Photograph by Pillsbury Picture Company 



the; lower water-wheel Pall: Tuolumne river canyon, California 



The water, sweeping madly down the Tuolumne River, now and again strikes a spoon- 

 like depression in the hard, sloping granite, which gives it an upward and circular whirl. At 

 high water these astounding perpendicular whirlpools are fifty feet or more in diameter. 



Pyramids had reared their heads on the 

 banks of the Nile, long centuries before 

 the Hanging Gardens of Babylon had 

 been constructed, these trees had begun 

 to grow. 



Thousands of years the General Sher- 

 man tree has stood, offering its head to 

 every passing thunder cloud ; but so 

 strong and sturdy is it that, like Ajax, it 

 can defy the -lightnings. John Muir gives 

 us a graphic picture of a sequoia in a 

 storm: "When the storm roars loudest, 

 they never lose their godlike composure, 

 never toss their arms or bow or wave 

 like the pines, but only slowly, solemnly 

 nod and sway, standing erect, making no 

 sign of strife, none of unrest, neither in 

 alliance nor at war with the winds, too 

 calmly, unconsciously capable and strong 

 to strive with or bid defiance to any- 

 thing." 



The sequoia is said to be one of the 

 two surviving species of a once numer- 

 ous genus which, before the Glacial 

 Period, spread across the American con- 

 tinent and occupied Europe as well. The 

 onlv other survivor is the redwood of 



the California coast {Sequoia semper- 

 virens). 



The wonders of the Yosemite National 

 Park are easily accessible via the Yose- 

 mite Valley, where accommodations are 

 provided for every degree of income. 

 Desmond camps and excellent govern- 

 ment trails enable the visitor to see the 

 giant trees, water-wheels, and canyons, 

 while the more adventurous, who desire 

 to ascend Mount Lyell and its magnifi- 

 cent neighbors, will find entertainment in 

 Tuolumne Meadows, at the hospitable 

 headquarters of the Sierra Club, an or- 

 ganization of mountaineers who have re- 

 vealed the Sierra to the world. The 

 "General Sherman" tree is in the Se- 

 quoia National Park, reached by an auto- 

 mobile trip of 65 miles from Yisalia. 



Our national parks belong to the 

 American people and are administered 

 by the Department of the Interior. The 

 Secretary. Franklin K. Lane, and the As- 

 sistant Secretary in charge of the parks, 

 Stephen T. Mather, realize that as play- 

 grounds for recreation and instruction 



420 



