The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1925-06-17

Is; Yellowstone June IS; and Crater Lake (Ore-
gon) and Mount Mckinley (Alaska) July /. In
most of the national parks the visitor will find i'm
prOvements in roads and trails and auto camps.
This is important, inasmuch as approximately
three-fourths Of the visitors travel in their own cars
and a large proportion uses camps.
1925 visitors, however, will find a vast amount
of improvement. Under the National Park High
ways act Of 1924, authorizing the appropriation Of
$7,5O0,0OO for the carrying out of a three-years'
road and trail construction program, $2,500,OO0 is
available this season and work will be pushed. In
Rocky Mountain, which has been allotted $140,5O0,
six projects will be benefited; the Fall River Road
and the High Drive will get most of the money.
The former road, which crosses the Continental
Divide on the "Roof of the World at an elevation
Of 11,797 feet, is the highest automobile highway
In the national park system and possibly the most
scenic on earth. Glacier gets $453y0O0 and Of this
$4,000 is to be spent on the Transmountain Road
over the Continental Divide. This road is badly
needed, since there is no road through the park
and to get from the East Entrance to the West En-
trance rail shipment Of cars is necessary or a long
detour by way of Helena. Mont. All the national
parks share in the appropriation. In addition the
secretary Of the interior is authorized to approve
projects and made additional contracts to the ex-
tent Of $1.0O0,O0O.
The situation as to the proposed national parks
in the AppaIachians is briefly this: A commission
appointed Dy secretary WOFk reported last DeCSm~
Der approving areas In the Blue Ridge mountains
Of Virginia and the Great Smoky mountains Of
Tennessee and recommending the former as the
more accessible. Several national park bills were
thereupon introduced. Congress then passed a bin
providing for a more complete survey Of these two
areas and Of Mammoth Cave and it's surroundings,
and for recommendations by the secretary as to
boundaries. Appropriation Of $4,000 was made
for expenses, options, etc. Secretary Work ap-
pointed a commission, which is at work this sum-
mer. This action by congress does not commit It
to the establishment Of any Of the three proposed
parks, but would seem to indicate It's willingness
to consider a departure from the previous policy Of
refusal to purchase land for national park pur-
poses. All three areas are privately owned; the
cost of each would be at least a million dollars.
The existing national parks, except Lafayette lido
nated). have been created from the public domain
and from the national forests.
The Geological Society Of America has asked
congress to establish a national park in the Glacier
Bay region of southeast Alaska. An e~col0gist L
a sort Of botanical evOlutionist who wants to know
how nature adapts itself to circumstances. In the
Glacier Bay region there is eternal warfare be-
tween ice and forest. A glacier overwhelms a for
est. A new forest springs up in the destruction
left behind. In this region is the Muir glacier, witt
a sea front 300 feet high and more than a mil,
long. 1t throws down fragments as big as q sky
scraper and the waves rock a big steamer a mil,
4NA FtA3 49, %&~ pass a. AA% E[I&s
gists are granted their request? In the meantime
President Coolidge has created the Glacier Bay Ma
tional monument Of nearly 1000 square miles.
The RedwOods Of California, first cousins Of th
Big Trees. are safe from extinction. even Ii III
proposed RedwO0ds National park Is not created
Save the Redwoods League has raised more thai
$4,000 for the purchase Of virgin redwood grove
AZ North and South Dyerville Flats and Bull Cree
Flat. These groves are intended to be a part 3
the Humboldt State Redwood park. The grove
contain many trees more than 1000 years Old, 8S
feet IN height and fifteen feet Ia iameter.
President Coolidge has made d national mont
mene of the Carlsbad Cave III the southeast col
ner OF Rev Mexico. near the Texas stats line. Con
rfess had made an appropriation for the driving
Is ahaEk into tie cave access is now by Kope-an.
bucket through q hole In the roof Movine nb
kurea OK sts interior as revealed by explorers wis
torches chow an underground world anbelleVabI
fantastic The cavern seems - be Ia q esass /
afhaa4 Id atanA ase o4 chambers and richness
onanak19n- 0ne ghaznbes Is neaFsv mne m
and approximately go net M8d. Wa1 0
Mnovn h4lgak AAs easlmaAa tbs &saG a Il
xexn IL n9EeAv smss#oSM