SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN EEGION. 



163 



THE TITLE TO THE LAND CAN BE EASILY ACQUIRED. 



A site for the park can easily be chosen where the land is held in 

 large areas and where the settlers are few. The land now sells for 

 about $3 an acre, so that a comparatively large park could be secured 

 at what would be greatly less than its yalue to the nation. 



SUGGESTIONS REGARDING LOCATION OF PARK. ^ 



That the foregoing are the considei'ations which your petitioner 

 deems of the most imperative nature and which it respectfully suggests 

 should have the earl}- attention of the Congress. 



That your petitioner does not consider that it would be proper for 

 it to suggest in an3'thing more than a general wa}^ what should be the 

 area or the boundarj^ lines of a park in the Southern Appalachian 

 region. In the opinion of A'our petitioner, this is a matter which could 

 well be left to the decision of the forester of the Goyernment. 



Your petitioner is, however, of the opinion that it would be proper 

 to express its conviction that whatever ma}^ be the decision respecting 

 the area or exact location of such a national park, it should contain the 

 highest mountains and the finest scenery in the whole Appalachian 

 system, and this is found in the heart of the Great Smoky and Black 

 mountains; and that the park should also embrace the largest area of 

 virgin forest and the finest example of mixed forest in America, and 

 this is found in the heart of the Balsam Mountains, and all of these are 

 embraced within the limits of the tract hereinafter described. 



The tract of land will be found to comprise two areas of land, each 

 \ying parth" in Tennessee and partlj' in North Carolina, connected by 

 a narrow strip extending along the line dividing those States and 

 embracing land in each of them. In the eastern end of this tract will 

 be found, with others, the following-named mountains: 



Altitude in feet. Altitude in feet. 



Mount Mitchell 6, 711 Cat Tail Peak 6, 611 



Balsam Cone 6,671 Black Dome 6,502 



Deer Mountain 6,233 Mount Gibbs 6,591 



Koan Mountain 6, 313 Mount Hallback. 6, 043 



Big Craggy 6,068 Hairy Bear 6,691 



Potato Top 6, 393 Long Ridge 6, 259 



Black Brother 6, 619 



In the western part of said tract will be found Mount Guyot (alti- 

 tude 6,636 feet), Clingman's Dome (altitude 6.650 feet). Bald Mountain 

 (altitude 6,220 feet), and man}- other high mountains, as well as the 

 untouched tract of virgin forest hereinbefore referred to. 



Your petitioner therefore states that, in its opinion, by far the best 

 land for the Appalachian national park lies between parallels 35 and 

 37 of north latitude, and between the lines 82 and So of west longitude, 

 and within the tract described as follows: 



Beginning at Joanna Bald Mountain, in the State of North Carolina, 

 on the line dividing the county of Graham from Cherokee and Macon 



