Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

during the last 200,000,000 years the region comprising the parks has witnessed many changes in landscape and climate. At times it was covered by the sea, at other times broad rivers traversed its surface, and at still other times it was swept by desert winds. Most of the rocks were laid down by water as gravel, sand, mud, and limy ooze. A long slope of shales, broken by many benches developed in hard beds, extends up

ward to the great cliff faces of West Temple and the Watchman. In front of Zion Lodge a slope of weak shales leads upward to a cliff of resistant sandstone above which a slope of shale extends to the vertical wall of Lady Mountain. In Bryce Canyon the rim road is on the highest tread of a giant rock stairway that, as viewed from Rainbow Point, leads downward in steps 30 to 400 ft. high to the flat lands 3,000 ft. below.

Vermont

Capital, Montpelier-Green Mountain State-State Flower, Red Clover-Motto: Freedom and Unity -Area, 9,609 sq. mi.; rank, 42nd-Population, 359,231; rank, 46th.

Vermont, New England's only inland State. is bounded on the north by Canada, on the east by New Hampshire, on the south by Massachusetts, and on the west by New York. The Green and Taconic Mountains run north and south through the State. Lake Champlain, which forms most of the western boundary, more than 100 miles long and in places 12 miles wide, is the largest body of fresh water east of the Great Lakes. The Green Mountains run north and south through the State. The boundary on the east was officially decided (1937) to run for 200 miles along the Connecticut River, the New Hampshire line extending to the original low water line on the west bank.

The climate is cool and the atmosphere dry. The summer season, between frosts, is from 110 to 160 days, according to location and altitude.

In the State there are more than 900 peaks with an altitude of 2,000 feet or more above sea level, and from Mt. Mansfield (4,393 feet), the highest, is an excellent view of the Green Mountain Range, with Lake Champlain (30 miles distant) clearly seen for much of its expanse. On clear days Mount Royal at Montreal (100 miles away) may be seen.

There are more than 300 lakes in Vermont. State Forests or Forest Parks cover about 56,000 acres and the National Forest will contain about 500,000 acres.

Hardly a town in the State is without its opportunities for skiing, snowshoeing, tobogganing and other winter sports.

Preeminently a dairy state, it is as well suited to diversified farming and fruit growing. Its ratio of dairy cows per capita is among the highest in the nation. Both in quantity and quality Vermont leads the maple-production states (nine) with a normal yield of about 40% of the production. The apple crop is of notable quality with more than 350,000 bearing trees in the orchards.

Marble and granite are the chief quarry products, the State ranking first in their production and second in the production of slate and talc; and is the leading producer of asbestos in the Union.

Vermont repealed its blue laws (Feb. 14, 1939). Under the new law cities and towns may decide by

ballot whether they want movies, lectures and concerts after 6 P.M. on the Sabbath, or baseball after 2 P.M. on that day.

From the earliest days attention has been given to primary education. The University of Vermont was chartered (1791). Other institutions for higher education (five) include Norwich University (1819), in Northfield, the oldest military college in the country next to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point; Bennington College, Bennington, and Middlebury College, Middlebury. There are also three normal schools and a junior college.

Vermont was claimed by both New York and New Hampshire and was called by some the New Hampshire Grants. Considerable feeling was aroused among the settlers by this controversy and a convention to discuss it was held (1765) in the Catamount Tavern in Bennington. The Green Mountain Boys, a force of militia, had come into existence the previous year and the romantic history of the early days of the state hinges on its activities.

When the Revolutionary War broke out and news of Lexington and Concord was received, many of these militiamen started at once and joined the Colonial forces around Boston. Those who remained at home joined the forces of Ethan Allen and (May 10, 1775) captured Fort Ticonderoga -a most important victory to the army of the Colonies. At a convention in Westminster (Jan. 1777) Vermont was declared an independent State and the name of New Connecticut was adopted. The following June the name changed to Vermont., The Green Mountain Boys took part in the conflicts of the Revolution, the most notable battle being that at Bennington (Aug. 16, 1777). Bennington Monument, the tallest battle monument in the world (302 feet), commemorates the battle, the turning point of the Revolution.

was

Thomas Chittenden was elected Governor (March 3, 1778) in the first election under the Constitution. The first session of the Legislature was held (March 12, 1778). The State existed under its own government until its difficulties in regard to boundaries and sovereignty were solved. The State was admitted to the Union (March 4, 1791) being the first after the original thirteen. Montpelier was chosen as the capital (1805), and the first session of legislature was held there (1808).

Virginia

Capital, Richmond-Old Dominion-State Flower, American Dogwood-Motto: Sic Semper Tyrannis (Thus Always to Tyrants)-Area, 40,815 sq. mi.; rank, 33rd-Population, 2,677,773; rank, 19th.

