The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-02-19
NATION PLANS
PUBLIC PARKS
Saving Rarest Places of Beauty
In Its Domain.
ROAD FUNDS BADLY NEEDED

New Rocky Mountain Paradise In Col
orado-Secretary Lane Tells How
Yellowstone Park Has Been Develop
ed In Recent Years Until It Is Show
Place of America.
Secretary Lane in a recent report
calls attention to the national parks as
a valuable and undeveloped asset OF
the country. He says:
1.-THE United States furnishes play.
grounds to the people of this country
which are, We may modestly state
without any rivals In the world. Just
as the cities are seeing the wisdom and
the necessity of open spaces for the
children, so, with a very large view
the nation has been saving from its
domain the rarest places of grandeur
and beauty for the enjoyment of the
world.
During the year a new national park
of distinction and unusual accessibility
has come into existence. 1t crosses the
Rockies III Colorado at a point of su-
preme magniicence; hence its title,
the Rocky Mountain National park.
Through it from north to south winds
the continental divide-the Snowy
range in name and fact. Two hundred
lakes grace this rocky paradise, and
bear and bighorn inhabit its fast
nesses. 1t has an area Of $50 square
miles and lies only seventy miles from
Denver. Many hotels lie at the feet of
these mountains, and three railroads
skirt their sides.
This is Colorado's second national
park, the other being Mesa Verde,
where this department, with the as
sistance of DR.. Jesse Walter Fewkes
of the Smithsonian institution, has I'M
covered during the last summer pre-
historic ruins of unprecedented scien-
tific interest.
Great Highway In Oregon.
"Oregon has but recently completed
a great highway along the Columbia
river. This should be connected by
road with Mount Hood and a portion
of the present forest reserve converted
into a park. The limits of Sequoia
park, in California, the home of the
great redwoods, should be so extended
as to include the Kern River canyon, a
most practicable project today, but to-
morrow may be too late, because of the
lumber interests. The Grand canyon
is not yet part of the park system, al
though as part of a national forest it
comes under the control of the depart
ment of agriculture.
'There is no reason why this nation
should not make its public health and
scenic domain as available to all its
citizens as Switzerland and Italy make
theirs. The aim is to open them thor
oughly by road and trail and give &C
cess and accommodation to every de-
gree of income. In this belief an effort
has been made this year as never be-
fore to outfit the parks with new ho-
tells which should make the visitor de-
sire to linger rather than hasten on his
journey.
"While as the years have passed we
have been modestly developing the SUI
perb scenic possibilities of the Yellow
stone, nature has made of it the lar
gest and most populous game preserve
In the western hemisphere. Its great
size, its altitude, it's vast wilderness,
its plentiful waters, it's favorable con
formation of rugged mountain and
sheltered valley, and the nearly per
feet protection afforded by the policy
and the scientific care of the govern
ment have made this park, since its
Inauguration in 1872, the natural and
inevitable center of game conservation
for this nation. There is something OF
significance in this. 1t is the destiny
of the national parks, if wisely con
trolled, to become the public labora.
tories of nature study for the nation
And from them specimens may be dis
tributed to the city and state pre-
serves, as is nov being done with the
elk of the Yellowstone, which are toe
abundant, and may be later with the
antelope.
"If congress will but make the funds
available for the construction of roads
v which automobiles may trave.
with safety (for all the parks are now
open to motors) and for trails to hum
out the hidden places of beauty and
dignity, we may expect that year by
year these parks will become a more
precious possession of the people, hold
ing them to the further discovery OF
America and making them still proud.
material"