes, — the pools of
boiling colored mud, the great petrified
forest, and the golden canon of the Yel-
lowstone, into whose colored depths the
snowy river leaps. The exploration was
over, and the men were about to start for
their homes.
A group were discussing how they might
secure the ownership of this scenic empire.
A monopoly of this wonderland would
3
gout Rational §parfc0
mean a fortune. The discussion was inter-
rupted. Cornelius Hedges arose before the
camp-fire. He said that private ownership
ought never to be considered. This region,
he thought, should be set aside by the Gov-
ernment and forever held for the unre-
stricted use of the people. The magnificent
National-Park idea was thus born by a
camp-fire in the wilds. The views of this
statesman prevailed, and it was agreed
that the park project be launched at once
and vigorously pushed. And this was done.
A few enterprising, aggressive men cham-
pioned the measure so earnestly that the
Park became a reality in less than two
years after the idea originated.
This celebrated camp was near the junc-
tion of the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers,
at the foot of what now is National Park
Mountain. In 1891 I made a reverent pil-
grimage to this historic spot. I am grateful
to every one who helped establish the Yel-
lowstone Park. I am glad that the idea of
a National Park was a camp-fire thought.
4
3?eHoto0tonc Rational $arft
The Helena (Montana) " Herald " of
November 9, 1870, had an article by Cor-
nelius Hedges, containing what is probably
the first published reference to the park
project. Honor must be given to David E.
Folsom and a number of other individuals
for publicly suggesting, independently, a
similar idea. These suggestions, however,
were barren of results.
In the course of that autumn a bold park
campaign was begun by Nathaniel P. Lang-
ford, Cornelius Hedges, and William H.
Claggett, who had just been elected Dele-
gate to Congress from Montana. Langford
lectured in behalf of the project before in-
terested audiences in Minneapolis, Wash-
ington, New York, and elsewhere; and he
and Walter Trumbull published magazine
articles on the subject. Copies of Lang-
ford's article in "Scribner's Magazine"
were placed in the hands of every Member
of Congress.
Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden, of the United
States Geological Survey of the Territories,
5
Hour Rational $arftg
became interested in the cause, and ren-
dered invaluable service. During the sum-
mer of 1871 he explored the Yellowstone
region and took scores of photographs. In
cooperation with others, he drew the bill
for Congressional enactment, and marked
the boundary lines of the Park. This bill
was introduced in the House by William
H. Claggett, December 18, 1871. Senator
Pomeroy, of Kansas, immediately intro-
duced the identical measure in the Senate.
Claggett, Hayden, Langford, and others
made a thorough canvass. Each Member
of Congress was personally interviewed.
The enthusiasm, intelligence, and sincerity
of these advocates produced winning re-
sults. The question came to a successful
vote in the Senate, January 30, 1872. Sena-
tor Cole, of California, opposed.
In the House, the Committee on Public
Lands reported the bill favorably. Henry
L. Dawes, of Massachusetts, championed
the measure. It reached a vote, February
27, 1872, with the following result: yeas,
6
lellotostonc Rational JDarh
115; nays, 65; not voting, 60. The bill was
signed by President Grant, March I, 1872.
It is a remarkable fact that Congress
should have thus created the Yellowstone
National Park. Through the ages the priv-
ileged classes have had almost exclusive
enjoyment of scenic empires. The campaign
which brought about the creation of this
Park was brief, intense, and unique. It
was a genuine and epoch-marking achieve-
ment.
The National-Park idea has gone round
the world. All leading nations now have
national parks and are planning more.
Time is likely to stamp our original legisla-
tion as one of the important acts of states-
manship. A few public-spirited men of
vision began a revolution and triumphed.
The anniversary of this event may some
day be observed with world -wide celebra-
tion. People progress in the improvement
of their playgrounds no less than in the
ordering of their workshops.
Concerning this National-Park legisla-
7
gout jjJationai $arlt£
tion, General Hiram M. Chittenden, au-
thor of "The Yellowstone National Park,"
makes the following comment: —
Perhaps no act of our National Congress has
received such general approbation at home or
such profuse commendation from foreigners
as that creating the Yellowstone National
Park. The lapse of time only serves to confirm
and extend its importance, and to give addi-
tional force to the sentiment so well expressed
by the Earl of Dunraven when he visited the
Park in 1874: "All honor then to the United
States for having bequeathed as a free gift to
man the beauties and curiosities of ' Wonder-
land/ It was an act worthy of a great nation,
and she will have her reward in the praise of
the present army of tourists, no less than in
the thanks of the generations of them yet to
come."
It was a notable act, not only on account of
the transcendent importance of the territory
it was designed to protect, but because it was
a marked innovation in the traditional policy
of government. From time immemorial priv-
ileged classes have been protected by law in
the withdrawal, for the exclusive enjoyment,
of immense tracts for forests, parks, and game
preserves. But never before was a region of
such vast extent as the Yellowstone Park set
8
SeHotogtone Rational $arft
apart for the use of all the people without dis-
tinction of rank or wealth.
It has been well said that "history is
geography set in motion/1 And "Geog-
raphy," says Kant, "lies at the basis of
history." The peculiar geographic environ-
ment of the Yellowstone tract had a defi-
nite and striking influence on the early his-
tory of the region. It attracted few visitors
and no settlers. To the pioneer and the
Indian it offered few necessities, and these
were almost inaccessible owing to climatic
discomforts and difficulties of communica-
tion. Even to-day, for commercial use, the
Yellowstone country would support only a
sparse population.
But what formerly repelled now attracts.
Time has brought changes. Congested
population, the necessity for outdoor life,
the destruction of most of the wild outing-
places — these conditions have given to
this and to other scenic mountain places a
high economic value; likewise what may be
called a nobler or higher value. Reserved
9
Sour Rational §Darft£
and used as a recreation park by the public,
it has become an economic asset of enor-
mous importance. And through park use
it conveys benefits to thousands.
Yesterday the Yellowstone environing
factor arrested, deflected, and retarded the
movement and the development of society.
To-day it attracts, arouses, energizes, and
ennobles a multitude.
2. THE DISCOVERY OF THE YELLOWSTONE
In the Yellowstone National Park — the
first national park in the world — are so
many natural wonders, of such unusual
character, that not until the tract was dis-
covered the sixth time were the American
people convinced of its existence. Sixty-
three years elapsed from the time of its
first discovery to that of its recognition as
an actuality.
The first two discoveries — they were
made by trappers a generation apart —
were laughed at and soon forgotten. The
third, by prospectors, led to a successful
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The Indians made scant use of this terri-
tory. In an average year the passes into it
are blocked with snow for nine months of
the twelve. Besides, it is mostly covered
with a tangle of forests. In earlier days,
living in it or traveling through it was diffi-
cult. Though filled with big game during
the summer, at no time of year was it equal
to the surrounding country as a hunting-
ground.
John Colter, who first discovered the
Yellowstone region in 1807, was a member
of the Lewis and Clark expedition. He
was a hunter and trapper, a master of
woodcraft, and an outdoor man of the first
class; at the time of the discovery he was
thirty-five years of age, nearly six feet tall,
and an athlete who could hold his own in
the games of the trappers' rendezvous. His
endurance, courage, and resourcefulness
were marvelous. Neither wilderness nor
hostile Indian had terrors for him. The
five years that he spent in the Yellowstone
region were so crowded with wilderness ad-
12
€i)C ieilotosttme Rational fparh
venture that his name is immortal in the
history of the American frontier. He ob-
tained his release from the Lewis and Clark
exploring party at a point on the Missouri
River, some distance below the mouth of
the Yellowstone, in August, 1806. He had
served with the expedition more than two
years.
With two trappers, Colter that year
proceeded up the Missouri and spent the
winter somewhere on its headwaters. The
following spring he left his companions
and started for St. Louis. After a solitary
journey of about two thousand miles, he
met Manuel Lisa, the celebrated trapper
and trader, who, with a large party, was on
his way to found a trading-post somewhere
on the headwaters of the Missouri. Lisa
persuaded Colter to turn back with him.
Strong is the lure of the wilderness.
Although Colter had been away from civili-
zation three years, and a triumphant wel-
come awaited his return, he again post-
poned the enjoyment of all that old friends
13
gout Rational $arft#
and city attractions could offer, to resume
the adventurous experiences of a trapper's
life among hostile Indians in the wilds.
Lisa built a trading-post, Fort Manuel,
at the junction of the Big Horn and Yellow-
stone Rivers, about two hundred miles
southeast of the Yellowstone Park. From
here, with a thirty-pound pack and rifle,
Colter set off alone on a thousand-mile
journey into the wilderness to tell the sur-
rounding Indian tribes of this new trading-
post.
He traveled a few hundred miles to the
southwest without notable adventure. We
now marvel at the results of this journey,
for its discoveries put Colter in the front
rank of geographical explorers on the
American continent. He discovered the
Wind River Range, Union Pass, Jackson
Hole, Teton Pass, Pierre's Hole, and the
Grand Teton. He was the first to see the
headwaters of those two great rivers the
Green Fork of the Colorado and the Snake
Fork of the Columbia. These discoveries
©fje Selloto^tonc Rational $arlt
might well have been enough for any one
man, but his greatest discovery was still
before him.
Colter was with a band of Crows near
Pierre's Hole when it was attacked by
marauding Blackfeet. Of necessity Colter
fought with the Crows, who were victori-
ous. The Blackfeet blamed Colter for their
defeat, and from this incident may have
arisen the long-continued hostility of the
Blackfeet tribes against the whites.
Again alone, Colter set forth from
Pierre's Hole, St. Anthony, Idaho, and
traveled straight across the mountains to
Fort Manuel. A wound in the leg, which
he had received in the fight with the Black-
feet, was not yet healed. The direct route
that he took for his return may have been
chosen as the shortest, but most probably
was selected in order to avoid the Blackfeet.
The crowning achievement of this re-
markable journey was the discovery and
traversing of the Yellowstone wonderland.
His course took Colter diagonally, from
15
Sour Rational $arftg
southwest to northeast, across what now is
the Yellowstone National Park. He prob-
ably passed along the west shore of Yel-
lowstone Lake, and may have followed
the Yellowstone River from the lake to
the falls. He saw numerous geysers, hot
springs, paint-pots, and possibly Sulphur
Mountain. He noted that numerous rivers
had their sources in the Park and flowed
from it in all directions, thus justifying the
Indian name for the region, "Top of the
World." After crossing Mount Washburn
he probably forded the river near Tower
Falls and then followed the east fork of the
Yellowstone.
Colter arrived safely at Fort Manuel af-
ter a journey of about three hundred miles
from Pierre's Hole and a round trip of
about eight hundred miles. Aside from its
geographical value, this was a remarkable
wilderness achievement.
A little later came the most extraordi-
nary chapter of Colter's adventurous life.
In 1809, with a companion named John
16
Clje JMIotoBtonc Rational patft
Potts, he was trapping beavers near the
Three Forks of the Missouri. They were
rowing up a small stream that flowed into
the Jefferson River, the most western of
the forks. At a point on this stream about
five miles from the Jefferson, they heard a
great trampling. High banks and brush-
wood shut off their view.
Presently about five hundred Blackfeet
appeared on the banks and ordered them
to come ashore. Escape was impossible.
The two men had the hardihood to throw
the beaver- traps overboard, hoping to re-
cover them later. As the canoe touched
the shore, an Indian snatched Potts's ri-
fle from him. Thereupon Colter sprang
ashore, wrested the rifle from the Indian,
and handed it to Potts who immediately
pushed off into the stream. Colter told him
to come back and not to try to escape. An
arrow whizzed by Colter, and Potts fell
back in the canoe, crying out, "I'm done
for!" as he shot an Indian dead. In an in-
stant his body was filled with arrows.
17
four Rational $arft£
The Blackfeet seized Colter and stripped
him naked, then discussed methods of tor-
turing him to death. They decided to set
him up for a target, but the chief inter-
fered — that was not exciting enough for
him. Seizing Colter by the shoulder, he
asked him if he could run fast. The ques-
tion was greeted with howls of delight by
the Blackfeet.
The chief led Colter out on the prairie
about three hundred yards from the band,
pointed in the direction of the Jefferson
River, told him to save himself if he could,
and cast him loose. Colter ran, the Black-
feet whooped and pursued, and the race for
life was on.
The ground was thick with prickly pears
that pierced Colter's bare feet. Neverthe-
less, he kept ahead of his pursuers. When
about half the five miles to the Jefferson
had been covered, he ventured to look back.
The Indians were much scattered, and he
had gained on the main body; but one In-
dian, carrying a spear, was close upon him.
18
gcllotostonc Rational parli
Colter exerted himself to the utmost,
and by the time he came within a mile of
the Jefferson he was exhausted and blood
from his nostrils had covered the front of
his body. He stopped suddenly, turned,
and spread out his arms. The Blackfoot,
almost upon him, but also exhausted, at-
tempted to stop and throw his spear, but
he fell and the spear broke. Colter sprang
upon him, seized the spear-head, pinned
him to the ground, and ran on.
The foremost of the remaining Indians
stopped by the fallen runner. When others
came, they all set up a whoop and resumed
the chase.
Colter gained the river-bank in advance
of all his pursuers, just where there hap-
pened to be a large beaver house, standing
partly against the bank and partly in the
water. Knowing that the entrance to the
house was at the bottom, under the water,
he dived and succeeded in forcing his way
to the floor just above the water-level.
Man fleeing from man has hidden in
19
Hour |Jational $arh£
strange places, but it may be doubted
whether one ever before sought safety in
a beaver house of brush and mud !
Soon the Blackfeet were searching all
over the place, " screeching like so many
devils." They made search for the naked
white man all the rest of the day. Appar-
ently even their savage cunning never sus-
pected the beaver house. Although they
frequently clambered over it, they did
not disturb it.
When night came and Colter could no
longer hear the Indians, he swam down-
stream, gained the prairie, and headed for
Fort Manuel, some two hundred miles away.
Naked, with bleeding feet, he walked over
prickly pears on the prairie and through
snow in the mountains, which he crossed
above the timber-line. The sun blistered
him. Part of the time, he traveled by night
and lay hid by day. He appears to have
lived chiefly on the Indian-turnip (Pso-
ralea esculenta).
Colter arrived at Fort Manuel in terrible
20
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shape. At first the men did not recognize
him. He had been eleven days in making
the distance between Three Forks and the
fort.
That winter Colter had the courage to go
back alone to the scene of his capture to
recover his beaver- traps. Before he reached
them he was ambushed by Blackfeet, but
escaped. He returned to the fort, and the
following spring he was with Pierre Menard
at Three Forks when the place was success-
fully attacked by Blackfeet. Colter was
among the few who escaped.
Pierre Menard wrote a four-page letter
to his brother-in-law, Pierre Chouteau, and
Colter started with it for St. Louis. With
a companion, "Mr. William Bryant/1 he
made the three- thousand-mile journey by
canoe in thirty days. Upon his arrival at
St. Louis, he reported to his old comman-
der, William Clark; told him the story of
his journeys, discoveries, and adventures,
and gave him much material for his forth-
coming map of the Lewis and Clark expedi-
21
Sour Rational $***£
tion. Clark traced on the map the route of
Colter's Yellowstone Park journey and gave
it the legend " Colter's Route of 1807."
There is nothing incredible about any of
Colter's stories. His accounts of the Yel-
lowstone region appear to have been re-
markably true to fact. His escape from
the Indians, and his various journeys, are
experiences within the range of human
achievement. His hiding in a beaver house
is easily possible. His race and his naked
journey across the mountains show the
courage and hardihood of the frontiersman
of the day. I have been over the place
where he ran for his life from the Blackfeet
and have followed his trail across the moun-
tains.
Henry M. Brackenridge, the author of
"Views of Louisiana, together with Jour-
nal," secured Colter's story at first hand,
and he does it justice. John Bradbury, au-
thor of "Travels into the Interior of North
America," did much important work in the
Mississippi and Missouri Valleys in the
22
Seltotogtone Rational $arft
years 1809-11. He also got Colter's story
from Colter himself, and gives a careful
account of the race for life with the Black-
feet. The account given by General Thomas
James, in "Three Years among the In-
dians and Mexicans/' is a third first-hand
story of Colter's activities. Washington
Irving was too good a literary craftsman to
overlook Colter's story. In "Astoria" he
retells the escape from the Blackfeet. Gen-
eral Hiram M. Chittenden gives full ap-
preciation to Colter in his "History of the
Early Western Fur Trade" and "The Yel-
lowstone National Park," both standard
works.
Nevertheless, St. Louis did not believe
Colter. He told his travels, discoveries, and
adventures, and the people laughed in de-
rision. For two generations St. Louis mock-
ingly referred to the Yellowstone wonder-
land as "Colter's Hell."
Colter married and went to live near
Daniel Boone at La Charette. He declined
to join the Astoria expedition, and this is
23
Hour |j>ational $arfc£
the last heard of him. He may have died
shortly afterwards; or it is possible that,
because of unjust public opinion, he may
have moved into seclusion. At any rate,
the later years and the burial-place of the
first discoverer of the Yellowstone Na-
tional Park are unknown.
Colter's story is a wilderness story of
supreme character. It is full of the vigor
and independence of outdoors. Colter is an
heroic and picturesque figure in national
history. I wish every boy and girl in the
land could read his adventures.
The second discovery of the Yellowstone
site was also made by a trapper. James
Bridger, of Fort Bridger fame, was there in
1830, but his description of its wonders was
laughed at as "just another of old Jim
Bridger 's good yarns." Between 1830 and
1843 the region was visited by many trap-
pers and traders, and its wonders were com-
mon knowledge to the plainsmen of the
Missouri Valley. Some accounts got into
print. Nevertheless, the Yellowstone was
24
Cfjc idlatostonc Rational parft
no more real to the American of that gen-
eration than was "Colter's Hell" to the
generation before.
Trapping began to fall off. The Mexican
War and the California gold excitement led
public attention away from the Yellow-
stone country, and by the beginning of the
Civil War it was as completely forgotten
as if it had never been known.
It was the prospector who gave the Yel-
lowstone tract to the world for the third
time. By 1865, reports of its wonders had
been spread far and wide by prospectors
attracted to the region by the Montana
gold excitement. At last Montana became
mildly curious over these reports. In 1869,
David E. Folsom, C. W. Cook, and Wil-
liam Peterson visited the region. They
told enough to bring about the organiza-
tion of a large semi-official expedition.
This Yellowstone expedition (1870) is
known as the " Washburn-Doane Expedi-
tion," and from it dates the latter-day his-
tory of the Park. Lieutenant Gustavus C.
25
If our Rational
Doane, Second Cavalry, U.S.A., with a ser-
geant and four privates was detailed from
Fort Ellis to escort the expedition. Among
its nine civilians were General Henry D.
Washburn, Surveyor-General of Montana;
Nathaniel P. Langford, author of "Vigi-
lante Days and Ways" and first superin-
tendent of the Park; Cornelius Hedges, who
first proposed setting apart the region as a
National Park; and Samuel T. Hauser,
president of the First National Bank of
Helena, and later Governor of Montana.
So skeptical was this party that when
the steam of Old Faithful was first seen
through the woods it was believed to be a
forest fire.
Mr. Hedges subsequently said, " I think
a more confirmed set of skeptics never
went out into the wilderness than those
who composed our party, and never was a
party more completely surprised and cap-
tivated with the wonders of nature."
Through the press and lecture-platform,
the Washburn-Doane expedition spread
26
Rational $arft
the knowledge of its discoveries broadcast
over the country. The direct result of its
work was that the United States Govern-
ment sent an official expedition to the Park
the next year. This was a joint expedition
made up from the Engineering Corps of
the Army and from the United States
Geological Survey of the Territories. The
official United States Government expedi-
tion of 1871 officially put it on the map,
with official scientific notes and photo-
graphs. Thus the sixth discovery of this
wondrous region, after two generations of
unbelief, convinced the people that it ex-
isted!
During these two generations the unex-
plored wilderness of the Louisiana Pur-
chase had been formed into seven new
States of the Union, containing more than
five million people. And "Colter's Hell,"
when its existence had been finally and offi-
cially established, was within two hun-
dred and fifty miles of a transcontinental
railroad.
27
Hour
3. THE GEYSERS, LAKES, AND STREAMS
Water in numberless pleasing forms is
one of the attractive features of the Yel-
lowstone Park. There are snowy water-
falls that leap in glory. There are geysers
— transient, towering, fluted — with white
columns draped with steam. Both the
geysers and the waterfalls bring the rain-
bow to them ; or, the prismatic springs go to
the rainbow for their colors. The cascades
have all the excitement of ocean breakers.
The lakes mirror the clouds, and their
placid bosoms reflect the stars that are "in
the quiet skies." There are streams that
wind and linger, and brooks that go on for-
ever. There are hot springs and cold, large
springs and small, each with its own at-
tractive setting. Many burst through the
roofs of caves; others gush from grottoes;
still others pour forth from mounds and
columns.
The quiescent springs and prismatic
pools have a delicate, exquisite, gemlike
28
beauty unlike anything else in the world of
nature or of art. The waters are soft blue.
Changing lights tinge the water with iri-
descence; touch its surface with soft lumi-
nosity; give to moulded and sculptured
basins a refinement of coloring that tran-
scends belief.
Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden gives this
glowing description : —
The wonderful transparency of the water
surpasses anything of the kind I have ever
seen in any other portion of the world. The
sky, with the smallest cloud that flits across
it, is reflected in its clear depths, and the ultra-
marine colors, more vivid than the sea, are
greatly heightened by constant, gentle vibra-
tions. One can look down into the clear depths
and see with perfect distinctness the minutest
ornament on the inner sides of the basin ; and
the exquisite beauty of the coloring and the
variety of forms baffle any attempt to portray
them either with pen or pencil.
These waters repose in basins that have
in miniature all the beauty of the Mam-
moth Cave. The basins and their rims are
formed of minerals — mostly of silica —
29
Hour Rational $arfc£
deposited by the water. The rims are fit-
tingly beautiful; the lines of internal con-
struction are harmonious. Many springs
have built up their basins with precipi-
tated minerals until they rest on mounds.
All these are picturesque, and some are
beautiful.
Morning-Glory Spring is like a gigantic
morning-glory set in the earth. The Fire-
hole, with a black fissured bottom, has at
times flamelike colors which create such an
illusion that the fiery interior of the earth
appears to be on exhibition.
Prismatic Lake, a spring large enough to
be called at least a lakelet or pond, is a com-
bination of the artistic and the spectacular.
It has built up for itself a rounded mound,
and down the gently curving slopes flow
its waters in thousands of interlacing rivu-
lets. Over the pool hangs a cloud of steam,
often tinted red by reflection from the
waters below.
At Mammoth Hot Springs, close to Fort
Yellowstone, the water bursts from the
30
Cfje ScHotD0tonc Rational park
mountain-side with an enormous mineral-
ized flow. Here lime in solution is quickly
precipitated, forming basins and terraces
and slopes of exquisite design, the whole
adorned with intricate and fantastic fret-
work of pink, brown, yellow, and white.
While the deposits here are chiefly lime
or travertine, those of the geysers and of
the other hot springs are silica. The two
kinds of deposits differ greatly. The Mam-
moth Hot Springs' deposits are soft and
frequently change their form. The silica de-
posits of the geysers are hard as flint. With-
out this hardness, the geyser action would
be impossible, as the lime and travertine
formations would not withstand the ex-
plosive violence. A curious fact in this con-
nection is that the color in and around the
geysers and hot springs is in part due to
the presence of algae, a minute vegetable
growth.
The geyser is one of Nature's strangest
freaks. These in the Yellowstone Park are
the largest, most spectacular, and most
Hour Rational $arfe£
artistic in the world. The geyser may be
described either as a large intermittent hot-
water fountain or as a small water-and-
steam volcano. There are scores of these
eruptive springs in the Yellowstone, and
their irregularities form part of their fas-
cination. The place and method of apply-
ing the heat, the diameter and shape of the
tube, and the point of inflow and the quan-
tity of the water are all matters affecting
their activities. Apparently they, as well
as the springs in general, have no under-
ground interconnection, since the play of
one geyser has no effect upon others close
by.
The eruptions are irregular as to inter-
vals. Black Warrior and Hurricane do a
continuous performance. Constant pauses
from twenty to fifty-five seconds between
gushes. Grand is active at intervals of
from one to four days, and Turban plays
intermittently for twenty-four hours fol-
lowing Grand. Giantess rests from five to
forty days at a time. Lioness played once
32
€f)c $elloto£tonc Rational $ark
in each of the years 1910, 1912, and 1914.
Splendid, which formerly threw a ten-min-
ute gush to a height of two hundred feet,
has not played since 1892.
There is equal variation in the duration of
the gush. The Minute Man's activity lasts
but from fifteen to thirty seconds. Giant
stops work promptly at the end of an hour.
Giantess, after her long rest, plays from
twelve to thirty-six hours.
The quantity of water erupted varies from
a few gallons in the small geysers to thou-
sands of barrels in the large ones. The water
is generally thrown vertically, though some
of the tubes lie at an angle. The Fan, as its
name suggests, throws its water in a fan-
like shape.
Geysers vary in the height of their gush
as in everything else, and the gush of each
is seldom twice the same. Jewel varies from
five feet to twenty, and Great Fountain
from seventy-five to one hundred and fifty
feet.
The highest stream is thrown by Giant,
33
gout Rational $arftg
which has a minimum of two hundred and
a maximum of two hundred and fifty feet.
Excelsior, which sometimes threw its water
three hundred feet into the air, has not
played since 1888.
This geyser action is novel, picturesque,
and weird. It appeals to the imagination.
It goes on day and night, summer and win-
ter, throughout the years. While many of
the geysers are comparatively new, others
are centuries old. Some may have been
playing since prehistoric times.
Old Faithful, in the Upper Geyser Basin,
is in most respects the most wonderful gey-
ser in the Park. Its action is almost uni-
form ; its usual interval is seventy minutes.
It plays for four minutes and sends its
water up from sixty to one hundred and
twenty feet. It gives ample warning before
each play and gets into action by sending
its water higher and higher with graceful
ease.
But in some particulars Great Fountain,
in the Lower Geyser Basin, may be put at
34
OLD FAITHFUL GEYSER
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
|JationaI |parh
the head of the geyser list. Its waters issue
from a vast low mound, and the basin has
attractive ornamentation. It spouts an
enormous volume of water, sometimes to a
height of one hundred and fifty feet, and
plays from forty-five to sixty minutes, at
intervals of eight to eleven hours.
Castle Geyser, in the Upper Geyser
Basin, throws only a moderate gush about
seventy-five feet in height, but it has built
up a most imposing crater. It is quiet for
from four to seven days; it then plays three
or four times at half-hour intervals.
Other geysers that the visitor may well
see are Grand and Beehive, both in the
Upper Geyser Basin. Grand plays for
about an hour at intervals of from one to
four days and throws a column of steaming
water smoothly to a height of two hundred
feet. Of all the geysers, Beehive perhaps
approaches nearest to artistic perfection.
From a small, beehive-like mount it sends
up a slender column of water vertically and
symmetrically two hundred feet.
35
four Rational $arft£
Yellowstone Lake lies at an altitude of
7741 feet above sea-level. Its area is about
one hundred and thirty-nine square miles,
and its irregular shore-line has a length of
one hundred miles. In places the lake is
three hundred feet deep. There are thirty-
six other lakes, of which Shoshone, Heart,
and Lewis are the largest. Each has its
own peculiar and delightful wilderness
boundary and beauty.
There is a close network of streams, of
which one hundred and sixty-five have
names. Among the more important are
Yellowstone, Lamar, Snake, Gardiner, and
Firehole Rivers. There are numerous water-
falls and cascades. The extensive water-
flow abundantly supplies the headwaters
of the Missouri, Yellowstone, and Snake
Rivers. In Two Ocean Pass, among other
places, is a lakelet upon the very summit
of the Continental Divide whose waters
flow to both the Atlantic and the Pacific.
The altitude here is 8150 feet, and the
lakelet completes a continuous waterway
36
CJjc idlototftonc Rational $arft
of nearly six thousand miles from coast to
coast.
A map that I carried showed Two Ocean
Pond on the Continental Divide to the
west of the Thumb. There is a Two Ocean
Pond on the Divide at that place as well
as one to the south of the lake. But my
map did not show that the Divide was
horseshoe-shaped, and it located the pond
on the wrong arm of this horseshoe. Con-
sequently I had a long search before I
found the pond, and much confusion with
the topography and watersheds after I had
discovered it.
One day in 1891 I had the good fortune
to come upon General Hiram M. Chitten-
den. He was directing the cutting of trees
at a place that has since become famous
as Lake View, from which, perhaps, the
best view of Yellowstone Lake is to be had.
General Chittenden spent many years in
the Park and developed its existing scenic
road system. He was the first to propose
that the excess of elk and other game in
37
iour Rational $arftg
this and other parks be distributed over
the country at cost.
What is the greatest feature in this won-
derland whose history began at a camp-
fire? The Lower Falls thrilled me more
than any other waterfall I ever have seen.
The Yellowstone Canon may be called the
greatest attraction in this Park. But to
me the supreme attraction is the petrified
forests.
4. AGES OF FIRE AND ICE
The Yellowstone plateau is a vast lava-
deposit. Its material is mostly volcanic,
but its landscape — its architecture — is
largely glacial. In ages remote, this realm
became the scene of volcanic activity. In-
termittent outpourings went on through
long periods of time. Volcanoes in and
near the Park threw forth quantities of
ashes, lava, and cinders, which built up a
plateau region three or four thousand feet
thick. Rhyolite and other forms of lava
38
€fjc JJcllotos'tonc Rational path
were last spread over the region. This
volcanic activity appears to have ended
before the last ice age. No eruption has
occurred for centuries. The ice age wrought
vast changes in the volcanic landscape. The
ice smoothed wide areas, shaped canons,
and rounded mountain-sides, produced and
spread soil, and gave the entire region the
flowing, attractive lines of glacial landscape.
On the rim of the Yellowstone Canon,
about three miles below the falls, an
enormous glaciated granite boulder re-
poses upon lava — rhyolite. It measures
about twenty-four by twenty by eighteen
feet. It was transported to this resting-
place from mountains more than thirty
miles away. Here we have a stone founda-
tion laid by volcanic fire, and upon it a
stone, shaped, transported, and placed by
glacial ice.
There are about three thousand geysers,
hot springs, and mud-and-water springs
in the Park; and as many other vents of
steam, acid, and gas. That the geysers
39
If our Rational $arh£
have been active in this region for thou-
sands of years is shown in the deep deposits
of silica and travertine that overspread
extensive area. During the ice age many
of these deposits were eroded and others
were piled with boulders. It is plain that
steam and hot water had been at work
long before the last ice age came. During
the ice period, a wild conflict probably
took place between the deep outspread ice
and the insistent eruptions of steam and
hot water.
The surface of Yellowstone Lake once
stood about one hundred and eighty feet
higher than it is at present. Its outlet was
then through the Snake River to the Pa-
cific Ocean. The Continental Divide then
passed over the summit of Mount Wash-
burn. Unwritten as yet is the splendid
geological story of this change, which may
have been caused by earthquake upheaval
or by subsidence. It appears to have oc-
curred about the close of the last glacial
epoch. Possibly ice dammed the narrow
40
gefifoto£tone Rational path
gorge of Outlet Creek, through which the
waters of the lake formerly flowed to the
Snake River. Whatever the cause, its out-
let waters changed and eroded the now fa-
mous and splendidly colored canon of the
Yellowstone.
This is the most celebrated canon in
the Park, and its colors make it one of
the most gorgeously startling in the world.
At bright noonday, it is adorned with all
the hues of the sunset sky. Its precipitous
walls are comparatively free from vegeta-
tion and are broken with pinnacles and
jagged ridges. About fifteen hundred feet
below the edge, the rushing waters of the
Yellowstone River take on various shades
of blue and green between accumulations
of gray foam.
Into the upper end of this can'on the
river, about seventy feet wide, makes a
sheer leap of three hundred and ten feet.
From the near-by rim, this wonderful
waterfall appears like an enormous, fluffy,
endless pouring of whitest snowflakes.
tf our Rational $arft£
The magnificence and wildness of its set-
ting combine to make it one of the most
imposing waterfalls in the world.
The paint-pots are the curiosities of the
Park. They are craters, or irregular-
shaped ponds, in the earth, filled with
brightly colored mud, thick and hot, of
fine texture, and in appearance resem-
bling kalsomine or paint freshly mixed
and colored. The mud in many pots is
red or pink; that in others is lavender,
blue, orange, or yellow. Occasionally a
rugged vat of this mud is found boiling
away — very suggestive of slaking lime.
In other cases, plastic mud throbs and
undulates as steam- jets now and then
escape through it. Here and there this
bright steamy mud opens like a full-blown
lily. The paint-pots near the Fountain
Geyser, those east of the road in Gibbon
Meadows, and those close to the lake at
the Thumb are the more attractive.
John Muir, in "Our National Parks,"
says of the Yellowstone: —
42
Cfjc f elfotogtone Rational park
Beside the treasures common to most moun-
tain regions that are wild and blessed with a
kind climate, the Park is full of exciting won-
ders. The wildest geysers in the world, in
bright, triumphant bands, are dancing and
singing in it amid thousands of boiling springs,
beautiful and awful, their basins arrayed in
gorgeous colors like gigantic flowers; and hot
paint-pots, mud springs, mud volcanoes,
mush and broth caldrons whose contents are
of every color and consistency, plash and
heave and roar in bewildering abundance. In
the adjacent mountains, beneath the living
trees the edges of petrified forests are exposed
to view, like specimens on the shelves of a
museum, standing on ledges tier above tier
where they grew, solemnly silent in rigid
crystalline beauty after swaying in the winds
thousands of centuries ago, opening marvelous
views back into the years and climates and life
of the past. Here, too, are hills of sparkling
crystals, hills of sulphur, hills of glass, hills of
cinders and ashes, mountains of every style
of architecture, icy or forested, mountains
covered with honey-bloom sweet as Hymet-
tus, mountains boiled soft like potatoes and
colored like a sunset sky.
I had lively scrambles and saw much
petrified wood in the rough mountainous
43
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country at the northwest corner of the
Park. But the roughest and most scenic
section visited was around Sylvan Pass.
This rugged, narrow pass cuts through
high, crowding mountains. To the north,
Hoyt Mountain and Avalanche Peak rise
precipitously; to the south, Grizzly and
Top Notch Peaks. Sylvan Lake, whose
peculiar wild beauty is unexcelled, is near
this pass. The tree-sprinkled, grassy sec-
tion near the Lamar River, in the north-
east corner of the Park, was the most
charming and parklike section visited.
The Grand Teton, a peak of towering,
bold individuality, looms imposingly as
seen from various points in the Park. Its
appearance across Yellowstone Lake, from
a point near the outlet, is magnificent.
Another excellent view of it is obtained
from the stage-road midway between Up-
per Geyser Basin and the Thumb.
The Grand Teton territory might well
be added to the Park; likewise a stretch
of the rugged, mountainous territory ly-
44
€1)0 ScllatDstonc Rational $arh
ing along the southeast corner, and the
mountainous tract immediately west and
north of the northwest corner of the Park.
All these belong to reserved government
lands, and could without difficulty be ad-
ministered as a part of this wonderland.
5. THE PETRIFIED FORESTS
Volcanic outpourings have ended the
life of many extensive Yellowstone forests.
In Amethyst Mountain are twelve forests,
one above the other, buried at different
periods by volcanic eruptions. On top of
this mountain the pines and spruces are
merrily growing, unmindful of the buried
past — of the tragic tree history beneath.
Nature forgets. Ages ago, the lowest of
these entombed forests grew on the moun-
tain plateau in the sunlight. But a flow
of volcanic mud and heavy showers of
ashes overwhelmed and buried it, with the
trees standing erect.
This volcanic material added a layer
to the plateau. In the new surface above
45
Hour Rational parft$
the buried and forgotten forest, another
tree growth flourished and towered. But
the volcanoes only slept. Again their fire
and ashes filled the sky, and again the
forest Was overwhelmed. Thus through
the ages — through "a million years and
a day" — each time the volcanoes slept
the pines peeped up, and again their shad-
ows fell upon the desolate lava landscape.
At lasjt, twelve or more forests were
buried, each as it had stood upon the
mountain, and in a layer by itself. The
material in these numerous fateful vol-
canic outpourings raised the summit two
thousand feet.
It may be that the topmost of these
petrified forests was overwhelmed by the
Ice King, but a volcano entombed the
others. All were petrified, fossilized, or
opalized. During the ages that went by,
the Lamar River and other factors eroded
a wide valley and excavated the edges of
these forest ruins.
This reveals one of the most appealing
46
PETRIFIED FORESTS IN AMETHYST MOUNTAIN
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
€f>e genotogtone Rational $arft
geological stories ever uncovered — twelve
illustrated but unwritten chapters of world-
building.
The strata of these twelve forests, story
above story, show their edges in the pre-
cipitous northern face of Amethyst Moun-
tain. Thousands of logs and stumps still
partly buried jut and bristle.
Apparently there is an enormous area of
these buried fossil forests in the northeast
part of the Park, and perhaps numerous
areas elsewhere in the region. They are also
known to exist near the northwest bound-
ary of the Park.
Mineralized water circulated through and
gradually fossilized the buried trees, chang-
ing many to opal. In due time the mud
and ashes that buried these trees also turned
to stone. Limbs and tops of trees were
broken off by the ashes, cinders, and mud
that buried each forest. Many tree-trunks
were overthrown, but great numbers were
entombed as they stood. They are from
one to ten feet in diameter, and some were
47
gout Rational $arft£
of great height. Many of the remaining
stumps project forty feet.
Much of the opalized wood is very beau-
tiful. The change brightened and inten-
sified the former texture of the wood. In
most of these stone trees and logs the annual
rings show clearly. They distinctly reveal
the age of the tree and its rapidity of growth.
In many cases the species is readily deter-
mined. Strange stories are told by the fallen
logs, in many of which old worm-holes
show. The half-decayed logs were preserved
in their original form, and in the process of
fossilization their hollow interiors were
filled with beautiful rosettes and crys-
tals.
Each of the buried forests contained
some trees of different species from those
in the forest just beneath it. Altogether,
more than eighty kinds have been recog-
nized. Many of these would grow only in
a mild or subtropical clime, so the former
climate of this region must have been
warmer than at present. Among the trees
€fyt ScHotD0tonc Rational $arfc
were redwood, cottonwood, walnut, pine,
oak, sycamore, fig, magnolia, and dog-
wood.
Ancient Troy was nine ruined cities
deep. But here in a national playground
of our own country are twelve tree cities
in ruins, one above another, and topped
with a city of living trees. Like the exca-
vated ruins of Pompeii, these ruined forests
set one's mind to exploring the 'realm of
imagination. Here in a subtropical clime,
possibly a million years ago, was a luxuri-
ant forest. Beneath was a crowded under-
growth of plants, of shrubbery and waving
ferns. Gay butterflies may have flitted
here in the golden sunshine. Trees enjoyed
the storms and lifted their heads serenely
into the light. Then came the tragic end.
Twelve times or more was this impressive
drama reenacted.
Trees, like men, often rear their struc-
tures upon the ruins of those that have
gone before. This is an old, old world. In
the words of Omar, —
49
Hour
"When You and I behind the Veil are past,
Oh, but the long, long while the World shall
last."
Is the volcanic curtain once more to fall
upon the forests of this magic scene?
In "Our National Parks" John Muir
comments eloquently upon the fossil forests
and the telling background of most Yel-
lowstone landscapes. He says: —
Yonder is Amethyst Mountain, and other
mountains hardly less rich in old forests, which
now seem to spring up again in their glory;
and you see the storms that buried them —
the ashes and torrents laden with boulders and
mud, the centuries of sunshine, and the dark,
lurid nights. You see again the vast floods of
lava, red-hot and white-hot, pouring out from
gigantic geysers, usurping the basins of lakes
and streams, absorbing or driving away their
hissing, screaming waters, flowing around hills
and ridges, submerging every subordinate
feature. Then you see the snow and glaciers
taking possession of the land, making new
landscapes. How admirable it is that, after
passing through so many vicissitudes of frost
and fire and flood, the physiognomy and even
the complexion of the landscape should still
be so divinely fine!
SO
€fje geitohtftone Rational $arfc
6. AREA; TREES, FLOWERS, AND ANIMALS
The Yellowstone Park is about equal in
area to Delaware and Rhode Island com-
bined. It has 3300 square miles. The aver-
age altitude is 7500 feet, while numerous
peaks rise from 1000 to 3000 feet higher.
Forests cover 85 per cent of the area.
The largest parklike grassy space in this
forested realm lies to the northeast of
Mount Washburn, along the valleys of the
Yellowstone and Lamar Rivers. This open
space is about twenty-five miles long and
from five to ten miles wide. The second
largest area of grassy country, Hayden
Valley, lies several miles to the north of
Yellowstone Lake. Among other open
spaces are Swan Lake Flat, Gibbon Mea-
dows, Pelican Valley, and the small ragged
areas around the Firehole Geyser Basin and
Shoshone and Lewis Lakes.
Among the trees are the quaking aspen,
Douglas spruce, Engelmann spruce, and
subalpine fir. The overwhelming propor-
Sour Rational parhtf
tion of these forests, however, consists of
that interesting tree, the lodge-pole pine.
It bears seed every year, beginning while
young and small. It hoards its seeds by
keeping its tightly closed cones. When fire
sweeps through a forest of lodge-pole pine,
it kills the trees and melts the sealing-wax
of the cones, releasing the seeds. These
seeds fall upon shadeless, ash-covered
ground, under conditions most favorable to
their germination and growth. The lodge-
pole pine is Nature's selected agent for
reforestation.
The Yellowstone is a wild-flower garden.
Wander where you will, you have the ever-
new charm, the finishing touch, the ever-
refreshing radiance of the wild flowers.
Many are brilliantly colored. There are
species of gentians, lupines, and pyrolas.
The columbine is there in all its graceful
beauty. The wild rose abounds. The In-
dian paintbrush perhaps is most abundant.
The pentstemon is common. There are two
species of orchids.
52
€f)e f elfotogtottc Rational $ar&
The Yellowstone is the greatest elk-range
in the world. It has a numerous grizzly-
bear population. In fact the park has so
large and varied a population of birds and
wild animals that in most respects it is the
greatest wild-life preserve in the world.
7. ENTRANCES
To the Yellowstone wonderland there
are four entrances. The Northern Pacific
touches the northern entrance at Gardiner,
Montana. This route is through the Gard-
iner Canon to the Mammoth Hot Springs
at Fort Yellowstone.
The western entrance is from the Union
Pacific at Yellowstone. This route takes
the visitor directly to the central geyser
basin of the Park.
The eastern entrance is from the Burling-
ton at Cody, the road passing the Shoshone
Dam, crossing the Absaroka Range at
Sylvan Pass, and making connection with
the Park routes at the Lake Hotel.
The southern entrance is from the Jack-
53
gout |i5aticnal $atk$
son Lake and Teton Mountain region and
makes connecton with the Park routes at
the Thumb.
The present Park road-system, though
incomplete, touches most of the Yellow-
stone's greater and more lovely attractions.
This system will be extended from time
to time on a comprehensive plan. Supple-
menting these roads is a system of trails,
which needs to be greatly extended, es-
pecially in the more mountainous parts of
the Park.
The Yellowstone is at present the largest
of our sixteen National Parks, and as the
oldest of our scenic parks, it is entitled to
head the imposing list. As a natural won-
derland of varied attractions there is noth-
ing like it in the whole world.
8. ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY
The early administrative history of the
Yellowstone National Park, and that of the
celebrated Yosemite State Park of Cali-
fornia, are records that no real American
54
Cfjc ScIlotoStonc Rational $arft
will ever read without a sense of shame.
Both these splendid regions were long neg-
lected by the public and by legislators. In
those days scenery had no standing and
few friends. It was treated as an outcast.
The act of dedication for the Yellowstone
National Park made it a reservation "for
the benefit and enjoyment of the people/'
The aim was to preserve its natural curiosi-
ties, its forests, and its game, and to make
such development of the Park that the peo-
ple might conveniently and freely see and
enjoy it. For several years Congress failed
to provide adequate appropriations either
for the development of the Park or for its
protection. It was given over to the ad-
ministration of the Secretary of the In-
terior. Unfortunately, the act that created
the Park contained no code of laws, did not
define offenses, made no provision for the
handling of legal cases or for the punishment
of offenders. It failed to provide even the
legal machinery necessary to enforce the
regulations written by the Secretary of the
55
Interior. The history of the Yellowstone
for twenty-two years after its creation is,
as Helen Hunt said of our treatment of the
Indian, a tale of dishonor.
The first Superintendent of the Park was
Nathaniel P. Langford, who had rendered
distinctive services in having it created.
With his hands tied he endured the posi-
tion for five years, and did heroic work in
trying to suppress license, start develop-
ment, and lay a broad foundation for the
future welfare of the enterprise. The in-
terests fought him, and the public con-
demned him for inefficiency for which the
public itself, and not he, was to blame.
Hunters invaded the Park and slaught-
ered game. One company almost secured
leaseholds on extensive land-areas which
would have given them a dangerous monop-
oly of all the leading attractions. A water-
power company almost obtained title to
Yellowstone Falls. Many attempts were
made to run a railroad through the Park.
A few people, at enormous sacrifice and
56
€lje geltotogtone Rational path
through heroic and efficient efforts, saved
it in its primitive naturalness. Among
those who splendidly helped was George
Bird Grinnell. At last Congress became in-
terested, and in 1883-84 helpful legislation
was passed.
On August 20, 1886, came a change for
the better. The Secretary of the Interior
availed himself of legislation that Congress
had recently passed and called upon the
War Department for assistance. Captain
Moses Harris, with the title of Acting Super-
intendent, became the first military com-
mander of the Park. Reforms were in-
augurated, and development was begun.
This military control has continued for
twenty years, and for the most part the
results have been satisfactory. General
Chittenden, of the Engineer Corps of the
Army, developed the present road-system.
The character of the various military super-
intendents of the Park has been good, and
the achievements of these men have won
the praise even of those who are against the
57
If our Rational parh£
use of soldiers or military regulations in the
Park government. I am particularly im-
pressed with the work of the last com-
mander, Colonel L. M. Brett. The honor,
ability, and peculiar characteristics of these
military commanders have enabled them
to do excellent work. On October I, 1916,
all troops were withdrawn from the Park
and a force of civilian rangers was organ-
ized.
9. LOST IN THE WILDERNESS
The Washburn-Doane Expedition of
1870, which proved a large factor in the
creation of the Yellowstone National Park,
was marked' by one of the most extraor-
dinary incidents in the annals of the Ameri-
can frontier.
Truman C. Everts, a former United
States Assessor for Montana, was a mem-
ber of the party. On September 9, he be-
came separated from it and for thirty-seven
days wandered in the Yellowstone wilder-
ness.
58
grilotogtonc Rational path
Everts was wholly unfit to take care of
himself in the wilderness. He was a city
man, without experience in the wilds,
timid, unresourceful, and very near-sighted.
The first day he lost his glasses. The sec-
ond day, while he was dismounted, his
horse took fright and ran away with his
traveling equipment. He tried for hours to
capture the horse, but failed. Everts was
left alone on foot in the rough country
south of Yellowstone Lake, without food,
gun, axe, blankets, or matches.
He went back to where he had fastened
notes upon trees; but these had not been
seen by his companions. By this time it was
mid-afternoon. Toward evening he realized
that he was completely lost.
Without food, fire, or shelter, he passed
the night in the depths of a forest. There
was a hard frost. Coyotes howled, and
lions cried. His overwrought imagination
conjured up endless terrors and dangers
from the strange and ever-changing sounds
of the wilderness.
59
gout Rational $arft$
On the third day out, Everts started off
to follow, as he supposed, the direction
taken by his companions, but took the op-
posite direction. He passed near numbers
of animals. Finally he came to a small lake
around which were many hot springs. In
the water were many wild-fowl. He was
starving, but had nothing with which to
kill game. Fearful as he was of Indians,
hunger led him to hope that he might meet
them.
The loss of his eyeglasses was calamitous.
Out in the lake he saw what he took for a
boat coming to land, and he joyfully has-
tened to the shore to meet it. But when his
"boat" took wings and transformed itself
into a huge pelican, he was unnerved and
almost lost hope.
At this lake he fortunately discovered a
species of thistle with large edible roots,
and these formed his principal sustenance
for weeks. He took up the uncertain fight
for primitive necessities. At the lake he
became afraid, imagining that a mountain
60
grifotos'tonc Rational park
lion was near. He climbed into a tree and
remained there most of the night. When at
last he descended, half frozen, a heavy
September snowstorm was coming on.
To avoid freezing to death, he built a
rude shelter of boughs over one of the hot
springs. In the boiling water he cooked
his thistle-roots. For several days he re-
mained in this shelter; then, realizing that
if he stayed longer he might perish in an-
other storm, he traveled on.
Day after day, Everts hoped that his
companions would find him. During two
weeks they searched diligently, leaving
small deposits of food at places where they
thought he might pass. They fired guns,
put up signs, and lighted fires on the
heights; but the rough, wooded nature of
the country, and Everts's near-sightedness,
made these efforts unavailing. Reluctantly
his friends gave up the search and went on;
but when they reached a settlement they
sent back a rescue party.
Necessity stimulates thought. The only
61
Hour Rational $arft£
thing remaining in Everts's pockets was
a little field-glass. Remembering that a
lens would concentrate the sun's rays, he
concluded that with his glass he might
start a fire, and in this he succeeded.
Onward he traveled. If a day came with
the sky overcast, he had to camp at night
without a fire. To relieve the discomfort of
this, for several days he carried a brand, but
this burned his hands and smoked his eyes
so severely, and so often went out, that at
last he abandoned it and depended entirely
upon the lens. One afternoon he stopped
with the intention of building a fire. But
the lens was missing. Almost exhausted,
he dragged himself back to his last camp,
and there, fortunately, the lens was found.
During a storm a benumbed bird fell
into his hands, and he devoured it raw.
In vain he tried to catch fish. As he stood
on the margin of Yellowstone Lake, a gull's
wing drifted ashore. This supplied his
only satisfying meal. It was instantly
stripped of its feathers, pounded between
62
gelloto#tonc Rational §Darfc
stones, and boiled in a tin can which Everts
had found. Hastily devouring the unsalted
soup, he lay down and slept for several
hours.
He had resolution and will-power, and
greatly needed them. His stomach re-
belled at thistle-roots. His mind wandered.
He lost track of time. But his determina-
tion drove him on, though he was growing
weaker each day. During the thirty-seven
days he had traveled in a northerly course
from south of Yellowstone Park to the sum-
mit of one of the bluffs, several miles to
the east of Mammoth Hot Springs. Here,
barely alive, he was rescued by two men
of the final searching party sent out by his
companions.
Everts not only recovered, but lived for
thirty-one years after his terrible experi-
ence, dying at the age of eighty-five. One
of the peaks in the Park, Mount Everts,
is named for him.
The adventures of Colter and Everts are
inspiring achievements. They give thrill-
63
Sour Rational parfc£
ing views of primitive life, and are strik-
ing instances of men, empty-handed, suc-
cessfully combating Nature. The stabil-
ity, the will-power, the insistent, tenacious
hopefulness of these men were extraor-
dinary. Courageously they met and mas-
tered the swiftly coming obstacles and
afflictions that fate thrust thick and fast
upon them. Their deeds are a part of our
helpful heritage in the Yellowstone won-
derland.
II
THE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
ON the western slope of the Sierra,
about one hundred and forty miles east
of San Francisco, lies the Yosemite Na-
tional Park, with an area of 1124 square
miles. It is slightly larger than Rhode
Island. Its lower sections on the west have
an altitude of about 3000 feet. From this
elevation it rises through bold terraces
into the High Sierra. Mount Lyell has
an altitude of 13,090 feet; Mount Dana,
13.050 feet. Gibbs Mountain and a num-
ber of other peaks have slightly lower al-
titudes. The elevational range, then, of
this one Park runs through 10,000 feet, or
nearly two vertical miles.
It is one of the scenic wonders of the
world. Within it are many attractions,
each great by itself, and all more impres-
sive in their splendid grouping.
65
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Its glacial landscapes are magnificent
and startling. Here the Ice King, the
great landscape engineer, did work im-
mensely bold and enchanting. An array of
stupendous rock sculpture remains almost
untarnished. Scores of lovely alpine lakes
in solid rock lie open to the sun. The wild-
flower population numbers more than a
thousand varieties. It has scores of varie-
ties of wild birds and many kinds of wild
life. World-famous are its waterfalls.
Two of the greatest of mountain rivers
rise in the Park and cross it from east to
west. Each of them falls several thousand
feet within the Park. Crossing centrally
through the northern section is the Tuo-
lumne. Passing miles of alpine rock and
meadow, it roars through the rugged Tuo-
lumne Canon, and when well across the
Park it sweeps through the majestic gorge
known as the Hetch-Hetchy Valley.
Paralleling this stream at the distance
of about ten miles is the intense Merced.
This and its tributaries are signally rich
66
By permission of the National Park Service, Department of the Intei
[RD'S-EYE VIEW OF YOSEMITE VALLEY LOOKING EASTWARD TO Tl
CREST OF THE SIERRA NEVADA
1. Clouds' Rest.
2. Half Dome.
3. Mount Watkms.
4. Basket Dome.
5. North Dome.
o. Washington Column.
7. Royal Arches.
8. Mirror Lake and mouth of Tenaya Canon.
9. Yosemite Village.
10. Head of Yosemite Falls.
11. Eagle Peak (the Three Brothers).
12. El Capitan.
13. Ribbon Falls.
Merced River.
El Capitan Bridge and Moraine.
Big Oak Flat Road.
Wawona Road.
Bridal Veil Falls.
Cathedral Rocks.
Cathedral Spires.
Sentinel Rock.
Glacier Point.
Sentinel Dome.
Liberty Cap.
Mount Broderick.
Little Yosemite Valley.
gogemite Rational $arfe
in lakes and waterfalls, and they flow
among stupendous and astounding glacial
landscapes. At last the Merced flows se-
renely through the world-famous valley,
the matchless Yosemite Gorge.
No name can suggest the amazing com-
binations of vastness and beauty seen in
this rocky passage; the name "valley" is
altogether lacking in significance. It may
be described as having gorge walls with
a valley floor. The walls have unshat-
tered solidity, great height, and almost
true verticalness. They bear the marks
of individuality, and the valley-like floor
shows original character.
The Yosemite Valley is obviously the
greatest, as it is the most celebrated, scene
in the Park. It is about seven miles long,
approximately one mile wide, and about
three fourths of a mile deep. The floor is
nearly level and lies at an altitude of four
thousand feet. It is well grassed, adorned
with trees and groves, and glorified from
end to end by the Merced River. The nearly
67
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vertical walls rise mainly in smooth, sub-
stantial masses from twenty-five hundred
to nearly five thousand feet. Waterfalls
from the heights above make the wild
plunge over the rim down to the floor of
the valley.
This gorge is countersunk into a plateau.
It extends from east to west. The western
and open end has an impressive entrance.
On the left, El Capitan raises his colossal
figure thirty-three hundred feet in smooth
and simple massiveness. On the right, over
the front face of the mountain wall op-
posite, flutter several hundred feet of
Bridal Veil Falls. Then in order, on the
right south wall, Cathedral Spires rise high
above the valley; then Sentinel Rock; then
stupendous Glacier Point. Farther east on
the south wall, Half Dome stands up forty-
five hundred feet, the most impressive fig-
ure on the valley rim. Farther along, on the
right or south side of the valley, is the cele-
brated Clouds' Rest. On the left or north
wall stand the Three Brothers. By these
68
€ije f ogemitc Rational $ar&
the snowy stream of the Yosemite Water-
fall comes down. About halfway up the
valley on the left are the Washington Col-
umn and the Royal Arches. Then, along
the left or north wall in succession, rise
North Dome, Basket Dome, and Mount
Watkins. The upper part of the valley
divides into three depressions or gorges.
The north one is Tenaya Canon, the cen-
tral one is Little Yosemite Valley, and from
this branches the southerly one, Illilouette
Canon. Each of these canons is a wonder
by itself.
Following is one of the most descriptive
and eloquent tributes ever paid to this un-
rivaled array of stupendous nature stat-
uary:—
Every rock in its walls seems to glow with
life. Some lean back in majestic repose;
others, absolutely sheer or nearly so for thou-
sands of feet, advance beyond their compan-
ions in thoughtful attitudes, giving welcome to
storms and calms alike, seemingly aware, yet
heedless, of everything going on about them.
Awful in stern, immovable majesty, how softly
69
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these rocks are adorned, and how fine and re-
assuring the company they keep: their feet
among beautiful groves and meadows, their
brows in the sky, a thousand flowers leaning
confidingly against their feet, bathed in floods
of water, floods of light, while the snow and
waterfalls, the winds and avalanches and
clouds shine and sing and wreathe about them
as the years go by, and myriads of small
winged creatures — birds, bees, butterflies —
give glad animation and help to make all the
air into music. Down through the middle of
the valley flows the crystal Merced, River of
Mercy, peacefully quiet, reflecting lilies and
trees and the onlooking rocks ; things frail and
fleeting and types of endurance meeting here
and blending in countless forms, as if into this
one mountain mansion Nature had gathered
her choicest treasures, to draw her lovers into
close and confiding communion with her.
(John Muir, in "The Yosemite.")
I. ICE-KING TOPOGRAPHY
The splendid scenic endowment of the
Yosemite Valley, its stupendous architec-
ture and vast sculpturing, its natural land-
scape engineering, are largely triumphs of
the ice age. Many theories have been ad-
70
HALF DOME, YOSEMITE
goj&emitc |}ational park
vanced to account for the origin and the
extraordinary features of this valley, es-
pecial prominence being given to subsid-
ence, uplift, explosion, with earthquake
modifications and influences of violent cat-
aclysmic nature. Stream erosion has been
strongly urged. All these theories attribute
minor influences to one or more other
factors.
The theory now generally accepted gives
ice the leading part in the scooping of the
valley and the creation of its wondrous
forms. There is much evidence to support
this conclusion. The ice theory is cham-
pioned by John Muir, by Clarence King,
and by F. E. Matthes. Matthes and Muir
probably have made the most careful and
exhaustive studies of the geological history
of the valley.
This famous depression is of varying
width. Examination of its walls shows that
in the wider places it is composed of fissured
rock that was more readily carried away by
the ice than the adjoining unfissured rock-
flour Rational parM
sections. These resisting unfissured places
jut into the valley.
Erosion by ice probably was preceded
and somewhat guided by stream erosion.
But this ice sculpture, the rock-forms and
features wrought, must have been deter-
mined in a marked measure by the rock-
structure. That is to say, the dense quality
of the rock, the number and the position
of the cleavage joints, or their absence in
the rock, were factors that helped determine
the rock-forms of Yosemite. Other factors
since the ice age have altered or modified
this glacial topography.
It is certain that a vast ice-stream poured
over the walls and forced through this
valley. This is shown in the rock-groov-
ings and perched boulders high on the walls,
and also by the massive moraine which
dams the outlet of the valley. It appears
certain that this must have been left when
the ice vanished; and apparently it formed
a lake that filled the entire valley nearly
to the height of the dam. The lake finally
72
€f>e io$emite Rational parft
filled with sediment and sand, its surface
corresponding approximately with the pres-
ent surface of the valley. The valley floor
is noticeably smooth, and its margins along
the bottoms of the walls are comparatively
free from rock-debris.
The landscape of the entire Yosemite
National Park is preeminently glacial. Ice-
polished mountains and hundreds of sculp-
tured figures of vast size are a part of the
matchless exhibit of the ice age in this
wonderland. Polished domes predominate.
Much of the rock-surface was dense gran-
ite comparatively free from cleavage lines,
soft materials, or stratification. The forms
made by the ice in these have endured.
Since the ice age the softer and more fis-
sured rocks have been far more changed by
the various erosive forces than the more
resistant rock of the domes and other sculp-
tured forms.
Little Yosemite Valley is essentially
similar to the Greater Yosemite in features
and also in the manner of creation. Its
73
Hour
walls are from fifteen hundred to two
thousand feet high, its length is about three
miles, its width one half-mile. Its floor,
like that of the Greater Yosemite, was for
a time a lake. In origin and history, the
Hetch-Hetchy Valley, too, is almost iden-
tical with the Yosemite.
Nature often changes the scene, often
puts on a new landscape. The forces of
erosion are steadily at work; most of them
work slowly, but sometimes a change is
wrought suddenly.
When the Sierra was first upheaved it
was more or less tilted, terraced, and fis-
sured. The surface was uneven. The pres-
ent topography is the product of a long and
complicated series of events. It has been
wrought out by many erosive forces. It
probably has been acted upon by two or
more ice ages, but the last age shaped the
splendid topography of the Yosemite that
is attracting the world to the scene.
The eroding power of ice is determined
by its thickness, that is to say, by its weight.
74
€fje togemite Rational $arfc
The small, shallow glaciers wear much more
slowly than the deep ice-streams that bear
heavily upon the surface passed over. The
ancient glaciers of the region took on vast
proportions. An enormous and deep ice-
field accumulated from the snows of
Mounts Dana, Lyell, Gibbs, McClure,
Conness, and other peaks. Flowing west-
ward, it came in contact with Mount Hoff-
man, against which it divided. The right
section flowed down into the Tuolumne;
the left, a branch about two miles wide,
swept upward, climbing about five hun-
dred feet over the pass and descending
upon the Lake Tenaya region.
Apparently, five glacier streams united
in the Yosemite Valley. They not only
filled it but deeply overflowed the highest
points on its walls. Passing out of the lower
end of the valley, the united glacier was
forced to climb upward several hundred
feet.
About twenty-five small glaciers still
remain in the Yosemite National Park.
75
Hour Rational $arft£
There are about two hundred and fifty
glacier lakes, mostly small. Others have
filled with sediment and are hidden and
forgotten. Lake Tenaya, the Lake-of-
the-Shining-Rocks, has a surrounding of
dense rock-masses that still show the
rounded form and the high polish given by
the ice.
2. TREES AND FORESTS
The tree growth and the forest arrange-
ment in the Yosemite National Park are
among the grandest of such features on the
globe, and they form one of the chief at-
tractions of this heroic realm. The trees
grow to enormous size and are distributed
and grouped with crags, meadows, ter-
races, canons — all in unmatched wild,
artistic charm and sublimity. Though some
areas are covered with growths tall and
dense, they are free from gloom, and every-
where one may walk freely through them.
They are broken and brightened with
numerous sunny openings. This splendid
€ljc i?o£emitc Rational $arfc
landscape gardening extends over the
greater portion of the Park.
The sequoia, the largest and most im-
posing tree, is found in the lower reaches
of the Park. Other characteristic trees are
the sugar pine, king of the pines ; the Doug-
las spruce, king of the spruces; and the
hemlock, one of the loveliest trees upon the
earth.
