Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-27


able for the purchase Of lands within
these bo'h diaries. as might be recon-
mended for national park purposes,
the Secretary of the Interior was au-
thorized to appoint Il commission of
fine members, composed of repre-
sentative Of the Interior Department
and four national park experts, said
four members to serve without COM
pensation"
Same Commission Named.
Thereupon the Secretary appointed
such body. known as the Southern
Appalachian National Park Commits
sion, and made up of the same mem
bei'Ship as that which had constituted
the Southern Appalachian national
park committee. hereinbefore men,
toned. The members of this commits
sion again visited the Shenandoah |
region in Virginia, the Great Smoky
Mountains region in North Carolina
and Tennessee, and also visited the |
Mammoth Cave region in Kentucky, |
and arranged for the taking of OPP !
tons in the needed lands in the re-
spectlve areas. The commission. act |
ing aa Il direct agency of the Interior
Department and as the indirect |
agency of Congress, made Il careful |
study of the three projects touching |
their fitness for inclusion in our ma |
tional park system, and on April 8, |
1926. submitted it's formal report.
In this report the commission rec |
commended the establishment of all |
three of these proposed national /
parks. on condition that all the lands |
reported by the commission to be re-
quired be conveyed to the United !
States free of cost or charge. The |
commission, in its report, indicated /,
the minimum and maximum land |
areas which should be thus acquired /,
and set for'k the maximum boun- |
darieS by detailed description.
In behalf of the commissions rec |
ommendat!on for the creation Of the
Siberia adoah and Great Smoky Noun |
tainS National Parks. it referred to
the reasons set forth in the report of
the Southern Appalachian National
Park committee. In brief, the scenic
beauty of the Blue Ridge Shenandoah |
section, coupled with its historic set |
ting and nearness to the National !
Capital, were urged as giving that
project national park status. The
rugged grandeur of the mountains of
the Great Smokes area constitutes
the major feature of that project. In
behalf of the Mammoth Cave project, !
the report of the commission was in
more detail, and the following~iS quot |
ed from the commissions report to in
dictate some of the many reasons
which influenced the members of the
commission in giving unqualified APP
prevail to the Mammoth Cave National |
Park project:
Best Known Cavern. |
Your commission has also made a |,
careful eXaminatiorf the Mammoth |
Cave region of Ke Atucky and believes |
sufficient reasons exist to warrant its i
acceptance as national park if re- !
quirements are met as outlined in this |
report. Below are briefly outlined |
some of these reasons.
Mammoth Cave is the best known |
and probably the largest of a remark
able group of limestone caverns, 20 or |
more of which have been opened up |
and explored to a greater or less eX-
Colossal Cavern, Great Onyx Cave,
new entrance to Mammoth Cave,
Salts Cave. Proctor Cave, Long Ave-
nue. Cave. Great Crystal Cave, Cave
of the Hundred Domes, Diamond
Cave. Mammoth Onyx Cave, Dixon
Cave and others, all of which contain
beautiful and wonderful formations.
There is good evidence that many
more caverns yet to be discovered ex-
list in this immediate territory, and it
seems likely that most, if not all, of
this entire group of caverns eventual
ly will be found to be connected by
passa geways forming a great under
ground labyrinth of remarkable ge-
illogical and recreational interest per-
haps unparalleled elsewhere. The
territory which embraces this net
work of cayerns consists of about 15,-
900 acres, or an area approximately
four miles wide and six miles long.
geological feature Of much
interest is found in the thousands of
curious sink holes of varying sizes,
through which much Of the drainage /
Is carried to. underground streams,
there being few surface brooks or
creeks.
River Flows Through Area.
1.-THE Mammoth Cave area IS situated
in one of the most rugged portions of
the great Mississippi Valley and con-
tains areas Of apparently original for
asts which, though comparatively
small in extent, are of prime value
from an geological and scientific
and should be preserved
for all time in its virgin state for
study and enjoyment. Much of the
proposed area is now clothed in forest
through which flows the beautiful and
navigable Green River and it's branch,
the Nolin River
"All this offers exceptional oppor-
tunity for developing a great national
recreational park of outstanding serv-
ice In the very. heart Of our Nations
1ensest population and at time when
the need Is increasingly urgent and
most inadequately provided for"
The commission also set forth in
it's report the fact that there had
been raised in behalf Of the Shenan.
doah project a minimum net sum of
81. 249. 900 for the purchase of lands
needed for that project; and the sum
Of S1,066,693.91 for the purchase of |
lands needed for the. purpose of the
Great Smoky Mountains project, and
the donation of 1923. 13 acres of cave
lands and cavs rights, including
Colossal Cavern and other very val
liable cave property, altogether valued
1T a half-mil.ton dollars. for the pur-
poses of the Mammoth Cave National
Park project. All of these funds and
donations resulted through local en-
.erpriSe.
Submitted to Congress.
This report was submitted to Con-
sress by the Secretary of the Interior
on the 14th day of April. 1926. with
approval of toe Shenandoah and
Great Smoky Mountains projects, and
without specific recommendation as
70 the Mammoth Cave project. There
upon q bill was introduced in Con-
,ress providing for the establishment
IF the Shenandoah and Great Smoky
Mountains National Parks, agreeably
10 the terms and recor.me ndations
.mbraced in the report of the COM
and there also was intro.
1uced q bill providing for the estab-
ishment of the Mammoth Cave Ma
innal Parl, enahndNiner the terms and