Telegram-herald., 1890-12-04
A NEW NATIONAL PARK.
Tsss2tss ssslsE ~ S.lsfe<zs. a. a ~~xs
81 shs ss.oAe@s srs.srss
Essstea 50 "a.
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Probably fss people east of tAs Roekv
noantziRs are aware tA4t a1rlng last
sutnnn4 ns~ Satloasl ple4suYs ground,
larger sA4n the state 81 kheas Island,
kas been established Ia tAls co0ntry.
TAis spacious PARK : Ia C4lIferHi4. eon-
plstsly surrounding fhe Ysssaiss val-
lsy gf2at of IseS 4ad about thirty tlnss
as large as that gr2aE lt takes ia not
only ths entire watershed q the Meross1
river reKien. As dsnnea by the encirelisg
m0antAiR rsnse which iaclaaes Too
lumns Peak ana Cathedral Peak on ths
north and northeast, keant L.yell uitA
its superb glaciers on the east and Buens
Vista Peak On the south, bat Il ew braces
also the aoble HeteA Hetchy valley i tsslf
: second Yosemite, and the magnificent
Grand eanon of the 1uolumne, with its
nasSiye walls aaa domes, and It's cas-
cades uass called in volpme Of water by
those of any ether canon in the Sierra.
Is crosses the I0oiumns meadows aud
sRnexes the splendid range that con
tains Mount Dana and houRt Gibbs and
the Mono pass. IL has saved from the
lumberman and the sAw-mill the Mono
pass, the Mercsd and Taolamne groves
OF big trees, and has ssesred Lake
Eleanor. In short. II has brought with
in It's protecting area all that needs 10
be reserved ia that region OF natures
maryels.
The history Of this achievement says
the New York sun, is interesting. The
grant OF Yosemite valley 10 California
quarter Of a century ago. 10 be held for
public use, resort aud recreation" was a
mistake. The valley should have been
retained under the charge OF the In
terror Department for the same pur-
IL was intended for the whole country.
Such disposition of il would have made
its custodians dirsctly y responsible 70 the
general Government, and would have
secured the aid a Congress for its care
and improvement.
After a time another mistake in the
Yosemite grant became apparent. The
area conveyed had not been large
enough. and the valley was menaced by
the industries gradually approaching IT,
The surrounding forests were falling
under the axe, saw-mills were busy
among the great trees, enormous herds
of sheep were pastured on the mount
aims and trampled and stripped the
herbage and shrubs, while the woods,
when cleared of their more valuable
timber, were sometimes burned SO as
to destroy the underbrush and improve
the pasturage. Even where the fires
were not intentional, the presence Of
the industries led to enormous destruc-
ton from this source through careless
ness and accident. All this meant not
only ravages in region only less ma
iestfc and exquisite than the Yosemite
valley, but the diminution of the won
derful falls in this valley during the
season when they are most vioited, since
the cutting Of these forests was sure to
lead 10 an earlier melting OF the SHOWS.
1t was plain, also, that these surround
ings for many miles ought to be joined
to the Yosemite tract as portions of a
uniform system, the magnificent setting
OF central gem.
sion some outcry was raised in Cali.
fornia against the present management
of the Yosemite valley itself. A heated
controversy arose, bpt it at least became
clear that should the proposed enlarge
ment of the park be made IL must not
be done with continuation of the error
of 1864, but new National park must
be founded. A bill for this enlarge
ment had been drawn by Mr.. c. d.
Poston, ex-delegate from Arizona. but
it did not include even the whole Of the
watershed Of the Yosemite. General
Vandever's bill, introduced last March,
made up some lacks, yet was itself too
limited in scope. 1t happened that Mr..
John Muir, the California naturalist
and Mr.. r.. u. Johnson, of the Century
Magazine, had camped together in that
region, and at the request of the latter
Mr.. Muir had sketched out the bound
aries OF National Yosemite park as il
ought TO be. These greatly extended
boundaries were advocated by Mr.. John
son before the committee OF Congress.
and were approved as amendments TO
the Vandever bill, and the measure as
thus revised was passed by the House.
Under the urgent personal work of its
supporters IL was concurred in by the
Senate at the very end OF the session.
In this way the present magnificent
area, measuring from forty to forty-five
miles east and west, its eastern outline
being irregular, and about thirty-xeven
north and south, was secured TO the
country as public pleasure ground.
While the original grant OF the Yo'
semitic valley and the Mariposa Big
Tree Grove 10 California in 1864 remain.
undisturbed IL is not unlikely TO bs
placed eventually under the National
management OF the far greater psrl
which surrounds It. The second sec
tion of the aot brings the new parl
under The exclusive control of the Sec
retsry Of the Interior; and the provis
ions Of this control are similar 70 thoss
Of the Yellowstone Par II isprobable
therefore. that like the latter il will b.
put in the custody Of troop Of -egulai
Z cavalry.
There was q second act passed at th'
same session. and approved en- the 25tl
OF Septemb Der, creating another park II
California IL sess apart for Nstionz
uses the tract containing the Tular'
County big trees. and this also Is unde,
+ the control of the Interior Department
( Accordingly the wonderful seQBoi,
groves - the Sierrss. both IN Msrip0sl
+ and Tulsrs counties. ~ithin as wlthos