The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1917-08-17
MOUNT M'kINLEY
is REAL MONSTER
Central Feature of Uncle Sans
Newest Park Presents Amaz-
Ing Spectacle.
SEEMS LOFTIER THAN OTHERS
Abrupt Rise Of More Than 10000 Feet
Makes Mass Appear Higher
Even Than TaIIest Of
the HlmaIayas.

Uncle Sans new national park In
Alaska is one Of the monster specta-
cles of the world. To say that 1t rises
10000 feet above sea level and that
1t Is the loftiest peak In America Is to
convey no idea whatever Of its gran
deur. There are several mountains In
the Himalayas which materially exceed
its height-one which rises more than
25,OO0 feet above sea level-and yet
Mount Mckinley, to the observer, Is
loftier than any of these.
The reason Is that the greatest Him.
alayas are seen from valleys 1000 TO
10000 feet In altitude, while Mount
Mckinley rises abruptly from valleys
5000 feet and even less in altitude.
The visitor to the Mount Mckinley Ma
tional park will look up more than IT.
900 feet to the double pepk, the upper
1900 feet Of which are covered with
perpetual snow.
This enormous mass Is the climax Of
the same Alaskan range which ex-
tends roughly east and west across
southeast central Alaska, separating
the vast northern inland from the more
populated country whose shores are
the Gulf of Alaska. The range par
allels the mighty Yukon many miles
TO its south.
Titanic Alpine Scenery.
The reservation contains 1900
square miles. Its northern slopes,
which overlook the Tanana watershed
with It's gold mining. industry, are
broad valleys inhabited by enormous
herds of caribou. It's southern plateau
Is perpetual water 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
interior 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 Its foot.
ut Is an awe-lnsplrlng region of mas
slve mountains and ice-capped peaks,
Belmore Browne of the Camp Fire
club, testified before the senate com.
mlttee on territories. "The Piedmont
plateau that follows the range affords
n 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 a
great wall on the southeast. You
can ride pony to where Mount Nc
Kinley rises 1900 feet above you In
n glitterlng wall of snow and ice. II
is fanked by stupendous mountains
which make wonderful setting for
the monster"
Enormous Herds OF Caribou.
North of the vast mountain, how.
ever Is rolling country dotted with
beautiful lakes and forests and inhab.
tied by enormous herds Of caribou. In
fact the special reason why congress
set apart the region at this time was
to conserve the wild animal life in ad.
vance Of the Invasion Of hunters which
the new government railrond Will bring
into Alaska, The road ns projected rum
ming within twenty miles Of this great
est of natures spcctacles.
Charles sheldon of the Boone and
Crockett club told the senate commit
tee that several times he has counted
as many as 800 mountain sheep In n
single dny OF ordinary travel, and
that herds of caribou numbering from
1000 to 1900 are frequently seen.
AS game refuge and breeding
ground, the new National park con-
serves Alaskan game which elsewhere
Is rapidly disappearing As In the
case of Yellowstone National park, the
reservation serves MS Il perpetual CEN
ter of game supply for large neigh
boring arcns.
These animals DO not greatly fear
man, because they have Eerer been
hunted, One can approach the great
herds OF caribou. There are also
many Alaskan bear of great size.