California--Pinnacles National Monument

Letter from David Starr Jordan to James Carson Needham

David Starr Jordan writes to Congressman Needham regarding recent proposals that the Pinnacles be withdrawn from the forest reserve and turned into open land again to the benefit of cattlemen and others. Jordan explains that he and Professor William Russel Dudley were involved in its initial inclusion as part of the forest reserve, and support its continued protection. He admits he is not fully informed about the current matter, but hopes that Needham will take an interest in making sure that this valuable natural attraction will not be commercially exploited.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1908-04-25

Creator(s)

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931

Letter from Albert F. Potter to Frederick Erskine Olmsted

Associate Forester Potter acknowledges receipt of District Forester Olmsted’s letter of August 13, and approves his recommendation to eliminate the Pinnacles Division of the Monterey National Forest, with the understanding that the region will still remain under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1910-08-24

Creator(s)

Potter, Albert F. (Albert Franklin), 1859-1944

Letter from James Wilson to Richard Ballinger

Secretary of Agriculture Wilson informs Secretary of the Interior Ballinger that, due to changes in the boundaries of the Monterey National Forest and the elimination of the Pinnacles Division of the forest, Pinnacles National Monument is now under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, rather than the Department of Agriculture.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1910-12-16

Creator(s)

Wilson, James, 1835-1920

Letter from Albert F. Potter to Fred Dennett

Associate Forester Potter informs Commissioner of the General Land Office Dennett that, because of the proclamation of President William H. Taft changing the boundaries of Monterey National Forest, Pinnacles National Monument is now surrounded by public domain rather than National Forest lands. Therefore, the area is now under the jurisdiction of the General Land Office. Potter encloses copies of correspondence relating to the National Monument and a report by Forest Inspector George Wilcox Peavy.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1911-02-18

Creator(s)

Potter, Albert F. (Albert Franklin), 1859-1944

A favorable report on the creation of a national monument on the site of the Pinnacles Rocks California

Forest Inspector Peavy reports on the Pinnacles Rocks in California, giving a description of their physical characteristics and the surrounding area. Peavy recommends setting aside the area as a National Monument and having a mineralogist from the Geological Survey assess nearby mineral claims.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1907-09-09

Creator(s)

Peavy, George Wilcox, 1869-1951

Letter from Schuyler Colfax Hain to David Starr Jordan

Schuyler Colfax Hain invites David Starr Jordan of Stanford University to visit his section of California at his earliest convenience. Judge Ambrose M. Cunning in Hollister, California, would be pleased to help transport Jordan. Hain is trying to establish the Pinnacles as a national park, and would appreciate the opportunity to show Jordan the area for a few days and, if he agrees, get his recommendation to that end.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1903-01-13

Creator(s)

Hain, Schuyler Colfax, 1860-1930

Letter from David Starr Jordan to Schuyler Colfax Hain

David Starr Jordan responds to an invitation from Schuyler Colfax Hain, explaining that he is traveling east in a week and cannot come visit Hain any time before February. Jordan would be happy to subscribe to any statement that Professor William Russel Dudley may make about the park (Pinnacles).

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1903-12-12

Creator(s)

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931

Letter from David Starr Jordan to Schulyer Colfax Hain

Stanford University President Jordan tells Schuyler Colfax Hain that he has been informed by Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock that the Pinnacles have been withdrawn from sale, with the aim of designating them as a public park.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1904-05-23

Creator(s)

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931

Letter from Schuyler Colfax Hain to Roy Headley

Responding to an earlier letter, Schuyler Colfax Hain explains to Roy Headley that he understands that the Pinnacles National Monument would still be administered by the Department of the Interior, yet he still believes that it should also be maintained as a National Forest. Hain would be glad to host Frederick Erskine Olmsted or Headley to let them see the area for themselves.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1910-08-04

Creator(s)

Hain, Schuyler Colfax, 1860-1930

Letter from David Starr Jordan to James Carson Needham

Dr. Jordan forwards to Congressman Needham a petition from several residents of San Benito County, California, to set aside lands containing the Pinnacles and establish them as a National Park. Jordan encloses a map of the proposed park, the book A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean by George Vancouver, who describes the area, and a book of photographs of the area. Jordan endorses the effort to create this National Park and asks Needham to pass along the request to Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1904-04-23

Creator(s)

