Glimpses of Our National Parks (Classic Reprint) - Tapa blanda

Excerpt from Glimpses of Our National Parks

T HE national parks are areas which Congress has set apart, because of extraordinary scenic beauty, remarkable phenomena or other unusual qualification, for the use and enjoyment of the people for all time. They are administered by the National Park Service.

These are not parks in the common meaning of the word. They are not beautiful tracts of cultivated country with smooth lawns and winding paths like Central Park in New York, or Lincoln Park in Chicago, or Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. They are, on the contrary, large areas which nature, not man, has made beautiful and 'which the hand of man alters only enough to provide roads to enter them, trails to penetrate their fastnesses, and hotels and camps to live in.

The official definition of a national park was compiled by Secre tary Work and is quoted here from his reply to an inquiry by Senator Fletcher, of Florida, January 14, 1924: Under the theory and practice of the United States Government since 1872, when Yellowstone National Park was created, our national park system is made up of areas inclosing scenery of quality so unusual and impressive, or natural features so extraordinary, as to possess national interest and impor tance as contradistinguished from local interest. Such outstanding examples of typical world architecture as the Grand Canyon, exemplifying in unequalled grandeur the highest accomplishment of stream erosion, or the rugged por tions of Mount Desert Island, in Maine, which are incorporated in the La fayette National Park, exemplifying unique rock forms in association with quite extraordinary eastern forests, compelled immediate recognition of national park values.

The national parks, therefore, must not be lowered in standard, dignity, and prestige by the inclusion of areas which express in less than the highest terms the particular class or type of exhibit which they represent.

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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Glimpses of Our National Parks

These are not parks in the common meaning of the word. They are not beautiful tracts of cultivated country with smooth lawns and winding paths like Central Park in New York, or Lincoln Park in Chicago, or Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. They are, on the contrary, large areas which nature, not man, has made beautiful and which the hand of man alters only enough to provide roads to enter them, trails to penetrate their fastnesses, and hotels and camps to live in.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.