34 EECLAMATION OF CAPE COD SAND DUNES. 



building sites for the business houses and dwellings, as originally 

 there was very little building space along the harbor, which was so 

 shallow near the edge as to make landing difficult. 



DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROTECTIVE BEACH RIDGE. 



The extensive sand flats and marshes associated with the sand hook 

 forming one side of the harbor have always been subject to the 

 inroads of the sea, which threatened the harbor with great incursions 

 of sand, A protective beach ridge has been dev^eloped in all of the 

 weaker places on the sand hook. Groin fences, in connection with 

 beach grass, have induced extensive accumulations of sand, which are 

 ver}^ effective in protecting the harbor and the bulkheads from the 

 action of the sea during storms. This process of reclamation is in 

 operation at present, the object being to build up a protective beach 

 ridge along the salt marsh near the extreme end of the Cape south and 

 west of Provincetown. 



THE PROVINCE LANDS. 



State Ownership. 



The Province lands, .situated at the extremity of Cape Cod, have 

 had a peculiar histor3\ When the provincial government ceased and 

 Massachusetts became a State, all of the unoccupied lands retained the 

 title of "Province lands," as all the land had previouslv been desig- 

 nated. It was not V itil 1893 that the State ceded to the inhabitants of 

 Prov incetown even their building sites, although previous to that date 

 they had been privileged to give warranty deeds when making real 

 estate transfers. There exist excellent reasons for State ownership 

 of these sand areas which inclose the harbor, as it is only under such 

 ownership that the necessaiy attention can be given to render the 

 protection of the harbor efficient. The city and harbor are entirely 

 too important to allow the half -established sand areas which endanger 

 them to pass into the hands of private parties and to be subject to 

 possible shortsighted policies leading to immediate profit. 



It seems equally desirable that the State should also own what are 

 known as the "Lotted lands," which constitute the sand areas lying 

 between the Province lands and the glacial deposits comprising the 

 original head of the Cape (see PI. 1). The sand of this area is more 

 loosely bound and the shifting dunes are much nearer the harbor than 

 are the sand areas of the Province lands. The " Lotted lands" are of 

 little economic value and title could be obtained for a nominal consid- 

 eration. At the present time timber and beach-grass ha}^ are being 

 removed by private persons to sup^i}^ the local demand for these prod- 

 ucts. In view of the importance of the property thus endangered 

 these practices need no comment. 



