The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-06-21
MONSTER MT. M'K|NLEY
AN AMAZING SPECTACLE
NEWEST NATIONAL PARK IN
HABITED BY CARIBOU AND
MOUNTAIN SHEEP.

The national park in Alaska which
congress created last spring is one of
the monster spectacles of the world. To
saw that it rises 10000 feet above sea
level and that it is the loftiest peak
in America is to convey no idea what
ever of its grandeur. There are sew
eral mountains in the Himalyas which
materially exceed its height, one that
rises more than $4,000 feet above sea
level; and yet Mount Mckinley, to the
observer, is loftier than any of these.
The reason is that the greatest Him
alyas are seen from valleys seven to
ten thousand feet in altitude, while
Mount Mckinley rises abruptly from
valleys three thousand feet and even
less in altitude The visitor to the
Mount Mckinley national park will
look up more, than seventeen thousand
feet to the double peak, the upper
fourteen thousand feet of which are
covered with perpetual snow.
This enormous mass is the climax of
the great Alaskan range which extends
roughly east and west across south
east central Alaska, separating the
vast northern inland from the more
populated country whose shores are
the Gulf of Alaska. The range par
alels the mighty Yukon many miles
to it's south.
Titanic Alpine Scenery.
miles. It's northern slopes, which over
look the Tanana watershed with it's
gold mining industry, are broad val
leys inhabited by enormous herds of
caribou. It's southern plateau is
perpetual winter wilderness through
which glaciers of great length and
enormous bulk flow into the valleys
of the south. In this national park,
which the railroad now building by the
government into the Alaskan terri
tory will open presently to the pub
lie, America possesses Alpine scenery
upon titanic scale.
From the stormy south, Mount Nc.
Kinley is wholly inaccessible. But
from the plains of the north, valleys
of easy grade lead one from another to
it's foot.
ut is an awe-inspiring region of
massive mountains and escaped
peaks" Belmore Browne of the Camp
Fire club testified before the senate
committee on territories. "The Pied
mont plateau that follows the range
affords a beautiful roadway direct to
Mount Mckinley, and when you reach
the plateau all difficulties vanish and
you see view that is unique on this
earth You see the huge mountain
line of perpetual snow, rising like
great wall on the southeast. You can
ride a pony to where Mount McKin-
ley rises seventeen thousand feet
above you in glitterng wall of snow
and ice 1t is thanked by stupendous
mountains which make a wonderful
setting for the monster"
Enormous Herds of Caribou.
North of the vast mountain. how
ever, is a rolling country dotted with
habited by enormous herds of caribou.
In fact the special reason why con-
gress set apart the region at this time
was to conserve the wild animal life
in advance of the invasion of the
hunters which the new government
railroad will bring into Alaska, the
read as projected running within 20
miles of this greatest of natures spec
tacles.
Charles Sheldon, of the Boone and
Crockett club. told the senate COM
mittee that several times he has
counted as many as five hundred
mountain sheep in a single day of or
binary travel, and that herds of carl
bou numbering from IL to Is hundred
are frequently seen.
AS a game refuge and breeding
ground the new national park con-