TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE The main text of this handbook is in Parts 1 and 2. There were many 2-page information segments inserted throughout this text. In this etext these fourteen inserts have been moved to the end of Part 2, to improve readability of the main text. Part 3 consists solely of a further set of 1- and 2-page informational inserts. Each insert is separated by a line of # hash marks. Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. Bold text is denoted by =equal signs=. Illustrations without captions have descriptive text added by the transcriber and placed in (round brackets.) Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added, 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.