Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-08-10
BIG TREES ARE, TO
HAVE PROTECTION
State of California Now Owns
Famous Mariposa Grove
Of Giants.
TO STOP NEEDLESS WASTE
Depredations of VandaIs Have for
Some Time Threatened the Total
Destruction of This Fa-
nous Park.

To save from determination the big
gest and oldest of all living things the
government has just taken under its
jurisdiction the Mariposa big tree grove
Of California. Il the same legislation
it has acquired for better keeping also
the famed Yosemite valley, and thus it
ssumes the ownership, care and pro-
lection of two of the seven wonders of
the new world. Both We're given in
trust to the state OF California in 1864,
but experience has shown that this
garden state-with such a plethora OF
natural wonders to protect-cannot af-
ford to appropriate the funds necessary
for the barring out of vandals from the
two reservations. So California has re-
coded them to the federal government,
and congress has just taken them back
after forty years. In 1890 congress Gre
ated the Yosemite National park, en-
bracing over 1000 square miles and en-
tirely surrounding the real wonder spot
Of the region-the Yosemite valley
which until a remained a state
reservation, in, but not of, the Yosemite
park. The park has thus been, for six
teen years, in the status of Hamlet
Withou the Dane"
This creation of IAN empire within
an empire" produced conflict of author
ity in matters of roa building, polio
ing n fire protection, and last year
when a fire broke out on the boundary
line between the valley and park the
guardian of the valley, appointed by
the state, said that the flames were in
federal territory, while the captain Of
the parks guard Of federal soldiers
contended that they were destroying
state property. While these two func-
~tionaries paused to haggle over this
weighty matter of jurisdiction thou
sands of valuable trees were destroy
ed. But now that the valley becomes
absorbed in the great park, 1t will be
guarded by troops and federal forest
rangers. The protection of it's wealth
OF scenic splendor is therefore assured.
Added to Yosemite.
The beautiful Mariposa big tree grove
which falls into federal control by this
same process is fifteen niles south or
the Yosemite valley and about a mile
beyond the boundary of the national
park. The little neck OF land connect
ing it with the park VIII De acquired
by the government. and it will thus be
cemented TO the enlarged reservation.
The MaripoSa grove eCOmeS the oHIy
important collection OF M giant trees
completely protected from Nanda.s.
Fortunately it contains specimens that
are larger eve than any Oh those in
the famous CnlaVcras grove, NOW
owned by a lumDernlan nno, TO his
hearts content, may hack Z saw he
towering giants without fear OF state
or government Interference. So Unc!e
Sam will hope to preserve at cas- the
big trees Of the M~aripCsa grCye MS long
as the republic It's vast
beauty has already been sadly Iaarred
by the avage OF fire, whlcn has CYL
IDENTIFY swept throIgl it again and
again, almost rulnl..g many Of the
finest trees. 1t contains about 10 tees
over forty feet in Circumference, and
twenty which are more Iaaa ~ lc-t
tall.
The age of these oldest of living
things is variously estimated by men
Of science. Prof. David Starr Jordan
says that the largest specimens may
have been standing in California tor
seven thousand years, or more than
three thousand years beyond the reach
OF human history. Other estimates are
as great as eight Thousand years. The
naturalist, John Muir, who has studied
them for more than a generation, says
that, barring accidents, these trees
seem to be immortal. Ring countings
of one fair-sized specimen, feiled by
the wind, showed II to be four thousand
years old. No specimen has been
Known TO ole OF Oid age. Inc largest
still looks yourg and vigorous, and
their leafy heaos are always green.
When blown down by hurricanes they
do not rot, and it Is estimated that a
trunk may lie on the ground more thar
one thousand years and yet remain
hard and sound TO the core. Worms
never attack these colossal trunks;
hence the woodpecker avoids their
bark. Measurements indicate thai their
rate of growth is one inch in diameter
In thirty TO fifty years.
Some Comparisons.
The size OF these biggest of living
things Is tremendous when we stop to
consider it. One is said TO be a trife
over 400 feet tall. The cap OF the statue
of freedom on the dome of the capitol
at Washington. the torch of the God
dess of Liberty in New York harbor,
only reaches two-thirds of this height.
One has a circumference Of 109 feet and
the limbs of some are Z feet in diam
eter. The cinnamon-colored bark of
one is 40 inches thick. The trunk of
the famous "Grizzley Giant" in Mari
posa grove, will afford a background
for eleven mounted cavalrymen, their
horses standing side by side. An ILL.,
tloisan tourist, after many hours of cal
culation, once estimated that If all of
its limbs were cut off and stuck into
the ground, allowing spaces proportion
ate TO size, they would form a forest
larger than any in his state. In the
famous Fallen Monarch" probably
blown down in some tremendous storm
Of centuries ago, there is estimated TO
be enough lumber to plank the three
miles of Broadway between the Battery
and Madison Square with lumber as
hard and sound as 1t was when the
tree fell. II has been calculated hat
Abe Lincoln would have expended nine
years and three months splitting rails
from one Of these trees. at the rate OF
$50 ordinary rails per ten-hour day.
Completing his task, he would have had
40, coo rails. The General Sherman" Is
said to contain $50, 900 feet OF lumber
which, If cut into telegraph poles of
usual size AMI placed at the usual dis
lance apart, would support a telegraph
lire from Kansas City to Chicago.
The official name adopted for these mon
archs Of living species by the national bur
reau Of forestry is "Sequoia Washington
ara" Thus arc linked the names Of Sc
quota, the famous Cherokee chief OF the
east. who invented an a%lphabst for his
people, and that of the Father of His
Country. The English call the SPECIES Sc
quota Weilingtoniana. in honor Of the duke
OF Wellington. Their only natural home
within recent geologic epoch is the west
eide OF the Sierra Nevada mountains. In
California, and in a zone from three-quar-
tiers OF a mile TO a mile above sea level.
Heie they are scattered in about q dozen
our southern states. to England and clse-