OCR Text |
Show Summer Travel and the National Parks It Is to tho national parks that tho summer travel should logically turn. Through John Mulr's eyes, wo havo had a glimpse of their beauties, while lecturers and mountaineers Hko Etios Mlllg and Herbert W. Gloason havo recounted their charms on tho platform. plat-form. At the sam0 time, tho oorln creasing number of outdoor and mountain clubs, from tho Appalachian Appalach-ian Club on the east to the Slorra Club on tho west, havo sung tho praises of the parks. But they havo only partially turned tho tldo of trncl. Now, necessarily, there must bo a great flood of travel ln vlow of Eur opean conditions. Whnt nn oppor tunlty this will be to break down our provincialism! I can frankly say that provincialism does oxlst and I speak as ono who has lled at each end of tho continent and In tho central West as well, and as ono who has many warm friends in alt threo sections. Our national parks are practically lying fallow, and only await propnr development to bring thorn Into tholr own. Yellowstone and Glacier National Na-tional Parks have been somewhat oxploltcd. Of course, many thousands thous-ands have seen the Yosemlto Valbjy; but, then, Yosemlto Valley is only a ory small fraction of tho great Yoso mite National Park, tho rest of which will bo more accesslblo to tho public nnd to the motorist In particular, parti-cular, when plans which Setretary Lane is advocating aro carried out. Mount Italnler National Park, In Washington, with Its wonderful gla clers, Is but little known. Crater Lako, In Oregon, a vcrltablo tur-quolso tur-quolso gem, had last year only two thousand visitors outside of Oregon-lans. Oregon-lans. Many Callfornlans, oven, hardly hard-ly know of tho existence of Sequoia Park, In tho southern Sierras, which according to Chlek Geographer It. B. Marshall, of tho United States Geological Survey, contains, with the great Kings and Korn Wvor canyons moro beauties than all tho other parks combined. Last, but far from least, tho Rocky Mountain National Park, on tho Continental Con-tinental Divide, Just fifty miles north west of Denver, camo Into being In January, and bids fair to become ono of tho most popular summer resorts. Perhaps by tho summer of 191G when the beauty spots of this new park aro mado accessible by road and trail, oven tho dream of many Colorado peoplo may bo realized, that Colorado Colora-do contain tho summer capital of tho nation. Suroly tho Presldont and his Cabinet could do nothing moro Inspiring to themselvos nnd tho ia-tlon ia-tlon than to summer ln this glorious mountain country, whero they would truly bq In touch with tho Great Wost and yot bo little moro than two days from tho national capital. From "Tho National Parks on a Business Basts," by Stophon T. Mather, in tho American Ameri-can Bevlow of Revlowa for April. |