Virginia, one of the South Atlantic and one of the Original Thirteen States, is bounded on the north by West Virginia and Maryland, on the east by Maryland and the Atlantic Ocean, on the South by North Carolina and Tennessee, and on the west by West Virginia and Kentucky. Its territory, which once included Illinois, Indiana and Ohio as well as Kentucky, was further reduced by the establishment of West Virginia (1863) in the Civil War.

The topography is varied. The Coastal Plain, known as the Tidewater, consists of low-lying lands intersected by numerous tidal estuaries and rivers. The central part is known as the Piedmont, which rises to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Between this range to the north and the Alleghenies lies the Shenandoah Valley, one of the finest farming regions in the country. South of the James River is Southside Virginia, a tobacco and cotton-raising section. Extending far to the west of the body of the state is Southwest Virginia, which includes mountains 5,720 feet in height and many fertile valleys in which herds of cattle graze. The climate varies, being generally warm in the Coastal Plain and much colder in the high lands of the west. In eastern Virginia snow is seldom seen and the winters are ordinarily mild.

Tidewater Virginia consists of four peninsulas averaging 70 miles in length. One of them is the

Eastern Shore, which juts down from Maryland between the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay and consists of Accomac and Northampton counties, an early potato-growing section. The other three peninsulas are formed by the Potomac. Rappahannock, York and James Rivers; these are tidal streams to the head of navigation, which for the Potomac is Washington; for the Rappahannock, Fredericksburg; for the York, West Point: and for the James, Richmond. The peninsulas are seldom more than ten or 15 miles wide and together they give Virginia a shoreline of more than 1,000 miles.

Along the ocean front, Chesapeake Bay and the rivers there are many quiet summer resorts. The absence of rock along the coast and the shores of Chesapeake Bay has resulted in hundreds of miles of sand beaches ideal for bathing. The fishing is generally excellent in Chesapeake Bay and the rivers flowing into it as well as in the ocean off the Eastern Shore, Trout, spot, croaker, bass, rock, blue fish and many other species are found, while the channel bass fishing is fine.

At Virginia Beach, near Norfolk, which has become a much-frequented and fashionable resort with good hotels, there is surf bathing. At Ocean View and Buckroe Beach, on Chesapeake Bay, the bathing is sheltered. Colonial Beach on the Potomac River is another popular bathing resort while there are many minor ones. In addition to the

regular resorts the state maintains two beach parks at Cape Henry and on the Potomac River. In the mountains are the Shenandoah National Park and several state parks. The Skyline Drive along the crest of the Blue Ridge is perhaps the finest scenic highway in the country. The Blue Ridge Parkway extends the Skyline Drive southwestward toward the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in North Carolina.

The main farm crops are corn and tobacco but all of eastern Virginia is a trucking section. Cotton is raised along the southern border. Fruit-raising is a large and growing industry. Virginia is one of the leading apple-producing states. Peanuts are extensively grown in the Southside, and Smithfield hams, from hogs fed on peanuts, are famous the world over. The livestock industry exists on a large scale in Southwest Virginia. The Piedmont is noted for thoroughbred horses, to be seen everywhere in that fox-hunting and horse-raising country which perpetuates the sporting tradition of Old Virginia.

Virginia produces much bituminous coal and limestone as well as cement, clay, feldspar, gold, gypsum, lead, manganese, mica, pyrite, salt, sand and gravel, slate, soapstone, titanium minerals and zinc. Virginia is the leading producer of titanium minerals and has huge deposits of soapstone.

Manufactures are many and varied. Richmond is the largest cigarette-making center in the world. At Hopewell and elsewhere are chemical plants. Furniture-making is carried on extensively in the southern section. Lumbering is one of the State's principal businesses. Cotton textile manufactures are also extensive. At Newport News, at the mouth of James River, is one of the largest shipbuilding plants in the country.

Virginia is proud of its history. At Jamestown the first permanent English settlement in America was made (1607). At Yorktown the American Revolution really ended (1781) with the surrender of a British army. The state was the scene of many campaigns in the Civil War and the war closed with the surrender of Lee's army (April, 1865) at Appomattox Courthouse near Lynchburg. Virginia has been the birthplace of eight presidents (including Harrison, Taylor and Wilson elected from other states). Its principal shrines

are Mount Vernon, Washington's home; Monticello (near Charlottesville) Jefferson's home; Arlington National Cemetery. Only less noted are Wakefield (Washington's birthplace); Stratford (Lee's birthplace), and Kenmore (at Fredericksburg). National Military Parks at Manassas, Fredericksburg, Petersburg and Appomattox tell the war story to the interest of thousands of visitors. The Colonial National Historical Park, including Yorktown, Jamestown Island and part of Williamsburg, is unique among American Historical parks. The restoration of Williamsburg as the colonial capital of Virginia, by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., ranks as one of the most notable in the world.

