4 



Sierra Club Bulletin 



depressions in the mountains. He lias made a critical examina- 

 tion of the superincumbent rocks, and already has much materi- 

 al upon which to form a correct theory." (The Yosemite, by 

 John Erastus Lester.) (1873.) Prepared for and read before 

 the Rhode Island Historical Society. 



When we bear in mind the fact that at that time Muir had 

 been in the Valley only a little over two years, and that his gla- 

 cial theory of the origin of the Valley is now quite generally 

 accepted, this prophecy is all the more striking. 



John Muir himself can tell more fittingly than I am able to 

 his relation to the Club and, therefore, the following extracts 

 have been selected from some of his letters. From his home near 

 Martinez he wrote under date of January 15, 1907 : "I herewith 

 return the draft of a Club report on Kings River region with 

 my hearty approval, excepting the first two pages of the MS., 

 in which the Yosemite and Kings River regions are compared. 

 Every possible aid and encouragement should be given by the 

 Club for the preservation, road and trail building, etc., for the 

 development of the magnificent Kings River region, but unjust 

 one-sided comparisons seeking to build up and glorify one re- 

 gion at the expense of lowering the other is useless work and 

 should be left to real estate agents, promoters, rival hotel and 

 stage owners, etc. Certainly the Club has nothing to do with 

 such stuff, tremendous advantages, wealth and variety of moun- 

 tain sculpture depending on greater depths and heights, etc., 

 suggest boys with eyes to depth and height of butter and honey, 

 seeing tremendous advantages in one slice of bread over an- 

 other cut from the same loaf. 



"Have you seen the President's Proclamation of Dec. 8, 1906, 

 creating the 'Petrified Forest National Monument' under the Act 

 of Congress of June 8, 1906? Contains 60,776.02 acres, and in- 

 cludes the Blue Jasper Forest Helen and I found. The large 

 new forest to the north of Adamana is to be added to the above. 

 Come up some Saturday night or Sunday and talk over mat- 

 ters." 



Martinez, Jan. 13, 1908: "Of course I heartily approve of the 

 proposed vote of thanks to Mr. Kent, and suggest a slight 

 change in the form of the resolution, as follows : 



" 'Resolved: That the Sierra Club extend a hearty vote of 



