when a predominant preference was found in the original book. The Table of Contents in the Frontmatter has been augmented by the transcriber to include fourteen entries in Part 2 for “A Glacial Base”, and the other informational inserts. The following minor changes have been made to the original text: Frontmatter: ‘along the the Cape’ replaced by ‘along the Cape’. Pg 54: ‘and others fishes’ replaced by ‘and other fishes’. Pg 93: ‘chower is made’ replaced by ‘chowder is made’. Pg 112: ‘Everett 66-67 dunin’ replaced by ‘Everett 66-67 dunlin’. Cape Cod Official National Park Handbook [Illustration: =Front cover=: _Nauset Light hovers over an eroding cliff facing the Atlantic Ocean in Eastham_.] Handbook 148 Cape Cod Its Natural and Cultural History By Robert Finch A Guide to Cape Cod National Seashore Massachusetts Produced by the Division of Publications National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. _Using This Handbook_ The Cape Cod peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean off Massachusetts is one of America’s prime coastal recreational areas. Cape Cod National Seashore, managed by the National Park Service, extends for 40 miles along the Cape’s outer arm between Chatham and Provincetown. In Part 1 of this handbook, author and longtime resident Robert Finch introduces the reader to the Cape’s rich cultural and natural history and to the National Seashore. In the three chapters of Part 2, Finch more closely examines the land, the sea, and the transformations that have taken place in recent years. Pictorial features on various Cape aspects supplement these chapters. Part 3 presents concise travel guide and reference materials, including a full-color map. National Park Handbooks are published to support the National Park Service’s management programs and to promote understanding and enjoyment of the more than 360 National Park System sites. Each handbook is intended to be informative reading and a useful guide before, during, and after a park visit. The handbooks are sold at parks and can be purchased by mail from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325. =Part 1= =A Fragile Coastal Retreat= =4= A Cape for All Seasons 7 =Part 2= =A Great Arm in the Sea= =20= A Sliver of Sand 23 The Bountiful Sea 45 The Cape’s Transformation 69 A Glacial Base 26 The Restless Shore 28 Wampanoag Indians 32 Pilgrims First Landing 34 The Cape Cod House 38 Whaling’s Heyday 48 Cape Codders and the Sea 50 Fisheries 54 Saltworks 56 A Coastline Littered With Shipwrecks 60 Lighthouses and Lifesaving 62 Two Henrys: Thoreau and Beston 72 The Cranberry Bog 74 Marconi’s Wireless Station 78 =Part 3= =Guide and Adviser= =84= Visiting Cape Cod 86 Map of the National Seashore 88 The National Seashore 90 Water Activities 92 Whale-Watching 94 Recreation Ashore 96 Birdwatching 98 Orleans, Brewster, and Chatham 100 Eastham and Wellfleet 102 Truro and Provincetown 104 Nearby Attractions 106 Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket 107 Safety, Other Management Concerns 108 Armchair Explorations 109 Index 110 [Illustration: =Preceding pages=: _The sun sets over Provincetown and the towering Pilgrim Monument. Such tranquil scenes can be misleading, for the Cape is a place of shifting sands and struggling grasses._] Part 1 A Fragile Coastal Retreat [Illustration: (Grasses on a sand dune.)] [Illustration: _Summer, fall, winter, spring, the interaction of the sea and the land is clearly evident on Cape Cod’s Outer Beach._] A Cape for All Seasons Majestically eroded, the great glacial bluffs of Cape Cod’s outer beach rise from the open Atlantic, separating the ocean from Cape Cod Bay. Its many-colored sands and clays flow grain by grain, or in sudden shelving slabs, to replenish...