The Civil War battlefields around Richmond were acquired by the State (1932) to create the first state park in Virginia. A bill passed Congress for making this area a national military park. The Petersburg battlefield was dedicated (1933) as a national military park. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (July 3, 1936) dedicated the Shenandoah National Park.

The United States Government maintains a navy yard at Portsmouth, utilizing Hampton Roads and James River for anchorage. Fortress Monroe, overlooking the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, has strong modern fortifications.

Race meets and horse shows draw many visitors to the state. Garden Week in April gives tourists an opportunity to see many estates that are open to the public only at this season. The old houses are usually set in groves of ancient trees and in some cases the great box sempervirens rise to a height of 40 feet.

In higher educational institutions the State ranks high, having the University of Virginia founded (1819) in Charlottesville by Jefferson; Washington and Lee University in Lexington, once presided over by Robert E. Lee; William and Mary College (1693) in Williamsburg; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, in Blacksburg; Virginia Military Institute in Lexington; and four State colleges for teachers. Other colleges are Hampden-Sydney: Randolph-Macon and Randolph-Macon Woman's: Richmond University and several smaller colleges. Hampton Normal School at Hampton, the first Negro school of high rating in the South, is also noteworthy.

Washington

The geology is the same as that of Oregonarid and semi-arid lands in the east, interspersed with fertile portions, and west of the Cascades the rainfall ranges from 20 to 80 inches with a resultant profusion of vegetation.

Capital, Olympia-Evergreen State, Chinook State-State Flower, Rhododendron-Motto: Ai-ki (By and By)-Area, 68,192 sq. mi.; rank, 19th-Population, 1,736,191; rank, 30th. Washington, of the Pacific group, is bounded on the north by British Columbia, on the east by Idaho, on the south by Oregon, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. It has the Columbia River as southern boundary line for 300 miles from the west, and many streams of importance, mostly for irrigation uses, with the Snake River in its eastern reaches. In the northwestern third of the State the great Puget Sound, with tortuous shores and innumerable harbors, on which Seattle, Taother important Everett, Olympia and cities are situated, is a great commercial center. It is the nearest American gateway to the ports of Asia, handles the bulk of the shipping to and from Alaska and has a heavy trade via the Panama Canal.

coma,

Seattle is a leading port, through which much trade with the Orient passes.

Agriculture is the chief occupation of the people. The State leads by far in the production of apples. Other important crops are wheat, barley, oats, corn, potatoes, pears, peaches, peas and hops. Huge herds of cattle and sheep graze throughout the State.

Washington is rich in minerals. Coal is produced in large quantities. Gold, silver, lead, mercury and zinc are also mined, as well as clays, granite, sandstone, marble, limestone and cement. Also found are antimony, arsenic, tungsten and platinum.

The Cascade Mountains cut through the western third of the State with a lower mountain range nearer to the ocean shores. A dozen peaks, snowcapped, rise in the west.

Standing timber includes Douglas fir, yellow pine, white pine, spruce, larch, cedar and many others. Normally, Washington leads all States in lumber output, shipping the product all over the world, much going to the North Atlantic States via the Panama Canal and going by rail to the Central West.

The Grand Coulee Dam, embracing a huge waterpower and irrigation project. is on the Columbia River. It began furnishing power (1941) two years ahead of schedule.

The Columbia River has also been harnessed at Wenatchee.

to

Mount Rainier was named after the British Admiral, Peter Rainier, who figured in the American Revolution. The name was bestowed (1792) by Capt. George Vancouver, English navigator and explorer. Seen from Tacoma or Seattle. Mount Rainier appears rise directly from sea level, so insignificant seem the ridges about its base. Yet these ridges rise 3,000 to 4,000 ft. above the valleys that cut through them, and their crests average 6,000 ft. in altitude. Thus, at the southwest entrance of the park in the Nisqually Valley. the elevation, as determined by accurate measurement, is 2,003 ft., while Mount Wow (Goat Mountain), immediately to the north, rises to an altitude of 6,030 ft.

So colossal are the proportions of the great inactive volcano that it dwarfs even mountains of this size and gives them the appearance of mere foothills. It is the third highest mountain in continental United States. Only Mount Whitney (Calif.), elevation 14,925 ft. and Mount Elbet (Colo.), elevation 14.431 ft., rise above the pinnacle of Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier, 14,408 ft.. stands approximately 11,000 ft. above its immediate base and covers 100 square miles of territory, approximately one-fourth the area of the park. In shape it is not a simple cone tapering to a slender-pointed summit like Fujiyama, the great volcano of Japan. It is a broadly truncated mass resembling an enormous tree stump with spreading base and irregularly broken top.