The Park has three groves of Big Trees
(sequoias) — the Mariposa Grove, the Tuo-
lumne Grove, and the Merced Grove, all
of the species Sequoia gigantea. The Mer-
ced and Tuolumne groves are near the
western boundary of the Park, several
miles north of El Portal Station, while the
Mariposa Grove is in the southwestern
corner, about fifteen miles southeast of El
Portal. The Tuolumne Grove has but about
thirty-five trees, and the Merced Grove
fewer than one hundred.
The Mariposa Grove contains about five
hundred and fifty trees. Among these is
the Grizzly Giant, which, according to the
77
four Rational $arh0
computation of Galen Clark, is six thou-
sand years old. It has a diameter of nearly
thirty feet and a height of two hundred and
four feet. Evidently it was once much
taller; its top probably was wrecked by
lightning. Through the Wawona tree a
roadway has been cut. A great number of
these trees are between two hundred and
twenty-five and two hundred and seventy-
five feet in height. A few rise above three
hundred feet.
In this Park are about thirty species
of trees besides those above mentioned.
Among them are a cedar and a juniper; two
silver firs; yellow, lodge-pole, and six other
species of pines. Among the broad-leafed
trees are the oak, maple, aspen, laurel, and
dogwood. There are forests of firs and lodge-
pole pines.
The sugar pine grows to enormous size
and has a noble appearance. Its cones are
the largest produced by any conifer, oc-
casionally reaching the length of nearly
two feet. The yellow pine rivals the sugar
78
€f)c So#cmitc Rational $arfc
pine in size and grows from four to ten feet
in diameter and from one hundred and fifty
to two hundred and twenty-five feet high.
Among the flowering shrubs are the dog-
wood, manzanita, California lilac, wild sy-
ringa, chokeberry, thimbleberry, and Cali-
fornia laurel.
I have seen the trees diminish in number,
give place to wide prairies, and restrict their
growth to the border of streams; . . . have
seen grassy plains change into a brown and
sere desert; . . . and have reached at length
the westward slopes of the high mountain bar-
rier which, refreshed by the Pacific, bear the
noble forests of the Sierra Nevada and the
Coast Range, and among them trees which
are the wonder of the world. (Asa Gray.)
3. PLANT LIFE
The Yosemite ferns, forests, and flowers
are growing almost exclusively in glacial
soil. Nearly all of the soil in the Park is
rock-flour that was ground by glaciers, and
in part distributed by them. Landslides
and running water distributed most of the
remainder.
79
If our Rational parity
The Park has an altitudinal range of
nearly two miles, with them any climates,
and consequently numerous varieties of
flora. These are encouraged by varied life
zones that result from combinations of
sunny and shady mountain-sides, uneven-
ly distributed moisture, and the different
temperatures that prevail between the alti-
tudes of three thousand and thirteen thou-
sand feet.
Here and there in the Park wild flowers
may be found in bloom every month of the
year. Among the common flowers of the
middle and lower sections are seen the
shooting-star, evening-primrose, tiger lily,
yellow pond-lily, Mariposa lily, black-eyed
Susan, lupine, paintbrush, yarrow, and
snow-plant. There are violets, blue and
red, a number of pentstemons, the lark-
spur, golden-rod, several orchids, and the
wild rose.
Many of the showy, crowded gardens of
luxuriant wild-flower growths are in the
moist fir forests. Among the tall flowers in
80
Sogemite Rational $arft
these gardens are columbines, larkspurs,
paintbrushes, lupines, and one of the lily
families. The famous, fragrant Washington
lily brightens the open woods; in places it
grows to the height of eight feet.
The snow-plant is a curiosity and at-
tracts by its brilliancy of color. The plant
and bloom are blood-red, but this herb is
as cold and rigid as an icicle. It is not a
parasite, but is isolated and appears to hold
itself aloof from all the world. When caught
by late snows it makes a startling figure,
but it does not grow up through the snow.
In the alpine heights are many healthy
plants: the lovely arctic daisy, phlox, gen-
tian, lupine, potentilla, harebell, moun-
tain columbine, astragalus, and numerous
other bright flowers. They grow in clusters
and in large ragged gardens, and in places
are low-growing and extremely dwarfed.
Besides its wild small plants and the
blooming shrubbery the Park has a glori-
ous wealth of tree blossom. The hemlocks,
pines, firs, and spruces have a jeweled
81
Sour Rational $arft£
wealth of blue, purple, red, and yellow
bloom.
May and June are the months most
crowded with blossoms, but many come in
the autumn, mingling serenely with the
calm, sunny days, the evergreen groves,
the tanned grass, and the masses of red and
yellow leaves. In May and June the water-
falls are at their best, and the birds are most
songful.
The Yosemite National Park is perhaps the
most delightful region in all the world for the
study of plant life. The wide variety of condi-
tions here found, ranging from the hot and
desiccated slopes of the brush-clad foothills to
the cold, bleak summits above timber line, the
abode of glaciers and perpetual snow, gives to
the flora an exceedingly diverse and inter-
esting character. Innumerable springs, creeks,
rivers, ponds, and lakes provide suitable habi-
tats for moisture-loving plants. Rocky out-
croppings, enormous cliffs, and gravelly ridges
accommodate species adapted to such situa-
tions. The irregular topography yields south-
ward facing slopes which receive the full effect
of the sun's rays, as well as northward slopes
where the sun's rays are little felt, where it is
82
€ije fo0cmitc Rational $arh
therefore cool, moist, and shady. The altitude
ranges from two thousand five hundred feet
in the foothill belt to thirteen thousand and
ninety feet along the crest of the Sierra Nevada.
All of these factors conspire to produce a re-
markably varied and interesting vegetation.
The richness of this flora is indicated by the
nine hundred and fifty-five species and varie-
ties here described. The total number repre-
sented in the Yosemite National Park is con-
siderably greater, since the grasses, sedges,
and rushes are here omitted. Including an
estimate for these, it is safe to assume that the
number of species and varieties of flowering
plants and ferns to be found within the one
thousand one hundred and twenty-four square
miles of the park is not less than about
one thousand two hundred. ("A Yosemite
Flora," by Harvey Monroe Hall and Carlotta
Case Hall.)
4. THE REALM OF FALLING WATER
The Yosemite National Park is enlivened
and splendidly enriched with mountain-
high waterfalls and with wildly coasting
and cascading streams. These world-fa-
mous falls gain an added attractiveness
through the magnificence of the walls over
83
Sour Rational parft£
which they plunge. In places the walls,
clean-cut and smooth, rise sheer for more
than one thousand feet. Here and there
the line of a wall is broken with a vast
niche or columnar buttress.
A number of mountain streams and
rivers in the Yosemite deliberately make
their way to the brink of a vast gorge that
has its brow in the sky, and there, in full
self-control, they plunge over.
Jutting rocks, and smooth steep inclines
throw streams into wild, uncontrolled ex-
citement. But where a vertical river drops
its fluttering current against a magnificent
mountain- wall, everything is harmonious
and controlled, and the stream appears to
have the sublime composure of a Big Tree.
In a stream-channel water goes forward
with crowding intermittent rushes. These,
in plunging over a brink, break up into
numerous closely falling rockets or comet-
like masses, each tailed with spray. These
in turn separate and divide into other such
masses, with spray and water-dust.
84
UPPER AND LOWER YOSEMITE FALLS
Total fall 2600 feet
IJo^cmitc Rational path
In a drop of several hundred feet a mass
of water is likely to expand to several times
its width at the brink. This expansion
varies with the volume of water, the height
of the drop, and the direction and speed of
resisting wind-currents.
Swaying and bending are further attrac-
tions of waterfalls. Bridal Veil Falls often
swings and sways gently from side to side.
This movement is sometimes accompanied
by lacy flutterings at one or more places on
the spray- wreathed white fall. Numerous
falls in the Yosemite are high and spread
widely in descending, and frequently the
fall dances splendidly as its white, airy
mass keeps time to the changing movements
of the wind.
Many of these high falls are accompanied
at times by a fluttering of numerous rain-
bows. These flaunt, shift, and dart like
great hummingbirds. At the Lower Yo-
semite, Bridal Veil, and Vernal Falls these
rainbows sometimes momentarily form a
complete circle of color. By these, too,
85
gout Rational $arft£
the moon produces similar though softer,
stranger effects. Perhaps the most pleas-
ing, delicate, and novel effects in lunar
rainbows are to be had about the foot of
Yosemite Falls.
The slender Ribbon Fall has a vertical
drop of twenty- three hundred feet; the
Upper Yosemite, about sixteen hundred
feet. Nevada Falls is about six hundred
feet high. Vernal Falls is one hundred feet
wide at the top and drops three hundred
feet. The Vernal and Nevada Falls are in
the midst of magnificent and novel rock
scenery. The Illilouette Fall is about six
hundred feet high and is one of the most
beautiful in the Park.
The Tueeulala and Wapama Falls in
Hetch-Hetchy have their own individ-
ual setting and behavior. The Wapama,
though lacking the verticality of the Upper
Yosemite Falls, carries a greater volume
of water. Yosemite Creek is a true moun-
tain stream. In its first ten miles it goes
through a number of zones, passes a variety
86
gogemite Rational J&arfc
of plant life, and makes a descent of six
thousand feet. One third of this descent is
in the Falls of the Yosemite.
John Muir tells us that one windy day
the Upper Falls was struck by an upward
wind pressure that bent and drove the
water back over the brow of the cliff. The
wind held back the water so that the fall
was cut entirely in two for a few minutes.
But more wonderful than this was one day
when the wind struck the Upper Falls at
a point about halfway down and there
stopped and supported its falling waters.
For more than a minute the water piled up
in an enormous conical accumulation about
seven hundred feet high. All the while the
water poured over steadily from above, and
the entire mass rested upon the elastic but
invisible air. Then came a wild collapse.
At the foot of some of these waterfalls
vast ice-cones are sometimes formed. Oc-
casionally these spread out over a large
area and rise to the height of several hun-
dred feet.
87
Hour Rational $arftg
Among the numerous cascades in the
Park, one of the most precipitous is the
Sentinel, which endlessly comes tumbling
down over a steep rough incline of thirty-
two hundred feet. In the upper end of the
Tuolumne Canon the Tuolumne River
rushes over inclined rocks and forms one
of the most scenic rapids in the world.
5. SEEING YOSEMITE
I wish that all who visit the Yosemite
National Park would have a view from the
top of Mount Hoffman. I wish also that
they might see Tuolumne Meadows, wan-
der over the near-by alpine inoorlands, and
stand in the center of Hetch-Hetchy Valley.
Even the most flying visit to the Yosem-
ite Valley should include a visit to Lake
Tenaya, Little Yosemite, Nevada, and
Vernal Falls, and, last, and in some re-
spects most important, a view across and
down into the valley from Glacier Point on
the south side, and also from the summit
of Eagle Peak on the opposite side.
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Sogemite Rational $arfe
From the first, John Muir called Hetch-
Hetchy the Tuolumne Yosemite and con-
sidered it a rival of the Yosemite Valley
and "a wonderfully exact counterpart of
the Merced Yosemite/1 It is less than half
the size of the Yosemite, and its walls are
about a thousand feet lower. Two im-
mense rocks stand at the entrance. On the
south wall is Koloma, a massive rock
twenty-three hundred feet high. On the
north wall is an almost sheer front of rock
that rises eighteen hundred feet. Over this
plunges Tueeulala Falls with a drop of
ten hundred feet. This fall is somewhat
like Bridal Veil, but excels it both in beauty
and in height. Over the same wall, a short
distance eastward, tumbles Wapama Falls,
carrying a greater volume of water than
the Yosemite Falls.
Like the Yosemite Valley, Hetch-Hetchy
is a combination of stupendous rock-walls
that rise from a quiet grassy valley which
is beautiful with trees and groves and a
clear mountain stream.
89
gout Rational
The Parsons Memorial Lodge at Soda
Springs is an excellent stopping-place from
which to explore the alpine scenes of the
Yosemite National Park. It is owned by
the Sierra Club, and was built in honor of
Edward T. Parsons, who for years was one
of the club's leading members. The Lodge
is situated on the edge of the celebrated
Tuolumne Meadows, by the Tioga Road,
and is within a few miles of many cele-
brated scenes and view-points. It is about
twenty-five miles northeast of the Yosem-
ite Valley.
At Soda Springs, John Muir often had a
central camp. He long ago recommended
the place for an excursion center. It lies at
an altitude of about nine thousand feet.
One cannot too often see the near-by
smooth, wide Tuolumne Valley with its
surrounding world of mountain-peaks. It
is in the very heart of the Yosemite High
Sierra. By it is an extensive and splendid
alpine zone. Here are lakes, moory spaces,
polished pavements and domes, and, in its
90
€fje 0o0cmitc Rational parft
lower regions, canons, waterfalls, cascades,
groves, and wild alpine gardens colored and
made charming by dainty brilliant flowers.
To the north lies Mount Conness; east-
ward, Mounts Dana, Lyell, Gibbs, Mam-
moth, and McClure; southward, the Ca-
thedral Range; and westward ice-polished
Mount Hoffman.
Surely the Parsons Memorial Lodge will
become a world-celebrated rendezvous for
mountain-climbers and for those who de-
sire to see mountain scenery where it is
peculiarly lovely and sublime. A number
of trails converge at this point. It will be
interesting to follow the future of the Lodge
and to observe the thousands of enthusi-
astic people who will enjoy the surround-
ing scenes.
About twelve miles to the west of it is
Mount Hoffman, which rises near the center
of the Park and is probably the most com-
manding view-point in it. This is one of the
places that visitors to the Park should not
fail to enjoy.
gout Rational $arfe£
Only a few miles to the southwest of the
Lodge is Cathedral Peak. This imposing
ice-burnished structure is one of the most
celebrated pieces of nature statuary in the
Park. Near by is Cathedral Lake. About
fifteen miles to the south of the Lodge is a
region of burnished rocks, numerous lakes,
canons, and moraines — a wonderful array
of glacial stories. This region is several
miles southwest of Mount Lyell.
Mountain-climbers will find Dana Moun-
tain, to the east of the Lodge, an excellent
view-point. To see a sunrise from it is a
rare enjoyment. From its summit one looks
down on the Mono Desert, the lake, and
the craters. It is an easy one-day journey
from the Lodge across Tioga Pass to Mono
Lake.
At the door of the Lodge are the mag-
nificent Tuolumne Meadows. There are a
series of them, the lower one being about
four miles long and about half a mile wide.
Its meadowy expanse is in places attrac-
tively sprinkled with trees, and across it,
92
Sogemite Rational |£arft
with beautiful folds and hesitating bends,
lingers the Tuolumne River.
The wonderful rapids in the upper end of
the canon of the Tuolumne are perhaps the
greatest in the world. The white and rush-
ing river is intensely impressive. Some dis-
tance below the Lodge begins the Big
Tuolumne Canon. It is eighteen miles long
and terminates in the Hetch-Hetchy Val-
ley. A journey through this is a joy for the
mountaineer. The canon is comparatively
narrow for its depth, which in places is one
mile. There are a few romantic parklike
openings along the way, and at some points
the statuary is stupendous and magnificent.
6. HISTORY OF YOSEMITE
Indians formerly called the Yosemite
Valley Ah-wah-nee, meaning " grassy val-
ley. " Early one morning a young brave
started for Mirror Lake to spear fish. On
the way he encountered a huge grizzly bear.
He fought the beast with his spear and a
club. After a long and furious battle, in
93
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which he was badly wounded, the bear was
killed. For this exploit the Indian was
named Yosemite, which means a full-grown
grizzly bear. This name was transmitted
to his children and eventually given to the
entire tribe of Indians inhabiting the val-
ley.
The Yosemite Valley was first made
known to the public by Major James D.
Savage and Captain John Boling, who dis-
covered it in 1851. Joseph R. Walker,
frontiersman and explorer, claims to have
discovered the valley in 1833.
Tourist travel to the valley began in
1857. It became a state park in 1864, and
in 1890 a National Park was made around
it. In 1905 the boundaries were changed,
and in 1906 a vigorous state and national
campaign was waged, under the leadership
of John Muir, the Sierra Club, and Robert
Underwood Johnson, which resulted in the
entire region becoming a National Park.
John Muir enjoyed telling of the experi-
ence of an English gentleman who years
94
$ ogemite Rational $arft
ago made a trip to the valley. Journeying
from the railroad on horseback, he missed
the way and spent a long day descending
into gulches and canons, then climbing out
upon the high ridges. At last, late one eve-
ning, he arrived on the rim of the Yosemite.
After a swift glance down into the valley,
he exclaimed, " Great God! have I got to
cross this too?"
John Lamon, a roving Westerner, was
the first settler in the Yosemite Valley,
where in 1859 he built a cabin, made a gar-
den, and planted fruit-trees. He was so
charmed with the scenery and the climate
that he quit his roving life and here made
his home till his death in 1876.
The Hetch-Hetchy appears to have been
discovered in 1850 by a hunter named
Joseph Screech. In 1903 the San Francisco
supervisors applied for permission to make
commercial use of the valley by building a
dam and making of it a reservoir. John
Muir and the Sierra Club led the opposition
to this. The fight went on for ten years with
95
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uncertain results. At times it was intense
and bitter. Congress finally decided in
favor of San Francisco, but up to this date
San Francisco has not complied with the
conditions imposed.
In 1915 plans were made for the improve-
ment of the Yosemite Village. In the same
year occurred an event of greater impor-
tance for the Park. " Chiefly through the
efforts of Stephen T. Mather, the disused
Tioga Road became a part of the Yosem-
ite road-system. This road has been re-
opened and will be a great advantage and
convenience to Yosemite visitors. It ex-
tends across the Park from east to west,
passing near the Big Trees, the Parsons
Memorial Lodge, and Tuolumne Meadows,
invading the High Sierra, and crossing the
range through Tioga Pass. Henceforth au-
tomobilists from the East may leave the
main continental highway in Nevada and
reach the Yosemite Park via Mono Lake
and this road.
The name of Galen Clark is pleasantly
If ogemite Rational parft
interwoven with the history of the Yosem-
ite National Park. John Muir thus de-
scribed the man: "The best mountaineer
I ever met, and one of the kindest and most
amiable of all my mountain friends. . . .
His kindness to all Yosemite visitors and
mountaineers was marvelously constant
and uniform."
Galen Clark enjoyed showing people of
all ages the various wonders of Yosemite
Valley, never tired of answering questions,
and endeavored carefully to explain the
facts concerning each point of interest.
Thousands of visitors to the valley came
to know him intimately. He came to the
Park to live in 1857, and for more than
fifty years it was his permanent home. For
twenty-four years he was a member of the
Yosemite State Park Commission. The
Indians of the valley were fond of him, and
from them he gathered much interesting
information. His serene disposition and his
almost constant outdoor life kept his body
and mind normal to the day of his death.
97
flour Rational padtg
After he reached the age of ninety, deciding
to become an author, he wrote and pub-
lished three little books relating to the In-
dians and to the natural wonders of the
Yosemite National Park.
Ill
THE SEQUOIA AND THE GENERAL
GRANT NATIONAL PARKS
THE SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK has a
crowded luxuriance of wild flowers. It
abounds in varied bird-life and has a num-
ber of wild sheep, bears, deer, and other
animals. It has lakes, canons, and glaciated
mountains. But the supreme attraction of
this and the neighboring General Grant
Park is the sequoia or Big Tree. Nowhere
else on earth are trees found that are so
large or so imposing. In places the Big
Trees are attractively mixed with other
forest trees. Besides the large aged trees,
there are middle-aged ones, young trees,
and seedlings.
The General Grant Park has a sequoia
that is thirty-five feet in diameter. This
Park, like the Sequoia, was established
principally to preserve Big Trees. Both
99
Hour Rational $arhB
became National Parks in 1890, chiefly
through the efforts of George W. Stewart.
The General Grant Park has an area of
four square miles, the Sequoia Park of two
hundred and thirty-seven square miles.
The proposition to enlarge the Sequoia
National Park should meet with early con-
summation. The region would then em-
brace about twelve hundred square miles,
including the present General Grant and
Sequoia Parks and Mount Whitney, the
highest peak in the United States, exclu-
sive of Alaska. Near Mount Whitney are a
number of other peaks. In fact, the region
is the highest and most rugged section of
California.
Says Gilbert H. Grosvenor, editor of
"The National Geographic Magazine ": —
Switzerland, the playground of Europe, vis-
ited annually (until 1915) by more than one
hundred thousand Americans, cannot com-
pare in attractiveness with the High Sierra of
central California. Nothing in the Alps can
rival the famous Yosemite Valley, which is as
unique as the Grand Canon. The view from
100
Sequoia anb oSenetal «Srant
the summit of Mount Whitney surpasses that
from any of the peaks of Switzerland. There
are no canons in Switzerland equal to those of
the Kern and the King Rivers, which contain
scores of waterfalls and roaring streams, any
one of which in Europe would draw thousands
of visitors annually. Many of the big yellow
and red pines, of the juniper and cedar, eclipse
the trees of Switzerland as completely as these
pines are eclipsed by the giant redwoods.
And then, as to birds and flowers, the High
Sierra so excels the Alps that there is no com-
parison. Never will the writer forget the
melodies of the birds and the luxuriance of the
meadows passed in the marches from Redwood
Meadow to Mineral King, and then up over
Franklin Pass; the fields of blue, red, yellow,
orange, white, and purple flowers, all graceful
and fragrant, or the divine dignity of the great
Siberian Plateau, nearly eleven thousand feet
above the sea, and yet carpeted from end to
end with blue lupine and tiny flowers.
From the educational point of view, the
High Sierra so surpasses the Alps that again
no comparison can be made.
Magnificent is the King's River Canon.
The Kern River Canon is seven thousand
feet deep; this is equal, if not superior, to
the depth of the Grand Canon of the Colo-
101
flour liJational parfttf
rado. Here is the celebrated Tehipitee
Dome. There are numerous lakes, streams,
waterfalls, and meadows. This was the
original home of the golden trout. Besides
the King's and Kern Rivers, there is the
Kaweah.
The glaciation of this region is on a stu-
pendous scale and is of extraordinary in-
terest. The peculiar topography, the heavy
snowfall, and the character of the rocks all
combined to cause the Ice King to execute
wonderful works in this Park and to leave
behind a splendid record. From the summit
of this high region one looks into Death
Valley, less than one hundred miles away,
which is the lowest point in the United
States, a section of it being three hundred
to four hundred feet below sea-level. This
region includes the southern extension of
the High Sierra in California, is near the
Nevada line, and is about one hundred
miles north of Los Angeles.
Clarence King, the distinguished geolo-
gist and first Director of the United States
102
Sequoia an& General <6rant
Geological Survey, had a number of moun-
tain-climbing experiences in this Greater
Sequoia region. These are tellingly re-
lated in that classic volume, "Mountain-
eering in the Sierra Nevada." John Muir
also wrote of this region, and it seems
fitting that this enlarged reservation should
be called the "Muir National Park."
Here the skies and the weather are great
changing attractions, and the big wild folk
are alert neighbors. Here are forests made
up of trees each of which is an heroic giant !
Here the Ice King left vast and splendid
stories. Here is perhaps the deepest gorge
in this round world, and here the highest
peak within the bounds of the States of the
Union — a peak that commands vast and
varied scenes. The streams and lakes are
of the greatest. The variety of wild flowers
is probably not equaled in any other park
or territory. The birds, too, are numerously
and abundantly represented.
If I were sentenced to end my days in a
National Park of my choosing, without the
103
gout Rational $arfeg
least hesitation I should choose the region
now proposed for the Greater Sequoia or
Muir Park.
THE BIG TREES
The General Sherman is the largest tree
on earth, and it may be the oldest living
object that has a place in the sun. It is
thirty-six and one-half feet in diameter and
two hundred and eighty feet high. Nearly as
large are the General Grant and the Grizzly
Giant. A number of veteran sequoias are
more than thirty feet in diameter and
nearly three hundred feet high. Many are
more than twenty feet in diameter, and
thousands have a diameter of ten feet or
more.
The Big Tree (Sequoia gigantea) is scat-
tered in thirty-two groves along the west-
ern slopes of the Sierra for a distance of
two hundred and sixty miles. Most of the
trees are between the altitudes of five thou-
sand and eight thousand feet. There are
gaps of miles between groves. The south-
104
THE FOUR BROTHERS
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK
Sequoia atffi General o3rant
ern extension has a continuous forest for
seventy miles, except where it is cut in two
by canons, and it contains a majority of all
Big Trees. There are three Big-Tree groves
in the Yosemite National Park, one in the
General Grant, and twelve in the Sequoia.
One of these twelve is the famous Giant
Forest.
The Sequoia and General Grant Na-
tional Parks have more than a million Big
Trees. Of these, more than twelve thou-
sand are ten or more feet in diameter. A
few of these trees are upwards of three
hundred feet high, but the majority are
about two hundred and fifty feet.
Galen Clark, who made a long and care-
ful study of the Big Trees, expressed the
opinion that the Grizzly Giant was at least
six thousand years old. A number may be
four thousand or more years of age, but the
majority probably are less than three thou-
sand. Careful counts of the annual rings
of trees that have been felled show that a
number of these had lived more than three
105
four Rational
thousand years. One had more than four
thousand annual rings. W. L. Jepson, au-
thor of "The Trees of California," believes
that the general tendency is to exaggerate
the age of the living Big Trees.
These trees bear seeds each year. In a
fruitful year a Big Tree may produce one
million seeds. These are exceedingly small
and light. The tree blooms in late winter,
while the earth is still covered with snow.
The flowers are pale green and pale yellow.
The cones are bright green and are about
two and one-half inches in length. They
shed their seeds as soon as they are ripened,
but the cones sometimes cling to the trees
for months. If the seeds alight on freshly
upturned soil or soil recently burned over,
they usually sprout and grow vigorously.
They do best in the sunlight. But if the
seeds fall upon a grass- or trash-covered
forest floor, they fail to sprout.
With branches nearly to the earth, the
outline of a young tree is that of a slender
pyramid. As the tree ages, the lower
106
Sequoia anfe General «5rant
branches fall off. In middle-aged trees, the
trunk commonly is free of branches from
fifty to one hundred and fifty feet above
the ground. The tiptop of aged trees usu-
ally is a dead snag, surrounded by living,
up-curved side branches from the trunk.
The original tops of nearly all old trees
have been smashed by lightning.
Usually in young trees the bark is almost
purplish; in old ones it is cinnamon-color.
This bark is fire-resisting, is from one to
two feet thick, and is good protection to the
vitals of the tree. The roots are short, but
the base of the trunk is heavily, artistically
buttressed.
Living or dead, the Big Tree has extra-
ordinary durability. It has exceptional
vitality and recuperative power. Its long
life probably is due to the fact that it is al-
most immune from insect pests, the most
deadly enemies of all other kinds of trees.
Men, fire, and lightning are the worst ene-
mies of the Big Tree. Most of the old ones
have had their heads shattered by lightning
107
gout
again and again, but they still insist on
living and will produce a new top even
though the old one is entirely smashed off.
These trees appear to be almost immortal.
Unless they starve or meet a violent death,
they live on and on.
John Muir says that the wood in the
Big Trees has an endurance almost equal
to that of granite, and gives the following
illustration. He cut a piece of sound wood
from the trunk of a fallen monarch that had
been lying upon the earth several hundred
years. In falling, the trunk of this Big Tree
was cracked across in a number of places.
Into these cracks fire ate its way each time
a forest fire swept the locality. Each of
these fires probably was separated from the
following one by a number of years, and it
probably took a great many burns to cut
this slow-burning wood into sections. But
at last this was done. Between the ends of
two of these sections a fir tree took root and
grew. After all these years, and after the
fir tree had lived three hundred and eighty
108
Sequoia ana General <Drant $arlt0
years, the sections of the Big Tree still lay
upon the ground, apparently as sound as
the day the tree fell.
All Big-Tree groves appear to have gone
through forest fires. It is probable that
most of these groves have been repeatedly
fire-swept. Many of the trees show fire-
scars that cannot be entirely healed for
centuries.
The Big Tree has been called the no-
blest of a noble race. Its enormous size,
its excellent proportions, its serenity, its
steadfastness, its age, make it the most im-
pressive living object. John Muir, in com-
menting on the irnperishable nature of
the sequoia, says he feels confident that if
every one of these trees were to die to-day,
numerous monuments of their existence
would remain available for the student for
more than ten thousand years.
But the Big Tree is not verging toward
extinction. Its greatest danger is from gen-
eral destruction by man. The Big-Tree
area has not diminished, but probably has
109
gout Rational
slightly increased in the last few thousand
years. Seeds sprout readily and young
trees grow vigorously. John Muir thus com-
ments concerning the tree and its distribu-
tion:—
The Big Tree (Sequoia gigantea) is Nature's
forest masterpiece, and, so far as I know, the
greatest of living things. It belongs to an an-
cient stock, as its remains in old rocks show,
and has a strange air of other days about it,
a thoroughbred look inherited from the long
ago — the auld lang syne of trees. Once the
genus was common, and with many species
flourished in the now desolate arctic regions,
in the interior of North America, and in Eu-
rope, but in long eventful wanderings from
climate to climate only two species have sur-
vived the hardships they had to encounter.
The Big Trees probably were discovered
by General John Bidwell in 1841. John
Muir studied them for years, and then
gave to the world an accurate account of
them.
The Big-Tree groves, he says, are grow-
ing in the soil-areas off which the ice first
melted at the close of the ice age. The wide
no
Sequoia anfc General 43raut |parli$
gaps between the various sequoia groves
were areas occupied by the large and long-
enduring glaciers. The topography of the
mountains plainly shows that the areas
where the groves are were places protected
from the ice-flows of the heights. The gaps
would naturally have received the main ice-
flows from the heights.
In the south the Big-Tree forests are in
the areas that were effectively buttressed
and shielded from ice-flows. Consequently
these areas were early opened at the close
of the ice age. The forty-mile-wide gap
between the Stanislaus and the Tuolumne
Groves was a channel filled with a glacier
probably long after the groves to the north
and the south started to grow.
Did the sequoia endure the long ice age
in these few places where the groves are now
growing? The pine, fir, spruce, and other
forest species in the Sierra may have been
planted with seeds from trees that sur-
vived in the south. But as the sequoia is
found nowhere else, the question arises, did
in
four Rational parity
it survive somewhere near the localities
in which it is now growing?
An acquaintance with the Big Trees, an
understanding of them, gives us one of the
most impressive and lasting ties to be
had in nature. These trees ever impress
one with a nobility of character. Seen at
midday, or at early morning when their
lengthened shadow gives strange tones to
the scene, or in the serene, strange moon-
light, or when, wrapped in restless mist,
they loom vast and mysterious, or in a
storm, they are ever marvelously steadfast
and calm. Long may they live!
At the Big Trees, the first act of Horace
Greeley, the celebrated editor, was to take
out a pencil and figure on the lumber con-
tents of one. These veteran trees have a
higher value.
Lincoln, in his lecture on Niagara Falls,
said: "The mere physical fact of Niagara
Falls is a very small part of the world's
wonder. Its power to incite reflection and
emotion is its greatest charm." Lincoln
112
Sequoia ana General <$tant
might have calculated the mule- power of
the Falls if ruined — changed from the
higher value of a scenic spectacle to com-
mon commercialism. Why tell how many
hovels or how many feet of sewer might be
constructed out of the Library of Congress;
or the number of cobblestones that could
be manufactured from the Washington
Monument? As well tell the number of
forts that might have been built with the
marbles and the energy that were put into
statuary and the inspiring arts, as to con-
sider or measure Big Trees in lumber
terms.
The sequoia is one of the monumental
wonders of this round world. It is the
oldest settler — the pioneer of pioneers.
Each venerable giant numbers his years by
centuries. Each was already old when na-
tions of the present were born. Gone and
forgotten are the nations that were — gone
the flags that waved in the wind when these
trees began to cast their shadows.
And it may be — for nations with all
"3
Sour Rational $arft£
their pomp and pride are short-lived — that
every flag that now flaunts the sky, that
every nation now on earth, will pass out
of existence long before these patriarchal
trees lie down at last upon the mountains.
Some of these trees have already out-lived
more than fifty generations of mankind.
Some of them are likely to look upon a
score or more of passing generations of the
human race. These trees might tell a thou-
sand stirring stories to the one possessed
by the Sphinx. The Sphinx is of lifeless
stone. These trees are alive. They have
lived through countless changing scenes.
But which shall be accounted the more
striking and wonderful, the passing pictures
in the centuries they have looked upon, or
the moving, changing scenes in the cen-
turies that they are yet to see?
These Big Trees have endured fire, flood,
lightning, landslide, gale, drought, and
earthquake, but have never hauled down
their evergreen banners. They have tri-
umphed over the changes of ten thousand
114
Sequoia auto General oBrant
seasons; watched and waved through cen-
turies of sunlight and storm. Countless
times the sun has projected a silhouetted
shadow of their stupendous plumes against
the mountain side. They have worn monu-
mental robes of snow flowers; they have
stood silent in the light of thousands of
autumn moons; and they are still upon the
heights to inspire us with their steadfast-
ness and their splendor.
The landmark and the heritage of the
ages are these splendid trees, these im-
mortal evergreens. Their historic lore and
unequaled grandeur give them amplitude
and poetry enough to kindle and enrich the
imagination. Let them live on; they will
bless those who make the sacred pilgrimage
to see them, and they will be a " choir in-
visible " to all who simply know that upon
the sublime Sierra they still wave grandly.
IV
MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK
MOUNT RAINIER is one of the noblest and
most imposing mountains in the world. It
stands isolated. Around it are countless
peaks, but these are so small that they but
emphasize the colossal bulk and towering
height of majestic Rainier. It is 14,408 feet
high. The altitudinal sweep of the Park is
ten thousand feet. Only Mount Rainier
territory is in the Park. The area is three
hundred and twenty-four square miles —
about eighteen miles square. Yet so vast
is this mountain that an extensive part
of it is outside the Park boundaries. Its
outline is intensified by the extraordinary
make-up of black and white which charac-
terizes it. The upper half of it is strangely
white with masses of snow and ice. The
lower slopes are purplish black with dense
coniferous forests. Between the snow and
116
amount fiainicr Rational parli
the forest is a magnificent belt of wild
flowers.
Mount Rainier is a sleeping volcano.
Beneath its shell of stone is a heart of fire.
Upon this shell are snow-fields and glaciers,
rushing rivers, a stupendous forest, wild-
flower gardens in which millions of " ban-
nered blossoms open their bosoms to the
sun."
Additional territory is needed to protect
scenery not now in the Park, and especially
for Park road development. At a number
of points along the southern boundary the
road winds outside the Park. A similar
condition will exist on the eastern side when
the eastern road-system is built. Much
good would result from starting at the
southeast corner of the Park and adding a
six-mile strip twelve miles long on the south
and another strip of equal size on the east.
Mount Rainier lies about sixty miles
eastward from Seattle and Tacoma. An
excellent automobile road enters the south-
ern boundary and extends into the Park,
117
Hour Rational
passing the snout of the Nisqually Glacier.
The road-plan of the Park embraces an
encircling scenic highway around the moun-
tain on the lower slopes. This road is to be
united with entrance roads from the north,
south, east, and west. A trail about fifty
miles long circles this peak near timber-
line. It penetrates fifty miles of unexcelled
beauty and splendor. It touches a thou-
sand different scenes and ever commands
the world of light and shade that lies far
below and far away.
Small inns are to be built along this
wilderness way. What a poetic, scene-
crowded way to travel! Every boy and girl
might well plan to walk round mighty
Rainier on this commanding circle path-
way.
The uppermost edge of Rainier's dark
primeval forest ends at timber-line in pen-
insulas, bays, and islands. Between the
ragged edges of the forest and the broken
edges of the ice. and snow is a magnificent
wild-flower scenic belt, or zone, a mile or
118
amount flamicr Rational parli
two in width. Mingling are ice, snow, bro-
ken groves, brilliant wild flowers, streams,
crags, meadows, and a thousand cascades.
Through this scenic zone lies the timber-
line trail.
Steam is constantly issuing from the
craters in the summit. During the last
century, there were a number of slight
eruptions, the most recent one occurring in
1870. Indian legends tell of a great cata-
clysm during which the summit of the
mountain was blown to pieces and scat-
tered afar. Apparently the peak, before
this explosion, was about two thousand
feet higher than at present. The shattered
summit indicates the reality of this tradi-
tionary explosion and previous height. It
is three miles across the summit. A part
of the great crater-rim still remains, and
Liberty Cap and Peak Success strongly
testify to former elevation and grandeur.
Often this splendid peak wears a vast
wreath or belt of clouds or mists. Visitors
to the middle slopes frequently have the
119
Hour
delightful experience of being above the
clouds. Frangois E. Matthes, the well-
known geologist, thinks this mountain a
wonderful source of inspiration and wishes
that it were possible for all people to share
it. He says, " No doubt the time will come
when a pilgrimage to Mount Rainier shall
be esteemed among the most precious joys,
the most coveted privileges which a citizen
of this country may hope to realize for him-
self or for his fellows."
George Vancouver, the explorer, discov-
ered Mount Rainier in 1792. It was named
in honor of Peter Rainier, an English ad-
miral. Theodore Winthrop, author of that
classic book of travel, " Canoe and Saddle,"
visited the region in 1853. He was an ar-
dent advocate of the original Indian names
of conspicuous objects of interest. The In-
dian name for this peak was Tahoma. It
is encouraging that the people of Seattle
and Tacoma may early unite to ask that
this name be adopted. Said Mr. Winthrop
in "Canoe and Saddle": —
120
amount Uainier Rational $arft
Let us, therefore, develop our own world.
It has taken us two centuries to discover our
proper West across the Mississippi, and to
know by indefinite hearsay that among the
groups of the Rockies are heights worth no-
tice.
Farthest away in the West, as near the west-
ern sea as mountains can stand, are the Cas-
cades. Sailors can descry their landmarked
summits firmer than a cloud, a hundred miles
away. . . . Kulshan, misnamed Mount Baker
by the vulgar, is an irregular, massive, mound-
shaped peak. . . . South of Kulshan the range
continues dark, rough and somewhat unmean-
ing to the eye, until it is relieved by Tahoma.
Mount Tahoma was first climbed in 1870
by General Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van
Trump. The first woman to climb it was
Miss Fay Fuller, who went to the summit
in 1890. The Indians appear not to have
climbed above the snow-line. They had
little occasion to go higher, and they be-
lieved that the god of the mountain forbade
their ascending farther.
In 1883, Henry Villard, president of the
Northern Pacific Railroad, sent a large
party to enjoy the scenes on the slopes of
121
If our Rational
Mount Rainier. Among those in the party
were James Bryce, afterward British Am-
bassador to the United States, and Bailey
Willis. These two gentlemen appear to have
discussed the importance of having this
peak set aside as a National Park. On the
completion of this excursion, James Bryce
and others recommended to Henry Villard
that efforts be made to have this Park
created. Later, similar requests were made
by individuals and organizations, and a
recommendation to this effect was made
in writing by the National Academy of
Sciences. In 1899 the Park was established.
I. THE SPLENDID WILD-FLOWER GARDEN
The triumphant glory of Mount Rainier
National Park is seen in its wild flowers.
It is doubtful whether anywhere else on
earth is to be found so extensive and luxuri-
ant a growth of such brightly colored flowers
amid such scenes of supreme wildness and
grandeur.
A vast broken flower-belt encircles the
122
ftainicr Rational parft
peak between the ragged lower edge of the
large ice-fields and the ragged upper limits
of tree growth. A flower-belt fifty miles
long, covered and crowded with flowers,
mile after mile ! It is most showy and splen-
did at and just above the limits of tree
growth. Masses of color; myriads of blos-
soms, each of clean and vivid hue! This
vast and splendid garden is crossed with
streams and canons, adorned with crags,
green meadows, forested peninsulas, and
islands of groves. This encircling flower
carnival expands into numerous connected
and disconnected alpine parks. Each park
is a superb flower-garden with a splendid
precipitous alpine back- and sky-ground.
Among the more striking of these are
Paradise Park, Indian Henry's Hunting
Grounds, Spray Park, and Summerland.
In the open upper reaches of the forest,
the fragrant twin-flower covers and crowds
wide places. There are thousands of cream-
white mountain lilies — bear-grass — with
tall, slender blooms. The shooting-star, a
123
Sour Rational $arf#
near relative of the cyclamen, is as thick
upon the earth as stars up in the sky. Thou-
sands of purple asters are found upon stalks
two feet high. A dogtooth violet, com-
monly called avalanche lily, is abundant.
The western anemone, with its exquisite
leaves, its purple bloom and decorative
seed plumes, adorns many a wild garden.
Many of the plants in the high altitude
grow rapidly, bloom briefly, and seed
quickly. Summer is short.
Acres of valerian with four-foot stalks
thrust their pungent blooms beneath one's
nose. The blue mertensia crowds moist
places with a thicket of stalks three feet
high. A lavender-colored arctic lupine
grows in decorative masses. The white
dock, sometimes called wild buckwheat,
nods on its slender stalks two feet above
the earth. The wild hellebore carries its
greenish-white flowers upon stalks as high
as one's head.
Many of the yellow or golden flowers
bloom close to the earth. There are golden
124
Rainier Rational park
asters and golden-rods, a mountain dande-
lion, a low-growing yellow buttercup called
the monkey-flower, the gold-touched ar-
nica, and yellow potentilla. These fill many
wide, ragged places with a blaze of yellow
glory.
Low-growing lavender-colored phlox ap-
pears in masses, and Cusick's speedwell
forms large patches of low-lying blue. Epi-
lobiums cover acres of earth with pink
petals.
A species of blue gentian grows in showy
clusters, and meadows are filled with the
brightest painted-cups in red and crimson.
The heather, the heather! There are rich,
deep masses of red, white, and yellow
heather. The white heather is the lovely
cassiope that adorns the snow edges of
thousands of mountains from Mexico to
the Arctic regions.
Endless are the ranks of the saxifrage
family in white; countless the numbers of
the pink family. Here the spring beauty
blooms in summer and the rose-crimson
125
Hour Rational $arft£
Pentstemon rupicola makes a showy appear-
ance.
Also above the limits of tree growth are
other little plant people: the ever-cheerful
kinnikinnick; a dainty, tiny fern; numer-
ous members of the figwort family; Lyall's
lupine, with its brilliant bloom of purple
flowers; the evening-primrose; and a most
pungent polemonium.
Growing far up the slopes is an attrac-
tive member of the dock family that is
tufted with purplish-yellow bloom. A yel-
low mustard (Droba aureola) and another
member of the mustard family with creamy-
white flowers carry and maintain this won-
derful wild-flower garden farthest above
the clouds, highest up into the snow-fields
and the sky.
One day I found a tiny tuft of bloom in a
bit of soil on the very summit of Rainier.
It was in a niche of lava, surrounded with
ice and snow, but warmed by the steadily
escaping steam. Brave, cheerful little fel-
low creature! In a steamy, ice-rimmed
126
nainicr Rational park
volcano's throat on a desolate top of the
world !
Of all the fire-mountains which, like beacons,
once blazed along the Pacific Coast, Mount
Rainier is the noblest in form. ... Its massive
white dome rises out of its forests, like a world
by itself. . . . Above the forests there is a zone
of the loveliest flowers, fifty miles in circuit
and nearly two miles wide, so closely planted
and luxuriant that it seems as if Nature, glad
to make an open space between woods so
dense and ice so deep, were economizing the
precious ground, and trying to see how many
of her darlings she can get together in one
mountain wreath. . . ..We wade knee-deep
and waist-deep, the bright corollas in myriads
touching petal to petal. . . . Altogether this
is the richest subalpine garden I ever found, a
perfect floral elysium. (John Muir, in "Our
National Parks.")
The forests of this park are a splendid
attraction. The trees are tall and of noble
proportions. The forest floor has a tangled
undergrowth of vines and shrubbery, a
luxuriant carpet of ferns, mosses, and flow-
ers. Many areas are crowded with trees
from two to eight feet in diameter, from
127
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one hundred to two hundred and fifty feet
high. Cedars, spruces, and hemlocks num-
ber their years by centuries. A few are
perhaps a thousand years of age. Theodore
Winthrop wrote of these forests: —
Long years of labor by artists the most
unconscious of their skill had been given
to modelling these columnar firs. Unlike
the pillars of human architecture, chipped
and chiselled in bustling, dusty quarries, and
hoisted to their site by sweat of brow and
creak of pulley, these rose to fairest propor-
tions by the life that was in them and blos-
somed into foliated capitals three hundred
feet overhead.
The forest is gloomy with luxuriant
greenness. Many trees are shrouded with
a pendent lichen, Usnea. This hangs in
long, threadlike tufts, while beneath it,
mingling with the flowers among the tow-
ering trees, are forests of far-spreading
ferns.
Around the foot of the mountain are the
Indian-pipe and the pyrola, of the winter-
green family; and there is still another
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delightful member of this family, whose
generic name means "delight." The dog-
wood (Cornus canadensis), the forest ane-
mone, the dainty calypso are also here.
All these and numbers of other brilliant-
ly colored species brighten and in places
illuminate the somber forest floor like
touches and dashes of sunlight.
On the lower slopes Douglas spruce and
Western hemlock predominate, with red
cedar along the streams. Above the alti-
tude of three thousand feet, noble and sil-
ver firs are found singly and in solid groves.
Ascending, we find a scattered growth of
lodge-pole, growths of Engelmann spruce,
and a few white-bark pines.
The timber-line may be given as about
sixty-five hundred feet, or at the same
altitude as in the Alps. The extreme height
of the tree growth is about one thousand
feet greater. Most of the timber-line
growth is crushed, flattened, and op-
pressed. The timber-line grouping is most
poetical and picturesque. In places the
129
Hour
trees are both dwarfed and distorted with
wind and snow. The trees are mountain
hemlock, alpine fir, Engelmann spruce,
and white-bark pine. These stand singly,
in groups, and in ragged groves. Com-
monly they stand in green meadows or
brilliant wild-flower gardens. Here and
there they are separated with the green
tracks of permanent snowslides.
The Mount Rainier National Park has
its full share of bird and animal life. Here
are numerous warblers and woodpeckers;
chickadees, black-hooded jays, dainty hum-
mingbirds, ptarmigans, thrushes, and trust-
ful water-ouzels.
Among the animals is that audacious
climber, the mountain goat. There also
are deer, elk, bears, and other alert wild
folk.
2. GLACIERS OF MOUNT RAINIER
Mount Rainier has the largest and the
longest glacier in the United States. This
is the Emmons. It is about six miles long
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and has an area of about eight square
miles. It is on the eastern slope of the peak.
The ice-area on Rainier covers one seventh
of the Park, or about fifty square miles.
Rainier has a magnificent glacial sys-
tem. There are a dozen large and twice as
many small glaciers. The peak is an enor-
mous cone with a blunt, broken top. A
majority of the large glaciers begin two
thousand or more feet below the summit
and extend in a comparatively straight
line toward the bottom. Though a num-
ber unite in continuous ice-fields well up
the slope, down the slope each generally
is separated from its neighbors. The gla-
ciers are separated by narrow ledges called
cleavers, or by each occupying its own
deep canon. Near the terminus many are
separated by moraines or flowering mea-
dows.
The Nisqually Glacier, which ends just
below the altitude of four thousand feet in
Paradise Park, is five miles long. In the
summer-time it moves forward at the rate
Sour Rational fparlt£
of about sixteen inches per day. This, and
in fact all glaciers, have periods of ad-
vance and retreat. During the last twenty-
five years this glacier has retreated about
one thousand feet. That is to say, the
present point where it melts entirely away
is one thousand feet farther up the slope
than it was twenty- five years ago. In com-
paratively recent times, as the cirques,
lakes, and moraines far down the slopes
show, the glaciers on this peak were deeper
and larger, and reached much farther down
the slope than at present.
The Nisqually Glacier has continuous
connection with the snow deposits upon
the summit of the peak. At one point this
snow comes down a precipitous cascade
and tumbles perhaps two thousand feet.
This and all other glaciers are clean and
snowy at the upper end, but the lower end
is greatly darkened with rock-debris and
earthy material that have mixed with it.
The last half-mile of the Nisqually Glacier
has the appearance more of a rock glacier
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amount ftainirr Rational path
than an ice glacier. Its front is a dark
chocolate color.
The Paradise Glacier is one of several
on the southerly slope. It is formed by
the union of a number of ice-streams which
originate at about nine thousand feet.
They do not receive snow from the slopes
above, but quantities of snow are brought
to them by the wind. Near the lower end,
this glacier divides into a number of lobes
or streams.
The Carbon Glacier descends the north-
erly slope. It originates in the large cirque
or ice-made canon on the peak. This is a
mile and a half across, and its terminal
wall rises precipitously thirty-six hundred
feet. Its snow supplies fall upon it from
the clouds, are swept to it by the winds,
and rushed to it by avalanches.
The Winthrop Glacier is on the north-
ern slope. Among its interesting features
are ice-cascades, glacier tablets, and the
ice flowing over high mounds in its main
channel.
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The Tahoma glaciers on the southwest
slope exhibit a glacier island.
The Kautz Glacier on the southern
slope is long, narrow, and winding. It has
an enormous medial moraine. Pyramid
Rock commands an excellent view of this
and other scenes.
Many admirable names have been se-
lected for the objects of interest on Rainier.
In this connection, some one is to be
thanked for substituting "cleaver" and
"wedge" for "arr£te."
The snowfall on the peak is heaviest on
the lower slopes. This diminishes with
altitude and is lightest on the upper slopes
and the summit. This is typical of moun-
tain snowfalls. From long experience in
the Rocky Mountains, I am able to say
that the snowfall there is much less on
the high peaks than on their middle
slopes. The same fact applies to the Sierra
Nevada of California, to the Andes of
South America, and to the Himalayas
and the Alps. It is common for a storm-
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itainicr Rational $arh
cloud to be comparatively close to the
earth. The height of it is determined more
by the height of near-by plateaus and
passes than by that of the peaks. It is
certain that during many of the lowland
storms the mountain peaks thrust up into
the sunshine through the silver lining of
the clouds.
Wind is an interesting factor in the dis-
tribution of the snowfall. It sweeps snow
off exposed ridges and accumulates it in
vast quantities at places where a glacier
starts or where the snow avalanches to a
glacier. Columbia's Crest — the summit
— appears to be in a large measure formed
by snow that the wind carries up to it
from the slopes far below. Thus, to snows
that fell on these slopes the height of the
peak and its white top are in a measure
due.
A score of turbulent streams radiate
from this mountain. Apparently its vol-
canic material is easily eroded. The streams
are heavily laden with gravel and sedi-
135
if our l^ationai parks
ment. Though the peak is comparatively
young, the canons made by ice and water
are large. Vast portions of the mountain
have already been carried away by the
erosive forces of ice and running water.
V
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK
THE supreme attraction in Crater Lake
National Park is the vivid blue lake that
sleeps in the rugged and magnificent crater
of a dead volcano — Mount Mazama.
One golden September afternoon I
climbed alone upon the rim of the crater
near Eagle Point. There was no wind, and
everything lay broodingly silent in the
sunshine. In an instant the scene became
unreal. The lake, mysteriously blue —
indigo blue — lay below. Barren, deso-
late mountain walls of a desert strangely
surrounded it. Was I exploring the topog-
raphy of the moon?
A second look at most new scenes, and
there comes to me a feeling of acquaint-
ance — of having been there before. But
this scene made no advance; if it had
known me, it desired to forget. I had not
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seen it; it was as indifferent to my pres-
ence as though I existed not. But it was
enchanting and it was eloquent. In com-
mon with all other visitors to Crater Lake,
I received profound and lasting impres-
sions.
The splendid ruin of the ashen-gray
walls, the intense and refined blue of
the lake, arouse the imagination. What
graphic, dramatic, world-building story
is locked in these bold scenes?
It is probable that this vast blue-bot-
tomed caldron was once covered with a
volcanic peak. This vanished volcano is
named Mount Mazama. The geological
story is that the upper half of the peak
collapsed. There was volcanic violence.
But it did not, like Mount Rainier and
Mount Baker, explosively blow its sum-
mit to pieces. A mile or more of the upper
half simply collapsed and dropped into
the crater. Had an explosion hurled the
enormous fragments of the top afar, they
must have been found scattered about.
CRATER LAKE AND WIZARD ISLAND
Crater Xafte Rational J5arft
But only small fragments of pumice have
been discovered.
This collapse appears to have been pre-
ceded by a rupture of the base, allowing
the lava to escape. This lava had filled
the crater and supported its walls, and the
collapse followed its removal. The upper
part of this peak that apparently dropped
into the crater must have been six thou-
sand or more feet high, with a basal di-
ameter of about six miles. Its bulk was
equal to, or greater than, the whole of
Mount Washington, the highest peak in
New England.
An early impression that this lake crater
gave me was that it had been formed by
breaking off an enormous conical and
hollow volcanic peak which was inverted
and jammed, small end downward, into
the earth. This caldron remains. It is
now a jagged, gigantic central opening
in the deep surrounding lava-beds. These
exhibit the former fiery flooding activity
of Mazama.
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four Rational parity
The volcano was active at intervals in
the glacial period. This is shown in the
glaciated rock-surfaces of the rim that are
covered with layers of pumice and rhyo-
lite. The lake is encircled by about twenty
miles of precipitous walls that rise from
five hundred to two thousand feet above
the surface of the water. The lake-level
is 6177 feet. The surface fluctuates a few
feet each year.
The water is deep, much of it from
twelve hundred to nineteen hundred feet.
In a few places it is less than three hundred
feet deep, with near-by surroundings sev-
eral hundred feet deeper. Are these shal-
low spots above the tops of other volcanic
cones or lava-masses?
The lava-beds in the surrounding outer
slopes of the crater overlie one another at
an angle that indicates that the lava was
poured to them from a central point above.
Extend the slopes upward from the rim on
the angle of the slopes below, and the out-
line of the former peak is restored. This
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Crater Xafte Rational park
would make a peak about the size of Mount
Shasta.
At the altitude of the crater rim, about
eight thousand feet, the diameter is about
six miles, the same as that of Mount Shasta
at the same altitude. As both peaks are
composed of like kinds of lava, we may
safely assume that Mount Mazama before
it collapsed was about the size and height
of Mount Shasta (14,380 feet).
Glacier records furnish additional evi-
dence of the former height and magnitude
of Mazama. On the rim and on the outer
slopes just below it are a number of gla-
cier grooved and planed rock-surfaces. The
lines of these extend downward, so the ice
must have come from above. Then, too,
there are a number of moraines that show
they were deposited by glaciers from up-
per slopes. Apparently glaciers flowed down
all sides of this mountain from a central
high point. Two ice-eroded canons begin
in the southern rim and extend down the
slope. Plainly these were formed by ice-
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streams that came down from above. Thus
the angle of the lava-built slopes, and the
lines of glaciation, testify to the former ex-
istence of a high central summit.
On its slopes the Fire King and the Ice
King appear to have wrought and to have
clashed. Both have vanished from the
scene; but here remains a volcanic land-
scape slightly sculptured by ice. The Ma-
zama story appears a spectacular one.
This scene is a favorite with geologists.
They come to it from all over the world.
Crater lakes are common. There are num-
bers of dead craters filled with water in
South America, Asia, and elsewhere. But
this is an extraordinary crater lake. The
marvelous blueness is only one feature. The
rare geological exhibit makes a strange
appeal.
Joseph S. Diller, of the United States
Geological Survey, closes his excellent
monograph on the " Geological History of
Crater Lake, Oregon" with the following
words: —
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Crater £afee Rational f&arft
Aside from its attractive scenic features,
Crater Lake affords one of the most interesting
and instructive fields for the study of volcanic
geology to be found anywhere in the world.
Considered in all its aspects, it ranks with the
Grand Canon of the Colorado, the Yosemite
Valley, and the Falls of Niagara, but with an
individuality that is superlative.
No streams flow into this lake, and there
is no visible outlet. It is probable that sub-
terranean waters empty into it and flow
from it. The annual precipitation, together
with the enormous quantities of snow that
are blown into it, greatly exceeds the
amount of water evaporated. The water is
clear and cold. It is so clear that a plate
may be seen upon the bottom through
fifty or more feet of water. Fish may be
distinctly seen swimming about at great
depths.
Many alpine lakes are blue under some
lights* The deep blueness of this lake may
possibly be due to mineral which the water
holds in solution; or also in part to its
high surrounding walls and to its enor-
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mous depth. Seen from the rim, a narrow
margin of the water along the walls is
sea-green. Yet a glassful is as clear as the
clearest.
A few days spent upon the rim and in a
launch upon the lake will give glimpses
of world-building features and nature-his-
tory. Morning is a good time for a journey
around the lake. At no point is there a
beach. The steep walls descend and plunge
into the water.
In the lake near the west shore is Wizard
Island. It is a perfect little volcano — a
crater within a crater. Although a few pines
are growing upon it, the island's lava and
ashes appear as if just cast from the in-
ternal furnace. It probably was formed
after the collapse of Mount Mazama.
Lava, cinders, and tiny water-filled crater
appear strange mimicry. The island rises
several hundred feet above the lake-sur-
face, and its crater is eighty feet deep. The
island is a good view-point at noon, at
evening, or when the blue cold crater glows
144
Crater 3la&c Rational $ar&
and sparkles with the reflected fires of a
million fiery worlds.
Phantom Ship, near the southeast shore,
is a volcanic island masted with rock-spires.
It has scattered trees. From a number of
points of view it has the appearance of a
ship, but under certain lights it blends so
completely with the walls behind it that it
vanishes.
The forests are magnificent. Among the
trees on the rim and on Wizard Island are
noble fir, alpine fir, mountain white pine,
Douglas spruce, alpine hemlock, and lodge-
pole pine. Sheep- pasturing in former years
wrought havoc with the wild flowers, of
which there are numerous varieties. There
are many kinds of wild birds and wild life.
While there are other scenic attractions, the
supreme one must ever be the lake of mar-
velous blue and its rugged, fire-tinted walls.
In the ruined caldron where red fire and
black smoke wildly mingled, blue water
lies in repose.
On June 12, 1853, a number of prospec-
H5
Sour ifJattonal $ar fc£
tors, led by John W. Hillman, discovered
Crater Lake. Though not interested in
scenery, they were aroused by this gigantic
blue gem in its rough volcanic setting.
In 1885, William G. Steele began the
campaign which finally won this National
Park. This campaign went through num-
berless vicissitudes and lasted seventeen
years, the Park having been established
in 1902.
In 1888, Steele carried a number of trout
in a can upon his back for more than forty
miles. These trout were placed in the lake
and grew rapidly. Since then it has been
repeatedly stocked by the Government.
Nowhere else that I know of can a fisher-
man catch a trout and clearly watch its
every effort many feet under the water, as
it tries to run away with or escape from
the cruel hook.
This Park is in the heart of the Cascade
Mountains in southern Oregon, a short dis-
tance north of the California line. It has an
area of about two hundred and forty-nine
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Crater Slake Rational $arfc
square miles. Mount Thielson, Diamond
Lake, and other near-by attractive features
might well be added to the territory of the
Park.
VI
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
LAKES — splendid intermountain lakes
— are an unrivaled attraction in the Glacier
National Park. Here, too, are other strik-
ing features — glaciers, peaks precipitous
and stupendous, forests, and streams. The
rugged Alplike mountains are of first mag-
nitude. The forests that crowd the lower
elevations of the park are primeval and
grand. The vigorous streams are set in
magnificent scenery. But I feel that the
lakes are entitled to first rank among the
scenic attractions in this park.
There are two hundred and fifty of these,
of different sizes, each of individual outline
and with an original alpine setting. Some
repose in the depths of the forest. Others
have a shore-line half forest and half the
abrupt wall of a towering peak. Still other
lakes have a wild shore of snow-fields,
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flatter Rational $arfe
glaciers, forests, meadows, and mountains.
Waterfalls out of the mountain sky drop
into many; cascading streams rush from
the outlets of others.
Many of the lakes are strikingly long for
their narrow width. Lake [McDonald is
about ten miles long and one mile wide.
Waterton Lake is about twelve miles long,
with an average width of perhaps half a
mile. Bowman Lake is about six miles long
by half a mile wide. Avalanche Lake,
which lies in Avalanche Basin, is hemmed
in on all sides, except at the outlet, by pre-
cipitous mountains. It is a beautiful ellipse
about one mile long. Iceberg Lake is on
the north side of Wilbur Mountain, which
towers three thousand feet above the sur-
face of the water. The Blackfeet name for
this is " Fly-around-in." McDermott and
Altyn Lakes are beauty spots. The outlet of
McDermott is a series of spectacular cas-
cades. Its shore is open, and around it one
moves about easily. Altyn Lake is only a
quarter of a mile distant from McDermott.
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These lakes lie between Grinnell Mountain
and Allen Mountain and are a part of one
of the grandest scenes in the Park.
Grinnell Lake lies one mile above Altyn
Lake, at the foot of the tremendous cliffs
of Gould Mountain. The lower end of the
lake is open and parklike, while at the up-
per end cliffs rise about four thousand feet.
This lake receives the waters from Grinnell
Glacier. These pour over high cliffs at the
upper end of the lake and form a beautiful
spectacle. The scenes which unite around
Grinnell Lake are unsurpassed in the park.
These lakes are glacier lakes. That is,
the basin of each was gouged or eroded by
the movement of glacial ice. There are a
few exceptions where the lake is due
chiefly to a morainal dam, or a dam that
was formed by a landslide.
The highest peak in the Park is Cleve-
land Mountain, 10,438 feet above sea-level.
Several others rise more than ten thousand
feet, and a great number more than nine
thousand feet. Many of these peaks are
150
McDERMOTT FALLS AND GRINNELL MOUNTAIN
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
flatter
connected with sharp pinnacled ridges, and
most of them rise steeply into the sky.
Precipices, nearly vertical, that measure
between two thousand and four thousand
feet are common. Thus it will be seen that
these two hundred and fifty lakes have a
mountainous setting. Distribute these lakes
on terraces among the peaks and fit in about
one hundred glaciers, have the forests ev-
erywhere in the lower altitudes, cut these
with clear streams, and we have the scenic
make-up of the Glacier National Park.
Considered as a whole, it is unexcelled
mountain architecture.
The Blackfeet Glacier on the Continental
Divide is the largest in the Park. Mount
Jackson towers red above it. It has an area
of about three square miles and lies be-
tween the altitudes of six thousand and
seven thousand feet. The much- visited
Sperry Glacier, which is easily reached from
Lake McDonald, has a little more than one
square mile of ice-area. Grinnell Glacier is
about the size of the Sperry.
If our liJatioual 39ark£
Altogether there are about one hundred
glaciers in the Park. Most of these have
an area of less than one square mile. The
majority of them, of course, are mere rem-
nants of vast glaciers. In many cases their
small size is an advantage to the student.
Carrying, as most of these do, the char-
acteristics of larger glaciers, and being in
a small compass and surrounded with va-
rious kinds of glacial work — moraines,
lakes, and smooth rock-surf aces — they place
before us, in one scene, the story of the
ice age.
On every hand is evidence of glacier
work. The glaciers themselves in many
instances are placed in a manner that
explains their mobility. You can see that
they have moved and are moving. You
can see the effects of their moves, and the
results of the movements of the stupendous
prehistoric glaciers that have vanished.
