Читать книгу The John Muir Trail. Through the Californian Sierra Nevada онлайн

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Today Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks in the southern Sierra share a boundary and are administered as one park. However, they were set up by separate acts of Congress at different times, and a little of their history will help to make clear their importance. In the mid-18th century this land was seen as ripe for commercial exploitation and attracted timber barons who came to fell the mighty and ancient trees that grew here. But such enlightened and influential people as John Muir worked hard to obtain protection for this special wilderness area.

In 1890, very soon after the creation of Yosemite National Park, the second US national park was established, the relatively small Sequoia National Park, 50,000 acres of protected land. Just a week later a third but very tiny national park (2500 acres) was designated as the General Grant National Park (named after the American general and 18th president of the US, who had died five years earlier in 1885). At the same time more land was added to Sequoia National Park, tripling its size. The continuing efforts of conservationists over the years led to further expansion of the two parks, until in 1940 General Grant National Park took in land around the South Fork Kings river and changed its name to Kings Canyon National Park. As late as 1965 Cedar Grove and Tehipite Valley were added to the park.