Chapter VIII: Preface (8)

Towering over the present basin of Crater Lake was a great volcano, reaching, probably, nearly three miles toward the sky. During the glacial period it stood there, its slopes white with snow, apparently as strong and firm as Shasta or Hood or Ranier. But for some reason the volcanic forces within this mountain, which has been called Mazama, awoke to renewed action. The interior of the mountain was melted, and the whole mass, unable to stand longer, fell in and was engulfed in the fiery, seething lava. This lava, instead of welling up and filling the crater and perhaps flowing out, was drawn down through the throat of the volcano into the earth, and left an enormous pit or crater where once the mountain stood.

After the floor of the crater cooled and hardened, small eruptions occurred within it and a new volcano grew up, but, though nearly three thousand feet high, it does not reach to the top of the encircling walls of the old crater, which are, on an average, nearly four thousand feet high.

Then the rains and melting snows formed a body of water in the crater, and the wonderful lake came into existence. No such sight is to be found elsewhere upon the earth. Within a circling rim of cliffs, from eight hundred to two thousand feet high and nearly vertical, lies the lake, rivalling the sky in the depth of its blue coloring. The height of its encircling cliffs and its five-mile expanse of blue water help to make the lake a spectacle grand beyond description. At the present time the volcanic fires appear to be entirely extinct.

From the top of the cliffs two thousand feet above. Upon the right is Wizard Island, a volcanic cone]

Forests of fir and tamarack have spread over the once barren slopes of lava and pumice which extend back from the cliffs. In the hollows, after the lingering winter snows have melted, there are grassy meadows dotted with flowers. It is many miles from the lake to any human habitation, and all the region about remains just as Nature left it. It was a happy thought to make another national park here.

We have already learned something of the grandeur of the Yosemite Valley and have seen how it came into existence. The valley is owned and cared for as a public park by the state of California, but, with Hetch-Hetchy Valley, it is included in a larger park under the control of the general government. Within the boundaries of this national park, as in the case of the others described, the natural features of the landscape, the forests, and the animals, are to be left forever undisturbed. The Yosemite Valley, although situated in the heart of the rugged Sierras, is reached by several good wagon roads and many more people visit it than go to Crater Lake, although the latter is fully as interesting.

About a hundred miles south of the Yosemite is the General Grant National Park. This park is of comparatively small size, but contains a group of some of the largest and finest Big Trees in the country. Still farther south there is a reserve called the Sequoia Park, which contains the largest remaining groves of the Big Trees.

There are also many state parks scattered over different parts of the Union. The establishment of these parks is intended to preserve either the forests or natural scenery.

The retention by the state or general government of large tracts of mountain and timber land, and of those areas which are particularly interesting on account of their natural scenery, is of the greatest importance. The timber and water are preserved for the general good instead of being squandered for the enrichment of individuals.

The preservation of scenic features in their original wild state is just and right, because such things add to the pleasure of out-of-door life, elevate men's feelings, and cultivate a love for the beautiful. The protection afforded the plant and animal life by these reserves gives a better opportunity for studying them, and tends to foster a general interest in the welfare of living things.

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