128 * * * * * "Oh, Ranger!" 



The company still owned the road. Government funds were lacking to 

 purchase it, and Director Mather, with some friends, bought it privately 

 and deeded it to the federal government, thus providing Yosemite with 

 a route into the high Sierra country. 



In Grand Canyon there have been some delicate administrative prob 

 lems that have hampered the superintendents and the rangers in their 

 efforts to serve the public. Most of them arose from private ownership 

 of holdings in the park. Local Arizona politicians, through control of 

 affairs in a county adjoining Grand Canyon National Park, tried to 

 block government access to the Bright Angel Trail, the main route into 

 the Grand Canyon. It was this situation which roused President Roose 

 velt to declare the Grand Canyon a national monument in 1908. That 

 checked privateering, and in 1919 Congress made the area a national 

 park. However, it was not until 1926 that the last mining claim was 

 canceled by the courts, after it was proved that minerals did not exist 

 in sufficient quantities to justify the claims. 



In the meantime, other trails have been built into the Grand Canyon, 

 and the original offer of the federal government to the county in ques 

 tion has been reopened ; namely, that in exchange for government 

 ownership of the Bright Angel Trail the United States will build an 

 approved approach road to the park through that county. Sometimes it 

 is impossible to "do business" with the local owners of roads and trails. 

 The instance of the Coulterville Road into Yosemite Valley is an inter 

 esting example. Failing in their efforts to persuade the owners of this 

 road to make it public property, the park superintendent ceased to main 

 tain the road within the park. The public traveled the roads which were 

 improved and kept up. Today the Coulterville Road has almost reverted 

 to Nature. 



In one corner of Yosemite Park an old privately owned homestead 

 has been cut up into summer homesites and put on the market. Fortu 

 nately, it is so located that it does not interfere with the activities of the 

 park. But, unfortunately for the victims, many of whom undoubtedly 

 buy lots in Yosemite expecting to be within sight of Yosemite Falls, 

 the mere fact that this homestead is within the boundaries leads 

 "suckers" to believe that the enterprise has government approval. Quite 

 the reverse is true and the public should realize that any scheme to 

 exploit lands within the parks has strong government disapproval 

 upon it. 



Before the boundaries of Rocky Mountain National Park were 

 revised, visitors often were obliged to go miles to find a place to camp, 

 for the reason that the roads ran through private lands plastered with 

 "No Trespassing" signs. This often stirred Sagebrushers to anger and 

 criticism of the National Park Service. Of course, this situation was 