Its life history has been a varied one. Like all volcanoes, Rainier has built up its cone with the materials ejected by its own eruptions-with cinders and steam-shredded particles and lumps of lava and with occasional flows of liquid lava that have solidified into layers of hard andesite rock. At one time it may have attained an altitude of 16,000 ft., if one may judge by the steep inclination of the lava and cinder layers visible in its flanks. Then, it is thought, a great explosion followed that destroyed the top part of the mountain

and reduced its height by some 2,000 ft. A vast crater was formed, surrounded by a jagged rim. Within this crater, which measured nearly 3 miles across from north to south, two small cinder cones were later built up, and these contiguous cones together now form the dome that constitutes the main summit of the peak. They rise only about 300 ft. above the higher portions of the old crater rim.

Mount Rainier is not known to have had any great eruptions during historic times. Indian legends tell of a great eruption, but the date is unknown. During the nineteenth century the old volcano appears to have been feebly active at long intervals and now is dormant. Visitors need have

no fear that an eruption will take place while they are at the foot of the mountain. That considerable heat still remains in the volcanic reservoirs below, however, is shown by the steam jets that continue to issue at the summit and by the warm springs at Longmire. Mount Rainier bears a greater number of glaciers than any other peak in the continental United States. A study of the map will show great arms of ice extending from the summit down the mountain sides to end in rivers far below. Six great glaciers appear to originate at the top of the peak.

The University of Washington is in Seattle: State College in Pullman; Gonzaga University in Spokane.

West Virginia

Capital, Charleston-Mountain State State Flower, Rhododendron-Motto: Montani Semper Liberi (Mountaineers Always Freemen)-Area, 24,181 sq. mi.; rank, 40th-Population, 1,901,974; rank, 25th. West Virginia was set off during the Civil War | tier soldiery in the Continental Army in the east. from Virginia. It is bounded on the north by Ohio, and gave impetus to the conquest of the Illinois Pennsylvania. and Maryland: on the south by country by General George Rogers Clark. Virginia and Kentucky; and on the west by Kentucky and Ohio.

It is essentially mountainous. the Appalachian Range having several spurs therein. Its western parts drain into the Ohio River, and its eastern portions down the Potomac River to the Atlantic Ocean. The climate is moderate, and between the north and south extremes.

The State is a heavy producer of soft coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, iron and steel products. glass and glassware, chemicals and chemical products. Millions of dollars have been invested in chemical plants in the Kanawha Valley.

West Virginia produces more hardwood than any other State. excepting Arkansas, and has vast timber wealth, including yellow poplar, birch, ash, oak, spruce, hemlock and walnut.

The chief agricultural products are wheat, corn, oats, hay, potatoes. tobacco, apples, peaches. plums and grapes.

The date of the appearance of the first white settler in what is now West Virginia is unknown. Recently discovered records in England indicate that probably pioneers had crossed the Potomac and located on or near the site of Shepherdstown (as early as 1719). Morgan was recorded as a settler near Bunker Hill, Berkeley County (by 1726). Out of the groups of French and English settlers and the struggle between them, came the French and Indian War. In this took place the first armed conflict on West Virginia soil. Dunmore's War followed in which the pioneers took a part. serving at the battle of Point Pleasant at the mouth of the Great Kanawha (Oct. 1777) and in the expedition into the heart of the wilderness of Ohio, where at Camp Charlotte, preliminaries were agreed upon with the Indians, out of which grew the treaty of Pittsburg by which the Indians were kept quiet until 1777. This action had a profound influence upon permitting operations of the fron

In the American Revolution, no region sent more men to the east under Washington and his subcommanders, or did more valiant defense of the "back door" of the embryonic United States, than did the men from West Virginia. These days found the pioneers forced to wage war against the British from the sea and the Indians from beyond the Ohio. Indeed from the west the closing days of the Revolution blended into the so-called later Indian wars which only ended at the battle of Fallen Timbers (Aug. 20, 1794) where General Anthony Wayne broke the power of the savage. Several conflicts at arms took place on West Virginia soil.

In the Whiskey Insurrection (1794) hundreds of "west" Virginians rendezvoused at Moorefield, preparatory to marching into Pennsylvania. In the War of 1812 many men marched to Norfolk to defend the shores of Virginia from the English. A brigade collected at Point Pleasant and marched across the state of Ohio, to serve in the Maumee River region under General Benjamin Harrison. In the War with Mexico. West Virginians responded to the call of the Governor of Virginia for volunteers and several hundred saw service in and around Mexico City, including a young man named Thomas J. Jackson, from Weston, who emerged from the Civil War as "Stonewall" Jackson. Five companies from Jefferson and Berkeley Counties saw service (Oct. 1859) in the John Brown "Insurrection."

