Legislation-Continued. Bills introduced in the first session of the Seventy-First Congress and still pending....... Presidential proclamations.. Executive orders___ Appendix A.-The national parks and monuments: The national parks administered by the National Park Service, De- The national military and other parks administered by the War De- The national monuments administered by the National Park Service, The national monuments administered by the Department of Agri- The national monuments administered by the War Department-.-. Appendix B.-Statistics: Visitors to the national parks, 1914-1929. Private automobiles entering the national parks during seasons 1922- Automobile and motor-cycle licenses issued during seasons 1925-1929- Summary of appropriations for administration, protection, and im- Appendix C.-Reports of officers in charge of the national parks and monuments, and engineering, educational, and forestry divisions: Acadia National Park.. Bryce Canyon National Park.. Crater Lake National Park. General Grant National Park. Glacier National Park_. Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Teton National Park....... Mesa Verde National Park.. Mount McKinley National Park. Rocky Mountain National Park Sequoia National Park. 122 127 Sullys Hill National Park. Yellowstone National Park. Zion National Park.. Carlsbad Cave National Monument.. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, Washington, D. C., October 14, 1929. The SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR. SIR: In submitting to you this thirteenth annual report of the National Park Service, I wish to express, on my own behalf and that of our field officials, deep appreciation of the interest which you have taken in the national parks. Your visits to several of these reservations during the past summer, and particularly your meeting the superintendents at the opening of the Yellowstone conference, have been a source of inspiration and encouragement to us all. As has been the practice in past years, this report of conditions in the National Park Service and progress of work in general covers the fiscal year ended June 30, 1929, although for comparative purposes in connection with travel statistics the travel year has been considered as ending September 30. Progress of road and other construction work, which is done on a seasonal rather than a fiscal year basis, is also reported for the year ended September 30. Again all travel records have been broken, with a total amount of 3,248,264 visitors to the national parks and monuments. Of these, 2,680,597 visited the parks, an increase of 158,409 over 1928. The monument total of 567,667 visitors was 65,011 more than recorded last year. Among the visitors were the members of the subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, handling_appropriations for the Department of Agriculture, accompanied by Forester Stuart, head of the United States Forest Service. This party visited Yellowstone, Mount Rainier, Yosemite, Zion, and Bryce Canyon National Parks. The Park Service was glad to cooperate in making arrangements inside the parks for the party. While the trip was not made in connection with park matters, we appreciated the interest which the members took in coordinating Park Service problems with those of the Forest Service. I regret that the Senate Public Lands Committee was unable to make the park trip planned, and hope that they may be able to arrange it for next summer under the leadership of Senator Nye. THE YEAR'S MOST CONSPICUOUS EVENTS The outstanding event of the year was the adoption by Congress of a policy directing that the private holdings in the national parks shall be acquired, and authorizing the employment of the power of condemnation, if necessary, in order to accomplish this purpose. Authorization of a fund of $3,000,000, of which $250,000 in cash was actually appropriated, these funds to be matched by equal amounts of private contributions, was the financial structure set up to carry out the plan. A friend of the service immediately agreed to match as much of the funds as might be necessary to acquire the magnificent stands of sugar and yellow pine on private lands in Yosemite National Park which were in imminent danger of destruction. The high lights of our educational activities for the year were the report of the informal educational committee, the appointment of an educational advisory board, headed by Dr. J. C. Merriam, president of the Carnegie Institution, and the continuation of trailside and branch museum development in Yellowstone National Park, all of these achievements being made possible by grants of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial. Notable progress was also made in educational division planning, extension of lecture and guide service, compilation of scientific data, and publication of Nature Notes, our little magazine issuing from various parks in mimeograph form. Park visitors benefited by the road improvements which it has been possible to make during the past several years under enlarged appropriations. With the passing of jurisdiction over Rocky Mountain National Park to the Federal Government, our first major road construction project has been initiated in that park through the letting of a contract for the construction of the first section of the Trail Ridge Road to cross the Continental Divide. The establishment of the Grand Teton National Park, through congressional act approved last February, ended a 31-year effort to give this outstanding area park status. I believe this new park, which is located about 11 miles south of the Yellowstone in the heart of the picturesque "dude ranch dude ranch" country, is destined to become one of the most popular of the system. RESIGNATION OF STEPHEN T. MATHER Early in this report I record the resignation of Stephen T. Mather, the first director and founder, in more than one sense, of the National Park Service. Coming into Government service in 1915, before there was a park bureau, Mr. Mather gave all his time and thoughts and energy to the furtherance of the park work during the next 14 years. Through his earnest efforts the National Park Service emerged from a desired ideal to an accomplished fact, and great strides forward were made along all lines of park endeavor. Especially noteworthy were the results he obtained in attracting an unusually high class of men to positions of responsibility in the Park Service and in interesting capital in the development of public utilities