Evening star., 1939-07-16
State Parks Become
New Meccas Of
Recreation
Out-of-Doors Life
Made EosiIy
Accessible

This years visitor to the State
parks scattered throughout the
length and breadth of the land will
find more and better opportunities
than ever before to enjoy vaca-
ton in the out of doors.
During the past six years en-
rollees of he Civilian Conservation
Corps, under the technical super
vision of the National Park Serv-
ice, have been engaged in the task
of providing recreational facilities
and comfortable accommodations to
meet the tastes and needs of every
lover of the out of doors, whether
his fancy takes him to the noun
tains, the seashore, or the desert.
For his pleasure, the enrollees
have constructed public camp
grounds with individual tent clear
ings, parking areas, and outdoor
fireplaces, trailer camp sites, pic
mic areas with tables, benches, fire.
places and shelter pavilions, COM
munities of cabins nestled in the
woods which he may rent by the
night or for longer vacation periods,
recreation lodges, concession build
ings, lighthouses, lighthouses, and
docks where water is available, and
waste disposal and water supply
systems.
Earth's Scars Beautiful.
Even the scars of construction
are hidden and turned into places
of beauty and usefulness by land
scaping. In one of Virginia's noun
tain parks there is a parking area,
beach and bathhouse on what was
once borrow pit, established to OBJ
tain earth fill for the dam form
ing the lake which provides oppor-
tunities for fishing, swimming and
boating. The average visitor would
have to be told that the side of
the bathhouse was once an un-
slightly borrow pit before he'd know
1t, and then he'd find 1t hard to
believe.
To make the areas easily access
ible, the enrollees have improved
and graded entrance roads and
eliminated hazards by building
bridges, culverts, etc. At one of
CALIFORNIA; beach parks there were
II rocky fords to be negotiated in
order to reach the beach BY build
ing low log aprons or bridges over
them the boys have made a safe,
pleasant road out of what was ver-
itably rocky road to Dublin!
Many and devious are the means
used to provide bathing beaches. BY
way of experiment, several hundred
yards of sand were dumped on the
ice during the winter at one of the
State parks In the Thousand Islands
region in New York, and when the
ice went out in the spring the sand
spread itself evenly on the river bot
tom, making an excellent bathing
beach
The winter sports enthusiast will
find that the enrollees have pro-
vided facilities for him. too. Ski
trails, toboggan slides, bobsled runs
and skating rinks have been built
In State parks located in those sec
tions of the country having SUM-
cient snow and ice to make these &C
tivities feasible.
Unobtrusive Trails.
IN the large natural tracts, the
c. G. G. has constructed simple, un-
obtrusive trails and occasional trail
side shelters for the visitor who
wishes to hunt out the hidden beau
ties of the woods on foot or on
horse. The rewards Of such hikes
or rides are many "A beautiful
waterfall just beyond the bend in
the trail, wildf1owers in breath
taking profusion, and, perhaps, even
a fleeting glimpse of chipmunk or
other inhabitant Of the woods not
to be seen on the beaten paths of
civilization.
This program has meant many
things to the people of the country
place to take the children to play
and to rest on Sundays, swimming
pools and lakes for bathing and
boating in hot, arid country, and to
some it has meant a first meeting
with nature in trails through the
woods Of mountain, forest and valley
parks. To others it has meant
added knowledge Of the history of
their State through visits to parks
containing restored forts, old viii
lagos, or Indian huts and dwellings
In many Of these areas c. c. c.
enrollees have carried on every de-
velopment from the parks beginning,
while in others they have come in,
and with recreation projects and de-
velopment programs revitalized areas
which had been earlier set aside
rs parks but left undeveloped.
Vacationists Flow In.
Travel statistics have jumped by
large percentages as enrollees have
provided access to the parks and
facilities in them for comfort and
fun, and have acted as guides and
Information clerks. Field officers OF
the National Park Service report
that the boys can barely finish a
swimming pool before divers are
splashing in 1t, clear a nature trail
before mixers are walking over it, or
lay out picnic ground before hot
dogs are being toasted in the fire.
place Not to mention the glee with
which boys and girls flock to the
parks to take advantage of the
organized camping facilities being
provided in more and more of them
Creation OF the corps In 1888 re-
suited in virtual rebirth of the
State park movement leading to the
establishment Of new areas through
out the country and the develop
ment and improvement of hundreds
Of others. Since then seven States
West Virginia, South Carolina, Mis-
sissippi, New Mexico, Montana, Okla
homa and Virginia-have acquired
their first park properties. Acuui-
sition Of All new parks totaline
1885, ,152 acres has been reported since
Inauguration of the program, giving
the Nation a known total of 4 .O79 400
acres in 821 State parks, and the end
Is not yet in sight.