The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1900-01-11
NATIONAL PARK MOVEMENT.

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mountain park i'll the south is at.
tracing widespread endorsement
and the leading newspapers of the
country are discussing it in a fa'
vorable way.
The Hartford Courant declares
that the widest and most natur.
ally beautiful part of this country
east of the Rocky mountains is
that region where North Carolina
Tennessee. Virginia, South Caro-
lima approach each other. II
is mountain country with al
average elevation of 1900 feet and
peaks running up thousands OF
feet higher. The tallest noun.
tain east of the Rockies is IN
North Carolina. This wild region
abounds in timber, and is still a
natural and unbroken wilderness
except as the lumbermen invade
its quiet. They have come. AL
ready traffic in forest land is ac-
tive and the railroads of the vi
cinity are loaded with lumber for
market. Let the American people
sit by with their accustomed opti-
mistic apathy, and before long
the forests will be gone, the water
courses left to dry up, the bears,
deer and other wild animals killed
off, hnd nothing but a fading
memory remain of what is now a
great natural park. The Courant
goes on to say:
The general government ought
to step in, before it is too late,
and take possession of the whole
region. The Yellowstone park,
far away and to all but few in
accessible, should be supplement-
ed by this national reservation,
which is easily reached by the
great majority of the people of
the United States. Take your
map and you Will find that from
Boston on the east around by
Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati,
Chicago and St. Louis to New Or
leans, Jacksonville and so on up
to Washington every city on the
imaginary circuit has railroad fa-
cilities bringing it within not
more at most than one nights
ride of Asheville, the central
point in the Blue Ridge and great
smoky country. Establish q park
there and people from every large
city this side of the Mississippi
would be visiting it in large num-
bers at all seasons of the year. As
an opportunity for comforting on
the citizens of the country
means of great enjoyment tins
chance for congressional action is
unique: But that really would be
only an incident of the work. In
this elevated land are multitudes
of clear sweet streams, delivering
water to the Atlantic coast and to
the Mississippi river. The divide
is in the possible park. If the
timber is all stripped from these
hills the streams will dry up ana
the ultimate loss will be serious
and widespread.
Congress ought Jump at the
chance tc get possession of the
great tract, at least 500, 900 acres,
said to be purchasable now at
hardly more thannominal figures.
The cost of a single battle ship
would give us this park, available
for future generations and our
selves.
The above is from the Atlanta
Constitution. The Journal en-
dorses the great movement. The
officers of the Appalachian Ma
tioal Park Association are Geo. S.
Powell, President, and DR.. &c. P.
Amber, secretary and treasurer.
The committee on petitions and
memorials from Georgia are Capt.
r. w. Boone, of Marietta, and P.
A. Stoyall of Savannah. Captain
Boone is one of the original NOV
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