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it had been hoped to open the new road to travel in 1924 it is felt that the delay is more than offset by the quality of the work and the economy of construction. It is hoped, however, that the road may be finished in time to permit some travel during the 1925

season.

Nature-Guide Service and Museum

This important work was further extended by United States Commissioner Walter Fry. Over 300 flower specimens were mounted and with other exhibits were housed in two tents pending construction of a much needed fireproof museum building. When it is considered that in 1918 Judge Fry lost the fruits of 20 years collections by fire, it seems imperative that such an accident must not again be permitted.

Nature-guide walks, lectures, and other entertainments filled the summer months and delighted thousands of visitors who prefer to spend their holidays in the study of nature rather than in the hackneyed entertainments of the average summer resort.

Pageant Master Garnet Holme, with his mountain, forest, and desert players, presented "Rip Van Winkle" under the big trees at financial loss but æsthetic profit.

A feature of the Giant Forest life is the cordial cooperation given the superintendent by public-spirited women who organized regular weekly entertainments.

Proposed park extension

Of the Barbour bill to enlarge the present park to include some 900 square miles of California's forest, mountain, and canyon scenery, it may be said that it slumbers but does not sleep. When the enlargement seemed almost assured, opposition from associations of irrigationists in the San Joaquin Valley came as a blow to those who have for years striven for the park extension. While believing that the opposition is due to a misunderstanding of facts and values, the opinion of the people of the San Joaquin Valley must be respected and safeguards given them against any interruption to the use of water for agricultural and other valley purposes. I am convinced that the opposition is founded on a misapprehension of the policies of the National Park Service. The interests of valley people and the protection of the watershed can not be better assured than in a national park.

I understand that the restrictions on travel in the national forests of California during the past year, due to the forest fires, while park travel was unrestricted, caused many packers heretofore opposed to the park extension to reconsider their attitude. In fact, the attitude of the park administration in encouraging park travel saved the packers' business during the season. The national and scenic value of the proposed extension is only equaled by its economic value to the people of the Great Valley when developed and protected as one of the two or three major attractions of America.

SEQUOIA AN ALL-YEAR PARK

The completion of the State highway from Three Rivers has made the Sequoia an all-year park and it is the nearest national park to

the great tourist centers of California. No other park has such an altitudinal range, from 1,300 to 12,000 feet, or is so easily reached from valley points. Further increase in appropriations is necessary to provide for travel which improvement of county and State roads sends to the park.

GENERAL GRANT NATIONAL PARK, CALIF.

Steady progress marked the past year in this small but popular park which may be considered for all practical purposes as an outlying part of the Sequoia National Park. It is now only 60 miles or three hours by automobile from permanent headquarters for both parks at Alder Creek, or less distance than are many stations in Yellowstone and Yosemite from their park headquarters.

The greatest usefulness of General Grant National Park is as a week-end resort for the people of San Joaquin Valley towns situated within two and one-half to four hours' motor travel. Fresno and Tulare Counties have so improved the Sand Creek and Dunlap roads that the park may be reached in high gear. National travel is at present overshadowed by local travel, but this will not be the case when the Generals' Highway links Sequoia and General Grant for at least six months every year.

Travel for 1924 was 9,118 autos and 35,020 visitors as compared with 12,136 autos and 46,230 visitors in 1923, an excellent showing when the interruptions of forest fires, cattle disease, and financial depression are considered.

The principal needs of the park are continuation of appropriations on a scale adequate to permit development with the travel demand and a closer connection with park headquarters in the interest of efficient and economical operation.

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, COLO.

The nation-wide interest in this comparatively isolated and unique national park is well attested in the attendance during the present season, visitors coming from every State in the Union and from six foreign countries to observe and study the notable and well-preserved ruins of prehistoric American cliff dwellers.

The scenic features of this park are equally as important and unique as the ruins which the park was created to preserve and protect, and during the season just closed over 35 per cent more visitors have registered at park headquarters than during the 1923 season. None of the national parks has shown a more consistent and healthier normal annual increase in attendance.

Service to the public by the various park operators has been very satisfactory during the present season, and all visitors have been well cared for at all times.

Desperate water situation

The water supply of the Mesa Verde becomes yearly a more desperate problem. Despite the fact that funds as requested have been provided for the development of additional water, development has not kept pace with the increased attendance. There is no pos

sibility of obtaining drinking water by drilling wells, and we have been forced to an adaptation of the methods of the ancient cliff dwellers to obtain the little now available. Since June of the present season, the use of water has been most stringently curtailed. Large enamel signs have been placed at each outlet, warning visitors to use water conservatively, as the supply was limited, and the superintendent posted additional notices prohibiting the use of water for laundry and bathing purposes. The hotel bathhouse was closed in early June and the laundry closed, except for brief periods, during practically the entire summer. All building construction was stopped June 30, with the exception of the work on the reservoirs and dams, and only murky water unsuitable for human consumption was used in this work. Stock had to be watered for most of the season in the lower Navajo Canyon or at the Mancos River 8 miles from headquarters. At times during August there was less than 2 gallons of water available per person during a 24-hour period. The very growth and development of the Mesa Verde National Park is controlled by the water situation, and increased appropriations for a larger development of the water supply must be provided or the park will not be able to accommodate all those who might wish to visit it.

Roads and trails

With the exception of the Knife Edge Road the park roads have been maintained in excellent condition during present travel season, thanks, fortunately, to a season of unprecedented drought. In dry weather the park roads are generally very good as far as road surface is concerned but in wet weather they are very treacherous and until the excessive grades have been eliminated, switchbacks and hairpin turns corrected and the roadbed widened and hard surfaced they will not compare at all favorably with the improved roads leading to the park. Park roads should be comfortably passable in wet weather as well as dry.

