The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-04-25
HE BOOMS The PARK
Nowhere Else Is to Be Found, He
Said, Such "A Tract Of VERT
able Wonderland"

Gardiner, Mont, April 25.-President
Roosevelt yesterday afternoon resumed
his tour to the Pacific coast. Before do
| ing SO, however, he participated In the
laying of the cornerstone Of the new gate
at the northern entrance to Yellowstone
park.
The president began his address by
thanking the people and the soldiers for
his enjoya BILE two weeks holiday and then
spoke of the natural wonders of the park.
1.-The Yellowstone park, he said, is
something absolutely unique in this world
SO far as know. Nowhere else in any
civilized country is there to be found such
a tract Of veritable wonderland, made &C
cessible to all visitors where at the same
time not only the scenery Of the wilder
ness. but the wild creatures of the park
are scrupulously preserved as they were.
I THE scheme Of it's preservation is note
| worthy in it's essential democracy. This
park was created and is now administered
for the benefit and enjoyment of the peo-
pie. The government must continue to
Inappropriate for it. especially in the direc-
ton of completing and perfectng an ex
cellent system of driveways. The only
way that the people as whole can Sc
cure to themselves and their children the
! enjoyment in perpetuity of what the Vel
| lowstone park has to give. is by assum
| ing the ownership In the name Of the
| ton, and by jealousy safeguarding and
preserving the scenery, the forests and
the creatures.
"At present it is rather singular that a
greater number Of people come from Eu-
| rope to see it than come from our own
eastern states to see it.. The people near
by seem awake to its beauties, and hope
| that more and more of our people who
dwell far off will appreciate it's really
| marvellous character.
Il wish to especially congratulate the
people Of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho,
and notably you of Gardiner and CHINA
bar and the immediate outskirts Of the
park, for the way in which you heartily
cooperate with the superintendent to pre-
vent acts of vandalism and destruction.
| Congress has not of recent years done
anything more important than passing
the irrigation bill, and nothing more es-
sential to the preservation of the water
supply than they make in the preserva-
ton Of the forests. Montana has in its
! water power a scource Of development
which has hardly been touched. This
| water power will be seriously impaired if
ample protection is not given to the for
ests. Therefore this park, like the forest
| reserves generally, is of the utmost ad-
vantage to the country around from the
merely unitarian side.
| Il wish very much that the government
| would somewhere provide for expert
mental breeding station of cross breeds
between buffalo and the common cattle.
| IL tIleSe cross DfGe0S could be success
fully perpetuated we could have animals
which would produce robe quite as good
as the old buffalo robe with which
twenty years ago every one was familiar,
and animals, moreover, which would be
so hardy that 1 think they would have
a distinct commercial Importance. They
would, for instance, be admirably suited
for Alaska territory, which I look to see
develop astoundingly within the next de-
cade or two, not only because of it's furs
and fisheries, but because of it's agricul-
! tural and pastoral possibilities"
! Livingston, Mont, April 25.-Returning
FROM Gardiner, the presidential train made
a short stop here last night An immense
| crowd greeted the president who ap-
peared on the rear platform of his car
| and made few remarks