With the opening of the, Civil War (1861) the first engagement of the war took place at Philippi (June 2, 1861). Skirmishes, battles, and other affairs at arms were in evidence almost continuously until the spring of 1865.

Mineral Springs at White Sulphur and Greenbrier County, West Virginia, are world famous.

Among higher institutions of learning are University of West Virginia, in Morgantown; West Virginia State College, in Institute; and West Virginia Wesleyan, Buckhannon,

Wisconsin

chiefly, and the fisheries on the lakes are highly productive.

Capital, Madison-Badger State-State Flower, Violet-Motto: Forward-Area, 56,154 sq. mi.; rank, 25th-Population, 3,137,587; rank, 13th. Wisconsin. of the East North Central group. is bounded on the north by Lake Superior and Michigan, on the east by Michigan and Lake Michigan, on the south by Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota, and on the west by Iowa and Minnesota. The Mississippi

River forms the southern half of the western boundary line. It has the characteristic climate of the northern tier of States, cold in winter and pleasant in summer, dry and stimulating.

Agriculture is the leading industry and everything grown in the north temperate zone is produced, in grains, vegetables and fruits, agriculture being especially well diversified-corn. wheat, rye, barley, hav, flaxseed, potatoes. sugar beets, with considerable quantities of tobacco for cigar wrappers, hops, peas, sorghum and maple syrup. More peas are canned than in any other State, and more hemp raised. The State ranks high in cranberry production and also produces apples, cherries and plums. Wisconsin is a leader in the number of dairy cows, in cheese production and in the output of condensed milk products and casein.

Manufactures include lumber cut in the Great Lakes region. The State ranks high in butter production; refines much beet sugar, makes much woodwork and implement products, considerable pig iron output, ranks fifth in zinc production, fourth in iron ore output, the valuable hematite kind

The story of Wisconsin forests, as of all of the Lake States. is tragic. Naturally, almost the entire valuable hardwoods. Lumbering proceeded without State was covered with pine. hemlock. and the regard to conservation, until more than 8,000,000,000 ft. were cut annually: until exhaustion of supply cut production. The cut (1899) was 3,389,166 M. bd. ft.; and (1933) was 186,000 M. bd. ft. The estimated stand is about 2,000,000 M. bd. ft. There are wide areas of cut-over forest lands, with scattered timber tracts left.

Superior, at the head of Lake Superior, opposite Duluth, is the main terminus of the Great Northern Railway, and has great ore, lumber, wheat and coal dockage, with considerable manufacturing of iron products.

The Wisconsin Unemployment Compensation Act. the first adopted by any American State, went into effect (July 1, 1934), affecting more than 1,500 employers and about 400.000 employees receiving less than $1.500 annually each.

Wisconsin was the first State to set up (1917) a cooperative crop reporting organization jointly with the Federal Government a system which has since been adopted by forty States.

A law was passed (1939) restricting labor picketing to labor disputes which are defined as a difference between an employer and a majority of in

employees in a collective bargaining unit resulting in a strike or a lockout.

Wisconsin is rich in lakes and resorts that beckon the tourist. Devils Lake in Sauk County is set between mammoth quartzite bluffs. It is fed by springs and has no visible outlet. Ripple marks made by waves 700.000 to 1.000.000 years ago may be seen on the rocks and scratches made by glaciers may be found on the bluffs. A series of waterfalls in the Bad River four miles from the city of Mellen annually attracts thousands of visitors. The principal falls, because of the copper colored rocks which flank it, has long been known as Copper Falls.

Jean Nicolet was the first white man known to set foot on Wisconsin soil. He arrived at the mouth of the Fox River (1634) and landed either at Red Banks or at Dotys Island up the river near Neenah. The source material for early Wisconsin history. the "Jesuit Relations" which were reports sent by the Jesuit missionaries in New France to their order in Europe, merely says. "When they (Nicolet and his companions) reached their destination they fastened two sticks in the earth and hung gifts thereon so as to relieve these tribes from the notion of mistaking them for enemies to be massacred.'

Wyoming

Capital, Cheyenne-Equality (Suffrage) State-State Flower, Indian Paintbrush-Motto: Cedant Arma Togae (Let Arms Yield to the Gown)-Area, 97,914 sq. mi.; rank, 8th-Population, 250,742; rank, 48th. Wyoming, a Mountain Group State, is bounded (established 1929) contains more than 8,500,000 on the north by Montana, on the east by South acres in 11 national forests. Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado and Utah, and on the west by Utah, Idaho and Montana. It is a lofty region, its mean elevation about 6,000 ft.-a broad plateau traversed by the Rocky Mountains, highest point of which is Mt. Gannett, 13.785 ft. Topography is varied.