The Glacier National Park has an end-
less variety of small game, and in it nu-
merous varieties of large animals are fairly
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abundant. Most important of all is the
grizzly bear. Black bears are common.
So, too, are elk; and there is a scattering
of moose, lions, deer, and antelopes. In
some localities bighorn sheep and moun-
tain goats are abundant. Trout abound in
many lakes and streams.
There is a goodly array of suggestive
outdoor names, many of which are of In-
dian application. Red Eagle Mountain,
Pass, and Valley, Rising Wolf Mountain,
Two Medicine Lake, Avalanche Lake,
Swift Current River, are a few of the vigor-
ous, spirited names. Many of the old pic-
turesque and descriptive Indian names
have been discarded, however, for names
that are utterly unfit or meaningless.
There are scores of varieties of flowers.
These brighten the woods, stand along the
streams, border the lakes, and crowd close
to the glaciers. They climb above the
limits of tree growth. Grinnell Lake has
a grand wild-flower garden on its shores.
Among the many kinds are bluebell,
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queen's-cup, violet, water-lily, and wild
hollyhock.
The summit slopes of these mountains
are above the timber-line. All the lower
slopes and spaces in the Park not occupied
and glorified by lakes, streams, and cliffs
are crowded with forests, green and grand.
Much of the old glaciation is covered with
forest growths. Many moraines are crowned
with spruces, and numerous glacial am-
phitheaters are now filled with splendid
forests.
The visitor to the summit of Swift Cur-
rent Pass will find himself monarch with
great scenes to survey. Below, around, and
above are lakes, streams, peaks, waterfalls,
snow-fields, glaciers, canons, and moun-
tains. These are splendidly grouped and
combined; gradually they fade into mys-
terious horizons.
St. Mary's Lake — " Good Spirit Woman
Lake" — is crescent-shaped, with miles of
spruce-walled shores. It has a length of ten
miles in the Glacier Park and is a queen
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Glacier Rational $ark
among queens of mountain lakes. Kingly
peaks stand waiting around the shores. Red
Eagle Mountain, Fusillade Mountain, and
Going-to-the-Sun Mountain are a part of
the magnificence in which this lovely lake
reposes. Mount Jackson, one of the high-
est summits in the Park, is often reflected
in its waters.
The mountains of this Park are broken
and have towering walls. On the east they
rise abruptly from the peaceful plains. No-
where in the country can be found such an
array of high and nearly vertical walls.
Many of these mountains and peaks are
enlivened with color. Yellow, red, and
green are distributed on a magnificent
scale.
The very name "Two-Ocean Pass/1 in
the Yellowstone Park, led me through the
pathless forest for days in search of it.
There was a fairyland novelty in the lure of
the name. As soon as I heard of a glacier in
the Glacier National Park whose waters
were divided between the Arctic and the
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Pacific Oceans, I wanted to see it. A part
of the water of a glacier on Vulture Peak
goes to the Pacific through Logging Creek
and the Columbia River. The remainder
goes to Hudson Bay through the Little
Kootenai Creek. Some one has wisely pro-
posed the name " Two-Ocean Glacier '\ for
this ice-field.
Triple Divide Peak is another place that
has a peculiarly wild, romantic appeal. This
sharp- pointed peak is 8001 feet above the
sea. Close together in its summit slopes,
surrounded by a maze of alpine mountains,
three streams start almost from a common
source, each to go on its separate, scenic
way to the ocean.
The Red Eagle travels towards the
North Pole through the north country and
empties into that vast ice-formed basin,
Hudson Bay. The waters of the Cut Bank
choose the channel of the Missouri in which
to travel the long journey to the inland sea,
the Gulf of Mexico, and perhaps from this
to flow north into the Gulf Stream. The
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Nyack goes to the Pacific through the
crooked international channel of the scenic
Columbia River.
HISTORY OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
George Bird Grinnell was a loyal and
helpful friend to the Yellowstone Na-
tional Park during its trying years. He
also rendered the public the distinguished
service of originating the Glacier Na-
tional Park idea and helping to bring about
its realization. In 1885, accompanied by
James Willard Schultz, he visited a num-
ber of its now famous lakes and glaciers.
On his return he published a series of ar-
ticles entitled "To the Walled-in Lakes."
A peak, a glacier, and a lake have been
named in his honor. Year after year he
returned to this region to enjoy the scen-
ery and to study the language and customs
of the Blackfeet Indian. In 1891, accom-
panied by Harry L. Stimpson, he discov-
ered the Blackfoot Glacier, the largest in
the Park, and a little later he wrote an
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article concerning it. In an article entitled
"The Crown of the Continent " he gave a
good account of the region.
James Willard Schultz lived for years
with the Blackfeet Indians and spent a
number of years with them in this terri-
tory. He says that Hugh Monroe was the
first white man to see the Glacier Na-
tional Park region. This was in 1815.
Grinnell states that James Doty visited it
in 1853. The same year, apparently, A. W.
Tinkham, a government engineer, crossed
through Cut Bank Pass. The American
and British boundary-line survey commis-
sioners visited the region in 1861.
I had a few weeks in the region in the
autumn of 1896. For most other National
Parks I have recommended enlargements,
feeling that some adjacent and important
scenic territory had been left outside the
Park lines. But with the vast Glacier
National Park no additions appear to be
needed.
Grinnell says: —
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Glacier $ational $arft
In an old notebook, under date of Septem-
ber 17, 1891, I found not long ago the follow-
ing remark: "How would it do to start a move-
ment to buy the St. Mary country, say thirty
by thirty miles, from the Piegan Indians at
a fair valuation, and turn it into a national
reservation or park?"
This idea, in the course of the next ten
years, grew in my mind. It was, I think, the
first suggestion, in words, of the Glacier Na-
tional Park. About the year 1893 indications
of copper were found in the foothills. It was
believed that the country contained mines,
and before long strong pressure was brought to
bear on Congress to purchase the land from
the Indians and throw it open to settlement.
The mountain region was not used by the In-
dians. They lived on the plains. In 1895,
Secretary of the Interior Hoke Smith sent out
Commissioners W. C. Pollock, George Bird
Grinnell, and W. M. Clements, to treat with
the Blackfeet for this territory, and a ma-
jority of the commission went into the moun-
tains and made a hasty inspection of the
region. An agreement was made with the In-
dians, and was ratified by Congress, and about
two years later the territory was thrown open
to settlement. . . .
Soon after 1902 I spoke to Senator T. H.
Carter about setting aside this recently pur-
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chased tract as a National Park, and found
that he was disposed to favor the suggestion.
I then took up the matter with friends in
Montana, and induced them to write to Sena-
tor Carter about the project. The result was
that a little later he introduced a bill, which
passed the Senate once or twice, and at last,
in 1910, passed both houses, and was signed
by President Taft, May 12, 1910, and the
Glacier National Park became a fact.
Certainly the most striking fact in the
history of this Park is the rapidity with
which it has been developed and opened
to travelers. L. W. Hill has given this
region a large share of his time, and in it
has spent enormous sums of money. There
is more than commercialism behind his
work. It has been done with happy hands.
He has made this a part of his life-work.
He has endeavored to create on artistic
lines. What he has done for this Park has
stimulated interest in the other Parks and
will greatly help to bring about their de-
velopment.
VII
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK
WEIRDNESS, romance, and mystery domi-
nate the Mesa Verde National Park. Tow-
ering high and dry above the surrounding
country, carrying in places squatty, scat-
tered growths of pifion pines and cedars,
it stands silently up in the sunlight. Com-
bined with these things, the deserted pre-
historic cliff dwellings give to the Mesa a
strangeness and peculiar appeal. These
monuments of a departed race tell but
little of the story of their builders. They
are the ruins of an ancient civilization that
stood its day and vanished; that —
"Like snow upon the desert's dusty face,
Lighting a little hour or two — is gone."
Who were the cliff dwellers? It is prob-
able that they were Indians. No one knows
where they came from, how long they re-
mained on the Mesa, nor why they left;
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flour Rational parity
how long since they went away, where
they went to, nor what has become of them.
Several hundred ruins of the structures
they reared still remain. These are mys-
terious and thought-compelling, but they
tell little more than is told by the Sphinx.
The Mesa Verde National Park covers
seventy-seven square miles in southwest
Colorado, near the corners of four States.
It is in the "Land of Little Rain." The
table-like summit of this steep-walled
Mesa is eight thousand feet above the
sea, and nearly two thousand feet above
the surrounding country. Looking from
the summit, one sees strange "Ship Rock"
far away in New Mexico. This appears to
be an enormous ship in full sail upon the
sea. It adds to the unreal and mysterious
air of the region.
Numerous canons are countersunk deeply
into this sunny sky plain. Many of the
canons are corniced with a heavy over-
hanging stratum of rock. Beneath this,
in cavelike hollows in the canon walls, the
162
Bertie Rational parfc
cliff houses are found. Here ages ago the
cliff dwellers lived in large communities
and probably under organized govern-
ment — the oldest and most fully realized
civic-center scheme in America. Long be-
fore their mesa country was invaded by
the men of recorded history, these people
of the Southwest vanished, leaving build-
ings, tools, clothing, and pottery to tell
of their odd and interesting Indian civili-
zation.
When the name Indian is mentioned,
the average individual usually thinks of a
savage. But at the time Columbus dis-
covered America, there were millions of
civilized Indians in the Western world,
living under organized government. It is
true that their civilization was different
from ours of to-day, and happily differ-
ent from the European civilization of that
time.
These early civilized Indians lived chiefly
in well-built houses. Many of them trav-
eled good roads. They possessed a keen
163
Sour 3j5ational
sense of right and wrong, and in ethics they
may have averaged higher than the Euro-
pean. Among the tribes that were civilized
were the Mayas, the Aztecs, and the Incas.
The cliff dwellers were an agricultural
people, and they cultivated corn, beans,
cotton, and squash. They appear to have
grown crops by means of irrigation. They
wove cloth of cotton and of the century-
plant fibers. Probably they domesticated
the turkey.
The finger-prints in their adobe mortar
indicate that women built the stone walls.
Among the Indian tribes of the Southwest,
it was common for the men to quarry,
dress, and carry the stones, while the
women built them into walls. Women,
too, appear to have made the pottery.
The men probably were the weavers. The
women ground the corn and most likely
carried the water in jars from the springs.
Were there more springs in the days of
these people than now? Perhaps. Appar-
ently they had numerous reservoirs.
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tDcrbc Rational $arft
These people did not possess a written
language, and their ways of recording
their thoughts or preserving their experi-
ences were poor. They made pictographs
on stone walls and placed symbols on their
pottery and in their weaving. Much of
their pottery is attractive in form and of
ornamental pattern. There are food-bowls,
water-Jars, cooking-utensils, and numer-
ous jugs and mugs.
They appreciated the beautiful. Their
art, though mostly primitive, was art. It
was generally symbolical. Although many
of their pottery decorations were of geo-
metric design, others represented objects
of beauty in which flowing lines were re-
quired. Their basketry showed good taste.
Their architecture was good. Although
their buildings followed varied types, a
number of them displayed lines of beauty
and constructive skill.
Well-preserved mural paintings on many
of the walls of their structures indicate
that they had a good knowledge of dye-
165
Uour Rational $arft#
stuffs as well as a primitive skill in pic-
turing. Remains of figures of men, ani-
mals, cacti, and rain-clouds form a kind
of frieze visible on three sides of the so-
called painted room in one of these houses.
These paintings are believed to indicate
that this room was used for a ceremony
akin to the New Fire ceremony of the Hopi.
Although nearly everything which they
fashioned showed many elements of skill
and beauty, they did not have many tools.
Stone axes and hammers, scrapers, knives,
and awls of bone were the common imple-
ments of use.
It may be that at one time the Mesa had
a population of many thousands. It is pos-
sible that the Sun Temple was built jointly
by the inhabitants of the Spruce Tree
House, the Cliff Palace, and other houses
of the region.
But few things which they left enable
one to judge of their characteristics. They
appear to have had the typical qualities
of human beings. They had their super-
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stitions, their weaknesses, and their strong
points. But they are gone.
"I came like Water, and like Wind I go."
It is true that we know but little of the
people who formerly inhabited these build-
ings. Surely we can learn more through
study. Thus far there has been almost no
systematic study, and but little careful
excavation or attempt to preserve the
various objects found in the ruins. A
school of archaeology might well be estab-
lished in this Park for the purpose of se-
curing information about the cliff dwellers
and giving it to the world.
In his report on his recent excavation
and repair of the Sun Temple, Dr. Jesse
Walter Fewkes, of the Smithsonian Insti-
tution, says: —
The Mesa Verde is unique in its educational
importance. It is destined ultimately to be a
Mecca for all students of the prehistoric of the
Southwest and an object lesson to all visitors
who wish to see the best preserved buildings
of pre-Columbian times in our country. It is
self-evident that the excavation and repair of
gour Rational
all the ruins in this park cannot be accom-
plished in a few years, even were it desirable
to attempt it; the work means many years of
arduous devotion, intelligently directed, and
a large sum of money. It is desirable to open
up these precious remains of antiquity care-
fully, following a definite plan, availing our-
selves of methods acquired by experience. The
work should be done with care, and it will be
an additional attraction if visitors can see how
the work is done. Work on the group will re-
veal important architectural features, and add
much to our scientific information.
Prehistoric ruins abound throughout the
Southwest. Many show considerable skill
in construction and also suggest that the
buildings were the work of a people who
had organized government.
Mrs. Gilbert McClurg, who visited the
Mesa Verde ruins years ago, appears to
have been the first to conceive the idea of
saving these prehistoric places for the
public — of preserving them in a Na-
tional Park. After a campaign of a few
years, led chiefly by Mrs. McClurg, sup-
plemented by the work of organizations
168
Rational $arft
and individuals, the Park was established
in 1906.
In what is now this Park, a Spanish ex-
ploring party discovered cliff houses in
1541. At that time the buildings had been
abandoned for generations. No one knows
how many centuries or millenniums had
then elapsed since the Mesa was deserted.
The age of these cliff houses has been esti-
mated from five hundred to five thousand
years. Modern discovery of the region
appears to have been made by a govern-
ment geological party in 1874.
A few years later Baron Nordenskjold,
a Swedish explorer, spent many weeks with
these ruins, and later wrote a volume con-
cerning them. He carried away from them
several carloads of pottery and other prod-
ucts.
The first white discoverers were either
religious fanatics or people of the pot-
hunter type who were looking for plunder.
They were not interested in the preserva-
tion of any of the ruins discovered, nor of
169
Hour Rational $arft£
any of the equipment that had no com-
mercial value. For years some of the early
settlers and adventurers made it a busi-
ness to search for prehistoric buildings in
order to obtain the pottery and other treas-
ures which they sometimes contained. Often
these pot-hunting treasure-seekers utterly
wrecked the buildings which they found.
In all probability many objects of interest
or information concerning the Mesa Verde
cliff dwellers have been lost.
In the autumn of 1904 I visited the ruins
for the purpose of taking photographs and
found a party of three pottery-hunters
camped near the Balcony House. A part
of their firewood that evening consisted
of precious beams from this ancient house.
For many years the visitors to the Mesa
Verde noticed a huge tree-grown mound
on the rim of the canon- wall, directly oppo-
site the Cliff Palace. A few dressed stones,
apparently the corner of a wall, thrust
above the surface of this mound. Prob-
ably there was a building beneath it. Be-
170
Dcrfcc Rational path
hind and enveloping it lay a forest of low-
growing and limby pinon pines and cedars.
Over all was the ever-present and brooding
mystery of the deserted Mesa Verde.
In July, 1915, Dr. Fewkes put a crew of
men to work excavating the mound. As a
result of their labors, a prehistoric stone
building now stands in the sunshine. It
is the shape of the capital letter D. Its
straight front, which faces southward,
measures one hundred and thirty- two feet ;
its semicircular back, two hundred and
forty-five feet.
Plainly, it was built to a preconceived
plan. There was no patchwork, no inhar-
monious combination. Precisely midway
in the south wall was a recess. In another
recess near the southwest corner was a
fossil palm leaf. This strikingly resembles
the rays of the sun, and together with a
figure of the sun in the floor, suggests that
the building was a Sun Temple. There is
nothing to indicate that it was used or
intended to be used as a dwelling-place.
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four Rational parity
The masonry is the best thus far found
on the Mesa. It was laid with mortar of
tough, enduring clay. The stones of the
walls and partitions were small and were
cut, many polished, and a few decorated.
The figures on a number of these deco-
rated stones consist of triangles, and one
is the outline of a typical cliff-house door
way. The outer walls are double. None
have outside openings. Perhaps the en-
trances to the building were either through
the roof or by means of subterranean pas-
sageways from the face of the cliff just in
front and beneath.
In the mound upon the ruins of this
building was found a living tree that was
more than three hundred and sixty years
old. A long period, perhaps several hun-
dred years, must have been required for
the earthen mound to accumulate upon
the ruins, and then three hundred and sixty
years for the tree to grow. Apparently
the SunTemple must have been abandoned
several hundred years ago, perhaps about
172
Bertie Rational $arft
the year 1300. It appears never to have
been occupied, and probably was in proc-
ess of being completed when it was aban-
doned.
The so-called Cliff Palace in Cliff Canon
is centrally located in the Mesa Verde
National Park. This was a stone struc-
ture more than three hundred feet long
and with more than two hundred rooms.
It appears to have been built in sections
or installments, not to any consecutive
plan. As a result, in this one building
there are a number of types of architecture.
In one section there is a huge square tower
four stories high; in an adjoining section,
a large well-built round tower. This build-
ing probably was a home for scores of
people. There were mill rooms in which
corn was ground, storerooms, ceremonial
rooms, probably roorns used in religious
worship, and other rooms called "kivas,"
which appear to have been used much of
the time by the men as lounging-places.
Fireplaces, were scattered throughout the
173
Sour Rational parJM
building. Many of the walls were of cut
stone, and some were plastered and adorned
with paintings. Paint still shows on a
number of walls.
This park contains other large stone
structures and hundreds of smaller cliff
ruins. Among the buildings, besides the
Cliff Palace, are the Spruce Tree House,
the Balcony House, the Tunnel House,
and numerous buildings upon the surface.
Near Mummy Lake are a number of large,
tree-grown mounds, similar to the re-
cently excavated one that covered the
Sun Temple. Beneath each of these is a
buried stone structure. Here, apparently,
is a buried city.
VIII
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
MAGNIFICENT mountains in the sky,
peak after peak along the horizon, — an
inspiring skyline, — such is the setting
of the Rocky Mountain National Park.
In this playground is a twenty-five-mile
stretch of the most rugged section of the
Continental Divide. Here are fifty peaks
with summits more than two miles high.
From one hundred miles distant, out on
the plains of Colorado or Wyoming, these
snowy, rugged mountain-tops give one a
thrill as they appear to join with the clouds
and form a horizon that seems to be a part
of the scenery of the sky.
Splendidly grouped with these peaks
and mountains are canons, moorlands,
waterfalls, glaciers, lakes, forests, mea-
dows, and wild flowers — the Rocky
Mountains are at their best.
175
Sour Rational $arJM
On approaching the Park by the east
entrance, through the long-famed Estes
Park region, even the dullest traveler is
thrilled with the first glimpse, and those
who frequently behold it find the scene as
welcome as a favorite old song. From the
entrance, one looks down on an irregular,
undulating, green mountain meadow, miles
in extent. This is Estes Park. Great pines
are scattered over it, singly and in groves;
rocky points and cliffs rise picturesquely
in the midst; and the Big Thompson River,
sweeping in great folds from side to
side, goes majestically across. High, forest-
walled mountains surround it, and the
great jagged snowy range stands splen-
didly above.
The Rocky Mountain Park is glorified
with transcendent forms of the beautiful
and the sublime. In it bees hum and
beavers build; birds give melody to the
forest depth, and butterflies with painted
wings circle the sunny air. Mountain sheep
in classic poses watch from the cliffs,
Q^ouutain Rational park
eagles soar in the blue, speckled trout
sprinkle the clear streams, and the varied
voice of the coyote echoes when the after-
glow falls. From top to bottom the park
is beautified with dainty, exquisite wild
flowers of brightest hues; they crowd the
streams, wave on the hills, shine in wood-
land vistas, and color snow-edges every-
where.
This Park has an area of about three
hundred and sixty square miles. Its ter-
raced alpine heights are about equally di-
vided between the Atlantic and the Pacific
slopes. It is twenty- five miles long, from
twelve to twenty miles wide, and about
one mile high from lowest to highest alti-
tudes.
The greater part of the Park lies above
the altitude of nine thousand feet. Its south-
east corner is within forty miles of Denver;
the northeast corner about the same dis-
tance from Cheyenne. A number of rail-
roads run close to it, and the Lincoln High-
way is about twenty miles away. The Park
177
Sour Rational
is only thirty hours from Chicago, and its
accessibility adds to its invitingness as a
playground.
Side by side in it are two dominating
peaks. These are Long's Peak, 14,255 feet
high, and Mount Meeker, 14,000 feet above
the sea. These great summits were a land-
mark for the primitive red man who saw
them from the plains. For generations the
plains Indians spoke of them as the* 'Two
Guides."
Viewed as a whole from a neighboring
mountain- top, either on the eastern or the
western side, the Park presents an impos-
ing appearance. My favorite near-by view-
point is the summit of the Twin Sister
Peaks.
In commenting on the appearance of the
eastern slope Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden, the
celebrated geologist, wrote as follows: —
Not only has Nature amply supplied this
with features of rare beauty and surroundings
of admirable grandeur, but it has thus dis-
tributed them that the eye of an artist may
fountain Rational pad*
rest with perfect satisfaction on the complete
picture represented. It may be said, perhaps,
that the more minute details of the scenery
are too decorative in their character, showing,
as they do, the irregular picturesque groups
of hills, buttes, products of erosion, and the
finely moulded ridges — the effect is pleasing
in the extreme.
Mountain-climbers will find a number
of towering view-points. Long's Peak is
the superior one, and the most dominating
single feature in the Park. It is a moun-
tain of striking individuality and peculiar
ruggedness, though not extremely difficult
to climb. Standing a little apart from
numbers of other peaks, it is placed so as
to command rugged near-by views as well
as wonderful far-reaching vistas that van-
ish in the light and shadow of distance.
Among the other peaks that climbers
would do well to stand upon are Mount
Meeker, Hague's Peak, and Specimen
Mountain. Among the lower peaks that
command magnificent scenes, I would name
Meadow Mountain, at the southern end
179
four
of the Park, as one of the best. Among
other excellent views are those from Flat-
Top Mountain, Gem Lake, Echo Moun-
tain, near Grand Lake, and a number of
places along the summit of Trail Ridge.
The topography of the Park is one big
glacial story, which in places is of unusual
interest. This fascinating story left by the
Ice King is for the most part well preserved
and forms one of the Park's chief attrac-
tions. Nowhere in America are glacial rec-
ords of such prominence more numerous,
accessible, and easily read.
A few small glaciers remain — one on
the eastern slope of Long's Peak, and An-
drews, Sprague's, and Hallet Glaciers in
the north half of the eastern slope. These
glaciers are mere remnants, but none the
less interesting.
Altogether there are more than one hun-
dred lakes and tarns in the Park. Most of
these are small, but each has its peculiarly
attractive setting. With few exceptions,
these lakes repose in basins of solid rock
180
= 2
U <
O H
fountain jjJatioual $adt
that were excavated for them by glacial
action. In the Park are also many stupen-
dous moraines.
Each year more than a thousand varie-
ties of wild blossoms give color and charm
to this favored spot. They are to be
counted among the four chief attractions,
the other three being Long's Peak, the gla-
ciation, and the timber-line. Of the bril-
liantly colored wild flowers many take on
large and vigorous form, while in the alpine
moorlands numerous species are dwarfed
and low-growing. A few bright blossoms
jewel the summits of the highest peaks.
Flowers grow wherever there is a bit of soil
for them to live in.
On the summit of Long's Peak, nearly
three miles up, in a number of places I have
seen bright primroses and polemonium,
blue mertensia and lavender-colored phlox.
There are ragged wild gardens of alpine
flowers nearly thirteen thousand feet above
the sea. More than one hundred varieties
of flowers brighten the ledges of the cliffs,
181
Sour Rational parity
fringe the snow-piles, and color the moor-
lands of the heights above the limits of tree
growth. The alpine blooms that live in
dry or wind-swept places are dwarfed and
flattened. They keep their beauty close to
the earth. Many of these little flowering
people are so greatly dwarfed that the
plant with its leaf and blossom does not
rise a quarter of an inch above the earth.
Among these are the phlox, harebell, and
the columbine.
The Mariposa lily's, perhaps, is the most
classic petal in the Park. Among its con-
spicuous neighbors are the fringed gentian,
the silver-and-blue columbine, the elab-
orate calypso orchid, and the graceful
harebell. Among the other abundant and
beautiful blossoms are violets, daisies,
asters, black-eyed Susans, paint-brushes,
rock-roses, pasque-flowers, which Helen
Hunt called Maltese kittens, tiger lilies,
golden pond-lilies, and anemones. Many
of these flowers are perfectly formed and
carry petals of cleanest, deepest color.
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There are many kinds of wild life in the
Park. Mountain sheep probably number
several hundreds. Elk are increasing in
number; so, too, are deer, which are al-
ready common. There are a number of
black bears, possibly a few remaining griz-
zlies, and a few foxes, wolves, lions, and
coyotes. The beaver population is numer-
ous, and in many places are extensive
beaver colonies with dams, ponds, and
houses.
Among about one hundred and fifty
species of birds are found a few golden
eagles. These nest in the heights. The
rose-finch and the ptarmigan live the year
round near the snow-line above the lim-
its of tree growth. Among the common
birds most frequently seen are the robin,
bluebird, blackbird, hummingbird, pine
siskin, goldfinch, magpie, white-crowned
sparrow, house wren, and Rocky Moun-
tain jay.
During the flower-filled, sun-flooded days
of June, while the evening shadows are
183
If our Rational $arfi£
crossing the openings, the song of the her-
mit thrush is often heard, its beautiful
silvery notes mingling strangely with the
wild surroundings. In June, too, the ever-
cheerful water-ouzel carols most intensely
by his chosen home along the alpine
streams. Likewise in this month the mar-
velous solitaire sings among the crags far
up the slopes, close to where the forest ends
and the alpine moorlands begin.
Here are primeval forests, torn by
canons and pierced by crags and rock
ridges. Among the more common trees are
the lodge-pole pine and the Engelmann
spruce. Other species are the alpine fir,
Douglas spruce, limber pine, and Western
yellow pine. The aspen is found in groves,
groups, and scattered growths in the
moister places all over the woodland.
The timber-line in the Park is one of
the most picturesque and interesting in the
world. It is strangely appealing and
thought-compelling. This is the forest-
frontier. Its average altitude is about
184
fiochp fountain Rational $arh
eleven thousand five hundred feet above
the sea. Timber-line in the Alps is only
about sixty-five hundred feet. Thus it
will be seen that the climate of this Rocky
Mountain section is far more friendly to
wood growth than that of the Alps.
The trees persistently try to climb up-
ward, and their struggle for existence be-
comes deadly. The wind blows off their
arms, and cuts them with flying sand. The
cold dwarfs them, and for nine months in
the year the snow tries to twist and crush
the life out of them. Many have limbs and
bark on one side only ; others are completely
stripped of bark. They seldom grow over
eight feet high, and numbers grow along
the ground like vines. In the drier places
at timber-line the limber pine has sole pos-
session, while in the moister places the
Engelmann spruce predominates, and is
sometimes accompanied by dwarfed aspen,
birch, subalpine fir, and willow. Above the
timber-line are crags, snow-piles, and al-
pine-flower meadows.
185
gout ijJationai $arft£
Traveling along the eastern slope of the
Park, one encounters a number of promi-
nent attractions.
In the south, Wild Basin, a splendidly
glaciated realm of several square miles,
almost completely surrounded with high
peaks, contains lakes, forests, moraines, and
gorges. It retains many wild glacial rec-
ords of peculiar interest. North of it is the
Long's Peak group, consisting of Long's
Peak, Mount Meeker, Mount Lady Wash-
ington, Chasm Lake and Gorge, and Mills
Moraine. This moraine is one of the most
interesting in the park. Chasm Lake, at
the foot of the precipitous eastern slope of
Long's Peak, has the wildest setting of all
the many Park lakes.
To the east of Long's Peak lies Tahosa
Valley, and just beyond this rise the Twin
Sister Peaks. Between Long's Peak and
the Range is Glacier Gorge, a deep glaci-
ated canon. At the end of this, in the Con-
tinental Divide, is the Loch Vale region.
Here the terraced floor is varied with tarns,
186
fountain Rational Jparlt
waterfalls, flowery meadows, grassy spaces,
and storm-battered trees. Around it and
rising above it are stupendous cliffs and
precipices of glaciated rock. Above it to
the west is Andrews Glacier. Eastward
from it lies the Bierstadt Moraine, named
after Albert Bierstadt, whose pictures
gave fame to the region. A trail crosses
the Continental Divide from Flat-Top
Mountain, which is approximately in the
center of the Park.
To the north of Flat-Top Mountain lie
Fern and Odessa Lakes. They are the
best-known and most popular lakes in the
Park, but there are a number of others
of somewhat similar character and with
equally scenic surroundings. Beyond these
is Sprague's Glacier; also Forest Canon,
above which extends the scene-command-
ing Trail Ridge. Again beyond, the Fall
River automobile road crosses the Conti-
nental Divide.
In the northeast corner of the Park lies
the Mummy Range, the highest peak be-
187
Sour Rational $arfe£
ing Hague's. On its northern slope is Hal-
let Glacier. A bill now (1917) before Con-
gress provides that Deer Mountain, Gem
Lake, and the Twin Sister Peaks be added
to the Park.1
On the western slope, at the south end,
is a combination of lovely and magnificent
scenes. The great feature on the west side
is Grand Lake, the largest lake in Colo-
rado. It is the source of the Grand River,
and furnishes a part of the water that roars
through the Grand Canon of the Colorado
in Arizona. The North Inlet and the East
Inlet are scenic gorges through which
streams rush from the heights down into
Grand Lake. The East Inlet region, be-
tween Shoshone Peak and Grand Lake,
has a remarkable glacial story of its own.
In the northwest corner of the Park
stands Specimen Mountain, an excellent
view-point. This is probably a sleeping
volcano. It is the most famous mountain-
1 This bill passed after the above was in type. See
map of the Park.
188
FERN LAKE
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
fountain Rational $arft
sheep range in the Park. Its grassy slopes
and summit contain spaces of salty ooze
that attracts them. Many times I have
seen a flock of one hundred or more in the
crater.
IX
THE GRAND CANON
JOHN MUIR strongly urged that a
National Park be made of the Grand
Canon of the Colorado. In commenting
on this Titan of canons, he said: —
No matter how far you have wandered
hitherto, or how many famous valleys and
gorges you have seen, this one, the Grand
Canon of the Colorado, will seem as novel to
you, as unearthly in the color and grandeur
and quantity of its architecture, as if you had
found it after death, on some other star; so
incomparably lovely and grand and supreme
is it above all the other canons.
It is hoped that Congress will early
create a Grand Canon National Park. The
territory most seriously considered em-
braces a hundred-mile stretch of the canon
with a narrow bit of each rim. This would
extend about fifty miles up and an equal
distance down the river from Grand Canon
190
Cf)c oBranfc Canon
Station. It would thus include only about
half the length of the Grand Canon, and
no part of any other canon. I should like
to see it extended another hundred miles
up the river. It would then embrace not
less than two hundred miles of the river,
and would include Marble Canon and a
part of Glen Canon. But, whatever its
length, it should include a broad forest
border all the way, on both rims of the
canon.
To enable the public to see this titanic
gorge in the most comfortable manner and
from the best points of view, it is necessary
to have more public roads and trails. There
is great need that this unmatched wonder
have National Park protection and de-
velopment. At present the main trail to the
bottom of the canon is a private toll trail!
Visitors to almost any great scene are
wont to compare it with some other scene;
it reminds them of this place or that place.
But when one first views Crater Lake, or
while one is in the presence of the Big Trees
191
Sour Rational $arfeg
for the first time, memory is suspended;
and when one first beholds the Grand
Canon, it does not remind him of this or
that — it completely possesses the observer,
sweeps other scenes and places out of mind.
Presently comes desire for a thousandfold
capacity of feeling and comprehension. The
thing is too vast and splendid for ordinary
faculties.
I have boated in many of the canons of
the Colorado and have camped and tramped
along their rims. Often I have looked down
into them when they were filled with mists;
when broken clouds hung over them ; when
sunshine or moonlight illumined their
depths, from which I have looked forth
under like conditions. But to me, whether
in summer or when snow piles the rim, the
Grand Canon never loses its intense im-
pressiveness.
The Walhalla Plateau is an extraordi-
nary canon view-point and is likely to be-
come one of the most famous places on the
earth. This narrow plateau thrusts ten
192
By permission of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior
LOOKING WEST FROM NORTH SIDE OF GRAND CANON
Point Sublime to right in distance. Isis Temple on left.
€tjc 43ranfc Canon
miles out into the vast, deep, airy Grand
Canon. It extends from the north rim, be-
tween Bright Angel Canon and the inside
bend of the main canon opposite the Canon
of the Little Colorado. A most command-
ing peninsula it is, with wide and enor-
mous depths sweeping almost entirely
around it. Other commanding view-points
on the north rim are Point Sublime and
Bright Angel Point. Three excellent view-
points on the south rim are Grand View,
Hopi Point, and the El Tovar. Grand
View is a few miles up the river from the
El Tovar Hotel, and opposite Cape Royal
of the Walhalla Plateau.
The Colorado River in Arizona flows
through a series of twenty vast canons that
have a length of about one thousand miles.
Most of them are end to end with only a
mere break between. Of these, the Grand
Canon is the canon of canons. Counting
downstream, it is the eighteenth of the
series; counting upstream, the third. The
canon is from seven to fifteen miles wide,
193
flour
and from four thousand to six thousand
feet deep. It is an enormous gulf two hun-
dred miles long, in solid rock. Less than
one thousand feet across at the bottom, and
eight to ten miles across at the top, it may
be called a rough V-shaped gorge; or, to-
gether with its tributary canons, it might
be called an inverted hollow mountain-
range. This range, if turned out upon the
plateau, would measure in places more
than two hundred miles in length and nearly
forty miles in width, with summits rising
nearly seven thousand feet; and it would
be diversified with ridges, gorges, plateaus,
spurs, and peaks.
The Grand Canon of the Colorado is a
masterpiece of erosion — a wonderful story
carved in rock. It was excavated and
washed out by the river. It is not an ordi-
nary mountain canon, for it lies in a com-
paratively level plain or plateau. During
the ages, the debris-laden water sliding over
its inclined bed of solid rock dug, sawed,
and cut the canon to the bottom. The river
194
<8ran& Canon
not only carried away all the material worn
from the bottom, but the thousandfold
more that tumbled into it from the ever-
caving walls.
Here is color in magnificent array. Most
of the strata are perfectly horizontal and of
great thickness, and each has an individual
color. Many of the walls are brown or red,
and there are strata of gray, yellow, gray-
ish brown, and grayish green. All these are
massed and arranged in vast and broken
color pictures and landscapes, some of
which are a mile high and several miles in
length.
The top, or rim, of the canon is in an ex-
tensive arid region. Water is extremely
scarce; in a number of places not a drop is
available within miles. If a boatman is
wrecked in the canon, he has little oppor-
tunity of escaping. If he should manage to
climb out on the desolate, almost unin-
habited plateau, he would be likely to
perish for lack of water.
The canon has a climate of its own. In
195
Sour Rational 35arfc£
the bottom, the temperature frequently
shows a range of one hundred degrees in-
side of twenty-four hours. Its great depth
and peculiar wall exposure give it a cli-
matic variety. The walls that face the
north are much cooler than those facing the
south. The temperature at the top differs
from that at the bottom, and midway on
the walls is a temperature distinct from
either of the others. On the rim at El
Tovar it may be a winter day ; you descend
to the river and there find a mild climate,
with birds singing and flowers in bloom.
The six thousand feet of descent to the
river gives a climatic change that approxi-
mates a southern journey of two thousand
miles. This plateau is forested and on the
northern rim of the canon the tree-growth
is heavy.
Flowers bloom in the canon every month
in the year. In the niches and on the ter-
races are the columbine, lupine, stonecrop,
kinnikinnick, dandelion, thistle, and paint-
brush. Sagebrush and greasewood occur
196
Canon
in many places. The Douglas spruce is
found upon the southern wall, the cotton-
wood and willow in the bottom. Beavers,
a few deer, many rabbits, wildcats, and
wolves are found in a few places in the bot-
tom of the canon, and sheep and lions upon
the terraces. But the larger part of the un-
broken and terraced walls is barren and
lifeless.
Among the birds that gladden this gorge
are the mockingbird, pinon jay, robin,
quail, hummingbird, kingfisher, swallow,
and owl. Here, too, you will hear that me-
lodious and hopeful singer the canon wren.
Over this vast gulf butterflies with daintily
colored wings float in lovely laziness.
In a number of the canons, ruined cliff
houses are numerous, and a few of these are
found far north in Glen Canon. The walls,
in places, are marked with picture writing.
This probably was the work of the cliff
dwellers or of the Indians.
Much of the canon region may well be
called the "No Man's Land" of the conti-
197
four Rational $arft£
nent. In it are a numerous and assorted
lot of men with unknown histories. Min-
gling with these are Indians, miners, health-
seekers, and strange and interesting char-
acters, among whom are aged trappers and
prospectors and real cowboys who have
survived the days of adventures.
Water is the great sculptor of the face of
nature. The gentle raindrop grapples with
mountains of solid rock, and with never-
ending persistence drags them piecemeal
into the sea. Here the material is rede-
posited in sedimentary strata, and this may
emerge into the light in the ages yet to be.
A narrow ditch in the earth will widen by
the caving-in of its sides. If the ditch be
deepened, the caved-in matter being re-
moved, it will continue to widen. And so it
is with this canon; the weathering or the
caving-in of these walls goes ever on. The
sharpness of the walls, and many of their
striking features, are due to the peculiar
climatic conditions that exist in this re-
gion — the short rainy seasons and long dry
198
Ctje 43raufc Canon
periods. Had there been a more even and
abundant precipitation, it is probable that
more vegetation would have been produced,
which would have had a marked influence
upon the walls, giving them a more rounded
and less interesting form.
The canon broadens with the years. Cut
narrow by the river, it has gradually wid-
ened by the caving-in of the walls. If it had
remained as the river cut it, it would now
be as narrow at the top as it is in the bot-
tom — a canon about a mile deep, only a
few hundred feet wide, and with perpendic-
ular walls. As it is, the walls rise through
a series of shattered inclines, precipitous
slopes and terraces, with here and there a
vertical section.
Well may the Canon of the Colorado be
called the greatest inanimate wonder in the
world. Written in the exposed and remain-
ing rock-strata through which the river has
cut its way is a wonderful story of the past,
a marvelous and splendid romance. At an
enormously remote time the Grand Canon
199
Hour jiJationai $arh£
plateau rose from the primeval sea. After
long exposure and great weathering it
sank back, remained submerged for ages,
and thousands of feet of strata were de-
posited upon it. Again it emerged, was ex-
posed "a million years and a day," during
which aeon thousands of feet of strata were
eroded away. Again it went down into the
sea, and upon it were piled thousands of
feet of additional strata. A fourth time it
rose slowly above the water. As this pla-
teau was rising, its surface was acted upon
by the elements. The part of the plateau
surrounding the Grand Canon proper was
the scene of repeated volcanic action and
earthquake disturbance. Here the strata
have been subjected to repeated faul tings,
heavings, tiltings, and lava-flows. This up-
lift imprisoned an enormous Eocene lake
that occupied much of what is now the
Colorado River basin. This lake the river
drained. The drainage was quite probably
caused by the fact that the eastern part of
the territory was uplifted higher than the
200
€i)e 43ranfc Canon
western. The drainage-system of the Colo-
rado River, as we now know it, began at
that time to take on form and its waters
started to cut the canon. This crude out-
line covers cycling ages, and probably rep-
resents millions of years.
Through several thousand years the
plateau slowly rose, and all this time the
river was gradually cutting its way down
into it. Finally the plateau ceased to rise
and long remained at a standstill. After
cutting down to its first base level, the
river had so little fall that its waters, over-
laden with debris, ceased deepening the
channel. The widening of the canon went
steadily on. Again the plateau slowly rose,
perhaps two thousand feet. This uplift
increased the fall of the river and again set
it to deepening its channel, a work it is still
doing.
The waters of the Colorado River are
heavily laden with sediment. During the
ages it has transported an inconceivable
bulk of eroded material to the ocean. Much
201
Hour |£ational $arhg
of this has come from its three hundred
thousand square miles of mountainous
drainage basin and all the material which
formerly occupied the vast spaces of its
numerous canons. Continual caving of the
walls compels the river to spend most of
its time and energy in breaking up this
d£bris and carrying it forward to the sea.
This condition has existed for thousands
of years.
It should be borne in mind that the trans-
porting capacity of running water varies
as the sixth power of its velocity. There-
fore when a stream doubles its velocity it
is competent to move particles sixty-four
times greater than before. If its rate of
flow is trebled, its transporting power is
increased seven hundred and twenty-nine
times. This goes to explain the frightful
havoc of streams at times of flood.
The tributary streams of the Colorado
come from arid regions and from the des-
erts, and are subject to sudden violent
cloud-bursts and enormous floods. Though
202
3Tfjc oSranfc Canon
these are of short duration, they are of
tremendous force. Earthy matter, rocky
debris, and ofttimes hundreds of trees are
swept along by the waters that rush in from
side canons like an awful avalanche. Lodged
driftwood over one hundred feet above
normal river-level tells of the magnitude of
these wild floods.
Where a stream has all the load of any
given degree of fineness that it is capable
of carrying, the entire energy of the de-
scending water is consumed by the trans-
portation of the water and its burden, so
that none is applied to erosion. If it has an
excess of load, its velocity is thereby les-
sened and its power to transport is dimin-
ished; consequently a part of its load is
dropped. If it has less than a full load, it is
in a condition to receive more, which it
eagerly does. Thereby its bed is swept
clean, and then only does erosion become
possible. Thus it is seen that the work of
transportation may at times monopolize
the entire energy of a stream to the exclu-
203
If our iJJational $arh£
sion of erosion; or the two works may be
carried forward at the same time.
The rapidity of erosion depends upon the
hardness, size, and number of the fragments
in the flowing water, upon the durability
of the stream-bed, and upon the velocity
of the current, the element of velocity being
of double importance, since it determines
not only the size but the speed of the parti-
cle with which it works. Transportation is
favored by an increased water-supply as
much as by increased declivity, because
when a stream increases in volume the in-
crease in its velocity outruns the increase
in volume, and its transporting power is
correspondingly augmented. It is due to
this that a stream which is subject to floods
— periodical or otherwise — has a much
greater transporting power than it could
possess were its total water-supply evenly
distributed throughout the year.
During one period of volcanic activity
the focus of lava-flows into the canon was
at Lava Falls. A number of lava-streams
204
Canon
burst directly into the canon through the
walls, while several flows poured their fiery
floods over the brink. What a wild and
spectacular condition existed while the
river, deep in the canon, received these trib-
utaries of liquid fire! When the flow ceased,
the canon for sixty miles was filled with
lava to the depth of about five hundred
feet. The lava cooled, and in time was
eroded away. The records of this spectac-
ular story are still easily read.
Through these thousand miles of canon,
more than one fifth of which is the Grand
Canon, the river has a fall of about five
thousand feet, unevenly divided. There
are long stretches of quiet water, but in
the Lodore, Cataract, Marble, and Grand
Canons are numerous and turbulent cur-
rents flowing amid masses of wild, rocky
debris. There are about five hundred bad
rapids and many others of lesser power.
Most of these rapids are caused by rock-
jams — dams formed by masses of rocky
debris that have fallen from the walls above
205
gour Rational 3Dark£
or have been swept into the main canon by
tributary streams. A few rapids are caused
by ribs of hard, resistant rock that have not
been worn down to the level of the softer
rock.
The canon was discovered by Spaniards
in 1540. A government expedition visited
it in 1859. The report of this expedition,
printed in 1861, is accompanied with a
picture of an ideal canon. It is shown as
narrow, with appallingly high vertical
walls. Lieutenant Ives, who was in charge,
thus closes his account: —
Ours has been the first and will doubtless be
the last party of Whites to visit this profitless
location. It seems intended by Nature that
the Colorado River, along the greater portion
of its lonely and majestic way, shall be forever
unvisited and undisturbed.
Ten years later Major John W. Powell
explored the series of canons from end to
end. Hundreds of expeditions that have
attempted to go through them have failed.
Of the half-dozen that succeeded, one was
206
Canon
organized and conducted by Julius F.
Stone, a manufacturer of Columbus, Ohio.
"Why," I asked Mr. Stone, "did you
take the hazard and endure the acute hard-
ship of this expedition? " His reply was : —
To photograph consecutively the entire
canon system of the Green and Colorado
Rivers, which, so far as the upper canons are
concerned, had not yet been done. We also
wished to determine the accuracy of some
statements heretofore made which seemed
reasonably open to question.
Mr. Stone went all the way through the
canon, took hundreds of photographs, and
made numerous measurements. He made
a thorough study of this canon, added
greatly to our knowledge of it, and cor-
rected a number of misconceptions con-
cerning it.
But [continued Mr. Stone] it was also to get
away from work! For the fun of the thing!
Year after year the voice of many waters
had said: "Come join us in our joyous, bois-
terous journey to the sea, and you shall know
the ecstasy of wrestling with Nature naked-
handed and in the open, as befits the measure
207
Hour Rational $atfc£
of a man." It takes on many forms and num-
berless variations, this thing called play. Its
appealing voices come from far and near, in
waking and in dreams; from quiet, peaceful
places they allure with the assurance of longed-
for rest; from the deeps of unfrequented re-
gions they whisper of eager day- and night-
time hours brimming with the fullness of
heart's desire, while bugle-throated, their chal-
lenge sounds forever from every unsealed
height.
I presume it is quite true that the chance of
disaster (provided we consider death as being
such) followed us like the eyes of the forest
that note every move of the intruder but never
reveal themselves. But somehow or other the
snarling threat of the rapids did not creep
into the little red hut where fear lives, and
so burden our task with irresolution or the
handicap of indecision; therefore, whatever
dangers may have danced invisible attend-
ance on our daily toil, they rarely revealed
themselves in the form of accident, and never
in the shape of difficulties too great to be
overcome, though sometimes the margin was
rather small.
Looking back now at the chance of our
having been caught, a shade of hesitation flits
over the abiding desire to see it all again, but
the free, buoyant life of the open, un vexed by
208
€I)e <&ran& Canon
the sedate and superfluous trifles of conven-
tionality, the spirit of fair companionship
vouchsafed by the wilderness, and the river
that seemed to take us by the hand and lead
us down its gorgeous aisles where grandeur,
glory, and desolation are all merged into one
— these still are as a voice and a vision that
hold the imagination with singular enchant-
ment.
Any one interested in the geology of the
Grand Canon will find much in the books
of Powell and Dellenbaugh, but best of all
are the recent reports of the Geological
Survey. For glimpses of the interesting
characters who frequent this region, and
for a sober account of an array of Grand
Canon adventures, nothing equals the
narrative in " Through the Grand Canon
from Wyoming to Mexico/' by Ellsworth
L. Kolb.
Professor John C. Van Dyke, author of
"The Desert," has most ably summed up
the Grand Canon in three monumental
sentences: "More mysterious in its depth
than the Himalayas in their height. . . .
209
Hour Rational $arftg
The Grand Canon remains not the eighth
but the first wonder of the world. There
is nothing like it."
The land of form, the realm of music
and of song — running, pouring, rushing,
rhythmic waters; but preeminently a land
of color: flowing red, yellow, orange, crim-
son and purplish, green and blue. Miles
of black and white. This riot and regular-
ity and vast distribution of color in contin-
ual change — it glows and is subdued with
the shift of shadows, with the view-point
of the sun.
X
LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK
AN active volcano is the imposing ex-
hibit in the Lassen Volcanic National Park.
The fiery Lassen Peak rises in the midst
of telling volcanic records that have been
made and changed through many thou-
sand years.
This Park is in northern California. It
is about one hundred and fifty miles south
of the Crater Lake National Park. The
territory embraces the southern end of
the Cascade Mountains, the northern end
of the Sierra, and through it is the cross-
connection between the Sierra and the
Coast Range. The area is about one hun-
dred and twenty-five square miles. The
major portion of the Park lies at an alti-
tude of between six thousand and eight
thousand feet, the lowest part being about
four thousand feet, while the highest point,
211
gout |j5ational
the summit of Lassen Peak, is 10,437 feet
above the level of the sea. The Park is
reached by automobile roads. It is easily
accessible from the Southern Pacific Rail-
road in the upper Sacramento Valley, and
from the Western Pacific Railroad on the
Feather River.
The scientific and scenic merits of this
territory were of such uncommon order
that in 1907 they were reserved in the
Mount Lassen and Cinder Cone National
Monuments. Both these reservations are
now merged into the Lassen Volcanic
National Park.
Lassen Peak is one of the great vol-
canoes of the Pacific Coast. Most of the
material in it, and that of the surrounding
territory, appears to be of volcanic origin.
It is in the margin of one of the largest
lava-fields in the world. The lava in this
vast field extends northward through west-
ern Oregon and Washington and far
eastward, including southern Idaho and
the Yellowstone National Park. It has
212
tDolcanic Rational $arfc
an area of about two hundred and fifty
thousand square miles, over parts of which
the lava is of great depth.
Lassen is the southernmost fire moun-
tain of that numerous group of volcanoes
that have so greatly changed the surface
of the Northwest. Among its conspicuous
volcanic companions are Crater Lake,
formerly Mount Mazama, Mount Hood,
Mount St. Helens, Mount Baker, and
Mount Rainier. Until Lassen Peak burst
forth in 1914 it had slumbered for cen-
turies, and was commonly considered ex-
tinct. It has probably been intermit-
tently active for ages. Many geologists
think that this activity has extended
through not less than two million years.
Just how long it may show its red tongue
and its black clouds of breath is uncertain;
and just how violent and how voluminous
its eruptions may become are matters of
conjecture.
All about Lassen Peak are striking ex-
hibits of vulcanism — fields of lava, quan-
213
Sour jSationai
titles of obsidian or natural glass, sulphur
springs, hot springs, volcanic sand and
volcanic bombs, and recent volcanic to-
pography, including Snag Lake.
Two of the imposing canons here are
Los Molinos and Warner Canon. These
and other changes in the sides of Lassen
Peak illustrate the old, ever-interesting,
and eternal story of erosion. Both these
canons are wild places which have cut and
eroded deeply into the ancient lavas of
Mount Lassen. Frost and water have re-
shaped the work of fire. The mountain's
sides show that it withstood the latest
visits of the Ice King. What appear to
be the distinct records of glacial erosion
mark many spaces of its slopes.
The eruption of May 19, 1915, pro-
duced many changes. A volume of super-
heated gases burst out beneath the deeply
snow-covered northeast slope. The snow
was instantly changed into water and
steam. The mighty downrush and onrush
of water wrecked the channel of Lost
214
3la0scn IDolcanic Rational pad*
Creek for several miles. Meadows were
piled with boulders, rock fragments, and
finer debris. Trees were uprooted or
broken off, carried downward, and left in
piles of fierce confusion.
The hot gases played havoc with the
forests. A stretch from a quarter of a mile
to nearly a mile wide and about ten miles
long was killed by the heat of the sweep-
ing hurricane. Thousands of trees were
instantly killed and their green changed to
brown. Others were charred. Forest fires
were started in a number of places.
The spectacular ruins which this left
behind — the trees, wreckage, slides, the
changes made by ashes — may now be
viewed with ease and safety. It is prob-
able that for years to come this volcanic
wreckage will be seen by thousands of
visitors annually.
Fiery Lassen Peak is snow-crowned.
One may ride to its summit on horseback.
From the top one has magnificent views of
the mountains to the north, the distant
215
Sour Rational $arft#
Coast Range, and the mountains east-
ward by the Great Basin. On the whole,
the surrounding mountain distances are
hardly excelled for grandeur in the entire
country.
Cinder Cone is about ten miles to the
northeast of Lassen Peak. It has an alti-
tude of only 6907 feet. It appears to have
been built up chiefly during the last two
hundred years and for the most part by
two eruptions. One of these occurred
nearly two hundred years ago. It origi-
nated Stump Lake and ejected and spread
materials over considerable territory. The
more recent eruption appears to have
taken place less than a century ago. In
the summer of 1890 I found in the crater
a lodge-pole pine that was about eighty
years of age.
Cinder Cone is a strikingly symmetrical
small crater formed of cinders and other
volcanic products. It stands in a lava-
field that has an area of about three square
miles. Its base measures about two thou-
216
Volcanic Rational parft
sand feet in diameter, its truncated cone
seven hundred and fifty feet, and it is
about six hundred and fifty feet high. Its
well-preserved crater is two hundred and
forty feet deep and is nicely funnel-shaped.
The Indians of the region had a popular
tradition of the intense activity of this
cone about three centuries ago. This
tradition was that for a long time the sky
was black with ashes and smoke. Thou-
sands of acres of forest were buried or
smothered. The world appeared to be
coming to an end. But finally the sun
appeared, red as blood. The sky cleared,
and volcanic activity ceased.
A number of the hot springs are agi-
tated almost enough to be called geysers.
Cold and mineral springs abound. There
are a number of lively streams and plung-
ing waterfalls.
The lake-area is twenty-three hundred
acres. The largest of the lakes is Lake
Bid well. Cinder Cone stands between
two lakes which appear to have been
217
If our Rational parity
formerly one. The eruption of this cone
probably extended a lava-flow across the
lake, dividing it into two parts. An out-
pouring of volcanic material apparently
made a dam, which formed a reservoir,
now occupied by Stump Lake. This filled
with water and drowned a forest growth.
Through the surface of this lake still
thrust numerous tree- trunks of the drowned
forest. The outburst of Cinder Cone that
formed this lake and overwhelmed the
forest probably took place nearly two
hundred years ago. Other lakes are Juni-
per, Tilman, and Manzanita Lakes.
The greater portion of the Park is for-
ested. Among the more common species
of trees are Jeffrey pine, red fir, mountain
hemlock, lodge-pole pine, white fir, and
incense cedar. In places among the forests
are beautiful mountain meadows.
There are scores of varieties of wild
flowers. Most of these grow under favor-
able conditions; have warmth, moisture,
and rich soil; and they show bright, clean
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TDoicanic Rational parti
blossoms. The district has its full share
of bird and animal life. In a number of
streams fish are plentiful.
The Lassen Volcanic National Park was
created chiefly through the efforts of Con-
gressmen John E. Raker and William Kent.
The varied objects of interest in this
Park, especially those associated with
topography and geology, make it not only
a place with curious features, but a region
affording unusual opportunities for the
gathering of fundamental facts concerning
our resources. Here also are scenes to in-
spire the souls of such as can be moved
by the beauty and grandeur of Nature
and by the awful manifestations of her
power.
Says J. S. Diller, of the United States
Geological Survey, "With its comfort-
ably active volcano, inviting cinder cones
and lava fields, vigorously boiling hot
springs, mud lakes and 'mush pots' for
the vulcanologist to study, and the gla-
ciated divides and canons for the physi-
219
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ographer, in a setting of lovely scenery
and attractive camps, for the tourists all
easily accessible, the Lassen Peak region
affords one of the most alluring and in-
structive spots for a National Park."
XI
HAWAII NATIONAL PARK
A VOLCANIC exhibit unrivaled in the
world is embraced in the Hawaii Na-
tional Park, which was created in 1916.
This Park consists of two volcanic sections
in the Hawaiian Islands, with a total area
of one hundred and seventeen square miles.
Within this territory are two active vol-
canoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa on the
island of Hawaii ; and one sleeping volcano,
Haleakala on the island of Maui.
The celebrated and unequaled Ha-
waiian volcanoes are a national scenic
asset, unique of their kind and famous in
the world of science. Apparently, the
ocean has been filled in and the entire
group of Hawaiian Islands built by the
lava-outpourings of volcanoes. In this
National Park we may see volcanic topog-
raphy in the course of construction; some
221
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landscapes just cast in the process of cool-
ing; others that are beginning to show the
erosion of the elements; also those which
vegetation is just possessing.
The Hawaii National Park has about
the same latitude as the City of Mexico.
There are about a dozen islands in the
group, with a total area of seventy-five
hundred square miles. Honolulu, the capi-
tal city, is on the island of Oahu, near the
middle of the island chain, which extends
from northwest to southeast. From San
Francisco it is about twenty-one hundred
miles to Honolulu.
Kilauea is more than two hundred miles
southeast of Honolulu, and thirty miles
inland from the port of Hilo. Twenty
miles to the west from Kilauea is Mauna
Loa. The crater of Haleakala is on a dif-
ferent island from Kilauea and Mauna
Loa, about midway between these and
Honolulu.
The active rim of Kilauea is four thou-
sand feet above the sea. The slopes of
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l^atoati Rational parh
this volcano have an exceedingly flat
grade. It is the most continuously active of
the three volcanoes in this Park. It has a
pit in which the molten lava rises and falls
and is boiling all the time. For a century
Kilauea has been almost continuously ac-
tive with a lake or lakes of molten lava.
The crater of Kilauea is not a steep moun-
tain-top, but a broad, forested plateau, be-
neath which is a lava sink three miles in
diameter, surrounded by cliffs three hun-
dred feet high. Several times during the
last century the active crater was up-
heaved into a hill. In a little while it col-
lapsed into a deep pit with marvelously
spectacular avalanches, fiery grottos, and
clouds of steam and brown dust. Through
many years the crater was overflowing.
Frequently large pieces of the shore fall
into the molten lake, forming islands.
The magnificent spectacle of the lake
of lava at Kilauea is indescribable. Charles
W. Eliot, President Emeritus of Harvard
University, visited the crater and pro-
223
Sour national
nounced it the most wonderful scene he
had ever watched. It is a lake of liquid
fire one thousand feet across, splashing
on its banks with a noise like the waves
of the sea. Great high fountains boil up
through it, sending quantities of glow-
ing spray over the shore. There are fiery,
molten cascades, whirlpools, and rapids,
with hissing of gases, rumbling, and blue
flames playing through the crevices. It
is ever changing, and the record of these
changes is being kept from day to day,
photographically and otherwise, by the
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Mauna Loa is an active crater, 13,675
feet above sea-level. It is an enormous
mountain mass, covering a wide area with
its very gentle slopes. This volcano erupts
about once every decade. Of the three
volcanoes in the Park, Mauna Loa is the
most productive of new rock, which it
pours out on the surface of the land. Its
activities start with outbursts on the sum-
mit and culminate after a number of years
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l^atoan Rational path
in a flow which floods the whole country
for many months.
Perpetual snow crowns Mauna Loa, and
ice may be found in cracks even in sum-
mer. In the winter- time there is a variety
of climate from sea-level to the summit —
from the warmth of the tropics to arctic
blizzards on the mountain-top.
An interesting and somewhat amus-
ing story is told in regard to an eruption
of Mauna Loa in 1881. The flow of lava
at that time was so heavy that it seriously
threatened to wipe out the town of Hilo.
When the lava ran down to within a mile
of the place, the natives urged their Prin-
cess Ruth to go and conjure the goddess
of the volcano, Pele, to stop the flow.
She went — so the tales goes — with all her
retinue, and threw into the crater some
berries, a black hen, a white pig, and a
bottle of gin, as sacrifices. The lava-flow
stopped, and the natives believed their
escape due to the odd offering, although
some people have expressed the opinion
225
if our Rational
that such a collection of stuff thrown
into an active volcano's crater would
make the eruption more violent, if it had
any effect at all.
Mauna Loa forces columns of liquid
lava hundreds of feet into the air, and
every few years pours forth billions of tons
of lava in a few days. There is a wonderful
rift-line, from which eight or ten flows
poured forth during the last century.
These burst out on the slopes of the moun-
tain, not from the summit crater. After
the first explosion at the summit, a period
of quiet intervenes, and then the rifts
open and lava flows down.
The lava cools quickly and changes
through colors of red, purple, brown, and
gray as it cools. Areas of each of these are
seen at one time, with red-hot liquids show-
ing in the cracks of the lava. Trees of lava
are formed at one place by the flow of lava
rushing through a forest and congealing
around the trunks. Fields of " Pele's hair"
— lava — are blown out by the wind, like
226
i;>atoaii Rational $arh
spun glass, as the fiery spray is dashed into
the air on the surface of the molten lake.
In the large craters are numerous smaller
ones with endless lava forms, colors, and
volcanic structures.
The crater of Haleakala, ten thousand
feet high, is near the middle of the island
of Maui. It is eight miles in diameter and
three thousand feet deep. While Haleakala
has not erupted for two hundred years,
the entire crater is sometimes full of active
fire fountains, and the fiery glow mounts
to the clouds like an immense conflagra-
tion.
Professor Thomas A. Jaggar says, ''The
crater of Haleakala at sunrise is the grand-
est volcanic spectacle on earth. "
No photograph can give any adequate
idea of the view from its summit, often
above the clouds. It is a good place from
which to see the sun come up through the
clouds in the crater. This event has been
described as being like the birth of a new
world. From here one can look down on the
227
Hour Rational $arfc#
island and on the sea, and see the neigh-
boring island of Oahu.
Sidney Ballou says: "A number of peo-
ple who have been to the top of Haleakala
pronounce the sensation there, although
somewhat indefinable and indescribable,
as the chief scenic attraction of the world.
Men like John Muir, who have been all
over the world, go up there and say that it
is the greatest spectacle in the world. "
In addition to the variety of volcanic
displays and lava landscapes, the Hawai-
ian Park contains splendid tropical groves
and forests of sandalwood and magnifi-
cent Hawaiian mahogany trees with trunks
over twenty feet in circumference. There
are forests of tree ferns up to forty feet
in height, with single leaves twenty feet
long; tropical jungles with scores of varie-
ties of the most exquisite and delicate ferns
and mosses, many of them found nowhere
else in the world. There are numerous
song-birds of brilliant hues, many of them
found nowhere but in Hawaii, and nearly
228
IJatoaii Rational parft
extinct except in this Park. There are roll-
ing grassy meadows, dotted with tropical
trees, shrubs, and ferns, giving a parklike
effect. Many of the trees are botanical
treasures, known only in this Park region,
and of great rarity.
The views from the slopes and summits
of the volcanic peaks are a mingling of wild
magnificence and tropical splendor. The
craters themselves are weird spectacles that
awe visitors into silence as they watch the
wonderful action of the liquid fire foun-
tains, boiling lakes, flaming lava, and other
demonstrations of the Fire King.
L. A. Thurston, of Honolulu, appears
to have first proposed this Park, and he
did much toward its acquisition.
