The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-01-12
PRESERVE THE PINE.
Fire Warden Andrews Gives His
Plan for a National Park.
The Proposed Park Embraces Some of the
Finest Lakes in the State. Minneso-
ta's congressman Should Try
Earnestly to Secure It,

Chief Fire Warden C. C. Andrews,
whose interest in procuring portion
of the Chippewa reservation for a ma
tional park is unfagging, has some
further suggestions to make. Warden
Andrews says:
Ontario has given the name of
Algonquin to her national park of
round million acres, situated only
$50 miles north of Toronto, and per-
haps 'Ojibway,' the Indian name for
Chippewa, would be suitable name
for the proposed national park in nor
thern Minnesota. But for my part
am willing to wait till we get the park
before naming it.
Il have visited the lands embraced
in the proposed park three separate
times and can testify that a very con-
siderable part is sandy and covered
with jack pine forest. There are,
however, some magnificent bodies
both of white and red pine situated
on beautiful lake shores; enough, in
deed, to answer all the aesthetic pur-
poses for noble pine forest park. 1t
must be remembered that we do not
have mountain scenery in Minnesota,
and that these majestic pines which
have been two or three centuries ris-
ing to their sublime heights, and
which happen to border lakes of ideal
beauty, constitute our finest, most i'm
pressive scenery. The Mississippi
river flows through these lands and
the facilities for floating logs are so
good that the pine would thirty years
ago have been cut if the lands had
been in the market. Fortunately they
are on Indian reservations, and the
pine has been spared.
''The aesthetic spirit in our state
and country says: Let us reserve this
remnant of primeval pine forest for a
park The commercial spirit says:
No, let us cut it all, and as soon as
possible The issue is formed; the
question is before the people, and it
remains to be seen which side will
prevail.
'The site of the proposed park in
cludes the Cass lake, Chippewa, Leech
lake and Lake Winnibigoshish, adj
joining reservations of the Chippewa
Indians of Minnesota, containing in
acres, of water surface; an area just a
little larger than that of Hennepin
and Wright counties together. The
thousand feet above the sea.
''If the commercial spirit prevails
and the pine on these lands be put in
market, it would tend to rush bust
ness for very few years in the i'm
mediate locality. To this the
aesthetic side replies that if the park
be established it will attract visitors
and stimulate travel to such an ex-
tent as to make more business in the
vicinity than would accrue from lum-
bering the pine. The situation in the
Adirondacks is cited, which contains
a population of over $4,000 and num-
Der of villages whose people claim
that that there is more money for
them in having the forest stand than
in having it numbered. But if this
park be established there yet will be
some numbering, for the ripe trees
that are liable to decay or fall will be
cut from time to time, thus affording
some revenue, but the forest will re-
main unimpaired. We have not in
this country any such splendid col
lections of art and antiquity as are to
be seen in Europe. Europe has for
ests more crowded and of more COM
mercial value to the acre than we
have in this country, but none so
beautiful as some of the primeval pine
forests which we have just in our own
state of Minnesota. And because they
are SO beautiful it would be a shame
it we did not preserve and hand down
to future generations some portion
of them.
''There are lots of other arguments
which can be used in favor of this
national park. 1t will serve as a
health resort. 1t will be a covert for
game. 1t will promote water supply
in the Mississippi river. 1t will tend
to ameliorate the climate.
'sThe project is unquestionably pop
ular throughout the country so far as
it is known, and 1 believed the park
can be obtained if the Minnesota del
egation in congress make persistent
effort for it. This they cannot be ex-
pected to do unless they be most
strongly reinforced-indeed, pushed,
by popular sentiment. Every child
and good citizen in the state therefore
should strive to create a sentiment in
favor Of the park.
"a hundred million dollars worth
of pine has been cut in Minnesota. The
greater part of what remains is in the
hands of private owners who will cut
it as fast as they can find market
for it. This is the last chance fo-
reserving any sufficient tract of prim.
eval pine that is accessible by rail-
way"