Its waters flow in all directions, drainage by the Green River to the southwest, by the Yellowstone and Snake Rivers to the northwest, by the Big Horn to the north, and by the North Platte. Sweetwater and Laramie Rivers to the southeast, none of them navigable.

The climate is that of the rarefied air of high elevations, and is salutary, with severe winters and pleasant summers, moisture precipitation being low at about 12 inches mean annually.

The soil in its entirety requires irrigation and there are more than 5,000 miles of ditches in the State. The crops include corn, wheat, oats, potatoes, hay, alfalfa and fruit. No State produces a sugar beet with a higher sugar content, and the average yield for the beets is 13.5 tons an acre. The production of certified seed potatoes is extensive. Great mineral resources, not fully developed, include coal, petroleum, gold, silver, iron and copper. Since the days of the cattle kings the State has been recognized as one of the greatest of livestock States; more than 800,000 head of fine beef cattle and 4,000,000 head of sheep and lambs graze on the prairies, ranches and farms. The wool clip is of great value. Dairying is important in several sections.

The University of Wyoming is in Laramie. The first guaranty of equal suffrage to women in the United States was contained in the Act of 1869 of the Territorial Legislature of Wyoming. The Constitution, subsequently adopted by the voters of Wyoming, was confirmed by Congress (July 1, 1890) and Wyoming was admitted into the Union.

Many tourists visit the State to enjoy the ranch life which retains much of the flavor of the Old West. The Shoshone Indian Reservation is in the west central part of the State.

The first white settlement established (about 1834) was old Fort Laramie, now a national monument. The area had been used by trappers (about 1820) and was explored (1743) by Sieur de la Verendrye and his sons, from Canada, who traveled as far south as Wind River.

Yellowstone National Park (3,438 sq. m.), the oldest and best known of the national parks (set aside in 1872) is principally in the extreme northwestern portion of Wyoming but partly in Idaho and Montana. High above sea level (6,000 ft. and over) it is heavily forested and is a game preserve and bird sanctuary The Great Falls of the Yellowstone are higher than Niagara. In the Park are found more and greater geysers than in all the rest of the world put together, and Old Faithful Geyser is the greatest single attraction in the United States national parks. The region has no rival, and was discovered by John Colter (1807). The Grand Teton National Park (150 sq. m.)

Thermopolis Hot Springs, in Hot Springs County, is one of the outstanding geological phenomena of the world. It is the largest hot spring known, flowing 18,600,000 gallons of water at 135 degrees Fahrenheit every 24 hours, which contain mineral properties adaptive to the successful treatment of rheumatism, infantile paralysis and similar disorders. The Saratoga Mineral Hot Springs are in Carbon County. Mammoth Hot Springs in Jupiter Terrace is the largest hot spring terrace

in the world.

There are as well two other national monuments, Devils Tower (the first national monument) and Shoshone Cavern; 11 national forests and two State parks.

The Grand. Middle, and South Tetons comprise the historic Trois Tetons, which were noted landmarks to the trappers and explorers of the early 19th century. Eleven peaks are of such boldness and prominence that they receive rank as major peaks. In order of descending altitude they are: Grand Teton, 13,766 ft.: Mount Owen. 12.922: Middle Teton, 12.798; Mount Moran, 12,594: South Teton. 12.505: Mount Teewinot. 12.317: Buck Mountain. 11.923; Nez Perce, 11,900: Mount Woodring. 11.585: Mount Wister, 11,480; and Mount St. John. 11.412. Up to the beginning of the last century Indians held undisputed sway over the country dominated by the Trois Tetons. Then, as now, Jackson Hole was literally a happy hunting ground, and, while the severe winters precluded permanent habitation. during the milder seasons, bands of Indians frequently entered the basin on hunting or warring expeditions. They represented many tribes, usually hostile to each other. The dreaded Blackfeet, the Crows, the Nez Perce, the Flatheads, the Shoshoni, and others.

On the Jackson Hole side the Teton Range presents one of the most precipitous mountain fronts on the continent. Except for Teton Pass. at its southern end, the range is practically an insuperable barrier. Forty miles in length. it springs abruptly from Jackson Hole and only a few miles west of its base attains elevations of more than 13,000 ft. above the sea. Thus most of the range is lifted above timber line into the realm of perpetual snow, and in its deeper recesses small glaciers still linger. The grandeur of the beetling gray crags, sheer precipices, and perennial snow fields, is enhanced on this side by the total absence of foothills and by contrast with the relatively flat floor of Jackson Hole. from which they are usually viewed.