XII
THREE NATIONAL MONUMENTS
I. THE OLYMPIC NATIONAL MONUMENT
THE territory embraced in the Olympic
National Monument is now proposed for
use as a National Park. It occupies the
extreme northwest corner of the United
States, a peninsula between the Pacific
Ocean and Puget Sound. It is dominated
by the precipitous and heavily snow-
capped Olympic Mountains. These snowy
summits attracted the attention of the ex-
plorer Vancouver, who named the moun-
tains the Olympics. Their lower slopes are
heavily forested with gigantic trees, and
beneath these there is an undergrowth of
almost bewildering luxuriance. This under-
growth is a jungle in itself. Many of the
trees are heavily and picturesquely roped
and bearded with moss. The openness
which characterizes the Sierra or Rocky
230
€fjm Rational
Mountain forests is absent. Gigantic tree-
trunks lie scattered over the forest floor.
Many of these fell centuries ago and are
water-soaked, half-rotten, and covered with
moss a foot thick. Here and there a living
tree, a century or more of age, is standing
upon a fallen one. Others are lost in the
tangle of vines, huge ferns, and vigorous
wild flowers that crowd the floor of the
woods. Even at midday the forest reposes
in twilight.
The region is extremely difficult to pene-
trate and explore. The streams, even dur-
ing the period of low water, are almost too
swift for boats, and the tangled jungle-
growth, produced by abundant moisture
and a mild climate, compels the explorer to
chop every foot of the way he advances.
Until recent years trappers, who were sup-
posed to go everywhere, were content to
work around its outskirts. Even the ad-
venturous prospector passed it by, and
searched the earth over for gold before
seeking in the heart of the Olympics.
231
If our Rational parh£
Through the combined efforts of govern-
ment agents, individuals, and organiza-
tions, the region has at last been pretty well
explored. Both in exploring this Olympic
region and in endeavoring to have a part of
its primeval scenes saved in a park, the
Mountaineers Club of Seattle has taken an
aggressive part.
Up to the altitude of about four thousand
feet the mountains are wrapped in dense
green and heavy forest gloom. Then come
the scattered grassy, flowery, snowy open-
ings. Timber-line, kept low by the exces-
sive snowfall, is at about fifty-five hundred
feet altitude, one thousand feet lower than
in the Alps, and six thousand feet below the
forest frontier on the Rocky Mountains in
Colorado. The summit slopes are a broken
array of snow-fields, ice-piles, and glaciers.
Above the timber-line, vast, deep snow-
fields cover much of the area. These white
summits show from far out at sea.
Mount Olympus, with an altitude of
8250 feet, is the highest peak. Among the
232
Cfjrcc Rational £t?onumrnt£
other commanding peaks are Meany, Cou-
gar, and Seattle.
The climate, tempered by the warm sea,
is mild. Probably no other region in the
United States has a heavier rainfall and
snowfall. From sixty to one hundred feet
of snow is deposited over it each winter.
The only comparatively rainless months
are July and August. The rain, and the
water from the ice- and snow-fields, sup-
ply numerous steeply inclined streams,
which descend in roaring waterfalls and in
long, leaping wild cascades.
This region excels in the number and
crowded conditions of large tree growth,
and the impenetrable luxuriance of under-
growth. Hemlock, cedar, spruce, and fir
predominate. While the hemlock is the
most common tree here, the cedar is the
most striking. The latter is a strangely
stiff and mysterious tree of rather stocky
growth. In this moist, mild clime it finds
conditions for development almost ideal.
The two kinds of cedar are the Alaska and
233
Hour Rational
the red. Thousands of acres here may be
seen crowded with tall trees that will aver-
age five feet or more in diameter and one
hundred and fifty feet in height. Trees
twelve feet in diameter are not uncom-
mon, and the United States Geological
Survey reports one with a diameter of
twenty-eight feet! Thousands of acres of
red fir trees may also be found in which the
average height of the trees is two hundred
and forty feet!
Wild flowers are everywhere. They edge
the snow-fields, cover the breaks in the
cliffs, line the streams, and bank with bloom
the fallen forest patriarchs. Among the
common blossoms are the lovely cassiope,
— white heather, — mountain anemone,
phlox, and "Indian basket grass."
This is the home of the gigantic Olympic
Roosevelt elk, and among the other com-
mon animals are the bear, deer, wolf, fox,
lynx, otter, and beaver. The streams are
simply crowded with trout. Bald eagles
are found, and there is an array of flickers,
234
MOUNT ST. HELENS
From the Timber-Line Trail on Mount Rainier
€i>ree Rational a$tmument£
woodpeckers, warblers, jays, sparrows, and
hummingbirds. The solitudes of this syl-
van park are cheered with the melody of
the water-ouzel, the Alaska hermit thrush,
and the winter wren.
But the mountain summits are signifi-
cant as view-points. From them one com-
mands the sea, islands, and the broken
shore of the Pacific. Bright Puget Sound,
with a scattering of dark islands and rag-
ged edges, fills the foreground. Looking
toward the southeast across the darkly
forested mountains through which rolls the
Columbia, one enjoys a view vast and im-
posing. The dark forest cover is pierced by
three snow-laden and steaming sleeping
volcanoes. The most impressive one of
these is Mount Rainier, with a score of
enormous glaciers covering head and shoul-
ders. Another one is Mount Adams. But
the most exquisitely beautiful of all the
peaks which the summits of the Olympics
command is Mount St. Helens. The head
and shoulders of this mountain rise a per-
235
Sour Rational §parft£
feet snowy cone above the purple forest
robe and stand as perfectly poised as a
Greek statue of marble.
The Olympic National Park should in-
clude about three hundred square miles.
What a splendid attraction if this area of
primeval scenes and forests were kept in a
state of nature!
2. THE NATURAL BRIDGES AND
RAINBOW BRIDGE NATIONAL MONUMENTS
Utah has the four grandest natural
bridges in the world. Three of these are in
the Natural Bridges National Monument,
and the fourth in the Rainbow Bridge
National Monument. There are natural
bridges elsewhere in Utah, and in the Yel-
lowstone and the Mesa Verde National
Parks; also in Virginia and various other
places. But so far as known, the four in
these two National Monuments excel all
others in size, in impressiveness, and in
wildness of setting.
These National Monuments embrace
236
€&m Rational
desert regions in southeastern Utah which
are made up mostly of rock-formations.
Standing out on the strange desert, the fan-
tastic forms and weird sandstone figures
exhibited give the whole region a peculiar
impress! veness. There are countless stat-
uesque forms and groups that are sur-
prisingly faithful in their resemblance to
figures of birds, animals, humans, and
temples; and all are of heroic size.
The bridges in the Natural Bridges
Monument are known as the Sipapu or
Augusta Bridge, the Kachima or Caroline
Bridge, and the Owachomo or Little Bridge.
The former of each of these names is of
Indian origin and is the official one.
These three bridges are all within a
small area. The Sipapu is 260 feet long on
the bottom; the span is 157 feet high and
22 feet above the creek-bed. Its road-bed
width is 28 feet. The Kachima Bridge has
a span of 156 feet, a total height of 205 feet,
and a width across the top of 49 feet. The
Owachomo Bridge has a light, graceful
237
gout Rational
structure. Its span is 194 feet and its sur-
face 1 08 feet above the bottom. The arch-
ing part has a thickness of only 10 feet.
The Rainbow Bridge, whose official
name is Nonnezoshie, is more of a magnifi-
cent rainbow arch than a bridge. It has
splendid and striking proportions. Its
great graceful arch is 308 feet high and 274
feet long.
These bridges are of sandstone of red-
dish cast, stained in many places with black-
ish or greenish lichens and rust. Like any
other rock-forms, they are the product of
various erosive forces — illustrating the
survival of the fittest. Their material,
being slightly more durable than that of
the now vanished rocks, or possibly less
severely tested, has endured while the
other material has been dissolved and worn
away. In the fashioning of the surface of
the earth Nature sometimes makes beau-
tiful and imposing statuary. She has done
so here. In the surrounding country are
turrets, cisterns, wells, conelike and dome-
238
RAINBOW NATURAL BRIDGE
RAINBOW NATIONAL MONUMENT
Cfjrcc Rational 3?omimcnt$
like caves and caverns, and nearly complete
arches. In fact, arches and bridges show-
ing every degree of completion and past
prime condition may be seen. Near by are
numerous deserted cliff dwellings. These
unusual structures leave a lasting impres-
sion on every visitor. Plans are already
under way to make these wonders easily
accessible to the public.
3. MUKUNTUWEAP NATIONAL MONUMENT
The Mukuntuweap National Monu-
ment, Utah, has as spectacular a canon,
and as stupendous an array of vast rock-
forms, as is to be found anywhere in the
world. This territory is often spoken of as
"The Little Zion River Region." The
Mukuntuweap Canon has some of the
forms shown in the Grand Canon, and an
array of colors not equaled in any other
canon known. In width it varies from half
a mile to only a few rods across. It does not
all tend in a straight direction. It curves.
The canon walls in places are sheer and
239
Hour Rational parli£
rise from two thousand to three thousand
feet. One of its most startling features is
shown in the overhanging walls, which the
water has undercut so that in places the
walls prevent a person in the bottom from
seeing the sky.
In a recent report on this canon, T. E.
Hunt, of the Department of the Interior,
wrote: —
At the south end, the canon is about twelve
hundred feet wide, but gradually narrows for a
distance of seven miles, until a point is reached
where with outstretching arms the finger tips
touch the walls on either side. In a number of
places the walls of this canon rise vertically to
a height of more than two thousand feet, thus
exhibiting a plain surface of extremely hard,
pink sandstone.
The vast barren areas of the walls are
broken by figures in relief, and statuary on
the summits — all the carving of Nature.
On the terraces and in the niches are
growths of ash and oak, maple and spruce
and other trees. In a number of places
these walls are further enlivened and glori-
240
Cfjrcc Rational a^ouumentg
fied by waterfalls that plunge grandly over
them into the canon. We thus have in this
region an unexcelled variety of the best-
known canon effects — the vast sweep of
vertical walls, the walls that are undercut
so that they appear to lean, and extreme
narrowness between the walls.
But, enlivening and glorifying all these,
is the color! Here you will find immense
spaces of chocolate, red, crimson, magenta,
and maroon, with touches of silver and
gold. It is doubtful if Nature has any-
where covered such immense areas with
such deep and contrasting colors as in this
canon.
This region is little known, but prob-
ably in a short time it will be easily acces-
sible. It was made a National Monument
in 1912. The people of Utah now want it
for their National Park.
XIII
OTHER NATIONAL PARKS
I. WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK
THE Wind Cave National Park consists
of about sixteen square miles of pine-cov-
ered hills in the southwestern corner of
South Dakota. It is about twelve miles
north of the town of Hot Springs and about
the same distance southeast of Custer. The
altitude is between four thousand and five
thousand feet. It was created in 1903. The
scenery is typical of the picturesque Black
Hills region, which the Indians especially
loved.
The Park's special attraction is a large
natural cavern. This has recesses said to
have been traced for ninety-six miles, but
never thoroughly explored. Its name is
due to the strong air-currents noticeable
at the entrance, which sometimes blow one
way and sometimes another. Bridges,
242
stairways, landings, and paths through the
cave's mysterious passageways permit visi-
tors to reach its natural splendors, which
are seen by the light of burning candles or
magnesium ribbon.
The cave was discovered in 1881. Its
temperature varies only between forty and
forty-seven degrees the year round. Some
of its known passages are almost five hun-
dred feet below the surface of the earth, and
wind over, under, and around one another.
The formations are mostly of limestone.
Among the features of this interesting un-
derground world are a spring and a minia-
ture lake, beautiful calcite crystals, ex-
posed geodes, boxwork forms, and other
attractive natural formations.
The Park is the permanent home of a
herd of buffaloes, presented to the Gov-
ernment by the American Bison Society.
Herds of elk and antelope are also found
in an inclosed section. Many white-tailed
deer running wild in the region annually
seek shelter within the Park from the at-
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tacks of hunters. Grouse and quail are
increasing in numbers under National-
Park protection.
2. SULLY'S HILL NATIONAL PARK
Sully's Hill National Park was estab-
lished in 1904. Its area is only seven hun-
dred and eighty acres. It is on the south
shore of Devil's Lake, in northeastern
North Dakota, near Fort Totten.
Lack of an appropriation for the care
and protection of the Park makes it neces-
sary (1917) for the Superintendent of the
Government Industrial School for Indians,
which is about one mile east of Fort Tot-
ten, to act as Superintendent of the Park.
It is badly in need of conveniences —
as roads, trails, clearings, etc. Although
money has been appropriated for the es-
tablishment and maintenance of a game
preserve on the tract, not a cent has ever
been set aside for development and im-
provement.
It is well wooded and has many rugged
244
<©tf)cr Rational $arft£
hills, including Sully's Hill. Another of its
natural beauties is Sweet Water Lake.
The Park is popular as a picnic-ground
and Devil's Lake affords a good bathing-
beach and fine opportunities for yachting.
It is one of the beauty-spots of North
Dakota, and its scenery is of the restful
and delightful character.
3. CASA GRANDE RUIN RESERVATION
The most important prehistoric Indian
ruin of its type in the Southwest is now
protected and preserved, for the study and
enjoyment of the people, in the Casa
Grande Ruin Reservation. This contains
four hundred and eighty acres, set aside
in 1892. It is near Florence, Arizona,
about eighteen miles northeast of Casa
Grande railroad station. The ruins are of
undetermined antiquity. A Jesuit mis-
sionary discovered them in 1694. As ex-
cavated so far, a great house built of pud-
dled mud moulded into walls and dried in
the sun is the main structure of the group.
245
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As it is of perishable character, the walls
have been gradually disintegrating, and a
corrugated iron roof has been put over
the ruins to protect them from the ele-
ments so far as possible. Considerable
more repair and protection work is needed.
The main building was originally five
or six stories in height and covered a space
fifty-nine by forty-three feet. Surround-
ing Casa Grande proper is a rectangular
walled inclosure. A number of buildings
or clusters of rooms have been excavated
in this, and others as yet unexcavated are
known to be there. One hundred rooms with
plazas and surrounding walls now open on
the ground floor of the reservation. These
ruins are of great historic and scientific in-
terest, and have strong claims for archaeo-
logical study, repair, and preservation.
4. HOT SPRINGS RESERVATION
Although the Yellowstone was our first
scenic National Park, the honor of being
the oldest national recreation place falls
246
<©tfjer Rational $ark0
to the Hot Springs Reservation, in the
mountains of central Arkansas. It was
created in 1832. Forty-six springs of hot
water possessing radioactive properties,
and also some cold-water springs of cura-
tive value, are embraced within the tract
of nine hundred and twelve acres, fifty
miles west by south from the city of Little
Rock. The waters flow from the sides of
Hot Springs Mountain. Rheumatism and
other bodily ills are relieved or remedied
by the waters. Eleven bathhouses on the
reservation, and a dozen more within the
little city of Hot Springs, are under gov-
ernment regulation.
As early as 1804 the power of the waters
was known to white men, and a settlement
had already begun there at that time.
Tradition says that the Indians knew of
the springs long before the Spanish inva-
sion, and that they warred among them-
selves for their possession. Finally a truce
was made, and thereafter all the tribes
availed themselves of the healing waters.
247
four Rational $arfe£
5. PLATT NATIONAL PARK
The Plait National Park contains many
sulphur and other springs possessing med-
icinal value. It includes one and a third
square miles in southern Oklahoma, and
was created in 1906.
6. MOUNT MCKINLEY NATIONAL PARK
The Mount McKinley National Park,
Alaska, was established early in 1917. It is
in the approximate center of Alaska and em-
braces twenty-two hundred square miles.
Mount McKinley is known to many Indians
as "The Great One." Its summit is 20,300
feet above sea-level. On the north this stu-
pendous mountain is exceedingly precipi-
tous and rises 18,000 feet in a distance of
thirteen miles. It is doubtful if there is a
peak in the world that rises so high above
the limits of tree growth. And no mountain
that I know of has slopes so completely
snow-covered. Its snow-line is at the alti-
tude of 7000 feet, and from this altitude
248
<£tfter Rational $arfcg
upward only a few crags and rocky ridges
show. The upper 14,000 feet of steep slopes
appears a vast towering white mass of gla-
ciers and snow. The largest glacier is the
Muldrow. It is thirty-nine miles long. The
summit of this peak and a part of its slopes
are embraced in the Mount McKinley Na-
tional Park.
This Park is a wild-life refuge. Its slopes
are the greatest known big-game range on
the continent. Here are mountain sheep and
caribou by the thousand. Moose are com-
mon. Beaver are plentiful. And there are
grizzly, brown, and black bear. Many kinds
of birds use the region for their summer
nesting-land. Brilliant wild flowers abound.
Spruce, birch, cottonwood, and willow are
the more common trees, but none of them
grow large.
In 1902, D. L. Raeburn, of the Geolog-
ical Survey, explored this territory and
brought out much valuable information
concerning it. Mr. Raeburn determined
most of the boundary-line of the present
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Park. In 1903, James Wickersham at-
tempted to scale the peak. It was first con-
quered in March, 1913. The creation of this
Park was brought about chiefly through the
efforts of Charles Sheldon. When com-
pleted, the Alaskan railroad will be within
fifteen miles of the Park boundary-line.
XIV
CANADIAN NATIONAL PARKS
THE Dominion, or National, Parks of
Canada possess a wealth of snow-capped
peaks and majestic mountains, magnifi-
cent glaciers, luxuriant forests, and peace-
ful, sunny valleys. These Parks are gemmed
with crystalline lakes and glorified by
hundreds of gardens of rare and brilliant
wild flowers; they rival and surpass the
celebrated scenes of Europe. Travelers
who are visiting the scenic world will find
in the Canadian parks a number of places
of the most inspiring character and of
original composition. Mental pictures of
the earth's great scenes are incomplete
without the masterpieces of Canada.
The Canadian people are to be congratu-
lated on their splendid scenic inheritance.
I thank them for the statesmanlike appre-
ciation of this noble resource. They real-
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ize that scenery is a rich asset, and — what
is more important — that every one needs
outdoor life and great views. The Cana-
dians already have comprehensive plans
for fuller use of scenery. These include not
only the saving of other scenic places and
getting these ready for visitors, but also
plans that will assist large numbers of their
own people to visit the Parks.
I. JASPER PARK
Jasper Park, the continent's largest
national playground, was created in 1907.
It contains forty-four hundred square miles
and comprises all the ranges east of the
Divide in northern Alberta. It is reached
by two transcontinental railroads.
This part of the Great North country
suggests adventure, romance, and history,
and brings back to mind the power, the
strangeness, and the picturesqueness of the
earlier days of the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany. The storied Athabasca flows through
it, a band of silver in a flower-strewn valley
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ILLECILLEWAET VALLEY
Mount Sir Donald in distance. Glacier Park, Canada
Canadian Rational
of meadow and park land, hemmed in by
glistening mountains. An important fur
district a century ago, its trading-posts
now are tourist resorts with railroads and
hotels.
Yellowhead Pass, of historic associa-
tions, is the western entrance. Two grim
peaks guard the eastern portal. Roche
Miette, which dominates the surrounding
country, was formerly a favorite Indian
hunting-ground for mountain sheep. Per-
drix or Folding Mountain has strange folds
and angles in its strata.
Many roads and trails reach the beauty
spots of this park. Fiddle Creek Canon
is in places only twenty feet wide, but the
roaring, rushing waters are two hundred
feet below. On the same road are the cele-
brated Miette Springs and Punch-Bowl
Falls, a geological curiosity. Maligne Lake
is a scenic jewel, and its river canon displays
wonderful erosion. The Park abounds in
minerals. Administration headquarters are
at Jasper.
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2. ROCKY MOUNTAINS PARK
Indian stories of remarkable and cura-
tive hot springs probably led to the crea-
tion of the Rocky Mountains Park, the
oldest and best-developed of the Domin-
ion's national playgrounds. With states-
manlike foresight, the Government deter-
mined to retain the springs region in a
National Park as a permanent health and
pleasure ground for all the people. In
1889, two hundred and sixty square miles
were thus set aside, and the Park has since
been enlarged to eighteen hundred square
miles. It lies on the east slope of the
Rockies in Alberta, adjoining Yoho Park.
The springs rise in Sulphur Mountain,
near Banff, the geographic and chief tour-
ist center. On this mountain-side the
Government conducts public baths. The
region is a winter as well as a summer
resort.
The Banff district also possesses not-
able scenery. It has an invigorating at-
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mosphere and the peaceful serenity of a
lovely mountain valley, with bare, rocky
summits and dark, forest slopes. This was
a celebrated Indian hunting-ground, and
the legends and traditions of the abo-
rigines will ever touch it with the spell of
adventure and romance. Here is beautiful
Lake Minnewanka. Beyond lies the strange
valley of the Ghost River. It is a lime-
stone canon, into which a number of
streams fall, but from which none are
known to flow. An undiscovered subter-
ranean outlet is supposed to account for
this phenomenon.
Banff has an excellent Government
museum, containing complete collections
of the mountain flora and fauna, also a zoo,
buffalo-corral, and moose-pasture. The
town-site is owned and controlled by the
Government, which makes regulations,
leases ground, and issues permits for com-
petitive business.
Laggan, another railway station in the
Park, is the center for the celebrated Lake
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Louise district. Near are snow-capped peaks
standing thickly together, with countless
tumbling streams and leaping waterfalls.
High among the mountains are exquis-
ite blue or emerald lakes, set like spark-
ling gems in the bold surroundings of
peaks and glaciers. Chief of these is the
famous Lake Louise.
Brilliant wild flowers in luxuriant pro-
fusion and of many varieties are one of
the Park's chief charms. Delicate twin-
flowers, adder's-tongue, false heather, and
dainty blossoms of every hue are included
in these wild alpine meadow displays.
A transmountain automobile road from
Calgary runs through the Rocky Mountains
Park and into the Yoho Park. Its route
includes points of great scenic interest.
This road will be extended to the Pacific.
3. YOHO PARK
Scenic allurements are numerous in
Yoho Park, which embraces five hundred
and sixty square miles of the west slope of
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the picturesque Rocky Mountains, in east-
ern British Columbia. Fantastic shapes
and sharp points characterize it. The
vegetation is rich and verdant. Many
wonderful views and interesting districts
in it are easily reached.
Yoho Valley in this Park was not dis-
covered until 1897, but its unusual beauty
at once attracted numerous visitors. Takak-
kaw Fall is the thunderous spray-shrouded
leap of eleven hundred feet of a glacier tor-
rent. The Indian name means " It is Won-
derful/' This valley also possesses other
beautiful falls, a remarkable ice region,
and other interesting alpine features.
Emerald Lake, admired by artists and
nature-lovers, is said to have twenty shades
of green, but never one of blue, in its crys-
talline mirror depths. It is reached by a
straight road through dark fragrant firs
that meet overhead. A dazzling white
mountain at the end of the vista gave rise
to the name Snowpeak Avenue.
The Natural Bridge is not far from
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Field, the main-line railway town that
serves as a center for this national play-
ground. The Kickinghorse River forces its
way through a narrow gap in a solid wall
of rock. Rocks remaining above this boil-
ing, seething mass of water and cloud spray
make a natural passageway across and
give the formation its name.
Millions of trilobites have been found
in the extensive fossil-bed of Mount Ste-
phen. This probably was once the bed
of an ocean. This massive, round-topped
mountain, 10,523 feet high and with curi-
ously marked sides, is probably the most
frequently climbed peak in Canada. It
seems to rise directly over the town, is not
difficult to ascend, and affords wonderful
views of the " frozen sea" of snow peaks
to the north and west.
4. WATERTON LAKES PARK
Waterton Lakes Park, in southern Al-
berta, is notable chiefly for its glacier lakes.
Although one of the smallest, it is one of
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Canadian Rational parks
the most beautiful of the Canadian scenic
reservations. Since sixteen square miles
were set aside in 1895, it has been enlarged
to four hundred and twenty-three square
miles.
For about twenty miles this Dominion
playground adjoins the Glacier National
Park of the United States. The two will
be linked by a motor road, so that visi-
tors to one may also enjoy the other. An
enlargement of theWaterton River forms
the main chain of lakes. The upper one,
nine and a half miles long, extends three
miles into the United States.
Prehistoric glaciers gouged out the main
valleys, leaving them carved in massive
proportions. Beautiful streams rush down
canons, plunge in shining cascades, or re-
main dammed] up as superb lakes. The
lower valleys are clothed with forests.
Columnar peaks, fantastic rock formations,
and unscalable precipices complete the
imposing effects.
Fishing is a leading attraction. The
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Park contains many Rocky Mountain
goats and bighorn sheep. Grizzly and
black bears and mountain lions also are
frequently found.
5. REVELSTOKE PARK
Revelstoke Park is a natural park on
Mount Revelstoke's summit, near the city
of Revelstoke in British Columbia. This
mountain's rolling uplands are studded
with beautiful groves, dainty flowers, and
exquisite lakes. The wonderful views in-
clude unnamed and unclimbed peaks, wild
forests, streams and falls,. and a great ice-
field. A motor road to reach this summit
panorama is being completed. The Park
has an area of ninety-five square miles.
It is well adapted to ski-jumping and kin-
dred sports.
6. THE ANIMAL PARKS
To protect its large wild animals and
prevent their threatened extinction, the
Canadian Government has gone to enor-
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mous expense and trouble. Two animal
parks have been established: Elk Island
Park of sixteen square miles, near Lamont,
Alberta; and Buffalo Park of one hundred
and sixty square miles, near Wainwright,
Alberta. The former contains many elk
and deer, as well as moose, buffaloes, birds,
wild-fowl, and water-folk. Buffalo Park
makes a natural home for over two thou-
sand wild bisons, the largest pure-blooded
herd in the world. The original seven hun-
dred of these were bought from a Mon-
tana Indian. Both parks produce their
own forage, and are well fenced and fire-
guarded. They have many scenic lakes,
woods, hills, and valleys. Visitors are ad-
mitted to study the wild life under natural
conditions.
7. ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS PARK
As a National Park for summer use by
fishermen, campers, picnickers, and excur-
sionists, the Dominion Government has a
dozen islands among the Thousand Islands
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of the St. Lawrence River. Eleven of these
were purchased from Indians and the
twelfth was donated for park purposes.
(Other islands in the vicinity are part of
the New York State park system.)
8. FORT HOWE PARK
Fort Howe National Park is the first
of a new kind of Canadian parks that will
preserve historic places. An old British
fort site at St. John, New Brunswick, com-
prises the first of these historic parks. It
covers nineteen acres. Here a resort will
be established, and memorials of impor-
tant events connected with the spot will
be erected.
Responsibility for the creation and the
administration of Canadian National Parks
rests upon the Minister of the Interior.
Under his direction is a Commissioner of
Dominion Parks, with a staff. This is
absolutely separate from the Canadian
Forest Service. This bureau is charged
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with responsibility for the administration
of all park matters, under one head. The
head office plans the work and the several
superintendents carry it out under the in-
spection of the chief superintendent. Park
appropriations are voted each year by
Parliament in one lump sum, on esti-
mates prepared by the Parks Bureau.
Each superintendent is furnished every
month with an amount sufficient to cover
the cost of the work planned for the
month ensuing. This system means uni-
formity of administration; expenditure
based on a proper perspective of the needs
of the several Parks; a comprehensive
scheme of development; and flexibility to
meet changed conditions.
Further information concerning these
Parks may be had from the Commissioner
of Dominion Parks, Ottawa, Canada.
XV
PARK-DEVELOPMENT AND NEW PARKS
A PLATFORM for park-promoters : —
1. Immediate appropriations for every Na-
tional Park.
2. Early enlargement of a few of the Parks.
3. Prompt creation of a number of new
Parks.
4. The National Park Service needs the
help of your eternal vigilance and sym-
pathy. Keep the National Park Service
absolutely separate from the Forest
Service or any other organization.
5. Concessions are a bad feature in any
Park. The Palisades Inter-State Park is
run without concessions. Why should
private concerns reap profits by exploit-
ing the visitors to National Parks?
6. A Board of National Park Commission-
ers is needed. These commissioners
should act as a Board of Directors, as do
the Inter-State Park Commissioners, and
have absolute control over the National
Parks.
No nation has ever fallen through hav-
ing too many parks. We may have too
264
$arft^£)cbclaprncnt anfc Jj5cto paths
many soldiers, too many indoor functions,
too many exclusive social sets, but the
United States Government, or any other,
will never fall for having too many national
parks.
Nearly all the large nations of the earth
now have national parks or are planning
to create them. Canada, Australia, and
New Zealand are especially thoughtful in
park matters. Switzerland has a number,
and is planning new ones. A number of
South American countries are making in-
vestigations with the view of establishing
national parks.
National parks are an institution inti-
mately allied with the general welfare.
You need this institution, and it needs
your help. Every one ought to be glad
to help better and beautify our land.
Whittier was once asked by a young man
for advice as to how best to succeed. The
poet told him to attach himself to a noble
and neglected cause and to stay with it
till he won. The Park field greatly needs
265
Sour Rational $arks
the help of young men and young women
who are willing to serve a noble cause. In
connection with National Parks you can
be exceedingly helpful in furthering the
following work: —
A number of new Parks should be at
once created. A number of the old Parks
need to be enlarged. Appropriations are
greatly needed for the development of all.
You can help the National Park Service.
It is in danger of being crippled by the lack
of appropriations. A number of the Na-
tional Monuments should at once be made
National Parks. Among these are the
Grand Canon, the Olympic, the Mukun-
tuweap Canon, and others. The Sequoia
and other National Parks need enlarge-
ment; and the Mount St. Elias and other
scenic regions, especially the Mount Mc-
Kinley region, are most worthy of early
consideration for park purposes.
The Yellowstone Park needs to have
the Grand Teton region added; Rainier,
about twenty square miles at the south-
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west corner; Crater Lake, a few square
miles on the west and north; Yosemite,
mountainous country on the east and
southeast; Rocky Mountain, small areas
— east, west, north, and south; and the
Sequoia, Mount Whitney and the King's-
Kern region.
One of the most deserving of National
Park projects, as well as one of the most
unique, is that which centers about the
Jamez Plateau, in New Mexico. Upon this
plateau in prehistoric times stood a me-
tropolis of Indian civilization, and the
magnificent ruins which remain make this
place priceless, and throw over it one of
the most fascinating mysteries in the realm
of archaeology. A number of the buildings
were stone structures of excellent and ar-
tistic architecture, and contained hun-
dreds of rooms. The pottery and other
records left by this vanished people indi-
cate that they were a people of culture and
refinement.
While the opposition is delaying the
267
gout Rational JDarlt^
making of this Park, the despoilment of
the region goes on. In this connection Dr.
Jesse W. Fewkes makes this significant
statement: —
Too strong language cannot be used in dep-
recation of the butchering of the architectural
features of our Southwestern ruins by pot-
hunters, either private individuals for gain or
representatives of institutions under the name
of scientific research.
The Cook Forest in western Pennsyl-
vania, the greatest existing primeval growth
of white pine; a splendid redwood forest
near Eureka, California; the Dunes on
the shore of Lake Michigan in northern
Indiana; the Mammoth Cave of Ken-
tucky; the Luray Caverns in Virginia; and
a stretch of the seashore in eastern North
Carolina, — all ought to be public prop-
erty, though now privately owned. These
places might be saved for the people for
all time in State Parks, but their unique
and splendid characteristics justify their
becoming National Parks.
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Nearly all proposed National Park areas
are of territory in the public domain —
still owned by the Government. The pri-
vately owned areas that are proposed for
National Parks are places admirably fitted
for park purposes, and are located close
to millions of people.
It is important that the remaining scenic
areas in the country be at once made into
State or National Parks. Fortunately
there still are a number of these wild places,
but it will require effort to save them.
Each Park proposed will have powerful
and insidious opposition. The insidious
opposition to National Parks will say,
" There is a feeling in Congress that we
should not have any more National Parks
at this time"; or, "We should wait until
present ones are improved."
Scenery is perishable — is easily ruined.
The better parts of scenery are birds,
flowers, and trees. These are easily de-
spoiled. No work, no public service, is
more noble than that of the Park exten-
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Sour Rational $arli£
sion and improvement which now presses
us. Every National Park needs appro-
priations. It is the duty of every one to
ask and urge Congress at once to make
adequate appropriations.
Much is to be gained and nothing to
be lost in acting promptly. It is impor-
tant that new Parks be created now, a
working plan made for all, and the devel-
opment pushed. When all our National
Parks are ready for travelers, we shall not
need to shout, "See America First/'
The phrase "See America First " may
have done a little good, but it is now obso-
lete. A plain condition now confronts us.
Scenic America is to be made ready to be
seen. Only a small percentage of the area
of our National Parks is really ready for
the traveler.
Congress should not be blamed for this
condition ; neither should we severely blame
ourselves. But we ought promptly to see
that these Parks receive adequate appro-
priations. If we do this, in a short time
270
anfc
the National Park Service, through its
Director, will say, "Your National Parks
— our matchless wonderlands — are now
entirely ready for millions of travelers. "
The plan for the development of Na-
tional Parks includes three types of hotels,
the luxurious, the popular-priced, and inns
or shelter cabins that are clean and com-
fortable, and that give simple entertain-
ment at the lowest possible cost. And all
buildings should be of an architecture that
harmonizes with the .landscape.
Guides in Parks should be of the high-
est type of culture and refinement, nat-
uralists who can impart information. Of
course they must be masters of woodcraft.
The wilderness is destined to have a large
and helpful place in the lives of the people.
This is to be partly brought about by
guides and Park rangers. There should be
guides of both sexes.
The ultimate development should em-
brace a scenic road-system, roads built so
as to command scenery and to be for the
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most part on mountain-sides and summits.
They should touch the greatest and most
beautiful spots, and should follow, not
the lines of least resistance, but those of
greatest attraction. In places along the
forested roads, openings might be cleared
so as to expose near scenes and to enable
travelers to see the game which may come
to these openings.
Many roads should be paralleled by
trails for people afoot or on horseback.
Of course trails should be made to numer-
ous high or wild places not reached by
roads.
Many persons do not realize the dif-
ference between a forest reserve and a
National Park. A forest reserve is pri-
marily used for cattle-grazing and saw-
mills, while a National Park is a region
wholly educational and recreational for
your children and yourselves. A forest re-
serve is a commercial proposition, while a
National Park must be estimated by higher
values. In a paper on the conservation of
272
anD $eto JDarhtf
scenery, in "The Rocky Mountain Won-
derland, " I have said: —
We need the forest reserve, and we need the
National Park. Each of these serves in a dis-
tinct way, and it is of utmost importance that
each be in charge of its specialist. The forester
is always the lumberman, the park man is
a practical poet. . . . The forester must cut
trees before they are over-ripe or his crop will
waste, while the park man wants the groves to
become aged and picturesque. The forester
pastures cattle in his meadows, while the park
man has only people and romping children
among his wild flowers. The park needs the
charm of primeval nature, and should be free
from ugliness, artificiality, and commercialism.
For the perpetuation of scenery, a landscape
artist is absolutely necessary. It would be
folly to put a park man in charge of a forest
reserve, a lumbering proposition. On the
other hand, what a blunder to put a tree-
cutting forester in charge of a park! We need
both these men; each is important in his
place; but it would be a double misfortune to
put one in charge of the work of the other.
In this connection Stewart Edward
White recently wrote : —
If the public in general understood the dif-
ference between a National Park and a Na-
273
flour Rational f&atft$
tional Forest, there could be no doubt as to
the opinion of any intelligent citizen. The
distinction is so simple that it seems that it
should be easy to get it within the comprehen-
sion of anybody. A National Park is an open-
air museum set apart by Congress either to
preserve from commercial development beau-
tiful scenery, trees, natural monuments, or
some of the forests that are being cut com-
mercially both in private and national forests.
The idea is not commercial development along
even conservative and constructive lines, but
absolute preservation in a state of nature.
Once this distinction is grasped, no one can
doubt that these two institutions demand en-
tirely different management. It would be as
sensible to put men with the same training in
charge of both National Park and National
Forest, as it would be to place the same men
with the same training in charge of a busy
shoe factory and a museum of archaeology.
Says Frederick Law Olmsted : —
Why should there be a distinction between
National Forests and National Parks? If the
public is at liberty to use both as recreation
grounds, why should they not all be under one
management, in the interest of a more econom-
ical administration?
The National Forests are set apart for eco-
274
anfc
nomic ends, and their use for recreation is a
by-product properly to be secured only in so
far as it does not interfere with the economic
efficiency of the forest management. The
National Parks are set apart primarily in
order to preserve to the people for all time the
opportunity of a peculiar kind of enjoyment
and recreation, not measurable in economic
terms and to be obtained only from the
remarkable scenery which they contain —
scenery of these primeval types which are in
most parts of the world rapidly vanishing for
all eternity before the increased thoroughness
of the economic use of land. In the National
Parks direct economic returns, if any, are
properly the by-products; and even rapidity
and efficiency in making them accessible to
the people, although of great importance, are
wholly secondary to the one dominant pur-
pose of preserving essential esthetic qualities
of their scenery unimpaired as a heritage
to the infinite numbers of the generations to
come.
Because of the very fact that in the Parks,
as well as in the Forest, considerations of
economics and of direct human enjoyment
must both be carefully weighed in reaching
decisions, and because the physical problems
are much the same in both, the fundamental
difference in the points of view which should
275
four Rational $arft£
control the management of the National
Parks and that of the National Forests can be
safely maintained only by keeping them under
separate administration.
John Nolen says : —
The minor purposes of forests may cor-
respond somewhat with the major purposes of
parks, and vice versa; but the main and essen-
tial purposes of each are altogether different
from the main and essential purposes of the
other and any confusion of them is sure to
lead to waste and disappointment.
Scenery is our most valuable and our
noblest resource.
It is of utmost importance that each of
these reservations be managed separately.
Those who have distinguished themselves
by appreciating the importance of Na-
tional Parks and by helping them in every
way, have been clear and emphatic in
urging that National Park management
be utterly separate from the management
of National Forests. Among those who
have taken this stand are John Muir,
J. Horace McFarland, John Nolen, Mrs.
276
anb
John D. Sherman, and in fact every one
that I know of who is an authority on
parks. The National Academy of Science
also made a similar recommendation in
1897.
A Park should stand alone, and stand
high. If we think of the Parks separately,
keep them free from the dominion of com-
mercialism, of interests, and of organiza-
tions, we may hope in a short time to re-
ceive the best use of them.
The courts have recently made a num-
ber of excellent decisions concerning the
conservation of scenery, and have gone
definitely on record recognizing its higher
values. In a decision concerning a water-
fall, Judge Robert E. Lewis said in part: —
It is a beneficial use to the weary that they,
ailing and feeble, can have the wild beauties
of Nature placed at their*convenient disposal.
Is a piece of canvas valuable only for a tent-
fly, but worthless as a painting? Is a block of
stone beneficially used when put into the walls
of a dam, and not beneficially used when
carved into a piece of statuary? Is the test
277
Sour Rational $arfe£
dollars, or has beauty of scenery, rest, recrea-
tion, health and enjoyment something to do
with it? Is there no beneficial use except that
which is purely commercial?
This decision is epoch-marking. It em-
phasizes the importance to the Parks of
having a management that is in no way
tied up with any other work.
From the time of the creation of the
Yellowstone Park till 1914 there was no
official head to the National Parks, but
that year Secretary of the Interior Frank-
lin K. Lane used his right and appointed
the first Superintendent, Mark Daniels.
The year 1915 was memorable in Na-
tional Park history. In that year Secre-
tary Lane appointed Stephen T. Mather
Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior,
with authority to do all that he could
for Parks. Mr. Mather, a business man,
sympathetic, well acquainted with the
Parks, saw their extraordinary possibilities.
Having the administrative charge of these
National Parks, he at once set to work
278
an& jjjctu park?"
upon the extremely difficult task of bring-
ing them out of chaos into order. In the
short time that he has had charge of them,
he has made a remarkable advance in se-
curing for them a working plan of develop-
ment, and a simplified and businesslike
management.
In 1915 Superintendent Daniels was
superseded by Robert B. Marshall, former
Chief Geographer of the United States
Geological Survey. Mr. Marshall worked
enthusiastically but resigned in Decem-
ber, 1916. Mr. Mather became Director
of the National Park Service in March,
1917.
Automobiles were first admitted to all
National Parks in 1915, and that year,
too, a number of educative publications
concerning them were issued.
In September, 1911, what may be called
the first National Park Conference was
held in the Yellowstone Park. This was
called by Secretary of the Interior Walter
L. Fisher. In his opening remarks at this
279
iour jjJational parfe£
conference Mr. Fisher said that the pur-
pose of the conference was to "discuss
the matter of the present condition of the
National Parks and what can best be
done to promote the welfare of the Parks
and make them better for the purpose for
which they were created." This brought
together a large gathering of men of affairs
and distinctly furthered the creation of
the National Park Service.
The National Park Service is one of the
subdivisions of the Department of the
Interior. The Service was created by an
act of Congress in 1916, after a campaign
that lasted for seven years. At its head is
a Director. It gives the Parks an official
standing and the care and development
and administration needed.
All National Parks and twenty-one of
the National Monuments are in charge of
the National Park Service. As Monu-
ments are scenic and educational reserva-
tions, it is plain that all these Monuments
might well be in charge of the National
280
Park Service. Then, too, the name " Monu-
ment" might well be changed to "Park."
Considering the far-reaching influence
of the Parks on the general welfare, in a
few years they might be placed under a
cabinet officer who could appropriately
be called the Secretary of National Parks.
XVI
THE SPIRIT OF THE FOREST
THE supreme forest of the world is in the
Sequoia National Park. The Big Trees
have attained here their greatest size and
their grandest development. Here is the for-
est's most impressive assemblage. In these
groves at the southern end of the splendid
Sierra is all the eloquence of wooded wilds
— the silence of centuries and the eternal
spirit of the forest. This forest is to be
guarded and saved forever.
How happily trees have mingled with
our lives! Ever since our lowly ancestors
crawled from gloomy caves, stood erect
in the sunlight, wondered at this calm,
mysterious world, and at last made homes
beneath the hemlock and the pine —
ever since then, down through the ages,
through the dim, sad centuries, all the way
from cave to cottage, the forest has been
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ON THE ROAD TO SHERMAN TREE
GIANT FOREST, SEQUOIA NATIONAL, PARK
€&e Spirit of tfte forest
a mother to our good race. How different
our history had this wooded and beauti-
ful world been treeless and lonely! Groves
stand peaceful and prominent on every
hill, in every dale of history that encour-
ages or inspires. If we should lose the
hospitality of the trees and the friendship
of the forest, our race too would be lost,
and the desert's pale, sad sky would come
to hover above a rounded, lifeless world.
The trees are friends of mankind.
The forest that you see on the heights
across the valley, that stands so steadfast
upon the billowed and broken slopes, that
drapes the dales and distances with peace-
ful, purple folds, and makes complete
with grace and grandeur a hanging garden
of the hills — this is the forest that shel-
tered our ancestors through the past's
slow-changing years.
The trees have wandered over the earth
and prepared it for our race. Their low
green ranks encircle the cold white realm
of Farthest North ; they grow in luxuriance
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beneath the equatorial sun; they have
climbed and held the heights though
beaten and crushed with storm and snow;
they have dared the desert's hot and
deadly sand; they stand ankle-deep in
bayous wrapped in tangled vines; they
have breasted the surf and pushed out into
the surges of the ocean; they have con-
quered and reclaimed the rocks on con-
tinents and islands; they have plumed
with palms the white reefs of the blue
and billowed sea; their triumphant masses
stand where the Ice King rules; and in
volcanoes' throats they have given beauty
for ashes. Their banners wave under
every sun and sky. Wherever our race
has gone to live, the trees have given wel-
come and shelter.
The picturesque woodsman with his axe
has helped to build nations and to improve
and sustain them after they were built.
He will play his part in the future. An
axeman at work in the woods makes even
a more stirring and romantic picture than
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€|>e Spirit of tlje forest
does the reaper in his harvest home on
autumn's golden fields. It is good to hear
the sounds of the axe as they echo and
reecho among wooded wilds and then fade
away, a melody amid the forested hills.
The echoes of the axe suggest the old, old
story — tell of a love-touched dream come
true, of another home to be. When under
the axe an old tree falls, it is the end of a
life well lived, the end of a work well done.
But this tree may rise, helped and shaped
by happy hands, and become the most
sacred place in all this world of ours — a
home where lovers live — a cottage with
hollyhocks and roses by the door.
But we are leaving the low-vaulted past.
These trees are not to fall. They are to
stand. In parks, we have provided for
trees a refuge with ourselves. They are
to live on, and with them we shall build
more stately mansions for the soul.
Trees have trials. They know what it
is to struggle and grow strong. With hard-
ship they build history, adventure, pathos,
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and poetry. Every tree has a life full of
incident. Aged trees are stored with the
lore of generations, carry the character of
centuries, have biographies, stirring life-
stories. A sequoia is an impressive wonder.
As the oldest settler upon the earth — the
pioneer of pioneers — it knows the stories
of centuries. At the dead lips of the
Sphinx you listen in vain, but beneath a
Big Tree the ages speak and the centuries
shift their scenes. The Big Trees carry
within their untranslated scrolls that which
may enrich the literature of the world.
Within a Big Tree's brave breast are more
materials of fact and fancy than in the
ocean's coral cove, or in the murmuring
sea-shell on the shore.
In the forest, around the foot of a tree,
rages an endless and ever-changing strug-
gle for existence. Here from season unto
season a thousand forms of life feed and
frolic, live and love, fight and die. Here
Nature's stirring drama is playing on and
always on. Here are trials and triumphs,
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€|>e Spirit of tfte forest
activity and repose, and all the woodland
scenes upon the wild world's stage amid
the splendors and the shadows of the pines.
At this place Nature smiles and sings, and
here, at times, the lonely echo seems to
search and seek in vain.
I never see a little tree bursting from
the earth, peeping confidingly up among
the withered leaves, without wondering
how long it will live, what trials or tri-
umphs it will have. I always hope that
it will be a home for the birds. I always
hope that it will find life worth living, and
that it will live long to better and to beau-
tify the earth.
In spring, summer, autumn, and winter,
the broadleaf forest is a picture gallery,
a fine-arts hall. In winter, abloom with
snow flowers or in penciled tracery against
the sky, how trustfully it sleeps! Con-
fidently and in perfect faith, it awaits the
supreme day of spring, when, amid the
buzzing of bees, the songs of mating birds,
and the unfolding of green and crumpled
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leaves, comes the glory-burst of bloom.
In leaf-filled summer the woodlands are a
realm of rich content. But in reflective
autumn, when the plaintive note of the
bluebird has Southland in its tones, when
the hills are golden, then the work of the
leaves is done and they come out in gar-
ments of glory to die — to die like the sun-
set of a splendid day. Color is triumphant
when autumn, the artist, touches the
trees, for then the entire temperate zone
encircling this rounded world is a wreath
of glory. This wreath fades or falls away;
and the little golden leaf that casts its lot
upon the breeze and floats off in the midst
of mysteries is upon a journey just as dear
as when, amid the mists of sun and spring,
it did appear.
The woodland world of the mountains
in National Parks is a grand commingling
of groves and grass-plots, crags and canons,
and rounded lakes with forest frames and
shadow-matted shores that rest in peace
within the purple forest. Here, in Na-
288
€&e Spirit of tf>e forest
ture's mirrors, pond-lilies, all green and
gold, rise and fall on gentle swells, or re-
pose with reflected clouds and stars. Here,
too, are drifts of fringed gentians, blue
flakes from summer's bluest sky. Here
young and eager streams leap in white
cascades between crowding crags and
pines. In these pictured scenes the birds
sing, the useful beaver builds his pic-
turesque home; here the cheerful chip-
munk frolics and never grows up; and here
the world stays young. Forests give
poetry to the prose of life and enable us to
have and to hold high ideals.
In almost every forest is the quaking
aspen, the most widely distributed tree
in the world. In autumn its golden ban-
ners encircle the globe and adorn nearly
one half the earth. Though this tree has
a constitution so tender that it is easily
killed by fire or injury, it is one of the
greatest pioneer trees in the forest world.
Through the ages the restless aspen leaves
appear to have attracted the attention
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of mankind. Unfortunately the old myths
and legends concerning this merry, child-
like tree told of fear or sorrow, but now
every one catches the hopeful spirit of the
aspen. Aspens are youth, eternal youth.
Endlessly their dancing leaves proclaim
youth. They are romping children. Their
bare legs, their mud- and water-wading
habits, their dancing out of one thing into
another, are charmingly, faithfully child-
like.
Every tree has the ways of its race.
The willow in its appointed place is ever
leaning over watching the endless proces-
sion of waters. Does it wonder whence and
whither? The birches are maidens, slender,
white, and fair. The maple has its own
excuse for being. The elms arch the wood-
land world with cathedral art. Beautiful
is the lone silver spruce lingering among
the grand golden lichened crags. The
sturdy pines stand in ever green content-
ment. The straight spruces and stately
firs point ever upward and never cease to
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€|>e Spirit of t&e forest
call "Excelsior!" nor to climb toward
their ideal. The oak, full of character,
welcomes all seasons and all weathers.
Within the forest, up toward the heights,
stands a tree that wins and holds the
heart like a hollyhock. This tree, the hem-
lock, is a poem all alone. It is the heroine,
the mother spirit of the woodland world,
handsome, richly robed, symmetrical, grace-
ful, sensitive, and steadfast. She, more
than any other tree, appeals to the eye
and the heart. In her upcurving arms and
entire expression there is a - yearning.
When the world was young she may have
been the first tree to shelter our homeless,
wandering race. To-day, when the wild
folk of the outdoors are most beset with
cold or storm, they go trustingly and con-
fidingly to nestle in the hemlock's arms.
And rightly the sequoia is the nobleman
of all the forest world.
That sweet singer, the solitaire, is the
chorister of the forest. He puts the woods
in song. Hear his woodnotes wild and the
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Spirit of the Forest will thrill you! Medi-
tations and memories will throng you.
His msCtchless melody carries echoes of
Orpheus and good tidings from distant
lands where dreams come true. Far away,
soft and low, the wood itself seems to be
singing a hopeful song, a rhythm of ages,
that you have heard before. Pictured
fairyland unfolds as you listen. In it is
the peace, the poetry, the majesty, and
the mystery of the forest.
Go to the trees and get their good tid-
ings. Have an autumn day in the woods,
and beneath the airy arches of limbs and
leaves linger in paths of peace. Speak to
the jostling little trees that are so pretty
and so eager. Stand beneath the mon-
archs, rugged and rich in character. Lie
down upon the brown leaves, and look
far away through the slowly vanishing
vistas full of forest, of columns that are
filled with kindest light. Leaves of red,
bronze, and gold will rest in the sunlight,
or be falling back to earth without a fear.
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€&e Spirit of tfje forest
The brook will murmur on; around, the
falling nuts may patter upon the fallen
leaves; the woodpecker may be tip-tap-
ping ; the birds will be passing for the South-
land; the squirrels will be planting for the
ages. Though there are stirring activities
and endless fancies, your repose will be com-
plete. Here where the lichen-tinted col-
umns of gray and brown are rich and beau-
tiful in the mellow light, you will be at your
best — your own will come to you — with
the Infinite you will be in tune. Stay till
night, and from the edge of the woods see
the sun go down in triumph. While all is
hushed, watch the castled crag and the
gnarled pine on the hilltop blacken against
the golden afterglow. In the reflective
twilight hour you may catch the murmur
and the music of the wind-touched trees.
I wish that every one might have a night
by a camp-fire at Mother Nature's hearth-
stone. Culture began by a camp-fire in the
forest. Ages and ages ago, lightning one
rainy evening set fire to a dead tree near
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the entrance to a cave. The flames lured
some of our frightened ancestors from their
cheerless lair, and as they stared at the
burning wood, they pushed back their long
tangled hair, the better to watch the move-
ments of the mysterious flames. Around
this fire these primitive people gathered for
the first social evening on the earth. When
in the forest one sits within the camp- fire* s
magic tent of light, amid the silent, sculp-
tured trees, thrilling through one's blood
go all the trials and triumphs of our race.
A camp-fire in the forest marks the most
enchanting place on life's highway wherein
to have a lodging for the night.
Weird and strange are the feelings that
flow as winds sweep and sound through the
trees. Now the Storm King puts a bugle to
his lips, and a deep, elemental hymn is sung
while the blast surges wild through the
pines. Soon Mother Nature is quietly sing-
ing, singing soft and low, while the breezes
pause and play in the pines. From the past
one has been ever coming, with the future
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€&e Spirit of t&e forest
is destined ever to go, when with centuries
of worshipful silence one waits for a wind in
the pines. Ever the good old world grows
better, both with songs and with silence,
in the pines.
One touch of forest nature makes the
whole world kin. A tree is the flag of Na-
ture, and forests give a universal feeling
of good will. In the boundless forest the
boundary-lines of nations are forgotten.
Some time an immortal pine may be the
flag of a united and peaceful world. In the
forests' fairyland are still heard "the horns
of Elfland faintly blowing/' There —
"Echoes roll from soul to soul,
And grow forever and forever."
Kinship is the spirit of the forest.
XVII
WILD LIFE IN NATIONAL PARKS
HUNTERS are excluded from National
Parks, and within these wonderlands all
shooting is prohibited. All National Parks
are wild-life sanctuaries, places of refuge for
birds and animals. There the wild folk are
not pursued, trapped, or shot. Nearly all
the principal birds and beasts of North
America are to be found in these Parks.
Here may be seen the lively, merry play-
pranks of young bears, young birds, and
young beavers. Each Park is thus a wild-
life paradise where the animals are safe, free
from the fear of being killed by man. These
Parks are ideal places in which to enjoy the
animals and to study their character; and
they are a happy hunting-ground for the
hunter who carries the camera. Recreation
in these wonderlands is thus absolutely
separated from the butchering business.
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What a glorious exchange! All this should
help the good old world to grow better.
Making a wild-animal place of refuge is
equivalent to making a park-place of refuge
for ourselves.
One day, in what is now the Rocky
Mountain National Park, I came upon
a luxuriously equipped camping-party, in
which were at least a score of people. They
had a splendid outfit and bore evidence of
culture and refinement. I came upon their
camp just at the close of a day that they
had devoted to a hunting-contest. I do not
recall the prize that the winning side se-
cured, but all members of the party, young
and old, men and women, had engaged in
the contest. They had taken sides, and each
side had endeavored during the day to kill
more animals than the other. Every living
thing was allowable. Piled up against a log
near the camp were two heaps of dead
wild folk — squirrels and chipmunks, grouse
and hummingbirds, water-ouzels, ptarmi-
gans, bluebirds, a robin, a wren, a snow-
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shoe rabbit, and I know not how many
others.
People who engage in this kind of sport
have characters that I cannot understand.
These people, with all the advantages of
culture and refinement, were out in the
wild, lovely, splendid scenes. They had for-
gotten all other forms of recreation or en-
joyment and had sunk back into barbaric
blood-shedding ' * sport. ' '
Man has appeared to the furred and
feathered wilderness people as a wanton
murderer. Animals have been constantly
in danger, and nowhere nor at any time
were they safe. Too often animals have
been called cowards. They have grown shy
and wild from necessity. Their life has
depended on keeping out of the way of
man. Along with the getting of food, their
chief concern is "safety first/1 This re-
quires that they be eternally vigilant to
flee from the near presence of man. The
invention of the long-range repeating rifle
added a large element of fear and con-
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sequent shyness to the life of the wild peo-
pie.
But now our National Parks are reform-
ing man. The wildest of animals quickly
become half-tame in any place that is safe.
During the past few years thousands of ex-
cellent photographs have been made of big
game in National Parks. Elk, antelopes,
and mountain sheep have been photo-
graphed singly and in groups at the dis-
tance of only a few yards.
"It is better to let the wild beast run
And let the wild bird fly;
Each harbors best in his native nest,
Even as you and I."
None of the big animals in the United
States are ferocious. In parks it is men,
not animals, who are on their good be-
havior — his hand restrained, man tem-
porarily becomes as inoffensive as the
animals. It may be, if we quit shooting
animals on one side of a Park boundary-
line, that in due time we shall become
sufficiently civilized to stop killing people
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on the other side of a national boundary-
line.
That the habitual wildness of birds and
animals is the result of experience, rather
than instinct, was forcefully illustrated to
me by a surprise that I enjoyed with wild
mountain sheep in a side canon of the Colo-
rado River in Arizona. Bighorn sheep are
proverbially alert and wild. Imagine my
astonishment when two or three of a flock
of bighorns walked up and touched me
with their noses! Evidently they had never
before seen man. Trustfully they ap-
proached to satisfy their native curiosity.
For a number of days I was close to this
flock, and several times I walked among
them. They showed no excitement; they
had nothing to fear. Without doubt, they
had not been fired upon, chased, or even
approached by man before. When I started
for other scenes, one of the ewes of this
wild herd followed me for more than an
hour. Here were wild animals in a truly
natural state! The abundance of easily
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watched bird and animal life in these nu-
merous Parks affords a splendid opportu-
nity to learn how these so-called wild peo-
ple live and who they are.
Our greatest animal is the grizzly bear.
In the Parks we may make his acquaint-
ance. The story of "Ben Franklin/' who
was reared by James Capen Adams, "Griz-
zly Adams," an early mountaineer and
hunter of California, tells of a noble grizzly
bear.
While hunting in the Yosemite in 1854,
Adams killed a mother grizzly and cap-
tured two tiny cubs. A greyhound suckled
them, and Adams kept one of the cubs —
Ben Franklin. Ben was never chained, but
followed his master everywhere through
the mountains with a devotion equal to that
of a faithful dog. Adams always treated
him with kindness and understanding, and
trained him to carry huge packs. Ben also
rendered other startling services.
One day, while returning from a hunt
with Ben at his heels, Adams suddenly
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came upon a mother grizzly and three cubs
in the close quarters of a thicket. The un-
expected encounter probably caused the
big bear to defend her cubs, and she sprang
upon Adams before he could fire his rifle.
He was knocked down and seriously
wounded. Though still a youngster, Ben
was grandly loyal and brave; he instantly
sprang at the huge bear's throat and put up
a courageous fight. This distracted the big
bear's attention and gave Adams a chance
to spring out of harm's way and shoot her.
Little Ben was terribly bitten. So grateful
was Adams that he dressed Ben's wounds
before he attended to his own. Both Adams
and Ben survived, and ever after they were
close companions.
For brain-power, prowess, and sheer
force of character the grizzly is the king of
the wilderness. He knows it, and therefore
is the aristocrat of the wilds. With real
intelligence, and, if kindly tamed, with
wonderful loyalty and devotion, he is an
outdoor citizen of high type, and does not
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merit the extermination that threatens
him.
A grizzly is ever alert, vigilant, and cau-
tious, unless his well-developed bump of
curiosity temporarily hypnotizes him and
, betrays him into momentary dullness and
forgetfulness. He is not a coward, but
simply believes in preparedness and safety
first, and so seldom blunders into trouble.
He is popularly believed to be ferocious.
Two or three generations ago he may have
been fierce, but he is not so now. He uses
his keen wits to avoid man, and never at-
tacks wantonly nor fights if he can avoid it.
But he is a masterful fighter, with strength,
endurance, courage, mentality, and prompt
action in emergencies.
There is little that the grizzly or the
black bear will not eat. Fresh meat or
carrion, honey, grasshoppers, ants, grubs,
fish, mice and others pests, grass, fruits,
berries, bark, roots, leaves — all may be
included in the bill of fare of this omnivo-
rous feeder. The grizzly appears more in-
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clined to belong with vegetarians than with
the Carnivora. He hibernates from three to
five months each winter. The latitude, alti-
tude, snowfall, weather, and the peculiari-
ties and condition of the bear determine
the length of his hibernation. Before enter-
ing a cave or opening to spend his hibernat-
ing sleep he fasts for a few days. In the
spring, for several days after he emerges he
eats little.
Except the Alaskan bear, the only other
kind we have is the black bear. His habits
are similar to the grizzly's, but he is smaller
than the grizzly. The color of bears varies
widely in the same family as well as in the
two species and numerous subspecies.
Color has nothing to do with the kind of
bear: either the black or the grizzly may
be black or cinnamon. The black bear is
much more playful, and he climbs trees as
readily as a cat. The grizzly does not climb
into trees.
The black bear is a playful bluffer. One
day, as I was seated on the edge of Yellow-
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stone Lake, several feet above the water,
a young black bear came ambling by. In
passing, he leaped at me with a wild " woof ."
His bluff was effective. I shrank back, and
tumbled into the lake.
The creation of the Yellowstone National
Park, for ''the benefit and enjoyment of
the people," was one of the great achieve-
ments for mankind. It also was a great
event in the world of wild folk. The Yel-
lowstone is one of the greatest wild-life
sanctuaries in the world. In its thirty-three
hundred square miles are numerous varie-
ties of wild animals. Each summer as many
as sixty thousand elk feed in it, and there
are also buffaloes and antelopes, and flocks
of sheep and herds of moose. Black bears
are on every hand, and grizzly bears are
often seen near by.
The caribou of the North make a long
north-and-south migration with the sea-
sons. The deer and the elk of the mountain
parks, like many birds, simply migrate up
and down the heights, spending summers in
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the high altitudes and winters in the foot-
hills.
On the thousand hills, meadows, crags,
and moorlands of the National Parks are
herds, flocks, and bands of elk and moose
and deer and the agile mountain sheep.
There are more than five hundred kinds of
birds. A census of wild-life folk in all Na-
tional Parks would show a numerous popu-
lation: possibly a hundred thousand elk,
half as many deer, several thousand sheep,
a few thousand goats, several hundred
antelopes, a few hundred moose, a thousand
or so of bears, many thousand beavers;
minks, conies, marmots, and muskrats in
uncountable thousands; and birds in un-
told millions.
The antelope is a strange, isolated species.
Formerly it ranged widely over the plains,
but now it is almost exterminated. It has
no dewclaw. It can erect and depress its
fluff of white tail at will ; this is a means of
signaling. Of all big game, the antelope
perhaps is the fastest runner. This animal
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sheds the outer part of the horns each year,
retaining the spikelike core.
The gray wolf, coyote, fox, lynx, otter,
skunk, and porcupine are numerous in the
Parks. The porcupine, even at his wildest,
shows the least signs of fear and is the dull-
est-witted animal in the woods.
Glacier Park probably excels in the num-
ber of mountain goats. Here they are to be
seen in one of the most picturesque and
precipitous ranges, in topography which
goats enjoy. The Rocky Mountain Park
probably excels in the number of bighorn
sheep.
Along the streams the picturesque
beaver, a permanent home-builder, lately
almost exterminated, is reestablishing him-
self and restoring the scenes that were
known to the pioneers.
The food of the beaver is the bark of
aspen and willow trees. He does not eat
fish or meat. Instead of hibernating in
winter, beavers harvest a quantity of food-
supplies in the autumn and store them for
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winter use. These are piled in the water
beside their house. After gnawing down
trees, cutting them into sections, and
eventually eating the bark, they use the
wood in constructing dams and houses.
