STORY OF OUR NATIONAL FOREST 143 



Conference on Out-door Recreation, which precisely 

 and fully met Colonel Graves's demand of 1919. 



In 1920, the Forester's report prophesied that 

 recreation "bids fair to rank third among the major 

 services performed by the national forests, with only 

 timber production and stream flow regulation tak- 

 ing precedence of it." By this time summer resi- 

 dence and hotel permits had increased to 1,329, and, 

 in the absence of public funds to equip camp grounds 

 for motor tourists, private funds from neighborhood 

 communities were pouring in as contributions. The 

 following year he reported that "counties, munici- 

 palities, forest recreation associations and other 

 semi-public organizations, and in some cases in- 

 dividual citizens" were installing toilets, fireplaces, 

 shelters, water-supply equipment, refuse deposito- 

 ries, tables, benches, etc., in many places in the na- 

 tional forests where touring motorists sadly needed 

 them." He modestly asked for $10,000. 



In 1923, Forester Graves's last report before 

 resignation to head the School of Forestry at Yale 

 University had announced that recreation had al- 

 ready become a major activity so far as concerned 

 public service, quoting the increase of persons so 

 using the National Forests from three millions in 

 1917 to six millions in 1922. Only four years later, 

 the annual report for 1926 showed seventeen mil- 

 lion forest visitors ! A new era, indeed ! 



Toward caring for this human deluge, Con- 

 gress appropriated $10,000 in 1923, $15,000 in 1924, 



