Creator
John Muir
Recipient
R[obert] U[nderwood] Johnson
Preview
Transcription
PURPOSES: To preserve from destructive invasion oar National Parks—Nature's Wonderlands. To enlist the support and co-operation of all organisations and individuals interested in such preservation and to publish and circulate information to accomplish these objects.SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OFNATIONAL PARKSBANCROFT LIBRARYDirectors of California BranchHa. JOHN MUIR, President, MartinezDa. WM. F. BADS, Vice-President, BerkeleyMB. CHAS. P. DOUGLASS, San DiegoMB. GEO. EDWARDS, BerkeleyME. W. S. GOULD, OaklandMRS. JAB. B. HUME, BerkeleyMB. CHAS. KEELEE, BerkeleyPBOF. J. N. LECONTE, BerkeleyMa. G. W. MABSTON, San DiegoMas. KATHARINE MII.LBB, BerkeleyPROF. W. C. MORGAN, BerkeleyMB. WILLOUGHBT RODMAN, LOS AngelesMB. E. T. PABSONS, Secretary, 402 Mills Building, S. F. Mas. R. V. COLBY, Treasurer, 402 Mills Building, S. F. CALIFORNIA BRANCH402 MILLS BUILDINGSAN FRANCISCOAdvisory CouncilMB. ALLEN CHAMBERLAIN, BostonMB. EDWIN CHAMBEELAJN, Ban Antonio, Tex. MB. CHAS. M. FABBEB, SeattleME. R. L. QURAN, PortlandME. HENBY E. GEE GOBY. New YorkME. ROBERT UNDERWOOD JOHNSON, New YorkMR. F. B. JOHNSTONE, ChicagoPROF. W. D. LYMAN, Walla WallaMISS HARRIET MONROE, ChicagoMB. J. HOBAOB MCFARLAND Harrisburg, Pa. ME. H. L. PITTOCK, PortlandMB. ALDEN SAMPSON, New YorkME. C. H. SHOLES, PortlandMB. EDMUND A. WHITMAN, BostonRE HETCH HETCHY. San Francisco, July 15, 1913. Me Robert Underwood Johnson, New York, N. Y. Dear Sir: The Yosemite National Park is not only the greatest and most wonderful national playground in California, hut in some of its features it is without a rival in the whole world - its Silver Fir and Sequoia forests - its twin songful rivers and its twin Yosemites. It belongs to the American people and in universal interest ranks with the Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, The head waters of the two rivers embraced within its boundaries are the Merced and the Tuolumne. The Yosemite Valley is in the Merced Basin; the Hetch Hetchy Valley, the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, and the Tuolumne Meadows are in the Tuolumne Basin. Excepting only the Yosemite Valley, the Tuolumne Basin in its general features is the more wonderful and larger half of the Park.The Hetch Hetchy Valley is a wonderfully exact counterpart of the great Yosemite, not only in its sublime cliffs and waterfalls and its peaceful river, but in the gardens, groves, meadows and camp grounds on its flowery park-like floor. At a recent session of Congress a most determined attack was made by the City of San Francisco to get the right to use the Hetch Hetchy Valley as a reservoir site, thus depriving ninety millions of people of one of their most priceless possessions for the sake of saving San Francisco dollars.As soon as this scheme became manifest, public spirited citizens all over the country entered their protests, and before the session was over, the Park invaders saw that they were defeated, and permitted the bill to die without bringing it.to a vote, so as to be able to try again. Ever ready to take advantage of beclouding political changes, a bill having the same destructive purpose has been introduced at this session of Congress, and its supporters are speciously urging that it should be rushed through as an emergency measure when in reality nothing like an emergency exists.San Francisco may be in immediate need of an increased supply of water but her own engineers admit that the present supply can be more than doubled by adding to nearby sources and this plan in any case will have to be followed, for years will be required to bring water to the city from any of the Sierra sources.
Location
San Francisco
Date Original
1913 Jul 15
Source
Original letter dimensions unknown.
Resource Identifier
muir21_0580-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 21, Image 0580
Copyright Status
Copyrighted
Copyright Statement
The unpublished works of John Muir are copyrighted by the Muir-Hanna Trust. To purchase copies of images and/or obtain permission to publish or exhibit them, see http://www.pacific.edu/Library/Find/Holt-Atherton-Special-Collections/Fees-and-Forms-.html
Owning Institution
The Bancroft Library, University of California at Berkeley. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Copyright Holder
Muir-Hanna Trust
Copyright Date
1984
Page Number
Page 1
Keywords
John Muir, correspondence, letters, author, writing, naturalist, California, correspondent, mail, message, post, exchange of letters, missive, notes, epistle
