7^^S 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



turned into a public park, and the houses 

 below kept at such a height that if they 

 were to be built they would not obstruct 

 the view from above. 



Of course it is to be regretted that all 

 of that piece of land on both sides of 

 Massachusetts avenue, and especially the 

 part between Massachusetts and Con- 

 necticut avenues, was not kept for the 

 Washington of the future. It is one of 

 the saddest things we have seen, the way 

 in which that beautiful bit of woodland 

 countrv between Massachusetts avenue 

 and Connecticut avenue, where some of 

 us used to take our favorite recreation 

 under the leafy boughs, listening to the 

 songs of the birds in spring and to the 

 murmuring of the little brooks that purled 

 down the hollows, to know that this tract 

 has now been leveled, the tiny glens filled 

 up and the brooks turned into subter- 

 ranean drains. It will soon be covered 

 with villas or rows of dwelHngs, and 30 

 years hence no one will know how charm- 

 ing that side of Washington was. 



THK BEAUTIES OE ROCK CREEK PARK 



From these vain regrets let me turn 

 to say something more about Rock Creek, 

 where there is still time to save beauties 

 that are threatened. 



To Rock Creek there is nothing com- 

 parable in any capital city of Europe. 

 What city in the world is there where a 

 man living in a house like that in which 

 we are meeting, in i8th street, can within 

 less than 10 minutes by car and within a 

 quarter of an hour on his own feet get 

 in a beautiful rocky glen, such as you 

 would find in the woods of Maine or 

 Scotland — a winding, rocky glen, with a 

 broad stream foaming over its stony bed 

 and wild leafy woods looking down on 

 each side, where you not only have a 

 carriage road at the bottom, but an inex- 

 haustible variety of foot-paths, where you 

 can force your way through thickets and 

 test your physical ability in climbing up 

 and down steep slopes, and in places 

 scaling the faces of bold clififs. 



All that you have in Rock Creek Park, 

 And yet I am told that a good deal of 

 the land behind Rock Creek Park is 

 being sold for building purposes. The 

 beauty of a portion of the park has al- 



ready been spoiled at the place where 

 the Mt. Pleasant road goes down into the 

 park toward Pierce's Mill, by the erection 

 of a row of not too beautiful houses. A 

 great deal of the land which lies north- 

 west of Rock Creek Park, toward Con- 

 necticut avenue, does not belong to the 

 District. 



And yet it is quite essential to the 

 beauty of Rock Creek Park that that 

 tract of charming woodland should not 

 be built upon. The builder has been 

 stealing steadily forward to the edge; of 

 the park. Before long much of this tract 

 will be covered with buildings. There is 

 still time to stop that. There is still time 

 to see that all that is not yet touched by 

 buildings — at least that land between 

 Connecticut avenue and Rock Creek, on 

 the one side, and between Rock Creek 

 and the continuation of Georgia avenue, 

 toward Silver Spring, on the other — 

 and, above all, to see to it that the valley 

 of the creek itself, which is now thickly 

 wooded, shall be kept forever as a part 

 of the Rock Creek Park. 



I should like to go even further — al- 

 though perhaps I am indulging in aspira- 

 tions and not sufficiently thinking of ap- 

 propriations — and consecrate the whole 

 of Rock Creek Valley for 10 or 12 miles 

 above Washington to the public. It is a 

 very beautiful valley. If you will take 

 the Chevy Chase car until it crosses Rock 

 Creek and then follow the creek up to- 

 ward the west for a few miles, and then 

 turn back to the car line aforesaid and 

 follow the creek down the whole way till 

 you strike the Military Road, below Fort 

 Stevens, you will pass through a variety 

 of river and woodland scenery which it 

 is extraordinary to find so close to a 

 great city. 



Along one part of the stream there are 

 places where the creek is deep and stag- 

 nant, with sandy pools ; at other places 

 the water runs swiftly, and there are rip- 

 ples in the stream and many tiny cas- 

 cades, where the water splashes over 

 ridges of rock and twists round huge 

 boulders. You will find an endless va- 

 riety of beauty. 



Some day or other such a piece of 

 scenery will be of infinite value to the 

 people of Washington, who want to re- 



