Page 103 - Cornelius Hedges Story

For This And Succeeding Generations Gardiner 90

N. P. Langford wrote: “Who originated the plan of setting apart
this region as a National Park? I answer that Judge Cornelius Hedges
of Helena wrote the first articles ever published by the press urging
the dedication of this region as a park.” 313

“The Helena Herald of Nov 9, 1870, contains a letter of Mr.
Hedges, in which he advocated the scheme, and in my lectures
delivered in Washington and New York in January, 1871, I
directed attention to Mr. Hedges’ suggestion, and urged the
passage by Congress of an act setting apart that region as a
public park. All this was several months prior to the first
exploration by the U.S. Geological Survey, in charge of Dr.
Hayden. The suggestion that the region should be made into a
National Park was first broached to the members of our party on
September 19, 1870, by Mr. Hedges, while we were in camp at
the confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon rivers, as is related
in this diary.”

Hon. William H. Clagett, delegate from Montana Territory
responded to William R. Marshal, Secretary of the Minnesota
Historical Society on July 9, 1894 to the question “Who are
entitled to the principal credit for the passage of the act of Congress
establishing Yellowstone National Park? 314

“The history of that measure as known to me, is as follows,…
It has always been a pleasure to me to give to Professor Hayden
and to Senator Pomeroy, and Mr. Dawes of Mass., all the credit
they deserve in connection with the passage of that measure, but
he truth of the matter is that the origin of the movement which
created the Park was with Hedges, Langford and myself; and
after Congress met, Langford and I probably did two-thirds,
if not three-fourths of all the work connected with its passage.
I think that the foregoing letter contains a full statement of
what you wish, and I hope that you will be able to correct,
at least to some extent, the misconceptions which the selfish
vanity of some people has occasioned on this subject.”

Nathaniel P. Langford said: “It is true that Professor Hayden
joined with Mr. Clagett and myself in working for the passage of the
act of dedication, but no person can divide with Cornelius Hedges
and David E. Folsom the honor of originating the idea of creating
the Yellowstone Park.”