[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 47 (Monday, March 19, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H2627-H2628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING IMPORTANCE OF HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK ON ITS 175TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 138) recognizing the importance of Hot Springs 
National Park on its 175th anniversary.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 138

       Whereas the concept in the United States of setting aside a 
     nationally significant place for the future enjoyment of its 
     citizens was first implemented 175 years ago in Hot Springs, 
     Arkansas, with the creation of the Hot Springs Reservation, 
     which protected 47 area hot springs;
       Whereas the Act that created the Hot Springs Reservation, 
     entitled ``An Act authorizing the governor of the territory 
     of Arkansas to lease the salt springs, in said territory, and 
     for other purposes'', approved April 20, 1832 (4 Stat. 505), 
     required that ``the hot springs in said territory, together 
     with four sections of land, including said springs, as near 
     the centre thereof as may be, shall be reserved for the 
     future disposal of the United States, and shall not be 
     entered, located, or appropriated, for any other purpose 
     whatever'';
       Whereas the Hot Springs Reservation was the first protected 
     area in the Nation;
       Whereas the Act creating the Hot Springs Reservation 
     preceded both the establishment of the Department of the 
     Interior in 1849 and the establishment of Yellowstone 
     National Park as the first national park in 1872;
       Whereas the Hot Springs Reservation was renamed Hot Springs 
     National Park in 1921 and became America's 18th national 
     park; and
       Whereas the tradition of preservation and conservation that 
     developed into the National Park System, which now includes 
     390 units, began with the Act that created the Hot Springs 
     Reservation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,  That on this 175th anniversary of the Act of 
     Congress that created the Hot Springs Reservation, the House 
     of Representatives recognizes the important contribution of 
     the Hot Springs Reservation and Hot Springs National Park to 
     the history of conservation in the United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. House Resolution 138, introduced by my colleague, the 
gentleman from Arkansas, Representative Mike Ross, would express a 
recognition by the House of Representatives of the importance of the 
Hot Springs National Park on its 175th anniversary.
  Most people know that Yellowstone is our first national park, but 
more than 40 years before Yellowstone was established as a park, 
Congress set aside 2,529 acres in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas to 
preserve 47 hot springs located there.
  The law was enacted at the request of the General Assembly of the 
Territory of Arkansas and signed by President Andrew Jackson on April 
20, 1832. That made the Hot Springs Reservation the first nationally 
protected parkland.
  The reservation was turned over to the Department of the Interior 
when

[[Page H2628]]

that Department was established in 1849. However, it took another 
quarter of a century, a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, and the 
protection of Federal troops to settle the bogus land claims and chase 
off overeager entrepreneurs seeking to make profit from the springs. 
Notably, the 1916 Organic Act which established the National Park 
Service mentioned only the Hot Springs Reservation by name, even though 
by that time several other national parks and monuments had been 
designated by Congress. The Organic Act placed all these units under 
the supervision, management, and control of the new agency.
  On March 4, 1921, Congress elevated Hot Springs to a national park 
status, apparently with the personal interest of the first director of 
the National Park Service, Stephen Mather.
  Bathhouse Row, the Hot Springs street lined with opulent bathhouses 
and hotels, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 
November 13, 1974. The most elegant of these bathhouses, the Fordyce, 
has since been adapted to use as a visitor center and museum.
  The park currently totals 5,550 acres and attracts over 1 million 
visitors a year. The park plans a 175th anniversary celebration on 
Friday, April 20; and this resolution will be a fitting commemoration 
of the role Hot Springs played in National Park history.
  Madam Speaker, I want to commend and congratulate my colleague, 
Representative Ross, for his commitment and leadership on this matter. 
We strongly support the passage of House Resolution 138 and urge its 
adoption by the House.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  House Resolution 138 was adequately explained by the majority, and we 
support this resolution and we urge its adoption.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, at this time I would like to yield as 
much time as he may consume to my colleague from Arkansas (Mr. Ross).
  Mr. ROSS. Thank you, Chairman Grijalva.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 138, a 
resolution honoring and recognizing the importance of Hot Springs 
National Park on its 175th anniversary. I am pleased that the entire 
Arkansas congressional delegation is supporting and cosponsoring this 
bipartisan bill.
  April 20, 2007, will mark the 175th anniversary of Hot Springs 
National Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This resolution will write into 
history the important role that Hot Springs National Park has played in 
the formation of the Department of the Interior and the National Park 
System.
  The very idea of setting aside special places in the United States 
for the future enjoyment of its citizens originated in Hot Springs, 
Arkansas, when on April 20, 1832, President Andrew Jackson and the 
United States Congress established Hot Springs Reservation to protect 
the 47 hot springs in Garland County, Arkansas. That year, Hot Springs 
Reservation became the first protected area in the Nation and was the 
only Federal area mentioned by name in the act that established the 
National Park System.
  The Hot Springs Reservation was then officially renamed Hot Springs 
National Park on March 4, 1921, becoming America's 18th national park, 
joining many other national landmarks.
  For more than 200 years, Hot Springs National Park has remained an 
area of exceptional beauty and magnificence. People have used the hot 
spring water and therapeutic baths to treat a variety of ailments, and 
the reservation eventually developed into a well-known resort nicknamed 
``the American Spa.'' Well, today Hot Springs National Park protects 
eight historic bathhouses, and the Bathhouse Row area in Hot Springs 
National Park is a national historic landmark district that contains 
the largest collection of bathhouses of its kind in North America. It 
provides visitors from around the country and the world with leisure 
activities such as hiking, picnicking, and scenic drives and remains a 
national treasure to be enjoyed by generations of Americans.

                              {time}  1415

  Hot Springs National Park has played a crucial role in the formation 
of the United States National Park System. I am proud to sponsor a 
resolution commemorating its 175th anniversary, and I urge my 
colleagues to vote in favor of House Resolution 138 today.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 138.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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