[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 168 (Monday, September 27, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





        INTRODUCTION OF THE ROCK CREEK NATIONAL PARK ACT OF 2021

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 27, 2021

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce a bill to 
redesignate the National Park Service (NPS)-owned Rock Creek Park in 
the District of Columbia as ``Rock Creek National Park.'' Renaming this 
park will highlight its significance to the nation, including visitors 
to the nation's capital, and will draw much-needed funding for the 
park's inviting trails, waterways and other unique features.
  Rock Creek Park is already a ``national'' park, as it was established 
by Congress in 1890 ``for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of 
the United States.'' Rock Creek Park was the first federally managed 
urban park and the third federal park ever created, after Yellowstone 
and Sequoia. Rock Creek Park was designed to preserve animals, timber, 
forestry and other interests in the park, and to ensure that its 
natural state is maintained as much as possible not only for D.C. 
residents, but for all Americans. The park also preserves the ancient 
history of the land, as it was used for temporary settlements and as a 
quarry for weapons and tools by Native Americans from 7000 BCE until 
the 1600s.
  Since Congress first designated Rock Creek Park, several structures 
and properties have been established or donated to further preserve 
Rock Creek Park, creating a vast connected park area that falls under a 
central NPS jurisdiction. In 1892, the federal government acquired 
Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park, one of the mills used by local farmers 
during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. In 1950, the Old Stone House 
located in Georgetown, with its great pre-Revolutionary War 
architecture, was acquired by the park. The building was restored and 
programs explain the house's rich history from the colonial period to 
the present day. The Fort Circle Parks were also acquired to interpret 
and preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington, which created a ring 
of protection for the nation's capital during the Civil War. The Carter 
Barron Amphitheater, established in honor of the 150th anniversary of 
the nation's capital, became an integral part of D.C.'s live music 
scene, and has featured acts including Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Ross and 
Earth, Wind and Fire, as well as local artists. The redesignated ``Rock 
Creek National Park'' would encompass these later additions to the 
park.
  Today, Rock Creek Park offers residents of D.C., Maryland and 
Northern Virginia, as well as thousands of visitors, an escape from our 
increasingly urban environment. Residents and tourists alike enjoy many 
activities in the park's 2,000 acres, including hiking and biking on 
the historical trails, horseback riding, picnicking, tennis and other 
recreational activities in some of the open fields. Our residents have 
expressed their appreciation by volunteering to clean up and maintain 
the forests, trails and waterways.
  In 1918, landscape architects John Charles Olmstead and Frederick Law 
Olmstead, Jr. wrote of Rock Creek Park, ``No matter how perfect the 
scenery of the park may be or may become, no matter how high its 
potential value, that value remains potential except insofar as it is 
enjoyed by large and ever larger numbers of people, poor and rich 
alike.'' Redesignating Rock Creek Park as Rock Creek National Park will 
help recognize the national status of the park and protect and 
revitalize this remarkable resource in our nation's capital.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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