The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1926-08-20

Commissioners of Lake and Cook
Counties, Mr.. Selover, Mr.. Riis, and
the representative of all ether
standing groups, as, for example,
the Chambers of Commerce of Du-
luth, Grand Marais. and Ely, and
other representatives civic or COM
mercial bodies interested in the re-
gion.
eff there is any probability of
arriving at a solution of the YES
ent problem by the means above
mentioned, Colonel Greeley would
like to take advantage of it; and
to enable him to do SO, he strongly
recommends that action by you up
on the Ely-Fernberg and Gunilint-
Seagull road projects be withheld
until every effort has been made to
reach an understanding of the Lind
above described. If such an effort
| is ineffective the Department should
then act upon the proposed projects
in the light of it's best judgment as
to the legal and administrative re-
auirements of the situation and -he
rights of the State and counties in
which the Forest is situated"
The proposed highway from Ely
to Gunfiint lake will complete a
much-needed circuit in the Superior
national forest, according to c.. M.
Babcock, state commissioner of high
ways. who was in Duluth last week
at the invitation of the Duluth
Chamber of Commerce.
"Ahhough / am not in favor OF
building roads in our forest for the
sole purpose of accommodating tour
lists, | am in favor of the highway
proposed by the United States de-
partment of agriculture from Ely to
Gunfint lake." said Mr.. Babcock.
Mr.. Babcock said he had been
over the territory and felt sure that
the cut from Ely to Gunfiint woull
not result in any damage to the Tor
est as there is already road from
Grand Marais to Gunfiint lake ana
tourists are now forced to double
gack on the same trail. The new
road would take them to Ely and
| then down on No. 35. .
According to C. H. Dunning,
chairman of the good roads commit
Itee of the Duluth Chamber of Com
merce. there is local sentiment
AGAINST the construction of this road,
| for while the road would facilitate
| fire fighting, it would also attract
thousands of careless campers and
cause a great increase in the aum-
her of fires and result in devastation
of great sections of the forest. IL
lis a canoeing paradise and road
through the heart of it would result
lin building resorts and side roads
land soon the primitive forest would
he gone. the lonesome lakes popu-
Hated. and the wild life depleted or
driven out.
| "According to press reports,
see that Secretary of Agriculture
| Jardine is ready to destroy the last
REMAINING virgin canoe country IN
the United States and the last Wild
erness area of any consequence In
the Mississippi valley that the people
of the United States could forever
keen and own. He is doing this by
giving his consent to the construc-
Zion of roads in the Superior Ma
Itional Forest. in spite of the tact
that he has received protest a1oei
protest from individuals and organ
Iizations from all over the country
He chooses to call this decision
Icompromise, thinking he can SATISFY
Iboth those who have the welfare OF
the present as we'll as future genera.
ltions of Americans at heart, and
Icertain land spectators who own
lake shore and other property uI
north and want roads ito increase
Its value.
sI,et us look at this compromise
lFrom what 1 read of it is the build,
ling of the same roads that most
Ieyeryone has been opposing, name
Ily. parts of the Jake Preus highway
iOh. YES, the name is changed nov
Ito the Ely-Gunfint road. To justl
fy and give this decision authority
Iour esteemed state highway commits
sioner. Mr.. Babcock, informed the
gathering at the Hotel Duluth the
Iother day that the Izaak Walton
league ana people who oppose these
roads don't know what they are talk
ling about; that the Ely-Gunilln
lroad should be built.
"Then a professor, H. H. Chap
IMAM from Yale, who is supposed tt
lbe employed here by the government
Ito study forestry taxation, addresses
the gathering on roads after MI
IBabcock finished. In explaining hi
lstatus he said that he did not know
Until five minutes before the meet
, | ing that he was going to be GALES
, upon to talk, yet he was well pre-
pared with a small map and a yer,
, plausible and good speech advocat
, ing roads; of course in the Superlo
National Forest.
I'll "Why is there such a hurry abou
! building these roads? Why is MI
/ Babcock SO interested. except tina
: Inc has officially approved them
Il They are not state roads. For tn
3 benefit Of readers who might no
know, only about two-thirds of tn
area in tht present boundaries of tn
{ Superior National Forest is owne
: by the government. The balanc
e II the government is supposed to az
e Iquire through the department Of ae
h Iriculture by purchase or trade TO
t other governmental-owned lands 9
!. fast as funds are available. Now,
: you Were going to buy wild ian
: would you spend money before yo
/, bought it, improving it for the owl
/ fers by building roads, so the pric
= would increase? Figure it out fe
s yourself if that isn't what the seer
d tary of agriculture, urged by his fol
s estry department, apparently PR
t poses to do. Is this what that fa
! sighted conservationist, Presidel
v Roosevelt, intended when he set tt
e Superior National Forest aside f
: the American people--all of Their
d for all time to come? wonder
ri PACK SACl
Duluth Herald. Aug. 16.