The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-06-04

Yellowstone. our oldest and most famous ma.
tional park-the first national park in the world
never had been a success as a playground. The
truth is it is a wonderhouse of freak scenery
geysers, boiling springs, volcanic curiosities and
the Yellowstone Falls. Also 1t has its semi
domesticated bears and it's wonderful big game. In
the old days Of the stage coach the regulation trip
took five days. After that the tourist was ready
to leave. And he seldom returned to see the
park a second time. Now that the automobile
has taken the place of the coach, the time Of the
regulation trip has been cut in two; otherwise
the. same conditions obtain. The Yellowstone at
tendance figures tell the story. In 1919, the
attendance was 81, S95: in 1916 it was 3o,S49; In
1917 it was 800; in 1918 it was 21,275; in 1919
1t was 60 261. BY way of contrast take the cor
responding attendance at Rocky Mountain Nation
al park, which is a play ground park where peo-
pe stay their entire vacation time and there are
thousands Of regulars" who go every year: 81
OOO and $1,000 and III 1876 and 1O1 ,497 and 169-
49,. Rocky mountain has no freak scenery, but
its scenic magnificence wears we'll and a large
proportion or It's vlsltors regaru IL us thelr sum-
mer home.
In consequence the national park service is pro-
moti.g the project of adding about a thousand
square miles to the south end Of Yellowstone, In
Guiding the Teton range, Grand Teton, Mount
Moran. Jackson lake and the Jackson Hole region
and the headwaters of the Yellowstone. This ad-
dition will give the Yellowstone the kind of seen
erv # lacks. Moreover, plans for the farther de-
velopment of the Yellowstone include large auto
mobile camps, golf links, tennis courts and the en-
couragement of fishing, mountain climbing and rid
ing In short, the Yellowstone Is to be made q
playground sufficiently attractive to hold the tour
ist for a time and TO induce him TO return.
Another example of needed enlargement Is Sc
quota National park in California. This park was
created in 1890 and contains 252 square miles.
II was created largely for the purpose of preserv-
ing the Big Trees (SeQuOia gigantea)-the big
gest and Oldest living things on the earth. The
General Sherman tree. for example, is about 80
feet in diameter and is approximately 5000 years
old. Congress, with an eye TO the big trees only,
cut the park boundaries arbitrarily and left out
a ma nifcently scenic area which lies contiguous.
Features Of this contiguous area are the canyons OF
the Kings and Kern rivers and the summit Of
Mount Whitney Q4,5O1). the highest mountain in
continental United States. 1t is now purposed to
add about a thousand square miles Of this con-
tiguous area to Sequoia and to change its name
to Roosevelt, making the enlarged park a ma
tional outdoor memorial to the dead statesman.
Here again the public playground idea Is the basic
proposition.
No description can do justice to Crater lake
itself. Uncle Sam. however. has done a good Job
under the circumstances In a booklet issued last
season by the United States railroad administra-
ton. And this booklet says among other things:
All Of our great national Fairgrounds have their
distinctive beauties; each Is different In great
measure in the sublimity and attractiveness OK
It's national grandeur. but Crater lake stands
alone In this that all likeness to any familiar
landscape here ceases.
Other lands have their crater lakes-Italy, In
dia and Hawaii-and there are some craters In this