THE PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK OF 



ARIZONA ' 



The writer of this article has endeavored for six years 

 to secure the enactment of a law creating a national park 

 to include and preserve the wonderful petrified forest of 

 Arizona. The bill passed the House of Representatives 

 in the 56th, 57th, and 58th Congresses, but failed to be 

 acted upon in the Senate. The committee on the public 

 lands of the Senate, to whom these bills have been re- 

 ferred, has thus failed to take any action. The secretary 

 of the interior in his annual reports has repeatedly asked 

 the enactment of such a law and has withdrawn the land 

 from entry so that it may not pass into private ownership, 

 and has endeavored to protect the trees as far as possible 

 under the general land laws. 



This remarkable deposit has been subject to much van- 

 dalism already, and unless permanently reserved and pro- 

 tected is sure of ultimate destruction. 



The land is useless for agriculture as it is in the heart 

 of a sandy desert. An attempt was made some years ago 

 to work these trees up into table tops but the prevalence 

 of small holes in the body of the finest of the logs pre- 

 vented the success of this commercial enterprise. Other- 

 wise this great national curiosity would have long since 

 become a matter of history only. 



Failing to make a success of the table top scheme it was 

 next proposed to grind the trees up into powder and a mill 

 was erected for that purpose near Adamana. But, 

 fortunately, a ledge of emery stone was found nearer 



i John F. Lacey in Shields' Magazine. 



