lcanoes.

Capulin Mountain in northeastern New Mexico near the Colorado line is a
very ancient volcano which retains its shape in nearly perfect
condition. It was made a national monument for scientific reasons, but
it also happily rounds out the national parks' exhibit of the influences
which created our wonderful southwest. Its crater cone is composed
partly of lava flow, partly of fine loose cinder, and partly of cemented
volcanic ash. It is nearly a perfect cone.

Capulin rises fifteen hundred feet from the plain to an altitude of
eight thousand feet. Its crater is fifteen hundred feet across and
seventy-five feet deep. To complete the volcanic exhibit many blister
cones are found around its base. It is easily reached from two railroads
or by automobile.

XX

THE MUIR WOODS AND OTHER NATIONAL MONUMENTS

National monuments which commemorate history, conserve forests, and
distinguish conspicuous examples of world-making dot other parts of the
United States besides the colorful southwest. Their variety is great and
the natural beauty of some of them unsurpassed.

Their number should be much greater. Every history-helping exploration
of the early days, from Cortreal's inspection of the upper Atlantic
coast in 1501 and Ponce de Leon's exploration of Florida eleven years
later, from Cabrillo's skirting of the Pacific coast in 1542 and
Vancouver's entrance into Puget Sound in 1792, including every early
expedition from north and south into the country now ours and every
exploration of the interior by our own people, should be commemorated,
not by a slab of bronze or marble, but by a striking and appropriate
area set apart as a definite memorial of the history of this nation's
early beginnings.

These areas should be appropriately located upon or overlooking some
important or characteristic landmark of the explorations or events which
they commemorated, and should have scenic importance sufficient to
attract visitors and impress upon them the stages of the progress of
this land from a condition of wilderness to settlement and civilization.

Nor should it end here. The country is richly endowed, from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, with examples of Nature's amazing handicraft in the
making of this continent, the whole range of which should be fully
expressed in national reservations.

Besides these, examples of our northeastern forests, the pines of the
southern Appalachians, the everglades of Florida, the ta