STORY OF OUR NATIONAL FOREST in 



worthy ends, was secured the most important act of 

 conservation in the history of the country! 



President Harrison lost no time in making use 

 of it. Beginning with a forest reserve adjoining Yel- 

 lowstone National Park, he created fifteen reserva- 

 tions during the balance of his term of office, total- 

 ling more than twenty thousand square miles. Pres- 

 ident Cleveland created two more, and later, on 

 February 22, 1897, upon the recommendation of a 

 committee of the National Academy of Sciences, he 

 created thirteen others having an area of thirty- 

 three thousand square miles. 



The first and second groups of reservations 

 created no special opposition, though bills were 

 promptly introduced, but failed, to undermine their 

 effectiveness. 



But with Cleveland's final thirteen broke a 

 storm of opposition. These reservations locked up 

 specially important forests, and Senators Allen, of 

 Nebraska, Carter of Montana, Clark of Wyoming 

 and others introduced bills to revoke them, which 

 they backed with western vehemence and stirring 

 eloquence. The President was denounced by many 

 in unmeasured terms. 



Dr. Charles D. Walcott undertook to steer the 

 storm-ridden bark of conservation into safer waters 

 by persuading Senator Pettigrew of Dakota to in- 

 troduce a bill authorizing grazing, timber sales, and 

 free timber for actual settlers, within the reserves. 

 The bill also provided for exchanging existing claims 