in the parks themselves. Mr. Mather was personally beloved by every member of his organization, and for this reason alone his resignation caused each and every one of us poignant sorrow and regret. When he was forced to retire last January on account of ill health, brought on largely through his steadfast devotion to his work, Secretary West, in accepting his resignation, paid high tribute to him when he said: Under your splendid leadership the people of the Nation have been awakened to the beauties and possibilities of the national parks and the necessity of conserving these areas for all time. So firmly have you built the foundations of the National Park Service that it is now bound to move firmly onward along the lines of greatest service to the people. Taken all in all, you have achieved results that I believe no other man could have accomplished in the early days of organization and administration during the trying period of the World War and its aftermath. * * * Newspaper and magazine tributes to Mr. Mather's character and public achievements appeared in all sections of the country. A fine appreciation of his work was voiced by Congressman Louis C. Cramton, of Michigan, in an address in the House of Representatives, and this in turn was widely quoted and commended by the press. The Pugsley gold medal was awarded to Mr. Mather by the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society this past year, and the gold medal of the National Institute of Social Sciences in 1926 for his service to the Nation in the development and administration of the national parks. He was awarded the degree of doctor of laws by George Washington University in 1921 and by the University of California in 1924 for his conspicuous service to the country in the fields of conservation and education. Briefly summing up national park affairs under his administration, when Mr. Mather entered Government service as assistant to the Secretary in 1915 there were 14 national parks and 18 national monuments, with a combined area of 7,426 square miles, and $253,646.80 was appropriated to maintain them. In addition the War Department was allowed $245,000 for road work and maintenance in several of the parks during 1915. At the present time there are 21 national parks and 33 national monuments, with a total area of 15,846 square miles. For the 1929 fiscal year $4,754,015 was appropriated for the administration and maintenance of the national parks and monuments, and in addition $4,000,000 was authorized for construction of roads and trails. NATIONAL PARK AND MONUMENT SYSTEM ENLARGED Since the submission of the 1928 annual report of the National Park Service, the total area of the national parks has been increased from 11,846 to 12,118 square miles and that of the national monuments from 3,723.7 to 3,728 square miles. These changes were caused through the establishment of new reservations and by boundary revisions, as indicated below. GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK ESTABLISHED The creation of the Grand Teton National Park in the State of Wyoming, by act of Congress approved February 26, 1929, added the twenty-first national park to the system and brought to a successful termination a 31-year effort to give parkhood to the most spectacular portion of the Teton Mountain Range. The new park, located about 11 miles south of the southern boundary of Yellowstone National Park, has an area of approximately 150 square miles. The Grand Teton Mountain group, within the park area, is one of the noblest and most spectacular in the world, probably being more comparable with the Swiss Alps than other American mountain ranges. On the west the new park borders the famous Jackson Hole country. The park was dedicated to public use on July 29. The Governor of Wyoming and other State officials, members of the National Editorial Association, which had been holding a convention in Cheyenne, railroad officials, and others interested attended the dedicatory ceremonies held at String Lake in the shadow of the mighty Tetons. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK The area of Yellowstone National Park was enlarged by 78 square miles through boundary revisions on the north and east. Additions to the northwest corner included the drainage areas of certain streams emptying into the Gallatin River and those to the northeast corner included all of the headwaters of the Lamar River in the park. The east boundary was also changed to follow the crest of the Absaroka Range as a natural boundary line, to aid in good administration. These changes were in conformity with the recommendations of the President's Coordinating Commission on National Parks and National Forests. LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK Lassen Volcanic Park, in northern California, was enlarged by the addition of 39 square miles. The new area contains some interesting spectacles associated with the volcanic phenomena which was primarily responsible for the establishment of the park, and also includes some land which serves as a summer habitat for deer and was needed to provide adequate sanctuary and grazing ground for park animals. ACADIA NATIONAL PARK The area of the Lafayette National Park, on Mount Desert Island, Me., was enlarged to 16 square miles, and authority was given the Secretary of the Interior to accept donations of certain important headlands and islands off Mount Desert Island, in the act that also changed its name to Acadia. This latter change was in line with the policy of the department to employ where possible only such names as are descriptive of a park region or are associated with it from earliest times. Acadia, the name once applied to the region in which the park is located, is of native origin, coming from an Indian word apparently describing the region that was in use among the early fishermen and traders from the sea and that was brought back by them to Europe before recorded explorations of the area by either the French or English. YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK Another boundary adjustment that has been authorized, but has not yet actually been effected, is in Yosemite National Park, where the President is empowered to add an area containing magnificent sugar pine stands in the watershed of the South Fork of the Tuolumne River. The area to be added will be about 7,000 acres. The bill authorizing this addition was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Englebright on February 21 and in the 1 |