LITMIR.BIZ

      Unnamed tarn in Dusy Basin (Trip 113)

      The military continued their minimally successful attempt at protecting the parks until 1914, when Walter Fry became the first civilian superintendent of General Grant and Sequoia National Parks. By then the Colony Mill Road had been extended into the Giant Forest. Also, the Mt. Whitney Power Company had constructed several hydroelectric power plants on branches of the Kaweah River. Aside from these improvements, most of the area was still virtually untouched by any form of development. Ongoing cattle grazing, private inholdings, lack of access, and poor facilities plagued Fry’s administration.

      The Reign of the National Park Service

      In 1916 Congress created the National Park Service, with Californian Stephen T. Mather appointed as the first director. Mather was quite familiar with the Sequoia region, having organized an expedition of notable persons to traverse the range in 1915. Armed with firsthand knowledge, along with a Park Service mandate for conservation and enjoyment of the parks, Mather ushered in a new era of park management.

      Mather was given two mandates for Sequoia—acquisition of private lands inside the park and expansion of the park’s boundary to include the High Sierra and Kings Canyon. Acquiring private inholdings was a fairly easy proposition compared to park enlargement, which drew staunch opposition from nearly every quarter, including ranchers, hunters, and Mineral King property owners. Additional opponents included the Los Angeles Bureau of Power and Light and San Joaquin Light and Power Company, which hoped to build hydroelectric dams at Cedar Grove and Tehipite Valley. Even the Forest Service joined the opposition, reluctant to give up lands currently under its control with mineral, timber, and grazing potential. A scaled-down proposal to expand the park was passed in 1926, incorporating lands east over the Sierra Crest, but omitting Mineral King and Kings Canyon.

      The Generals Highway, from Ash Mountain to the Giant Forest, opened in 1926, replacing the old Colony Mill Road. Nine years later the road was extended to Grant Grove. Easier access, combined with America’s growing fascination with the private automobile, led to a dramatic rise in park visitation, which in turn sparked a need for new and expanded facilities. In addition to improving roads and utilities, an extensive network of trails was built (including sections of the John Muir and High Sierra Trails), campgrounds were improved, a number of government and public structures were erected, and a concession monopoly was granted. Completion of a road from Grant Grove to Kings Canyon accelerated development of campgrounds along the South Fork Kings River, but more significant projects were put on hold until the question of hydroelectric dams was settled.

      Initially, the park improvements seemed to be a good and necessary way to accommodate the growing number of visitors. However, as both visitation and development continued to increase, ills such as traffic jams, congestion, and overcrowding began to characterize the Giant Forest and, to a slightly lesser extent, Grant Grove. Environmental concerns created by a meteoric rise in tourists and rampant development provided a real threat to the long-term health of the park, particularly the sequoia groves.

      Additional management concerns surfaced with threats to vegetation and wildlife. Fire suppression was the rule of the day, allowing a dangerous buildup of fuels that could produce potentially disastrous forest fires. The previous ban on stock grazing was lifted, throwing open the door to severe environmental damage to meadows and other vegetation. Wildlife management suffered similar setbacks. The last grizzly bear in California was shot during the 1920s near Horse Corral Meadow. Increased conflicts between humans and black bears put “problem” bears at risk. The evening garbage feast at Bear Hill (Sequoia’s garbage dump), where marauding bears put on a show for tourists, was emblematic of the times.