Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1924-07-10
PARK
CONVENTION MEETS
Grandfather Mountain Section Still
Considered the Most Feasible Lo-
cation-Meeting at Blowing Rock
Special of July 5. to Charlotte OBJ

Special of July 5. to Charlotte OBJ
server.
: Mayview Manor, Blowing Rock
The scenic beauty of western North
Carolina rivals that of Yosemite or
the Yellowstone national park. The
grandeur Of Yosemite is unique in it's
own picturesque glory. The grandeur
OF Yellowstone is just as unique in
its vast variety and almost boundless
reaches. The grandeur of western
North Carolina is unique, because it
is absolutely unlike anything in the
great Rockies or the weeping noun
tains of California.
And that is why Linville Gorge
with its ripping streams, it's primal
forests, it's CROWN of bluerrimmed
mountains, it's infinite solitudes as
virgin and as remote as the day
when the red man was king and
when Grandfather Mountain was
the shrine of the rowing Indian should
be perpetuated forevermore as a ma
tional memorial, say progressive but
far-seeing citizens of North Carolina
Today was permitted to vision
future for this Blue Ridge region of
unbelievable possibilities when Col.
Joseph Hyde Pratt called together in
the second day of the convention the
delegates from North Carolina, Vir-
ginia, Georgia and Tennessee cham
bers of commerce to discuss further
the details of Americas finest play
ground of the east-a national park
in the southern, Appalachians. Col
onel Pratt presided, and among 9TH
er things he said:
yosemite is household word
throughout America. Yellowstone
park is a household word. These
parks are visited annually by un-
counted thousands. If we get for
this section the proposed national
park for the southern Appalachians
it will mean that more than 25O,000I
people will visit in western North
Carolina every year.
81 make this estimate based on fig
ures in my possession detailing at
tendance records at play grounds and
parks of lesser Importance establish
ed in western North Carolina. Some
of these places draw as many as
$4,000 people annually. If they can
accomplish this, what would ma
tional park do?
"a national park is an area set
aside by the government where ev-
ermore thereafter no commercial de-
velopment shall enter. 1t provides a
sanctuary for the wild life. of that
section, haven for the birds, a
paradise for fish of all kinds, the
camping ground, the home pastures,
for animal life.
tIt is place that will be develop
ed by the government for one pur-
pose only-preservation of original
beauty and perpetuation Of its alb
original life. Of course roads and
bride paths will be built, and hotel
sites will be awarded, and there will
be camp locations, but none Of these
will be permitted to interfere with
the original scenic grandeur Of the
area"
Every delegate here today pledged
Colonel Pratt that he or she will
return to his or her home town and
present the proposition in it's fullest
detail to all civic and commercial
bodies Of the community, SO that
the Southern Appalachian national
park committee will know that
North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee
and Georgia are unanimous in their
Recommendation of the Linville
gorge and Grandfather Mountain
areas as the logical site for the park.
The resolution adopted in the con-
vention yesterday reads in full, as
follows:
sResolved, that it is the sense of
those attending this meeting called
to consider the location of nation
al park in the southern Appalachian
mountains; that the Linville Gorge
and Grandfather Mountain area is
thu one area in the southern Appa-
lachian region that fulfills the re-
quirements Of national park, and
should be given serious considera-
tion by the southern Appalachian