[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 109 (Monday, July 14, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H6166-H6167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1745
       REDESIGNATING MAMMOTH PEAK AS MOUNT JESSIE BENTON FREMONT

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1192) to redesignate Mammoth Peak in Yosemite National Park 
as ``Mount Jessie Benton Fremont''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1192

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that Jessie Benton Fremont--
       (1) was the daughter of United States Senator Thomas Hart 
     Benton of Missouri, a leading proponent of the concept of 
     Manifest Destiny that advocated for the Nation to expand its 
     borders westward;
       (2) became fluent in French and Spanish, was a gifted 
     writer, and was at ease in any political discussion;
       (3) married John C. Fremont, who was assigned to explore 
     the West;
       (4) transformed John C. Fremont's descriptions from his 
     treks into prose that was used by pioneers to guide their 
     route West;
       (5) traveled to California in 1849 to join her husband at 
     their Mariposa ranch, where gold had been discovered;
       (6) became involved in John C. Fremont's 1856 campaign for 
     Presidency, which proposed the abolition of slavery, a notion 
     that Jessie Benton Fremont also supported;
       (7) moved to Bear Valley, California, with her husband John 
     C. Fremont in 1858 and thereafter realized the need to 
     preserve the land that would become Yosemite National Park 
     for future generations;
       (8) entertained men such as Horace Greeley, Thomas Starr 
     King, and United States Senator Edward Baker of Oregon, and 
     urged them to begin a process that ultimately led to the 
     establishment of Yosemite National Park;
       (9) influenced President Abraham Lincoln to sign the Act 
     entitled ``An Act authorizing a Grant to the State of 
     California of the `Yo-Semite Valley' and of the Land 
     embracing the `Mariposa Big Tree Grove' '', approved June 30, 
     1864 (commonly known as the Yosemite Grant), the first 
     instance of land being set aside specifically for its 
     preservation and public use by a national government; and
       (10) set the foundation for the creation of national parks 
     and California State parks through her advocacy for and 
     influence on the Yosemite Grant.

     SEC. 2. REDESIGNATION OF MAMMOTH PEAK AS MOUNT JESSIE BENTON 
                   FREMONT.

       (a) In General.--The peak known as ``Mammoth Peak'' in 
     Yosemite National Park (located at NPS coordinates 37.855 N, 
     -119.264 W) shall be redesignated as ``Mount Jessie Benton 
     Fremont'' and may be known informally as ``Mt. Jessie'' in 
     honor of the contributions of Jessie Benton Fremont to the 
     approval of the Yosemite Grant.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, record, or other paper of the United States to the 
     peak described in subsection (a) shall be considered to be a 
     reference to ``Mount Jessie Benton Fremont''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McClintock) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Cummings) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1192 would redesignate Mammoth Peak in Yosemite 
National Park as Mount Jessie Benton Fremont.
  The bill is brought to us by a group of local park enthusiasts and 
historians, with the support of the El Dorado County Historical 
Society. Its purpose is to recognize this pioneer who played a 
significant role in establishing Yosemite National Park.
  Jessie Benton Fremont was the daughter of U.S. Senator Thomas Hart 
Benton, a prominent Democrat who was a leading proponent of the 
Nation's westward expansion. In 1841, she married John C. Fremont, a 
prominent Republican, an American military officer, explorer, and--
later--a Presidential candidate.
  She traveled to California in 1849 and, soon thereafter, became one 
of the most influential advocates for establishing Yosemite National 
Park.
  When we think of Yosemite, we think of John Muir. Ironically, John 
Muir's first visit to the park didn't occur until 4 years after the 
park was established. It only came to his attention, as it came to the 
attention of so many, because Jessie Benton Fremont saw the beauty of 
the valley, she appreciated its importance, and she began a passionate 
crusade to preserve it for the American people to enjoy.
  Jessie Benton Fremont was herself a gifted writer, and she used her 
skill to transform her husband's travel and exploration into popular 
narratives that were used by pioneers to guide their route west.
  After she came to California in 1849, Yosemite became her passion. 
She published many accounts of the valley and

[[Page H6167]]

hosted scores of dignitaries to see its wonders.
  It was her deep love of Yosemite, coupled with her ceaseless 
agitation, her boundless energy, and her political connections in both 
parties that set in motion and drove the events that led to Congress 
passing, and President Abraham Lincoln signing, the Yosemite Grant Act 
150 years ago.
  Remember, she did all of this in an age when women were expected to 
be seen and not heard. She set an example of leadership that gave 
inspiration and guidance to the next generation that ultimately 
produced the movement toward women's suffrage.
  The Yosemite Grant Act was revolutionary in its day. It was the first 
time in the Nation's history that land had been set aside, in the words 
of the Act, ``on the express condition that the premises shall be held 
for public use, resort, and recreation . . . for all time.''
  Now, this act led ultimately to the creation of the National Park 
Service in 1916 and to the preservation of so many other landscapes for 
the American people to enjoy for their use and resort and recreation.
  The Norman and Plantagenet kings of old set aside vast tracts of land 
as their exclusive preserve, in which only a select few, with their 
blessing, could enjoy. The Yosemite grant was the very opposite of 
that. It set aside the most beautiful land in the Nation entirely for 
the people.
  The current name of the peak, Mammoth Peak, has absolutely no 
historical significance. The name was originally conferred on that peak 
because it was big. That is it.
  Furthermore, this naming will eliminate a constant source of 
confusion with Mammoth Mountain, a place that we have all heard of. 
That is the major ski resort just a few hours outside of Yosemite 
National Park. The Mammoth Peak we are referring to is inside Yosemite, 
and if you find that confusing, well, so too do many tourists.
  The fine point of the matter comes down to this: other persons who 
had lesser or comparable roles in establishing Yosemite are all 
commemorated by attaching their names to prominent features of the 
park--Horace Greeley, Carlton Watkins, Thomas Starr King, and U.S. 
Senators John Conness and Edward Baker.
  The name of the dynamic force that moved all of those people, Jessie 
Benton Fremont, is nowhere to be found on the names of features within 
the park. This is a century-and-a-half oversight that we can correct 
today by passing H.R. 1192.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1192 would designate Mammoth Peak in Yosemite 
National Park as Mount Jessie Benton Fremont to honor Jessie Fremont's 
role in the early preservation of the Yosemite Valley.
  Jessie Fremont was enchanted by the beauty of Yosemite Valley and 
lobbied for its protection. Her efforts led to the passage of the 
Yosemite Grant Act and, ultimately, the creation of the Yosemite 
National Park.
  Not only did she work to permanently protect the Yosemite Valley, 
many Americans of her time became familiar with the vast unexplored 
West from her recounting of her husband's early explorations of the 
American West with scout Kit Carson.
  I would like to thank my colleague, Mr. McClintock, for recognizing 
the contributions of American conservationists such as Jessie Fremont. 
She not only is an important figure in the conservation movement in 
this country, she is an important figure in women's history as well.
  Her accomplishments came at a time when women faced severe 
discrimination, making her achievements even more remarkable, and so I 
urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for 
his kind words and yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1192.
  So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and 
the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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