Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-06-17

were not better known.
Now the United States government
has determined to make the American
people aware that they possess these
wonderful Fairgrounds Robert T.
Mather. wealthy westerner. has
been placed in charge Of the work anu
is pushing it with all the energy and
executive ability OF successful bust
ness man. And the east Is already
needing the Invitation. More persons
visited the parks last summer than
ever before and this summer will see
their numbers grow still further the
west is showing the east how to go
back to the woods.
And the best part OF 1t is that you
can take just as stiff or Just as mild
course as you wish. You may get
pack horse and saddle horse and
take to the wilds to look out for your
self or you can hire guide to bear
the responsibility and do the work, or
you can set up your tent by a stream
and stay right there. or you can rent
a little chalet and keep house. or you
can stay at carefully organized and
conducted camp, or YOU can set
first class room AID '7o'1 ia the seen
erv throurh the window.
The whole thing has been planned
SO that any taste AMI any amount OF
initiative and imagiration or any lack
thereof. can he axactlv accommodated.
And summering in these parks is. for
the most part. pleasantly free OF the
holdup elements which mar vacations
In some--in fact. in many-places. No
millionaire colonies can get monop-
oily of these parks because Uncle
Sam owns them and though all may
camp on equal terms, there Is no land
people lease the right to conduct their
establishments from the government
and the government is there to see
that they are properly conducted.
As for the parks themselves. 1t Is
impossible in limited space to do much
more than enumerate them. Yellow.
stone Is of course the most famous,
the only one of the collection that has
been well and favorably known for
many years. Its guysers and tame
bears are among the wonders that
everyone has heard of. It undoubtedly
affords wonderful opportunity to
study wild life In an undisturbed and
yet natural state. As for scenery,
however. it cannot compare with the
great Glacier park to the north
land OF sheer, snow covered noun
tains. clear lakes, great glaciers and
forests. This Is one Of the largest
and probably the widest Of the parks.
The Yosemite National park In
middle eastern California will attract
you more than any other II 1t Is a
pleasant climate that you seek. The
summers are ideal and the winters
mild This is country Of towering
forests, great sweeps Of grassy open
and deep gorges where mountained
streams take the most incredible
leaps It is these falls which made the
Yosemite famous and gained 1t the
protection Of the government. The
Ribbon falls for example, has sheer
drop Of 1872 feet. which is ten times
as great as that OF Niagara, and con.
verts the stream into breeze tossed
lacey veil of foam.
California has also the Sequoia and
General Grant parks which were set
aside to preserve for the delight Of all
men the giant SeQuoia trees-thOse
incredible plants that are as mighty
as the mountains themselves. Visual.
ize, if you can, tree thirty-six feet in
diameter and ESQ feet high. That is
the General Sherman tree. You could
make crate for the Lusitania out of
the lumber 1t would yield. There is
nothing alive on earth as old as these
wonderful trees.
Then there is Mt. Rainier one of the
most remarkable peaks in the world,
and Crater lake, deep body of water
on top of high mountain, place of
mystery and legend. In Colorado
there is Mesa Berde park. where the
habitations of a people that vanished
thousands Of years ago are almost per
fectly preserved; and the Rock Noun.
tain National park, where the Big
Horn mountain sheep still bounds. All
Of them afford splendid opportunities
to camp and explore, and though you
are not allowed to hunt, you can enjoy
some of the finest trout fishing in the
world.