Dear Mr. Nolen:—I am glad to get your letter in relation to the State Park work for Wisconsin. It is an immensely important work, and one whose value the entire population of Wisconsin will appreciate and will be more and more proud of as the years go on, should your recommendations be realized. The example of Massachusetts in its State Reservations and forestry work, complemented by the admirable efforts of the Trustees of the Public Reservations, is worth considering in this connection.
From what I have read of Wisconsin, it strikes me that in its scenery, and largely in the character of its population, it must be the New England of the West, and in establishing the reservations or State Parks you recommend, perhaps it will pave the way towards achieving a historic position similar to that which New England now holds in its reputation for enlightened policy.
Most sincerely yours,
Sylvester Baxter,
Secretary.
Letter from Sylvester Baxter to John Nolen, 9 January 1909. Reprinted in John Nolen, State Parks for Wisconsin (1909).