The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-06
A NEW NATIONAL PARK.
Tho Grandest Pleasure Grounds
In America.
xosomito valley In C,ilforuIa the Hoar,
or the Spacious Preserve
Devoted to the
People.

mas been established in this country.
This spacious park ~ in California, com
pletely surrounding the Yosemite val.
ley grant Of 1864 and about thirty times
as large as that grant. 1t takes in not
only the entire water he'd OF the MERGED
river region. as defined by tho ncircling
mountain range which includes Tuo-
lumne Peak and Cathedral Peak on tho
north and northeast Mount Lyell with
ITS superb glaciers on tho east and Euena
Vista Peak on the south; but it embraces
alSo the noble lIetch Hetchy valley, itself
aecond Yosemite, and the magnificent
Grand canon OF tho Tuolumne, with its
massive walls and domes, and its cas-
Cades unequalled in volume OF water BIZ
those OF any other canon in tho Sierra
1t crosses the Tuolumne meadows and
annexes tho splendid range that con-
tains Mount Dana and Mount G ibis and
tho Mono pass. 1t has saved from tho
lumbarman and the saw-mill the Mono
pass, the MERGED and Tuolumne groves
OF big trees, and has secured Lake
Eleanor. In short, it has brought with
In it's protecting area all that needs to
be reserved iii that region OF natures
marvcls.
The history OF this achievements. saws
the New York sun, is interesting. Tho
grant Of Yosemite valley To California
quarter OF a century AFRO, ito hc held for
public usc, resort and recreation" was a
mistake. The valley should have been
retained under tho churrc OF the In.
terror Department for the Same pur.
poses, like The Yellowstone Park since
it was intended 70; the whole country.
Sucsi diSpos.ti ton Of it would have made
its custolianA directly responsible to tho
general Government, and would have
secured the aid or Congress- for its care
nad improyem MT
After \ Time another mistake in the
Yosemite grant became apparent The
area conveyed h Il not been larrc
enough. ana the valley was mcnaccd by
the industries gradually approaching j.
Tho surrounding for SITS were failing
under the axe. s,,w-nills were busy
among tho great trees, enormous herd,
OF sheep we're pas;urcd on tho mount.
aims and traniplcd and stripped tbs
horbago and shrubs, while The woods.
when cleared of their more valuable
timber, were sometimes burned so as
to destroy tho undcrbrush and improve
the pasturagc. Even where the fires
the industries led to enormous dcstruc.
ton from this source through carclcss-
moss and accident. All this meant not
only ravagcs in u region only less ma
lcstic and exquisite than the Yosemite
valley, but the dim.nution of the won.
dcrful falls in this valley during tho
season when they arc most visited, since
the cutting Of these forests wa5 sara -
lead 10 an earlier melting o. tho sncy'a
1t was plain, also, that these surround
inGs Tor many miles ought to DO joined
to tho Yosemite tract as portions of 4
uniform system. the magnificent setting
OF a central gem.
While this project was under discus.
Sion some ontcry was raised in Cali
fornia against tho present management
OF tho Yosemite valley itself a heated
controversy arose, in. it at least became
clear that should tho proposed enlarge
mcnt OF the park DO made it must not
he done with Il continuation OF tho crro.
OF 1864, but IL new National park mu It
be founded. a bill for this cnlarrc-
mcnt had b en- drawn by Mr. G.. ID.
Poston, cX-dclcgatc from Arizona, but
it did not include even the whole of tho
watershed OF tho Yosemite. General
Vandcvcr's bill. introduced last March.
nado up soma lacks. yet was itself too
limited in scope. IL happened that Mr..
John Mutt, the California naturalist,
and Mr.. Il. u. johnson. of the Century
Magazine, had camped together in that
region. and 1T the request OF the latter
MIR. Muir had skcichcd out tho bound
aries of y National Yosemite park as it
ought 10 DO. These greatly extended
boundaries were advocated by Mr. John
son before the committee of Congress.
and were approved rs amendments to
the Fandcvcr bill, and tho measure AZ
thus revised was passed by tho House.
Under tho urgent personal work OF its
supporters it was concurrcd in by tho
Senate at tho very end OF the session.
In this way the present magnificent
area. measuring from forty to forty-nvo
miles east and west, its eastern outline
being irregular, and about thirty-sevon
north and south, was secured to tho
country rs public pleasure ground.
Willie the original grant of tho 70
semitic valley and tho Nlariposa Big
Tree Grove TO California in 1861 remains
undisturbed it is not unlikely to DO
placed eventually under tho National
management of tho far greater park
which surrounds it. Tho second sec
ton OF the act brings the new park
nndor the exclusive control Of tho Sec
rotary Of Tho Interior; and tho proyis-
ions OF this control arc similar 70 those
OF tho Yellowstone Park. 1t is probable,
therefore, that like the latter il will DO
put in the custody OF troop OF regular
cavalry.
There vas second act passed at tho
Same session, and approved on tho 25th
OF September, creating another park in
California Ii cniS nnnrt fnr Nn.inn,l