Creator
[John Muir et al]
Recipient
Sec. of the Interior
Transcription
"To explore, enjoy, and render accessible the mountain regions of the Pacific Coast; to publish authentic information concerning them; to enlist the support and co-operation of the people and the Government in preserving the forests and other natural features of the Sierra Nevada Mountains."
SIERRA CLUB
2901 Channing Way
Berkeley, Cal.
Board of Directors-1907-1908
Mr. John Muir, President Martinez
Prof. A. G. McAdie, Vice-President. San Francisco
Prof. J. N. Le Conte, Treasurer. Berkeley
Mr. William E. Colby, Secretary. Berkeley
Prof. Wm. F. Badè Berkeley
Prof. George Davidson 2221 Washington St., S. F.
Prof. W. R. Dudley Stanford University
Mr. Warren Olney San Francisco
Mr. E. T. Parsons University Club, San Francisco
Outing Committee
Mr. Wm. E. Colby, Chairman
Prof. J. N. Le Conte Mr. E. T. Parsons
Honorary Vice-Presidents
Prof. George Davidson San Francisco
Mr. R. U. Johnson The Century, New York
Pres. David Starr Jordan Stanford University
Mr. Gifford Pinchot Washington, D.C.
Committee on Publications
Mr. Elliott McAllister, Editor San Francisco
Prof. Wm. F. Badè, Book Reviews Berkeley
Prof. Wm. R. Dudley, Forestry Notes Stanford Univ.
Mr. Alex. G. Eeils Prof. H. W. Rolfe
Mr. E. T. Parsons Mr. Willoughby Rodman
To The Honorable Secretary of the Interior Washington D. C.
Sir:-
The Sierra Club begs to submit the following suggestions as to road building and other needed improvements in Yosemite National Park.
I. That a general plan for the treatment of the floor of Yosemite Valley be made by a competent landscape artist and carried out under his supervision, at a coat of about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. This would Include the thinning and clearing of undergrowth jungles; the building of a permanent system of roads located with reference to scenery aesthetic effects, and general usefulness, and the restoration of the downtrodden herbaceous vegetation to something like the beauty of wildness.
II. That a road be built into Hetch Hetchy Valley connecting with the present wagon road which now terminates at a distance of about nine miles from the lower end of the Valley. Government engineers have estimated that the cost of such a road would be about
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fifteen thousand Dollars. Next to Yosemite itself. Hetch Hetchy is the greatest attraction in the Park, and will he visited by countless thousands when once made easily accessible.
III. That all private holdings within the Park be extinguished by purchase or condemnation. Perhaps the most important of these is the old Tioga Road which follows up the main dividing ridge between the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers into the Tuolumne Meadows, thus opening the central part of the Park to tourist travel. It was built by a mining company but has long been out of repair. It could probably be purchased and put in good condition for much less than the original cost.
IV. That a trail be built from Yosemite Valley leading directly up the canyon of the Merced River to its headwaters, thence into the Tuolumne Meadows and down the Grand canyon of the Tuolumne to the Hetch Hetchy Valley. The cost would be considerable but it would be justified over and over again by bringing to view the most sublime and beautiful canyon scenery of the Sierra or the world.
V. A trail built directly up the Tenaya Canyon from Yosemite Valley to Lake Tenaya would enable travelers to reach the Eastern portion of the Park much more directly and earlier in the year. While a great deal of blasting will be required, this trail could probably be built for fifteen thousand Dollars.
It will require an appropriation of at least two hundred and fifty thousand Dollar to effect the improvements suggested, and we
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respectfully urge that such an appropriation be made. Respectfully submitted.
__president
__secretary
__Treasurer
Committee of Board of Directors of the Sierra Club on Welfare and Improvement of the Yosemite National Park.
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Location
Berkeley [Calif.]
Circa Date
[1907]
Source
Original letter dimensions: 28 x 21.5 cm.
Recommended Citation
Muir, John, "Letter from [John Muir et al] to Sec. of the Interior, [1907]." (1907). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 3873.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/3873
Resource Identifier
muir16_1321-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 16, Image 1321
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
Copyright status unknown
Copyright Statement
Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
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.
Pages
3 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