Besides taking thought for the morrow,
they build permanent homes, and keep
them clean and in repair. They skillfully
construct dams and canals to insure a con-
stant water-supply in which to live, work,
play, and travel. These give a charm to
landscapes, and are a benefit to mankind.
Beavers were the world's first engineers and
the first conservationists. They have in-
dustry, patience, and persistence, combined
with mental power.
They live in colonies or communities.
Evidently they know the wisdom of the old
saying "All work and no play/' etc., for
they often play as well as work, and also
take a long summer vacation. Excellent
workers as they are, they avoid unneces-
sary labor and do less of it than any other
animal I know. There were civic centers
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in the animal world long before man con-
ceived such an idea for himself.
The mountain lion is one of the slyest
and most elusive animals in the woods.
Rarely is it seen, although its keen curios-
ity leads it to come close to camping-parties
and to follow individuals through the woods.
On the lower slopes of most Parks a
few snakes are found, but they are wholly
absent from the middle and the higher
slopes.
In most of the Park streams trout are
found — Western brook trout, Eastern
brook trout, and California rainbow trout.
Among the more prominent birds com-
mon in a number of the Parks are eagles,
grouse, ptarmigans, Clarke crows, camp-
birds, — Rocky Mountain jays, — robins,
bluebirds, blackbirds, song sparrows, white-
crowned sparrows, canon wrens, solitaires,
and water-ouzels. In several of the Na-
tional Parks a number of species of hum-
mingbird are found.
Each spring many species of birds mi-
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grate up the mountain-slopes, where they
nest in the alpine heights. The mountain
migration, requiring a flight of only an
hour or two, gives them climatic condi-
tions similar to that of the Arctic Circle, to
reach which would cost them a journey of
several thousand miles.
Some species bring forth two broods each
summer. The first is raised in the lowlands,
where the young are fed while flower life in
the lowlands is at its best. As soon as the
young birds are able to care for themselves,
the parent birds move up the mountain-
side into the very heart of summer. Here
they nest again. How romantic is every
habit and custom in Bird World! The sec-
ond nest of children is thus reared on the
alpine slopes. This enables the old birds to
bring up each brood in the midst of an
abundant food-supply. The white-crowned
sparrow and two or three species of hum-
mingbird do this.
A closer study of birds and animals will
probably reveal the fact that numbers of
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them mate for life. My experience has led
me to believe that wolves and foxes, blue-
birds, wrens, eagles, and other kinds of wild
life do this.
Of all the birds in the West, or in the
world, the one most hopefully eloquent
is the solitaire. The song of the hermit
thrush has a touch of sadness — it subdues
and gives to one a touch of reflective loneli-
ness; but the song of the solitaire stirs one
to be up and doing; it gives the spirit of
youth. Its song comes from ages of free-
dom under peaceful skies, from a mingling
of the melody of winds and waters and of all
rhythmic sounds that murmur and echo
through Nature's wonderlands.
High up in the mountains of the Na-
tional Parks lives the ptarmigan, the largest
bird resident of the snowy heights. It
spends the entire year in the alpine zone,
rarely descending below timber-line. Even
the summits of the peaks are visited by this
sky-high dweller. Its dress changes with
the seasons; in winter it is pure white,
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stockings and all; in midsummer it is gray-
ish brown. These changing colors resemble
those of the landscape and thus help pro-
tect the ptarmigan from its enemies, the
weasel, fox, bear, eagle, and mountain lion.
Although smaller than the grouse, it re-
minds one of that bird. It eats grasses and
insects and the seeds and buds of alpine
plants. Much of the winter-time is spent
by these birds in the shelter of deep holes
or runs beneath the compressed snow of the
heights. Though far from the Arctic Cir-
cle, they are close relatives of the ptarmi-
gan that dwells in the realm of the polar
bear.
One of the best-dressed and best-man-
nered bird families that visit National
Parks is that of the waxwing — cedar and
Bohemian. These birds usually travel in
flocks. At a small watering-place they drink
in routine, moving forward in an orderly
manner. When a number of them are rest-
ing upon a limb, if one catches an insect,
he is quite likely to pass it to his neighbor,
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and the neighbor in turn to pass it to the
next neighbor. Their dress is quiet, refined,
and attractive to a marked degree. It is an
interesting fact that these birds, so dainty
of dress, so refined of manner, do not sing.
The canon wren is a beautiful singer. So,
too, is the water-ouzel, a bird of the alpine
brooks in the mountains of the West that
has been immortalized by John Muir. But
few species of birds sing every day in the
year. One of those that do is the water-
ouzel.
Most birds and animals appear to desire
human society. Birds will leave the seclu-
sion of the forest to build by the roadside
where people pass. Some kinds of little
feathered folk have deserted old nesting-
scenes and now nest by human homes.
Robins, wrens, and bluebirds confidingly
raise their families in the scenes where
children romp and play.
They may do this for better food op-
portunities and increased safety from ene-
mies, but it is also plain that many birds
gout Rational
come chiefly to satisfy their desire for hu-
man society. It has been often demon-
strated that shy, well-fed birds and ani-
mals are hoping and waiting for friendly
advances on our part. Wild neighbors are
glad of the opportunity to call on us,
whether we break bread or not. They are
also glad to have friendly calls returned.
Birds and animals have individuality. Food
and kindness, and speaking to animals in
the universal language — friendly tones —
are all means of promoting acquaintance.
In the past we have greatly underrated
the mental powers of animals. An intimate
association with wild life in the Parks will
probably convince most people that wild
animals have the power to think and rea-
son. It may also acquaint people with the
fact that animals as well as human beings
possess the traits of love, hatred, jealousy,
anger, and revenge. Any one who asso-
ciates much with wild life will discover the
exceptional keenness of animal senses. In
most animals scent is amazingly developed,
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and probably is the first of the senses to
warn them of danger.
Most animals may be spoiled by excessive
or improper feeding. In the Yellowstone
Park the bears, which are omnivorous
feeders, have free access to the garbage-
dumps and eat all sorts of unwholesome
abominations. This improper eating is
bound to have a bad influence upon their
habits, and is already spoiling their dis-
position. Beasts of prey in the Parks are
held in check by the Government. Lions,
lynxes, and other animals that become
numerous and destructive, or bears that
develop killing habits, are disposed of by
the Government.
The excess of big game and birds in the
Parks overflows and stocks the territory
outside. Each year, too, hundreds of elk
and other big animals are shipped from
Yellowstone to many parts of the country.
Well might these Parks supply city zoos,
or, better still, big wild-life reservations,
with all available kinds of animals needed.
gour Rational parft£
As well ship deer, moose, bears, beavers,
and antelopes as to ship elk. Here is a large
field for the distribution of wild life all over
the United States. The general restocking
of state and government wild-life reserva-
tions may enable cities to cease maintain-
ing their animal prisons — the zoos.
XVIII
IN ALL WEATHERS
THE seasons for visiting National Parks
are spring, summer, autumn, and winter!
Morning, noon, the sunset hour, under
the stars and with the moon — all times,
each in its way, are good for rambling in
these places of instruction and delight. I
have climbed numerous peaks by moon-
light and starlight, and have stood on the
summit of the Continental Divide with
the winter moon. Nature is good at all
times. Rainy days, gray days, windy days,
all have something for you not ordinarily
offered. So, too, have the sunny winter
days when upon the dazzling snow fall
the deep-blue shadows of the pines. For-
get the season and the weather; visit the
Parks when you can stay there longest.
One day heavy clouds rested upon the
snowy earth around my cabin, nine thou-
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sand feet above sea-level. In these, and
in the falling snow, I started up the Long's
Peak trail, in what now is the Rocky
Mountain National Park. I wished to
measure the storm-cloud's vertical depth
and to observe its movements. Only a
ravine and instinct enabled me to snow-
shoe through the blinding, flying snow and
almost opaque sheep's- wool cloud. The
cloud was three thousand feet thick.
Suddenly, at twelve thousand feet, the
depth of snow became markedly less.
Within a few rods I burst through the
upper surface of the cloud into brilliant
sunshine! Not a bit of snow or cloud was
there above this upper level.
From a high ridge I watched the top
surface of the storm-cloud as it lay before
me in the sun — a silvery expanse of un-
ruffled sea, pierced by many peaks. Half
a mile above towered vast, rugged Long's
Peak. Like a huge raft becalmed in a quiet
harbor, the cloud-sea moved slowly and
steadily, almost imperceptibly, a short
distance along the mountains; then, as if
anchored in the center, it swung in easy
rotation a few degrees, hesitated, and
slowly drifted back. Occasionally it sank,
very slowly, several hundred feet, only to
rise easily to its original level.
With wonder I long watched this beau-
tiful sunny spectacle, finding it hard to
realize that a blinding snow was falling
beneath it. Later I learned that this snow-
fall was thirty inches deep over several
hundred thousand square miles; but it fell
only below the altitude of twelve thousand
feet and not on the high peaks.
Mountain-tops have more sunshine and
fewer storms than the lowlands. The
middle slopes of a peak regularly receive
heavier falls of rain and snow than does
the summit.
The rugged mountains in all Parks are
wonderful in the snow. Snowshoe excur-
sions, climbs, skiing — all the sports of
winter — may be enjoyed in these mag-
nificent wilds. Mountains in winter hold
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splendid decorations — sketches of black
and white, ice architecture, rare groups
that form a wondrous winter exhibition.
Forests, canons, meadows, plateaus and
peaks, where hills of snow and gigantic
snow canons form dazzling structures and
new topography, are marvelous exhibi-
tions. The thousand and one decorations
of frost and snow-flowers are treasures
found only under the winter sky.
During a high wind one winter, as I
fought my way up Long's Peak, above
timber-line I was pelted with gravel and
sand till the blood was drawn. The milling
air-currents simply played with me as
they swept down from the heights. I was
knocked down repeatedly, blown into the
air, and then dropped heavily, or rolled
about like some giant's toy as I lay resting
in the lee of a crag. Standing erect was
usually impossible and at all times dan-
gerous. Advancing was akin to swimming
a whirlpool. At last I reached the buzz-
ing cups of an air-meter I had previously
320
LONG'S PEAK FROM CHASM LAKE
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
fn ail
placed in Granite Pass, twelve thousand
feet above sea-level. This instrument was
registering the awful wind-speed of one
hundred and sixty- five miles an hour! It
flew to pieces later during a swifter spurt.
Although I intended going no farther,
the wild and eloquent elements lured me
to keep on to the summit of the peak,
nearly three thousand feet higher. All
my strength and climbing knowledge were
necessary to prevent me from being blown
into space. Gaining each new height was
a battle. Forward and upward I simply
wrested my way with an invisible, tireless
contestant who seemed bent on breaking
my bones or hurling me into unbanistered
space.
In one rocky gully the uprising winds
became so irresistible that I had to re-
verse ends and proceed with feet out ahead
as bracers and hands following as anchors.
There was no climbing from here on: the
blast dragged, pulled, and floated me
ever upward to the sunny, wind-sheltered
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Narrows. The last stretch was a steep icy
slope with a precipice beneath. Casting
in my lot with the up-sweeping wind, I
pushed out into it and let go. Sprawling
and bumping upward, I had little else to
do but guide myself. At last I stood on
the top and found it in an easy eddy — al-
most a calm compared to the roaring con-
ditions below. Far down the range great
quantities of snow were being explosively
hurled into the air, then thrown into
spirals and whirls that trimmed the peak-
points with gauzy banners and silky pen-
nants, through which the sunlight played
splendidly.
Stirring and wild, wonderful scenes are
encountered during storms on mountain-
tops, by the lakeshore, and in canons.
The dangers in such times and places are
fewer than in cities. Discomforts? Scarcely.
To some persons life must be hardly worth
living. If any normal person under fifty
cannot enjoy being in a storm in the wilds,
he ought to reform at once.
322
In the intensity and clash of the elements
there is a vigorous building environment.
The storms furnish energy, inspiration,
and resolution. There are no substitutes
"just as good," no experiences just as great.
One rainy June day I started up a dim
steep trail toward the headwaters of the
river St. Vrain, near timber-line in what
is now the Rocky Mountain National Park.
While enjoying the general downpour and
its softened noise through the woods, I
was caught in a storm-center of wrangling
winds and waters, and was almost knocked
down. Like a sapling, I bowed streaming
in the storm. Later, as I sat on a sodden
log, reveling in the elemental moods and
sounds, a water-ouzel began to sing, but
I heard little of his serene optimistic solo
above the roar of the wind and stream.
The storm raged louder as I approached
timber-line. Clouds dragged among the
trees. I could see nothing clearly. Every
breath was like swallowing a wet sponge.
Then a wind-surge rent the clouds and
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let me glimpse the blue sun-filled sky. I
climbed an exceptionally tall spruce. A
comic Fremont squirrel scolded in rat-
tling, jerky chatter as I rose above the
sea of clouds and trees. Astride the slender
tree-top, I felt that the wind was trying
hard to dislodge me, but I held on. The
tree quivered and vibrated, shook and
danced; we charged, circled, looped, and
angled. Nowhere else have I experienced
such wild, exhilarating joy. In the midst
of this rare delight the clouds rose, the
wind calmed, and the rain ceased. Then
suddenly a blinding, explosive crash al-
most threw me from my observatory.
Within fifty feet a tall fir was split to the
ground. Quickly climbing back to earth,
I eagerly examined the effects of the
lightning-stroke. With one wild blow, in
a second or less it had wrecked a century-
old tree.
Although I have rarely known lightning
to strike the heights, I have frequently
experienced peculiar electric shocks from
the air. I have never known such electri-
cal storms to prove fatal nor to leave ill
effects; and they may be beneficial. The
day before the famous Poudre Flood, in
May, 1904, I was traveling along the
Continental Divide above timber-line near
Poudre Lakes. While resting I was star-
tled by the pulsating hum, the intermit-
tent buzz-z-z-z and zit-zit and the vigorous
hair-pulling of electricity-laden atmos-
phere.
Presently my right arm was momen-
tarily cramped, and my heart seemed to
lurch several times. These electric shocks
lasted only about two seconds, but re-
curred every few minutes. The hair-
pulling, palpitation, and cramps seemed
slightly less when I fully relaxed on the
ground. When I tried to climb, I found
myself muscle-bound from the electricity.
Points of dry twigs momentarily exhibited
tips of smoky blue flame, and sometimes
similar flame encircled green twigs below
the lower limbs.
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Later that day I came to North Speci-
men Mountain. There the electrical waves
weakened or entirely ceased while I was
in shadow, but they remained quite serious
in the sun. I breathed only in gasps, and
my heart was violent and feeble by turns.
I felt as if cinched in a steel corset. After
sundown I was again at ease and free from
this strange electrical colic, which often
worries or frightens strangers the first time
they experience it. I soon forgot my own
electrical experiences in the enjoyment
that night of the splendidly brilliant elec-
tric effects beneath the enormous moun-
tain-range of cloud-forms over the foot-
hills. Its surface shone momentarily like
incandescent glass, and occasionally down
the slopes ran crooked rivers of gold.
I have had the good fortune to see gey-
sers by sunlight, by moonlight, during
gray stormy days, and also while the earth
around them was covered with snow.
By moonlight the mountainous Na-
tional Parks are enchanted lands. There
326
an
is a gentleness, a serenity, and a softness
that is never known in daylight. Many
a time I have explored all night long. The
trail is strangely romantic when across it
fall the moon-toned etchings of the pines.
The waterfalls, crags, mountain-tops, for-
est glades, and alpine lakes have marvelous
combinations of light and shade, and they
stir the senses like music. I wish that
every one might see in the moonlight the
Giant Forest in the Sequoia National Park,
or timber-line in the Rocky Mountain
National Park. By moonlight the Big
Trees will stir you with the greatest ele-
mental eloquence. Those who go up into
the sky on mountains in the moonlight will
have the greatest raptures and make the
highest resolves.
Miss Edna Smith is one of the most
appreciative outdoor women I ever have
known. Years ago I urged her to know
the mountains at night. Here is one of her
accounts of a night experience: —
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At supper-time the chances seemed against
a start. It was raining. Later the rain stopped,
but the full moon was almost lost in a heavy
mist and the light was dim. Mr. S. N. Husted,
the guide, thought an attempt to ascend
Long's Peak hardly wise. At eleven o'clock
I went to Enos Mills for advice. He said,
"Go." So we mounted our ponies and started,
chilled by the clammy fog about us.
After a short climb we were in another
world. The fog was a sea of silvery clouds
below us and from it the mountains rose like
islands. The moon and stars were bright in
the heavens. There was the sparkle in the air
that suggests enchanted lands and fairies.
Halfway to timber-line we came upon ground
white with snow, which made it seem all the
more likely that Christmas pixies just within
the shadows might dance forth on a moon-
beam.
Above timber-line there was no snow, but
the moonlight was so brilliant that the clouds
far below were shining like misty lakes, and
even the bare mountainside about us looked
almost as white as if snow-covered.
As we left our ponies at the edge of the
Boulder Field and started across that rugged
stretch of d6bris spread out flat in the brilliant
moonlight, we found the silhouette of Long's
Peak thrown in deep black shadow across it.
328
Never before had that bold outline seemed so
impressive.
At the western edge of Boulder Field there
was a new marvel. As we approached Key-
hole, right in the center of that curious nick
in the rim of Boulder Field shone the great
golden moon. The vast shadow of the peak,
made doubly dark by the contrast, made us
very silent. When we emerged from Keyhole
and looked down into the Glacier Gorge be-
yond, it was hard to breathe because of the
wonder of it all. The moon was shining down
into the great gorge a thousand feet below and
it was filled with a silvery glow. The lakes
glimmered in the moonlight.
Climbing along the narrow ledge, high above
this tremendous gorge, was like a dream. Not
a breath of air stirred, and the only sound was
the crunch of hobnails on rock. There was a
supreme hush in the air, as if something tre-
mendous were about to happen.
Suddenly the sky, which had been the far-
off blue of a moonlit night, flushed with the
softest amethyst and rose, and the stars
loomed large and intimately near, burning
like lamps with lavender, emerald, sapphire,
and topaz lights. The moon had set and the
stars were supreme.
The Trough was full of ice and the ice was
hard and slippery, but the steps that had been
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cut in the ice were sharp and firm. We had
no great difficulty in climbing the steep ascent.
We emerged from the Trough upon a ledge
from which the view across plains and moun-
tain-ranges was seemingly limitless.
As we made our way along the Narrows the
drama of that day's dawn proceeded with
kaleidoscopic speed. Over the plains, ap-
parently without end, was a sea of billowy
clouds, shimmering with golden and pearly
lights. One mountain-range after another was
revealed and brought close by the rosy glow
that now filled all the sky. Every peak, far and
near, bore a fresh crown of new snow and each
stood out distinct and individual. Arapahoe
Peak held the eye long. Torrey's Peak and
Gray's Peak were especially beautiful. And
far away, a hundred miles to the south,
loomed up the summit of Pike's Peak. So all-
pervading was the alpine glow that even the
near-by rocks took on wonderful color and
brilliance.
Such a scene could last but a short time.
And it was well for us, for the moments were
too crowded with sensations to be long borne.
Soon the sun burst up from the ocean of clouds
below. The lights changed. The ranges grad-
ually faded into a far-away blue. The peaks
flattened out and lost themselves in the dis-
tance. The near-by rocks took on once more
330
their accustomed somber hues. And in the
bright sunlight of the new day we wondered
whether we had seen a reality or a vision.
On the summit all was bright and warm.
Long we lingered in the sunlight, loath to
leave so much beauty, but at last we began
the descent leisurely. It was a perfect trip. It
seemed as if the stage were set for our especial
benefit. It was an experience that will live
with me always. At first I felt as if I could
never ascend the peak again, lest the impres-
sions of that perfect night should become con-
fused or weakened. But I believe I can set
this night apart by itself. And I shall climb
Long's Peak again.
To enjoy the Parks, we need but to go
to them realizing that these wilderness
realms are the greatest places of safety on
the earth. The thousand dangers of the
city are absent; the altitude of high moun-
tains is not harmful but helpful — the air
is free from dust and germs; and even the
wildest and most tempestuous weather
within them will bear acquaintance.
The animals in the wilderness are not
ferocious, and they wisely flee from the
coming of Christian people. Extraordi-
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nary skill is required to get close to any
wild animal. Even the camera will put
the biggest wild folk to flight! They at-
tack only in self-defense, only when cor-
nered and assailed by the hunter. The
animals that have survived and left de-
scendants are those which used their wits
for flight and not in ferocity. The grizzly
constantly uses his wits to keep out of a
locality where human beings are. Wolves
may once have been ferocious, but at
present the aggressive ones are those in
the jungles of nature-faking; wolves keep
apart from civilization, and travelers are
not likely to go out of their way to find
them. In story-books the mountain lion
crouches upon the cliff or lies in wait upon
a tree-limb to spring upon human prey;
but real lions do not do this sort of thing.
Each year thousands of people scale
peaks in the Rockies, the Sierra, and the
Selkirks, or spend a less strenuous vaca-
tion in the heights, up several thousand
feet above the sea. From anaemics who
332
stay at home they hear the common super-
stition that altitude is harmful! But the
travelers return to their homes in high
hopes and in vigorous health. The heights
are helpful, and the outdoors is friendly
at all times. These are splendid sources
of hopefulness. They " knit up the raveled
sleave of care." They arouse new interests,
give broader outlooks. They are great
blessings that every one needs.
There is a growing appreciation of the
safe and sane outdoors. People are rap-
idly realizing that vacations in the Parks
and wild places are needful first aids to
impaired health, and also that outdoor
life is absolutely necessary for sustained
or increased efficiency. From the wilder-
ness the traveler returns a man, almost a
superman. Its elemental songs, pictures,
and stories are a language of eloquent
uplift. Go to the wilderness and get its
good tidings! The wilderness is democratic
and is full of ideas. It gives efficiency and
sympathy. The mingling of all classes in
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the Parks is a veritable blessing ; it is one of
the greatest means of preventing internal
strife and also of averting international war.
Nature is an educational stimulus of
rare force. The crumbling cliff, the glacial
landscape, the wild, free clouds, birds, and
trees, compel children — old and young —
to observe and to think. They bring de-
velopment and sympathy. They build the
brain. They increase courage and kind-
ness. Scenes and sunsets, cloud and storm,
the stars and the sky, the music of wind
and water, the purple forests, the white
cascades, the colored flowers, the songs of
birds, the untrimmed and steadfast trees,
the shadows on the ground* the tangled
grass, the round, sunny hills, the endless
streams, the magic rainbow, and the
mysterious echo — all these arouse thought,
wonder, and delight in the mind of every
child; and they have been the immortal
nourishment of the great souls who have
come from Mother Nature's loving breast
to bless and beautify the world.
334
"The robe doth change the disposition.'*
During summer vacations, the all-impor-
tant rainy-day costume will save endless
disappointment and worry. Rainy days
will bear acquaintance — if you have
clothes for the occasion. Cheerfulness and
rainy days are united by waterproofs. One
simply cannot cheerfully face a rainstorm
in clothes that water will ruin. Hats or
shoes that go to pieces in a downpour,
skirts with colors that run — these mean
the Waterloo of some one when the rain
comes down. But an inexpensive hat, strong
boots, and a raincoat — then let it rain!
When one is in the woods, the foremost
thing to remember is the direction back
to camp. In a general way this is an-
swered in the familiar caution: "Stop,
look, and listen!" A traveler through the
woods should occasionally stop and make
sure of the direction in which he is trav-
eling. At every important bend in his
course he should look ahead and notice
the most conspicuous landmark directly
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in front of him; then, about face for a look
at the most important point or landmark
that he has passed. He would thus be able,
if he doubled on his own trail, to be guided
by familiar objects, just as if he had trav-
eled over it before in the same direction,
with eyes open. Then, too, he should look
to right and left for prominent or peculiar
trees, cliffs, or other objects.
Keeping eyes thus open and mind alert
is not a burden; it adds to the pleasure
along the way. Any one who has thus
traveled through strange woods should
have taken a mental picture of what he
has seen as he went on, and should be able
to sit down and make a rough sketch of the
locality and of his trail, showing the loca-
tion of camp, the course he has traveled
from it, and the prominent objects on both
sides. A fair knowledge of woodcraft will
enable any one to determine the points of
the compass. While this is important, it
is of less importance than remembering
the direction to camp.
336
ail
If a person gets lost, he would do well at
once to climb into a tree-top, or to the
summit of the highest near-by place, and
from the commanding height survey the
surrounding country. This may enable
him to see a familiar landmark. If he fails
to recognize any point, let him make a
comparatively small circle with the pur-
pose of picking up his trail. He should
be careful to avoid aimless wandering, to
which often lost people are so prone. This
he may do by following along the sum-
mit of a ridge, or down the first brook or
stream he can find. Of course, he will keep
downhill in looking for running water. A few
hours, or at most a few days, of stream-side
travel will bring him where some one lives.
One is not likely to starve to death in
the wilds. Starving is a slow process, and
experiences show that a fast of a few days
may be beneficial. Then, too, roots, ber-
ries, fruit, mushrooms, and tree-bark are
to be found. With nothing but these, I
have repeatedly lived for two weeks or
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longer, even at times when I was most
active in exploring or mountain-climbing.
If a man is hopelessly lost, and if he
knows that his companions are sure to
look for him, he should stop right where he
is when he finds that he is lost, and should
camp and light two signal fires, giving a
call at intervals.
Go into the Parks and get their en-
couragement. Among the serene and stead-
fast scenes you will find the paths of peace
and a repose that is sweeter than sleep.
If you are dulled and dazed with the fever
and the fret, or weary and worn, — totter-
ing under burdens too heavy to bear, —
go back to the old outdoor home. Here
Nature will care for you as a mother for a
child. In the mellow-lighted forest aisles,
beneath the beautiful airy arches of limbs
and leaves, with the lichen-tinted columns
of gray and brown, with the tongueless
eloquence of the bearded, veteran trees,
amid the silence of centuries, you will
come into your own.
338
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Some time the grizzled prospector will
lead his stubborn burro down the mountain
and cease the search for gold ; some time the
miner will lay down his pick, blow out his
lamp or his candle, and leave the worked-
out mine; some time eternal night will
come upon the gas- and coal-oil lamp; but
our sunny hanging wild gardens — our
Parks — are immortal; they will give us
their beauty and their inspiration forever.
XIX
THE SCENERY IN THE SKY
THIS big round world carries in its
heights four strange, marked features: the
vast records of the Ice King; timber-line,
the alpine edge of the forest; the mountain-
top regions above timber-line; and, over-
rising these, the high peaks. Each of these
features has scores of stories and pictures.
All four of them are seen at their best in
some of the National Parks.
I. TIMBER-LINE
The most telling timber-line that I have
seen is on the slope of Long's Peak in the
Rocky Mountain National Park. This is
a wild place during a winter gale. It is a
stirring place at all times and seasons. One
day I went up to timber-line on Long's
Peak with a number of children. They were
interested, and even excited, by the dwarfed
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and strangely shaped trees. We found a
dead pine that had lived two hundred and
fifty-eight years, yet it was so small that a
boy easily carried it about on his shoulder.
Several little girls stood by a living spruce.
Every child was taller than the little tree,
yet the spruce had been growing when each
of their great-grandmothers was born. All
timber-line trees are undersized. Most of
their ranks are less than eight feet high.
One autumn a grizzly that I was follow-
ing dug up a number of dwarfed trees at
timber-line. I carried these home for care-
ful examination. One of them was a black
birch with a trunk nine tenths of an inch
in diameter, a height of fifteen inches, and
a limb-spread of twenty-two inches. It had
thirty-four annual rings. Another was truly
a veteran pine, though his trunk was but
six tenths of an inch in diameter, his
height twenty-three inches, and his limb-
spread thirty-one inches. His age was
sixty-seven years. A midget that I carried
home in my vest pocket was two inches
gout Rational $ar&£
high, had a limb-spread of about four
inches, and was twenty-eight years of age.
Timber-line is one of Nature's most in-
teresting regions. Its location and also its
marked characteristics are determined by
climatic conditions — by cold, snow, wind,
moisture, and drought. Wind is a most in-
fluential factor. The position of thousands
of miles of timber-line is determined by it.
At timber-line the Storm King says, "Thus
far and no farther/' The trees do not
heed, but persistently try to go on, and the
struggle for existence becomes deadly.
They appear like our unfortunate brothers
whom fate has chained in the slums. The
trees try to stand erect and climb onward
and upward, but in vain. The elements are
relentless. The wind blows off their arms
and cuts them with flying sand. The cold
dwarfs them, and for nine months in the
year the snow tries to twist and crush the
life out of them. Some become hunchbacks;
others are broken, bent, and half-flayed;
while a few crouch behind the rocks. Many
342
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stretches of timber-line are so battered by
the wind that the trees have the appear-
ance of having been recently swept by a
cyclone, or overthrown by a giant roller.
What a weird scene! Here for ages has
been the line of battle between the woods
and the weather. At most timber-lines the
high winds blow chiefly from one direction.
Many of the trees possess a long, vertical
fringe of limbs to leeward, being limbless
and barkless to storm ward. Each might
serve as an impressive symbolic statue of
a wind-storm. Permanently, their limbs
stream to leeward together, with fixed bends
and distortions, as if cast in metal at the
height of a storm. Many present an un-
conquerable and conscious appearance, like
tattered pennants or torn, triumphant bat-
tle-flags of the victorious forest! Some
trees are several inches in diameter and
only a few inches in height; others are
creeping away from the direction of the
storms, retreating from life's awful bat-
tle. All beauty and nobleness of appear-
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ance are lost. But the trees have done their
best.
Timber-line is not stationary. In most
places it is advancing, climbing the heights.
This advance is confined mainly to moist
territory. In a few dry places the ranks are
losing ground — are being driven back
down the slopes; but these advances and
retreats are extremely slow.
The altitude of timber-line varies with
locality. On Mount Orizaba, in Mexico, it
is a little over thirteen thousand feet; in the
San Juan Mountains, in Colorado, a little
above twelve thousand; in the Sierras and
the Rockies, between eleven thousand and
thirteen thousand ; in the Cascades and the
Alps, about sixty-five hundred feet; on
Mount Washington, at forty-five hundred
feet. It is lower with increased distance
from the Equator, and at last is only a
stone's throw above sea-level, finally show-
ing its line in the lowlands of the Far-
thest North. Among the trees that main-
tain the front ranks at timber-line are
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pines, spruces, firs, aspens, birches, and
willows.
Many beautiful flowers are found at
timber-line, along with bees, butterflies,
birds, chipmunks, and foxes. Timber-line
is a strangely interesting, arousing place.
As I have said in "The Rocky Mountain
Wonderland ": —
The powerful impressions received at tim-
ber-line lead many visitors to return for a better
acquaintance, and from each visit the visitor
goes away more deeply impressed ; for timber-
line is not only novel and strange, it is touched
with pathos and poetry and has a life-story
that is heroic. Its scenes are among the most
primeval, interesting, and thought-compelling
to be found upon the globe.
2. ABOVE THE TIMBER-LINE
The treeless moorlands and the crags
that fill the sky above the limits of tree-
growth form an extensive mountain-top
world all by itself, a realm of plateaus and
sky prairies, which only a few have ex-
plored. These regions stand out like is-
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lands in the sky; they are singular tree-
less expanses above the surrounding forest
sea.
This realm is not barren and lifeless. For
a number of species it is home. The ptarmi-
gan and the rose finch, the cony and the
bighorn, live in the heights the year round.
Many migrating birds and animals use the
region for a nursery and a summer resort.
Here, early in the autumn, Nature produces
her last berries. Here assemble birds from
the lowlands, and flocks from the North
stop to feed and frolic while migrating to
the Southland.
Here, too, along with peaks and moor-
lands, meadows and wild-flower gardens,
are crags, plateaus, canons, lakes, glaciers,
and snow-fields. Countless small, clear
streams originate in these island heights
and from them start merrily down to the
far-off seas. Singly and in clusters, with
areas large and areas small, these sky is-
lands are a feature of most of the National
Parks.
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n
In the Rocky Mountain National Park
a few flowers bloom on the highest peaks
more than fourteen thousand feet above
sea-level. They are visited by numerous
winged insects, even by butterflies. Let a
cloud come over the sun, or a breeze start,
and the butterflies, and perhaps other
winged insects above timber-line, fold wings
and drop and remain motionless till the sky
clears. Evidently this is ' ' safety first ' ' from
the short-lived but violent gales.
It is believed that the Arctic-alpine
plants in these heights were brought to
them from the Arctic region on the great
ice flow. They bloom in both these zones
at about the same date. Among the bright
blossoms in the polar mountain-top gar-
dens are the columbine, gentian, aster,
daisy, shooting-star, bluebell, a few kinds of
phlox, and that dearest of the heath blos-
soms, the cassiope. Numbers are dwarfed
to unbelievable smallness. Think of blue-
bells perfectly formed and colored and yet
so fascinatingly small and dainty that a
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half-dozen could be sheltered in the upper
half of a thimble!
The alpine wild-flower garden on Mount
Rainier is one of the most striking on the
globe. Just above the timber-line and be-
low and among the glaciers, colored flowers
grow in tall and crowded luxuriance. They
color broken distances for miles. It is
doubtful if the world can show another
hanging garden in which wild flowers so
splendidly mingle their lovely hues with the
broken picturesque forests, wild crags, and
the grandeur of glaciers.
In the Rocky Mountain National Park
there is an accessible empire in the moun-
tainous sky, up more than two miles above
the wide plains of the sea. Mountain-
climbers pass through these scenes on their
way up peaks into the sky without stop-
ping to see the wonders. They have at best
only an introduction, or a hurried traveler's
impression, of a strange and varied exhibit.
A few centuries ago it was a common
belief that high mountains were peopled
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with monsters and demons. Those demons
are gone from the popular imagination ; but
there still exists a most unfortunate super-
stition, commonly believed, that altitude is
harmful ! Yet it has a thousand benefits for
the visitor.
In the heights dwell a bigness, a strange-
ness, a friendliness not felt in the earth's
lower scenes. Altitude is ever refreshing.
The dust-filled, noise-crowded air is far be-
low. From these scenic mountain heights
one commands a new world of mountain-
ous cloud-scenery in the sky. Grand, deep,
blue gorges lie open in the cloud plateaus
and mountains. To the enraptured eye the
shifting clouds sometimes become conti-
nents and islands, real lands where people
live, landscapes upon whose sunny hills
and forested mountains shadows of other
clouds fall, and across whose expanding
plains many winding rivers run. Often the
largeness of view enables one to see vast
cloud-pieces moved into place, shifted else-
where, and others arranged. Often a num-
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ber of these movements are seen at once.
Here, too, the sunrise comes grandly be-
fore one, and from these mountain-rims the
painted sky of evening is most intense and
vivid. Cloud and color often mingle in
paintings of undreamed vastness and glory.
Up here one appreciates the solemnity
and the splendor of the moonlight. The
lonely silver moon appears a wandering
planet, almost within hailing distance.
You call, and a hundred cliffs call with you.
You listen, but there is only the murmur
of a far-off waterfall, or the receding, echo-
ing crash of some falling cliff. Everything
is in half-tone. The chasm is concealed;
peaks along the sky-line are suggested ; the
valleys lie in subdued and mellow light;
strangely, from the silken shadow folds,
the pinnacles peer at the moon. Through
the clean, clear air, the infinite sky becomes
a near, inverted field, crowded thick with
stars.
This is a region worthy of multitudes of
visitors, yet it has only a few. Most people
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do not dream of its existence. Some time
throngs will come to these strange island
shores in the sky as freely as now they
crowd to the beach and the breakers of
the sea.
3. THE WORK OF THE ICE KING
With his glaciers the Ice King ground
most of the soil in which now stand the
forests, the grasses, and the flowers. In pro-
ducing this soil he sculptured from the
solid rock of the earth much of the scenery,
shaped many of the flowing landscapes, and
formed the excavations in which ten thou-
sand lakes now rest in beauty. Long ice
periods have had their sway, then vanished.
Most of the earth appears to have been ice-
covered a number of times. Then, after
ages, the ice has returned. These periods
appear to have alternated with others whose
climatic conditions were similar to those
now holding sway. The remaining glaciers,
the world over, are growing smaller and
smaller.
Sour |5atioual parity
A glacier is a slow-moving mass of ice-
It may be as small as an average steamship;
it may be less than a mile wide and several
miles long; or it may cover hundreds of
square miles. It may be less than a hundred
feet, or a thousand feet or more, in thick-
ness. It may move only an inch or two a
day, or it may move several feet. Com-
monly it moves downward, but occasionally
one moves upward. The movement is due
to gravity and to the plasticity or rubbery
nature of the ice when under sufficient
pressure or weight. In a large glacier the
weight of the superimposed icy stratum is
immense; it is greater than the bottom
layers can support. Under the enormous
pressure the bottom layers crawl or flow
from beneath like pressed dough. This
forced mass moves outward in the direc-
tion of the least resistance — commonly
down the slope.
Glacier ice is formed by snow accumulat-
ing at a given point more rapidly than it
melts. This is due chiefly to wind, snow-
35*
in
slides, and heavy snowfall. The glacier,
heavy and powerful, planes, polishes, and
reshapes the surface over which it travels,
or the walls with which it comes in contact.
Most of the lake-basins were gouged out by
glaciers. Mountain-ranges have been worn
down to hills or plains; canons and depres-
sions have been filled, and extensive areas
overlaid with ground-up rocky material.
The gentle snowflake has been the earth's
chief maker of scenery and soil. Snow-
flakes, working en masse and through long
periods of time, have formed glaciers and
as such have wrought wonders.
A moraine is an embankment or delta of
boulders and crushed rock deposited by a
glacier or ice river. Though commonly at
the end, it may be both along the side and
at the end of a glacier, or of the channels
which the glacier once filled. All the moun-
tainous National Parks have important
glacial records or ruins that almost entirely
cover them. These are moraines, soil-de-
posits, glaciated canons, and lake-basins.
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four |i)ational
Vast is the quantity of material picked
up and transported by glaciers. Moun-
tains are moved piecemeal, and are ground
to boulders, pebbles, and rock-flour in the
moving. Besides the material the glacier
gathers up and excavates, it carries the
wreckage thrown down upon it by land-
slides, and also the eroded matter poured
upon it by streams from the heights. Most
of the material that falls upon the top of
the upper end of the glacier gradually
works its way to the bottom. At last, with
the other gathered material, it is pressed
against the bottom and sides and used as a
cutting, rasping, or grinding tool till worn
to pebbles or powder.
A part of the rocky material gathered is
carried to the end of the glacier, where the
melting of the ice unloads and releases it.
This accumulation at the end is called the
terminal moraine, and corresponds to the
delta of a river. For years the bulk of the
ice may melt away at about the same place;
thus at this point accumulates an enor-
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mous amount of debris. An advance of the
ice may plow through this and repile it, or
the retreat of the ice, or a changed direction
of its flow, may pile debris elsewhere. Many
of these terminal moraines are an array of
broken embankments with small basin-
like holes and smooth, level spaces.
Many of the lakes have been filled with
sediment, and in them and on them forests
now flourish. The glacier lakes were slowly
created. Most of them are being slowly filled.
Those most favorably situated may still
live on for thousands of years, but an ava-
lanche may extinguish one in a single day.
Eventually all must be filled and lost. They
come into existence as a part of the work of
the glacier. For a period they lie beautiful
in the sunlight; then they are gone forever.
The extensive glacial records that show
the past triumphs of the Ice King some-
times make the mind restless, and it wants
to know: "Will the Ice King come again?
Will mountains of white and silent snow
again pile upon a lifeless world?"
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4. HIGH PEAKS
Those who go up into the clouds and
sky on high mountains will find a variety
of lofty and magnificent peaks in the Na-
tional Parks. These peaks rise amid and
above wildernesses of superb scenes, splen-
did combinations of peaks, streams, lakes,
passes, forests, and moorlands.
My three favorite peaks in the United
States are Mount Rainier, Long's Peak,
and the Grand Teton, which is near Jack-
son's Hole, Wyoming.
In many respects Mount Rainier is the
noblest mountain in the world. It is high,
and to reach its summit is to make a jour-
ney that requires preparation and care.
Much ice work is necessary in order to at-
tain the top. Once there, the climber looks
down upon extensive landscapes of forests
and sea, islands and rivers, and snowy
peaks.
Long's Peak is a rugged, vast monolith of
granite 14,255 feet high. Usually it is al-
356
in
most entirely free of both ice and snow. It
is a rock climb. It stands not in but im-
mediately in front of the Continental Di-
vide, whose near-by ruggedness is tre-
mendously impressive. Far away one looks
out over seas of mountains and on ocean
plains. Standing side by side with Long's
Peak, and of almost equal height, is Mount
Meeker, also a rock climb that reveals
scenes of unusual interest.
The Yellowstone has three excellent
mountain- top view-points: Mount Wash-
burn, Mount Sheridan, and Electric Peak.
One can motor to the top of Mount Wash-
burn, and the climbs to the tops of the
other two are not extremely difficult.
In the Yosemite, Mount Hoffman, not
the highest peak, but centrally located,
commands the extraordinary scenes of the
Park. Of the higher peaks, Mount Lyell is
an excellent example.
It is probable that Mount Whitney will
become a part of the Sequoia National
Park. It is comparatively easy of ascent
357
If our |5ational parftg
and commands great views of the higher
peaks of the Sierra. It is the highest peak
within the bounds of the Union, being
14,501 feet high.
Among a wilderness of rugged mountains
and lakes of the Glacier National Park are
scores of peaks well worthy of the climber.
To me Going-to-the-Sun Mountain and
Mount Cleveland are two of the better ones.
Exercising in the heights quickly disin-
fects and reenergizes the system. A mental
uplift, a broadening of the view, and a gen-
eral lasting exhilaration come from the ef-
fort of mountain-climbing, together with
the intimate human association and the
soul-stirring scenes which it brings. Climb-
ing a worthy peak ought to be listed among
the proudest of our yearly accomplish-
ments.
In "The Canoe and the Saddle" Theo-
dore Winthrop thus translates the good tid-
ings of the mountains: —
Exaltation such as the presence of the sub-
lime and solemn heights arouses, we dwellers
358
in tfjc £fcp
eastward cannot have as an abiding influence.
Other things we may have, for Nature will not
let herself anywhere be scorned; but only
mountains, and chiefest the giants of snow,
can teach whatever lessons there may be in
vaster distances and deeper depths of palpable
ether, in lonely grandeur without desolation,
and in the illimitable, bounded within an out-
line. Therefore, needing all these emotions at
their maximum, we were compelled to make
pilgrimages back to the mountains. . . .
Mountains have been waiting, even in an-
cient worlds, for cycles, while mankind looked
upon them as high, cold, dreary, crushing —
as resorts for demons and homes of desolating
storms. It is only lately, in the development
of men's comprehension of nature, that moun-
tains have been recognized as our noblest
friends, our most exalting and inspiring com-
rades, our grandest emblems of divine power
and divine peace.
XX
JOHN MUIR
JOHN MUIR arrived in San Francisco
by boat from Panama in 1868. He was
thirty years old. This was in the days of
adventure. San Francisco Bay was alive
with strange ships from every part of the
globe. The city was filled with adven-
turers. On every hand were heard exciting
tales of colonization and wealth in South
America, Siberia, and Australia, stories of
fabulous fortunes made in the islands of
the South Seas, and rumors of rich strikes
by the "Bonanza Kings" in the mines of
Nevada. These things did not interest
Muir. He became the Nestor of National
Parks.
The second day after reaching San Fran-
cisco, he wandered away alone into the
wilderness. He heard Nature's bugle-call
and was led on and on. He wandered far
360
JOHN MUIR AT THE FOOT OF A DOUGLAS SPRUCE IN
MUIR WOODS
into the flower-filled distances, threaded the
forests, and climbed the heights where wild
cataracts leaped and where the glaciers had
left their story.
For forty years he spent the most of his
time camping and exploring and studying
in the wilderness along the Pacific Coast,
chiefly in the Sierra of California. He
neither fished nor carried a gun. He fre-
quently went hungry; many times was
without bedding; often he was entirely
alone for weeks. These were glorious years !
He rambled through parts of Nevada,
Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia,
and made five trips to Alaska. He also
made visits to Australia, India, Switzer-
land, Sweden, South America, and Africa.
Long and intimately he associated with
Nature in the Yosemite National Park.
He married in 1879, and for ten years
devoted a part of his time to business,
amassing a fair fortune. But in each of
these years he managed to have several
weeks in the wilderness.
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He had a large share in arousing the pub-
lic interest that led to the creation of forest
reserves. For years he splendidly led the
movement for National Parks. His work
and his writing glorified the scenic out-
doors.
In his Autobiography he says, " When I
was a boy in Scotland I was fond of every-
thing that was wild, and all my life I Ve
been growing fonder and fonder of wild
places and wild creatures. " In his boyhood
Wisconsin home he was so enraptured with
Nature that, as he says, he could hardly
believe his senses except when he was hun-
gry or his father was thrashing him.
In another case he says, "Every wild
lesson a love lesson; not whipped into us
but charmed into us." Commenting on
leaving college, he declares, "I was only
leaving one university for another, the
Wisconsin University for the University of
the Wilderness." Stevenson wrote, "There
should be nothing so much a man's busi-
ness as his amusements." John Muir's
362
amusements occupied the major part of his
life, and the result is an inspiring and en-
nobling influence on the world. More than
anything else, his work is likely immeasur-
ably to help the human race by getting us
outdoors.
While ever enjoying the beauty of Na-
ture, he was continually searching for facts.
He had the poetic appreciation of Nature.
He was the greatest genius that ever with
words interpreted the outdoors. No one
has ever written of Nature's realm with
greater enthusiasm or charm. He once
said, " In drying plants, botanists often dry
themselves. " He also felt that "dry words
and dry facts will not fire hearts." Much
that he wrote is prose poetry or is enliv-
ened with the poetic fire of his genius.
His writings contain a wealth of Na-
tional Parks material, and I wish that every
child might know of them. His books are:
"The Mountains of Calif ornia," "Our Na-
tional Parks," "Stickeen," "My First
Summer in the Sierra," "The Yosemite,"
363
goiir Rational
Story of my Boyhood and Youth/'
"Travels in Alaska," and "A Thousand-
Mile Walk to the Gulf."
In December, 1914, the grandest char-
acter in National Parks history and in na-
ture literature vanished into that mysteri-
ous realm into which all trails inevitably
lead. He had rendered mankind a vast and
heroic service. His triumphs were of the
very greatest. They were made in times of
peace for the eternal cause of peace. We are
yet too close to the deeds of this magnifi-
cent man to comprehend their helpfulness
to humanity. His practical labors and his
books are likely to prove the most influen-
tial force in this century for the profitable
use of leisure hours.
He has written the great drama of the
outdoors. On Nature's scenic stage he gave
the wild life local habitation and character
— did with the wild folk what Shakespeare
did with man. He puts the woods in story,
and in his story you are in the wilderness.
His prose poems illuminate the forest, the
364
storm, and all the fields of life. He has set
Pan's melody to words. He sings of sun-
tipped peaks and gloomy canons, flowery
fields and wooded wilds. He has immor-
talized the Big Trees. His memory is des-
tined to be ever associated with the silent
places, with the bird-songs, with wild flow-
ers, with the great glaciers, with snowy
peaks, with dark forests, with white cas-
cades that leap in glory, with sunlight and
shadow, with the splendid National Parks,
and with every song that Nature sings in
the wild gardens of the world.
XXI
NATIONAL PARKS THE SCHOOL
OF NATURE
WHY not each year send thousands
of school-children through the National
Parks? Mother Nature is the teacher of
teachers, these Parks the greatest of schools
and playgrounds. No other school is likely
so to inspire children, so to give them vi-
sion and fire their imagination. Surely the
children ought to have this extraordinary
opportunity.
The percentage of children aroused and
started to greatness by schools of prison-
like policy is small indeed. The proper
place for at least a part of every child's
schooling is the great outdoors. In our great
National Parks we have an unrivaled out-
door school that is always open; in it is a
library, a museum, a zoological garden, and
a type of the wilderness frontier. In this
366
of pature
school-children are brought into contact
with actual things, and become personally
acquainted with useful facts, instead of
merely reading about them. No better
surroundings can be devised for develop-
ing common sense.
Learning under such conditions is de-
lightful, yet it is discipline — a discipline
that develops, not mere drudgery that dis-
courages. Education cannot be separated
from enjoyment. "Let us live for our chil-
dren/' said Froebel, the early exponent of
the school of Nature. It is doubtful if we
could do more for our young folk, for the
nation, and for humanity than to have
ample National Parks and opportunities
for the children to enjoy them.
If each boy or girl — or any traveler —
were to follow a particular line of nature-
study during vacations, and give most of
his time to one species of tree, flower, bird,
or to the characteristic scenic feature of the
region visited, each would return with a
new and pleasant resource, and would have
367
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something definite and worth while to re-
port to his friends.
One of the greatest inheritances of each
individual is imagination. The child in-
stinctively believes in fairies. Unfortu-
nately, the imagination too often is stifled
and extinguished in childhood. It is imag-
ination that^" bodies forth the forms of
things unknown," and makes all objects
interesting. It lights the path of education
and throws changing color and romance
over every act and scene in life. It gives a
magic spell to existence. This matchless
torch may be set blazing by a visit to the
wonderland of a National Park where
wilderness is king — where the fairies live.
Often, the chief incentive that starts a
child toward the acquiring of an education
is interest in this fairyland of Nature. In-
terest is the highroad to education. In-
terest the mind and it will grow like a gar-
den. The National Parks have, through
this fact, an educational value which en-
titles them to be ranked among the strong-
368
€f)c ^djool of IJaturc
est potential forces of our pedagogical
system.
I have never known any one who had en-
joyed the pleasure that comes from even a
little knowledge of natural history to sink
into the empty-headed pastime of trying to
see crude forms in Nature's story-book.
Usually, an individual given to this, when
on an outing, is a bore to his companions.
I simply cannot understand how people
find pleasure in trying to discover animal
forms, or various zoological figures, in the
geological formations of the mountains,
while the beholders are in the midst of a
thousand objects of real interest. Such an
exercise may be called humbug imagina-
tion.
Playing in the outdoors — especially
when there is intimate association with
birds and flowers, trees and waterfalls,
mountains and storms — is one of the best
ways of training the senses. The study of
geology and glaciology, of the manners and
customs of the beaver and the bear, gives
369
four Rational $ar&£
physical and mental and spiritual develop-
ment of the best possible kind. The out-
doors gives originality and individuality,
and develops that master quality called
the creative faculty, with which usually are
found associated courage and wholesome
self-reliance.
Charles W. Eliot, President Emeritus of
Harvard University, says : —
The best part of all human knowledge has
come by exact and studied observation made
through the senses of sight, hearing, taste,
smell, and touch. The most important part of
education has always been the training of the
senses through which that best part of knowl-
edge comes. This training has two precious
results in the individual besides the faculty of
accurate observation — one the acquisition
of some sort of skill, the other the habit of
careful reflection and measured reasoning
which results in precise statement and record.
The pioneer men and women, and the
children of pioneers, had few books, but
they were wide-awake people and made ex-
cellent neighbors. Scores of great men and
women with character as well as intelli-
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gence have known little of books, but they
had the ability to think — they had in-
dividuality. They had courage and kind-
ness.
Mother Nature is ever ready to train the
growing child. By using our wonderful Na-
tional Parks for schools, we may give the
boys and girls of to-day even better nature
training than the pioneers received from
their environment. Huxley says, "Knowl-
edge gained at second hand from books or
hearsay is infinitely inferior in quality to
knowledge gained at first hand by direct
observation and experience with Nature/'
Many of the noblest pages of history were
made by grand men and women whom Na-
ture inspired. A poet says that all grand
and heroic deeds were conceived in the open
air. A nation composed of park-using peo-
ple is prepared for the emergencies of war
and also for the finer achievements of
peace. Park life will keep the nation young.
Some of our thoughtful people are say-
ing, "Better playgrounds without schools
ff our Rational $arh£
than schools without playgrounds." The
Parks used as a part of the school system
should develop, enrich, and equip with
happy, helpful material the growing mind
of man.
In " The Training of the Human Plant/'
Luther Burbank says : —
Any form of education which leaves one less
able to meet every-day emergencies and occur-
rences is unbalanced and vicious, and will lead
any people to destruction.
Every child should have mud pies, grass-
hoppers, waterbugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud-
turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns,
chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade in,
water-lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butter-
flies, various animals to pet, hayfields, pine-
cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleber-
ries, and hornets ; and any child who has been
deprived of these has been deprived of the best
part of his education.
By being well acquainted with all these they
come into most intimate harmony with na-
ture, whose lessons are, of course, natural and
wholesome.
A fragrant beehive or a plump, healthy
hornet's nest in good running order often be-
come object lessons of some importance. The
372
inhabitants can give the child pointed lessons
in punctuation, as well as caution and some
of the limitations as well as the grand possi-
bilities of life; and by even a brief experience
with a good patch of healthy nettles, the same
lesson will be still further impressed upon
them. And thus by each new experience with
homely natural objects the child learns self-
respect and also to respect the objects and
forces which must be met.
The wild gardens of Nature are the best
kindergartens. The child who breathes the
pure air among the pines, and plays among
the birds and flowers, has the greatest of
advantages. The child stirred with ideal
hopes to-day will create nobly to-morrow.
Children from Nature's Book and School
stand highest in the examinations of life
and carry life's richest treasures: health,
individuality, sincerity, wholesome self-
reliance, and efficiency. Touched with na-
ture, they are natural and, like Tiny Tim,
they love everybody. Nature wins the
heart of childhood. Children playing and
dreaming in outdoor fairylands make one of
373
Bout
the sweetest, dearest stories lived or learned
on Nature's loving breast.
One of the best lessons gained from the
wholesome atmosphere of the Parks is the
duty of preserving natural beauties. We
need Parks to prevent the extermination of
our friends the wild flowers. A few years
ago the following simple appeal for the
wild flowers was written for me by Maud
Gardner Odel : —
What will you with our bodies,
Rude Ravishers of flowers,
Despoiler of our loveliness
To please your idle hours?
The life you pluck so gayly
Will perish in a day;
The form you praise so lightly,
Turn swiftly to decay;
But leave us on our hillside
I With wind and bird and bee,
Insure us our inheritance
Of immortality, —
Your sons shall know our fragrance,
Your daughters feel our charm.
Oh, Friend of Future Ages,
Do not the Wild Flowers harm !
Columbine,
Gentian,
Iris, and Others.
374
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Photographs made in National Parks
could be used in homes, schools, hotels,
etc. ; they might well displace many of the
pictures now in use. These photographs
should embrace the grander scenes and the
lovelier landscapes. Among the subjects
handled would be the Big Trees, Yellow-
stone Falls, Yosemite Falls, the Grand
Canon, wild flowers and glaciers on Mount
Rainier, the lakes in Glacier National Park,
timber-line in the Rocky Mountain Na-
tional Park, Crater Lake, and the ruins in
the Mesa Verde. Among the animals pic-
tured would be the grizzly bear, the moun-
tain sheep, the mountain goat, the antelope,
and the beaver; among the birds, the
water-ouzel, the solitaire, the canon wren,
the eagle, the hummingbird, and the
ptarmigan.
We need to know our country. Purpose-
ful travel is educational. Our National
Parks should stimulate travel, and a trip
to them is an educational advantage to
any one making it. One can hardly be
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especially interested in any single feature
of these Parks without also becoming ac-
quainted with others.
Each year every city should honor itself
by sending a number of individuals to
study one or more of these Parks. Each
school should send its brightest pupil;
chambers of commerce might send repre-
sentatives; women's clubs, D.A.R. organ-
izations, and even the Y.M.C.A. and
Y.W.C.A. might well be represented in
such a delegation. This custom would give
us nation-wide knowledge and sympathy.
It appears impossible to exaggerate the
importance of knowing our wilderness
lands — the frontier of yesterday.
During all the years — the long centu-
ries between cave and cottage — our good
ancestors ever traveled among Nature's
inspiring pictured scenes. With interest
and with awe they watched the silent
movements of the clouds across the sky;
they heard with speechless wonder the
mysterious echo that lived and mimicked
376
in the viewless air; they puzzled over the
strange, invisible wind that shook the ex-
cited trees and whispered in the rustling
grass. They saw the wondrous sunrise; the
light of day; the darkness; the fireflies in
the forest; the lonely, changing moon. They
heard the echoing crash of thunder. Light-
ning, — the branched golden river in the
cloud mountains of the sky, — the clouds
themselves, and the silken rainbow, were
woven into beautiful myths. Thus, through
changing seasons and the passing years,
these splendid facts and fancies in Mother
Nature's school fired the imagination with
poetic wonder-tales and built the brain for
our restless, triumphant race. The path-
way to the Heroic Age lies out with Na-
ture.
XXII
WHY WE NEED NATIONAL PARKS
THE Piute Indians have a legend which
says that just at the close of creation the
woman was consulted. She at once called
into existence the birds, the flowers, and
the trees. That is the kind of a woman
with whom to start a world. We still need
park places full of hope and beauty, with
birds, flowers, and trees, that with their
help we may live long and happily and
harmoniously upon a beautiful world.
Scenic parts of this poetic and primeval
world — parts rich in loveliness and gran-
deur— are saved for us in our National
Parks. The National Parks and Monu-
ments are filled with Nature's masterpieces,
and contain splendid scenic and scientific
features not elsewhere to be seen. The trav-
eler might spend a lifetime in them with-
out exhausting even their best attractions.
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A National Park is an island of safety in
this riotous world. Splendid forests, the
waterfalls that leap in glory, the wild
flowers that charm and illuminate the
earth, the wild sheep of the sky-line crags,
and the beauty of the birds, all have places
of refuge which parks provide.
A National Park is a fountain of life. It
is a matchless potential factor for good in
national life. It holds within its magic
realm benefits that are health-giving, edu-
cational, economic; that further efficiency
and ethical relations, and are inspirational.
Every one needs to play, and to play out
of doors. Without parks and outdoor life
all that is best in civilization will be smoth-
ered. To save ourselves, to prevent our
perishing, to enable us to live at our best
and happiest, parks are necessary. With-
in National Parks is room — glorious room
— room in which to find ourselves, in
which to think and hope, to dream and
plan, to rest and resolve.
Nature, like our best friends, will have
379
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us do our best. King Lear led the typical
purposeless indoor life. He was surrounded
with pomp and senseless ceremony. He was
in the midst of enemies of sincerity and in-
dividuality. He decayed. He was turned
outdoors. Across the stormy moor he wan-
dered, followed by his faithful Fool. At the
door of the hovel he hesitated. Urged by
the Fool, he agreed to take shelter inside.
In a brief time with Nature on the moor he
had become acquainted with himself and
had developed universal sympathy. Stand-
ing in the storm at the entrance to the
hovel, he uttered this noble cry of compas-
sion: —
"Poor naked wretches, wheresoever you are,
That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm,
How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides,
Your loop'd and window'd raggedness, defend you
From seasons such as these?"
National Parks provide climate for
everybody and scenery for all. If we play
in the scenes where fairies live, for us all
will be right with the world. Parks give
purpose, noble purpose, to life. They are
380
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the " Never-Never-Land " in which we
shall ever be growing, but never grow up.
The great peaks with age-old ice and
snow, the mountain-high waterfalls that
rush and roar, the waveless lakes that show
the cloud and the blue, the waves of wind
that shake the steadfast trees, the songs of
birds that ring through the wilderness, the
many-colored flowers and glorious sunsets
— these waken and inspire us. We are
glad to be living, and life's duties are done
with happiest hands. We need these en-
chanted places. I am thankful to the pio-
neers who saw the wilderness scenes and
were thoughtful enough to save the Na-
tional Parks for us.
Robert Louis Stevenson says, "A man's
most serious business is his amusements ";
and some one else has said: —
We need more plain pleasures, for recreation
rightly used is a resource for the common pur-
poses of daily life that is entitled to rank with
education, with art, with friendship. It is one
of the means ordained for the promotion of
health and cheerfulness and jnprality. Vice
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Hour Rational paths
must be fought by welfare, not restraint; and
society is not safe until to-day's pleasures are
stronger than its temptations. Amusement
is stronger than vice and can strangle the lust
of it. Not only does morality thus rest back
on recreation, but so does efficiency. One half
of efficiency and happiness depends upon
vitality, and vitality depends largely upon
recreation, especially the simple recreation
of the open air.
How and where people play determines
the character of individuals and the des-
tiny of their country. Success in life-work
depends upon play and relaxation. Blue
Monday did not originate outdoors. It is
doubtful if any other influence produces so
many good habits as a park. Parks keep
a nation hopeful and young.
The better and stronger nation of the
future will be a park-using nation. Many
wrecked nations have tried to get along
without outdoor parks and recreation-
places. It is but little less than folly to
spend millions on forts and warships, on
prisons and hospitals, instead of giving
38*
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people the opportunity to develop and rest
in the sane outdoors.
The population of the United States now
numbers a hundred millions and is growing
with amazing rapidity. The harassing, ex-
acting life of to-day makes outdoor life
more important than ever before. Even in
the country, more play places are needed.
Most of the parklike places in the country
have fallen into private hands to the ex-
clusion of the public, but in every State in
the Union a number of scenic places are
available. These might well be secured by
the public and made into city and county,
state and national parks.
The intensity of love for native land
depends chiefly upon the loveliness of its
landscapes — upon its scenery. The great
scenic places of a land should be owned by
the public and often seen by the public.
We cannot love an ugly country. Beauty
satisfies the world's great longing. Hatred
and prejudice may be taught, but the love
of land must be inspired — and inspired
383
gout Rational parity
by the scenic loveliness of that land. "The
beautiful is as useful as the useful." Some
time a Secretary of Parks and Recreation
may be the most honored member of the
President's Cabinet.
Develop National Parks, and there is no
danger that the people will fail to use them.
They will help us to build a vast travel in-
dustry. In each of the years immediately
preceding the European war, more than
half a million Americans went to Europe.
Each individual spent not less than a thou-
sand dollars, a total of five hundred million
dollars — this exclusive of large sums spent
for works of art, jewelry, and clothing.
Why should not such vast expenditures be
made in our own country instead of in for-
eign lands? Scenery is an asset, and parks,
multiplied and properly managed, would
greatly help to keep our money at home as
well as to educate and refine our people.
The existing National Parks — and there
will be others — are a vast undeveloped
resource of enormous potential value. They
384
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are a golden field that will grow the more
with reaping! The Parks have the power to
change and better the habits of a nation.
They may arouse in us the desire to spend
most of our spare time, and lead to the
fashion of holding most of our social gather-
ings, outdoors.
Lack of national unity is perilous. A na-
tion divided against itself is not strong.
Internal strife sometimes is worse than
foreign war. The people of the United
States are united in name, but are they do-
ing good team-work? The mingling of peo-
ple from all quarters in their own great
National Parks means friendly union. The
Westerner ought to know the Easterner;
the Easterner should be acquainted with
the Westerner, and he ought also to see the
magnificent distances in the West. Travel
to National Parks will promote such ac-
quaintance in the happiest circumstances.