The Knife Edge Road was particularly damaged by the excessive rains of the previous season and during the present season since April 15 but two quick showers have visited that section. Drought accompanied by heavy winds started an extensive movement of the disintegrated shale below the road which threatened for a period the very roadbed and succeeded in reducing the travel width to less than 9 feet for a distance of 1,100 feet before the movement was checked. One good soaking rain in the early part of July would have saved this park $4,500 expended in checking this movement of shale.

All park trails have been maintained in excellent shape. On August 3 a very local cloudburst partially destroyed 3 miles of the Rock Springs trail, but this was immediately repaired.

New buildings

For the first time since the park was created in 1906, funds have been provided for a warehouse for park supplies, and a shop for overhauling and repairing machinery and equipment. These two units of the industrial group have been constructed and placed in

service. Construction has been started on the employees' mess hall and employees' dormitory, for the use of the white labor forces; the clerks' quarters and the public comfort station in the main administrative group have been in use for some time. All these new buildings were most urgently needed and make for economy in operation and contentment of employees.

The park museum and other gifts

Again the desperate water situation has defeated all plans to complete the museum and dedicate it this season. This building is a gift to the park by Mrs. Stella M. Leviston, of San Francisco, and additional gifts totaling $2,000 have been added this spring to her original donation for this purpose. The work of completion is solely dependent on water for masonry fire walls, cement floors, and plastering.

The friends of this park are legion and their desire to see it develop and engage in activities that the Government makes no provision for, has resulted in many voluntary gifts and pledges running from $1 to $3,500 during the present season. These gifts cover many activities and items ranging from furniture and fixtures for the new museum to archeological work to be undertaken under the direction of the superintendent, and from donations to a fund for the production of ancient Indian ceremonials by the present Navajo Indians, to supplies and equipment for the first-aid station maintained for the benefit of park employees and visitors. But for the generous gifts of friends this scientific, medical, and educational work could not have been undertaken, and to these friends, known or unknown, the National Park Service and the people to whom the parks belong, owe an everlasting debt of gratitude.

Archeological work and recent discoveries

No excavations have been attempted during the present season as available funds would not more than care for the repair and protection of ruins previously excavated. A great series of prehistoric dams were found late during the past season near headquarters and are now accessible to visitors by means of a foot trail constructed this spring. A beautifully proportioned watch tower, still standing to a height of 25 feet, was discovered on the west side of the park during the present season and a site containing the remains of the very early post basket maker culture has been identified in Step House Cave, also in the west portion of the park.

Camp-fire talks

Informal camp-fire talks were given around the camp fire by the superintendent and the rangers each night during fair weather. Visiting scientists, travelers, and educators frequently give short talks at these meetings, which were ended as a general rule by the Navajo Indians who give a portion of the famous Yebeichai dance, much to the delight of visitors. These talks were usually attended by all visitors and at times during the past season over 200 people were present on a single occasion.

Approach roads

The southern entrance or approach road to the park from Gallup, N. Mex., via Cortez, Colo., has now been placed on the 7 per cent State highway systems of New Mexico and Colorado and approved by the Secretary of Agriculture. This means a rapid improvement of this 148-mile stretch across the Navajo and Southern Ute Indian Reservations. The State highways of Colorado forming the main approach roads to north and east are being constantly widened, improved and hard surfaced and during the coming year the hard surfacing will be carried to and beyond the park-entrance road. From then on park roads must be widened, grades, curves, and switchbacks improved and roadbed surfaced if the park roads are to conform to the approach roads leading to the park.

HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, TERRITORY OF HAWAII

The remarkable activity of Kilauea referred to in my last report increased during the past year until in February the lake was nearly full. Then a mass of hardened lava formed over the surface of the boiling lake and suddenly burst, sending huge sheets of lava high into the air. After this a whirlpool formed into which the lava rocks whirled, and within two days all the lava disappeared, leaving only a 500-foot smoking pit into which the cool walls tumbled.

Several months of quiet followed, but in May the volcano returned unexpectedly to the crater. During the disappearance of the lava and crashing in of the walls during the winter the gas vents in the crater had been filled up, and when the gases returned with enormous force they cleared these vents by a series of terrific explosions, hurling rock and ashes for miles into the air. Red-hot bowlders weighing many tons were hurled over a mile away, accompanied by amazing electrical displays. During this disturbance it was necessary to establish safety zones around the crater.

In the three weeks in which these explosions occurred the crater was enlarged to four times its former size, and is now 200 acres in area and 1,500 feet deep.

For a few weeks after this the volcano was normal again. Then a lava geyser suddenly appeared at the bottom of the pit, sending up a roaring column of lava 200 feet and building up a small cinder cone and forming a 10-acre lava lake on the floor of the pit. In a short time this too disappeared, and at present Kilauea is quiet, with only an occasional gleam of fire showing at night in its depths. Effective publicity and volcanic displays bring increased attendance

The publicity given to Kilauea's violent activity in the press generally, and the effective advertising given the Hawaiian Islands and the Hawaii National Park in particular brought a greatly increased number of visitors. In addition to paid advertisements numerous articles have appeared in high-grade publications, and motion-picture films have been distributed through the States. The issuance and distribution of an edition of 100,000 folders descriptive of Hawaii National Park by this organization was an important factor in increasing travel.

14562-24-5

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