Dudes and Sagebrushers 



27 



must be checked out, still sealed. Most of the heavy artillery carried 

 into the parks is brought by visitors from the cities of the East. Start 

 ing the long trip for the wild and woolly West, they want to make sure 

 that they can at least die fighting if death 

 at the hands of the Indians or bandits or 

 bears is to be their fate. Westerners as a 

 rule do not carry firearms. Knowing the 

 West, they feel quite safe among the In 

 dians, the bad men, and the bears. The 

 New Yorker's impression of the West 

 undoubtedly is derived from hair-raising 

 adventure stories in the magazine thrillers 

 and in the conventional wild-west movies. 

 As a matter of fact, the easterner is much 

 safer in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or 

 Hangtown, California, than he is on a 

 street corner in Chicago or New York. 



From the ranger who checks him in, the Sagebrusher will receive 

 a free guidebook, map, and other literature prepared by the govern 

 ment for his benefit. The ranger is ready to answer questions and to 

 help plan the trip through the park. Occasionally a Sagebrusher ignores 

 this assistance, tosses his literature into the car and follows the next 

 fellow, who as like as not is wandering aimlessly. The rules and regu 

 lations of the parks are extremely simple and are made solely for the 

 purpose of protecting the park, the wild life, and the visitors. They can 

 be read in ten or fifteen minutes, after which another five minutes 

 spent in discussion with a ranger will enable the visitor to know where 

 the main attractions lie, where he can camp, which are one-way roads, 

 and where food and other supplies are available, or where he can find 

 meals and lodging and at what prices. 



Ninety-nine out of every hundred visitors are quite in sympathy 

 with the simple and reasonable rules of conduct in the parks. They 

 are, in brief, as follows: Avoid speeding, never leave fires burning, 

 clean up campgrounds before leaving, don't tease the animals, never 

 carve names on trees or rock formations, leave the wild flowers for 

 others to see and enjoy, and in general help the rangers protect the 

 parks for the three millions who will be coming next year. 



In the parks the motorist finds campsites cleared and prepared for 

 him. They are equipped with running water, rough tables, and sanitary 

 facilities, including flush toilets. Wood is available nearby. Some of 

 these campsites have fireplaces, for the first-comers at least, and nearby 

 are stores where supplies can be purchased, and in the larger parks, 

 cafeterias where meals are served at reasonable prices. Near many of 



