OPPOSED TO EXPANSION. 



HON. F. W. MONDELL, M. C, FROM WYOMING. 



You have kindly asked for my views on 

 the subject of the proposed extension of 

 Yellowstone National Park. 



Individual views on this subject neces- 

 sarily differ, as on other subjects, largely 

 by reason of the point of view, and I 

 should state at the outset that my point of 

 view is that of a citizen of Wyoming, in- 

 terested in its material growth and pros- 

 perity ,and delegated by its people to guard 

 their interests in the lower house of Con- 

 gress. 



The reasons advanced in favor of the ex- 

 tension and enlargement of the National 

 . Park, are that this would include a very 

 considerable amount of territory of great 

 scenic beauty, particularly Jackson's Lake, 

 and the adjacent regions, and the Teton 

 range of mountains; second, that such ex- 

 tension is absolutely necessary for the pre- 

 servation of the large game which finds its 

 summer home within the present bound- 

 aries of the park, but which are forced in 

 winter to regions of lower altitude and less 

 snow South of the park for their winter 

 feed. 



As to the first, I do not think it warrants 

 the inclusion o* the region within the Na- 

 tional Park. The park was originally set 

 up to preserve the wonderful geysers, hot 

 springs, and kindred objects from the hand 

 of the vandal, the cupidity of the show- 

 man and exhibitor, for the use and benefit 

 of the whole people. No good reason ex- 

 ists, however, for Government guardian- 

 ship of the scenic beauties of mountain 

 ranges whose majesty can neither be marred 

 nor diminished. 



This region is already included within 

 a forest reserve. It is, therefore, withheld 

 from settlement, can not pass into the 

 hands of private individuals, and the forests 

 are being preserved by the National Gov- 

 ernment from destruction by fire and the 

 woodman's axe. The scenic beauty of the 

 region could not be better protected as a 

 national reserve than is being done at the 

 present time as forest reserves. I think it 

 will scarcely be contended that there is 

 danger of marring the majesty and gran- 

 deur of the Tetons unless this lofty and 

 rugged range shall be inclosed with a fence 

 and guarded. 



The second and more important reason 

 for the enlargement and extension of the 

 park is the preservation of the large game, 

 and it must be admitted that if a consider- 

 able portion of the country South and South- 

 east of the park could be included within its 

 L boundaries, it would make a splendid pas- 

 ture and preserve for wild game. This re- 



gion is now practically the only consider- 

 able region outside of the National Park, 

 and within the boundaries of the United 

 States, where much large game exists, and 

 the preservation of this game is a matter of 

 importance not only to the residents of this 

 region, but to sportsmen all over the coun- 

 try. 



In the Northwestern portion of Wyoming 

 there is a region bounded on the North by 

 the State line, on the East by the Big Horn 

 Mountains, on the West by the present 

 Yellowstone Park Forest Reserve and the 

 Shoshone range, its Southern limit nearly 

 coinciding with the 8th Standard Parallel 

 North, within which there is more fertile 

 irrigable land and water with which to 

 irrigate it, than can be found to-day in any 

 like area in the United States, if not in the 

 world. This region is approximately ioo 

 miles wide by 150 miles long, over 1-3 the 

 size of the State of New York, or twice the 

 area of the State of Massachusetts. A con- 

 siderable portion of this tract it is true is 

 not valuable or irrigable land, but at a con- 

 servative estimate, 10 per cent., or approxi- 

 mately 1,000,000 acres of land within the 

 describe limits can be cheaply irrigated. 

 This region has an elevation of from 3,000 

 to 5,000 feet, is remarkably well sheltered 

 by lofty unbroken ranges, and produces 

 splendid crops of all the usual products of 

 the latitude, and is particularly adapted to 

 the hardier fruits of the temperate regions 

 of the United States. Within its boun- 

 daries are hundreds of square miles under- 

 laid with coal, much of it of excellent qual- 

 ity, bordering on the semi-anthracite. At 

 the surface of the East flanks of the Sho- 

 shones are ores of copper, lead, zinc, silver 

 and gold, some of which that I have taken 

 assaying hundreds of dollars per ton in 

 values. 



At present this vast region has no rail- 

 way communication with the outside world. 

 Its development depends on the construc- 

 tion of railway lines, which in this region 

 of our country build from the East, West- 

 wardly and Northwesterly. Railway ex- 

 tensions are made with an eye to a coast 

 outlet, or connections with trunk lines far- 

 ther West, already built. Any barrier to 

 railway construction prevents or delays the 

 development of the regions lying East of 

 such barriers. 



In Northwestern Wyoming a barrier 

 against railway extension, is the National 

 Park, extending from the North line of 

 the State Southward 65 miles. It is now 

 proposed to extend that barrier some 50 

 to 75 miles farther South. 



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