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“A major feature of a national park is any feature of such outstanding interest from a scenic, scientific, or historical standpoint that it serves as an ideal illustration to the general public of certain formations, flora, fauna, or other natural phenomena, or historical event.”

John D. Coffman,
Fire Control Expert.

“When it is set aside as a national park, the area so designated has contained within its boundaries either very unusual, exceptionaly beautiful, or historical attractions, which have been considered worthy of being preserved for posterity. These features vary with the park–they may be geological, biological, scenic, historical, archeological, or botanical—or perhaps more or less a combination of each. The major feature is that for which the park is set aside to be preserved.”

Frank T. Been,
Sequoia National Park.

“A major feature of a national park is one which is outstanding in uniqueness, beauty, or scenic interest, the preservation of which has been one of the factors in making the area a national park.”

Dorr G. Yeager,
Yellowstone National Park.

“A major feature of a national park is a feature so outstanding in grandeur, in sheer beauty, or in scientific significance, that its story is of interest to all visitors.”

C. A. Harwell,
Yosemite National Park.

“A major feature of a national park is one which best expresses one of Nature’s basic forces, upon which some hinges our interpretation of some phase of natural history.”

C. Frank Brockman,
Mt. Rainier National Park

“A major feature of a national park is a substantial characteristic, that (1) distinguishes a park, or (2) awakens great interest on the part of visitors. The second may or may not be a characteristic that is unique.”

Carl P. Russell,
Chief Naturalist.

“For our own clarity of mind I propose a classification of the potential educational features of each park into three groups:

1. Major features: examples of scenic, geological, biological, archeological, or historical phenomena, which are outstanding among such features in the country as a whole and which are essential to the understanding of the park.

2. Important features: examples of geological, biological, archeological, or historical phenomena, which are important when considered from the standpoint of the story of the park as a unit, but not necessarily outstanding examples in the country as a whole.

3. Minor features: examples of scenic, geological, biological, archeological or historical phenomena which may have an educational value and which may be exceedingly important in studying the story of a limited area but which do not necessarily play an essential part in telling the well rounded story of the park as a whole.”

Ansel F. Hall,
Chief Naturalist.

After the above definitions wore discussed, the following composite definition was prepared by a committee of three with Mr. Harwell as chairman:

“Major features of a national park are exhibits of scenic, geological, biological, archeological, historical, botanical, or other scientific phenomena, which are outstanding among such features in the country as a whole, possessing great inspirational and educational values.”

An inquiry by the chairman developed the fact that all members present were familiar with Yosemite and therefore each was asked to submit a list of the major features of Yosemite National Park. The answers are tabulated below, numerals indicating the order in which the major features were mentioned, It will be noted in studying this table that it might be advisable, inasmuch as certain closely related features were listed under different headings, to combine or rearrange the subjects listed under “features”.

Yosemite National Park