Evening star., 1934-06-10
WESTERN PARKS
IDEALFOR HOLIDAY
National Fairgrounds Offer
Noble Scenery and Varied
Sports.

NOC great many AIHeIlCdlo hioW
much about their national play
grounds. Fewer than 100000 per-
sons pass through their gates each
year, and yet the national parks con-
stitute one vast estate that belongs
collectively to every man, woman. and
child in this country. There have
been private estates, both in ancient
and modern times, that were larger
than the total area of the parks
(about the size of the state of Mary
land), but none was ever so beauti-
full or contained such an astonishing
wealth of wild life as the estate OF
the American citizen.
Throughout history the strong have
always grabbed while the grabbing
was good Each seized whatever choice
acres of field and forest he could
and fenced them off for the exclu-
sive enjoyment Of himself, his friends,
and his family But the most beauti-
full areas of this country belong not
to the wealthy alone, but to all the
people.
The Birth of the Idea.
The national park idea was born
around a camp fire in Northwestern
Wyoming on the night of September
1e, 1870. A group of explorers were
discussing the beauty of the Yellow
stone region, the almost unbelievable
geySerS and other freaks Of Nature,
the vast herds of game that made this
valley their rendezvous. They touched
upon the subject of getting possession
of the scenic empire. Cornelius
Hedges rose and declared that private
ownership ought never to be consid-
cred Yellowstone must be set aside
for the unrestricted use of the peo-
pie. He made his point with the TEST
of the group, and pushed the cause
30 vigorously that Yellowstone was
made a national park in less than
two years.
That was the beginning. Today
we have % parks and great many
more national monuments and ma
tional forests.
The oldest, largest, and best known
Is Yellowstone, in the northwestern
corner of Wyoming 1t is famous for
its hundreds of geysers and bubbllng
hot springs, beautiful Yellowstone
lake, impressive colerful canyon and
fails, but nothing atouses more inter-
est than the bears. These droll Gre
atures have become, through many
bear generations, so accustomed to the
idea of protection that they have lost
all fear of man and swarm in great
numbers about the hotels and lodges,
ever on the lookout for a free meal.
The Tallest Waterfall.
Yosemite, in California. contains
some Of the most spectacular scenery
in this country. A wall of 4,000-foot
cliffs dominates the scene. In the
park are the tallest waterfall on earth
and a grove of giant redwood trees,
many of which are more than 80
feet thick, 800 feet tall, and 5000
years old. Because of its proximity
to both San Francisco and Los An
geles, Yosemite draws the largest
crowds of any park.
Grand Canyon is the most unusual
of all. The mighty gorge of the
Colorado River, 200 miles long, II
miles wide, and a mile deep, is the
most sublime scene on earth. For
sheer grandeur and colorful beauty,
perhaps nothing compares with it.
Zion and Bryce Canyons, in South
ern Utah, are among our newer and
lesser known parks; but few create
more enthusiasm. Zion has been
called Yosemite in oils" The gen.
eral formation is much the same and
both possess the same solemn gran
deur, but Zion is streaked with bold
red, purple, yellow, and white color
ing. Byrce Canyon is small park,
but it is perhaps the most exquisite
gem of all. 1t is filled with a pro-
fusion of fantastic rock formations
that look like weather beaten statues,
ruined temples, minarets, spires and
gargoyles.
Rocky Mountain Park, in Colorado,
is the favorite of many thousands. Its
Summer climate is just about ideal.
Its mountains, lakes, and forests pre-
sent a noble and inspiring picture.
and no region offers wider variety
of outdoor sports.
Mount Rainier, in Washington, con-
tains the grandest and most beauti-
fully glaciated single peak in the
United States proper. A visit to this
park is the outstanding feature of
tour of the Pacific Northwest.
In addition to these there are, in
the West, Mesa Verde, Crater Lake,
Grand Teton, Sequoia, General Grant,
Mount Lassen, and Glacier National
Parks, and ir the territories, Mount
Mckinley and Hawaii
In all our national parks the trav-
eler will find wide variety of ac-
commodations, all the way from pa
latial hotels, with cosmopolitan stand
ards, down to camping sites where
he may pitch his own tent and build
his campfire.