Greatly it would help the general welfare
of the nation if the citizens of the United
States were better acquainted with their
385
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own country, its resources, its people, and
its problems. The debates on various pub-
lic measures in Congress show a lack of
national unity that arises from a lack of
national information. A people united is
a nation well prepared.
I sometimes think that getting really ac-
quainted with some person, or with some
fact, is a great event. There is nothing
like acquaintance for promoting friendship,
sympathy, and cooperation. To bring the
capitalist and the laborer — all classes —
together in the Park's august scenes, is
bound to encourage acquaintance and to
prevent misunderstandings. All this means
unity, friendship, and will keep war drums
in the background.
He who feels the spell of the wild, the
rhythmic melody of falling water, the
echoes among the crags, the bird-songs, the
wind in the pines, and the endless beat of
wave upon the shore, is in tune with the
universe. And he will know what human
brotherhood means; will understand the
386
tuc |j5ccfc Rational §Darh£
heart of the democratic poet who declares,
"A man's a man for a' that."
In Nature's ennobling and boundless
scenes, the hateful boundary-lines and the
forts and flags and prejudices of nations
are forgotten. Nature is universal. She
hoists no flags of hatred. Wood-notes wild
contain no barbaric strains of war. The
supreme triumph of parks is humanity.
And as I have said elsewhere, some time it
may be that an immortal pine will be the
flag of a united and peaceful world.
John Muir felt that National Parks were
the glory of the country and should make
this country the glory of the earth. I feel
certain that if Nature were to speak she
would say, "Make National and State
Parks of your best wild gardens, and with
these I will develop greater men and
women."
XXIII
THE TRAIL
NATIONAL PARKS will insure the per-
petuation of the primitive and poetic path-
way, the Trail.
The trail is as old as the hills. In every
wild corner of the world it is the dim roman-
tic highway through "No Man's Land."
Ever intimate with the forest and stream,
this adventurous and primitive way has
an endless variety. Its scenes shift and its
vistas change. It has the aroma of the
wilderness. It always leads to a definite
place over a crooked and alluring way.
With eager haste it may go straight to some
poetic point, but usually it winds with many
a delightful delay. I think of it as watching
the white cascades, listening to the echoes,
delaying by the lonely shore, spending
hours in the forest primeval, leisurely
crossing the grassy, sun-filled glades, skirt-
388
Cljc €rafl
ing the time-stained crags and vanishing
into the heights, looking down into the
valley, and tarrying where artists would
linger. Somewhere it leads to a lake.
At the primitive beaver house it takes a
look as it crosses the expanded brook upon
the beaver dam. A fallen tree gives it a
way across the river. In a gorge it hears the
ouzel from the rocks pour forth his melody
— joyous notes of happy, liquid song. 4
It crosses a moraine to examine the use-
ful debris that the Ice King formed while
he was sculpturing the mountains and giv-
ing lines to the landscape. Clouds bound
for definite ports in the trailless sky adorn
its realm with floating shadows. It passes
a picturesque old landmark, a pine of a
thousand years. In this one spot the ancient
pine has stood, an observing spectator,
while the seasons and the centuries flowed
along. His autobiography is rich in weather
lore, full of adventures, and filled with
thrilling escapes from fires, lightning, and
landslides. During his thousand years,
389
If our Rational $arfeg
strange travelers and processions have
passed along. He often saw victor and
victim and the endless drama of the wil-
derness.
The trail is followed by wild life, and
along it the wild flowers fill the wild gar-
dens. It has the spirit of the primal out-
doors. It extends away ever to the golden
age. Many a night this way across the
earth is as thick with fireflies as the great
Milky Way across the sky with stars. The
moon, the white aspens, and the dark
spruces pile it with romantic shades, and
on a sunny day it is often touched by the
fleeting shadow of an eagle in the sky.
This old acquaintance would have you
carry your own pack, and, like your best
friend, expects your best on every occasion.
The trail compels you to know yourself and
to be yourself, and puts you in harmony
with the universe. It makes you glad to be
living. It gives health, hope, and courage,
and it extends that touch of nature which
tends to make you kind. This heroic way
390
Cljc €rail
conducted our ancestors across the ages.
It should be preserved. It has for us the
inspiration of the ages.
A dim trail led our wandering primeval
ancestors out from the twilight. It was a
trail ever winding, shadowy, and broken,
but ever under the open sky and ever from
"yesterday's seven thousand years." It
had its beginning in the walks of beasts that
prowled the solemn primeval forests. Over
it our half-lost ancestors painfully ad-
vanced. A fallen tree was their first bridge
and a floating log their first boat. They
wondered at the strange alternating day
and night at which we still wonder. With
joy they watched the shining dawn, and
with fear and dread they saw the dusk of
dying day. They learned the endless pro-
cession of seasons. The mysterious move-
ments of wind and water aroused their
curiosity, and with childlike interest they
followed the soft and silent movements of
the clouds. The wide and starry sky ap-
pealed strangely, strongly, to their imagi-
If our Rational 3&arft£
nation, and in this luminous field of space
their fancy found a local habitation and a
name for the thousand earthly fears and
factors of their lives. They dared the
prairie, climbed the hills, but long kept
close to the forest.
After hard and fearful ages — after "a
million years and a day" — the camp-fire
came at last. This fragment of the Im-
mortal Sun conquered the cold and the
night, and misery and dread gave way to
comfort and hope. No more the aspen
trembled. It became a dancing youth,
while the strange, invisible echo was a
merry hiding child. The fireflies changed to
fairies, and Pan commenced to pipe the
elemental melody of the wild.
Nature ever showed her pictures and in-
terested her children in fairylands. Winter,
cold and leafless; spring, full of song and
promise; the generous wealth of summer;
and autumn with its harvest and color,
came and disappeared, and came again
through all the mysterious years. Light-
392
€f)e CtatI
ning, the echo, with roar and whisper of the
viewless air, the white and lonely moon, the
strange eclipse, the brilliant and fleeting
rainbow, — Nature's irised silken banner, —
the mystery of death, these seeds of thought
bloomed into the fanciful, beautiful myths
and legends that we know.
Once, like a web of joy, trails overspread
all the wild gardens of the earth. The long
trail is gone, and most others are cut to
pieces and ruined. The few broken rem-
nants are but little used.
The traveler who forgets or loses the
trail will lose his way, or miss the best of
life. The trail is the directest approach to
the fountain of life, and this immortal way
delays age and commands youth to linger.
While you delay along the trail, Father
Time pauses to lean upon his scythe. The
trail wanders away from the fever and the
fret, and leads to where the Red Gods call.
This wonderful way must not be buried
and forgotten.
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
ACT OF DEDICATION OF
THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
AN ACT TO SET APART A CERTAIN TRACT OF LAND
LYING NEAR THE HEADWATERS OF THE YEL-
LOWSTONE RIVER AS A PUBLIC PARK.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives of the United States of America in Con-
gress assembled, — That the tract of land in the
Territories of Montana and Wyoming lying near
the headwaters of the Yellowstone River and de-
scribed as follows, to-wit: Commencing at the
junction of Gardiner's River with the Yellowstone
River and running east to the meridian, passing
ten miles to the eastward of the most eastern point
of Yellowstone Lake; thence south along the said
meridian to the parallel of latitude, passing ten
miles south of the most southern point of Yellow-
stone Lake; thence west along said parallel to the
meridian, passing fifteen miles west of the most
western point of Madison Lake; thence north
along said meridian to the latitude of the junction
of the Yellowstone and Gardiner's Rivers; thence
east to the place of beginning, is hereby reserved
and drawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale
397
under the laws of the United States, and dedicated
and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground
for the benefit and enjoyment of the people ; and all
persons who shall locate, or settle upon, or occupy
the same or any part thereof, except as hereinafter
provided, shall be considered trespassers and re-
moved therefrom.
SEC. 2. That said public park shall be under the
exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior,
whose duty it shall be, as soon as practicable, to
make and publish such rules and regulations as he
may deem necessary or proper for the care and
management of the same. Such regulations shall
provide for the preservation from injury or spolia-
tion of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curi-
osities or wonders within said park, and their re-
tention in their natural condition.
The Secretary may, in his discretion, grant
leases for building purposes, for terms not exceed-
ing ten years, of small parcels of ground, at such
places in said park as shall require the erection of
buildings for the accommodation of visitors; all of
the proceeds of said leases, and all other revenue
that may be derived from any source connected
with said park, to be expended under his direction
in the management of the same and the construc-
tion of roads and bridle-paths, and shall provide
against the wanton destruction of fish and game
found within said park and against their capture or
destruction for the purpose of merchandise or
profit. He shall also cause all persons trespassing
upon the same after the passage of this act to be
removed therefrom, and generally shall be author-
398
ized to take all such measures as shall be necessary
or proper to fully carry out the objects and pur-
poses of this act.
Approved March I, 1872.
Signed by:
JAMES G. ELAINE, Speaker of the House.
SCHUYLER COLFAX, Vice- President of the
United States and President of the
Senate.
ULYSSES S. GRANT, President of the United
States.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
NATIONAL PARK PUBLICATIONS ISSUED BY THE
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
(To be had from the Superintendent of Documents, Gov-
ernment Printing Office, Washington, D. C.)
Geological History of the Yellowstone National
Park Arnold Hague
Geysers Walter Harvey Weed
Geological History of Crater Lake, Oregon
Joseph S. Diller
Some Lakes of Glacier National Park M . J. Elrod
Sketch of Yosemite National Park and an ac-
count of the origin of the Yosemite and Hetch
Hetchy Valleys F. E. Matthes
Origin of the Scenic Features of the Glacier
National Park Marius R. Campbell
The Secret of the Big Trees Ellsworth Huntington
Glaciers of Glacier National Park
William C. Alden
The Glacier National Park; A Popular Guide to
its Geology and Scenery Marius R. Campbell
Excavation and Repair of Sun Temple, Mesa
Verde National Park J. Walter Fewkes
Fossil Forests of the Yellowstone National Park
F. H. Knowlton
Mount Rainier and its Glaciers F. E. Matthes
Forests of Mount Rainier National Park
G. F. Allen
417
Features of the Flora of Mount Rainier National
Park J. B. Flett
Forests of Yosemite, Sequoia and General Grant
National Parks C. L. Hill
Forests of Crater Lake National Park
J. F. Pernot
The National Park Service, Interior Depart-
ment, is constantly issuing special publications
that deal with particular phases of one or more
National Parks. A bibliography may be had from
the Department of the Interior giving a pretty
complete list of all books, pamphlets, and maga-
zine articles which contain information concerning
any one or all National Parks. There are also a
number of government publications which touch
upon special phases of plant and animal life and
geology. All issues of the Sierra Club Bulletin,
Mazama, and The Mountaineer, contain more or
less interesting matter that pertains to one or
more National Parks.
BOOKS CONCERNING MANY NATIONAL PARKS
Nature and Science on the Pacific Coast
Wild Animals at Home E. T. Seton
Our National Parks John Muir
Western Wild Flowers Margaret Armstrong
Flora of Colorado Rydberg
Mountain Wild Flowers of America
Julia Henshaw
Rocky Mountain Wild Flowers Clements
Handbook of Birds of Western United States
Florence Merriam Bailey
Wild Animals at Home E. T. Seton
The Mammals of Colorado Warren
The Adventures of James C. Adams Hittel
In Beaver World Mills
Manual of the Trees of North America Sargent
Field-Days in California Torrey
Trees of California Jepson
Three Wonderlands of the American West
Thomas D. Murphy
BOOKS CONCERNING THE YELLOWSTONE
NATIONAL PARK
The Yellowstone National Park
Gen. H. M. Chittenden
Catalogue of the Flora of Montana and the Yel-
lowstone National Park. Memoirs of the New
York Botanical Garden, vol. I Rydberg
Our National Recreation Parks Nicholas Senn
Southern California, Grand Canyon of the Col-
orado River, Yellowstone National Park. Lec-
tures, vol. 10 John L. Stoddard
U. S. Geological Survey, Monograph 32, part 2.
Descriptive Geology Petrography, and Pale-
ontology of the Yellowstone National Park.
BOOKS CONCERNING THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
NATIONAL PARK
A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains Bird
Wild Life on the Rockies Mills
The Spell of the Rockies Mills
In Beaver World Mills
The Story of Estes Park Mills
Rocky Mountain Wonderland Mills
419
BOOKS CONCERNING THE MESA VERDE
NATIONAL PARK
Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde G. Nordenskiold
The Land of the Cliff Dwellers Chapin
Government publications :
Antiquities of Mesa Verde National Park, Bul-
letin Nos. 41 and 51, together with Excava-
tions and Repair of Sun Temple.
BOOKS CONCERNING THE GLACIER NATIONAL
PARK
The Ascent of Chief Mountain, in Hunting in
Many Lands, edited by Theodore Roosevelt and
George B. Grinnell. Henry L. Stimson
Blackfeet Tales of Glacier National Park Schultz
BOOKS CONCERNING YOSEMITE NATIONAL
PARK
Indians of the Yosemite Valley Galen Clark
In the Heart of the Sierras Hutchins
Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada
Clarence King
The Yosemite John Muir
My First Summer in the Sierras John Muir
Three Wonderlands of the American West
Thomas D. Murphy
A Yosemite Flora Hall
BOOKS CONCERNING MOUNT RAINIER
NATIONAL PARK
The Mountain that was God Williams
Mount Rainier Meany
420
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE DOMINION NATIONAL
PARKS OF CANADA
Through the Heart of the Canadian Rockies
Frank Yeigh
Canada's West and Farther West Frank Carrel
The Fair Dominion R. E. Vernede
The New Garden of Canada F. A. Talbot
Among the Canadian Alps
Lawrence J. Burpee, F.R.G.S.
Climbs and Explorations in the Canadian Rockies
Norman Collie, F.R.S.
The Canadian Rockies Prof. A. P. Coleman
In the Heart of the Canadian Rockies
Sir James Outram
Among the Selkirk Glaciers W. S. Green
The Selkirk Range A. 0. Wheeler, F.R.G.S.
The Selkirk Mountains; A Guide for Mountain
Climbers A. 0. Wheeler, F.R.G.S.
PUBLISHED BY THE DOMINION PARKS
BRANCH, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR, OTTAWA
Glaciers of the Rockies and the Selkirks
Prof. A. P. Coleman, F.R.G.S.
Handbook to the Rocky Mountains Park Museum
Harlan I. Smith, Geological Survey, Ottawa
Geology of the Canadian National Parks
Charles Camsell, Geological Survey, Ottawa
Nakimu Caves
Fish and Their Habitat in the Rocky Mountains
Park.
GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL PARKS
BY
LAURENCE F. SCHMECKEBIER
Introduction
THE National Parks of the United States are in process
of great development as regards the building of roads and
trails and the operation of hotels and camps. It is likely
that from year to year additional trips will be scheduled
and new camps established. The rates given are from the
latest data available and may be considered stable, al-
though they are likely to vary slightly from year to year
in sympathy with general fluctuations in prices.
Railway rates are given for side trips to all the Parks
from the main transcontinental lines, and through rates
are given to the important Parks from the principal gate-
ways. The rates are the latest ones in effect and are
quoted in order to give the reader a general idea of the
cost. The latest rates and combinations of tours may be
obtained at any coupon ticket office or from the passenger
representatives of the roads tributary to the Parks. There
is given on pages 427-31 a schedule showing the cost of
side trips on the regular transcontinental tours.
Railroads to the National Parks and the Grand Canon
YELLOWSTONE PARK: Northern Pacific to Gardiner,
Montana; Oregon Short Line to Yellowstone, Mon-
'• tana : Chicago, Burlington & Quincy to Cody, Wyoming.
YOSEMITE PARK: Yosemite Valley to El Portal, California.
SEQUOIA PARK: Southern Pacific or Atchison, Topeka &
Santa F6 to Visalia, California.
GENERAL GRANT PARK: Southern Pacific to Sanger,
California.
MOUNT RAINIER PARK: Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul
to Ashford, Washington.
425
<£5w&c to ttjc Rational parh£
CRATER LAKE PARK: Southern Pacific to Medford or
Kirk, Oregon.
GLACIER PARK: Great Northern to Glacier Park or Bel-
ton, Montana.
MESA VERDE PARK: Denver & Rio Grande to Mancos,
Colorado.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN PARK: Union Pacific to Fort Collins or
Greeley, Colorado; Colorado & Southern to Boulder,
Loveland, Longmont, or Fort Collins, Colorado; Chi-
cago, Burlington & Quincy to Longmont or Lyons,
Colorado; Denver & Salt Lake to Granby, Colorado.
GRAND CANON: Atchison, Topeka & Santa F6 to Grand
Canon, Arizona.
LASSEN VOLCANIC PARK: Southern Pacific to Red Bluff or
Westwood, California; Western Pacific to Keddie,
California.
HAWAII PARK: Steamer service from Honolulu, Hawaii.
MOUNT McKiNLEY PARK: No railroad connection until
government railroad across Alaska is completed.
HOT SPRINGS RESERVATION: Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific; St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern; and
Memphis, Dallas & Gulf to Hot Springs, Arkansas.
CASA GRANDE RUIN: Southern Pacific to Florence or
Casa Grande, Arizona.
WIND CAVE PARK: Chicago & Northwestern or Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy to Hot Springs, South Dakota.
PLATT PARK : Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe or St. Louis
& San Francisco to Sulphur, Oklahoma.
SULLY'S HILL PARK: Great Northern to Devil's Lake,
North Dakota.
Railroads to Canadian Parks
ROCKY MOUNTAINS PARK: Canadian Pacific to Banff or
Laggan, Alberta.
YOHO PARK: Canadian Pacific to Field, British Co-
lumbia.
426
GLACIER PARK: Canadian Pacific to Glacier, British
Columbia.
JASPER PARK: Grand Trunk Pacific or Canadian North-
ern to Jasper, Alberta.
REVELSTOKE PARK: Canadian Pacific to Revelstoke,
British Columbia.
WATERTON LAKES PARK: Canadian Pacific to McLeod
or Pincher Creek, Alberta.
BUFFALO PARK: Grand Trunk Pacific to Wainwright,
Alberta.
ELK ISLAND PARK: Canadian Pacific to Lament, Alberta.
ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS PARK: New York Central to
Clayton, New York; Grand Trunk to Kingston, On-
tario.
FORT HOWE PARK: Canadian Pacific to St. John, New
Brunswick.
Cost of Side Trips on Trans-Continental Tours
ROUTE A. PRINCIPAL NATIONAL PARKS: —
To Seattle or Tacoma via Great Northern, Northern
Pacific, or Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul ; to Portland
via Northern Pacific, Great Northern, or Oregon &
Washington Railroad & Navigation Company; to San
Francisco via Southern Pacific; to Ogden via Southern
Pacific or Western Pacific; to Denver via Union Pa-
cific or Denver & Rio Grande; any road to starting-
point. Round trip from Chicago, $90. Round trip
from St. Louis, $87.50. Round trip from Kansas City,
$89.57-
ROUTE B. PRINCIPAL NATIONAL PARKS AND THE
GRAND CANON OF THE COLORADO: —
To Seattle or Tacoma via Great Northern, North-
ern Pacific, or Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul; to Port-
land via Northern Pacific, Great Northern, or Oregon
& Washington Railroad & Navigation Company; to
427
itic to tge Rational JDarft^
San Francisco via Southern Pacific; to Denver via
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; any road to starting-
point. Round trip from Chicago, $90. Round trip
from St. Louis, $87.50. Round trip from Kansas City,
$89.57.
YELLOWSTONE PARK — side trips from ROUTES A and B:
On tickets via Northern Pacific: From Livingston,
Montana, via Northern Pacific to Gardiner, northern
entrance, and return, $ ;.oo.
On tickets via Great Northern: From Havre, Mon-
tana, on west-bound tickets and from Shelby, Mon-
tana, on east-bound tickets via Great Northern and
Northern Pacific to Gardiner, northern entrance, and
return, $15.70.
On tickets via Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul or
Northern Pacific: From Butte, Montana, via Oregon
Short Line to Yellowstone, Montana, western en-
trance, and return, $12.25.
On tickets via Burlington to Billings, thence via
Northern Pacific or Great Northern to Seattle or
Tacoma, there is no charge for side trip via Cody,
Wyoming, to eastern entrance.
On tickets via Northern Pacific: From Billings,
Montana, via Burlington to Cody, Wyoming, and re-
turn, $6.90; stage fare to Park entrance extra.
YELLOWSTONE PARK — side trip from ROUTE A only: —
All tickets on this route read via Ogden, Utah; side
trip via Oregon Short Line to Yellowstone, Montana,
western entrance, and return, $12.25.
GLACIER PARK — side trips from ROUTES A and B : —
On tickets reading via Great Northern, stopover
may be obtained at Belton or Glacier Park Stations
without extra charge; no side trip necessary.
On tickets reading via Chicago, Milwaukee & St.
428
introduction
Paul: From Butte, Montana, via Great Northern to
Belton or Glacier Park Stations, and return, $13.35.
On tickets reading via Northern Pacific: From Butte
or Helena, Montana, via Great Northern to Belton or
Glacier Park Stations, and return. From Butte, $i 3.35.
From Helena, $13.15.
MOUNT RAINIER PARK — side trips from ROUTES A
and B: —
Tacoma via Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul to Ash-
ford and return, $4.00; stage fare Ashford to Paradise
Valley and return, $5.00.
CRATER LAKE PARK from ROUTES A and B : —
Stopover allowed at Medford or Kirk on Southern
Pacific without extra charge. Stage fare: Medford to
Crater Lake and return, $16.50; Kirk to Crater Lake
and return, $6.00; Medford to Crater Lake, thence
Kirk or vice versa, $11.25.
LASSEN VOLCANIC PARK from ROUTES A and B : —
Stopover allowed at Red Bluff on Southern Pacific
without extra charge; stage fare to Park #10.00 in each
direction.
LASSEN VOLCANIC PARK from ROUTE A only: —
On tickets reading via Southern Pacific: From Fernley,
Nevada, via Southern Pacific to Westwood, California,
and return, $6.85 ; stage fare 1 to Park #6.00 round trip.
On tickets reading via Western Pacific stopover al-
lowed at Keddie, California, without extra charge;
stage fare l to Park #14.00 round trip.
YOSEMITE PARK — side trip from ROUTE A: —
San Francisco via Southern Pacific or Atchison,
1 No regular service on stage line.
429
to tljc Rational $arft£
Topeka & Santa Fe to Yosemite Village, round trip,
rail and stage, $23.00.
YOSEMITE PARK — side trip from ROUTE B only: —
Merced via Yosemite Valley Railroad to Yosemite
Village, round trip, rail and stage, $18.50.
SEQUOIA PARK - - side trip from ROUTE A: —
San Francisco via Southern Pacific or Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe to Visalia and Giant Forest, round
trip, rail and stage, $24.00.
SEQUOIA PARK — side trip from ROUTE B only: —
Visalia to Giant Forest, round trip, rail and stage,
$13-30.
YOSEMITE AND SEQUOIA PARKS — side trip from
ROUTE A: —
Tourists should buy ticket to Giant Forest, stopover
at Merced in one direction, and buy side trip to Yose-
mite. San Francisco via Atchison, Topeka & Santa F6
or Southern Pacific to Giant Forest and return, round
trip, rail and stage, $24.00. Merced to Yosemite Vil-
lage, round trip, rail and stage, $18.50.
GENERAL GRANT PARK — side trip from ROUTE A: —
San Francisco to General Grant Park and return,
rail and stage, $20.00.
GENERAL GRANT PARK — side trip from ROUTE B
only: —
Stopover at Sanger may be obtained without extra
charge; stage fare to Park, round trip, $8.00.
GRAND CANON — side trip from ROUTE B only: —
From Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe at Williams to
Grand Canon, round trip, $7.50.
430
MESA VERDE PARK — side trip from ROUTES A and B :
Denver via Denver & Rio Grande to camp in Park,
round trip, $35.00.
MESA VERDE PARK — side trips from ROUTE A, and
only on tickets reading via Denver & Rio Grande: —
From Grand Junction to camp in Park, round trip,
$33-30. From Montrose to camp in Park, round trip,
$28.90. From Grand Junction to camp in Park, thence
to Denver via Antonito and Alamosa, $30.00.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN PARK — side trip from ROUTES A
and B: —
Denver to Estes Park and return, rail and stage,
$9.60.
Equipment
As all the scenic Parks are in high mountain country,
the tourist should be sure to wear warm clothing suitable
for rough outdoor use. Woolen trousers or riding-breeches
are desirable, not only because of their warmth, but also
because they offer better protection in rainy weather.
Woolen underwear is recommended because it prevents
the body from becoming chilled when a rest is taken when
the climber is perspiring; nothing is more uncomfortable
or dangerous than cotton underwear wet with perspiration.
Women who expect to climb should wear riding-breeches,
as bloomers get caught on bushes and offer too much re-
sistance to the wind. A flannel middy blouse allows free
use of the arms and body and is far superior to the shirt-
waist. A felt hat is best for both men and women; it may
be pulled over the eyes as a protection from the sun, and
it is far superior to a cap during a rainstorm. Heavy,
comfortable shoes and woolen socks or stockings are
essential for those who are going to tramp. Wet shoes
may be worn if the socks are dry; the shoes will feel cold
431
<£3ui&c to tljc Rational
and clammy at first, but a little brisk tramping will soon
make the feet warm and comfortable.
Motorists should bear in mind that the high altitude
causes a marked reduction in the power of the engine, so
that much more gasoline will be required than at sea-
level. Care should be taken that the engine does not be-
come heated on long grades.
Yellowstone National Park
Location: Northwestern Wyoming, southern Montana,
and eastern Idaho. Area: 3348 square miles. Season:
June 20 to September 15. Address of supervisor: Yel-
lowstone Park, Wyoming.
Railroad Connections
YELLOWSTONE PARK is reached by railroads on three
sides — on the north by the Northern Pacific, on the
west by the Oregon Short Line, and on the east by the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.
The following rates apply to all entrances or entering
via one entrance and leaving via another: Chicago,
$47.50; St. Paul, $39.50; St. Louis, $44.50; Kansas City,
$37.00; Seattle, $33.15; San Francisco, $66.25.
The Northern Pacific Railway reaches the Park at
Gardiner, the northern entrance, by way of a branch leav-
ing the main line at Livingston, Montana. Side trip from
Gardiner, $3.00.
The Oregon Short Line reaches the Park at Yellow-
stone, Montana, the western entrance. This line makes
connection with transcontinental roads passing through
Salt Lake City or Ogden, and with the Chicago, Mil-
waukee & St. Paul at Butte, Montana. Round trip in
connection with through tickets Salt Lake City or Ogden
or Butte to Yellowstone, $12.25. Connection may also be
made at Butte with the Northern Pacific Railway.
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy reaches Cody,
Wyoming, 63 miles from the eastern entrance by a good
automobile road. All tickets from eastern points on the
Burlington system are honored via Cody to the Park
boundary without extra charge.
433
45tiit>e to tf)e Rational $arft#
Tourists holding transcontinental tickets via the Great
Northern may make the side trip to Yellowstone Park
for #15.70 (see p. 428) additional.
Tickets including transportation to Denver, Yellow-
stone Park, and Glacier Park are sold at the following
rates: Chicago, $58.00; St. Louis, $55.00; Kansas City,
$47-50.
Coupon tickets may be purchased covering railroad
transportation, accommodation at hotels or camps, and
automobile transportation in the Park.
Automobile Routes
From the Lincoln Highway the Park may be reached
by two routes — on the east from Cheyenne, Wyoming,
and on the west from Ogden, Utah. The route from
Cheyenne passes through Chugwater, Wheatland, Doug-
las, Casper, Lost Cabin, Thermopolis, Worland, Basin,
and Cody to the eastern entrance, the total distance being
541 miles. From Ogden the route leads through Pocatello
and Idaho Falls to Yellowstone, Montana, the western
entrance. The distance by this route is 324 miles.
From the Yellowstone Trail the Park may be reached
from Billings via Cody to the eastern entrance (175 miles) ;
Livingston to Gardiner, northern entrance (55 miles);
Bozeman to Yellowstone, western entrance (93 miles);
Butte to Yellowstone, western entrance (170 miles).
Automobiles entering the Park are required to pay
$7.50 for a single trip or $10.00 for a season permit.
Speed limits range from 8 to 20 miles per hour.
Hotels and Camps
The Yellowstone Park Hotel Company operates hotels
at Mammoth Hot Springs (Mammoth Hotel), Upper
Geyser Basin (Old Faithful Inn), Yellowstone Lake
(Lake Hotel), and Grand Canon (Grand Canon Hotel).
It also maintains a lunch-station at Pahaska on the road
to Cody. The rates at the hotels are $6.00 per day for
434
rooms without bath. The Fountain Hotel at Lower
Geyser Basin is not open.
The Yellowstone Park Camping Company operates
permanent camps at Mammoth Hot Springs, Upper Gey-
ser Basin, Yellowstone Lake, Grand Canon, and Tower
Falls. The rate at the camps for the regular 5-day trip
through the Park is $18.00. Rates per day range from
$3.25 to $4.00, according to the class of tents.
Transportation
The familiar Concord coaches that were for so many
years a feature of travel in the Yellowstone have been
discontinued and transportation is now by means of
automobile stages. All the transportation is furnished
by one corporation, the camping companies no longer
operating coaches as was the practice before the con-
solidation. The automobiles will make the circular tour
in 2 days, but this allows no time for seeing anything at
the hotels or camps. Coupon tickets covering hotel and
transportation within the Park are not sold for less than
a 5-day trip.
The regular tour of the Park by the automobile stages
costs $25.00. Surreys may be obtained for drives at the
important points, but it is far more satisfactory to walk,
as the distances are not great.
The hotels will furnish guides for $5.00 per day and
saddle horses for $3.50 per day. The camps will supply
saddle-horses for $3.00 per day, and guides for $4.50.
Principal Points
The places generally visited are Mammoth Hot Springs,
the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone Lake, the Grand
Canon of Yellowstone River, and Mount Washburn. All
these points lie on the main road system that is traversed
by the automobile coaches. The distances along this
route are as follows: —
435
to tlje Rational parfcg
Points of interest and distances on circular tour on main
road from Gardiner, Montana, northern entrance
Miles
Mammoth Hot Springs (Mammoth Hotel, perma-
nent camp) 5
Koodoos and Silver Gate 8
Golden Gate and Rustic Falls 9
Swan Lake 10
Willow Park 14
Apollinaris Spring 15
Obsidian Cliff 17
Beaver Lake 17!
Roaring Mountain 2o|
Twin Lakes 21
Bijah Spring 22
Fryingpan 23
Norris Geyser Basin 25
Elk Park 27
Gibbon Meadows 28
Artists (Gibbon) Paint Pot 29
Gibbon Canon 29^
Beryl Spring 30
Soda and Iron Springs 33
Gibbon Falls (80 feet) 33$
Canon Creek 34
Road to western entrance 35
Cascades of Firehole River ) i
Road to western entrance ) 39a
Nez Perce Creek 43
Lower Geyser Basin 45
Excelsior Geyser 48
Biscuit Basin 51
Upper Geyser Basin (Old Faithful Inn, permanent
camp) 54
Kepler Cascade 56
Lone Star Road 57^
Continental Divide 62
De Lacy Creek 631
Shoshone Point 641
Continental Divide 691
Lake View )
Duck Lake \ "2
Thumb of Yellowstone Lake 73
Arnica Creek 78 J
436
j|H U f«*l*$§b
JST8
S?efloto£tone Rational $arfe
Miles
Natural Bridge \ R,
Bridge Creek f 8^
Yellowstone Lake (Lake Hotel permanent camp) ... 89
Lake outlet 90
Mud Volcano 96^
Grotto Springs 97
Hayden Valley 100
Alum Creek 102
Grand Canon of the Yellowstone River (Canon
Hotel, permanent camp) 105
Dunraven cut-off 1 12
Top of Mount Washburn 1 16
Tower Falls Road 119
Tower Falls (132 feet) 125*
Permanent camp 127}
Petrified trees 128}
Blacktail Deer Creek 140
Lava Creek, Undine Falls (60 feet) 143
Mammoth Hot Springs 148
Gardiner 153
Distances from Yellowstone, Montana, western
entrance, to main road
Miles
Via Canon Creek: —
Ranger Station 3
Junction of Gibbon and Firehole Rivers. 13
Canon Creek, main road. (This point is 35 miles
from Gardiner; for distances beyond this point
see table of distances from Gardiner) 17
Via Firehole River: —
Cascades of the Firehole River direct via road up
Firehole River. (This point is 39? miles from
Gardiner; for distances beyond this point see
table of distances from Gardiner) 15$
Points of interest and distances from Cody, Wyoming,
via eastern entrance to main road
Milts
Eastern entrance 63
Sylvan Pass 71
Sylvan Lake 72
Cub Creek 76
437
i&e to rtjc Rational $arft£
Miles
Turbid Lake . . 83
Lake outlet, main road. (This point is 90 mile
from Gardiner; for distances from this point see
table of distances from Gardiner) 91
Points of interest and distances from Jackson, Wyoming,
via southern entrance, to main road
Miles
Southern entrance 25
Lewis Falls (upper, 80 feet; lower, 50 feet) 34
Lewis Lake, south end 36
Trail to Shoshone Lake 41
Continental Divide 43$
Thumb of Lake, main road. (This point is 73 miles
from Gardiner; for distances beyond this point
see table of distances from Gardiner) 48
Mammoth Hot Springs
Here are located the famous terraces, the Mammoth
Hotel, the abandoned army post of Fort Yellowstone, and
the headquarters of the Park Supervisor. The terraces
are near the hotel, and the tourist will have no difficulty
in finding his way over them. The principal ones are
Minerva, Mound, Pulpit, Jupiter, Angel, Cleopatra,
and Hymen. Near the southwest end of the terraces is
the Devil's Kitchen — a cave which may be visited.
Another peculiar rock formation beyond the Devil's
Kitchen is the mass of travertine known as the White
Elephant.
Upper Geyser Basin
The Upper Geyser Basin contains more active geysers
than all the other geyser regions in the world. Several
days might well be spent roaming among the geysers and
observing the varied phenomena.
The more important ones are listed in the table on
page 439.
438
iclloto£t0nc Rational park
Geyser
Height
(Jeet)
Duration of eruption
Internal
Artemisia.. . .
Bee Hive
Castle
50
2OO
SO-7S
10 to 15 minutes
6 to 8 minutes
30 minutes
24 to 30 hours
3 to 5 times at 1 2-hour in-
tervals following Giantess
24 to 26 hours: quiet 4 to
Cub, large. .
Cub. small..
Daisy
60
IO-3O
7O
8 minutes
17 minutes
3 minutes
7 days, then plays 3 or 4
times at intervals stated
With Lioness
2% hours
85 to 90 minutes
Fan
15-25
10 minutes
Irregular
Giant
2OO—25O
60 minutes
6 to 14 days
Giantess
Grand
150-200
2OO
12 to 36 hours
15 to 30 minutes
Irregular; 5 to 40 days
Irregular; i to 2 days
Grotto
2O—3O
Varies
2 to 5 hours
jewel
5— 2O
About i minute
5 minutes
Lion
5O-6O
About 2 to 4 min-
Irregular; usually 2 to 17
Lioness
Mortar
Oblong . .
Old Faithful .
Riverside. . .
Sawmill . .
Spasmodic . .
Turban
8O-IOO
30
20-40
120-170
80-100
20-35
4
20-40
utes
About 10 minutes
4 to 6 minutes
7 minutes
4 minutes
15 minutes
i to 3 hours
20 to 60 minutes
10 minutes to 3
hours
times a day
Irregular
Irregular
8 to 15 hours
60 to 95 minutes
6 hours
Irregular; usually 5 to 8
times a day
Irregular; usually i to 4
times a day
Irregular
The following springs are well worth a visit: —
Black Sand Spring (about 55 by 60 feet).
Chinaman. Punch Bowl.
Emerald Pool. Sponge.
Morning Glory. Sunset Lake.
Grand Canon
The tourist would do well to spend some time at the
Grand Canon, as its wonderful beauty cannot be grasped
in a short time.
If the canon is to be viewed from the northern rim a
high, steel bridge is crossed over Cascade Creek. At the
east end of the bridge a path leads to the right down the
edge of the gulch to Crystal Falls, a lovely little falls, that
is often overlooked in the presence of the larger attrac-
439
fte to t!jc Rational $arh£
tions. This path can be followed to top of the Lower Falls
of the Yellowstone, 308 feet high, but dangerous. An-
other path from the end of the bridge leads to the left;
this is a short cut to the Canon Hotel. The main road
winds up the hill, affording here and there glimpses of the
Grand Canon. At the top of the hill are the stairs to the
Lower Falls. A few hundred feet farther the branch road
to the hotel and to Mount Washburn turns out to the left.
On the road about I mile from Canon Junction is Look-
out Point, reached by walking a hundred feet out to the
right of the road. Down the gulch to the right of Look-
out Point is a rather steep trail leading to Red Rock, a
fine point from which to view the Lower Falls. Grand
View and Castle Ruins are other good points from which
to view the canon.
But better yet is Inspiration Point, at the end of this
road. This point, Artist's Point, Lookout Point, and the
edge of the Lower Falls are the best places from which to
view the wonders of the Canon. The view from each is
different from the others, and each merits a careful in-
spection from the tourist. This canon is some 20 miles in
length, but it is only the first 3 miles below the Lower
Falls that carry the wonderful colors.
Side Trips
Some of the best scenery in the Park lies off the regular
lines of travel and many interesting side trips may be
taken if the time is available.
FROM MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS
Around Bunsen Peak via Buffalo Corral, Middle
Gardiner Canon, Sheepeater Cliffs, Osprey Falls, and
Golden Gate; distance, 12 miles; guide not necessary.
Summit of Bunsen Peak. Distance, 7 miles in each di-
rection; saddle horses may be ridden to the top; guide not
necessary.
Electric Peak (11,100 feet). This is the highest moun-
440
SWfotogtone Rational $arfe
tain in the Park and a fine view is obtained on all sides.
The distance is 10 miles in each direction, 8 miles of which
may be done on horseback ; as the path over the remain-
ing 2 miles is difficult and somewhat dangerous, a guide
should be employed.
Mount Everts. Saddle-horses may be ridden up from
either end and over the top; total distance is about 15
miles, and no guide is needed.
Buffalo herds. A small herd of buffalo is kept about
i mile south of Mammoth Hot Springs, on the road to
Bunsen Peak. The main herd is kept on Lamar River,
about 30 miles to the east and about 12 miles from the
Wylie Camp at Tower Falls.
Specimen Ridge and the Fossil Forest are 24 miles
southeast by a good wagon road; thence 4 miles by trail.
A guide will be needed by all tourists except experienced
campers.
Northeastern portion of Park. A trip could be made to
include the petrified trees, Tower Falls, main buffalo herd,
Specimen Ridge and Fossil Forest, and some of the best
fishing in the Park in Yellowstone River in vicinity of
Tower Falls, Lamar River and Slough Creek. Perma-
nent camp near Tower Falls provides accommodations
after Mount Washburn Road is opened in the spring.
There is a wagon road to Tower Falls, Slough Creek, and
Soda Butte, but other points would have to be reached by
trail, and guide and pack-train would be needed. Ex-
cellent camping places in abundance on this trip.
Fishing trips. One-day fishing trips from Mammoth
Hot Springs may be made with rig, saddle-horse, or even
on foot by good pedestrians, as follows: South on main
road to Obsidian Creek, Indian Creek, Upper Gardiner
and branches, and Glen Creek, for small Eastern brook
trout; distance, 4 to 10 miles. East to Lava Creek, 5
miles, for small native or Eastern brook trout, or to Black-
tail Deer Creek, 8 miles, for small native or rainbow
trout. East or northeast to main Gardiner River for
441
ifce to tljc Rational
whitefish, native, Loch Leven, and Eastern brook trout.
North, 6 miles to Yellowstone River for whitefish and
native trout.
FROM UPPER GEYSER BASIN
From Upper Geyser Basin an interesting side trip is to
Shoshone Lake and Geyser Basin. The route is 4! miles
by road via Lone Star Geyser, thence 8 miles by trail.
This trip offers good fishing for Loch Leven, lake, and
Eastern brook trout. A guide is needed.
FROM LAKE HOTEL
From the Lake Hotel interesting trips may be made by
motor boat to the region around the lake, which is not
reached by roads.
Camping Trips
As the distance between the regular stopping-places
are too long for any except the most active and hardened
trampers, the tourist who desires to see the Park leisurely
should travel on horseback, by wagon, or in his own auto-
mobile. Camping outfits and supplies may be obtained
at Gardiner, Yellowstone, and Cody. The names of out-
fitters may be obtained from the Park Supervisor. There
are general stores in the Park at Mammoth Hot Springs,
Upper Geyser Basin, and at the outlet of Yellowstone
Lake.
Public automobile camps are provided at Mammoth
Hot Springs, Upper Geyser Basin, outlet of Yellowstone
Lake, and the Grand Canon. At these places there are
fireplaces that may be used in common by the tourist and
there are designated areas for tents and for parking.
Clothing
The tourist making the ordinary trip on the automobile
stage will not need any special clothing except a sweater
or overcoat or other warm clothing for cool days. Heavy
442
gcllotostonc Rational park
shoes or rubbers should be worn on trips through the
geyser basins. A linen duster will prove very useful;
dusters may be rented at the hotels and camps. Persons
camping out in the Park should be provided with woolen
riding-breeches or trousers, flannel shirts, light woolen
underwear, felt hats, ponchos, and stout shoes. Women
should wear middy blouses and cloth skirt or riding-
breeches; a waterproof cape may be substituted for the
poncho.
Fishing
There is good fishing in almost all of the many streams
for cut-throat, Eastern brook, Loch Leven, Von Behr,
rainbow, and lake trout and whitefish. The best fishing
is, of course, in the streams farthest from the roads. The
best fishing near the roads is in Yellowstone Lake and
River, Firehole River, Madison River, Lamar Creek and
Slough Creek. The fish in Yellowstone Lake are not very
game and the quality is likely to be poor. The fly-fishing
is best after August I , but on the higher portions of some of
the streams it is good in July. Flies and tackle of all kinds
can be bought or rented in the Park. The flies generally
used are the following: march brown (early fishing) ; black
gnat; grizzly king; professor; brown hackle; cow dung,
dark; cow dung, light; gray hackle, yellow body; abbey;
coachman; royal coachman; Parmacheene belle; queen of
waters; Jock Scott; silver doctor; white miller (for late
evening).
A fishing license is not required.
Yosemite National Park
Location: Middle eastern California. Area: 1125
square miles. Season: May I to November I. Address of
Supervisor: Yosemite, California.
FOR many years the name YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
has been considered synonymous with Yosemite Valley,
because only within the last year has it been possible for
any one except an experienced mountaineer to enjoy the
beauties of the wonderful area of mountains and forest
that lies beyond the great Valley. Only a part of it is now
supplied with permanent camps, but it is expected that
more of these will be established and that more and more
of this beautiful Park will be accessible every year. Yosem-
ite is the only great Park that is accessible throughout
the year. The season extends from May I to November I,
but the hotel in Yosemite Valley is open during the winter
for those who desire to see the Park in its winter dress of
snow. In winter, however, the higher portions of the
Park are accessible only to hardened and experienced
mountaineers.
Railroad Connections
The Yosemite Valley Railroad reaches the western
border of Yosemite Park at El Portal. This road con-
nects with the Southern Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka
& Santa F6 Railroads at Merced, where stopovers may
be obtained on tourist tickets, and excursion ticket to
Yosemite Village may be purchased for $18.50 for the
round trip. Through sleeping and parlor cars are also
operated from San Francisco to El Portal by way of the
Southern Pacific Railroad. The round-trip fare from San
444
go£emite Rational $arh
Francisco to Yosemite Village is $23.00. During the sea-
son the Park may also be reached by automobile stage
from Fresno or Merced on the Southern Pacific and
Atchison, Topeka & Santa F6 Railroads. The latest
automobile rates from these points by way of the Yosemite
Stage and Turnpike Company are as follows: —
Automobile stage fares from Fresno or Merced to —
Yosemite via Mariposa Big Trees, Wawona, and
Inspiration Point, in each direction $14.25
Yosemite via Mariposa Big Trees, Wawona, and
Inspiration Point, including side trip Chinquapin
to Glacier Point and return, in each direction 19.25
Yosemite and return to either point via Mariposa
Big Trees, Wawona, and Inspiration 24.00
Yosemite and return to either point via Mariposa
Big Trees, Wawona, and Inspiration Point, in-
cluding side trip Chinquapin to Glacier Point and
return 29.00
Wawona, in each direction 8.50
Wawona and return to either point, including side
trip to Mariposa Big Trees 15.00
Wawona and return to either point, without side trip
to Mariposa Big Trees 14.00
Automobile Routes
The motorist approaching California over the Lincoln
Highway should turn south at Ely and reach the Tioga
Road at the eastern border of the Park near Mono Lake;
distance about 200 miles. There are two routes from San
Francisco: via Stockton, Modesto, and Coulterville, 210
miles; or via San Jose, Gilroy, Los Banos, Fresno, and
the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, 280 miles. The best
route from Los Angeles is by way of Saugus, Neenach,
Bakersfield, Tulare, Fresno, and Mariposa Grove of Big
Trees; distance 365 miles.
The entrance fee for an automobile is $5.00 for a single
trip, or $8.00 for a season permit. Speed limits range
from 8 to 20 miles per hour. On account of the snow the
Tioga Road is generally not open before July 15 or after
445
4Buifcc to tlje Rational $arft£
October i, the Big Oak Flat Road not before May 15 or
after November I, the Wawona Road not before May or
after November. Motor-cycles are not allowed in the
Park.
Hotels and Camps
At Yosemite Village in the Valley a new modern hotel
is now under construction, but accommodations are now
furnished by the old Sentinel Hotel, which has been re-
furnished, and by a number of camps.
Hotel and Camps in Yosemite Valley
Operated by Desmond Park Service Company: —
Sentinel Hotel, per day $4 to $5
Yosemite Falls Camp, wooden bungalows, per
day . 3.50
El Capitan Camp, wood frames covered with
canvas and wood floors, per day 2.50
Camp Lost Arrow, operated by W. M. Sell, Jr.,
per day 2.50
Camp Curry, operated by Curry Camping Com-
pany, per day 2.50
Camp Ahwahnee, operated by W. M. Sell, Sr.t
per day 3.75
At Glacier Point, above the Valley, the Desmond Park
Service Company operates the New Glacier Point Hotel,
with a uniform rate of $4.00 per day.
At Tenaya Lake, Tuolumne Soda Springs, and Merced
Lake the Desmond Park-Service Company operates per-
manent camps known as lodges. These lodges have wood
frames covered with canvas and wood floors. The rate at
all of the lodges is $3.00 per day, with an additional charge
of $1.00 when the lodge is occupied exclusively by one
person.
Eight miles from the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, but
outside the Park, is the Wawona Hotel at Wawona; rates
are from $4.00 to $5.00 per day.
446
Uogemite Rational $arfc
Tours
The main roads in Yosemite National Park are the
Tioga Road, which crosses the Park in an east-west di-
rection almost in its center; the Big Oak Flat Road, by
which Yosemite Valley may be reached from Modesto
and Stockton; the Coulterville Road, by which Yosemite
Valley may be reached from Merced; El Portal Road, be-
tween the terminus of the Yosemite Valley Railroad and
Yosemite Valley; the Wawona Road, connecting Yosem-
ite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees; and the
Glacier Point Road, extending from the Wawona Road to
Glacier Point. Travel between points in the Park that
are not contiguous to these roads must be made on foot
or horseback over the many trails that connect the princi-
pal points of interest.
Yosemite Village is the center of all activities in the
Park and practically all the trips radiate from this point.
Every variety of trip may be taken, ranging from a single
day excursion to the peaks surrounding the Valley to a
9-day tour of the High Sierra. Arrangements may be made
for extended or special trips, but the tours and trips
listed below include the more important points of in-
terest. All of these trips are under the supervision of the
Desmond Park Service Company and are made on horse-
back unless otherwise noted. The rates include transpor-
tation only. Meals and lodging may be obtained at
Glacier Point Hotel and at the lodges at the regular
rates.
One-day trips: —
Vernal and Nevada Falls, round trip $3.00
Vernal1 and Nevada Falls, Glacier Point and re-
turn, continuous, round trip 3.00
Vernal and Nevada Falls and Clouds Rest, round
trip 3.00
Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome via Union Point
(short trail), round trip 3.00
Yosemite Point, round trip 3.00
447
4Buifce to tfjc Rational parh£
Eagle Peak, round trip $3.00
Pohono Trail to Fort Monroe, thence by automo-
bile from Fort Monroe via Wawona Road to
Valley 5.00
North Dome via Mirror Lake, and return
via Yosemite Falls, or vice versa 3.00
Lake Tenaya via Tenaya Canon, round trip 3.00
Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, and Fissures via
Union Point (short trail) and return 3.00
Two-day trips: —
Happy Isles, Vernal and Nevada Falls, Glacier
Point Hotel, Sentinel Dome, Taft Point, Dewey
Point, and Inspiration Point 8.00
Mirror Lake, Tenaya Lake Lodge, Nevada and
Vernal Falls 6.00
Three-day trips: —
Happy Isles, Vernal and Nevada Falls, Merced
Lake Lodge, Merced Soda Springs, and Wash-
burn Lake 9.00
Mirror Lake, Tenaya Lake Lodge, Nevada and
Illilouette Falls, and Glacier Point Hotel 9.00
Four-day trips: —
Mirror Lake, Merced Lake Lodge, Merced Soda
Springs, Washburn Lake, Nevada and Vernal
Falls 12.00
Mirror Lake, Tenaya Lake Lodge, White Cascades,
Le Conte, California, Nevada, and Illilouette
Falls, and Glacier Point Hotel 12.00
Five-day trips: —
Mirror Lake, Tenaya Lake Lodge, Tuolumne
Meadows, Soda Springs, Tuolumne Soda Springs
Camp, Donohue Pass, Mount Lyell, Glen Aulin
Falls, Magee Lake, Eagle Peak, and Yosemite
Point 15.00
Six-day trips: —
Mirror Lake,
Le
Tuolumne Soda Springs
ows, Donohue Pass, Mount Lyell, Eagle Peak,
and Yosemite Point 18.00
448
If ogcmttc Rational $arft
Seven-day trips: —
Mirror Lake, Tenaya Lake Lodge, White Cascades,
Le Conte and California Falls, Tuolumne Mead-
ows, Soda Springs, Tuolumne Soda Springs
Camp, Donohue Pass, Mount Lyell, Nevada and
Illilouette Falls, and Glacier Point Hotel ...... $21.00
Eight-day trips: —
Mirror Lake, Tenaya Lake Lodge, White Cascades,
Le Conte and California Falls, Tuolumne Mead-
ows, Soda Springs, Tuolumne Soda Springs
Camp, Donohue Pass, Mount Lyell, Merced
Lake Lodge, Merced Soda Springs, and Wash-
burn Lake ................................. 24.00
Nine-day trips: —
Mirror Lake, Tenaya Lake Lodge, Cascades, Le
Conte and California Falls, Tuolumne Meadows,
Soda Springs, Tuolumne Soda Springs Camp,
Tuolumne Pass, Mount Lyell, Merced Lake
Lodge, Merced Soda Springs, Washburn Lake,
and Glacier Point Hotel ..................... 27.00
Automobile trips to points reached by road may be
made at the following rates: —
From Sentinel Hotel or any pf the permanent camps
To or from Happy Isles or Mirror Lake, one w
Round trip to Happy Isles or Mirror Lake ....... 1.25
To or from Happy Isles or Mirror Lake, one way. $ .75
Hap
To Bridal Veil Falls, one way ............. ..... i.oo
To Bridal Veil Falls, round trip ____ . ........... 1.75
To Happy Isles, Mirror Lake, the Village, Cathe-
dral Rocks, Bridal Veil Falls, El Capitan, round
trip ....................................... 3.25
To Happy Isles, Mirror Lake, the Village, Cathe-
dral Rocks, Bridal Veil Falls, El Capitan, Artist
and Inspiration Points, round trip ............ 4.50
To Artist and Inspiration Points, round trip ..... 3.00
From Yosemite Valley: —
To Wawona, one way ......................... 5.50
To Wawona, round trip ....................... 9.50
To Mariposa Big Tree Grove and return to Wa-
wona ..................................... 7.75
To Mariposa Big Tree Grove, round trip ........ 11.25
449
Ouitie to tljc Rational $arR3
To Mariposa Big Trees and return via Inspiration
Point and Wawona, including side trip Chin-
quapin to Glacier Point and return $16.25
To Glacier Point, one way 5.50
To Glacier Point, round trip 9.50
To Tuolumne Big Trees, one way 2.50
To Tuolumne Big Trees, round trip 4.25
To Tenaya Lake via Tuolumne Big Trees, one 8.75
way
To Tenaya Lake via Tuolumne Big Trees, round
trip 15.25
To Soda Springs via Tuolumne Big Trees, one way 10.00
To Soda Springs via Tuolumne Big Trees, round trip 1 7.50
From Glacier Point: —
To Mariposa Big Tree Grove and return to Valley
or Glacier Point 1 1.25
To Wawona, one way. 5.50
To Wawona, round trip 9-5O
The automobile rates from Yosemite Village to El
Portal, Fresno, and Merced are given in connection with
the account of the railroad connections.
Principal Points of Interest
Distances from Yosemite Post-Office to Principal
Points in Yosemite Valley
Miles
Basket Dome (top of) 9.0 Northeast
Camp Ahwahnee i.o West
Camp Curry I .o East
Camp Lost Arrow 5 North
Clouds' Rest I i.o East
El Capitan 3.5 West
Glacier Point 4.5 South
Glacier Point Hotel and Camp 4.5 South
Half Dome (foot of) 3.0 East
Happy Isles 2.5 East
Liberty Cap 5.5 East
Mirror Lake 3.0 East
Mount Watkins (top of) 9.0 East
Nevada Falls 6.0 East
North Dome (top of) 1 1 .o Northeast
Sentinel Rock i.o West
450
io0emite Rational path
Miles
Tenaya Canon 4.0 East
Union Point 3.0 South
Vernal Falls 5.0 East
Yosemite Falls 5 North
Mariposa Big Tree Grove
SIZES OF BIG TREES IN MARIPOSA GROVE
[All dimensions are in feet]
Trees
Girth
at
base
Approxi-
mate
diameter
at base
Girth
about
10 feet
above
ground
Approxi-
mate
diameter
about
10 feet
above
ground
Height
Grizzly Giant
93
29 6
64 5
20 5
204
Faithful Couple
04
29 9
63
20
244
Michigan
55-5
17.7
40
12.7
257
Fresno
63
20
38 5
12 2
273
Columbia
80 5
25 6
52
16 5
294
Old Guard (South Tree) . .
Lafayette
45
02.5
14-3
29 4
31
53
9-9
16.9
244
273
Nevada
48 5
15 4
35
ii i
278
63
20
41 S
13 2
267
General Grant
67
21.3
42
13.4
271
General Sheridan
76
24 2
51
16 2
263
Philadelphia
6° 5
19 6
50 5
16 i
27 r
St. Louis
73
23.2
51
16 2
26O
Lincoln
72
22 Q
54 5
17 3
258
Washington
92
29 3
65
2O 7
23 S
William McKinley
70
22.3
46.5
14.8
243
General Logan
76
24.2
49 5
15 7
259
Galen Clark
59 5
18 9
47
14 9
238
Pittsburgh
Me
I?
41
13
Vermont
47
14 9
38
12 . 1
257
Wawona (26 feet through
60 5
19 2
227
New York
52
16.5
45-5
14.5
237
Forest Queen
S3 S
53.5
17
38
12 I
2IO
Boston
18 4
47
14 9
248
Chicago
18 I
40 5
12 9
223
Whittier
67
19.7
47
14.9
268
Longfellow.
51 5
16 4
43
13 7
273
Captain A. E. Wood
Mark Twain
52
53
16.5
16.9
40
41
12.7
13
310
331
Mississippi
54 5
17.3
37.5
II 9
269
Stonewall Jackson
53
16 9
38 5
12 2
26*
Georgia
48
15 3
35
II I
270
South Carolina
74
23.5
54-5
I? .3
264
451
<aui&c to tfjc Rational parks
Principal Points reached from the Camps
All the places listed below may be reached on horse-
back and return made to camp in one day: —
From Merced Lake Lodge: —
Merced Soda Springs.
Washburn Lake.
From Tenaya Lake Lodge: —
White Cascades.
Le Conte Falls.
California Falls.
From Tuolumne Soda Spring Lodge: —
Donohue Pass.
Mount Lyell.
Tuolumne Meadows.
Tuolumne Pass.
Height of Summits in Yosemite Valley
Height above
Name pier near
Sentinel Hotel »
(feet)
Artist Point 739
Basket Dome 3,642
Cathedral Rocks 2,591
Cathedral Spires 2,154
Clouds' Rest 5,964
Columbia Rock 1,071
Eagle Peak 3,813
El Capitan 3,604
Glacier Point 3,254
Half Dome 4,892
Leaning Tower 1,903
Liberty Cap 3,H2
North Dome 3,57*
Old Inspiration Point 2,643
Panorama Point 2,264
Profile Cliff 3,543
Pulpit Rock 765
1 This pier is 3962 feet above sea-level.
452
If ogemite Rational $arfe
Height above
Name pier near
Sentinel Hotel*
(feet)
Sentinel Dome 4,157
Stanford Point 2,699
Washington- Column . 1,952
Yosemite Point 2,975
Height of Waterfalls in Yosemite Valley
Feet
Yosemite Falls M3O
Lower Yosemite Falls 320
Nevada Falls 594
Vernal Falls 317
Illilouette Falls 370
Bridal Veil Falls 620
Ribbon Falls 1,612
Widow's Tears Falls 1,170
Clothing and Equipment
As the best trips are made afoot or on horseback the
tourist should carry only such extra clothing as may be
transported in a haversack or rucksack. If additional
material is carried it is necessary to hire a pack-horse at
additional expense. The best outfit for men consists of
woolen riding-breeches, flannel shirt, stout shoes, sneak-
ers, woolen army socks, light weight woolen underwear,
a felt hat, a sweater, and a pair of smoked glasses. As it
seldom rains in the summer it is not necessary to carry a
poncho. If many trips are made in automobiles a linen
duster is advisable. Women should wear riding-breeches,
woolen middy blouse, and woolen stockings, with puttees
or leggings, a man's felt hat, and other clothing as de-
scribed for men.
Camping outfits may be obtained from the store of the
Desmond Park Service Company at Yosemite Village,
and provisions may be obtained at the Tenaya Lake,
Tuolumne Soda Springs, and Merced Lake Lodges. Tour-
ists desiring to rent camp equipment should make the
1 This pier is 3962 feet above sea-level.
453
to tljc Rational parft#
necessary arrangements before their arrival in the Park.
Prices for regular outfits are as follows: —
Price List for Camping Outfits
Persons in party
One -week
Two weeks
Three weeks
One month
One
l5.oo
16.50
$7.50
J8.oo-
Two
7.50
o.oo
Q SO
10 oo
Three
o oo
10 50
II SO
12 OO
Four
I I.OO
12. OO
13 oo
14.00
Five
13 oo
14 OO
15 oo
16 oo
Six
15.00
16.00
I7.OO
18.00
Fishing
There is good fishing in almost all the streams for
Eastern brook, rainbow, cutthroat, and Loch Leven
trout. The flies most commonly used are the black gnat,
royal coachman, alder, king of the waters, and gray
hackle; but other standard flies are used. Flies and tackle
may be obtained at the general store at Yosemite Village.
All fishing must be done in conformity to the laws of Cali-
fornia, both as regards open season and limit of catch, and
size of fish. Every man fisherman over 18 years of age
must have a fishing license, which may be obtained from
any County Clerk or from the offices of the State Board
of Fish and Game Commissioners at San Francisco,
Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Fresno. The license fee is
$i for citizens of the United States who are bona-fide resi-
dents of California, and $3.00 for citizens of the United
States who are not bona-fide residents of California and
for persons not citizens of the United States.
Sequoia National Park
Location: Eastern California. Area: 252 square miles.
Season: June 15 to September 15. Address of Supervisor:
Three Rivers, California.
Railroad Connections
SEQUOIA PARK is best reached from Visalia on the
Southern Pacific and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Rail-
roads; thence by Visalia Electric Railway to Lemon
Cove, and thence by automobile stage of the Sequoia Na-
tional Park Transportation Company to Camp Sierra in
the Giant Forest. The distance from Lemon Cove to the
Giant Forest is 40 miles. Heretofore the stages have left
Lemon Cove on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; and
have made the return trip from the Giant Forest on Tues-
days, Thursdays, and Saturdays. It is probable that
daily service will soon be established. The round trip
fare from Visalia to Camp Sierra is $13.30; from San
Francisco to Camp Sierra, $24.00.
Automobile Routes
Sequoia Park may be reached from San Francisco by
way of San Jose, Gilroy, Los Bafios, Fresno, Goshen
Junction and Visalia; distance 291 miles. From Los
Angeles the route is by way of Bakersfield, Tulare, and
Visalia; distance 307 miles. From Yosemite Park the
shortest route is by way of Wawona, Fresno, and
Visalia; distance 191 miles.
Motorists are required to pay $2.00 for a single round
trip through the Park, or $3.00 for each machine for a sea-
son permit. Eastbound automobiles may use the road to
Giant Forest between 7 A.M. and 5.30 P.M. ; no automobile
455
to tljc Rational $arft£
will be allowed to leave the Giant Forest for the western
boundary later than 6 P.M. The speed limit is from 8 to 15
miles per hour.
Camp
A camp is operated at Giant Forest Post-Office by
Walter E. Kenney, at the following rates: —
Board and lodging: —
I person, per day ............................ $3.25
I person, per week ........................... 18.00
1 person, 4 weeks ............................ 68.00
2 persons, per day, each ....................... 3.00
2 persons, per week, each ...................... 16.50
2 persons, 4 weeks, each ....................... 60.00
Meals without lodging: —
Breakfast and lunch, each ...................... 75
Dinner .......... ............................ l.oo
One night's lodging ............................. l.oo
Baths .......................................... 35
Trips
No regular tours are scheduled for this Park, but the
following rates are in effect for short trips: —
Carriage trips only from Giant Forest: —
Parker Group, Moro Rock, and return: —
i person .................................... $1.00
4 or more, each .............................. 75
Admiration Point and return: —
i person .................................... 3.00
4 or more, each ............................. 1.50
General Sherman Tree, and return : —
i person .................................... l.oo
4 or more, each .............................. 50
General Sherman Tree and Wolverton Creek —
I person .................................... 2.00
4 or more, each ..... ......................... 75
Five-seated carriage, with 2 horses,
I full day .................................. 5.00
All carriage trips include services of driver.
