meet all the demands made for it. The exhibition demonstrated clearly the popular interest in picturesque America and indicates that it needs only a little familiarity with the beauties and wonders of our country to induce our citizens to "see America first."

Wanamaker Indian Expeditions.

On Thursday evening, October 24, 1912, this Society conjointly with the American Museum of Natural History opened in the latter institution an exhibition of about 170 photographs of Indian Life taken by the two expeditions among the Indians sent out by Mr. Rodman Wanamaker of Philadelphia in 1908 and 1909. After the formal opening of the photograph exhibition in the West Assembly Hall of the Museum, nearly two hours were devoted to a lecture delivered in the Auditorium by Dr. Joseph Kossuth Dixon, who led the Wanamaker expeditions. The lecture was illustrated not only by beautifully colored stereopticon views, but also by a series of remarkable moving pictures; while it was interspersed with music, based upon aboriginal themes, harmonized by Dr. Irvin J. Morgan, and rendered by an orchestra and several trained singers. The expense of this remarkable evening, like that of the expeditions whose results they portrayed, was generously borne by Mr. Wanamaker.

Mr. Wanamaker's object in sending out these expeditions, which, it is estimated, cost $100,000, was to make a lasting record of the daily life, the sports, games, and wars of the Indians. For this purpose the members of the party lived long in the Indian country, far from civilized dwellings and in daily touch with the life of the tepee. The first expedition traveled over 8,000 miles and made 1,600 feet of moving picture films and 1,600 negatives.

The second expedition concentrated its energies upon a single phase of Indian activity -the last great Indian council which was held in 1867. The object of the party of 1909 was to induce the natives to make a reproduction of this council and to secure pictures of it in all its details. After arrangements had been completed there was an extraordinary assembly of eminent chiefs of several nations in the valley of the Little Big Horn Mountain about two miles from the scene of Custer's last fight. A primitive

council lodge was built and the old warriors arrayed in the splendid regalia of war times, carrying their old time weapons, gathered to repeat the ancient ceremonies of their people. The expedition encamped with them and listened to their stories of their deeds of valor. The ancient smoke signal rose in the air to convoke them, runners sped away to summon others and the Blackfeet came from the north, the Apaches from the south, the Sioux from the east and the Umatillas from the west. Upward of 18,000 feet of moving picture films were secured and over 800 negatives.

These priceless historical materials relating to the lives of the Indians formed the mass from which Dr. Dixon and his assistants drew the illustrations for a truly wonderful exhibition.

The music of the evening was built entirely on genuine Indian themes, obtained by phonographic records made during the Wanamaker expeditions. Dr. Morgan endeavored in arranging his music to reproduce the Indian themes in their original form instead of altering them to meet the exigencies of rhythm or harmony arising in the course of an extended musical composition. The hall was filled and the audience was deeply attentive.

Mi. Wanamaker's generosity in presenting a set of photographs to the Museum is mentioned on page 205 following; and his projcct for erecting a colossal monument to the American Indian is mentioned on page 97.

Ascent of Mount McKinley.

On Monday evening, December 9, 1912, again in conjunction with the American Museum of Natural History, the Society held a public meeting in the auditorium of the Museum which was addressed by Prof. Herschel C. Parker of the School of Mines of Columbia University on the "Scenic Beauty of Alaska, with Special Reference to Mount McKinley." Professor Parker is an experienced mountain climber, and among his conquests includes explorations and first ascents in the Canadian "Alps" in 1897, 1899 and 1903; first ascents of Mounts Goodsir, Dawson (British Columbia) Hungabee, Deltaform, Biddle and Lefroy (Alberta); exploration of the Mount McKinley region, Alaska, in 1906, and

ascent in 1912; and explorations of Mount Olympus, Washington,

in 1907.

Especial interest attached to this lecture in consequence of the claim of Dr. Frederick A. Cook that he had attained the summit of Mount McKinley in 1906. When, in 1909, Dr. Cook claimed to have attained the North Pole, his previous record of exploration was subjected to examination and his claim to have reached the top of Mount McKinley was challenged. In 1912, Professor Parker led an expedition up Mount McKinley, and in his lecture on the evening of December 9 exhibited photographs taken by him showing that the point represented by "another explorer," (whose name he did not mention), to be the top of Mount McKinley, was far below the highest summit. The lecture was illustrated with an extraordinary series of picturesque views, many superbly colored. As on the occasion of the Wanamaker Indian lecture by Dr. Dixon, the auditorium of the Museum was filled to its comfortable capacity.

