The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1891-03-26
A NEW NATIONAL PARK.
The Grandest Pleasure Grounds
in America
Yosemite valley in California the Heart
OF the Spacious Preserve
Devoted TO the


mountains are aware that during last
autumna new National pleasure ground.
larger than tho State of Rhode Island,
has been established in this country.
This spacious park is in California, com
plctely surrounding the Yosemite val
ley grant of 1854 and about thirty times
as large as that grant. 1t takes III not
only the entire watershed Of the Merced
river region, as defined by the encircling
mountain range which includes Tue
lumne Peak and Cathedral Peak on the
north and northeast, Mount Lyell with
its superb glaciers on the east and Buena
Vista Peak on the south; but it embraces
also the noble Hetch Hetchy valley, itself
s second Yosemite, and the magnificent
ueand canon of the Tuolumne, with its
massive walls and domes, and its cas-
cades unequalled in volume of water by
those Of any other canon in the Sierra
1t crosses the Tuolumne meadows and
annexes the splendid range that con-
tains Mount Dana and Mount Gibbs and
the Mono pass. 1t has saved from the
lumberman and the saw-mill the Mono
pass, the MERGED and Tuolumne groves
Of big trees, and has secured Lake
Eleanor. In short, 1t has brought with
in its protecting area all that needs to
be reserved in that region of natures
marvels.
The history of this achievement, says
the New York Sun, is interesting. The
grant of Yosemite valley to California
quarter Of century ago, ''to be held for
public use, resort and recreation" was q
mistake. The valley should have been
retained under the charge of the In
terror Department for the same pur-
poses, like the Yellowstone Park, since
1t was intended for the whole country.
Such disposition of it would have made
its custodians directly responsible to the
general Government, and would have
secured the aid Of Congress for its care
and Improvement.
After 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
heritage 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.
jestlo and exquisite than the Yosemite
valley, but the diminution of the won
derful falls in this valley during the
season when they are most visited, since
the cutting of these forests was sure to
lead to 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 a central gem.
While this project was under discus.
sion some outcry was raised in Cali.
fornia against the present management
controversy arose, but it at least became
clear that should the proposed enlarge
ment of the park be made it must not
be done with a continuation of the erro,
OF 1864, but new National park mus
be founded. A bill for this enlarge
ment had been drawn by Mr.. G. D.
Poston, ex,delegate from Arizona, but
it did not include even the whole of the
watershed of the Yosemite. Genera
vandever's bill, introduced last March
made up some lacks, vet was itself toe
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 thai
region, and at the request Of the latter
Mr.. Muir had sketched out tho bound
aries of National Yosemite park as i
ought to be. These greatly extended
boundaries were advocated by Mr.. John
son before the committee of Congress
and were approved as amendments t.
The Vandeyer bill, and the measure a.
thus revised was passed by the House
Under the URGENT personai work of If,
snnnorters II was concurred in bv tn,
Aenate Al the very end of tho session
In this wav the present mapnificen
area. measuring from forty 10 fortv.fiv
niles east and west. its eastern ontlin,
being irregular. and about thirtv-seve,
.ortb and south. was secured TO tn,
.,anntry as a public pleasure ground.
While the original grant OF the Yo