when did capitol reef became a national park
1971
title: Capitol Reef National Park text: Capitol Reef National Park Capitol Reef National Park is an American national park located in south-central Utah. The park is approximately long on its northsouth axis but an average of just wide. The park was established in 1971 to preserve of desert landscape and is open all year with May through September being the highest visitation months. Located partially in Wayne County, Utah, the area was originally named "Wayne Wonderland" in the 1920s by local boosters Ephraim P. Pectol and Joseph S. Hickman. Capitol Reef National Park was initially designated a national monument on August 2, 1937, by President Franklin title: Capitol Reef National Park text: S. 29 passed the Senate in June and was sent to the House. The House subsequently dropped its own bill and passed the Senate version with an amendment. Because the Senate was not in agreement with the House amendment, differences were worked out in Conference Committee. The Conference Committee issued their agreeing report on November 30, 1971. The legislation—'An Act to Establish The Capitol Reef National Park in the State of Utah'—became Public Law 92-207 when it was signed by President Richard Nixon on December 18, 1971. The area including the park was once the edge of an ancient shallow title: Capitol Reef National Park text: and provided for a national park alone. The bill called for a 25-year phase-out of grazing. In September 1970, United States Department of Interior officials told a house subcommittee session that they preferred about be set aside as a national park. They also recommended that the grazing phase-out period be 10 years, rather than 25. They did not favor the adjunct recreation area. It was not until late 1971 that Congressional action was completed. By then, the 92nd United States Congress was in session and S. 531 had languished. A new bill, S. 29, was introduced in the Senate by title: Capitol Reef National Park text: trips, but escorted an increasing number of visitors. The lectures of Broaddus were having an effect. President Roosevelt signed a proclamation creating Capitol Reef National Monument on August 2, 1937. In Proclamation 2246, President Roosevelt set aside of the Capitol Reef area. This comprised an area extending about two miles (3 km) north of present State Route 24 and about south, just past Capitol Gorge. The Great Depression years were lean ones for the National Park Service (NPS), the new administering agency. Funds for the administration of Capitol Reef were nonexistent; it would be a long time before the first title: Capitol Reef National Park text: foot traffic. In 1967, 146,598 persons visited the park. The staff was also growing. During the 1960s, the NPS proceeded to purchase private land parcels at Fruita and Pleasant Creek. Almost all private property passed into public ownership on a "willing buyer-willing seller" basis. Preservationists convinced President Lyndon B. Johnson to set aside an enormous area of public lands in 1968, just before he left office. In Presidential Proclamation 3888 an additional were placed under NPS control. By 1970, Capitol Reef National Monument comprised and sprawled southeast from Thousand Lake Mountain almost to the Colorado River. The action was controversial