The Teton Range may be described as a long block of the earth that has been broken and uplifted along its eastern margin, thus being tilted westward. Movement of this sort along a fracture is what the geologist terms "faulting." The total amount of uplift along the eastern edge of the block amounts to more than 10,000 ft. Doubtless this uplift was accomplished not by one cataclysm but by a series of small faulting movements distributed over a very long period. Probably the time of faulting was as remote as the middle of the Tertiary period (the period just before the Ice Age, the latest chapter of the earth's history).

ORGANIZED TERRITORIES OF THE UNITED STATES

Alaska

Capital, Juneau-Territorial Flower, Forget-me-not

Alaska, an Organized Territory of the United States, with an area of 586,400 square miles, including the Aleutian Islands, occupies the northwestern part of the North American continent, with all the islands near its coast except Bering and Cooper Islands. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, the east by the

Yukon Territory of Canada and British Columbia, the southwest by the Pacific Ocean and on the west by Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. At the end of the Peninsula is the Valley of 10,000 Smokes (near Katmai), so named because of the constant discharge of vapor from Jands thick with volcanic formations. Southeast

Alaska is a narrow strip between Canada and the Pacific Ocean, to the west of which lies the Alexander Archipelago. The Yukon (2,400 miles) is the principal river. Its chief tributaries are the Tanana, Porcupine and Koyukuk.

Affected by the warm Japanese current, the coastal temperature rarely falls below zero and rises to 80 degrees in the summer. The section has abundant rainfall. In the interior there is a difference of 150 degrees between winter and summer temperatures; in some parts 60 below in winter and 90 above in summer.

The 1940 population is 72,524, an increase of 13,246 in the decade. The 1939 population of the chief cities: Juneau, 5,729; Ketchikan, 4,695; Anchorage, 3,495; Fairbanks, 3.455; Sitka, 1,987; Petersburg, 2,187; Wrangell, 1,162.

Alaska has vast forests along the coasts, of which more than 21 million acres are in forest reservations, from which the total annual cut is between 40 and 50 million board feet.

Russia offered (as early as 1855) to sell the territory to the United States. The offer was declined. During President Buchanan's administration negotiations for purchase were opened, but were called off by Russia after an offer of $5,000,000 had been made. Credit for the final purchase is given William H. Seward, Secretary of State under President Johnson, and the treaty of purchase was signed (4 A.M., March 30, 1867) and sent to the Senate for ratification the same day. Articles were exchanged and the treaty proclaimed by President Johnson (June 20, 1867). Formal transfer of the territory took place at Sitka (Oct. 18, 1867). The purchase price was $7,200,000. At first a district (or unorganized territory), by an act of Congress (approved August 24, 1912) Alaska was made a Territory. The Governor is appointed by the President for a term of four years.

Mt. McKinley National Park (3,432 square miles), the second largest National Park in the United States (established 1917) was created primarily to protect the great herds of mountain sheep and caribou on this part of the Alaska Range. Mount McKinley (20,300 feet) is the highest mountain in North America. Rising from an elevation of only 2,000 feet, this mountain (from its base to the top) is the highest in the world.

Glacier Bay National Monument, in Southeastern Alaska (created 1925) was (1939) increased to 3,850 square miles, to include the Fairweather Range of high peaks and glaciers, with Mt. Fairweather (15,300 feet) the loftiest peak. It abounds with magnificent scenery and wildlife on land and water.

Katmai National Monument on the mainland opposite Kodiak Island, created (1918) and enlarged (1931) contains 4,212 square miles and is a great wild life reserve noted for its abundance of Alaskan brown bears and many grizzlies.

Alaska is a hunter's paradise. Seldom can one be in a country where hunting is possible with so few restrictions. Hunting the Alaska brown bear is a dangerous sport and the Game Commission demands that each non-resident hunter be accompanied by a registered guide. Big game are protected under a law approved by the President (Jan. 13, 1925) and administered by the Commisison of five Alaskans. Rivers and lakes afford excellent fishing and deepsea "strip-fishing" for salmon has become a favorite sport in Southeastern Alaska.

The entire Territory, except the far north. is covered with trails. The Alaska Road Commission, created by the Act of Congress (1905) has charge of the existing system of roads and trails except those in the National Forests. Of the 2,366 miles of road, 950 miles are connected in one system making it possible to drive from the coast at Valdez by way of Fairbanks to the Yukon River (533 miles). The McKinley National Park road is 93 miles in length.

