A Nearly Sunken Treasure -- Basalt Formation at Devils Postpile National Monument, California
by Darin Volpe
Title
A Nearly Sunken Treasure -- Basalt Formation at Devils Postpile National Monument, California
Artist
Darin Volpe
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The geologic story of Devils Postpile began millions of years ago as continents formed, through about 100,000 years ago when the basalt columns were exposed by glaciers.
But it's political history began in 1864, when President Lincoln signed the legislation that put Yosemite under the control of the State of California with the condition that it be held for public use, resort, and recreation. It was the first time the federal government set land aside for preservation, and the area included what is now Devils Postpile National Monument. When Yosemite was granted National Park status in 1890 it included this area, but when the US Forest Service was created in 1905 lobbyists for mining, grazing, and logging interests fought to strip land from Yosemite and transfer it to the Forest Service. This is because that agency's mission was to allow regulated resource extraction and would open up that land to mining and logging. President Theodore Roosevelt signed off on the transfer, and 500 square miles of Yosemite that included Devil's Postpile lost their National Park status.
In 1910 it was proposed to dam the middle fork of the San Joaquin River to provide power to nearby mining operations. This would submerge Devil's Postpile in the lake that would form behind the dam. Fortunately for future generations, the engineer at the US Forest Service who received the proposal was appalled by the idea of the destruction of the scenery. At his urging, and with the help of John Muir, California scientists, and the Sierra Club, plus the fact that current President Howard Taft was under serious criticism for allegedly dismantling Roosevelt's environmental commitment, the President was convinced to use the power granted him only five years earlier under the Antiquities Act to create Devils Postpile National Monument. One odd aside - at some point when as the proclamation was written the apostrophe got dropped from "Devil's" in "Devil's Postpile" and the monument got it's current, non-possessive noun, name.
Uploaded
December 24th, 2018
Statistics
Viewed 1,193 Times - Last Visitor from Cambridge, MA on 04/19/2024 at 4:45 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
