he deeds, made the following Tennessee, ladies, and gentlemen, me. I have written down a few casion, but before reading them I to all of you men who have been mmation of this very significant know. We were just about on the continent all of our great natural them, and the efforts now being re the most encouraging thing that a. In fact, this is the largest realen associated! You can go as far o States, and if it is an even race to-day. visions of the act of Congress aplishment among other things of the the States of North Carolina and or nearly 240 square miles, of unf the Great Smokies, which I hereby nerican people, but of course necesthe legal officers of the department. commission under this department, lvania, and under authority of the lachian Mountain Range with the remained an area within that range hey rendered an enthusiastic report ts, one that of the proposed Great other of the proposed Shenandoah tep in the final accomplishment of guidance in such search were: shrubs and flowers, and mountains nd waterfalls overhung with foliage, lable for camps and fishing. veloping the wild life of the area, preserving outstanding features of red in the early pioneer days. ntains National Park area was found nts of a national park area, because leys, ruggedness of the area, and the 1 plants. The region includes Mount ne, and Gregory Bald and may bede other splendid mountain regions d to review their findings confirmed up to national park standards in every title to a portion of that national urposes as authorized by the Federal cender of title to the remainder of not ark. At that time the National Park y assume charge of its development risdiction of the Interior Department. Tennessee, through their citizens and. toward this project, which was later e of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Rockefeller, completing a fund which en available information, is sufficient,. e of the minimum park project. I partion of the great public spirit shown FINAL REPORT OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN NA- Former Director Stephen T. Mather, in the seventh annual report of the National Park Service, 1923, wrote: I should like to see additional national parks established east of the Mississippi, but just how this can be accomplished is not clear. There should be a typical section of the Appalachian Range established as a national park with its native flora and fauna conserved and made accessible for public use and its development undertaken by Federal funds. As areas in public ownership in the East are at present limited to a number of forest reserves acquired under the provisions of the Weeks Act authorizing the purchase of lands for the protection of forests and the headwaters of streams, it appears that the only practicable way national park areas can be acquired would be by donation of lands from funds privately donated, as in the case of the Lafayette National Park. Early in 1924 Director Mather conferred with Secretary Hubert Work regarding the recommendation in his report and found the Secretary an enthusiastic indorser of his project. Secretary Work immediately took steps to have an investigation made of the southern Appalachian Mountain region with a view of determining whether it included areas suitable for national parks. He decided that this investigation could best be accomplished by a special committee appointed for this purpose. On February 16, 1924, he wrote to Maj. W. A. Welch, general manager and chief engineer of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission of New York, and Representative Henry W. Temple, Member of Congress from Pennsylvania, inviting them to serve on the proposed committee. He also requested the Director of the United States Geological Survey to assign Col. Glenn S. Smith, division engineer of the Geological Survey, as a member of the committee to represent the Secretary, and wrote to Mr. Barrington Moore, secreary of the Council on National Parks, Forests, and Wild Life, New York, asking that the council select two of its members to serve on the committee. This council, on March 4, 1924, selected Mr. Harlan P. Kelsey, of Salem, Mass., a former president of the Appalachian Mountain Club, and Mr. William C. Gregg, of the National Arts Club, New York. All members invited to form this committee accepted, and a meetng of the committee was called for March 26, 1924, and held at .45 p. m. in the office of Director Mather, of the National Park Service. Representative Temple presided at the meeting, having een designated chairman by the Secretary of the Interior. After discussing the question of a name, the committee decided at it should be known as the Southern Appalachian National Park 'ommittee. Col. Glenn S. Smith was elected secretary and treasAs no Government funds were available for taking care of y expenses that might be incurred in connection with the commit rer. 1 tee's investigations, it was necessary that the members bear such expenses personally. Mr. Gregg donated $500 for the committee's use. Later, as this