El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-04-21

w national park IN Alaska. It is
to be known as Mount Mckinley" and
It will contain the highest peak on the
North American continent. The actual
area Of the park IS 20 be more than
100000 acres. Il will almost equal
5000 quarter section farms. and viii
cover a space twice as large as the
state OF Rhode Island. II will be two
thirds as large as Yellowstone Ma
tionai park. twice as large as the Iose-
mite and the the Big Tree reserva-
ton Of California combined. and i've
or six times the size OF the Rocky
Mountain park, which congress ere
ated last year Moreover. there is
mountainous region 10 the south OF II
which is so Wild and rugged that II
can never be used for anything else ex-
cept as a tourist resort or National
hunting ground, so that altogether the
park viii he as large as. if not larger
than, any under Uncle Sans nag-
Heretofore this region has been prac-
tically inaccessible 10 the ordinary
Traveller. Il is situated far back Of
the coast across ? great range Of noun
fains. and the usual way OF reaching it
has been 20 land A. Sitla. a thousand
miles north Of Seattle and take the
railroad which goes from there to the
headKaters Of the navigation OF the
Yukon At White Horse. IN Cansd7-
From there steamers viii take you in
stOuf = 2 eek down The Yukon to the
mouth o. the Tanana- and you can as
cend that stream 20 the mouth Of the
Nenans- where a big railroad town e
row building
You can 20 un the Nena-a river b.
> several DAYS voyage on boats OF one
Kind or another. and YOU 1ill then be
rot far from the edge of the park In
the past the only other means OF ac-
cess has been by crossing the Ken Al
peninsula from Seward or steiminE
around through Cook inlet 10 the site
of Anchorage. and then mal-fnE your
way up the SySirna and over the coast
range TO the foothills on the northern
sloDe Of the mountain The southern
slope is so rough Is 70 be almost pro-
hibitive, and the mountain can be
climbed only from the north
BY the building OF the new railroad
the region has become quite as easy
70 reach as any Of our national parks
The engineers are now working on
line north and south Of the mountain.
and they have laid out the route so
that a great part OF Il will be in sight
OF Mount Nchinlsy- At one place the
trains VIII pass within Is miles OF the
park. Moreover. the foothills of the
northern slope OF the mountain are
such that roadways can be easily made
up on little valley after another. so
that wagons OF automobiles viii take
the tourist right TO the foot OF the
nounta in. and that through one OF the
greatest wild game preserves OF the
continent
Mount Mckinley n Scenic Wonder.
have seen Mount Mckinley from
the hills OF the Tanana valley near
Fairbanks. II is visible in many parts
of Alaska and when the new railway
is completed Il viii become as well
known as Fujiysma- Mount Blanc or
Pixies Peak Il vii rank as one Of the
scenic wonders of the world and viii
be known as the grsndest mountain on
earth Mount Mckinley is the highest
peak on the North American continent
The north side Of the mountain
rises almost percipitously and. stand
ing on the northern foothills. II gives
an unobstructed view of 1900 OF IS
600 feet Measuring from the line OF
perpetual snow you can see more Of
II than any other great noun tain. and
Its height Is not dwsrfed bE other
mountains between the peak and your
Known TO the Russians.
The great mountain was known 20
the Russians and ii was mentioned in
literature. in connection with the coast
range, by George Vancouver, the naxi-
gator after whom Vancouver Island
was named. He came into Cook inlet
and reached the site OF the present
town Of Anchorage in 1894. His records
describe his view Of 'Stulendous snow
mountains covered with snow and ap-
parently detached from each other"
He must have seen Mount Mckinley.
Mount Foraker and others. We took
possession of Alaska in 1857, but IT was
not until Il years later that two Alas
kan prospectors named Mayo and Har-
per made a trip 300 miles up the Tan3-
na river and on their return mentioned
an enormous ice mountain which they
saw in the south
In 1883 another prospector named
Densmore gave an enthusiastic descrip-
ton Of the mountain. but it was not
until 1885 that a princeton graduate,
" 4 Dickey, travelled through the
Susitna valley and made An extended
description of the mountain as he saw
it Mr.. Dickey named the mountain al
ter President Mckinley. and he re-
corded that name in a letter which was
published in the New York Sun IN
1897. Mckinley had been nominat ted
for the presidency while he was on his
exploring tour. and he gave the noun
tain thsc name on coming out Of the
wilderness. Dickey estimated the
height OF the mountain as 10000 feet
4 little later George Eldridge and
Robert Muldrow of our geological sur
vey took its height by triangulatiop At
20, 800 feet. which is the generally ac-
cepted figure o, It's altitude. although