THE TEN THOUSAND SMOKES NOW A 

 NATIONAL MONUMENT 



The President of the United States Sets Aside for the 

 American People the Extraordinary Valley Dis- 

 covered and Explored by the National 

 Geographic Society 



THE members of the National Geo- 

 graphic Society have occasion for 

 much gratification in the fact that 

 President Wilson has created the Katmai 

 National Monument, embracing an area 

 of 1,700 square miles in Alaska, as the 

 result of the five expeditions which the 

 Society sent to this region for the pur- 

 pose of studying the effects of the great 

 Katmai volcanic eruption in 191 2. 



The findings of the National Geo- 

 graphic Society's expeditions, published 

 in the National Geographic Magazine: 

 for February, 1913, January, 1917, and 

 February, 191 8, comprise all that is 

 known about this remarkable region 

 which Prof. Robert F. Griggs, leader 

 of the 1915, 1916, and 1917 expeditions, 

 has described as one of the greatest won- 

 ders, if not the greatest, of the natural 

 world. 



The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, 

 an awe-inspiring phenomenon, where the 

 processes of Nature in the creation of 

 areas suitable for man's habitation may 

 be studied as they can be in no other spot 

 on earth, was discovered and named by 

 Professor Griggs' party in 1916. The 

 next year it was partially explored. Dur- 

 ing 1919 it is hoped that this monumental 

 research work can be completed (see 

 page 366) . 



America's greatest natural-wonder 

 playground oe the future 



Realizing that when means of trans- 

 portation are improved, the Katmai terri- 

 tory will become the great natural-won- 

 der playground of America, President 

 Wilson, on the recommendation of the 

 Secretary of the Interior, Franklin K. 

 Lane, and of the Director of the National 

 Park Service, Stephen T. Mather, has 



set it aside for all the people for all time 

 in the following proclamation : 



Whereas, There exists upon the 

 southern coast of Alaska a belt of un- 

 usual volcanic activity which has during 

 the last several years exhibited at various 

 points energy of a violence which at- 

 tracts the special attention of scientific 

 watchers, 



And Whereas, Mount Katmai, one of 

 the volcanoes in this belt, has proved 

 upon investigation to have unusual size 

 and character, and to be of importance 

 in the study of volcanism, inasmuch as 

 its eruption of June, 1912, was one of 

 excessive violence, ranking in the first 

 order of volcanic explosive eruptions and 

 emitting several cubic miles of material 

 during its first three days of activity, 



And Whereas, The results of this 

 eruption are still fresh, offering excellent 

 opportunities for studying the causes of 

 the catastrophe and its results and af- 

 fording a conspicuous object-lesson in 

 volcanism to visitors interested in the 

 operation of the great forces which have 

 made and still are making America, 



And Whereas, The volcanic neigh- 

 borhood is shown by the explorations of 

 the National Geographic Society to con- 

 tain many other striking features of an 

 active volcanic belt produced so recently 

 that they are still in the formative stage ; 

 and in particular The Valley of the Ten 

 Thousand Smokes, a valley of hot springs 

 in a condition of development toward a 

 possible future geyser field, in distinction 

 from the present dying geyser field of the 

 Yellowstone, 



And Whereas, This wonderland may 

 become of popular scenic, as well as sci- 

 entific, interest for generations to come, 

 inasmuch as all its phenomena exist upon 



359 



