Creator
[John Muir]
Recipient
[Robert Underwood] Johnson
Transcription
(Copied from notebook marked "1905", letter 3)
Martinez, Mar. 23, '05.
Dear Mr. Johnson:
I knew that the management of the public lands in question had been transferred to the Bureau of Forestry of the Agricultural Department, but I got the impression somehow that the National Parks were not included in the transfer and that they would continue to be protected by soldiers under direction of the Secretary of the Interior. Anyhow, I suppose no important change will be made for the coming season. What a glorious chance this gives to the President to distinguish himself and bless all the world, but politicians, I fear, will try as hard as ever to get in their deadly work in spite of all we can do.
Can you tell me whether the superintendents, guards, rangers, etc. of the Parks and Be serrations have yet been brought under Civil Service rules. If not, the services of the military can hardly be spared
By the way, a lot of talk has been going on here about turning the Hetch Hetchy Yosemite Into a reservoir by a dam 150 feet high, and I saw it stated in the newspapers that Pinchot had been detailed to examine into the merits of the scheme and that he had reported to the President and the Secretary of the Interior that the damming of Hetch Hetchy "would not injure the National Park or detract from its beauties or natural wild grandeur." But I cannot believe that Pinchot, if he really knows the valley, has made any such statement, for it would be just the same as saying that flooding Yosemite would do it no harm. This damming of Hetch Hetchy and Lake Eleanor is an old scheme that we had to fight ten or twelve years ago. As good a reservoir can easily be made outside of the park, though at greater cost.
I hope the Fates will be kind to you and send you all out here this summer. I want to have a long talk with you about the management of the Valley, now that we have at last got it out of the hands of the California politicians.
Faithfully yours,
[JOHN MUIR]
Mr. R. U. Johnson,
The Century Magazine,
New York.
Location
Martinez [Calif.]
Circa Date
[19]05 Mar 23
Source
Original letter dimensions: 22.5 x 14.5 cm.
Recommended Citation
Muir, John, "Letter from [John Muir] to [Robert Underwood] Johnson, [19]05 Mar 23." (1905). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 3307.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/3307
Resource Identifier
muir15_0352-trans.tif
File Identifier
Reel 15, Image 0352
Collection Identifier
Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc
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
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library. 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
Pages
1 page
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