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931

Letter from David Starr Jordan to Schulyer Colfax Hain

Stanford University President David Starr Jordan writes to Schuyler Colfax Hain letting him know when he, his wife Jessie Knight Jordan, and Professor Vernon L. Kellogg are planning to visit the Pinnacles. He thanks Hain for the invitation to come visit and asks if he has suggestions regarding stables.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1904-04-29

Creator(s)

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931

Letter from David Starr Jordan to Gifford Pinchot

Stanford University President Jordan offers Chief Forester Pinchot his assessment of the Pinnacles region. In his opinion the Pinnacles have no value other than scenic purposes. There are a variety of rare plants, and the formations are somewhat peculiar, but not many fossils. Were the area to fall into private hands, there would not be much that they would be able to do to it. Possible injuries resulting from such an outcome might be restricted access to the region, and the possible destruction of timber, flowers, and deer in the region.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1905-02-22

Creator(s)

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931

Letter from Frederick Erskine Olmsted to Henry Solon Graves

District Forester Olmsted encloses several letters, and renews his recommendation to Chief Forester Graves that the Pinnacles Division of the Monterey National Forest be eliminated.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1910-08-13

Creator(s)

Olmsted, Frederick Erskine, 1872-1925

Letter from James Carson Needham to David Starr Jordan

Representative Needham responds to David Starr Jordan’s letter regarding the Pinnacles. The National Forest Service intends to abandon the area’s designation as national forest but assures continued protection of the Pinnacles as a national monument. Needham has asked Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot to delay action until Needham has had the opportunity to talk with interested parties. Needham suggests that Jordan write to Pinchot on the topic.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1908-05-04

Creator(s)

Needham, James Carson, 1864-1942

Letter from David Starr Jordan to Gifford Pinchot

David Starr Jordan writes to Chief Forester Pinchot regarding the proposed removal of the Pinnacles National Monument from the National Forest of which it is currently a part. Jordan acknowledges that the Pinnacles cannot be harmed whether they are owned privately or publicly, but he believes that if they were privately owned, access to them would be restricted, which he opposes. While the forest around the Pinnacles is not of much value as a forest, there is value in having the lands under governmental protection, as it preserves the local flora and fauna, which would otherwise be threatened by the grazing of sheep.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1908-05-11

Creator(s)

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931

Letter from David Starr Jordan to James Carson Needham

David Starr Jordan forwards a letter from F. W. Warner to Congressman Needham regarding the protection of the Pinnacles.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1908-05-23

Creator(s)

Jordan, David Starr, 1851-1931

Letter from Raymond Tyler to Schuyler Colfax Hain

Forest Supervisor Tyler responds to a letter from Schuyler Colfax Hain that he received upon returning from a trip into the field. Tyler informs Hain of the reasons why the Monterey National Forest service pressed for the elimination of the Pinnacles Division from the National Forest. The recommendation included the preservation of the area through the establishment of Pinnacles National Monument, with the surrounding land neither being current nor future forest land, having scarce grazing, and experiencing little watershed impact. Tyler has not heard back on the final disposition of the Pinnacles, and will forward Hain’s letter to the District Forester regarding the perpetuation of the State Game Preserve if the Pinnacles Division is removed.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1910-02-28

Creator(s)

Tyler, Raymond

Letter from William Russel Dudley to Frederick Erskine Olmsted

Botanist William Russel Dudley writes to District Forester Olmsted regarding the elimination of the Pinnacles National Monument as a national forest. Dudley opines that while he does not know about the area surrounding the national monument, it seems like there must have been good reason for its designation at one point, and that the people of San Benito County, California, should be consulted about getting rid of it. He agrees on the whole, however, with the reasoning for removing the major part of Pinnacles National Monument from the national forest.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1910-07

Creator(s)

Dudley, William Russel, 1849-1911

Letter from James Wilson to Richard Achilles Ballinger

Secretary of Agriculture Wilson writes to Secretary of the Interior Ballinger, notifying him that, following a proclamation by President Taft, Pinnacles National Monument has been removed from the National Forest, and is therefore under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior rather than the Department of Agriculture.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1910-12-16

Creator(s)

Wilson, James, 1835-1920

Letter to John P. Babcock

The author writes to John P. Babcock, chief deputy of the California Fish and Game Commission, enclosing a letter from Schuyler Colfax Hain regarding Pinnacles National Monument. He argues that while it is not worth maintaining the region in question for the sake of its timber, it should be preserved as a breeding ground for animals and birds.

Collection

Pinnacles National Park

Creation Date

1911-01-07

Creator(s)

Unknown