The chief food supply of the natives (mostly Eskimos) living along the western and northern coasts, namely, the whale, seal and walrus, had become so depleted (by 1890) by energetic white whalers that a new food resource was necessary to prevent human suffering. So between 1891 and 1902 1,200 reindeer were imported from Siberia with private and Government funds, and it is the increase from these animals (estimated to be 600,000 which today graze an area which extends from Kodiak Island to Point Barrow, a region nearly as large as California, worthless for agriculture but capable of furnishing pasturage for vast numbers of reindeer. Congress authorized the purchase by the government of all non-nativeowned reindeer as a means of conserving and

protecting the future subsistence sources of the 15,000 native Eskimos who depend upon that animal as an essential source of food and clothing and in August (1939) appropriated $795,000 under the Reindeer Act which was to carry out this plan. The work was completed by the end of the fiscal year, approximately 90,000 animals having been purchased from non-native owners. Reindeer Service activities are directed by the general reindeer supervisor. with headquarters at Nome. The industry contains 31 reindeer associations, 59 different ranges. There are 4,600 reindeer owners with approximately 250,000 reindeer (a conservative estimate) wolves having taken a large toll of the herds in recent years.

Fur farming continues an important industry. Mink, blue and silver foxes are the most important, but many ranchers are experimenting with white fox, marten, land otter, beaver and fitch. Furs shipped (1939) were valued at $1,892,968, not including the fur seals, and represented a decrease of 131,444 fur pelts shipped over the previous year. and a decrease of $44,402 in total revenue. On a cash return to trapper and rancher, beaver led, with 31,397 pelts valued at $463,105. Mink was second, with 42,883 pelts ($418,109); 9,426 blue foxes brought $216,798. Fur farmers in the country Fur Station, at Petersburg, where projects are being look with favor upon the Territorial Experiment carried on in feeding, disease, management and housing of mink, blue fox, silver fox and marten. During the year the Alaska Game Commission issued 220 fur-farm licenses. In addition to its regular wildlife agent personnel, the commission had 71 licensing officers on its rolls and 78 registered guides. These guides are authorized to enforce the game laws.

Seal killing on the Pribilof Islands was brought under control (1910) and pelagic sealing prohibited by treaty (1911). There were 60,473 fur-seal skins taken at the Islands (1939) of which 47,646 were from St. Paul Island and 12,827 from St. George Island. As in previous years, killings were confined insofar as possible to surplus 3-year-old males. The computation (as of Aug. 10, 1939) showed 2,020,774 seals in the Pribilof herd, an increase of 148,336 over the preceding year.

Other industries are fishing, canning and mining. The pack of canned salmon averages a quarter billion pounds a year (about 7,000,000 cases). The 109 canneries operating (1939), 11 more than the previous year, employed 24,921, an increase of 2,641. Ketchikan boasts that more salmon is canned in that city than any other in the world.

The whaling station, at Akutan, the only one operated (1939), employed 109 persons. The catch of 171 whales produced 246,000 gallons of body oil ($85,915): 132,750 gallons of sperm oil ($33,188); and 180 tons of meal from meat ($12,469); 180 tons of bone meal ($4,959) and 8,200 pounds of sperm jawbone ($410); a total value of $136,941 and a decrease of $42,700 in the year. Three steam whalers were operated, 2 less than the preceding year.

Persons employed in commercial fisheries numbered 30,572. The total value of the manufactured Alaska fishery products (1939) was $40,104,493. The estimated approximate value of the catch, exclusive of whales, to the fishermen was $11,321,000.

Gold is mined in Southeast Alaska; also in the interior along the Yukon River; and at Nome and several other places in the west. Other minerals are silver, platinum, copper, coal and petroleum. Coal and petroleum production is increasing. The University of Alaska is near Fairbanks

in College. There are high schools and elementary schools for whites and also separate ones for the Indians.

There were in air service in Alaska (1940) 175 planes which carried 31,435 passengers and covered 3,598,790 miles. Passenger miles flown were 5,745,804; freight and mail carried, 4,835,892 pounds, of which 520,232 was mail. Aviation fields, many of the emergency class, number 121, with 12 seaplane floats. A system of meteorological range stations and radio beam stations is under installation by the Civil Aeronautics Authority from Ketchikan to Nome. Bi-weekly air service between Seattle and Junea was inaugurated (May, 1940).

The trade of Alaska is almost entirely with the United States. Imports of merchandise from the United States are chiefly meat products, dairy products, eggs, grains, vegetables, fruit, tobacco, cotton and wool manufactures, logs, boards, etc. paper manufactures; petroleum, iron and steel manufactures; motor and other vehicles.

Exports of merchandise from Alaska to the United States (exclusive of gold and silver) are fish (chiefly salmon); furs and fur skins.

« ZurückWeiter »