456
Sequoia Rational park
Rates for short horseback trips are as follows: —
To Sherman Tree and return $2.00
To Sherman Tree, Wolverton, and return by Circle
Meadow 3.00
To Moro Rock and return 2.00
To Moro Rock and return by Crescent Log and
Huckleberry Meadows 2.50
To Alta and return 3.00
To Twin Lakes and return 3.50
To Admiration Point and return 3.00
To Moro Rock, Crescent Log, Huckleberry Mead-
ows, Wolverton, and Sherman Tree 3.50
Chester Wright, Giant Forest, California, will furnish
pack- and saddle-animals at $1.50 per day each, but in all
cases guide must accompany animal, at $3.00 per day, the
guide taking charge of packing and relieving tourists of
responsibility for animals. All animals will be equipped
with riding- or pack-saddles.
Parties wishing to make long trips will be furnished
with special rates.
The dimensions of some of the principal trees are as
follows: —
GIANT FOREST GROVE
General Sherman, height 279.9 feet; diameter, 36.5
feet.
Abraham Lincoln, height 270 feet; diameter, 31 feet.
William McKinley, height 291 feet; diameter, 28 feet.
MUIR GROVE
Dalton, height, 292 feet; diameter, 27 feet.
GARFIELD GROVE
California, height, 260 feet; diameter, 30 feet.
Clothing and Equipment
If the tourist makes only a short trip to the Giant
Forest, no extra clothing will be necessary except a light
457
<£uiDc to ti)c Rational parity
overcoat and a sweater. If an extended stay is made and
excursions are made to the other groves or the High
Sierra, the following equipment is recommended: For
men, woolen riding-breeches, woolen underwear, woolen
army socks, flannel shirt, stout shoes, a felt hat, leggings
or puttees, sweater, and coat. As there is little rain in the
summer it is not necessary to take a poncho. Women
should wear riding-breeches, flannel middy blouse, woolen
stockings, a small felt hat, and other clothing as recom-
mended for men.
Fishing
There is good fishing in Sequoia Park for rainbow,
golden, cutthroat, Eastern brook, and Loch Leven trout.
The royal coachman is the fly generally used, but often
the brown and gray hackle with peacock body meets with
success. Flies and other tackle may be purchased at the
Giant Forest.
In this Park all fishing must be in conformity with the
laws of California as regards season, size of fish, and limit
of catch. Every fisherman must have a sporting fishing
license, which may be obtained from any County Clerk
or from the offices of the State Board of Fish and Game
Commissioners at San Francisco, Sacramento, Los
Angeles, and Fresno. The license fee is $1.00 for citizens
of the United States who are bona-fide residents of Cali-
fornia, and $3.00 for citizens of the United States who
are not bona-fide residents of California and for persons
not citizens of the United States. Persons under 18 years
of age do not require a license.
General Grant National Park
Location: Eastern California. Area: 4 square miles.
Season: June 15 to September 15. Address of Supervisor:
Three Rivers, California.
GENERAL GRANT PARK is best reached from Sanger on
the Southern Pacific Railway; thence by stage 46 miles
to the Park. There is daily stage service to the park;
round-trip fare, $8.00.
Tourists traveling in their own automobiles will follow
the routes to Sequoia Park given on page 455 as far as
Visalia. The Park is 45 miles from Visalia. Permit to take
an automobile into the Park costs 50 cents for a round
trip or $2.50 for the season. Speed limits range from 8
to 15 miles per hour.
Rates for saddle- and pack-horses are $1.50 per day;
for guides, $3.50 per day.
There is a camp in the Park operated by Mrs. Mattie
Decker (address, General Grant National Park, Cali-
fornia), with rates as follows: —
Board and lodging:
Per day $2.50
Per week 16.00
Per month 60.00
Lodging, i night i.oo
Single meal 75
At this camp there are also telephone station, general
store, feed-yard, photograph gallery, and post-office.
The principal attraction of this Park is the grove of big
trees.
Fishing is not very attractive.
Clothing and equipment should be similar to that used
in Sequoia National Park.
459
Mount Rainier National Park
Location: West-Central Washington. Area: 324
square miles. Season: June 15 to September 15. Address
of Supervisor: Ashford, Washington.
MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK includes a single
great mountain and its approaches, but the Reservation
offers unlimited variety and enjoyment for every class of
tourist. An automobile road extends to the very edge of
the glaciers; trails lead through the fragrant woods and
wild-flower meadows; rocky outliers of the great moun-
tain afford endless opportunities for climbing; and the
great snow-covered peak flings his defiance to those that
are strong of wind and limb. As the glaciers are only
four hours' ride by automobile from Tacoma a glimpse of
these rivers of ice may be obtained in a two-day trip, but
many days might well be spent in seeing the beauties of
nature that are grouped in an area that is relatively small.
Railroad Connections
The southern portion of the Park — the only part
developed at present — is reached from Ashford, 6f miles
from the Park, on the Tacoma Eastern Railroad, a
branch line of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. The
round-trip fare from Tacoma to Ashford is $4.00. From
Ashford automobile stages of the Rainier National Park
Company run to the principal points on the south side —
Longmire Springs, 6j miles from the Park entrance; the
camp at Nisqually Glacier; and the new hotel and camp
at Paradise Valley, in the very shadow of the mountain.
This company also operates public automobiles from
Seattle and Tacoma.
460
fiainicr Rational
Automobile transportation rates
Seattle to Longmire Springs and return $9.50
Seattle to Paradise Valley and return 12.50
Tacoma to Longmire Springs and return 7.00
Tacoma to Paradise Valley and return 10.00
Ashford to Longmire Springs and return 2.00
Ashford to Paradise Valley and return 5.00
The northern portion of the Park is reached from Fair-
fax and Enumclaw, on the Northern Pacific Railway. The
round-trip fare from Tacoma is $2.50 to Fairfax, and $2.00
to Enumclaw. There are no transportation lines that
operate on this side of the Park and arrangements must
be made for pack-horses and camp outfits.
Automobile Routes
There is a good automobile road from Tacoma and
Seattle to Ashford, and thence through the National
Forest to Longmire Springs, Nisqually Glacier, and Para-
dise Valley. For 28 miles from Tacoma the road runs at
the base of huge timbered bluffs, traverses the Ohop Val-
ley, and reaches the Park by way of the Nisqually
Canon. The distance from Tacoma to Longmire Springs
is 57 miles; from Seattle, 96 miles.
Automobilists are required to obtain a permit from the
Park Supervisor at Ashford. The fee for an automobile is
$4.00 for a single round trip through the Park or $6.00
for a season permit. The fee for a motor-cycle is $1.00 for
the season. The regulations provide that automobiles
and motor-cycles may use the road from the boundary of
the Park to Longmire Springs only between 6 A.M. and
9 P.M. ; but no car or motor-cycle is allowed to enter
the Park or leave Longmire Springs in the direction of the
western boundary later than 8.30 P.M. Automobiles and
motor-cycles may use the road from Longmire Springs
to Paradise Valley only between 6 A.M. and 9.30 P.M. ;
but no machine is allowed to leave Longmire Springs in
the direction of Paradise Valley later than 7.30 P.M. or
. 461
fte to tljc Rational §Darhs
depart from Paradise Valley in the direction of Longmire
Springs before 6 A.M. or later than 7.30 P.M. The speed
limit ranges from 8 to 15 miles per hour.
Regular automobile service between the Park and
Seattle and Tacoma is rendered at the rates given on
page 461.
Hotels and Camps
At Longmire Springs, 6j miles from the entrance to the
Park, are the National Park Inn and Camp and the Long-
mire Springs Hotel. The rates at the National Park Inn
are $4.00 and $4.50 per day in the hotel, and $3.75 and
$4.00 in the camp. The rates at Longmire Springs Hotel
are $2.50 per day.
The Rainier National Park Company has a new modern
hotel (Paradise Inn) in Paradise Park, within easy access
of the glaciers. The same company also operates a lunch
pavilion at Paradise Park and camps at Paradise Park,
Indian Henry's Hunting Ground, and Nisqually Glacier.
Paradise Inn is operated on both the American and
European plan at the following rates: —
American plan: —
Meals at Inn and bed in tents $3.50
Meals and room at Inn $3«75 to 6.25
European plan: —
Tents $.75 to $i-.oo
Rooms i.oo to 3.50
Meals d la carte.
A discount of 20 per cent is allowed persons remaining
one week or more.
There is also a camp at Paradise Park at which tents
may be obtained for 50 cents per day. These tents are all
floored and contain a double bed, spring, mattress, wash-
stand, bowl, pitcher, and chair. Blankets and sheets, pil-
lows, pillow-cases, and towels may be rented, or the tour-
ist may bring his own equipment. Meals may be obtained
at an a la carte lunch pavilion or they may be prepared at
462
d^ount ftainicr Rational $arh
outdoor cook furnace at the camp. Staple supplies may
be purchased.
Rates at camp at Indian Henry's Hunting Ground are:
bed, $.75; meals, $.75; board per week, $15.
Rates at camp at Nisqually Glacier are $.75 and $1.00
per day; meals d la carte.
Free public camping grounds are provided at Hausen's
Camp, Kautz Creek, Longmire Springs, Van Trump
Park, and Paradise Valley. Firewood and running water
are available at all these places, but the camper must
bring his own equipment.
Trips
The only road in this Park is the one extending from
the entrance past Longmire Springs and Nisqually
Glacier to Paradise Park. All other trips are made on
horseback or on foot over the network of excellent trails
that have been cut through the forest. There are no
regular tours scheduled as in some of the other Parks,
but special arrangements have to be made for guides and
horses at the established rates.
Transportation service within the Park is rendered by
the Rainier National Park Company, which operates
automobiles on the road along the south side of the moun-
tain and has horses for hire at the hotels at Longmire
Springs and Paradise Valley and the camp at Indian
Henry's Hunting Ground.
Transportation rates
Automobile, Longmire Springs to Nisqually Glacier
and return $i .00
Automobile, Longmire Springs to Paradise Valley
and return 3.00
Horses, per day 3.50
The same company also furnishes guides free of charge
for parties of five or more; if there are less than five per-
sons in the party the charge for guide is $3.50 per day.
• 463
4Bui&c to tl)t Rational £>arft0
The places listed below by no means exhaust the at-
tractive spots of this reservation, but are given for the
benefit of the person whose time is limited. There is a good
trail encircling the mountain and the circuit may be made
in about a week. Pack-animals and guides may be ob-
tained from the Rainier National Park Company. Camp-
ing outfits should be secured in Seattle or Tacoma.
On the southern side of the Park Paradise Park, Indian
Henry's Hunting Ground, and Van Trump Park are the
most easily reached and consequently the most frequented
places. As the trails to these places are well defined,
guides will not be needed.
Indian Henry's Hunting Ground, 6^ miles from Long-
mire Springs, is reached by trail only. This trip may be
made afoot, or ponies may be secured at Longmire Springs
where the most frequently used of the three trails leading
to this resort begins. A tent camp is located in Indian
Henry's Hunting Ground.
To reach Van Trump Park the same Indian Henry's
Hunting Ground trail is taken, branching off to the right
after about I mile of travel. This Park is also reached by
a trail starting from the Government road at Christine
Falls, about 4 miles above Longmire Springs, and fol-
lowing up Van Trump Creek. This is one of the most
picturesque trails in the Park. From it can be seen beau-
tiful glimpses of a deep canon and a succession of cascades
or falls.
Ramparts Ridge, I J miles north of Longmire Springs,
from which a fine view is obtained, is a very popular trip.
The climb of about 1000 feet can be made in about one
hour.
Eagle Peak (elevation 5955 feet), 3^ miles east from
Longmire Springs, is also a popular trip. A good foot
trail leads directly to the summit, which commands a
magnificent view of the south side of Mount Rainier and
the surrounding country. Parties making this trip usually
take lunch along, and spend several hours at the summit.
464
ftainicr Rational park
The Ohanapecosh Valley, with its beautiful Silver
Spring Falls, is reached by trail only from Longmire
Springs. This is a trip filled with interest, but should be
taken only by good riders or pedestrians who are accus-
tomed to long, hard walks.
The glaciers may be reached from the hotel in Paradise
Park and the camp at Nisqually Glacier. The glaciers
should not be crossed without a guide or unless shoes are
properly calked. The charge for guide to snow-fields and
glaciers is $1.50 per person. This charge includes cloth-
ing and equipment. The minimum charge for guide serv-
ice is $8.00.
There are no hotels or camps in the northern portion of
the Park, and persons visiting this region must have com-
plete camping outfits and a supply of provisions. Pack-
horses may be secured by engaging them in advance from
H. A. Loss, Carbonado, Washington, or from Curtis
White, Enumclaw, Washington. The entire northern
side is a wonderful region of mountains and valleys that
has been visited by only a few tourists.
A trip to Pinnacle Peak and return may be made from
Paradise Park in from 6 to 8 hours. The charge for a guide
is $4.00 per person with a minimum charge of $12.00.
Clothing and equipment are furnished without extra
cost.
Climbing the Mountain1
The ascent of the mountain should be attempted only
by those who have the necessary endurance and who are
able to climb in the rare air of such an altitude. Unless the
tourist is hardened from recent outdoor life, he should
train himself on the peaks of the Tatoosh Range, just to
the south, or on the other summits that are bare of ice.
Above all, no person should ever attempt the ascent unless
accompanied by an experienced guide. There is no record
1 The paragraphs quoted are from an article by Mr. Francois E.
Matthes, of the United States Geological Survey.
465
ite to tljc Rational |parft$
of any person having perished when accompanied by a
guide, but the mountain has taken its deadly toll from
those who dared to make the trip alone.
" The guide is there not merely to show the way, but to
tell the tourist how to climb, how fast to go, when to rest
and to take nourishment, and to take care of him in case
he is overcome with exhaustion or is taken with moun-
tain sickness.
"Finally, account must be taken of the exceeding
fickleness of the weather conditions on the mountain.
Only guides familiar with Rainier's many moods can
presume to foretell whether the day will turn out favorable
for a climb or not. What may look to the uninitiated like
harmless, fleecy vapors on the summit may be the fore-
runners of a sudden snowstorm which no one could hope
to live through. A majority of those who have perished
on the mountain have been overcome by blizzard-like
storms. Such storms may occur even in midsummer, and
on the summit are always attended by fierce gales against
which it is impossible to hold one's footing."
The ascent is generally made from Paradise Park over
the rocky ridge known as Gibraltar. Paradise Park lies
near timber-line at an altitude of 5500 feet; as the altitude
of the summit is 14,408 feet, the total climb is a little
over 8900 feet in a distance of about 7 miles. The start is
generally made about I o'clock in the morning in order
that the return may be made before dark; it is also ad-
visable to climb beyond the snow-fields before the surface
becomes softened by the sun. By sunrise one may expect
to reach the base of the Cowlitz Cleaver at an altitude of
10,000 feet.
"The ascent of the Cowlitz Cleaver is quite taxing,
being mostly over rough, angular lava blocks. By 8
o'clock, as a rule, the base of Gibraltar Rock is reached.
A narrow ledge is followed along the face of the cliff, part
of the way overhung by rock masses and huge icicles, and
this ledge leads to the base of a narrow chute between
466
flainicr Rational tparb
the ice of the upper Nisqually Glacier and the body of
Gibraltar. This chute offers the most serious difficulties
in the ascent. Ropes are usually suspended from the cliffs,
whereby one may assist himself upward. It is wise to
move one at a time, as there is ever danger of the persons
above starting rock debris and ice fragments that may
injure those below. The ascent and descent of the chute
are therefore inevitably time-consuming. Ordinarily the
saddle above Gibraltar (12,679 feet) is not reached until
10 o'clock.
" From Gibraltar on there remains only a long snow-
slope to climb, but this snow-slope is often exceedingly
fatiguing. Huge, gaping crevasses develop in it which
must be skillfully avoided by detours. Freshly fallen snow
may be so deep that one plunges into it to the waist, or
else the snow may have melted out into tapering spines
and so-called honeycombs many feet high, among which
one cannot travel without considerable exertion.
" The rim of the south crater is usually reached about
1 1 o'clock. It is always bare of snow, and shelter from the
high gales many be found behind the great rock blocks
on the crest. Metal cases are left here in which the tourist
may inscribe the record of his ascent.
"The crater is always filled with snow and may be
traversed without risk; only one should be careful near
the edges, as the snow there is melted out in caverns by
the steam jets which rise from beneath it in many places.
Those having the strength may go on to Columbia Crest,
the snow dome that constitutes the highest summit of
the mountain. The return to the camp is easily made in
from five to six hours."
The climber should wear woolen underwear, flannel
shirt, riding-breeches, leggings or puttees, woolen army
socks, stout shoes well calked, a felt hat, sweater, and
short warm coat. Women should by all means wear rid-
ing-breeches, as skirts or bloomers offer too great resist-
ance to the wind. Women will generally find woolen Boy
467
ifce to tlyt Rational parft£
Scout stockings best adapted for a trip of this kind ; leg-
gings or puttees may be worn over them as desired.
Both women and men should tie their hats firmly under
the chin, in order that the tramper may not be hampered
by the necessity of holding the hat if the wind is strong.
Other things needed, which may be procured at the camp
in Paradise Park, are: alpenstocks, amber glasses, calks,
hobnails, and actor's paint to protect the face from sun-
burn.
41 Before starting on the ascent, do not eat such articles
as fried eggs, fried potatoes, hot cakes, or heavy pastry.
Abstain from coffee and tobacco, if possible. Spirituous
liquor of any kind is taboo, except as a stimulant in case
of collapse. Beef tea, lean meat, all dry breakfast foods,
cocoa, sweet chocolate, crackers, hardtack, dry bread,
rice, raisins, prunes, dates, and tomatoes are in order. The
simpler the diet, on the whole, the more beneficial it is
likely to be. Never eat much at a sitting during the as-
cent, but eat often and little at a time. These are rules
well known to mountaineers. The more faithfully one
complies with them the higher one's efficiency will be and
the keener the enjoyment of the trip."
Guides to the summit of Mount Rainier will be sup-
plied at the rate of $10.00 per person in parties of not less
than 5 persons, or minimum charge of $50 for each as-
cent. An assistant guide will accompany the party when
it consists of more than 8 tourists. There is an additional
charge of $2.50 per person for furnishing complete suits
of clothing, shoes, glasses, alpenstocks, and other neces-
sary equipment.
Clothing and Equipment
Rough and warm clothing should be carried by all
persons who expect to do much tramping. Suggestions
are given elsewhere regarding clothing to be worn on a
climb to the summit. The equipment here described is
for the climber who travels the trails and climbs the rock
468
amount Rainier Rational $arft
ridges. The best equipment for men consists of medium-
weight woolen underwear, flannel shirt, woolen riding-
breeches, leggings or puttees, woolen army socks, sweater,
poncho, and heavy shoes; if rock-climbing is to be done,
the shoes should be well supplied with hobnails. Women
should wear light-weight woolen underwear, flannel middy
blouse, sweater, small felt hat, woolen riding-breeches,
poncho, woolen stockings, puttees or leggings, sneakers,
and stout shoes with hobnails if rock-climbing is to be
done. Many women object to the poncho because of the
difficulty of getting it over the head ; a good substitute is
a Boy Scout cape. Felt hats should be worn by men and
women in preference to cap, as the hat offers better pro-
tection from the rain. A man's felt hat makes the best
headgear for a woman.
Camping outfits must be obtained in Seattle or Ta-
coma . Provisions may be purchased at Ashf ord, Longmire
Springs, Fairfax, Carbonado, and Enumclaw.
Fishing
Cutthroat trout are the only fish caught in this Park.
The fish are not large, but are fairly plentiful. Salmon
eggs or angle worms are used exclusively for bait. In
summer the fishing is not good in the streams that flow
from glaciers, as they are generally muddy at this period.
A fishing license is not required.
Crater Lake National Park
Location: Southwestern Oregon. Area: 249 square
miles. Season: July I to September 30. Address of Super-
visor: Crater Lake, Oregon, during season, and Medford,
Oregon, during the remainder of the year.
Railroad Connections
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK may be reached from
Medford, Oregon, on the main line of the Southern Pacific
Railroad between Portland and San Francisco, or from
Kirk, Oregon, on a branch line of the Southern Pacific
that leaves the main line at Weed, California. Crater
Lake is 80 miles from Medford and 30 miles from Kirk.
During the season passengers holding through tickets
over the Southern Pacific Railroad between Portland and
San Francisco may stop over at Medford and resume
journey at this point; southbound passengers may stop
over at Medford, cross the Park, and resume journey at
Kirk; northbound passengers may take branch line from
Weed to Kirk, cross the Park, and resume journey at
Medford. Passengers desiring to make the circuit trip
should notify the conductor and see that their tickets are
properly endorsed.
From Kirk and Medford a tri-weekly automobile serv-
ice to the Park is given by the Crater Lake Company.
Passengers stopping off on through tickets must pay for
their transportation to Crater Lake in accordance with
the following tariff: —
Medford to Crater Lake and return $16.50
One way (either direction) 9.00
Kirk to Crater Lake and return 6.00
One way (either direction) 3-5O
Medford to Crater Lake, thence to Kirk, or vice
versa 1 1.25
470
Crater Haftc IJaticmai $arft
Automobiles leave the Hotels Medford and Nash,
Medford, at 9 A.M. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday;
stop for lunch at Prospect, and reach Crater Lake in
time for 6 o'clock dinner. Returning, leave Crater Lake
at 9 A.M. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, reaching
Medford in time to connect with the outgoing evening
trains.
Automobiles leave Crater Lake for Kirk at 10 A.M.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, connecting with the
local Southern Pacific train from Klamath Falls. Re-
turning, leave Kirk at I P.M. the same day, and reach
Crater Lake in about 2 hours.
The round-trip fare between San Francisco and Crater
Lake via Kirk is $33.50, including both rail and automo-
bile stage transportation.
Automobile Routes
Motorists southbound from Portland will traverse the
Pacific Highway through Oregon City, Salem, Albany,
Eugene, Roseburg, and Grant's Pass to Medford, a dis-
tance of 312 miles. From Medford the distance to Crater
Lake is 80 miles. Instead of returning to Medford, the
tourist may reach the Pacific Highway by way of Klamath
Falls, a distance of 116 miles. From this point the Pa-
cific Highway is again followed to San Francisco, passing
through Hornbrook, Yreka, Montague, Dunsmuir, Delta,
Redding, Chico, Gridley, Marysville, Sacramento, and
Stockton; distance 485 miles.
All motorists entering the Park must pay $2.00 for a
round-trip permit for each automobile, or $3.00 for a sea-
son permit; motor-cyclists must pay $1.00 per machine
for a season permit. The speed limits range from 10 to 20
miles an hour.
Trips
There are no regular tours in this Park; the favorite
trips being tramps along the rim and to the water's edge
471
43wDc to tljc Rational $arli0
or launch and row-boat excursions on the lake. There
are a number of other points that are well worth visiting,
the most important of which are listed below: —
Distance from Anna Spring Camp (elevation 6,016
feet) to principal points in Park
Name
Distance
and
direction
from A nna
Spring
Camp
(miles)
Elevation
above
sea-level
(feet)
Best means of
reaching
Remarks
Crater Lake. .
Wizard Island
Phantom Ship
Pinnacles .
SN.E
7 N.E
SN.E
ISE
6177
6940
6339
Auto or wagon
Auto and boat
Auto and boat
Auto or wagon
Beautiful scenery;
good fishing
Extinct volcano;
crater in summit
Columns of rock
162 feet high, re-
sembling ship
Anna Creek
Canon
Anna Creek
Falls
o to 8 S.E
6S.E
SOOOtO
6116
5480
Auto or wagon
Auto or wagon
fine scenery;
good camping
500 feet wide, 500
feet deep; creek
in bottom; good
scenery
Waterfall, 60 feet;
good scenery
Garden of the
Gods
iVz S.E
6000
Auto or wagon
Waterfall, mead-
ows; creek in
Union Peak...
Victor Rock..
Watchman
Peak
ss.w
SN
9N
7698
7200
8025
Horseback
Auto or wagon
Wagon or
bottom; good
scneery
Fine peak; good
scenery
One of the best
view-points of
lake
Fine scenery
Glacier Peak..
GarfieldPeak.
Scott Peak . . .
Dewey Falls. .
10 N
6N.E
12 N.E
i%E
8156
8060
8938
6000
horseback
Wagon or
horseback
Auto and on
foot
Horseback
Auto road
Fine scenery
Fine scenery
Highest peak in
Park
Beautiful falls
and magnificent
canon of solid
rock
472
Crater Hafee Rational $arfe
The rates for the transportation that is available are
given below: —
Automobile fare between Anna Spring Camp and
Crater Lake Lodge: —
One way $.50
Round trip i.oo
Automobile transportation, 10 cents per mile within
the Park.
Saddle-horses, pack-animals, and burros, per hour . . .50
Saddle-horses, pack-animals, and burros, per day. . 5.00
Launch trip, Wizard Island and return, per person . . i.oo
Launch trip around Wizard Island and Phantom
Ship and return (about 15 miles), per person. . . . 2.50
Launch trip around the lake 3.50
Rowboats, per hour *. .. .50
Rowboats, per day 2.50
Rowboat, with boat-puller, per hour i.oo
Rowboat, with detachable motor, per hour i.oo
Rowboat, with detachable motor, per day 5.00
Hotel and Camp
A hotel (Crater Lake Lodge) on the rim of the lake and
a camp (Anna Spring) five miles below the rim are
operated by the Crater Lake Company.
Hotel and Camp Charges
Crater Lake Lodge : —
Board and lodging, each person, per
day (lodging in tents) $3.00
Board and lodging, each person, per
week (lodging in tents) I7*5O
Board and lodging, each person, per
day (hotel) $3.50 and 4.00
Board and lodging, each person, per
week (hotel) 20.00 and 22.50
Baths (extra) .50
Fires in rooms (extra) .25
Single meals I.oo
Anna Spring Tent Camp : —
Board and lodging, each person, per
day 2.50
473
<Gui&c to tljc Rational £arft£
Board and lodging, each person, per
week $15.00
Meals: Breakfast or lunch, 50 cents;
dinner, 75 cents.
Fires in tents (extra) .25
Children under 12 years, half rates at
lodge or camp.
Clothing and Equipment
If the tourist is going to spend all his time on the rim of
the lake, ordinary outing clothing with light-weight
woolen underwear will be sufficient. If much climbing and
tramping is to be done, heavy shoes with hobnails should
be worn. Women should wear short skirts, bloomers, or
riding-breeches.
If the tourist expects to camp in the Park, he should
obtain pack-horses, guides, and equipment at Medford.
Provisions and general supplies of all kinds may be ob-
tained at the general store at Anna Spring Camp and the
branch store at Crater Lake Lodge.
Fishing
Originally the lake contained no fish, but it has been
stocked with rainbow trout and is now one of the best
fishing places on the West Coast. The best fishing is by
fly-casting from the shore. Flies used are the Jock Scott,
black gnat, yellow-bodied cow dung, professor, queen of
waters, royal coachman, brown hackle, and gray hackle.
No fishing license is required in this Park. All fish less
than 8 inches in length must be returned to water.
Glacier National Park
Location: Northwestern Montana. Area: 1534 square
miles. Season: June 15 to October i. Address of Super-
visor: Belton, Montana.
Railroad Connections
GLACIER PARK is the only National Park that is on the
main line of a transcontinental railroad — the Great
Northern. Areas east of the Continental Divide are
reached from Glacier Park Station, while the portion of
the Park west of the Divide is accessible from Belton.
Stopovers are allowed at Glacier Park Station and at
Belton during the season on all tickets reading through
these points. Stopovers are also permitted on through
sleeping-car tickets. Round-trip excursion rates in effect
during the season are as follows: Chicago, $48.00; St.
Louis, $45.00; Kansas City, $37.50; Denver, $35.00;
Seattle, $26.95 ; San Francisco, $60.90. Tourists' tickets
from Denver and points east of that city may be purchased
to include Yellowstone Park for $10.00 in addition to the
fares quoted above. All tickets from eastern points may
be made to read via Denver in one direction without
extra charge.
Tourists holding transcontinental tickets reading via
Northern Pacific Railway should obtain stopover at
Helena or Butte and purchase excursion tickets to Glacier
National Park via Great Northern Railway. Fare,
Helena to Glacier Park and return, $13.15; Butte to
Glacier Park and return, $13.35.
Tourists holding transcontinental tickets reading via
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway should obtain
stopover at Butte and purchase excursion ticket to Glacier
National Park via Great Northern Railway.
475
4Bui&e to tljc Rational $arft£
Automobile Routes
Tourists traveling on the Yellowstone Highway may
reach Bel ton, the western entrance to Glacier Park, from
Missoula, Montana. The total distance is 167 miles.
From Yellowstone Park the following routes may be
taken to Glacier Park : From Gardiner (northern entrance)
through Livingston, Butte, and Missoula; total distance
509 miles. From Yellowstone, Montana (western en-
trance), through Butte and Missoula (482 miles), or
through Bozeman, Butte, and Missoula (519 miles).
Hotels and Camps
In Glacier Park are camp and hotel accommodations
that range from the teepee to the modern steam-heated
hostelry. Two hotels — the Glacier Park and the Many
Glacier — are operated by the Glacier Park Hotel Com-
pany, whose address is Glacier Park, Montana. The
Glacier Park Hotel is located at Glacier Park Station,
while the Many Glacier Hotel is on the shore of Lake
McDermott, 55 miles to the north by automobile road.
Both these hotels have been constructed within recent
years and are modern in every respect. The rates range
from $4.00 and $4.50 per day, without bath to $5.00 and
$7.00 per day, with bath. On the shore of Lake Mc-
Donald is the new Glacier Hotel, owned by J. E. Lewis,
Lake McDonald, Montana; connected with it are 20 log
cabins which furnish comfortable accommodations. Rates
range from $3.00 to $5.00 per day. Other places on Lake
McDonald are The Park Hotel, address, Belton, Montana;
rates $2.00 to $3.00 per day ; and the National Park Cabin
resort, address Belton, Montana; rates $2.00 to $3.00
per day. The hotels on Lake McDonald are reached by
stage from Belton to the lake, thence by launch. The Na-
tional Park Cabin resort is at the foot of the lake and the
launch trip is not necessary. Chalets are maintained by
the Glacier Park Hotel Company at or near Two Medicine
476
Lli° 10' DOMINION OF CANADA
.•V. KintfaPk
10)00
;:;.• / ..•••
•-::.'."•••" ,-: ;qiaeier
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TRAVEL-GUIDE MAP
OF THE
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
MONTANA
After Topographic Map of Glacier National
Park by the U.S. Geological Survey
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE —
LEWIS OVERTH RUST FAULT
.3 '50'
113°40' BOUNDARY 113 30
By permission of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Glacier Rational |par&
Lake, Cut Bank River, the lower end of St. Mary Lake
(St. Mary Chalets), the narrows of St. Mary Lake (Going-
to-the-Sun-Chalets), Lake McDermott (Many Glacier
Chalets), Granite Park, Sperry Glacier, and Bel ton Sta-
tion. Rates at the chalet groups are uniformly $3.00
per day. Each of these chalet groups consists of log or
stone buildings, attractively grouped, in the vicinity of
a central structure used for a dining- and lounging-room.
Most of the dormitory chalets have one or more attrac-
tive lounging-rooms, equipped with large stone fireplaces.
The service is less conventional than at the hotels, the aim
being to furnish clean, comfortable beds, plain food, well
cooked, plenty of it, and served in family style.
Teepee camps are maintained by the Glacier Park
Hotel Company at or near Two Medicine Lake, Cut Bank
River, lower end of St. Mary Lake, narrows of St. Mary
Lake, and Lake McDermott. All these teepee camps are
near the chalets in the same locality; the rates are uni-
formly 50 cents a person a night.
All teepee camps are equipped with cookstove and
cooking-utensils and dishes for serving meals. Food may
be purchased at reasonable prices at the near-by chalets,
the tourist being permitted the free use of the range,
cooking-utensils, and dishes.
All teepees are wooden floored and each equipped with
two single cot beds and bedding. They will be found very
comfortable by those who desire to enjoy an inexpensive
outing.
The only place in the extreme western portion of the
Park where accommodations may be obtained is at
Adairs, on Flathead River, about 2 miles south of Log-
ging Creek.
Rooms with bath and bathing facilities for tourists
occupying rooms without baths are provided at the
Glacier Park Hotel and Many Glacier Hotel. There is a
large plunge pool at the Glacier Park Hotel. Detached
shower and tub baths are provided at Two Medicine, St.
477
ifce to tlje IJational |&arft£
Mary, Going-to-the-Sun, Many Glacier, and Belton
Chalets, for which a charge of 50 cents per bath is
made.
The distances between the hotels and chalets are as fol-
lows: —
Miles
Glacier Park Hotel to
Two Medicine Chalets, road 12
Two Medicine Chalets, trail 1 1
Cut Bank Chalets, road 22
St. Mary Chalets, road 32
Many Glacier Hotel, road 55
Two Medicine Chalet to
Glacier Park Hotel, road 12
Glacier Park Hotel, trail 1 1
Cut Bank Chalets, trail 18
Cut Bank Chalet to
Glacier Park Hotel, road 22
Two Medicine Chalets, trail 18
St. Mary Chalets, trail and road 16
St. Mary Chalets to
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets, launch 8
Cut Bank Chalets, road and trail 1 6
Many Glacier Hotel and Chalets, road 23
Many Glacier Hotel and Chalets, trail 16
Glacier Park Hotel, road 32
Many Glacier Hotel and Chalets to
St. Mary Chalets, road 23
St. Mary Chalets, trail 16
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets, trail 22
Granite Park Chalets, trail 9
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets to
St. Mary Chalets, launch 8
Many Glacier Hotel and Chalets, trail 22
Sperry Chalets, trail 17
Sperry Chalets to
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets 17
Glacier Hotel on Lake McDonald, trail 7
Glacier Hotel, on Lake McDonald, to
Sperry Chalet, trail 7
Granite Park Chalets, trail 18
Granite Park Chalets to
Many Glacier Hotel and Chalets, trail 9
Glacier Hotel, on Lake McDonald, trail 18
478
Glacier Rational park
Tours
From Glacier Park Station an automobile road leads
to St. Mary Chalets and Many Glacier Hotel and Chalets,
with side roads to Cut Bank and Two Medicine Chalets.
From Belton there is an automobile road to the foot of
Lake McDonald. There is also a wagon road along Flat-
head River from the foot of Lake McDonald to the north-
ern border of the Park. There is no road across the Con-
tinental Divide, and all trips in the mountain region
must be by trail.
Transportation between Glacier Park Hotel, Two
Medicine Chalets, Cut Bank Chalets, St. Mary Chalets,
and Many Glacier Hotel and Chalets is by automobile.
There is launch service on St. Mary Lake between the
St. Mary and Going-to-the-Sun Chalets and on Lake
McDonald between the foot of the lake and the hotels
near the head. There is also a trail between Going-to-the-
Sun and St. Mary Chalets, on Lake St. Mary, as well as
between the foot of Lake McDonald and the hotels at the
head of the lake. Trails furnish the only means of com-
munication between the other chalet groups and between
the chalets and the hotels on Lake McDonald. On the
trails the only transportation is on horseback or afoot.
The following rates are authorized in the Park: —
One way
Automobile fare between —
Glacier Park Hotel and St. Mary Chalets $3.50
Glacier Park Hotel and Many Glacier Hotel . . . 6.50
St. Mary Chalets and Many Glacier Hotel 3.00
Glacier Park Hotel to Two Medicine Chalets. . 1.50
Belton and Lake McDonald 50
There is no regular automobile service to Cut Bank
Chalets; a rate of $5.00 for the round trip is made for a
minimum of 4 fares.
Launch rates are as follows: —
Between chalets on St. Mary Lake $.75
Between points on Lake McDonald 75
479
<£uitte to rljc Rational 35arlt£
Guides, saddle- and pack-horses can be secured from
the Park Saddle-Horse Company, at Glacier Park Sta-
tion, Many Glacier Hotel, Going-to-the-Sun Chalets, Gla-
cier Hotel, and Lake McDonald at the following rates:
Per day
Parties of I to 5 people:
Saddle- and pack-horses, each $3.00
Guides, including horse and board . . 5.00
Parties of 6 or more people: —
Saddle- and pack-horses, each 3.00
Guides, including horse and board 3.00
Park rules require I guide for every 10 persons or frac-
tion of 10. Pack-horses are not needed for short one-day
trips, but are necessary for long trips of several days.
One pack-horse will carry the dunnage of 10 people.
All saddle-horses are required to be equipped with
waterproof slickers, which outfitters supply free.
Glacier National Park contains many beautiful camp-
ing-spots, and camping tours independent of hotels or
chalets are popular for tourists who like to " rough it."
The Park Saddle-Horse Company will furnish complete
outfits at following prices for trips of 10 or more days: —
Rates for complete camping tours
Cost per day
per person
1 person - $25.00
2 persons 1575
3 persons 12.65
4 persons 12.40
5 persons 11.30
6 persons 10.60
7 persons 10.00
8 persons 9.70
9 persons 9.60
10 persons or more 9.50
The above rates include the necessary guides, cooks,
saddle-horses, pack-horses, provisions, tents, cooking-
utensils, stoves, and everything except blankets. Tourists
480
Glacier Rational $arfe
are advised to bring their own blankets or bedding, or
they can rent blankets from the outfitters at $1.00 per
pair.
The rates below are for the most popular trips that
are taken. In all cases meals and lodgings will be extra
at the hotels, chalets, or teepees at the regular rate: —
One-day trips: —
Glacier Park Hotel to Two Medicine Chalets by
automobile, and return $3.00
Glacier Park Hotel to Going-to-the-Sun Chalets by
automobile and launch, and return 8.50
Glacier Park Hotel to Mount Henry and return,
horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 4.00
Many Glacier Hotel to Iceberg Lake and return,
horseback 3.50
Many Glacier Hotel to Grinnell Lake and return,
afternoon trip, horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 3.50
Many Glacier Hotel to Grinnell Glacier and return,
horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 4.00
Many Glacier Hotel to Cracker Lake and return,
horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 4.00
Many Glacier Hotel to Granite Park Chalets and
return, horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 4.50
Many Glacier Hotel to Ptarmigan Lake and return,
horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 3.50
Many Glacier Hotel to Morning Eagle Falls and
return, horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 4.00
Many Glacier Hotel to Going-to-the-Sun Chalets
via Piegan Pass, horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 4.00
St. Mary Chalets to Red Eagle Lake and return,
horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 4.00
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets to Roe's Basin and re-
turn, horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 4.00
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets to Sexton Glacier and
return, horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 3.50
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets to Gunsight Lake and
return, horseback (minimum 3 persons) 4.00
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets to Many Glacier Hotel
via Piegan Pass, horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 4.00
Head of Lake McDonald to Sperry Glacier and
Sperry Chalets and return, horseback (mini-
mum, 3 persons) 4.00
Head of Lake McDonald to Lincoln Peak and re-
turn, horseback (minimum, 3 persons) 4.00
<£3uitic to tfjc Rational $arft£
Head of Lake McDonald to Avalanche Basin and
return, horseback (minimum, 3 persons) ....... $4.00
Head of Lake McDonald to Snyder Lake and re-
turn, horseback (minimum, 3 persons) ........ 4.00
Two-day trips: —
Glacier Park Hotel to Many Glacier Hotel and St.
Mary and Going-to-the-Sun Chalets, and return,
automobile, and launch ...... . . ......... .... 14.50
Glacier Park Hotel to Two Medicine Chalets via
road or Mount Henry trail, and return (mini-
mum, 3 persons) ........................... 8.00
Many Glacier Hotel to Granite Park Chalets and
return, horseback ........... . .............. 8.OO
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets to Glacier Hotel on Lake
McDonald, horseback (minimum, 5 persons) . . . 8.00
Head of Lake McDonald to Going-to-the-Sun Cha-
lets, horseback (minimum, 5 persons) ......... 8.00
Three-day trips: —
Glacier Park Hotel to St. Mary Chalets, Many
Glacier Hotel, Iceberg Lake, and Going-to-the-
Sun Chalets and return, automobile, horseback,
and launch ................................ 18.00
Glacier Park Hotel to Two Medicine Chalets,
Mount Morgan Pass, Cut Bank Chalets, Triple
Divide Peak, Red Eagle Lake, and St. Mary
Chalets, horseback (minimum, 5 persons) ...... I3'25
St. Mary Chalets to Glacier Park Hotel, reverse of
preceding trip (minimum, 5 persons) .........
Four-day trip: —
Glacier Park Hotel to St. Mary Chalets, Many
Glacier Hotel, Iceberg Lake, Granite Park Cha-
lets, Going-to-the-Sun Chalets, St. Mary Chalets
and return to Glacier Park Hotel, automobile,
horseback, and launch ...................... 22.50
Five-day trips: —
Glacier Park Hotel to Many Glacier Hotel, Iceberg
Lake, Granite Park Chalets, Going-to-the-Sun
Chalets, St. Mary Chalets, and return to Glacier
Park Hotel, automobile, horseback, and launch 26.00
Glacier Park Hotel to Two Medicine Chalets,
Mount Morgan Pass, Cut Bank Chalets, Triple
482
ter $ationai f&arft
Divide Peak, Red Eagle Lake, St. Mary Chalets,
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets, Piegan Pass, and
Many Glacier Hotel, horseback (minimum. 5
persons) .................................. $18.00
Many Glacier Hotel to Glacier Park Hotel, reverse
Chalets, Garden Wall Trail, Glacier Hotel on
Lake McDonald, Sperry Glacier, Sperry Chalets,
Gunsight Pass, and return to Going-to-the-Sun
Chalets (this trip cannot be taken until the com-
pletion of the new trail over the Garden Wall,
about August I, 1917; minimum, 5 persons). . . 20.00
Many Glacier Hotel over route described above
and return to Many Glacier (minimum, 5 per-
sons) 20.00
Hotels at head of Lake McDonald over route de-
scribed above and return to head of Lake
McDonald (minimum, 5 persons) 20.00
Six-day trip: —
Glacier Park Hotel to St. Mary Chalets, Many
Glacier Hotel, Iceberg Lake, Granite Park Cha-
lets, Going-to-the-Sun Chalets, Sexton Glacier,
and return to Glacier Park Hotel; automobile,
launch, and saddle-horse 30.70
Seven-day trip: —
Glacier Park Hotel to Many Glacier Hotel, Iceberg
Lake, Granite Park Chalets, Cracker Lake,
Going-to-the-Sun Chalets, Sexton Glacier, and
return to Glacier Park Hotel, automobile, saddle-
horse, and launch 34*7°
Points of Interest
Miles
Reached from Glacier Park Hotel: —
Mount Henry, trail 7
Reached from Two Medicine Chalets: —
Trick Falls, road ; 2
Upper Two Medicine Lake, trail or boat and trail 4
Bighorn Basin, trail 4
Dawson Pass, trail 6
Mount Henry, trail 4
483
to tfte Rational
Miles
Reached from Cut Bank Chalets: —
Red Eagle Lake, trail 16
Cut Bank Pass, trail 7
Triple Divide Peak, trail 8
Reached from St. Mary Chalets: —
Red Eagle Lake, trail 8
Red Eagle Pass and Glacier, trail 1 6
Reached from Going-to-the-Sun Chalets: —
Roe's Basin, poor trail 6
Sexton Glacier, trail 4
Piegan Pass, trail 12
Reached from Many Glacier Hotel: —
Appekung Basin, trail 4
Iceberg Lake,' trail 7
Cracker Lake, trail 7
Grinnell Lake, trail 5
Footpath to Grinnell Glacier 2 miles from
Grinnell Lake.
Piegan Pass and Garden Wall, trail 10
Swift Current Pass, trail 7
Ptarmigan Lake, trail 7
Morning Eagle Falls 5
Reached from Glacier and Park Hotels at Head of Lake
McDonald: —
Paradise Canon, trail; 4 miles from Glacier Hotel,
2 miles from Park Hotel.
Avalanche Basin, trail; 9 miles from Glacier Hotel,
7 miles from Park Hotel.
Trout Lake, trail; 8 miles from Glacier Hotel, 9 miles
from Park Hotel.
Stanton Mountain, trail to the summit; 7 miles from
Glacier Hotel, 5 miles from Park Hotel.
Snyder Lake, trail; 4 miles from Glacier Hotel, 6 miles
from Park Hotel.
The Glaciers
The most accessible glaciers are the Blackfeet and the
Sperry, both of which are on the trail leading from St.
Mary Lake to Lake McDonald.
Blackfeet Glacier is 2 miles by trail from Gunsight
Lake. This is the largest glacier in the Park, having an
area of 3 square miles. The glacier is especially dangerous
in the vicinity of the upper cascades. Visitors are not
484
Olacicr Rational path
allowed to go upon it unless accompanied by competent
guides, who should be supplied with ropes, belts, creepers,
alpenstocks, and emergency equipment. Each visitor to
the glacier should have an alpenstock or stout stick 6 or
7 feet long. The alpenstock should be used to sound for
blind crevasses, and in case a person breaks through the
ice the alpenstock should be thrown across the crevasse in
order to prevent a fall to the bottom.
Sperry Glacier is 2 miles by trail from Sperry Chalets.
While the trail is steep, horses may be used to the foot of
the escarpment under the south rim of the glacier; walk-
ing is recommended. The escarpment may be climbed by
means of an iron ladder bolted to the rock, or by way of
zigzag goat trails. Whichever method of ascent is at-
tempted, visitors should be accompanied by competent
guides provided with ropes. While this glacier is less
broken than Blackfeet Glacier, explorations should not
be attempted without a guide.
Clothing and Other Equipment
As the most beautiful portions of Glacier Park are
reached only by traveling on horseback or afoot, it is
imperative that the tourist limit his equipment to the
articles absolutely necessary for comfort. Trunks and
other heavy equipment should be left at Glacier Park
Station or Belton, as only one piece of baggage, weighing
not over 20 pounds, is carried free on the automobile
stages. As the altitude is high, the tourist should be
prepared for cool weather. The following equipment is
recommended: Woolen riding-breeches, flannel shirts,
medium- or light-weight woolen underwear, woolen army
socks, good walking-shoes, leggings or puttees, sneakers,
gloves, saddle slicker, and a felt hat (a hat is preferable to
a cap for use in rainy weather) ; a poncho or other water-
proof coat should be taken if the tourist is going to walk;
slickers are provided with the horses. The best equip-
ment for a woman consists of flannel middy blouse, woolen
485
<®uitic to fyt Rational
riding-breeches, woolen Boy Scout stockings, a man's
felt hat, and the other articles listed above. Women that
object to the poncho because of the difficulty in getting
it over the head will find a Boy Scout cape a good sub-
stitute.
Essential articles of clothing, including boots, shoes,
haversacks, slickers, blankets, camping equipment, pro-
visions, etc., may be purchased at commissaries at
Glacier Park Station and at St. Mary and Many Glacier
Chalets. The Glacier Park Hotel Company, which
operates these commissaries, also makes a practice of rent-
ing, at a nominal figure, slickers, riding-breeches, mack-
inaw coats, and other overgarments.
Stores carrying a similar general line of articles most
useful in making Park trips are located at Belton, Mon-
tana, the western entrance to the Park, and at Glacier
Hotel (Lewis's), at the head of Lake McDonald. A stock
of clothing, general merchandise, and camp equipment
is carried at Adair's, on the Flathead River, about 2 miles
south of Logging Creek.
The Glacier Park Hotel Company operates a laundry
at Glacier Park Hotel, at which complete laundry facili-
ties are provided for guests. Tourists at Many Glacier
Hotel, Many Glacier, St. Mary and Going- to- the-Sun
Chalets can, if they desire, have their laundry sent out to
Glacier Park Station.
Fishing
There is fine fishing in almost all the streams and lakes
of Glacier Park, the gamest fish being the cutthroat
trout, also known as the black-spotted and native. The
rainbow, Dolly Varden, mountain, and Eastern brook
trout are also found in the waters of the Park. The best
fishing is in Two Medicine Lake and River, Cut Bank
River, Red Eagle Lake and Creek, St. Mary Lake and
River and the tributary streams, Cracker Lake, Canon
Creek, McDermott Lake, and tributary streams, Swift
486
43ladcr Rational parti
Current River below McDermott Falls, McDonald Lake
and Creek, Avalanche, Bowman, Logging, Trout, and
Arrow Lakes, and Flathead River and its tributaries. The
flies generally used are the black gnat, professor, brown
and gray hackle, royal coachman, queen of waters, Jock
Scott, and silver doctor. The trout rise to the fly during
June, July, and August; July and August being the best
months. Early in June and in September spinners with
meat bait or salmon eggs are used. Flies and tackle may
be purchased at Glacier Park Hotel, Many Glacier Hotel,
and Glacier Hotel on Lake McDonald.
The Mackinaw or lake trout are found only in Lake St.
Mary. They are caught with a spoon or with a combina-
tion of spoon and bait, as they seldom rise to the fly.
A fishing license is not required.
Mesa Verde National Park
Location: Southwestern Colorado. Area: 77 square
miles. Season: June 15 to September 15. Address of
Supervisor: Mancos, Colorado.
Railroad Connections
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK is on the narrow-gauge
division of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, and is best
reached from Mancos, Colorado, 31 miles from the camp
in the Park. Although this Park is farther from the main
transcontinental railroad lines than any of the other
Parks, the railroad route through the San Juan Moun-
tains is one of great scenic beauty. The routes and fares
from Denver are as follows: —
Denver to Mancos via Alamosa, and Antonito, return-
ing same route, or returning via Telluride and Gun-
nison, $25.00.
Denver to Mancos via Alamosa and Antonito, return-
ing via Durango, Silverton, Ouray Toll Road, Ouray,
Montrose, and Gunnison, $30.40.
The automobile fare from Mancos to the camp is $10.00
for the round trip.
The trip from Denver to Mancos requires about 40
hours, one night being spent on the road and one night in
Durango, or Telluride, or Montrose.
Passengers holding transcontinental tickets via Denver
& Rio Grande Railroad may obtain stopovers at Grand
Junction on the standard-gauge line, or at Montrose on
the narrow gauge line, and make side trip to Mancos at
the following rates: —
Grand Junction to Mancos and return via Telluride,
$23-30.
488
Gertie Rational $arfe
Montrose to Mancos and return via Telluride, $18.90.
Passengers holding transcontinental tickets via Denver
& Rio Grande Railroad may make the trip between Den-
ver and Grand Junction by way of Mancos on payment
of $20.00 additional.
Automobile Routes
From Denver the best route is by way of Colorado
Springs, Pueblo, Walsenburg, Alamosa, South Fork,
Durango, and Mancos; distance, about 400 miles. Permit
for an automobile costs 50 cents for a single trip or $2.00
for the season. The speed limits range from 10 to 15 miles
per hour.
Camp
There is only one camp in Mesa Verde National Park,
at Spruce Tree House. This camp is maintained by O. L.
Jeep, and the rates are $3.00 per day. Guides and camp-
ing outfits may be obtained at Mancos.
Trips
There are no regular tours in this Park, as trips to the
ruins are made on foot from the camp near Spruce Tree
House. The distance to the important ruins are as
follows:
Distance and
direction
Spruce Tree House 1 mile W.
Cliff Palace 2 miles S.E.
Balcony House 2\ miles S.E.
Community House 2 miles S.E.
Poole Canon 4 miles S.
Peabody House 3 miles S.W.
Long House 2| miles S.W.
Tunnel House 6 miles S.
Sun Temple 2 miles S.
The three principal ruins are Spruce Tree House, Cliff
Palace, and Sun Temple.
489
<Dui&c to tl)t Rational $arft#
Clothing
Ordinary clothing may be worn, as there are no ex-
tended trips or hard climbs. As the nights are cool, a
sweater or light overcoat will be convenient. As the auto
stages carry only 50 pounds of baggage free, arrangements
should be made to store all heavy pieces at Mancos. Such
pieces may be taken to the Park by special arrangements
with the auto stage company.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Location: North-central Colorado. Area: 358 square
miles. Season: June I to October I. Address of Super-
visor: Estes Park, Colorado.
Railroad Connections
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK is the easternmost
of the great scenic Parks and the most accessible to per-
sons in the East, as its eastern border is only a few hours
from Denver.
The town of Estes Park, which is just east of the Na-
tional Park, and which is the starting-place for all points
in the eastern portion of the Park, may be reached from
Denver by automobile or by train and automobile. The
trip may be made by motor in one direction and by rail-
road and automobile in the other. The fare is $9.60 for the
round trip by any of the routes. The railroad routes are
by the Union Pacific to Fort Collins or Greeley, thence
by automobile; by the Colorado & Southern to Boulder,
Loveland, Longmont or Fort Collins; and by the Burling-
ton by way of Longmont or Lyons. The western portion
of the Park may be reached from Granby, on the Denver
& Salt Lake Railroad. Round trip from Denver, $8.10.
From Granby stages run to the town of Grand Lake,
which is just outside the Park. Round trip fare from
Granby, $3.50.
Tourist rates to Denver are as follows: From Chicago,
$32.50; from St. Louis, $27.50.
Automobile Routes
From the Lincoln Highway the best route is by way of
Greeley and Loveland. Distances: Cheyenne to Greeley,
491
i&c to tljt Rational $arh£
55.2 miles; Greeley to Estes Park, 54.5 miles. There are
two routes from Denver — via Longmont and Lyons,
69.3 miles, and via Boulder, Boulder Canon, and Lyons,
73.3. The best scenery is along the Boulder route.
Hotels
All the hotels in the Park are along the eastern bound-
ary near the town of Estes Park; there are also other
hotels outside the Park and near the town. The camps
within the Park and the rates are as follows: —
Lawn Lake, Bradley & Patrick $3.25 a day
Bear Lake, A. E. Brown 2.50 a day
Glacier Basin, A. E. Sprague 2.50 a day
Fern Lodge, F. W. Byerly 2.50 a day
On Thompson River, Byerly and Rogers 2.50 a day
At timber line on trail to Long's Peak, Enos A.
Mills 3.25 a day
The address of all these camps is Estes Park, Colorado.
The rates at the hotels near Estes Park are as fol-
lows:—
Brinwood Hotel. . . $2.50 to $3.50 a day; $12 to $20 a week
Brown Tea Pot Inn $2 to $4 a day; $12 to $25 a week
Columbines Hotel $3 a day; $14 to $20 a week
Elkhorn Lodge $3 a day and up; $16 a week and up
Fall River Lodge $2.50 to $4 a day; $12 to $25 a week
Forks Hotel $2 a day; $10 a week
Hewes-Kirkwood Ranch.. $2 to $3 a day; $14 to $18 a week
Horizon Hotel $2 to $3 a day; $12 to $18 a week
Horseshoe Inn $2.50 to $4 a day; $12 to $25 a week
Hupp Hotel $3 a day; $12 to #15 a week
Lester Hotel $2.50 to $3«5O a day; $12 to $20 a week
Lewiston Hotel $3 to $5 a day; $20 to $35 a week
Long's Peak Inn. . . $3.50 to $6.50 a day; $15 to $40 a week
Moraine Lodge $2.50 a day; $12 to $20 a week
Park Hotel $2 to #3-5O a day; $10 to $20 a week
Rockdale Hotel $2 to $3 a day; $i I to $20 a week
Stanley Hotel $4 a day and up
Stead's Ranch and Hotel $i i to $16 a week
The Crags $2.50 to $5 a day; $14 to $35 a week
492
Prepared bj R.B.Marshall, Chief Geographer, U.S. Geological Surrej
Eastern boundary corrected to include addition in 1917 J
105°4(j'
fountain Rational park
The following hotels are at Grand Lake near the west-
ern boundary of the Park: —
Lehman's Hotel $2.00 a day
Langles Hotel 2.00 a day
Kauffman House 2.50 a day
Narwata Hotel 2.50 a day
The Rapid Hotel 2.50 a day
Trips
There are no scheduled trips in this Park and special
arrangements must be made. Horses cost $2.50 a day.
The most important trips are the following: —
Miles
From Estes Park to
Hallett Glacier 11.25
Lawn Lake 8.8
Specimen Mountain 20.2
Fern Lake . 10.25
Sprague Glacier 13.5
Bear Lake 8.5
Black Lake '. 12.0
Flat-Top Mountain 1 1.2
Loch Vale 10.5
Glacier Gorge 10.2
Long's Peak 15.5
Chasm Lake 13.4
From Grand Lake to
East Inlet (Lake Verna) • 7.5
Flat -Top Mountain 12.5
Specimen Mountain 16.5
Nanita Lake 8.25
Fishing
There is good fishing for native, Eastern brook, and
rainbow trout in the lower portions of all the streams and
in some of the lakes, although the fish are small. The best
lakes are Lawn, Fern, and Odessa. Early in the season
during high water the fish will take worms only. The flies
generally used later are the coachman, royal coachman,
493
ifcc to tfjc Rational parity
brown hackle, and gray hackle. Grasshoppers are used
when they can be obtained. Fishermen must obtain
Colorado fishing license costing $i for residents of the
State and $2 for non-residents. Licenses may be obtained
in Estes Park.
The Grand Canon
Location: Northern Arizona. Area of reservation:
1260 square miles. Season: Throughout the year. Address
of Supervisor of Tusayan National Forest: Williams,
Arizona.
Railroad Connections
THE GRAND CANON is reached by a branch line of the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad extending from
Williams, Arizona, to Grand Canon Station, almost at the
edge of the plateau. The round-trip excursion fare from
Williams is $7.50; stopovers being allowed on both rail-
road and Pullman tickets. Some trains carry through
sleeper to the Canon.
Round-trip fares are as follows: From Chicago, $80.00;
from St. Louis, $72.00; from Kansas City, $60.00; from
Denver, $55.00.
Automobile Routes
The Grand Canon may be reached by automobile from
Flagstaff and Williams. Westbound tourists turn north
at Flagstaff, reach the Canon at Grand View Hotel, follow
the rim to El Tovar, and reach the main road at Williams.
Distances: Flagstaff to Grand View, 71.5 miles; Grand
View to El Tovar, 13.2 miles; El Tovar to Williams, 634
miles.
Hotels and Camps
El Tovar is located at the railroad terminus, not far
from the head of Bright Angel Trail. Rates are $4.00 and
$4.50 a day, without bath, and $6.00 and upwards a day,
495
ifce to tf)t Rational 3parfc£
with bath. Bright Angel Cottages, adjacent to the hotel,
are operated on the European plan, and rates for rooms
are $1.25 to $1.50 a day; meals may be obtained a la
carte at the cafe. In summer several large tents are used
in addition to the cottages.
Trips
As the Grand Canon is not a National Park there is no
way to license the individuals offering horses for hire.
Tourists are advised to arrange with the transportation
department of El Tovar Hotel for all trips into and near
the Canon. By doing this the tourist is assured of good
service and responsible guides.
A fine road has been built along the rim of the Canon
from El Tovar Hotel westward for about yj miles to the
head of the Hermit Trail. There is also a road running
2 miles eastward along the rim from El Tovar to Yavapai
Point. A third road runs eastward 13 miles to Grand
View ; the western half of this road is through the forest,
while the eastern end is along the Canon rim. There are
three trails into the Canon — Bright Angel Trail, starting
near El Tovar Hotel; Hermit Trail, starting 9 miles to
the west, and Grand View Trail, 13 miles to the east.
The following trips by coach are made daily from El
Tovar: —
To Hopi Point on Hermit Rim Road, 2 miles to the west
and return: 10 A.M. and 2 P.M., $1.00; sunset trip, $1.50.
To Mohave Point on Hermit Rim Road, 3 miles to the
west and return: 9 A.M. and 2 P.M., $2.00. Hopi Point
is passed on this drive.
To head of Hermit Trail on Hermit Rim Road, 7^ miles
to the west and return: 9 A.M. and 2 P.M., $3.00. Stops
are made en route at Hopi, Mohave, and Pima Points.
From October I to May I, the afternoon trip starts at
2.30, and the rate is $4.00 on account of the additional
time spent at Hopi Point to view the sunset.
To Yavapai and Grandeur Points, 2 miles to the east:
10.15 A.M., $1.00
496
Cf)e <@rant> Canon
Bright Angel Trail starts near El Tovar Hotel and ex-
tends to the river, 7 miles distant. There is also a branch
leading to the plateau at the top of the granite wall, 1272
feet above the river. There are three distinct trips made
on the Bright Angel Trail: To the river, 8.30 A.M., round
trip, $5.00; to the Plateau, 10.30 A.M., round trip, $4.00;
to the river and Plateau, 8 A.M., round trip, $6.00. If less
than three persons make the trip, there is an additional
charge of $5.00 for a guide for the party. All three trips
are made on muleback, accompanied by a guide, and each
trip requires an entire day.
Hermit Trail is a new path that extends from Hermit
Rim Road to the Colorado River. At present horses can
be used only as far as Hermit Camp on the plateau at the
head of the granite wall, but there is a footpath from the
camp to the river. The following trips may be made to
points on the Hermit Trail : —
One-day trip: —
El Tovar to Santa Maria Spring on Hermit Trail, round
trip $7.00; guide extra.
Two-day trip: —
El Tovar to Hermit Camp, round trip $15.00, which in-
cludes guide, horse, accommodations, and supper,
breakfast and lunch at camp. The return trip may be
made by way of Bright Angel Trail for $7.00 additional
for each person.
Boucher Trail is west of and opposite Hermit Trail.
This trip is on horseback or by wagon on the Hermit Rim
Road as far as the head of Hermit Trail, then on horse-
back to Boucher Trail and down that trail to Boucher's
Camp at Dripping Springs, 900 feet below the rim. The
Boucher Trail continues to the river, but it is not possible
to make the round trip to a point farther than Dripping
Springs, when lunch is eaten: El Tovar to Dripping
Springs and return, $4.00 each for three or more persons;
if there are less than 3 persons, an extra charge of $5.00 is
made for a guide.
497
ibe to tfjc Rational parity
The following regular trips may be made by automo-
bile:—
Grand View, 13 miles, 9.30 A.M. and 2 P.M., round trip
$4.00.
Desert View, 32 miles, 8 A.M., $30.00 for one to three per-
sons; each person over three, $10.00 additional.
Many camping trips into the Canon and along the rim
may be taken if time is available. From October to April,
camping should be confined to the Canon itself, but from
April to October camping trips may be planned to in-
clude both the rim region and the Canon. The rates for
camping trips range from $10.00 to $15.00 a day for one
person with $6.00 to $8.00 a day extra for each additional
person. The rates quoted are for guides, animals, and
camp equipment: Three-day trip down Hermit Trail and
up Bright Angel Trail, distance 34 miles, rate $14.00 a
day for one person, $8.00 a day extra for each additional
person. Provisions are extra.
Another three-day trip is to the Havasupai Indian Vil-
lage in Cataract Canon. The distance is about 50 miles
in each direction, 35 miles by wagon and 15 miles on
horseback. The round trip from El Tovar costs $15.00 a
day for one person and $5.00 a day extra for each addi-
tional member of the party. These rates include all ser-
vices as well as horse feed, but do not include provi-
sions or lodging at the village for members of party and
guide, for which an additional charge of $2.00 a day is
made. For parties of 3 to 6 persons an extra guide is
needed at an additional cost of $5.00 a day, besides his
board and lodging at the Indian Village.
