The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-08
NEW NATIONAL Park
Mount Mcki nley Reservation Sur.
passes HimaIayas in I'M
pressiveness.

| Kansas City Star: The national
park in Alaska which congress Great
! ed last spring is one Of the monster
spectacles of the world. To say that
! it rises 400 feet above sea leyal
| and that it is the Hottest peak III
America is to convey no idea what
ever of it's grandeur There are sew
f, eral mountains in the Himalayas
which materially exceed in height,
one which 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
lHimalayas are seen from valleys sew
en- to ten thousand feet in altitude.
while Mount Mckinley rises abrupt
lily from valleys three thousand feet
and even less in altitude. The Wis
, itor to- the Mount Mckinley National
park will look up more than seven
/ teen thousand feet to the double peak,
the upper fourteen thousand feet of
which is covered with perpetual snow.
| This enormous mass is the climax
| of the great 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 ON the Gulf of Alaska. The range
parallels the mighty Yukon many
miles to it's mouth.
| The reservation contains 1900
square miles. Its northern slopes,
which overlook the Tanana wateshed,
with it's gold mining industry, are
broad valleys inhabited by enormous
herds of caribou. Its southern plat
eau is a perpetual winter wilderness
| through which glaciers OF great
length and enormous bulk flow into
| the valleys of the south. This park
will be opened to the public by the
railroad which the government Is
building into the interior of Alaska.
/ 1t possesses Alpine scenery upon a
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.
TT is an awe inspiring region of
| massive mountains and ice-capped
peaks" Belmore Brown 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 a view that is unique on this
earth You see the huge mountain
! line Of perpetual snow, rising like
great wall on the southeast. You
may ride a pony to where Mount Nc
| kinley rises seventeen thousand feet
above you in glittering wall Of
snow and ice. 1t is thanked by stu
pendous mountains which make a
wonderful setting for the monster"
North Of the vast mountain, how
! ever, is rolling country dotted
with beautiful lakes and forests and
| inhabited by enormous herds Of carl
bou. In fact, the special reason why
congress set apart the region at this
time was TO conserve the wild ami
NAL life in advance of the invasion OF
hunters which the new government
railroad will bring into Alaska, the
road as projected running within
| twenty miles of this greatest of ma
lures spectacles.
| Charles Sheldon, of the Boone and
| Crockett club. told the senate COM
| miitee that several times he has
| counted as many as 500 mountain
sheep in a single day OF ordinary
| travel, and that herds of caribou NUN
! bering from twelve TO fifteen hundred
are frequently seen.
As game refuge and preceding
| ground the new national park con-
serves Alaskan game which elsewhere
lis rapidly disappearing. AS in the
lease of the Yellowstone National
| park, the reservation serves as
perpetual center of game supply Of
/ large neighboring areas.
| These animals do not greatly fear
man, because they have never been
hunted. One can approach the great
| herds of caribou. There are also
many Alaskan bears of great size
HAPPINESS