16 U.S. Code § 80 - Establishment; boundaries; preservation of rights of citizens

The tract of land in the State of California, particularly described as follows, to wit: Beginning at the summit of Junction Peak, being a point on the present north boundary of Sequoia National Park, also a point on the Tulare and Inyo County line; thence westerly along said north boundary of said park to the crest of the hydrographic divide between Boulder Creek and Sugarloaf Creek; thence in a northerly direction along the crest of the hydrographic divide between Boulder Creek and Sugarloaf Creek to the intersection of said divide with the section line between sections 3 and 4 of township 14 south, range 30 east, Mount Diablo base and meridian; thence northerly along the section line between said sections 3 and 4 and between sections 33 and 34, and sections 27 and 28 of township 13 south, range 30 east, to the northwest corner of southwest quarter of section 27; thence northwesterly along the ridge immediately adjacent to and lying northeast from the headwaters of the east fork of Lightning Creek to the intersection of said ridge with the section line between sections 21 and 28, township 13 south, range 30 east, which point lies on the said section line three quarters of a mile more or less westerly from the northeast corner of said section 28; thence in a northerly direction across the easterly branch of the east fork of Lightning Creek at Summit Meadow to the ridge north of said creek branch; thence northeasterly along said ridge to Lookout Peak; thence in a northeasterly direction along the ridge from said peak, being also the crest of the hydrographic divide between Sheep Creek and Lightning Creek to the intersection of said ridge, with the line between section 15 and 22, township 13 south, range 30 east, which point lies one quarter of a mile more or less westerly of the northeast corner of said section 22; thence easterly along said section line to the corner of sections 14, 15, 22, and 23; thence north along the line between sections 14 and 15 to the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 14; thence east to the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of the said section; thence south to the southwest corner of the northeast quarter of the said section; thence east to the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of the said section; thence south to the southwest corner of the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of the said section; thence east to the northeast corner of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of the said section; thence south to the southwest corner of section 13; thence east on the line between sections 13 and 24 to the southeast corner of section 13; thence south to southwest corner of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 19, township 13 south, range 31 east; thence east along the north latitudinal one-sixteenth section line of sections 19, 20, and 21 to the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of said section 21; thence north to the quarter section corner of sections 16 and 21; thence east along the line between sections 16 and 21 to the southeast corner of said section 16; thence north along the section line to the quarter section corner of sections 15 and 16; thence west along the latitudinal quarter section line of sections 16, 17, and 18 to the northwest corner of the southeast quarter of section 18; thence north to the northeast corner of the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of said section 18; thence west to the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of said section 18; thence north along the range line between ranges 30 and 31 east, township 13 south to the northeast corner of section 13, township 13 south, range 30 east; thence west along the line between sections 12 and 13 to the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 12; thence north to the northeast corner of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of said section 12; thence west to the northwest corner of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 11; thence north to the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of said section 11; thence west along the line between sections 2 and 11 to the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of said section 11; thence south to the southwest corner of the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of said section 11; thence west to the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of said section 11; thence north along the line between sections 10 and 11 and 2 and 3 to the intersection with the ridge of southeast spur of Stag Dome; thence in a northwesterly direction along the crest of said spur to the summit of Stag Dome; thence in a northerly direction along the crest of the hydrographic divide between Lewis Creek and Deer Cove and Grizzly Creek to its intersection with Monarch Divide at Hog-Back Peak; thence in a westerly direction along the crest of Monarch Divide, to its junction with the northwesterly spur of Mount Harrington; thence northwesterly along the crest of hydrographic divide on the southwest side of the Gorge of Despair to the intersection with the line between sections 12 and 13, township 12 south, range 29 east; thence continuing west along the line between sections 12 and 13, 11 and 14 to the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of said section 11; thence northerly to the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of said section 11; thence east to the quarter section corner of sections 11 and 12; thence north to the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of said section 11; thence east to the southeast corner of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 12; thence north to the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of said section 12; thence east to the quarter section corner of sections 1 and 12; thence north to the northeast corner of the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of said section 1; thence east to the southeast corner of the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of said section 1; thence north to the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of said section 1; thence east to the quarter section corner of sections 1 and 6; thence north along the range line between the ranges 29 and 30 east, township 12 south, to the northeast corner of said section 1, township 12 south, range 29 east; thence east along the township line between townships 11 and 12 south range 30 east to the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 31, township 11 south, range 30 east; thence north to the northeast corner of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of said section 31; thence west to the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 36, township 11 south, range 29 east; thence south to the quarter section corner of sections 1 and 36; thence west along the township line between townships 11 and 12 south, range 29 east to the northwest corner of section 1, township 12 south, range 29 east; thence south to the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of said section 1; thence west to the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 2; thence south to the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of said section 2; thence west to the northwest corner of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 3; thence south to the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 3; thence continuing south to the intersection with the four thousand four hundred contour; thence along the four thousand four hundred-foot contour in a southwesterly direction to its intersection with Tombstone Ridge; thence in a northwesterly direction along the crest of the Tombstone Ridge to the summit of the Obelisk; thence in a straight line in a northeasterly direction crossing Crown Creek to the summit of Kettle Dome; thence in a northeasterly direction along the crest of Kettle Ridge to the summit of Finger Peak in the White Divide; thence northwesterly along the crest of the said White Divide and the Le Conte Divide, passing over the summits of Mount Reinstein and Red Mountain to the summit of Mount Henry; thence in a northerly direction along the crest of the north spur of Mount Henry to the junction of the South Fork San Joaquin River and Piute Creek; thence across the South Fork San Joaquin River and in a northeasterly direction along the hydrographic divide between Piute Creek and the South Fork San Joaquin River to the summit of Pavillion Dome; thence in an easterly direction along the crest of said hydrographic divide to its intersection with Glacier Divide; thence continuing southeasterly along the crest of said Glacier Divide to a point of intersection with the crest of the Sierra Nevada Range, also the boundary line between Inyo County and Fresno County; thence continuing southeasterly along the crest of said Sierra Nevada Range, passing over the summits of Mount Lamarack, Mount Darwin, Mount Haeckel, Mount Wallace, Mount Powell, Mount Thompson, Mount Gilbert, Mount Johnson, Mount Goode, Mount Winchell, North Palisade, The Thumb, Mount Bolton Brown, Split Mountain, Cardinal Mountain, Striped Mountain, Mount Perkins, Colosseum Mountain, Mount Baxter, Diamond Peak, Black Mountain, Dragon Peak, Mount Bixford, Mount Gould, University Peak, Mount Bradley, and Mount Keith to the summit of Junction Peak, being the point of beginning; is reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or disposal under the laws of the United States and dedicated and set apart as a public park, to be known as the Kings Canyon National Park, for the benefit and enjoyment of the people: Provided, That nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to affect or abridge any right acquired by any citizen of the United States in the above-described area: And provided further, That no grazing permits heretofore issued and in effect on January 15, 1939, affecting the area described in this section, for whose renewal an application is made before the date of expiration shall be affected by this subchapter, except that they shall be subject to such terms and conditions to insure protection of the lands and for other purposes as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior.

(Mar. 4, 1940, ch. 40, § 1, 54 Stat. 41.)

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Additions to Kings Canyon National Park

The following provision authorized the addition of lands to Kings Canyon National Park: Pub. L. 98–425, title I, § 105(a)(1), Sept. 28, 1984, 98 Stat. 1626.