fund was exhausted, Mr. John D. Rockefeller, jr., gave an additional $500 and Mr. Mather $250. At the end of the first day of the meeting Secretary Work met the committee in his office, issued instructions, and later gave out the following statement for the press: The Southern Appalachian National Park Committee at its first meeting, organized under the chairmanship of Representative Henry W. Temple, elected Col. Glenn S. Smith secretary and treasurer. As the committee already has a large number of requests for examinations of territory, it was decided to send out a questionnaire to all interested communities. The committee wishes to have it known that it considers its scope confined to the southern Appalachian Mountains, not extending north of the northern border of Maryland. The next meeting of the committee is subject to the call of the chairman and will probably not occur until a considerable amount of data is available. Communications suggesting national park sites have been received from the following localities: Knoxville, Tenn.; Jonesboro, Tenn.; Cleveland, Tenn.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Elizabethton, Tenn.; Johnson City, Tenn.; tri-State area, Kentucky-Tennessee-Virginia; Mammoth Cave, Ky.; Clay City, Ky.; Asheville, N. C.; Linville, N. C.; Bakersville, N. C.; Wilmington, N. C.; Louisville, Ky.; Staunton, Va.; Wise County, Va.; Big Knob, Va.; Harrisonburg, Va.; Morgantown, W. Va.; Berkeley Springs, W. Va.; Canaan Valley, W. Va.; Atlanta, Ga. (Chamber of Commerce); and Tallulah Park, Ga. It was decided by the committee that when the questionnaires had been filled out and returned they would be taken up for consideration and decision as to which ones should be investigated by a visit of the committee. This questionnaire, which was intended to elicit certain pertinent facts regarding the location, area, maximum and minimum altitude, and special scenic features in the proposed areas, also asked for a statement regarding improvements, whether the area had been lumbered, and the approximate price that would probably be asked for the land involved. After receiving requests from several localities for inspection of their areas, the committee decided that it would be necessary to make a trip throughout the Appalachian region to determine by elimination the areas for inspection. On the invitation of Representative Thomas M. Bell, Member of Congress from the ninth district of Georgia, the committee visited Gainesville as his guests, with a view to starting from Gainesville on this inspection tour, which was planned to take in the mountain regions in the vicinity of Highlands, Asheville, the Linville Gorge, and Grandfather Mountain area, and the Roan Mountain section in North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains area in Tennessee. Secretary Work accepted an invitation to accompany the committee on this trip, and the party left Washington July 25, 1924, arriving at Gainesville July 26. The Secretary and the committee spent the night at Representative Bell's residence and proceeded on July 27 to Clayton, Ga., accompanied by about 60 prominent Georgians, including Governor Clifford M. Walker and United States Senator W. J. Harris, together with numerous representatives of the press and members of chambers of commerce and other State organizations. After spending the night in the vicinity of Yonah Mountain, the committee went on to Tallulah Falls, which they inspected, and thence to Highlands, N. C., for the night. At this point the committee was obl At Highlands the members of t From Highlands the committee to Bovard, visiting en route Wh Bovard at 2 p. m., where they we Franklin Hotel given by the citiz second delegation from Asheville mayor of Asheville and several cou the committee went to Grove Par A delegation from Tennessee, of the Smoky Mountains Consel by Col. David C. Chapman, chai tains Park Commission of Tenne Taylor, and including a number men, called on the members of the arrival at Asheville and presente national park in the Great Smoky morning the party left Grove Par guests of the Mount Mitchell Moto at the hotel atop Mount Mitchell, the party proceeded immediately to spent the night. On July 31 the party inspected t father Mountain and then went on On August 1 a delegation head Marion, N. C., took the committee on to Marion, where they were en Club House. Immediately after and Colonel Smith were taken by they addressed a gathering at t Temple and Major Welch left the After spending the night at Bak were taken on horseback by a deleg the top of Roan Mountain, where t the area in that vicinity and retur to spend the night. On August 3 the committee mem There Colonel Smith was obliged Mr. Kelsey and Mr. Gregg, in resp the Great Smoky Mountains Park Tenn., where they were met by a con to visit the Smoky Mountains area Gatlinburg by automobile, they foun had been made for taking the part high points lying in the center of th number of people, possibly 40 or 50 ment, congregated at Gatlinburg, Great Smoky Mountains Park Asso |