[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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