Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-08-01
Park Absorbs
Western Wilds
Removes 200, 900 Acres From
Path of Growing Cities
And Towns.

WASHINGTON. - Removed from
the potential path of growing cities
and towns, nearly 200, 1000 acres of
Americas fast vanishing wilderness
recently were added to the sylvan
stretches of Olympic National park,
in Washington state.
"Set in the heart of Olympic PENN
sula-which faces Canada across
Juan de Fuca strait-the Olympic
National park is the nations young
est federal playground" says the
National Geographic society. cit
was provided for by act of congress
in June, 1888.
Holds Famous Rain Forests
"The 1910 addition to the park,
put into effect by recent presiden-
tial proclamation, brought to an al
ready extensive area of nearly ESQ.,
600 acres a spectacular woodland
playground of mountains and
streams, hot springs, waterfalls,
and rolling fields of wild flowers.
1.-The rain forests which long have
been an outstanding feature of the
Pacific Northwest are in the newly
acquired area. A result of heavy
rainfall and favorable climatic and
soil conditions, they stretch in vast
stands of fir, cedar, hemlock and
growing with tropical luxu-
rance up near the forty-eighth de-
gree of latitude. A thick under
growth of moss, vines and ferns
gives a junglelike appearance to
these towering forests that often rise
to heights of 300 feet. The average
rainfall of the region is 142 inches;
by contrast, on the other side of the
Olympic peninsula, it is less than Is
inches.
"Other tracts of territory added
clockwise around the edges of the
park, from northern Port Angeles
to the stream-watered slopes of the
west, include large public camp
grounds and winter-sports centers,
as well as additional peaks, lakes
and rapids offering new variety and
beauty in region already crowd
ed with natural wonders.
Hot Springs, Dragons Tears.
"In the park-which now occu-
pies 1886, All acres of an authorized
maximum of 898,292 acres-there
are hundreds of species of wild flow
ers, and rushing mountain streams
and lakes filed with such anglers
game as rainbow and cutthroat
trout, eastern brook trout, Boards
lee trout, and the gamest of all,
steelhead.
with the recently extended acre
age, Olympic Hot Springs brought
Il new springs within the limits of
the park. Indians used to account
for this manifestation of nature by
the legend that the hot springs were
dragons tears. According to the
legend, two great dragons, Elwha
and Soleduck, fought a mighty bat
tie over the boundary line which
divided their relative possessions on
Olympic peninsula. The struggle,
which ended in a draw left both
so weary and wounded that they hid
themselves in their separate caves
and wept. The hot tears of the two
dragons still bubble in the valleys
of the two rivers which bear the
beasts names, 'Soleduck,' emptying
into the Pacific, and 'Elwha,' wind
ing northward to Juan de Fuca
strait.
Queen of Olympic park is glacier
crowned Mount Olympus, rising
5000 feet. The Olympic mountains,
of which Mount Olympus is but one
of a series of rugged peaks, were
not discovered by white men until
1774, when Spanish sea captain
reported the sighting of their jagged
SUBMITS from his ship in the Pacific.
Later, an Englishman, John Mears,
named Mount Olympus, traditional
home of the gods"