2l8 



Sierra Club Bulletin. 



22d of that year by the Secretary of the Interior. In his 

 report on this case he well says: "Presumably the 

 Yosemite National Park was created such by law because 

 of the natural objects, of varying degrees of scenic 

 importance, located within its boundaries, inclusive alike 

 of its beautiful small lakes, like Eleanor, and its majestic 

 wonders, like Hetcli-Hetchy and Yosemite Valley. It 

 is the aggregation of such natural scenic features that 

 makes the Yosemite Park a wonderland which the Con- 

 gress of the United States sought by law to preserve 

 for all coming time as nearly as practicable in the 

 condition fashioned by the hand of the Creator — a worthy 

 object of national pride and a source of healthful pleas- 

 ure and rest for the thousands of people who may 

 annually sojourn there during the heated months." 



The most delightful and wonderful campgrounds in 

 the park are the three great valleys — Yosemite, Hetch- 

 Hetchy, and Upper Tuolumne; and they are also the 

 most important places with reference to their positions 

 relative to the other great features — the Merced and 

 Tuolumne canons, and the High Sierra peaks and 

 glaciers, etc., at the head of the rivers. The main part of 

 the Tuolumne Valley is a beautiful spacious flowery lawn 

 four or five miles long, surrounded by magnificent snowy 

 mountains. It is about 8,500 feet above the sea, and 

 forms the grand central High Sierra campground from 

 which excursions are made to the noble mountains, 

 domes, glaciers, etc. ; across the range to the Mono Lake 

 and volcanoes; and down the Tuolumne Cafion to 

 Hetch-Hetchy. But should Hetch-Hetchy be submerged, 

 as proposed, not only would it be made utterly inacces- 

 sible, but the sublime canon way to the heart of the High 

 Sierra would be hopelessly blocked. None, as far as 

 I have learned, of all the thousands who have seen the 

 park is in favor of this destructive water scheme. 



My last visit to the valley was made in the autumn 

 of last year, with William Keith, the artist. The leaf- 



