The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-08-07

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RADIO In Arizona Is national
park ut last after more than
30 years Of endeavOr by the
nature lovers Of the country. Con.
greSs has passed an act changing this
natural wonder Of the world from q
national monument to a national park,
ana has appropriated money for its
development. The national park serv-
Ice has succeeded the forest service in
control Of it. Court decisions have
pronounced worthless the fake mining
claims with which its rim is plas-
tered. And the other day the Grand
Canyon was dedicated as a playground
for the people Of the United States for
ever And an interesting part Of the
exercises was the dedication of the
memorial to Powell (thumbnail sketch
with head).
Inc average well-infOrmed American
thinks Of jamestown and Plymouth
when Americas beginnings are men
toned. That is to say, he goes back
to 1607-20. But by this time the Amer
lean Southwest was near a century old.
Allen Chamberlin, writing of the
Grand Canyon dedicatory exercises in
the Boston Transcript calls attention
to this. For it was one Of Coro-
nados lieutenants, Don GARCIA Lopez
de CardenaS, who was the first white
man to behold that tremendous spec
tacle, about the year 1910.
From that time until shortly before
the Civil war the canyon seems to
have attracted no particular attention.
and small wonder considering it's re-
moteness and the forbidding aridity
OF the region on every hand. The re-
port of Lieutenant Ives in 1857 to the
war department on the navigability of
the Colorado river seems to have been
the first official recognition Of the can
yon by the government, but 1t re-
mained for the Powell expedition of
1859 to put it on the map, so to speak. |
The tale of that adventure, undertak-
en- in a purely scientific spirit, was
more thrilling than novel, and at
tracted considerable public notice,
Nearly 20 years later President Har-
rison, then a senator from Indiana,
the idea that the canyon
was a worthy subject for a national
park, and introduced a bill in congress,
That was in 1885. Yellowstone park
had been created in 1872 the Hot
Springs reservation Of Arkansas was
set up as national park in 1880.
Yosemite valley had been turned over
to California as early as 1884 as a
state park, and Senator Harrison evil
iently saw that the Grand Canyon
vas at least equally worthy of pro-
ectiOn from exploitation in the public
interest. At that time Arizona was a
Wild Indian country, and the canyon
vas miles from anywhere that could
'e reached by rail-
Who're Roosevelt Stepped In.
Finally, after more than 80 years,
lat Grand Canyon National park was
reated last year. 1t did not come
asily into being, however, for the OBJ.
taCleS Of selfish ambitions which be-
ct the course of the final legislation
equlred a decade Of patient and per-
istent effort to overcome. President
roosevelt, in his characteristicaliv
lmely fashion, interpOsed a powerful
heck upon the hankerings of the
'Ould-be eXplOiterS when he took mat.
ars into his own hands In 1908 and
the canyon a national mon.
ment and game preserve By that
me the Santa Fe railroad had built a $
ne to the southern rim, and every Wis., {
or thenCefOrWard became publicity !
gent for the park idea. When the t
ritter first saw the canyon in 1902, $
lOrtly after the railroad was built, /
.wer than 1000 persons made the trip 7