The Clio messenger., 1921-05-12
BY GILBERT GRoSVENoR,
President, the National Geographic
Society, Washington, D. C.

The national parks of the United
States, meccas for thousands of tour
lists this summer, contain more fea-
lures of conspicuous grandeur than
are accessible in all the other con-
tinents.
Leaving the masterful Mississippi
valley and journeying westward, we
soon enter the region Of the national
parks, Of which there are nine of the
first order: the Yellowstone national
park, principally In Wyoming, the
Glacier national park in Montana, the
Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde ma
tional parks in Colorado, the Crater
Lake national park in Oregon, the
Mount Rainier national park In Wash
ington, the Yosemite and Sequoia ma
tional parks in California and the
Grand Canyon park I'm Arizona, the
scenic masterpiece of the world, Of
ficially dedicated I'm 1920. Each park
has It's own individuality, and each
in It's speciality excels.
Foremost In interest in the Yellow
stone are the geysers, Of which "Old
Faithful" ranks first, not because of
size, for the Giant is a Goliath beside
1t; not because Of beauty, for there
are others more beautiful; but be-
cause of fidelity. IT never disappOints.
1t Is so regular that it could almost
serve as the nations standard time
piece. Every 20 minutes "Old Faith
full" shoots its great column Of water
heavenward. At each eruption it
sends up into the air 100000 gallons
OF water.
One writer has described the geyser
basins "as laboratories and kitchens,
in which, amid a thousand retorts and
pots, we may see Nature at work as
chemist or cook, cunningly compound
ing an infinite variety of mineral
messes; cooking mountains, boiling
and steaming flinty rocks to smooth
paste and mush-yellow, brown, red,
pink, lavender, gray and creamy
matchmaking the most beautiful
mud In the world, and distilling the
most ethereal essences"
Glacier Park, Top Of Continent.
The situation of Glacier national
streams which flow into three out of
five of the earth's great oceans. 1t
may well claim to be the top Of the
continent, for its rivers drain into
Hudson bay and the Arctic ocean, in
to the Pacific, and through the Mis-
~ int ha
Atlantic.
The Glacier national park was made
by the earth cracking in some far
distant time and one side thrusting
up and overlapping the other. 1t has
cliffs several thousand feet high. and
more than sixty glaciers feed hun
dreds of lakes. One lake floats ice
bergs all summer. The scenery is truly
Alpine.
Lake st. Mary's, Lake McDermott
and Lake Mcdonald are the peers of
any Of the mountain lakes of Switzer-
land and Italy. This park covers an
area OF 1884 square miles, and main
tains such an excellent chain of chal-
cts, hotels and trails that the tourist
can see it's many attractions In COM
fort.
The Rocky Mountain national park
straddles the continental divide at a
lofty height. with snow-capped noun
tains extending from end to end. This
park Is in the heart of the Rockies
northwest of Denver, with Longs
peak as Its center. 1t was established
by congressional enactment In 1915.
Estes park, the gateway to this noun
tain playground, Is beautiful little
valley town nestled at the foot Of the
ridge, and yet itself more than mile
and half above sea-level. Longs
peak is nearly three miles high. and
has several neighbors that run II a
close second.
Home Of the Aborigines.
The Mesa Verde national park hides
in It's barren canyons the well-pre-
served ruins Of civilization which
passed out of existence so many CEN
turtles ago that not even tradition re-
calls its people.
Here one may study. the modes OF
life OF the prehistoric American as
they can be studied In few places.
These aborigines had their civic CEN
ter and they had some progressive
ideas in. city planning. Community
life was the order of those times. One
house had 200 rooms for family use
and % for worship. Another one
sheltered $50 aborigines.
Mount Rainier seems to keep per-