A three-day trip may be made by way of Bright Angel
and Boucher Trails, a total distance of 52 miles. The
route follows Bright Angel Trail to the Plateau, which is
followed westward for 30 miles along the Tonto Trail.
Camp is made on Monument Creek the first night and
on Hermit Creek the second night. The return is made
498
4Btan& Canon
by Boucher Trail to the rim of the Canon. The rate for
this trip is $12.00 a day for one person and $6.00 extra
for each additional person; guide and camp equipment
are included, but provisions are extra.
A trip by way of Bright Angel and Grand View Trails,
a distance of 55 miles, may be made in three days. This
route follows Bright Angel Trail to the Plateau, which is
followed eastward for 30 miles along the Tonto Trail.
The return is made by way of Grand View Trail to the
rim and then to El Tovar. The rates for this trip are
$12.00 a day for one person and $6.00 a day extra for each
additional person; guide and camp equipment are fur-
nished, but provisions are extra.
An easy two-day trip is the one to Desert View, 32
miles east of El Tovar, by wagon. On this trip Grand
View Point is passed and camp is made on the rim at
Desert View 16 miles beyond Grand View Point. The
rate is $10.00 a day for one person, and $5.00 a day extra
for each additional person; guide and camp equipment
are furnished, but provisions are extra.
Clothing
No special equipment is required unless the tourist
expects to indulge in tramping or camping. For the one-
day trips ordinary clothing will suffice, as women's
divided skirts, men's overalls, linen duster, and straw
hats may be rented at El Tovar Hotel. If much tramping
is to be done appropriate shoes should be worn.
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Location: Northern California. Area: 124 square miles.
Season: June I to September 30. Address of Forest Super-
visor temporarily in charge of Park : Red Bluff, California,
October 16 to May 14; Mineral, California, May 15 to
October 15.
Railroad Connections
The best routes to Lassen Park region are from Red
Bluff on the San Francisco-Portland line of the Southern
Pacific, from Fernley, Nevada, on the San Francisco-
Ogden line of the Southern, and from Keddie, on the main
line of the Western Pacific. Stopovers may be obtained
on through tickets reading through these places. The best
stopping-place is Drakesbad, which is near the base of
Lassen Peak. The round-trip fare from San Francisco to
Red Bluff is $6.00; from that point the route is by auto-
mobile stage, 72 miles, to Drakesbad; stage fare, $15.00
for round trip. From Fernley, Nevada, a side trip to
Westwood via Susanville may be obtained for $6.85 for
the round trip. From Westwood the route is by automo-
bile stage 35 miles to Drakesbad; stage fare, $6.00 for
round trip. Westwood may also be reached from San
Francisco; round trip, $20.00. There is a through sleeper
from San Francisco to Susanville, where direct connec-
tion is made with train to Westwood. Keddie, on the
Western Pacific, is 71 miles from Drakesbad; there is no
regular stage line. Round-trip fare from San Francisco
to Keddie is $12.25. The Park may be reached also
from Redding, on the San Francisco-Portland line of the
Southern Pacific, but there are no hotels or camps on
this route within less than 15 miles of the Park; this
route is feasible only for campers.
500
Xa&eten Dolcanic |3ational path
Automobile Routes
The Park is reached from Red Bluff on the main high-
way between San Francisco and Portland. Red Bluff is
260 miles from San Francisco and 72 miles from the Park.
Hotels and Camps
The only stopping-place within the Park is at Drakes-
bad, where there is a camp. Rates are $3.00 to $3.50 a
day. South of the Park accommodations may be secured
at Lee's Camp at Chester, 12 miles from Lassen Peak, 70
miles from Red Bluff, 27 miles from Westwood; rates
$2.00 a day.
Trips
There are no scheduled trips in this Park; there has not
been time to develop this class of service. Guides and
horses may be obtained at Drakesbad for $2.50 a day.
The most important trip is to the volcano of Lassen Peak,
7 miles from Drakesbad. Another interesting trip is to
Cinder Cone, Snag Lake, and Twin Lake; distance, 22
miles for the round trip.
Other trips are as follows: Boiling Lake, I mile; Devil's
Kitchen, i| miles; Bumpas Hell, 6 miles.
Fishing
There is good trout-fishing in Grassy and Snag Lakes.
The fishing is much better in the region south of the Park,
especially in Feather River, near Chester; Warner Creek;
Mill Creek, near Morgan Springs; Battle Creek, near
Mineral; and in Lake Alamanor. The flies generally used
are royal coachman, brown and gray hackle, dusty miller,
salmon fly, queen of the waters, black gnat, and professor.
A fishing license is required for all persons over 18 years
of age. The fee for resident of California is $1.00; for non-
residents, $3.00. Licenses may be obtained from the
Supervisor at Red Bluff.
Hawaii National Park
Location: On Hawaii and Maui islands, Territory of
Hawaii. Area : n8 square miles. Season: Throughout the
year.
THE HAWAII NATIONAL PARK consists of two tracts on
the island of Hawaii and one tract on the island of Maui.
The tracts on the island of Hawaii include the volcano of
Mauna Loa and the active crater of Kilauea on the slope
of Mauna Loa. The tract on the island of Maui includes
the extinct volcanic crater of Haleakala.
Mauna Loa and the crater of Kilauea are reached from
Hilo, a town of 10,000 inhabitants, which is 192 miles by
sea from Honolulu.
The crater of Kilauea is at an altitude of 4000 feet and
is easily reached by automobile. As Kilauea is more
active and more accessible than Mauna Loa, it is visited
more frequently than the peak, which has an altitude
of 13,675 feet. The distance from Hilo to Kilauea is 31
miles.
There is steamship service twice a week between Hilo
and Honolulu. Tourists may leave Honolulu Wednesday
morning, arrive at Hilo Thursday morning, and reach
Kilauea by noon. The return may be made to Hilo early
Friday morning in time to catch the steamer, which leaves
at 10 o'clock, and which arrives in Honolulu early Satur-
day morning. The steamer also leaves Honolulu Saturday
afternoon and reaches Hilo Sunday morning. It leaves
Hilo on the return trip Monday afternoon and reaches
Honolulu Tuesday morning.
The Interisland Steamship Company sells coupon
tickets from Honolulu to Kilauea and return, including
5O2
iiJatoaii IfXational park
automobile trip and hotel accommodations at the follow-
ing rates: —
3 days $28.50 and $30.00
6 days $37-8o and $45.00
9 days $49.00 and $58.00
There are 2 hotels at the crater: Volcano House, $6.00
a day; and Crater Hotel, $3.50 a day.
Another route is by steamer from Honolulu to Kailua
or Honuapo, thence by automobile to the crater, 101 miles
from Kailua; 36 miles from Honuapo. The return to
Honolulu may be made by the same route or by way of
Hilo. Three-day trips cost from $34.50 to $36.00.
The trip to the summit of Mauna Loa is made from the
crater of Kilauea and requires 4 days. It is necessary to
make special arrangements for this trip. Full information
may be obtained at the office of the Hawaii Promotion
Committee in Honolulu. As the summit is nearly 14,000
feet above the sea and the trip is made on horseback and
on foot, it should be undertaken only by those physically
qualified.
The extinct volcano of Haleakala (elevation 10,032
feet) is best reached from Lahaina, on the island of Maui;
time from Honolulu to Lahaina, 6 hours; distance 75
miles; fare $5.00 in each direction. From Lahaina the
route is by automobile to Wailuku and Olinda, thence on
horseback to the summit. The cost of the trip is as fol-
lows: —
Automobile, Lahaina to Wailuku in each direction: —
1 passenger $4.00
2 or 3 passengers, for party 5.00
4 to 6 passengers, each person 1.50
Automobile, Wailuku to Olinda, round trip: —
I to 3 passengers, for party 20.00
4 to 6 passengers, for party 25.00
Horses, guide and blankets: —
Each horse 7.50
Guide 5.00
Blankets at Rest House i.oo
503
iDc to ttjc ijJational |parft0
Time required to make the ascent and descent is as
follows: —
Hours
Auto from Lahaina to Wailuku
Ascent by automobile from Wailuku to Olinda
Ascent on horseback from Olinda to Rest House at
Summit . 3 J
Descent on horseback from Rest House to Olinda . 3
Descent by automobile from Olinda to Wailuku. . . 2
Auto from Wailuku to Lahaina i\
As the crater of Haleakala is seen at its finest at sunrise
and sunset, the best way to view it is to leave Wailuku
in the afternoon, spend the night at the summit, and re-
turn the next morning. The automobile waits over night
at Olinda for persons wishing to spend the night on the
summit.
The hotels at Wailuku are the Maui, $3.00 to $4.00; the
Wailuku, $2.50; and the Grand, $3.50 and $4.00. At
Lahaina the only hotel is the Pioneer, $2.75.
The visitor to the crater of Kilauea will need only an
overcoat in addition to the light summer clothing worn at
sea-level throughout the year. For trips to the summits
of Mauna Loa and Haleakala, the visitor should wear
woolen underwear and other warm clothing.
There is no fishing in the Hawaii National Park, but
there is excellent surf and deep-sea fishing along the coast
of the islands.
Honolulu is reached in 6 days from San Francisco; fare,
$65.00 and upward in each direction.
Mount McKinley National Park
THIS Park is in south-central Alaska and includes
Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North Amer-
ica, and the surrounding country. The Park was created
by the act of February 26, 1917, and as the region is
unsettled and undeveloped, there are no roads or accom-
modations for tourists. The Park may be reached by a
ISO-mile trip by means of a pack-train from Nenana or
Fairbanks in the interior of Alaska. Guides and outfits
can probably be secured from the Northern Commercial
Company, Fairbanks, Alaska. The government railroad
will pass near the eastern border of the Park, but the
road will probably not be operated to a point near the
Park until the summer of 1919.
Hot Springs of Arkansas
Location: Central Arkansas. Area: 911 acres. Season:
Throughout the year. Address of Supervisor : Hot Springs,
Arkansas.
HOT SPRINGS is reached by the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific, the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern, and the
Memphis, Dallas & Gulf Railroads. There is through
sleeping-car service from St. Louis and Memphis.
The Reservation is immediately adjacent to the city of
Hot Springs, which has a population of about 14,000 and
which is a municipality and is not under government
control.
The only hotel on the Reservation is the Arlington,
where the rates are $5.00 a day and upward. There are
hotels of every class in the city, the principal ones being
the Eastman, Majestic, Moody, and Como.
Some of the bathhouses are on the Reservation and
some are in the city, but the water is the same in all, the
range in prices being due to the equipments and accom-
modations provided. The rates are as follows: —
Scale- of Rates for Baths at Different Bathhouses receiving
Water from the Hot Springs Reservation
Bathhouse Single baths Course of 21 baths
Arlington $0.65 $12.00
Fordyce 0.65 12.00
Buckstaff 0.60 n.co
Maurice 0.60 I i.oo
Imperial 0.55 10.00
Eastman 0.55 10.00
Majestic 0.55 10.00
Hale 0.50 9.00
506
i!)at ^pringtf of
Bathhouse Single baths Course of 21 baths
Moody O.$O 9.00
St. Joseph's Infirmary 0.50 9.00
Superior 0.50 9.00
Lamar 0.45 8.00
Rector 0.45 8.00
Rockafellow 0.45 8.00
Ozark Sanatorium 0.45 8.00
Magnesia 0.40 7.00
Ozark 0.40 7.00
Alhambra 0.40 7.00
Pythian Sanatorium
(colored) 0.25 4.00
Visitors are advised not to take the baths without the
advice of a physician, as the waters are not beneficial in
all diseases and in some are harmful. Visitors should not
patronize doctors who are recommended by unknown or
irresponsible persons, as in the past there has been consid-
erable soliciting on behalf of certain physicians. A list of
registered doctors may be consulted at the office of the
Supervisor of the Reservation.
Golf and horseback riding are the favorite forms of
exercise. Visitors from the North should bear in mind
that spring is a little earlier in this region and that fall
is a little later.
Minor National Parks
CASA GRANDE RUIN
Location: Sou them Arizona. Area: 480 acres. Season:
Throughout the year. Address of Custodian: Florence,
Arizona.
THIS Reservation is situated near the left bank of the
Gila River about 12 miles from Florence, Arizona. It can
be conveniently reached by carriage either from the town
of Florence or from Casa Grande Station on the Southern
Pacific Railroad. The route to the ruin via Florence is
slightly shorter than that from Casa Grande Station,
enabling one to make the visit and return in a single day.
There is a hotel and a livery stable in each town, but the
visitor should provide for his own refreshment at the ruin.
WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK
Location: Southwestern South Dakota. Area: 16 square
miles. Season: Throughout the year. Address of super-
visor: Wind Cave, via Hot Springs, South Dakota.
THIS Park is about 12 miles from Hot Springs, South
Dakota, on a branch line of the Chicago & Northwestern
and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroads. The
fare from Hot Springs to the Cave and return is $2.50.
There are no hotels or camps in the Park, but ample
accommodations may be obtained at the town of Hot
Springs. The only attractions of the Reservation are the
Cave and the buffalo in the game preserve. Visitors are
permitted to enter the Cave at 9 A.M. and 2 P.M. A charge
508
Rational $arft£
of 50 cents is made for entrance to the Cave, the trip being
made under the supervision of guides provided by the
Government.
PLATT NATIONAL PARK
Location: Southern Oklahoma. Area: 848 acres. Sea-
son: Throughout the year. Address of Supervisor: Sul-
phur, Oklahoma.
THIS Park is immediately adjacent to Sulphur, a city
of 3600 inhabitants, on branch lines of the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe and the St. Louis & San Francisco
Railroads. There are no hotels in the Park, but accommo-
dations may be obtained in Sulphur. There are no scenic
features to attract the visitors from a distance.
SULLY'S HILL PARK
Location: Northeastern North Dakota. Area: 780
acres. Address of Supervisor: FortTotten Indian School,
Devil's Lake, North Dakota.
THIS Park may be reached from Devil's Lake, about 10
miles distant, on the Great Northern Railway, There are
no hotels or camps within the Reservation and the tract is
entirely undeveloped. There are no scenic attractions.
National Monuments
THE NATIONAL MONUMENTS are generally not devel-
oped and there are no regular camps or established trans-
portation rates. The name of the custodian is given if one
has been appointed. If there is no custodian the railroad
agents can generally give information regarding persons
who will furnish transportation.
BANDELIER, NEW MEXICO. Area: 22,075 acres. The
Reservation is 18 miles northwest of Santa F6 and is
near Buckman Station on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
F£ Railroad. The Custodian is the Supervisor of the
Santa F6 National Forest, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
BIG HOLE, MONTANA. Area: 5 acres. Nearest railroad
station is Divide, Montana, thence by stage 45 miles to
Gibbon, Montana, which is near the Reservation.
CABRILLO, CALIFORNIA. Area: 2 1,910 square feet. On
Point Loma, within the military reservation at Fort
Rosecrans, which is 6 miles from San Diego and which
may be reached by electric railway.
CAPULIN MOUNTAIN, NEW MEXICO. Area: 680 acres.
Six miles southwest of Folsom on the Colorado & South-
ern Railway and 3 miles north of Dedham on the Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa F£ Railway. The Custodian is Mrs.
H. W. Jack, Folsom, New Mexico.
CHACO CANON, NEW MEXICO. Area: 20,629 acres.
Sixty-five miles south of Farmington on the Denver &
Rio Grande Railroad, 75 miles north of Gallup, and 65
510
Rational
miles north of Thoreau, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
F6 Railway.
COLORADO, COLORADO. Area: 13,883 acres. Near
Grand Junction, Colorado, on the Denver & Rio Grande
Railroad. The Custodian is John Otto, Fruita, Colorado.
DEVIL POSTPILE, CALIFORNIA. Area: 800 acres. May
be reached from Laws on the Southern Pacific Railroad,
then by stage to Mammoth, and by saddle-horse to the
Monument. The Custodian is the Supervisor of Sierra
National Forest, Northfork, California.
DEVIL'S TOWER, WYOMING. Area: 1152 acres. Near
Tower, Wyoming, which is 32 miles from Moorcroft on
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.
DINOSAUR, UTAH. Area: 80 acres. May be reached
from Mack, Colorado, on the Denver & Rio Grande Rail-
road, then 65 miles by railroad to Watson, then 72 miles
via Vernal by automobile.
EL MORRO, NEW MEXICO. Area: 160 acres. Forty miles
from Thoreau and 55 miles from Gallup on the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.
GILA, NEW MEXICO. Area: 160 acres. Fifty miles
northwest of Silver City, New Mexico, on the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. The Custodian is the
Forest Supervisor, Gila National Forest, Silver City, New
Mexico.
GRAN QUIVIRA, NEW MEXICO. Area: 160 acres.
Twenty-four miles from Mountain Air, New Mexico, on
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. The Custo-
dian is the Supervisor of the Manzano National Forest,
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
45uitie to tfyc Rational 3?arh£
GRAND CANON. See pages 495-499.
JEWEL CAVE, SOUTH DAKOTA. Area: 1280 acres.
Twelve miles from Custer, South Dakota, on the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railway. The Custodian is the
Forest Supervisor, Harney National Forest, Custer,
South Dakota.
LEWIS AND CLARK CAVERN, MONTANA. Area: 160
acres. Near Cavern, Montana, on the Northern Pacific
Railway. The Cavern is closed, as there is no resident cus-
todian. It is under the supervision of the Chief of Field
Division, U.S. Land Office, Helena, Montana.
MONTEZUM A CASTLE, ARIZONA. Area: 1 60 acres. Fifty-
four miles from Prescott, on the Santa Fe, Prescott &
Phcenix Railroad.
MOUNT OLYMPUS, WASHINGTON. Area: 299,370 acres.
The southern boundary of the Monument is about 60
miles from Olympia, Washington, which may be reached
by railroad, steamer, or automobile from Seattle or
Tacoma. The Supervisor of the Olympic National Forest,
Olympia, Washington, will furnish information regarding
best methods of reaching the many points of interest.
MUIR WOODS, CALIFORNIA. Area: 295 acres. Eighteen
miles from San Francisco. It is reached by way of the
Northwestern Pacific Railroad to Mill Valley, thence by
the Mill Valley & Muir Woods Railway. The Custodian
is Andrew Lind; address care of Chief of Field Division,
U.S. Land Office, San Francisco, California.
MUKUNTUWEAP, UTAH. Area: 15,840 acres. Nearest
railroad station is Lund on San Pedro, Los Angeles &
Salt Lake Railroad. From Lund an auto stage runs to
Hurricane, 85 miles. At that place horses may be obtained
for the trip to the Reservation, which is 26 miles distant.
512
Rational Monuments
NATURAL BRIDGES, UTAH. Area : 2740 acres. The best
route is from Thompson's Station, Utah, on the Denver
& Rio Grande Railroad, then 95 miles by stage to Monti-
cello. At this point guides and equipment may be hired
for the trip (60 miles) to the bridges. Another route is
from Dolores, Colorado, on the Denver & Rio Grande
Railroad, then 125 miles via McElmo, Colorado, and
Aneth and Bluff, Utah.
NAVAJO, ARIZONA. Area: 360 acres. Nearest railroad
stations are Flagstaff and Gallup, on the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. Both these places are about
125 miles from Kayenta, which is 24 miles from the ruins.
The Custodian is John Wetherill, Kayenta, Arizona.
OLD KASAAN, ALASKA. Area 138 acres. May be reached
by motor-boat from Ketchikan, Alaska. The Custodian
is the Forest Supervisor, Tongass National Forest,
Ketchikan, Alaska.
OREGON CAVES, OREGON. Area: 480 acres. Thirty-six
miles from Grant's Pass, Oregon, on the Southern Pacific
Railway. The Custodian is the Forest Supervisor, Sis-
kiyou National Forest, Grant's Pass, Oregon.
PAPAGO SAGUARO, ARIZONA. Area: 2050 acres. Nine
miles from Phoenix, Arizona, on Santa Fe, Prescott &
Phoenix Railroad.
PETRIFIED FOREST, ARIZONA. Area: 25,625 acres.
There are three acres of petrified logs, 2j, 6, and 13 miles
south of Adamana on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
Railway. The Custodian is Chester B. Campbell, Ada-
mana, Arizona.
PINNACLES, CALIFORNIA. Area: 2080 acres. Twelve
miles from Soledad and 14 miles from Gonzales, on the
Southern Pacific Railway.
513
i&e to ttje Rational $arft£
RAINBOW BRIDGE, UTAH. Area: 160 acres. Sixty-five
miles from Natural Bridges National Monument.
SHOSHONE CAVERN, WYOMING. Area: 210 acres. Four
miles from Cody, Wyoming, on the Chicago, Burlington
& Quincy Railway.
SIEUR DE MONTS, MAINE. Area: 5000 acres. Two miles
from Bar Harbor, Maine. Custodian, George B. Dorr,
Bar Harbor, Maine.
SITKA, ALASKA. Area: 57 acres. One mile from steam-
boat landing at Sitka.
TONTO, ARIZONA. Area: 640 acres. Forty miles from
Globe, Arizona, on the Arizona Eastern Railway. The
Custodian is the Forest Supervisor, Tonto National
Forest, Roosevelt, Arizona.
TUMACACORI, ARIZONA. Area: 10 acres. Seventeen
miles north of Nogales, Arizona.
WALNUT CANON, ARIZONA. Area: 960 acres. Eight
miles southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona. The Custodian is
the Forest Supervisor, Coconino National Forest, Flag-
staff, Arizona.
WHEELER, COLORADO. Area: 300 acres. Seventeen
miles from Wagon Wheel Gap, on the Denver & Rio
Grande Railroad. The Custodian is the Forest Super-
visor Rio Grande National Forest, Monte Vista, Colorado.
Canadian Parks
ROCKY MOUNTAINS PARK
Location: Western Alberta. Area: 1800 square miles.
Season: June to October. Address of Superintendent:
Banff, Alberta. '
ROCKY MOUNTAINS PARK is along the main line of the
Canadian Pacific Railway and has two gateways — Banff
and Laggan (Lake Louise). Excursion rate, round trip,
Chicago to Banff, $60.30; to Lake Louise, $63.10.
At Banff the principal hotel is the Banff Springs Hotel,
1 1 miles from the station, operated by the Canadian
Pacific Railway; rates, $4.00 and upward. Other hotels
in the town of Banff are the Alberta, $2.50 and upward;
the Alpine, $1.50, European plan; Grand View Villa,
$2.50 and upward; Hot Springs Hotel $2.00 and upward;
Mount Royal Hotel, $2.50 and upward; King Edward
Hotel, $2.50 and upward.
The popular carriage trips from Banff are given below.
The lower rate is for 2 or 3 persons, the higher rate for
4 or 5 persons: —
To Lake Minnewanka and return: 4-hour trip, $6.75 and
$8-75; 9-hour trip, $9.00 and $15.00.
To Loop, Cave and Basin and Sun Dance Canon and
return: 4-hour trip, $6.75 and $8.75.
To Tunnel Mountain, Buffalo Park, Cave and Basin and
return: 4-hour trip, $6.75 and $8.75.
Guides may be obtained for $4.00 a day.
At Lake Louise the only hotel is the Chateau Lake
Louise, 2\ miles from Laggan Station, operated by the
515
«3iu&c to tl)c ijJatioual
Canadian Pacific Railway Company; rates $5.00 and
upward. There is a small camp at Moraine Lake, 9 miles
from Lake Louise.
The principal short trips from Lake Louise are by car-
riage to Moraine Lake, $2.50; or on horseback to Lakes
Mirror and Agnes, $1.50; Mount St. Piran, $3.00; Vic-
toria Glacier, $2.00; Saddleback, $2.50; Saddleback, Sheol
Valley, and Lower Paradise Valley, $3.00; Ptarmigan
Lake, $3. Guides may be obtained for $4.00 a day and
pack-horses for $2.50 a day.
As there are no permanent camps in remote portions of
this Park, arrangements must be made for pack-animals
and equipment. The Brewster Transport Company,
Banff, Alberta, will furnish complete outfits at the fol-
lowing rates : $15.00 a day for one person; $25.00 a day for
a party of two; $10.00 a day for each person for a party
of three or more. This charge includes guide, cook,
horses, tents, provisions, but no blankets.
There is said to be good fishing for whitefish and cut-
throat, lake, brook, Dolly Varden, and bull trout.
YOHO PARK
Location: Western Alberta and eastern British Colum-
bia. Area: 560 square miles. Season: June to October.
Address. of Superintendent: Field, British Columbia.
YOHO PARK is reached from Field, on the main line of
the Canadian Pacific Railway. Excursion rate, round
trip from Chicago, $64.70. The following hotels are
operated by the railroad company: Mount Stephen
House, at Field, $4.00 and upward; Emerald Lake
Chalet, 7 miles from Field, $4.00 and upward; and Takak-
kaw Falls camp, n miles from Field, $4.00 a day.
The popular short trips from Field are listed below.
The lower rate is for 2 or 3 persons; the higher rate for 4
or 5 persons: —
516
Canadian
To Emerald Lake and return: 4-hour trip, $6.00 and $7.50;
9-hour trip, $9.00 and $15.00.
To Emerald Lake, one way: $3.00 and $5.00.
To Ottertail Bridge and return: $5.25 and $7.50.
To Takakkaw Falls and return: $9.00 and $15.00.
To Natural Bridge and return: $2.25 and $3.75 for first
hour, $1.50 and $2.50 for second hour, and $0.75 and
$1.25 for subsequent hours.
To Fossil Beds and return: horseback, $2.00 for each
person.
Persons desiring to camp in this Park may obtain out-
fits from the Brewster Transport Company, Field, Brit-
ish Columbia, at the same rates given for Rocky Moun-
tains Park.
GLACIER PARK
Location: Eastern British Columbia. Area: 468 square
miles. Season: June to October. Address of Superintend-
ent: Field, British Columbia.
GLACIER PARK is on the main line of the Canadian
Pacific Railway and is reached from Glacier Station.
Excursion fare, round trip from Chicago, $64.70. The
Glacier House, $4.00 a day and upward, operated by the
railroad company, is at the station. The principal short
trips, made on horseback are as follows: —
Great Glacier and return $1.00
Asulkan Glacier and return 2.00
Marion Lake and return 1.50
Mount Abbot and return 3.00
Caves of Nakimu and return 3.00
Horses may be obtained for $3.00 a day, and guides for
horseback trips may be employed for $4.00 a day. Swiss
guides for mountain-climbing and glacier trips may be
obtained for $5.00 a day. The guides provide rope and
ice axes, but the tourist must be equipped with stout
shoes and proper clothing. Persons desiring to camp in
517
ttic to tl;c Rational parity
this park may obtain outfits from S. H. Baker, Glacier,
B.C.; the rates are about the same as those quoted for
camping trips in the Rocky Mountains Park.
JASPER PARK
Location: Western Alberta. Area: 4400 square miles.
Season: June to October. Address of Superintendent:
Jasper Park, Alberta.
JASPER PARK may be reached from Jasper Station on
the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern Rail-
ways. Excursion fare from Chicago, round trip, $65.30.
The only established stopping-place is Jasper Park
Camp, Lake Beau Vert, 2 miles from Jasper Park Sta-
tion. Rates, $3.00 a day or $18.00 a week. The regular
trips are to Pyramid Lake, $7.00 for 4 persons; Maligne
Canon, $7.00 for 4 persons; Mount Fitzhugh, $5.00; and
Goat Mountain, $5.00. Saddle-horses may be obtained
for $3.00 a day. Guides cost $5.00 a day. Special arrange-
ments for extended camping trips may be made with
Brewster and Moore, Otto Brothers, and Donald Phillips,
Jasper, Alberta.
REVELSTOKE PARK
Location: Eastern British Columbia. Area: 95 square
miles. Season: June to October. Address of Superintend-
ent: Field, British Columbia.
REVELSTOKE PARK is on the main line of the Canadian
Pacific Railway and is reached from Revelstoke Station.
There is a hotel at the station operated by the Canadian
Pacific Railway (rates, $3.00 a day and upward), and
there are other hotels in the town of Revelstoke.
The principal short trip is by automobile to the sum-
mit of Mount Revelstoke, 15 miles in each direction.
Canadian
Automobiles holding four persons may be hired for $3.50
per hour. There are no hotels or permanent camps in the
Park ; for extended trips arrangements must be made with
outfitters in Revelstoke.
WATERTON LAKES PARK
Location: Southern Alberta, immediately north of the
United States Glacier Park. Area: 423 square miles.
Season: June to October. Address of Superintendent:
Waterton Mills, Alberta.
WATERTON LAKES VILLAGE is 60 miles from McLeod
and 40 miles from Pincher Creek on the Crowsnest Di-
vision of the Canadian Pacific Railway. There is an
automobile road from both places, but the longer route
from McLeod is said to be the better. There is also a
wagon road from the northern boundary of the United
States Glacier Park to Waterton Lakes Village. The
only stopping-place at Waterton Lakes Village is Haz-
zard's Hotel and Camp; rates $2.00 a day.
BUFFALO PARK
Location: Eastern Alberta. Area: 160 square miles.
Season: June to September. Address of superintendent:
Wainwright, Alberta.
BUFFALO PARK is immediately south of Wainwright, on
the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. There are two hotels
in Wainwright — The Wainwright and The Park — with
rates of $2.50 a day. This Park has no special scenic
attraction, its chief feature of interest being the herd of
2400 buffalo. About 75 buffalo are kept in a paddock
about two miles from the town, but it is said that a large
number may be seen in a day's drive.
519
<3iutic to tf)c Rational parks
ELK ISLAND PARK
Location: Eastern Alberta. Area: 16 square miles.
Address of superintendent: Lament, Alberta.
ELK ISLAND PARK is 3 miles south of Lamont on the
Canadian Pacific Railway. The nearest hotel is in the
town of Lamont. The Park is strictly an animal reserva-
tion and has no scenic features.
ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS PARK
Location: Southern Ontario. Area: 140 acres. Season:
May to October.
ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS PARK is located among the
Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence River and consists
of a number of small islands. It is reached from Clayton,
New York, on the New York Central Railroad, and from
Kingston, Ontario, on the Grand Trunk Railway. Some
islands on the New York side of the international bound-
ary are owned by the State of New York and maintained
as public reservations. The principal hotels in the Thou-
sand Islands are at Clayton, Thousand Island Park, and
Alexandria Bay, all in New York.
FORT HOWE PARK
Location : Adjacent to the city of St. John, New Bruns-
wick. Area: 19 acres. Season : Throughout the year.
FORT HOWE PARK was created solely for historic pur-
poses and contains an old fort, memorials of the Canadian
Loyalists, and relics and exhibits of the old French
regime.
INDEX
INDEX
Adams, James Capen, 301.
Altitude, not harmful, 331, 333, 349.
Altyn Lake, 149, ISO.
Amethyst Mountain, petrified for-
ests in, 45-50.
Andrews Glacier, 180, 187.
Anemone, Western, 124.
Antelope, 306.
Arapahoe Peak, 330.
Artist Point, Yosemite, 452.
Aspen, 290.
Asulkan Glacier, 412.
Athabasca River, 252.
Augusta Bridge, 237.
Avalanche Basin, 149.
Avalanche Lake, 149.
Ballou, Sidney, quoted, 228.
Bandelier National Monument,
411, 5io.
Banff, 254, 255.
Basket Dome, 69, 452.
Bear, black, color and habits, 304;
a bluffer, 304, 305.
Bear, grizzly, 341; a tame grizzly,
301, 302; characteristics, 302, 303;
food, 303; hibernation, 304; color,
305.
Bears, disposition spoiled by im-
proper feeding, 315.
Beaver, 307, 308.
Beaver Lake, Alberta, 413.
Bertha Lake, 413.
Bidwell, Gen. John, no.
Bierstadt, Albert, 187.
Bierstadt Moraine, 187
Big Hole Battlefield, 411, 510.
Big Thompson River, 176
Big Tree (Sequoia gigantea), 77, 78,
99, 100; size, 104, 105; groves,
104, 105; age, 105, 106; flowering
and fruiting, 106; habit, 106, 107;
bark, 107; roots, 107; durability,
107-09; the most impressive liv-
ing object, 109; area not dimin-
ishing, 109; of ancient stock, no;
discovery, no; habitat, no, in;
effect onlpersons, 1 1 2-1 5 ; thoughts
suggested by, 286; table of dimen-
sions in Mariposa Grove, 451;
dimensions in Sequoia Park, 457.
Big Tuolumne Canon, 93.
Bighorn. See Sheep, mountain.
Bighorn Mountains, 404.
Birds, of Rocky Mountain Na-
tional Park, 183, 184; of the
Grand Canon, 197; of the Olym-
pic Mountains, 234, 235; of the
National Parks, 300-14; mountain
migration, 309, 310; mating for
life, 310, 31 1 ; appear to desire hu-
man society, 313, 314.
Bison, 243, 261, 441, 519.
Blackfeet Glacier, 151, 157, 484, 485.
Blackfeet Indians, 15, 17-21, 157-
59.
Boling, Capt. John, 94.
Bow River Valley, 412.
Bowman Lake, 149.
Brackenridge, Henry M., 22.
Bradbury, John, 22, 23.
Brett, Col. L. M., 58.
Bridal Veil Falls, 68, 85, 453.
Bridger, James, 24.
Bright Angel Canon, 193.
Bright Angel Point, 193.
Bryant, William, 21.
Bryce, James (Lord Bryce), 122.
Buckwheat, wild, 124.
Buffalo, 243, 261, 441, 519.
Buffalo Park, 261, 413, 519.
Bunsen Peak, 440.
Burbank, Luther, quoted, 372, 373.
Cabrillo National Monument, 411,
510.
Cameron Falls, 413.
Camp-fire, the, 293, 294.
523
Canada, Dominion Parks of, de-
scription, 251-62; creation and
administration, 262, 263; guide
to, 515-20.
Canoe and the Saddle, The, quoted,
120, 121, 128, 358, 359.
Canon de Chelly, 404.
Cafion of the Little Colorado, 193.
Cape Royal, 193.
Capulin National Monument, 409,
510.
Carbon Glacier, 133.
Caroline Bridge, 237.
Carter, T. H., 159, 160.
Casa Grande Ruin Reservation,
description, 245, 246; guide to,
508.
Cataract Cafion, 205.
Cathedral Lake, 92.
Cathedral Peak, 92.
Cathedral Rocks, 452.
Cathedral Spires, 68, 452.
Chaco Cafion, 405, 510.
Chasm Lake, 186.
Chittenden, Gen. Hiram M., 23,
37, 57; quoted, 8.
Chouteau, Pierre, 21.
Cinder Cone, 216-18.
Clach-na-coodin Range, 412.
Claggett, William H., 5, 6.
Clark, Galen, 78, 96-98, 105.
Clark, William, 21, 22.
Clements, W. M., 159.
Cleveland Mountain, 150.
Cliff Cafion, 173.
Cliff dwellers, of Mesa Verde, 163-
74-
Clothing, for rainy days, 335; for
use in the Parks, 431.
Clouds' Rest, 68, 452.
Cole, Cornelius, 6.
Colorado National Monument, 408,
511.
Colorado River, and the Grand
Cafion, 199-209.
Colter, John, 12-24.
Colter's Hell, 23.
Columbia Rock, 452.
Columbia's Crest, 135, 467.
Continental Divide, 186, 187, 436.
Cook, C. W., 25.
Cook Forest, 268.
Crater Lake, first impressions, 137.
138; origin, 138, 139; description,
140-45; discovery, 145, 146; trout-
fishing, 146.
Crater Lake National Park, 137-
47; founding, 146; location and
area, 146; proposed additions, 147;
in table, 401; guide to, 470-74.
Cut Bank Pass, 158.
Cut Bank River, 156.
Dana Mountain, 65, 92.
Daniels, Mark, 278, 279.
Dawes, Henry L., 6.
Death Valley, 102.
Deer Mountain, 188.
Desert, The, by John C. Van Dyke,
quoted, 209, 210.
Devil Postpile, 410, 511.
Devil's Lake, 244, 245.
Devil's Tower, 405, 511.
Diamond Lake, 147.
Diller, Joseph S., quoted, 142, 143,
219.
Dinosaur National Monument,
408, 511.
Dipper, or water-ouzel, 313.
Doane, Lieut. Gustavus C., 25, 26.
Dock, white, 124.
Doty, James, 158.
Dunes, in Indiana, 268, 404.
Eagle Peak, Mt. Rainier, 464.
Eagle Peak, Yosemite, 88, 452.
Eagle Point, 137.
Echo Mountain, 180.
El Capitan, 68, 452.
El Morro National Monument, 405,
511.
El Tovar, 193.
Electric Peak, 357, 440, 441.
Electrical storm, 324-26.
Eliot, Charles W., 223; quoted, 370.
Elk, 53, 305, 306.
Elk, Roosevelt, 234.
Elk Island Park, 261, 413, 520.
Emerald Lake, 257.
Emmons Glacier, 130, 131.
Equipment, 431, 432.
Erosion, in the Grand Cafion, 194,
198-206.
Estes Park, 176.
Eureka, Cal., 268.
Everts, Truman C., 58-64.
Fall River automobile road, 187.
Falls of the Yellowstone, 38, 41, 42.
Fern Lake, 187.
Fewkes, Dr. Jesse Walter, 171;
quoted, 167, 168, 268.
Fiddle Creek Canon, 253.
Field, B. C., 258.
Firehole, 30.
Firehole River, 436.
Fisher, Walter L., 279, 280.
Fishing, 44i~43, 454. 458, 469,
474, 486, 487, 493, 494, 501, 504,
516.
Flat-Top Mountain, 180, 187.
Flowers, of Yellowstone Park, 52; of
Yosemite Park, 70-83 ; of Mt. Rai-
nier, 122-30, 348; of Rocky Moun-
tain Park, 181, 182, 347; of the
Olympic Mts., 234; of Rocky
Mountains Park, Canada, 256;
of mountain-tops, 347, 348-
Folding Mountain, 253.
Folsom, David E., 25.
Forest, the, spirit of, 282-95. See
also Trees.
Forest Canon, 187.
Forest reservations, 272-76.
Forests, petrified, 45-50.
Fort Howe Park, 262, 413, 520.
Fort Manuel, 14, 15, 16, 20.
Fort Totten, 244.
Fossils, 258, 412.
Franklin Pass, 101.
Fuller, Miss Fay, lai.
Fusillade Mountain, 155.
Garfield Grove, 457.
Gem Lake, 180, 188.
General Grant National Park, 99,
loo, 105; in table, 401; guide to,
459.
Geysers, of Yellowstone Park, 26,
28-35, 438, 439.
Ghost River, 255.
Giant Forest, 105.
Giant Forest Grove, 457.
Gibbs Mountain, 65.
Gila Cliff Dwellings, 409, 511.
Glaciation, 351-55; in Yosemite
Park, 70-76; in Sequoia Park,
102, 103; at Crater Lake, 141, 142;
in Glacier National Park, 152.
Glacier Gorge, 186.
Glacier National Park, lakes, 148-
50, 154, 155; mountains, 150, 151,
155, 156; glaciers, 151, 152, 155,
156; game, 152, 153; place-names,
153; wild flowers, 153; streams,
156, 157; history, 157-60; motor
road to Waterton Lakes Park,
259; in table, 402; guide to, 475-
87.
Glacier Park, Canada, 412, 517.
Glacier Point, Yosemite, 68, 88,
452.
Glaciers, of Mt. Rainier, 117, 118,
130-34; of Glacier National Park,
151, 152, 155, 156, 484, 485; of
Rocky Mountain Park, 180; of
Mt. McKinley, 249; speed, 352;
formation, 352, 353.
Glen Canon, 191, 197.
Goat, mountain, 306, 307.
Going-to-the-Sun Mountain, 155,
358.
Gould Mountain, 150.
Gran Quivira, 407, 511.
Grand Canon National Monument,
410.
Grand Canon of the Colorado, pro-
posed National Park, 190, 191;
first impressions, 191, 192; views,
192, 193; description, 193-95;
formation, 194, 198-206; climate,
195, 196; plant life, 196, 197; ani-
mal life, 197; history, 206-08;
books about, 209; a land of form
and of color, 210; guide to, 495-99.
Grand Canon of the Yellowstone,
38, 39, 41, 439. 440.
Grand Lake, 188.
Grand Mesa, 404.
Grand River, 188.
Grand Teton, 44, 266.
Grand View, 193.
Gray, Asa, quoted, 79.
Gray's Peak, 330.
Greeley, Horace, 112.
Grinnell, George Bird, and Yellow-
stone Park, 57; and Glacier Park,
157-60; quoted, 159, 160.
525
Grinnell Glacier, 150, 151.
Grinnell Lake, 150, 153.
Grinnell Mountain, 150.
Grizzly Giant, 77, 78, 104, 105,
451.
Grosvenor, Gilbert H., quoted, 100,
101.
Hague's Peak, 179.
Haleakala, 222, 227, 228, 503, 504.
Half Dome, 68, 452.
Hall, Harvey Monroe, and Carlotta
Case Hall, A Yosemite Flora,
quoted, 82, 83.
Hallet Glacier, 180, 188.
Harris, Capt. Moses, 57.
Hauser, Samuel T., 26.
Hawaii National Park, location
and area, 221, 222; volcanoes,
221-29; forests and birds, 228,
229; views, 229; origin, 229; in
table, 402; guide to, 502-04.
Hayden, Dr. Ferdinand V., and the
founding of Yellowstone Park,
5, 6; quoted, 29, 178, 179.
Hayden Valley, 51.
Heart Lake, 36.
Heather, 125.
Hedges, Cornelius, 4, 5, 26; quoted,
26.
Hellebore, 124.
Hetch-Hetchy Valley, 66, 74, 86,
88; description, 89; history, 95,
96.
Hill, L. W., 160.
Hillman, John W., 146.
Hilo, 225.
Honolulu, 222.
Hopi Point, 193.
Hot Springs Reservation, descrip-
tion, 246, 247; in table, 400;
guide to, 506, 507.
Hunt, T. E., quoted, 240.
Hunting-contest, a, 297, 298.
Husted, S. N., 328.
Iceberg Lake, 149.
Illecillewaet Glacier, 412.
Illilouette Canon, 69.
Illilouette Falls, 86, 453.
Indian Henry's Hunting Grounds,
123, 464-
Indians, and the Yellowstone re-
gion, ii, 12; Colter's adventures
with, 15, 17-21; legend of Yo-
semite, 93, 94; in Glacier National
Park, IS7-59J tradition about
Cinder Cone, 217; legend of
woman, 378.
Indian-turnip, 20.
Irving, Washington, 23.
Ives, Lieut., quoted, 206.
Jagger, Thomas A., quoted, 227
James, Gen. Thomas, 23.
Jamez Plateau, 267.
Jasper, Alberta, 253.
Jasper Park, description, 252, 253;
in table, 413; guide to, 518.
Jefferson River, 18-20.
Jepson, W. L., 106.
Jewel Cave, 410, 512.
Johnson, Robert Underwood, 94.
Kachima Bridge, 237.
Kautz Glacier, 134.
Kaweah River, 102.
Kent, William, 219, 406.
Kern River Canon, 101.
Kickinghorse River, 258.
Kilauea, 222-24, 502, 504.
King, Clarence, 71, 102; his Moun-
taineering in the Sierra Nevada,
103.
King's River Canon, 101.
Kolb, Ellsworth L., 209.
Koloma, 89.
Kulshan, 403.
La Charette, 23.
Laggan, 255.
Lake Bidwell, 217.
Lake Eva, 412.
Lake Louise, 256, 515, Si6.
Lake MacArthur, 412.
Lake McDonald, 149.
Lake Minnewanka, 255.
Lake O'Hara, 412.
Lake Tenaya, 76.
Lakes, crater, 142.
Lakes in the Clouds, 412.
Lamar River, 46.
Lamon, John, 95.
Lament, Alberta, 261.
526
Lane, Franklin K., 278.
Langford, Nathaniel P., 5, 6, 26, 56.
Lassen Peak, 211-16.
Lassen Volcanic National Park, lo-
cation, area, and altitude, 211,
212; origin, 212, 219; description,
212-17; Indian tradition, 217;
springs and streams, 217; lakes,
217, 218; trees, flowers, and an-
imal life, 218, 219; attractions,
219, 220; in table, 402; guide to,
500, 501.
Lava, 38, 39. 139-41, 204, 205, 213,
214, 216, 218; a huge field of,
212, 213; in Hawaii National
Park, 223-29.
Lava Falls, 204, 205.
Leaning Tower, 452.
Lefroy Glacier, 412.
Lewis, Judge Robert E., decision
quoted, 277, 278.
Lewis and Clark Cavern, 408, 512.
Lewis Lake, 36.
Liberty Cap, Mt. Rainier, 199.
Liberty Cap, Yosemite, 452.
Lily, Washington, 81.
Lincoln, Abraham, quoted, 112.
Lincoln National Park or Reserva-
tion, 411.
Lion, mountain, 309.
Lisa, Manuel, 13, 14.
Little Bridge, 237, 238.
Little Kootenai Creek, 156.
Little Yosemite Valley, 69, 73, 74.
Little Zion River Region, 239.
Loch Vale, 186.
Lodore Caflon, 205.
Logging Creek, 156.
Long's Peak, 178-81, 356, 357; above
a snowstorm on, 318, 319; in a
high wind, 320-22; moonlight
and sunrise on, 328-31; timber-
line on, 340, 341.
Los Molinos, 214.
Lost Creek, 214, 215.
Lost in the wilderness, 58-64. 337,
338.
Luray Caverns, 268.
McClurg, Mrs. Gilbert, 168.
McDermott Lake, 149.
McFarland, J. Horace, 276.
Maligne Lake, 253.
Mammoth Cave, 268.
Mammoth Hot Springs, 30, 31, 436.
Maple Creek Antelope Reserve, 413.
Marble Cation, 191, 205.
Marion Lake, 412.
Mariposa Grove, 77, 78; sizes of Big
Trees, 451.
Marshall, Robert B., 279.
Mather, Stephen T., 96, 278, 279.
Matthes, Frangois E., 71; quoted,
120, 465-68.
Mauna Loa, 222, 224-27, 502-04.
Meadow Mountain, 179.
Menard, Pierre, 21.
Merced Grove, 77.
Merced River, 66, 67, 70.
Mertensia, 124.
Mesa Verde National Park, interest
of, 161, 162; location, area, and
altitude, 162; view from, 162; an-
cient inhabitants, 163-67; ruins,
167-74; establishment, 168; his-
tory, 169-71; in table, 401; guide
to, 488-90.
Miette Springs, 253.
Mills Moraine, 186.
Mineral King, 101.
Mirror Lake, 93.
Mono Desert, 92.
Mono Lake, 92.
Monroe, Hugh, 158.
Montezuma Castle, 405, 512.
Moonlight, 326, 327; ascent of
Long's Peak by, 328, 329.
Morning-Glory Spring, 30.
Motorists, advice to, 432.
Mt. Adams, 235.
Mt. Assiniboine, 412.
Mt. Baker, 121, 403.
Mt. Cleveland, 358.
Mt. Cougar, 233.
Mt. Dana, 65, 92.
Mt. Evans, 403.
Mt. Everts, 63, 441.
Mt. Gibbs, 65.
Mt. Haleakala, 222, 227. 228, 503.
504.
Mt. Hoffman, 88, 91, 357-
Mt. Hood, 404.
Mt. Jackson, 151, I5S-
Mt. Lady Washington, 186.
527
Mt. Lyell, 65, 357.
Mt. McGregor, 403.
Mt. McKinley, 248-50.
Mount McKinley National Park,
description, 248-50; in table, 402;
guide to, 505.
Mt. Mauna Loa, 222, 224-27, 502-
04.
Mt. Mazama, 137-42.
Mt. Meany, 233.
Mt. Meeker, 178, 179.
Mt. Mitchell, 403.
Mt. Olympus, 232.
Mount Olympus National Monu-
ment, description, 230-35; in
table, 411; guide to, 512.
Mt. Rainier, size and altitude, 116-,
a volcano, 117, 119; a source of
inspiration, 120; discovery and ex-
ploration, 120-22; timber-line,
129; glaciers, 130-34; snowfall,
I34» 135; streams and erosion,
135, 136; climbing, 356, 465-68.
Mount Rainier National Park, area,
116; additions suggested, 117,
266; roads and trails, 117, 118;
creation, 122; wild-flower garden,
122-30, 348; trees, 129, 130; ani-
mal life, 130; in table, 401; guide
to, 460-69. See also Mt. Rainier.
Mt. Revelstoke, 260.
Mt. Robson, 413.
Mt. St. Elias, 266.
Mt. St. Helens, 235.
Mt. Seattle, 233.
Mt. Shasta, 404.
Mt. Sheridan, 357.
Mt. Sir Donald, 412.
Mt. Stephen, 258.
Mt. Tahoma. See Mt. Rainier.
Mt. Temple, 412.
Mt. Thielson, 147.
Mt. Washburn, 357.
Mt. Watkins, 69.
Mt. Whitney, 100, 101, 357, 358.
Mountaineers Club, 232.
Mountains, higher regions of, 340-
51; high peaks, 356-59-
Muir, John, 71, 87, 90, 103, 276,
313. 387; quoted, 42, 43, 50, 69,
70, 89, 97, no, 127, 190, 362;
his story of an Englishman at
Yosemite, 94, 95; and the Hetch-
Hetchy fight, 95; on the Big Tree,
108-10; sketch of, 360-65.
Muir Grove, 457.
Muir National Park, proposed, 103.
Muir Woods, 406, 512.
Mukuntuweap Cafion, 239-41.
Mukuntuweap National Monument,
description, 239-41; in table, 406;
guide to, 512.
Muldrow Glacier, 249.
Mummy Lake, 174.
Mummy Range, 187.
Nakimu marble caves, 412.
National Academy of Science, 277.
National Monument, Mount Olym-
pus, 230-35 ;Mukuntuweap, 239-
41; Natural Bridges, 236-39;
Rainbow Bridge, 236-39. See
also table and data, 405-11, 510-
14.
National Monuments, administra-
tion, 280, 281; table of, 405-11;
data concerning the several, 510-
14.
National Park, Casa Grande Ruin,
245, 246, 402, 508; Crater Lake,
137-47, 401, 470-74! General
Grant, 99, 100, 105, 401, 459;
Glacier, 148-60, 402, 475-87; Ha-
waii, 221-29, 402, 502-04; Hot
Springs, 246, 247, 400, 506, 507;
Lassen Volcanic, 211-20, 402,
500, 501; Mesa Verde, 161-74,
401, 488-90; Mount McKinley,
248-50, 402, 505; Mount Rainier,
116-36, 401, 460-69; Platt, 248,
402, 509; Rocky Mountain, 175-
89, 402, 491-945 Sequoia, 99-H5.
401, 455-58; Sully 's Hill, 244,
245, 402, 509; Wind Cave, 242-
44, 402, 508; Yellowstone, 3-62,
400, 433-43; Yosemite, 65-98,
401, 444-54.
National Park Mountain, 4.
National Parks, origin, 3, 4; needs,
264; advantages, 264, 265; new
Parks proposed, 266-69; develop-
ment needed, 269-72; as distin-
guished from National Forests,
272-77; importance of separate
528
jment, 277, 278; adminis-
trative history, 278-80; and the
National Monuments, 280, 281;
as wild-life sanctuaries, 296-316;
physical, mental, and moral bene-
fits from, 333, 334, 338; immortal,
339; educational value, 366-77;
our need of, 378-87 ; table of, 400-
02; table of proposed Parks, 403,
404.
Natural Bridge, Yoho Park, 257.
Natural Bridges National Monu-
ment, description, 236-39; in
table, 407; guide to, 513-
Navajo National Monument, 408,
SI3.
Nevada Falls, 86, 453.
Niagara Falls, 404.
Nisqually Glacier, 118, 131-33.
Nolen, John, 276; quoted, 276.
Nonnezoshie Bridge, 238.
Nordenskjold, Baron, 169.
North Carolina, 268.
North Dome, 69, 452.
North Specimen Mountain, 326.
Nyack River, 157.
Obsidian Cliff, 436.
Odel, Maud Gardner, poem, 374.
Odessa Lake, 187.
Ohanapecosh Valley, 465.
Old Inspiration Point, 452.
Old Kasaan National Monument,
SI3.
Olmsted, Frederic Law, quoted,
274. 275.
Olympic Mountains, 230-36.
Olympic National Monument. See
Mount Olympus National Monu-
ment.
Olympic National Park, proposed,
230, 236.
Oregon Caves, 410^ 513.
Ottertail Range, 412.
Ottertail Valley, 412.
Owachomo Bridge, 237, 238.
Ozark Mountains, 403.
"Paint-Pots," in Yellowstone Park,
42.
Pajarito cliff cities, 403.
Panorama Point, 452.
Papago Saguaro National Monu-
ment, 408, 513.
Paradise Glacier, 133.
Paradise Park, 123, 131, 464-66.
Parsons, Edward T., 90.
Parsons Memorial Lodge, 90-93
Peak Success, 119.
Perdrix Mountain, 253.
Peterson, William, 25.
Petrified Forest National Monu-
ment, 408, 513.
Phantom Ship, 145.
Pierre's Hole, 15.
Pike's Peak, 330, 403.
Pine, lodge-pole, 52.
Pine, sugar, 78.
Pine, yellow, 78, 79.
Pinnacles National Monument.
406, 513.
Piute Indians, legend, 378.
Platt National Park, 248, 402,
509.
Point Sublime, 193.
Pollock, W. C., 159.
Pomeroy, Samuel Clarke, 6.
Porcupine, 307.
Potts, John, 17.
Poudre Lakes, 325.
Powell, Major John W., 206.
President Range, 412.
Prismatic Lake, 30.
Profile Cliff, 452.
Ptarmigan, 311, 312.
Puget Sound, 235.
Pulpit Rock, Yosemite, 452.
Punch-Bowl Falls, 253.
Pyramid Rock, 134.
Raeburn, D. L., 249.
Railroad routes and fares, 435-31.
Rainbow Bridge, 238.
Rainbow Bridge National Monu-
ment, description, 236-39; in
table, 407; guide to, 514.
Rainier, Peter, 120.
Rainstorm, joy in a, 323, 324.
Raker, John E., 219.
Ramparts Ridge, 464.
Red Eagle Mountain, 155.
Red Eagle River, 156.
Redwood Meadow, 101.
Reservation, Casa Grande Rui»,
529
345, 246, 402, 508; Hot Springs,
246, 247, 400, 506, 507.
Revelstoke Park, description, 260;
in table, 412; guide to, 518, 519-
Rhyolite, 38, 39, 140.
Ribbon Falls, 86, 453.
Roche Miette, 253.
Rocky Mountain National Park,
character, 1 75-775 area and alti-
tude, 177; mountains, 178-80;
glaciation, 180.181; lakes, 180, 187,
i88;wild flowers, 181, 182; animal
life, 183, 184; trees, 184; timber-
line, 184, 185; points of interest,
186-89; addition in 1917, i88and
note; a hunting-contest in, 297,
298; bighorn in, 307; flowers on
highest peaks, 347 ; regions above
timber-line in, 348; in table, 402;
guide to, 491-94.
Rocky Mountain Wonderland, The,
quoted, 273, 345-
Rocky Mountains Park, Alberta,
description, 254-56; in tables,
412; guide to, 515, 516.
Rogers Pass, 412.
Roosevelt Project, 404.
Royal Arches, 69.
St. Anthony, Idaho, 15.
St. John, N.B., 262.
St. Lawrence Islands Park, 261,413,
520.
St. Mary's Lake, 154, 155.
St. Vrain River, 323.
San Juan Mountains, 404, 488.
Savage, Major James D., 94.
Sawtooth Mountains, 403.
Scenery, value of, 277, 278.
Screech, Joseph, 95.
Schultz, James Willard, 157, 158.
Selkirk Mountains, 412.
Sentinel Dome, 453.
Sentinel Falls, 88.
Sentinel Rock, 68.
Sequoia. See Big Tree.
Sequoia National Park, area and
topography, 99-103; the Big Trees
of, 104-15, 282, 286; in table,
401; guide to, 455-58.
Sheep, mountain, 188, 189, 306,
307; a case of tameness. 300.
Sheldon, Charles, 250.
Sherman, Mrs. John D., 276, 277.
Ship Rock, 162.
Shoshone Cavern, 406, 514.
Shoshone Lake, 36.
Siberian Plateau, 101.
Sierra Club, 94.
Sierra Madre Mountains, 404.
Sierra Nevada. See Yosemite Na-
tional Park and Sequoia National
Park.
Sieur de Monta National Monu-
ment, 409, 514.
Sipapu Bridge, 237.
Sitka National Monument, 407,
514-
Smith, Miss Edna, quoted, 327-31.
Snag Lake, 214.
Snow, banners of, 322.
Snowpeak Avenue, 257.
Snow- plant, 81.
Snowstorm, climbing above a, 31?-
19.
Soda Springs, 90-93.
Solitaire, 291, 292, 311.
Specimen Mountain, 179, 188, 189.
Specimen Ridge, Yellowstone Park,
441.
Sperry Glacier, 151, 485.
Sprague's Glacier, 180, 187.
Spray Park, 123.
Springs, hot, of Yellowstone Park,
28-32, 39, 439; of Lassen Volcanic
Park, 217, 219.
Stanford Point, 453.
Steele, William G., 146.
Stevens, Gen. Hazard, 121.
Stevenson, Robert Louis, quoted,
362, 381, 382.
Stewart, George W., 100.
Stimpson, Harry L., 157.
Stone, Julius F., 207; quoted, 207-
09.
Stump Lake, 216, 218.
Sully 's Hill, 245.
Sully's Hill National Park, descrip-
tion, 244, 245; guide to, 509.
Sulphur Mountain, 254.
Summerland, 123.
Swift Current Pass, 154-
Sylvan Lake. 44.
Sylvan Pass, 44.
530
Tahoma, Indian name for Mt.
Rainier, 120.
Tahoma Glaciers, 134.
Tahosa Valley, 186.
Takakkaw Fall, 257.
Tehipitee Dome, 102.
Tenaya Canon, 69.
Terraces, in Yellowstone Park, 438.
Teton Mountains, 44.
Thousand Islands, 261, 262, 520.
Three Brothers, 68.
Three Forks, 17, 21.
Thurston, L. A., 229.
Timber-line, 340-45; in Rocky
Mountain National Park, 184,
185; the regions above, 345-51.
Tinkham, A. W.t 158.
Tioga Pass, 92.
Tioga Road, 90, 96.
Tonto National Monument, 409,
514-
Torrey's Peak, 330.
Trail, the, 388-93.
Trail Ridge, 180, 187.
Training of the Human Plant, The,
quoted, 372, 373.
Trees, of Yellowstone Park, 51, 52;
of Yosemite Park, 76-79; of Se-
quoia Park, 104-15; of Mt.
Rainier, 129, 130; of Crater Lake
Park, 145; of the Olympic Mts.,
233. 234- See also Forest and
Timber-line.
Triple Divide Peak, 156.
Trumbull, Walter, 5.
Tueeulala Falls, 86, 89.
Tumacacori National Monument,
406, 514-
Tuolumne Canon, 93.
Tuolumne Grove, 77.
Tuolumne Meadows, 88, 90, 92.
Tuolumne River, 66, 88, 93.
Tuolumne Valley, 90.
Twin Lakes, B.C., 412.
Twin Lakes, Yellowstone Park, 436.
Twin Sister Peaks, 178, 188.
Two Ocean Glacier, 156.
Two Ocean Pass, 36, 155.
Two Ocean Pond, 36, 37.
Upper Geyser Basin, 438.
Usnea, 128.
Valerian, 124.
Valley of the Ten Peaks. 412.
Vancouver, George, 120, 230.
Van Dyke, John C., quoted, 209,
210.
Van Trump, P. B., 121.
Van Trump Park, 464.
Vernal Falls, 85, 86, 453.
Victoria Glacier, 412.
Villard, Henry, 121, 122.
Volcanoes, in Yellowstone Park, 38,
39, 45, 46, 50; Mt. Rainier a
sleeping volcano, 117, 126, 127;
Mt. Mazama, 138-44; Lassen
Peak, 211-15; Cinder Cone, 216-
18; Kilauea, 222-24; Mauna Loa,
222, 224-27; Haleakala, 222, 227,
228.
Vulture Peak, 156.
Wainwright, Alberta, 261.
Walhalla Plateau, 192, 193.
Walker, Joseph R., 94-
Walnut Canon, 411, 514.
Wapama Falls, 86, 89.
Warner Caiicn, 214.
Washburn, Gen. Henry D., 26.
Washburn-Doane Expedition, 25,
26, 58.
Washington Column, 69, 453.
Water-ouzel, or dipper, 313.
Waterton Lake, 149.
Waterton Lakes Park, description,
258-60; in table, 413; guide to,
519.
Waterton River, 259.
Wawona tree, 78.
Waxwings, 312, 313.
Wheeler National Monument, 410,
514-
White, Stewart Edward, quoted,
273, 274.
Wickersham, James, 250.
Widow's Tears Falls, 453.
Wilbur Mountain, 149.
Wild Basin, 186.
Wind, pressure on waterfalls, 87;
a high wind on Long's Peak, 320-
22.
Wind Cave, 242, 243.
Wind Cave National Park, descrip-
tion, 242-44; guide to, 508.
531
Winthrop, Theodore, 120; quoted,
120, 121, 128, 358, 359.
Winthrop Glacier, 133.
Wizard Island, 144, 145.
Wood, petrified, 45-50.
Woodcraft, suggestions, 335-38.
Yellowhead Pass, 253.
Yellowstone Canon, 38, 39, 41.
Yellowstone Lake, 36, 40.
Yellowstone National Park, origin,
3-8; discoveries and explorations
of the region, 10-27; Indian names
for region, 1 1 ; geysers and springs,
28-35, 39; lakes, 36; streams, 36,
37; greatest attractions, 38; ge-
ology, 38-50; John Muir on, 42,
43; petrified forests, 45-50; area,
51; trees, 51, 52; wild flowers, 52;
animal life. 53; entrances, 53;
road-system, 54; administrative
history, 54-58; experience of
Truman C. Everts, 58-64; as a
wild-life sanctuary, 305; improper
feeding of bears in, 315; ship-
ments of animals from, 315; act
of dedication, 397-99; in table,
400; guide to, 433-43.
Yellowstone River, 38, 41.
Yoho Park, description, 256-58; in
table, 412; guide to, 516, 51?-
Yoho Valley, 257.
Yosemite Creek, 86, 87.
Yosemite Falls, 69, 85-87, 453-
Yosemite Flora, A, by H. M. and C.
C. Hall, quoted, 82, 83.
Yosemite National Park, area and
topography, 65; general features,
65-70; geology, 70-76; trees, 76-
79; shrubs, 79; wild flowers, 70-
83; waterfalls, 83-88; what to see
in, 88-93; history, 93-98; in table,
401; guide to, 444-54.
Yosemite Point, 453.
Yosemite Valley, 6?-73, 75, 88,
94. 95, 97, 100.
Yosemite Village, 06.
ftitoer^ibe
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