The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-07-28
NEW PARADISE
 IN CLOUDLAND
Rocky Mountain National Park Now Ready to Accommodate
 Thousands.
SUPERB sNoWCAPPED RIDGE.
A TunbIed WiIderness of Lofty Peaks Varied With Valleys of Rare Loveliness, Canyons, Lakes
 and Rivers.

This is the first season under na- tiona1 control of the stupendous, snewcapped. mountain ridge of Colo rado, the sfTop of the, Wor1d,'' the great backbone Of the continent, now and hereafter to. be designated the Rocky Mountain National Park There are many mountains in the Colorado Rockies that exceed 14,00O feet in height, but only one of themA is in cIuaed in the park Not for record breaking attitudes, but for it's su- prene scenic magnificence and avail ability for public use and resort, was that portion of the great range, of which Longs Peak is the cehter, set aside for special developement and administration.
 This was done by Congress at it's last session. On July 1 Secretary Lane took formal possessi on by the appointment of Charles R. TroW- Trowbridge as temporary supervisor. with permanent sy headquarters at Estes Park. the natural gateway to this region of enehantnent. The work Of building a road by the Fall River Canyon from Estes Park across the range to Grand Lake on the west is now actively under way. This road is the states contribution to the park. The Rocky Mountain National Park lies about 70 miles northwest of Denver. It contains about $50 square miles, not a foot of which is | less than 5000 feet above sea level. 1t lies on either side of the Continen- tai Divide, which at this point runs irreguIarIy north and south.
 BristIes with Lofty Peaks.
 This is wonderful snowcapped range carrying glaciers in it's hollows. It includes, from Specimen Mountain on the north; the finest breeding lground in the world for the ceIebrat- ed Rocky. Mountain sheep.
 t'It simply bristles with mountain | peaks said Enos Mills to the House committee on the Public Lands last December, there are more than sixty that rise above 12.o00 feet and a. number between f13 ,000 and 14,0OO feet, and one that rises above 14,- l 900 feet Between these peaks are
 a number of mountain lakes,s nearly l 200 of them. These vary in size from l a, few acres up to fifty or sixty acres. l They are all beautiful Then along with tFis, remembering that. this is 1.-the Continental Divide, it is not a I high barren region, For instance, | the timber line in the Alps is gen.
 orally about $500 feet, but on these
 mountains it is about 11,5OO feet and
 over to timber line There are more 1 than forty species of plants growing.
 In this region there are not only I mountain peaks and mountain lakes l but there are many kinds of wild life.
 For instance, you have in this region
 Q great number of mountain sheep,
 an animal as active and as alert and | agile as the channels in the Alps. He 1 rang in the higher parts of this sec
 ton, sometimes running down to the l lower regions.
 ssIn addition to the mountain sheep l other big game are the grizzly bear land the black bear; deer are quite l common, and that interesting animal the beaver, is exceedingly common
 In addition to this, I hope you will
 remember that there are blooming in 1 this section each year not less than 1000 varieties of wild flowers. You
 can not find in all the Alps in an
 equal area as many kinds of wild l plants.
 This National Park is no undiscov- 1 cred para disc of -supreme{ beauty, like 1 the Sequoia National Park in Cali fornia, which, in. the 'twenty-fourth year of it's existence, had, last season l only 4,667 visitors. More than 50,0OG l persons visited the region now cover 1 ed by the Rocky Mountain National l Park last year, and a considerable a month oFSamore. Most of them pa tronized hotels at Estes Park at the
 base of Longs Peak. Estes Park has i not been included in the Nati onal ISPark onIys4b ecause of it's. high state Il ofs sdeveIO pm ent,s because of itsI con. I sidorai,les areas Of t.patented' or pri- | vately owned land. In effect, Estes
 Park is a part of the Natoinal Park | nevertheless. In fact, the 4Natona Park boundary has been indented al that point expressly to leave these l private holdings outside the national I Jurisdiction. One reason why this region is SC
 much visited is that it is readily l reached from large centers of eastern and central population. It is only 30 hours from Chicago. Nt3-4