Pueblo chieftain., 1921-04-02
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

| Washington, d. c., April E-The
work of surveying the boundaries oil
Mount Mckinley National Park, which
is said to be the most remarkable OF
all the areas which the United States
government has set aside for the pur-
poses of conservation and public
pleasure. is to begin this spring These
boundaries will enclose a great area
of primitive wilderness, teeming with
game. in which it will be unlawful to
Kill that game except for miners and
pfospectors who are actually depend
cnt upon 1t for a living.
1t is hard at present TO arouse popu-
lar interest in national park IN
Alaska because 1t seems so far away.
Yet the government railroad in Alaska
Will bring Mount Mckinley within
three weeks of New York city, and
you can travel all the way, except the
last 90 miles. by boat and rail. This
means that Mount Mckinley will be no
harder for the tourist to reach than is
Hawaii, which in recent years has at
tanned such wide popularity. 1t will
soon be possible to SO, on u summer
vacation of a few months. from the
most popuious city in tho world to one
of its most remote places, where Wild
life exists in the abundance of pre-
Columbian days. This is an oppor-
not miss. 1t is said that plans are al
ready under way for a big hotel there
to accommodate him. 1t is proba bic.
too, that the National Park Service
Will in due course install there the
shelters for travellers which II has in
other parks. Here. as in all national
parks and forests, everything wsls ht'
open to all. II you cannot afford a
hotel, you can take your own outfit
and camp or build your own cabin II
you want to stay longer.
1t is the prospect of this movement
OF tourists TO Alaska which has
prompted the government to set aside
Mount Mckinley as national park.
The prime purpose in creating the
park is to protect the big game herds
within II, and the reason for this is
that game is an absolute necessity TO
the development Of Alaska. The cr-
plorinE, prospecting, and surveying
which are the necessary prcliminarics
of civilization in such a country. can
not be carried on unless mon can live
off the country as they so along. our
own west could not have been opened
up without the great herds OF bison
and antelope that covered tho prairie.
and the deer and elk that aboundcd in
I the mountains. No protection was
ever afforded these wild herds, but
they were not finally destroyed until
they had served their purpose. The
west was so far away from civiliZa-
tion that ii was not menaccd by
tourists.
Conditions In Aiaska
Tho case of Alaska is different. 1t
is rapidly being made accessible TO the
civilization which owns 1t. IL sports
men and tourists arc allowed to
slaughter the game, soon there Will be
none left for the men who actually
, 10 La u fUt1l
to realize this and therefore to favor
the establishment OF the park. BY
preventing the shipment of game from
1t, and the carrying OF arms into II by
tourists, the game can without much
expense be given all the protection II
will need for years to come. The re-
Eion viii in this way serve AS "A res
crvoiT from which game Will overflow
in all directions. keeping the country
stocked.
Tho northern slope OF Noun, Nc
kinlcy is said TO be one OF the finest
game regions in tho world. a grca /;
variety OF game and fur bearing ami
mais exist there iu abundance, but
the most valuable ones from the stand =
point OF food supply arc the mountain
sheep. or highorn. tho moose and tho
caribou. The mountain sheep. which
Is elsewhere a rare animal here exists
in great numbers. The caribou range
they trot alongside the pack-trains
that enter tho country. fascinated by
the surious spectacle. Moose are found
on the lowcr slopes in great abundance.
Thcr" are many bears, and abundant
small game
All OF this is on tho northern slope.
for the southern side Is almost devoid
% life. This curious state Of affairs
is caused by tn. fact that the north
cru slope OF tho great mountain IS
warmed pS thc winds blowing OFF the
Japanese current As result II has
warm summer. In the winter tho
thermometer sometimes drops far be-
low zero but the snow is not very deep
nor the climate difficult to endure.
We arc accustomed to think winter
there is cold, said Charles Sheldon
who spent a whole year alone On
Mount Mckinley. Winter is the most