The twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service was observed Aug. 25, 1941. Following the signing of the National Park Act by President Grant on March 1, 1872, by which the great Yellowstone country of northwest Wyoming became the first National Park in the United States, 16 National Parks and 21 National Monuments with no Federal agency responsible for their administration had been established prior to Aug. 25, 1916 when Congress passed legislation creating the National Park Service as a bureau of the United States Department of the Interior.
The National Park system, June 30, 1941, consists of 164 areas totaling 21,609,289.63 acres and including 26 national parks, 82 national monuments, 5 national historical parks, 11 national military parks, 7 national battlefield sites, 8 national historic sites, 9 national memorials, 12 national cemeteries, 3 national parkways, the Boulder Dam National Recreational Area, and the National Capital Parks in Washington, D.C.
Newton B. Drury, appointed in 1940, is Director of the Service.
Four National Historic Sites, one National Historical Park and one National Cemetery have been added to the National Park System during the past year.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Roanoke Island, N.C., was established April 5, 1941, to preserve the site of the first attempted English settlement within the boundaries of the present United States. This was the site of Sir Walter Raleigh's famous 'Lost Colony' settlement. The mystery of the disappearance of the colonists has never been solved. Fort Raleigh was the birthplace of Virginia Dare, the first child of English parentage to be born in the New World.
Fort Raleigh will be part of the proposed Cape Hatteras Seashore National Recreational Area, embracing more than 100 miles of the barrier reef chain. It is but a few miles from Kill Devil Hill National Memorial, the site of the Wright Brothers' first flight in a heavier-than-air machine.
San Jose Mission National Historic Site, at San Antonio, Texas, established May 9, 1941, is regarded as one of the three finest Spanish missions in North America. The mission was established by Captain Juan Valdez, February 23, 1720, at the instigation of Father Antonio Margil in accordance with the then prevailing custom of joint military and religious cooperation for frontier missions.
The earliest buildings at San Jose were constructed between 1720 and 1731. The chapel, a remarkably beautiful edifice which now stands in a state of partial preservation, was erected between 1768 and 1781. According to tradition, the facade and baptistry window are the work of the Spanish artist Pedro Huisar, who had been forced by an unhappy love affair to seek the northern frontier of Mexico.
Manassas National Battlefield Park, comprising 1,604,57 acres in Virginia, was established May 10, 1940. Here were fought the battles of First Manassas on July 21, 1861, and of Second Manassas on Aug. 29-30, 1862. The First Manassas, or Battle of Bull Run, was the first critical engagement of the Northern and Southern Armies. In this battle, the southern generals Johnston and Beauregard defeated the northern general McDowell and stopped the North's first 'On to Richmond' campaign. At second Manassas, Lee stopped another Northern drive into the South.
Vanderbilt Mansion Historic Site was established Dec. 18, 1940. It comprises 211,65 acres in Dutchess County, N.Y., overlooking the Hudson River near Hyde Park and includes the luxurious mansion of the late Frederick W. Vanderbilt. The mansion is an outstanding example of the palatial American type of residence of the period 1880-1900.
Saratoga National Historical Park, in New York state near Saratoga, was established Feb. 7, 1941. At the battle of Saratoga, fought October 1777, the Americans under General Gates defeated the British under General Burgoyne in a crucial engagement which is recognized as the turning point of the American Revolution. The Park comprises 2,379 acres, of which 1,429 acres, included in the Saratoga Battlefield Reservation, were donated by New York State.
Custer Battlefield National Cemetery, on U.S. Highway 87 in northern Wyoming, was the scene of the famous Battle of the Little Big Horn River, June 25, 1876. In this engagement Lieutenant-Colonel George A. Custer and his command of 226 men were destroyed to a man by the Sioux Indians. This cemetery was transferred to the National Park Service, July 1, 1940.
Eventual establishment of Big Bend National Park, the 'Good Neighbor' park project on the Rio Grande, was assured when the governor of Texas signed a bill on Aug. 1, 1941, appropriating $1,500,000 for the purchase of lands. This park will comprise approximately 800,000 acres on the United States side of the Rio Grande river and 500,000 acres in Mexico.
The National Park Service has waived all entrance fees for Army and Navy men in uniform in all of the 164 areas under its jurisdiction as part of its program of cooperation with the national government in providing leisure time activities for Army and Navy personnel.
The National Park Service is also operating 32 week-end rest camps near Army encampments in 19 states and the District of Columbia. These camps, established in national, state, and county parks and recreational areas are within walking distance of the downtown sections of selected towns and cities. They are being developed with Civilian Conservation Corps labor, each to accommodate from 200 to 2,000 men. Development plans call for water and sanitary systems, portable tent platforms, swimming facilities wherever possible, and recreation halls.
Attendance records during the travel year which closed September 1941, showed an increase of more than 4,000,000 visitors or 26 per cent over 1940, the highest travel year previously recorded. Figures for 1941 show that a total of 21,050,426 people visited the areas under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. According to these figures, which include 150,000 Army and Navy men in uniform, 16 per cent of the total population of the United States made some use of the National Park areas during the year.
Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, dedicated Labor Day, Sept. 2, 1940, lead all parks in attendance with 1,247,019 visitors. Shenandoah in Virginia was second and Rocky Mountain in Colorado was third. Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks also reported more than 500,000 visitors apiece. Only two parks, Mt. Rainier in Washington and Kings Canyon in California, showed any decrease in number of visitors.
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