The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-05-16
By GILBERT eRosVENoR,
President, the National Geographic
Society, Washington, D. c.

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
IRE accessible in all the other con-
rinents.
Leaving the masterful Mississippi
valley and journeying westward, we
coon 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
4 tIonal parks In Colorado, the Crater
Lake national park In Oregon, the
I SIcunt Rainier national park In Wash
ington, the Yosemite and Sequoia na-
tional parks In California and the
Grand Canyon park In Arizona, the
scenic masterpiece Of the world, Of
icl0lly dedicated In 1920. Each park
has It's own individuality, and each
in ltS specially exceis.
Foremost la interest In the Yellow
stone are the geysers. Of which "Old
Faithful" ranks first, not because OF
size. for the Giant Is Goliath beside
Ar: not because of beauty, for there
ore others more beautiful; but be
cause Of fidelity. 1t never disappoints
(. II is so regular that II could almost
! serve as the nations standard time
piece. Every 20 minutes "Old Faith
full shoots It's great column Of watel
:, heavenward At each eruption u
Il sends up into the air 100000 gallons
of water =
~ One writer has described the geysel
r basins "as laboratories and kitchens
/. In which. amid thousand retorts ant
rots, we may see Nature at work o.
rhemist or cook, cunningly compound
Mag an infinite variety Of minera
"a MISSES; cooking mountains, bollinl
ard steamlng filnty rocks to smootl
+ paste and mush-yellow, brown, red
pink, lavender gray and cream
white--ma.;iug the most beautifu
mud In the world, and disulling tn
most ethereal essences"
Glacier Park, Top Of Continent
The situation OF Glacier nations
park is unique, In that it mother
streams which flow into three out Q
five OF the earth's great oceans,
may well claim to be the top Of III
continent. for its rivers drain Int
Hudson bay and the Arctic ocean, ir
10 the Pacific, and through the Ni'
souri, and the Mississippi into III
Atlantic.
The Glacier national park was mad
hy the earth cracking in some IA
distant time and one side thrustin
up and overlapping the other. IL ha
cliffs several thousand feet high. an
more than sixty glaciers feed hun
dreds OF lakes. One lake floats ic,
bergs all summer. The scenery is trul
Alpine.
Lake Sc. Mary's, Lake McDermo
and Lake Mcdonald are the peers (
any OF the mountain lakes OF Switze
land and Italy This park covers 0
area Of 1884 square miles. and mai
tains such an excellent chain OF chs
cts, hotels and trails that the touri
can see its many attractions In COL
fort.
The Rocky Mountain national pa
straddles the continental divide ut
lofty height. with snow-capped mou
,ains extending from end to end. tn
park IL In the heart OF the Rocki
northwest OF Denver, with Ions
peak as It's center. II was establish'
by congressional enactment ia l9l
Estes park, the gateway TO this mou
tain playground, is a beautiful iii
valley town nestled at the foot OF {
ridge. and yet itself more than mi
and half above sea.level. Ions
peak 10 nearly three miles high. nj
has several neighbors that run II
close second
Home OF the Aborlolnes.
The Mesa Verde national park hid
In Its barren canyons the well.pl
served ruins Of civilization whi
passed out Of existence 50 many c,
turtles ago that not even tradition
calls Its pppple