The Kolb Voyage Through the Grand Canyon.

A third lecture of an extraordinary character was delivered by Mr. Emery C. Kolb at the Annual Meeting of the Society at Delmonico's, 44th Street and Fifth Avenue, New York, on Wednesday evening, January 15, 1913. On this occasion Mr. Kolb showed stereopticon views and moving pictures of a remarkable trip made by him and his brother, Mr. E. L. Kolb, through the Grand Canyon of the Colorado river, ending in January, 1912. The Messrs. Kolb are photographers who for ten years have been located at the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and their trip, which occupied 101 days, duplicated Powell's trip of 1869. With one moving picture camera and six other cameras, the two brothers began their perilous expedition at Green River City, Wyoming, and went through to the Needles, Cal. They started with only one assistant, eight others who had been engaged having withdrawn before the start. Terrified by the crumbling walls of the canyon and other dangers of the trip, their assistant became incapacitated and the Messrs. Kolb had to take him out at Lodore Canyon and carry him 155 miles to Price, Utah, on

the Rio Grande Railroad. The brothers then returned to Lodore Canyon and resumed their trip. At Bright Angel they secured an assistant who continued with them to the end.

This was the first modern photographic expedition through the Grand Canyon, and the views and motion pictures exhibited by Mr. Kolb not only showed the wonderful scenery of that most wonderful eroded canyon in the known world, but they also demonstrated in a graphic way the perils which Powell and the very few other explorers have encountered in making that dan

gerous voyage.

The Hiawatha Legends.

On Thursday evening, April 3, 1913, a general meeting was held in the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City, jointly under the auspices of the Museum and this Society, at which Mr. F. E. Moore presented moving pictures illustrating the Hiawatha legends. These pictures, made upon Indian reservations in Nature's own setting, represented a dramatization of Longfellow's immortal poem, a reading of which by Mr. Robert Stuart Pigott accompanied the projection of the views upon the screen. The participants in the scenes were about 150 Indians of New York State, Canada and the west. For more than ten years, this "Indian Passion Play," as it has been called, has been enacted under Mr. Moore's direction at educational centers like Chautauqua, N. Y., and other places where a natural environment could be secured; but in the production above referred to, the resources of the moving picture films were made use of to represent the drama with a larger personnel, in surroundings more harmonious with Indian life, and at different seasons of the year more appropriate to the story than were practicable in the acting of the play heretofore. The great auditorium of the Museum was filled to its utmost capacity and some 200 persons were turned away, unable to find seats. The production is a serious attempt to represent Indian customs and ceremonies, and presents the romantic and pathetic features of the Hiawatha legends in a way strongly to appeal to the interest of admirers of Longfellow's poem and lovers of Indian folk-lore.

SITES AND INSCRIPTIONS.

Oyster Pasty Cannon Inscription.

In the course of the removal of encroachments by stoops, railings and other architectural projections upon the sidewalks along lower Broadway, New York City, in 1912, an old cannon which had been used as a newel-post in an iron railing in front of No. 55 Broadway was removed. As this relic had been dug up on the site of the building, on the corner of Broadway and the lane leading westward to the fortification which once stood on the Hudson River front and was called the Oyster Pasty Battery, this Society and the City History Club of New York joined in securing possession of the cannon from the owner, Mr. William Henry Mairs, who kindly gave it to be placed in the neighboring Battery Park. With the cooperation of Park Commissioner Stover, the cannon will be mounted and will be marked with a tablet bearing the following inscription:

On May 30, 1912, as stated more fully on page 99 following, the milestone which once stood beside the old Kingsbridge Road on Manhattan Island and marked the eleventh mile from the City Hall, was dedicated under the auspices of the City History Club in Roger Morris Park (Washington's Headquarters Park) at 160th Street and Jumel Terrace, New York City, with an inscription approved by this Society. The milestone itself bears the original inscription " 11 Miles From N. York." This is repeated with additions upon the tablet affixed thereto as follows: