THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
GIFT OF
Commodore Byron McCandless
d/-^.
X
'O
THE
Yellowstone National Park
HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE
illustrated with Maps, Views and Portraits
BY
Hiram Martin Chittenden
Captain, Corps of Engineers, United States Army
Author of " American Fur Trade of the Far West,"
** History of Steamboat j\\iviffation on the Missouri River " etc.
FIFTH EDITION
REVISED AND ENLARGED
CINCINNATI
The ROBERT Clarke Company
1905
Copyright, 1895, by
HiBAM Martin Chittenden.
Copyright, 1903, by
HiBAM Martin Chittenden.
PRESS OF the ROBERT CLARKE CO.
CINCINNATI, OHIO, U. 8. A.
C4-4c|
PREFACE. -0^
The present edition of The Yellowstone embraces a
thorough revision of the entire work. Part I. (historical)
contains much new matter on the early history of the Park ;
additional information concerning its geographical names,
and a new account of the Xez Perce campaign of 1817.
Part II (descriptive) is greatly enlarged in the chapters
on topography, geology, thermal springs, fauna and flora,
roadways and administration; while the "Tour of the
Park" has been entirely recast to conform to the completed
road system which has opened up new sections of the Park.
The illustrations are nearly all original. Especial pains
has been taken to make them representative of the Park
scenery as a whole, and not simply an album of conven-
tional geyser and waterfall views.
It is extremely gratifying to note, as time goes on,
that, in every important respect, the Yellowstone Park
has so far fulfilled the expectations of its founders and
justified the wisdom of its creation. As a land of wonders
it still remains without an equal on the globe; as a source
of great rivers, whose waters will be the life-blood of a
miglit)' futui-e empire, its vast importance is beginning to
be realized ; as a refuge for the native fauna of the coun-
(iii)
959653
IV PREFACE.
tr}^, elsewhere fast passing awav, it is all that can be rea-
sonably expected. Its growing favor with the general pub-
lic is evidenced by the increasing number of visitors; and
with the local public, by the reduced frequency of poaching
and by the abandonment of efforts to introduce railroads
or cut off portions of its territory. There is no longer any
reason to doubt that the Park will maintain its integrity
as one of the ver}- few government reservations where the
original conditions of nature are being presented with
fidelity.
Table of Contents,
PART I.— HISTORICAL.
Page.
Chapter I. — "Yellowstone" 1
Chapter II. — Indian Occupancy of the Upper Yellowstone. 6
Chapter III. — John Colter 15
Chapter IV. — The Trader and Trapper 28
Chapter V. — Early Knowledge of the Yellowstone 35
Chapter VI. — James Bridger and His Stories 47
Chapteis VII. — Raynolds' Expedition 56
Chapter VIII. — Gold in Montana 62
Chapter IX. — Discovery 69
Chapter X. — The National Park Idea — Its Origin and
Realization 89
Chapter XI. — Why So Long Unknown 97
Chapter XII. — Later Explorations 101
Chapter XIII.— Administrative History of the Park 107
Chapter XIV. — Geographical Names in the Yellowstone
Park 121
Chapter XV. — An Indian Campaign Through the Yellow-
stone Park 142
Chapter XVI. — The Nez Perces and the Radersburg
Tourists 152
Chapter XVII.— The Nez Perces and the Helena Tourists. 163
Chapter XVIII.— Captain Spurgin and His "Skillets" 110
Vi TABLE OF CONTEXTS.
PART II.— Descriptive.
Page.
Chapter I. — Boundaries and Topography 175
Chapter II. — Geological History of the Park 190
Chapter III. — Geysers 203
Chapter IV. — Hot Springs and Kindred Features 210
Chapter V. — Fauna of the Yellowstone 220
Chapter VI. — Flora of the Yellowstone 233
Chapter VII.— Forests of the Yellowstone 237
Chapter VIIL— The Flowers of the Park 246
Chapter IX. — The Climate of the Park 257
Chapter X. — Roads, Hotels and Transportation 261
Chapter XL — Administration of the Park 269
Chapter XI I. —A Tour of the Park — Preliminary 273
Chapter XIII. — A Tour of the Park — North Boundary to
Mammoth Hot Springs 277
Chapter XIV. — A Tour of the Park — Mammoth Hot
Springs to Norris Geyser Basin 284
Chapter XV. — A Tour of the Park^Norris Geyser Basin
to Lower Geyser Basin 288
Chapter XVL — A Tour of the Park — Lower Geyser Basin
to Upper Geyser Basin 294
Chapter XVIL — A Tour of the Park — Upper Geyser Basin
to the Yellowstone Lake 301
Chapter XVI 1 1. — A Tour of the Park — Yellowstone Lake
to the Grand Caiion of the Yellowstone 314
Chapter XIX. — A Tour of the Park — Grand Canon to
Tower Falls 323.
TABLE OF COXTENTS. Vll
APPENDIX.
Page.
Map Index — Mountain Ranges, Peaks, Buttes, Ridges,
Hills 339
Mountain Passes 340
Lakes • 340
Streams 341
Waterfalls 343
List of Prominent Geysers 343
Index 347
List of Illustrations.
Page.
Great Falls of the Yellowstone and Old Faithful Geyser —
Frontispiece
Cliff near Tower Falls, showing soft and yielding foundation
under enormous load of basalt and breccia 17
Teton Mountains and Jackson Lake 32
Osprey Falls, Middle Gardiner River 53
Ivower Falls of the Yellowstone — Original Sketch by Private
Moore, a soldier in the escort of the expedition of 1870 ... 60
Snow in Park Forests 65
Forest Fire near Upper Geyser Basin 80
Yellowstone River near Tower Falls 101
Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces 108
Tower Creek 129
Beaver Dam 144
The Devjl's Inkstand 165
Soda Butte 172
The Travertine Rocks . 193
Cone and Fountain Geysers 208
Bruin Among the Flowers — Posing for a Picture 225
Group of Park Bridges 240
Ornamental Forest Growths 245
Northern Entrance to Park 252
X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Golden Gate Viaduct 261
Orange Geyser and Pulpit Terrace 268
Crater of Great Fountain Geyser 293
Upper Geyser Basin 300
Giant Geyser Cone 305
Thunderstorm on Yellowstone Lake 309
Outlet of Yellowstone Lake 316
Upper Fall of the Yellowstone 320
Lower Falls of the Yellowstone Through Rain Mist 321
Granite Boulder near Inspiration Point 325
Tower Falls 332
The Hoodoos 336
Sylvan Lake, East Road 344
Yellowstone National Park (Map) Folder
THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Part I. — Historical.
CHAPTEE I.
'YELLOWSTONE.
LeAvis and Clark passed the first winter of their famous
trans-continental expedition among the ^landan Indians,
on the Missouri Eiver, fifty-six miles ahove the present
capital of Xorth Dakota. When about to resume their
JQurney in the spring of 1805, they sent hack to President
Jefferson a report of progress and a map of the western
country based upon information derived from the Indians.
In this report and upon this map appear, probably for the
first time in any official document, the words "Yellow
Stone" as the name of the principal trilmtary of the Mis-
souri.
It scorns, however, that Lewis and Clark were not tJie first
actually to use the name. David Thompson, the celebrated
explorer and geographer, prominently identified with the
British fur trade in the Xorthwest, was among the Mandan
Indians on the Missouri Kiver from December 29, 1797, to
January 10, 1798. While there he secured data, principally
from the natives, from which he estimated the latitude and
longitude of the source of the Yellowstone River. In his
(1)
2 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
original manuscript journal and field note-books, contain-
ing the record of his determinations, the words "Yellow
Stone^^ appear precisely as used by Lewis and Clark in
1805. This is, perhaps, the first use of the name in its
Anglicised form, and it is certainly the first attempt to
determine accurately the geographical location of the
source of the stream.*
JSTeither Thompson nor Lewis and Clark were originators
of the name. They gave us only the English translation of
a name already long in use. "This river,'' say Lewis and
Clark, in their journal for the day of their arrival at the
mouth of the now noted stream, ''Tiad been known to the
French as the Eoche Jaune, or, as we have called it, the
Yellow Stone.'' The French name was, in fact, already
firmly established among the traders and trappers of the
Northwest Fur Company, when Lewis and Clark met them
among the Mandans. Even by the members of the expedi-
tion it seems to have been more generally used than the new
English form; and the spelHngs, "Eejone," "Eejhone/'
"Eochejone," "Eochejohn," and "Eochejhone,'' are among
their various attempts to render orthographically the
French pronunciation.
Pro])ably the name would have been adopted unchanged,
as so many other French names in our geography have
been, except for the recent cession of Louisiana to the
•Thompson's estimate:
Latitude, 43° 39' 45" north.
Longitude, 109° 43' 17" west.
Yount Peak, source of the Yellowstone (Hayden) :
Latitude, 43° 57' north.
Longitude, 109° 52' west.
Thompson's error:
In latitude, 17' 15".
In longitude, 8' 43", or about 21 miles.
3
United States. The policy wliicli led the government
promptly to explore, and take formal possession of, its ox-
tensive acquisition, led it also, as part of the process of
rapid Americanization, to give English names to all of the
more prominent geographical features. In the case of the
name here under consideration this was not an easy mat-
ter. The French form had already obtained wide currency,
and it was reluctantly set aside for its less familiar transla-
tion. As late as 1817, it still appeared in newly English
printed books,* while among the traders and trappers of
the mountains, it survived to a much later period.
By whom the name Roche Jaune, or its equivalent form,
Pierre Jaune, was first used, it would be extremely inter-
esting to know; but it is impossible to determine at this
late day. Like their successor, "Yellow Stone,'' these names
were not originals, but only translations. The Indian tribes
along the Yellowstone and upper Missouri rivers had
names for the tributary stream signifying "yellow rock,"f
and the French had doubtless adopted them long before
any of their number saw the stream itself.
It has been supposed that the Valley of the Yellowstone
was visited by white men before the time of Lewis and
Clark, particularly by the Chevalier de la Verendyre about
the year 1743. But later researches have shown that the
route of this explorer lay further South, and that he did
not enter the Yellowstone Valley at all. He may have
learned of the existence of that stream, and may have heard
its native name ; but if so there is no record of the fact.
Following de la Verendyre at the distance of nearly half
a century came the traders and trappers of the Northwest
•Bradbury's "Travels in the Interior of America."
fThe name "Elk River" was also used among the Crow
Indians.
4 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK^
Fur Company. As already told, they were among the
Mandans as early as 1797, and the name Roche Jaune was
in common use among them in 1804. But it is quite cer-
tain that, prior to 1805, none of them had reached the Yel-
lowstone liiver itself. Lewis and Clark particularly record
the fact, while yet some distance below the junction of this
river with the Missouri, that they had already passed the
utmost limit of previous adventure hy white men. What-
ever, therefore, was at this time known of the Yellowstone
could have come to these traders only from Indian sources.*
It thus appears that the name, which has now become so
celebrated, descends to us, through two translations, from
those native races whose immemorial dwelling place had
been along the stream which it describes. What it was
that led them to use the name is easily discoverable. Sev-
enth-five miles below the ultimate source of the river lies
the Grand Canon of the Yellowstone, distinguished among
the notable canons of the globe by the marvelous coloring
of its walls. Conspicuous among its innumerable tints is
yellow. Every shade, from the brilliant plumage of the
yellow bird to the rich saffron of the orange, greets the eye
in bewildering profusion. There is indeed other color,
unparalleled in variety and abundance, but the ever-pres-
ent background of all is the beautiful fifth color of the
spectrum.
So prominent is this feature that it never fails to attract
♦Much information has come to light in recent years to
throw doubt on the correctness of Lewis and Clark's state-
ment that they w-ere the first white men on the Upper Mis-
souri. While no positive and definite record has yet been
found disproving their statement, researches among old docu-
ments pertaining to French occupancy of Louisiana indicate
that there were much earlier explorations of the Far West
country than has generally been supposed.
"YELLOWSTONE/' 5
attention, and all descriptions of the Canon abound in
references to it. Lieutenant Doane (1870) notes the bril-
liant yellow color^' of the rocks. Captain Barlow and
Doctor Hay den (1871) refer, in almost the same words,
to "the yellow, nearly vertical walls.'^ Raymond (1871)
speaks oif the "bright yellow of the sulphur}^ clay." Captain
Jones (1873) says that "about and in the Grand Canon
the rocks are nearly all tinged a brilliant yellow." These
early impressions might be repeated from the writings of
every subsequent visitor who has described the scenery' of
the Yellowstone.
That a characteristic which so deeply moves the modern
beholder should have made a profound impression on the
mind of the Indian need hardly be premised. This region
was by no means unknown to him; and from the remote,
although uncertain, period of his first acquaintance with
it, the name of the river has undoubtedly descended.
Going back, then, to this obscure fountain-head, the
original desigrjation is found to have been
Mi tsi a da zi* Eock Yellow River.
And this, in the French tongue, became
Bnclie Jaune and Pierre Jaune;
and in English,
Yellow Rock and Yellow Stone.
Established usage now writes it
Yellowstone.
♦Minnetaree, one of the Siouan family of languages.
CHAPTER 11.
INDIAN OCCUPANCY OF THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE.
It is a singular fact in the history of the Yellowstone
National Park that very little knowledge of that country
seems to have been derived from the Indians. The explana-
tion ordinarily advanced is that the Indians had a super-
stitious fear of the geyser regions, and therefore avoided
them. How far this theor}^ is supported by the results of
modern research is an interesting inquiry.
Three great families of Indians, the Siouan, the Algoii-
quian, and the Shoshonean, originally occupied the country
around the sources of the Yellowstone. Of these three
families the following tribes are alone of interest in this
connection: The Crows, of the Siouan family; the Black-
feet, of the Algonquian family; and the Bannocks, the
Eastern Shoshones, and the Sheepeaters, of the Shoshon-
ean family.
The home of the Crows was in the Valley of the Yellow-
stone and Big Horn Rivers, below the mountains, where
they have dwelt since the white man's earliest knowledge
of them. Their territory extended to the mountains which
bound the Yellowstone Park on the north and east; bat
they never occupied or claimed any of the country beyond.
Their well-known tribal characteristics were an insatiable
love of horse stealing and a wandering and predatory
habit which caused them to roam over all the West from
the Black Hills to the Bitter Root IMoimtains, and from
the British Possessions to the Spanish Provinces. They
were generally friendly to the whites, but enemies of the
INDIAN OCCUPANCY OF THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE. 7
neighboring Blackfeet and Shoshones. Physically, they
were a stalwart, handsome race, fine horsmen and daring
hunters. They were everywhere encountered by the trap-
per and prospector, who generally feared them more on
account of their thievish habits than for reasons of per-
sonal safety.
The Blackfeet dwelt in the country drained by the
headwaters of the Missouri. Their territory may be
roughly defined as the watershed of that stream above
and including Milk Eiver. The distinguishing historic
trait of these Indians was their settled hostility to their
neighbors, whether white or Indian. They were a tribe
of perpetual fighters, justly characterized as the Ishmael-
ites of their race. From the day in 1806, when Captain
Lewis slew one of their number, down to their final sub-
jection by the advancing power of the whites, they never
buried the hatchet. They were the terror of the trapper
and miner, and hundreds of the pioneers perished at their
hands. Like the Crows, they were a well-developed race,
good horsemen and great rovers, but, in fight, given to
subterfuge and strategem rather than to open boldness of
action.*
* The term Blackfeet in the earlier years of the past cen-
tury embraced, in popular language, four tribes — the Black-
feet proper, the Bloods, the Piegan and the Grosventres of the
Prairies. The Grosventres did not properly belong to the
Blackfeet at all, but were related to the Arapahoes, who dwelt
near th-e headwaters of the Arkansas. In some of their early
migrations the two tribes had become separated, the Gros-
ventres settling down in the country of the Blackfeet, with
whom, in the course of long association, they becam-e closely
identified. They were the most relentlessly hostile to the
wiites of any of the four tribes. It was a Grosventre Indian
that Captain Lewis killed in 1806.
8 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
In marked contrast with these warlike and wandering
tribe? were those of the great Shoshoncan family, who
occupied the countr\^ around the southern, eastern, and
western borders of the Park, including also that of the
Park itself. The Shoshones as a family were an inferior
race. 'They seem to have been the victims of some great
misfortune which had driven them to precarious methods
of subsistence and had made them the prey of their power-
ful and merciless neighbors. The names *Tish-eaters,"
"Eoot-diggers," and other opprobrious epithets, indicate
the contempt in which they were commonly held. For the
most part they had no horses, and obtained a livelihood
only by the most abject means. Some of the tribes, how-
ever, rose above this degraded condition, owned horses;
hunted buffalo, and met their enemies in open conflict.
Such were the Bannocks and the Eastern Shoshones — tribes
closely connected with the history of the Park, one occup}'-
ing the country to the southwest near the Teton Moun-
tains, and the other that to the southeast in the Valley of
Wind River. The Shoshones were generally friendly to the
whites, and for this reason they figure less prominently
in the books of early adventure than do the Blackfeet,
whose acts of "sanguinary violence" were a staple article
for the Indian romancer.
It was an humble branch of the Shoshonean family
which alone is known to have permanently occupied what
is now the Yellowstone Park. They were called Tuhua-
ril'a, or, more commonly. Sheepeaters. They were found
in the Park country at the time of its discovery, and had
doubtless long been there. These hermits of the moun-
tains, whom the French trappers called ''les dignes da
pitie/' have engaged the sympathy or contempt of explorers
since our earliest knowledge of them. Utterly unf '; for
INDIAN OCCUPANCY OF THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE. 9
warlike contention, they seem to have sought immunity
from their dangerous neighbors by dwelling among the
inaccessible fastnesses of the mountains. They were desti-
tute of even savage comforts. Their food, as their name
indicates, was principally the flesh of the mountain sheep.
Their clothing was composed of skins. They had no horses,
and were armed only with bows and arrows. They cap-
tured game by driving it into brush enclosures. Their
rigorous existence left its mark on their physical nature.
They were feeble in mind, diminutive in stature, and are
always described as a "timid, harmless race." They may
have been longer resident in this region than is commoiily
supposed, for there was a tradition among them, appar-
ently connected with some remote period of geological dis-
turbance, that most of their race were once destroyed by a
terrible convulsion of nature.
Such were the Indian tribes who formerly dwelt within
or near the country now embraced in the Yellowstone
National Park. That the Sheepeaters actually occupied
this country, and that wandering bands from other tribes
occasionally visited it^ there is abundant and conclusive
proof. Indian trails, though generally indistinct, were
everywhere found by the early explorers, generally on lines
since occupied by the tourist routes. One of these followed
the Yellowstone Valley entirely across the Park from
north to south. It divided at Yellowstone Lake, the prin-
cipal branch following the east shore, crossing Two-Ocean-
Pass, and intersecting a great trail which connected the
Snake and Wind River Valleys. The other branch passed
along the west shore of the lake and over the divide to the
valley of the Snake Eiver and Jackson Lake. This trail
was intersected by an important one in the vicinity of Co-
Dant Creek leading up from the Upper Snake A^alley to
10 THE YELLOWSTOXE XATIOXAL PARK.
that of Henry Fork. Other intersecting trails connected
the Yellowstone Eiver trail with the Madison and Firehole
Basins on the west and with the Bighorn Valley on the
east.
The most important Indian trail in the Park, however,
was that known as the Great Bannock Trail. It extended
from Henry Lake across the Gallatin Eange to Mammoth
Hot Springs, where it was joined by another coming up
the valley of the Gardiner. Thence it led across the Black-
tail Deer plateau to the ford above Tower Falls; and
thence up the Lamar Valley, forking at Soda Butte, and
reaching the Bighorn A'alley by way of Clark's Fork and
the Shoshone River.* This trail was certainly a very an-
cient and much-traveled one. It had ])ecome a deep fur-
row in the grassy slopes, and it is still distinctly visible
in places, though unused for a quarter of a century.
Additional evidence in the same direction may be seen
in the widespread distribution of implements peculiar to
Indian use. Arrows and spear heads have been found in
considerable numbers. Obsidian Cliif was an important
quarry, and the open country near the outlet of Yellow-
stone Lake a favorite camping ground. Certain implements,
such as pipes, hammers, and stone vessels, indicating the
former presence of a more civilized people, have been
found to a limited extent; and some explorers have thought
that a S3mimetrical mound in the valley of the S7"iake
Eiver, below the month of Heart Eiver, is of artificial
origin. Eeference will be made later to the discovery of a
rude granite structure near the top of the Grand Teton,
which is unquestionably of very ancient date.
Eustic Geyser, in the Heart Lake Geyser Basin, is ''bor-
* For history of this name, see chapter on geographical
nomenclature of the Park.
INDIAN OCCUPANCY OF THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE. 11
dcred by logs which are coated with a crystalline, semi-
translucent deposit of geyserite. These logs were evidently
placed around the geyser by either Indians or wlute men
a number of years ago, as the coating is thick and the lo.^s
firmly attached to the surrounding deposit."*
More recent and perishable proofs of the presence of
Indians in the Park were found by the early explorers in
the rude wick-e-ups, brush inclosures, and similar contriv-
ances of the lonely Sheepcaters.
The real question of doubt in regard to Indian occu-
pancy of or visits to the Park is therefore not one of fact,
but of degree. The Sheepeaters certainly dwelt there ; but
as to other tribes, their acquaintance with it seems to have
been very limited. No word of information about the gey-
ser regions ever fell from their lips, except that the sur-
rounding country was known to them as the Burning
Mountains. With one or two exceptions, the old trails were
very indistinct, requiring an experienced eye to distin-
guish them from game trails. Their undeveloped condi-
tion indicated infrequent use. Old trappers who knew
tJiis region in early times say that the great majority of
Indians never saw it. Able Indian guides in the surround-
ing country became lost when they entered the Park, and
the Nez Perces were forced to impress a wliitc man as
guide when they crossed it in 1877.
A writer, to whom extended reference will be made in a
later chapter, visited the Upper Geyser Basin in ISSC.
accompanied by two Pend d'Oreilles Indians. Xeither of
these Indians had ever seen or apparently heard of the
geysers, and they "were quite appalled'^ at the sight of
* Page 298, Twelfth Annual Report of Dr. Hayden. It is
more than probable that this was the work of trappers.
12 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
them, believing them to be "supernatural" and the "pro-
duction of the Evil Spirit."
Lieutenant Doane, who commanded the military escort
to the Yellowstone Expedition of 1870, says in his report :*
"Appearances indicated that the basin [of the Yellow-
stone Lake] had been almost entirely abandoned by the
sons of the forest. A few lodges of Sheepeaters, a branch
remnant of the Snake tribe_, wretched beasts who run from
the sight of a white man, or from any other tribe of In-
dians, are said to inhabit the fastnesses of the mountains
around the lakes, poorly armed and dismounted, obtaining
a precarious subsistence and in a defenseless condition.
We saw, however, no recent traces of them. The larger
tribes never enter the basin, restrained by superstitious
ideas in connection with the thermal springs."
In 1880, Col. P. W. Norris, Second Superintendent of
the Park, had a long interview on the shore of the Yellow-
stone Lake with We-Saw, "an old but remarkably intelli-
gent Indian" of the Shoshone tribe, who was then acting
as guide to an exploring party under Governor Hoyt, of
Wyoming, and who had previously passed through the
Park with the expedition of 1873 under Capt. W. A. Jones,
U. S. A. He had also been in the Park region on former
occasions. Colonel Norris records the following facts from
this Indian's conversation : f
"We-Saw states that he had neither knowledge nor tra-
dition of any permanent occupants of the Park save the
timid Sheepeaters. ... He said that his people (Shos-
hones), the Bannocks, and the Crows, occasionally visited
the Yellowstone Lake and River portions of the Park, but
* Page 26, "Yellawstone Expedition of 1870."
1 Page 38, Annual Report of Superintendent of the Park for
1^1.
INDIAN OCCUPANCY OF THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE. 13
vory seMom the geyser regions, which he declared were
*heap, heap, bad/ and never wintered there, as white men
sometimes did with horses/^
It seems that even the resident Sheepeaters knew little
of the geyser basins. General Sheridan, who entered the
Park from the South in 1882, makes this record in his re-
port of the expedition:*
"We had with us five Sheep-eating Indians as guides,
and, fctrange to say, although these Indians had lived for
years and years about Mounts Sheridan and Hancoek, and
the high mountains Southeast of the Yellowstone Lake,
they knew nothing about the Firehole Geyser Basin, and
they exhibited more astonishment and wonder than any
of us."
Evidence like the foregoing clearly indicates that this
country was terra incognita to the vast body of Indians
who dwelt around it, and again this singular fact presents
itself for explanation. Was it, as is generally supposed,
a "superstitious fear^' that kept them away? The inci-
dents just related give some color to such a theory; but if
it were really true, we should expect to find well authenti-
cated Indian traditions of so marvelous a country. Unfor-
tunately history records none that are worthy of consider-
ation. Only in the names "Yellowstone"' and "Burning
Mountains" do we find any original evidence that this land
of wonders appealed in the least degree to the native
imagination.f
The real explanation of this remarkable ignorance ap-
pears to us to rest on grounds essentially practical. There
was nothing to induce the Indians to visit the Park
country. For three-fourths of the year that country is
• Page 11, Report on Explorations of Parts of Wyoming,
Idaho and Montana, 1882.
* See, however. Page 46.
14 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
iDaccessible on account of snow. It is covered with dense
forests, which in most places are so filled with fallen timber
and tangled underbrush as to be practically impassable.
As a game country in those early days it could not compare
with the lower surrounding valleys. As a highway of com-
munication between the valleys of the Missouri, Snake,
Yellowstone and Bighorn Eivers, it was no thoroughfare.
The great routes, except the Bannock trail already
described, lay on the outside. All the conditions, therefore,
which might attract the Indians to this region were want-
ing. Even those sentimental influences, such as a love
of sublime scenery and a curiosity to see the strange freaks
of nature, evidently had less weight with them than with
their pale-face brethren.
CHAPTEE III.
JOHN COLTER.
The first white man to set foot within the territory of the
Yellowstone Xational Park was the individual whose name
stands at the head of this chapter. He first comes to our
notice as a private soldier in the expedition of Lewis and
Clark. He accompanied these explorers across the conti-
nent and as far back as Fort Mandan, the winter quarters
of 1804-5. He was a typical frontiersman, though of more
than average ability. A man of undaunted courage and
incredible endurance, his whole career, so far as we know
it, was filled with perilous adventure, and his exploits
might pass for fairy tales were they not substantiated by
the most reliable evidence. During his service under Lewis
and Clark he won the respect and praise of those officers,
and his work after he left them has won for him the resj)ect
and praise of his posterity.
When Lewis and Clark reached Fort Mandan on their
return journey in 1806, Colter appealed to them to be
relieved from further service in order that he might remain
in the country and trap for beaver. The incident is thus
recorded in the journal under date of August 15 and
16, 1806 :
*Tn the evening we were applied to by one of our men,
Colter, who was desirous of joining the two trappers who
had accompanied us, and who now proposed an expedition
up the river, in which they were to find traps and give him
a share of the profits. The offer was a very advantageous
one, and, as he had always performed his duty, and his
16 TILE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
services might be dispensed with, we agreed that he might
go, provided none of the rest would ask or expect a similar
indulgence. To this they cheerfully answered that they
wished Colter every success and would not apply for
liberty to separate before we reached St. Louis. We there-
fore supplied him, as did his comrades also, with powder,
lead, and a variety of articles which might be useful to
him, and he left us the next day.''
To our explorers, just returning from a two years'
sojourn in the wilderness. Colter's decision seemed too
remarkable to be passed over in silence. The journal con-
tinues:
"The example of this man shows us how easily men may
be weaned from the habits of civilized life to the ruder
but scarcely less fascinating manners of the woods. This
hunter has now been absent for many years from the
frontier, and might naturally be presumed to have some
anxiety, or some curiosity at least, to return to his friends
and his country; yet just at the moment when he ia
approaching the frontiers, he is tempted by a hunting
scheme to give up those delightful prospects, and go back
without the least reluctance to the solitude of the woods."
Colter remained on the upper rivers until the spring of
1807, but just where, or with what adventure, is not known.
After his first winter in the trapping business he decided to
return to St. Louis. He set out in a log canoe entirely
alone and made his way in safety as far as to the mouth
of the Platte Eiver. Here he met an expedition under the
celebrated trader, Manuel Lisa, bound for the headwaters
of the Missouri to verify the glowing reports brought
back by Lewis and Clark concerning the wealth of beaver
fur to be found in that region. To Lisa the accession of
such a recruit as John Colter, fresh from the very country
Cliff Near Tower Falls.
JOHN COLTER. Vt
to which he was going, was a matter of the very highest
importance. What inducements were offered we do not
know, but enough to decide the self-exiled hunter to give
up his return to civilization and to set his face for the
third time toward the wilderness.
Nothing occurred on the voyage with which his name is
connected until the arrival of the expedition at the mouth
of the Bighorn. Lisa had expected to find the Blackfeet
nation very hostile, and it may have been a fear of this
hostility that caused his unlucky decision to establish him-
self in the country of their enemies, the Crows. But it
seemed that a detachment of Lisa's party met a band of
Blackfeet, either before or soon after the arrival at tlio
mouth of the Bighorn, from whom interesting and impor-
tant information was obtained. Far from being hostile,
these Indians evinced a pacific disposition, and said that the
provocation under which Captain Lewis had acted in kill-
ing one of their number was so obvious and flagrant that
they had not cherished this act as a justification of hos-
tility, and were ready to open relations of trade with the
whites.
Lisa was greatly pleased at this prospect. He had
already arranged to send Colter to notify the surrounding
bands of Indians of his arrival, and he probably directed
him to proceed also to the Three Forks of the Missouri and
confer with the Blackfeet nation. It was a perilous adven-
ture and one requiring great courage and hardihood. 'This
man/' says Brackenridge, "with a pack of thirty pounds
weight, his gun and some ammunition, went upward of
five hundred miles to the Crow nation ; gave them informa-
tion, and proceeded from thence to several other tribes."
It seems that when Lisa arrived in the country the Crows
were in the upper end of the vallev, probably on Wind
(I*) ^ /
18 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIOXAL PARK.
Eiver, and Colter had to travel a long distance to reach
them. He then most likely secured the services of a party
of the Crows to guide him by the best trail across the
mountains, for he would hardly have selected so well by
himself what is now, and doubtess was then, the best route
through this exceptionally rugged country. All available
evidence indicates that Colter traveled directly from Wind
Eiver to Pierre's Hole, crossing the Wind Eiver mountains
by Union Pass and the Teton Eange by Teton Pass. The
sublime and wonderful scenery and the remarkable topo-
graphical situation by which divergent streams flow from
a common neighborhood to widely-separated river systems,
and the ease with which the mountains could be crossed,*
impressed Colter deeply. When he returned to St. Louis
he drew the attention of Clark, Brackenridge and others
to these remarkable features.
It is probable that it was in the valley of Pierre's Hole
that "the party in whose company he happened to be," was
attacked, as related by Brackenridge. This party, accord-
ing to Biddle, was of the Crow nation and the attacking
party were Blackfeet. A fight ensued and Colter, by the
necessity of the situation, was compelled to take part with
the Crows. He distinguished himself greatly and received
a severe wound in the leg. The Blackfeet were defeated,
* "At the head of the Gallatin Fork and of the Grosse
Come of the Yellowstone [the Bighorn River], from discoveries
since the voyage of Lewis and Clark, it is found less difficult
to cross than the Allegheny mountains. Colter, a celebrated
hunter and woodsman, informed me that a loaded wagon
would find no obstruction in passing." — Brackenridge. The
Gallatin river was mistaken for one of the upper branches of
the Yellowstone, probably; but it is clear that Colter here
refers to Union or Two-gwotee pass at the head of Wind
River.
JOHN COLTEH. 19
but not until they had seen the pale-face ally of their
enemies, to whom, no doubt, they attributed their dis-
comfiture.
The Crows, having conducted their guest across the
mountains, and probably not deeming it wise to linger until
the vengeance of the Blackfeet should bring reinforcements
upon them, left Colter at this point and returned to their
country. This conclusion seems certain from Colter's own
narrative to Brackenridge, who says that, notwithstanding
tlie wound in his leg, ^lie returned to the establishment
entirely alone and without assistance, several hundred
miles.'' Colter, upon his return to St. Louis, gave to Gen-
eral Clark a description of his route, which the latter placed
upon the map accompanying the report of the Lewis and
Clark expedition and legended it '^'Colter's Route in 1807.'*
This map makes it clear that from Pierre's Hole Colter
undertook to reach Lisa's fort by the most direct route
})ossible. Such was probably his plan. He knew that it
would be folly for him now to proceed to the Tlirce Forks,
where he would become an instant victim of Blackfoot
vengeance. The best thing to do was to make his way back
to the fort and report to Lisa. To go by the way he had
come would be to make a long detour and nearly doul^le the
distance over a direct line. Colter had a sufficient bump of
locality to know that Lisa's fort lay about northeast of his
position. He accordingly launched into the dense pine
forests that cover the country on the northern flank of tlie
Teton range and the southern portion of the Yellowstone
National Park. It may with difficulty be imagined wliat
must have been his astonishment when, emerging from the
forests upon the shore of that surpassingly beautiful moun-
tain lake near the source of the Yellowstone River, he found
its shores steaming mXh. innumerable boiling springs and
20 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
geysers. As a matter of fact Colter^s route was carrying him
directly across the present Yellowstone Park, from south-
west to northeast. He saw the strange phenomena on the
sliore of Yellowstone Lake, and along the course of its out-
let for a distance of some forty miles. There is no record
that he ever mentioned having seen the Falls of the
Yellowstone, but he could hardly have escaped them, con-
sidering the course of his journey as outlined upon the map.
He continued down the Yellowstone so long as it bore to
the northeast on his general course, but left it by way of
the valley of the East Fork, where the river turns abruptly
to the northwest.
Such, in the main, is "Colter's route in 1807" — from the
mouth of the Bighorn to the forks of the Shoshone Eiver,
where he discovered an immense tar spring; thence to the
Teton Pass and Pierre's Hole just west of the Teton Eange;
thence northeast to Yellowstone Lake and down the Yel-
lowstone Eiver to the ford at Tower Falls ; thence along the
old Indian trail that led out of the Park country, and over
into the valley of Clark's Fork ; thence back to the forks of
the Shoshone, and thence back to Lisa's fort. He did not
see the great geyser basins nor Mammoth Hot Springs, but
he must have seen the Caiion and Falls of the Yellowstone.
This very remarkable achievement — remarkable in the
courage and hardihood of this lone adventurer and remark-
able in its unexpected results in geographical discovery —
deserves to be classed among the most celebrated perform-
ances in the history of American exploration. Colter was
the first explorer of the valley of the Bighorn Eiver; the
first to cross the passes at the head of Wind Eiver and see
the headwaters of the Colorado of the West ; the first to see
the Teton Mountains, Jackson Hole, Pierre's Hole, and the
JOHN COLTER. 21
source of the Snake Eiver ; and most important of all, the
iirst to pass through that singular region which has since
become known throughout the world as the Yellowstone
AVonderland. He also saw the immense tar spring at the
forks of the Shoshone Eiver, a spot which came to bear the
name of ^'Colter's Hell/'
Colter had now accomplished enough to entitle him to
lasting distinction in the cause of geographical exploration ;
but honors of a more perilous character still awaited him.
As soon as spring opened — for he could not have returned
to Lisa's fort before the arrival of winter — Lisa dispatched
him again to visit the Blackfeet. He set out directly for
the Three Forks of the Missouri, where he seems to have
employed his time trapping until the Indians put in an
appearance. He was accompanied on this expedition by a
companion named Potts, very likely the same one who had
been a fellow soldier in the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Biddle relates that when these two men met the Blackfeet
these Indians did not even yet evince hostile intentions, but
that an altercation soon ensued, ending in a combat in
which Potts was killed and Colter made his escape. This
affair was probably the same as that related by John Brad-
bury in his "Travels in Xorth America," and better known
through Irving's "Astoria.'^ Colter gave the account of his
miraculous escape to the English naturalist immediately
after his return to St. Louis in the spring of 1810. All
other accounts are based upon Bradbur/s. The simple and
direct language in which the author has clothed his recital
tells the story so well that even the skilful pen of Irving
adopted it almost without change. The adventure is one of
those remarkable experiences which have now and then
occurred in our frontier history, almost beyond credibility,
22 THE TELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
hut nevertheless in their details clearly possible. The story
is here repeated in the exact words of Bradbury :
'"This man came to St. Louis in May, 1810, in a small
canoe, from the headwaters of the ]\Iissouri, a distance of
three thousand miles, which he traversed in thirty days. I
saw him on his arrival, and received from him an account
of his adventures aftor he had separated from Lewis and
Clark's party; one of these^ from its singularity, I shall
relate. On the arrival of the party at the headwaters of the
Missouri, Colter, observing an appearance of abundance of
beaver there, got permission to remain and hunt for some
time, which he did in company with a man by the name of
Dixon, who had traversed the immense tract of country
from St. Louis to the headwaters of the ^Missouri alone.
"Soon after he separated from Dixon and trapped in
company with a hunter named Potts; and aware of the
hostility of the Blackfeet Indians, one of whom had been
killed by Lewis, they set their traps at night, and took them
up early in the morning, remaining concealed during the
day. They were examining their traps early one morning,
in a creek about six miles from that branch of the Missouri
called Jefferson's Fork, and were ascending in a canoe,
when they suddenly heard a great noise, resembling the
trampling of animals ; but they could not ascertain the fact,
as the high perpendicular banks on each side of the river
impeded their view. Colter immediately pronounced it to
be occasioned by Indians, and advised an instant retreat;
but was accused of cowardice by Potts, who insisted that
the noise was caused by buffaloes, and they proceeded on.
In a few minutes afterward their doubts were removed by
a party of Indians making their appearance on both sides
of the creek^ to the amount of iive or six hundred, who
beckoned them to come ashore. As retreat was now impos-
sible, Colter_turned the head of the canoe to the shore; and^
JOHN COLTER. 23
at the moment of its touching an Indian seized the rifle
belonging to Potts; but Colter (who is a remarkably strong
man), immediately retook it, and handed it to Potts, who
remained in the canoe, and on receiving it pushed ofl into
the river. He had scarcely quitted the shore when an arrow
was shot at him, and he cried out, 'Colter, I am wounded.'
Colter remonstrated with him on the folly of attempting
to. escape, and urged him to come ashore. Instead of com-
plying, he instantly leveled his rifle at an Indian, and shot
him dead on the spot. This conduct, situated as he was, may
appear to have been an act of madness ; but it was doubtlej^s
the effect of sudden and sound reasoning; for if taken alive
he must have expected to be tortured to death, according
to their custom. He w^as instantly pierced with arrows so
numerous that, to use the language of Colter, *he was made
a riddle of.'
''They now seized Colter, stripped him entirely naked,
and began to consult on the manner in which he should be
put to death. They were first inclined to set him up as a
mark to shoot at ; but the chief interfered, and seizing him
by the shoulder, asked him if he could run fast. Colter,
who had been some time amongst the Kee-kat-sa, or Crow
Indians, had in a considerable degree acquired the Black-
foot language, and was also well acquainted with Indian
customs. He knew that he had now to run for his life,
with the dreadful odds of five or six hundred against him,
and those armed Indians; therefore he cunningly replied
that he was a very bad runner, although he was considered
by the hunters as remarkably swift. The chief now com-
manded the party to remain stationary, and led Colter out
on the prairie tlirce or four hundred yards, and released
him, bidding him to save himself if he could. At that
instant the horrid war whoop sounded in the ears of poor
24 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Colter, who, urged with the hope of preserving life, ran
with a speed at which he was himself surprised. He pro-
ceeded toward the Jefferson Fork, having to traverse a
plain six miles in breadth, abounding with prickly pear,
on which he was every instant treading with his naked
feet. He ran nearly half way across the plain before he
ventured to look over his shoulder, when he perceived that
the Indians were very much scattered, and that he had
gained ground to a considerable distance from the main
body ; but one Indian, who carried a spear, was much before
all the rest, and not more than a hundred yards from
him. A faint gleam of hope now cheered the heart of
Colter; he derived confidence from the belief that escape
was within the bounds of possibility; but that confidence
was nearly fatal to him, for he exerted himself to such a
degree that the blood gushed from his nostrils, and soon
almost covered the fore part of his body.
"He had now arrived within a mile of the river, when he
distinctly heard the appalling sound of footsteps behind
him, and every instant expected to feel the spear of his
pursuer. Again he turned his head, and saw the savage
not twenty yards from him. Determined if possible to
avoid the expected blow, he suddenly stopped, turned
round, and spread out his arms. The Indian, surprised by
the suddenness of the action, and perhaps of the bloody
appearance of Colter, also attempted to stop ; but exhausted
with running, he fell whilst endeavoring to throw his
spear, which stack in the ground and broke in his hand.
Colter instantly snatched up the pointed part, with which
he pinned him to the earth, and then continued his flight.
The foremost of the Indians, on arriving at the place,
stopped till others came up to join them, when they set up a
hideous yell. Every moment of this time was improved by
JOHN COLTER.' 25
Colter, who, although fainting and exhausted, succeeded in
gaining the skirting of the cottonwood trees, on the borders
of the fork, through which he ran and plunged into the
river. Fortunately for him, a little below this place there
was an island, against the upper point of which a raft of
drift timber had lodged. He dived under the raft, and
after several efforts, got his head above water amongst the
trunks of trees, covered over with smaller wood to the depth
of several feet. Scarcely had he secured himself when the
Indians arrived on the river, screeching and yelling,
as Colter expressed it, like so many devils/ They were
frequently on the raft during the day, and were seen
through the chinks by Colter, who was congratulating him-
self on his escape, until the idea arose that they might set
the raft on fire.
"In horrible suspense he remained until night, when
hearing no more of the Indians, he dived from under the
raft, and swam silently down the river to a considerable
distance, when he landed, and traveled all night. Although
happy in having escaped from the Indians, his situation
was still dreadful ; he was completely naked, under a burn-
ing sun; the soles of his feet were entirely filled with the
thorns of the prickly pear; he was hungry, and had no
means of killing game, although he saw abundance around
him, and was at least seven days' journey from Lisa's fort,
on the Bighorn branch of the Eoche Jaune Eiver. These
were circumstances under which almost any man but an
American hunter would have despaired. He arrived at the
fort in seven days, having subsisted on a root much
esteemed by the Indians of the Missouri, now known by
naturalists as psoralea esculenta/'
From this time on deadly enmity toward the white race
became the settled policy of the Blackfeet Indians. There
(2)
26 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
is probably little doubt that it was the apparent favoritism
of the white traders toward their enemies, the Crows, that
turned the scale. For this appearance the action of Lisa
in building his first post in Crow territory, and Colter's
accidental presence in the ranks of the Crows when these
Indians were attacked by the Blackfeet, are mainly respon-
sible. Colter thus became in part the involuntary cause of
that deadly feud which lasted beyond the lifetime of any
of his contemporaries.
Colter remained on the upper rivers until after Lisa's
return in the summer of 1809 with an extensive outfit of
the newly forjned St. Louis jMissouri Fur Company. But
he ver}^ wisely abandoned the country before the disastrous
events of IS 10 at the Three Forks of the Missouri. Ke set
out for St. Louis about April 1st of that year, and made
the descent of the rivers in thirty days, a distance, accord-
ing to his own estimate, of some three thousand miles.
He remained in St. Louis for a considerable time, and
evidently talked a great deal about his adventures. He
gave Clark important data for his forthcoming map of the
Lewis and Clark expedition. He succeeded in making him-
self accounted a confirmed prevaricator. No author or
map-maker would jeopardize the success of his work by
incorporating in it such incredible material as Colter fur-
nished. His stories were not believed; their author became
the subject of jest and ridicule; and the region of his
adventures was long derisively known as "Colter's Hell.'**
* This name early came to be restricted to the locality where
Ck)lter discovered the tar spring on the Shoshone, probably
because few trappers ever saw the other similar localities vis-
ited by him. But Coltei^s descriptions, so well summed up by
Irving in his "Captain Bonneville," undouMedly refer in large
part to what he saw in the Yellowstone and Snake River
Valleys
JOHN COLTER. 27
Among those who esteemed Colter's accounts of siifB-
cient importance to merit attention may be mentioned Gen.
William Clark, Henry M. Brackenridge, the author, and
John Bradbury, the English naturalist. He was seen by
Bradbury in the spring of 1810, immediately after his
return to St. Louis. Bradbury also spent the forenoon of
March 18, 1811, with Colter while en route up the Missouri
with the Astoria expedition of that year. Colter had lately
married and was living near the river above the point where
the little creek La Charette empties into the main stream.
He was full of admonitions in regard to the Blackfeet, and
urged the most careful measures to prevent trouble with
them. As he saw the well appointed expedition setting out
for the mountains, the old fever seized him again and he
was upon the point of joining the party. But what the
hardships of the wilderness and the pleasures of civilization
could not dissuade him from doing, the charms of a newl}'-
married wife easily accomplished. Colter remained be-
hind; and here the curtain of oblivion falls upon the dis-
coverer of the Yellowstone.*
* This is the last positive record that we have of John
Colter. In the Louisiana Gazette, St. I^uis, December 11, 1813,
there appeared a notice by the administrator of the estate of
"John Coulter, deceased," calling for a settlement of all claims
for or against the estate. The final settlement left a balance
in favor of the estate of $229.41%. The deceased may or may
not have been the subject of this sketch.
CHAPTEE IV.
THE TRADER AND TRAPrER.
For fifty years after Lewis and Clark returned from
their expedition, the headwaters of the Yellowstone re-
mained unexplored except by the trader and trapper. It
was the traffic in peltries that first induced extensive ex-
ploration of the West. Concerning the precious metals, the
people seem to have had little faith in their abundant
existence there, and no organized search for them
was made in the earlier years of the century. But that
country, even in its unsettled state, had other and impor-
tant sources of wealth. Myriads of beaver inhabited the
streams and innumerable buffalo roamed the valleys. The
buffalo furnished the trapper with means of subsistence,
and beaver furs were better than mines of gold. Far in
advance of the tide of settlement the lonely trapper, and
after him the trader, penetrated the unknown West. Grad-
ually the enterprise of individuals crystallized around a
few important nuclei and there grew up those great fur-
trading companies which for many years exercised a kind
of paternal sway over the Indians and the scarcely more
civilized trappers. A brief resume of the history of these
companies will show how important a place they occupy in
the early history of the Upper Yellowstone.
The climax of the western fur business may be placed
at about the year 1830. At that time three great companies
operated in territories whose converging lines of separation
centered in the region about Yellowstone Lake. The oldest
and most important of them, and the one destined to out-
THE TRADER AND TRAPPER. 29
live the others, was the \vorld-reno\\Tied Hudson's Bay
Company. It was at that time more than a century and a
half old. Its earlier history was in marked contrast with
that of later years. Secure in the monopoly which its
extensive charter rights guaranteed, it had been content
with substantia] profits and had never pushed its business
far into the new territorv' nor managed it with aggressive
vigor. It was not until forced to action by the encroa>ch-
ments of a dangerous rival that it became the prodigious
power of later times.
This rival was the great jSTorthwest Fur Company of
Montreal. It had grown up since the French and Indian
War, partly as a result of that conflict, and finally took
corporate form in 1787. It had none of the important
territorial rights of the Hudson's Bay Company, but its
lack of monopoly was more than made up by the enterprise
of its promoters. With its bands of Canadian frontiersmen,
it boldly penetrated the northwest and paid little respect to
those territorial rights which its venerable rival was power-
less to enforce. It rapidly extended its operations far into
the unexplored interior. Lewis and Clark found its traders
among the Mandans in 180-1:. In 1811 the Astorians
saw its first party descend the Columbia to the sea. Two
years later the American traders on the Pacifi.c Coast were
forced to succumb to their British rivals.
A long and bitter strife now ensued between the two
British companies. It even assumed the magnitude of
civil war, and finally resulted in a frightful massacre of
unoffending colonists. The British government interfered
and forced the rivals into court, where they were brought
to the verge of ruin by protracted litigation. A compro-
mise was at last effected in 1821 by an amalgamation of the
two companies under the name of the older rival.
30 T?TE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
But in the meantime a large part of their best fur
country had been lost. In 1816 the government of the
United States excluded British traders from its territory
cast of the Eocky Mountains. To the west of this limit,
however, the amalgamated company easily forced all its
rivals from the field. Xo American fur company ever
attained the splendid organization, nor the influence over
the Indians, possessed by the Hudson's Bay Company. At
the time of which we write it was master of the trade in
the Columbia Eiver Valley, and the eastern limit of its
operations within the territory of the United States was
nearly coincident with the present western boundary of
the Yellowstone Park.
The second of the great companies to which reference
has been made was the American Fur Company. It was
the final outcome of John Jacob Astor's various attempts
to control the fur trade of the United States. Although it
was incorporated in 1808, it was for a time overshadowed
by the more brilliant enterprises known as the Pacific Pur
Company and the Southwest Fur Company. The history
of Mr. Astor's Pacific Fur Company, the dismal experi-
ences of the Astorians, and the deplorable failure of the
whole undertalcing, are matters familiar to all readers of
Irving^s "Astoria.'^
The other project gave for a time more substantial
promise of success. A British company of considerable
importance, under the name of the Mackinaw Company,
with headquarters at Michilimacinac, had for some time
operated in the country about the headwaters of the Missis-
sippi now included in the States of Wisconsin and Min-
nesota. Astor formed a new company, partly with Amer-
ican and partly with Canadian capital, bought out the
Mackinaw Company and changed its name to Southwest
THE TRADER AND TRAPPER. 31
Fur Company. But scarcely had its promising career
begun when it was cut short by the War of 1812.
The failure of these two attempts caused Mr. Astor to
turn to the old American Fur Company. The exclusion
Act of 1816 enabled him to buy at his own price the North-
west Fur Company's posts on the upper rivers., and the
American Company rapidly extended its trade over all the
country, from Lake Superior to tlie Rocky ^lountains. Its
posts multiplied in every direction, and at an early date
steamboats began to do its business up the Missouri River
from St. Louis. It gradually absorbed lesser concerns,
such as the ^lissouri Fur Company, and the Columbia Fur
Company, and by 1830 was complete master of the trade
throughout the Missouri Valley. In 1834, Astor sold liis
interests to Pratte, Chouteau and Company, of St. Louis,
and retired from the business. At this time the general
western limit of the territory operated in by tliis foriii id-
able company was the northern and eastern slope of the
mountains which bound the Yellow^stone Park on the north
and east. Its line of operations was down the river to
St. Louis, and its trading posts were located at freciuont
intervals between.
The third of the great rival companies was the Rocky
Mountain Fur Company, whicli was founded in St. Louis
in 1822 by Gen. W. H. Ashley, and received its full organ-
ization in 182 G under the direction of Jedediah S. Smith,
David Jackson pnd William L. Sublette. Among the lead-
ing spirits, who at one time or another guided its affairs,
was the famous mountaineer, James Bridger, to whom
frequent reference will be made.
This company had its general center of operations on the
headwaters of Green River to the west of South Pass.
Unlike the other companies^ it had no na\igable stream
32 TttE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
along which it could establish posts and conduct its opera-
tions. By the necessities of its exclusively mountain trade
it developed a new feature of the fur business. The
voyageur, with his canoe and oar, gave way to the moun-
taineer, with his saddle and rifle. The trading post was
replaced by the annual "rendezvous," which was in many
points the forerunner of the later cattle "roundups'* of the
plains. These rendezvous were agreed upon each year at
localities best suited to the convenience of the trade.
Hither in the spring came from the east convoys of supplies
for the season's use. Hither repaired also the various
parties of hunters and trappers and such bands of Indians
as roamed in the vicinity. These meetings were great
occasions, both in the transaction of business and in the
round of festivities that always prevailed. After the traffic
of the occasion was over, and the plans for the ensuing year
were agreed upon, the convoys returned to the States and
the trappers to their retreats in the mountains. The field
of operations of this company was very extensive and
included about all of the West not controlled by the Hud-
son's Bay and American Fur Companies.
Thus was the territory of the great West practically
parceled out among these three companies. It must not
be supposed that there was any agreement, tacit or open,
that each company should keep within certain limits.
There were a few temporary arrangements of this sort, but
for the most part each company maintained the right to
work in any territory it saw fit, and there was constant
invasion by each of the proper territories of the other. But
the practical necessities of the business kept them, broadly
speaking, within the limits which we have noted. The
roving bands of "free trappers" and "lone traders/' and
individual expeditions like those of Captain Bonneville and
Tetox Mountains and Jackson Lake.
THE TRADER AND TRAPPER. 33
Nathaniel J. Wyeth, acknowledged allegiance to none of
the great organizations, but wandered where they chose,
dealing by turns with each of the companies.
The vigor and enterprise of these traders caused their
business to penetrate the remotest and most inaccessible
corners of the land. Sillimans Journal for January, 1834,
declares that —
^'The mountains and forests, from the Arctic Sea to the
Gulf of Mexico, are threaded through every maze by the
hunter. Every river and tributary stream, from the
Columbia to the Eio del Xorte, and from the Mackenzie to
the Colorado of the West, from their headwaters to their
junctions, are searched and trapped for beaver."
That a business of such all-pervading character should
have left a region like our present Yellowstone Park unex-
plored would seem extremely doubtful. That region lay, a
sort of neutral ground, between the territories of the rival
fur companies. Its streams abounded in beaver; and,
although hemmed in by vast mountains, and snow-bound
most of the year, it could not have escaped discovery. In
fact, every part of it was repeatedly visited by trappers.
Eendezvous were held on every side of it, and once, it is
believed, in Hayden Valley, just north of Yellowstone
Lake. Had the fur business been more enduring, the geyser
regions would have become known at least a generation
Booner than they were.
But a business carried on with such relentless vigor
naturally soon taxed the resources of nature beyond its
capacity for reproduction. In regions under the control
of a single organization, as in the vast domains of the
Hudson's Bay Company, great care was taken to preserve
the fur-bearing animals from extinction; but in United
^States territory, the exigencies of competition made any
34 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
such provision impossible. The poor beaver, as at a later
day the buffalo, quickly succumbed to his ubiquitous
enemies. There was no spot remote enough for him to
build his dam in peace, and the once innumerable multi-
tude speedily dwindled away. The few years immediately
preceding and following 1830 were the halcyon days of the
fur trade in the United States. Thenceforward it rapidly
declined, and by 1850 had shrunk to a mere shadow of
its former greatness. With its disappearance the early
knowledge of the Upper Yellowstone also disappeared.
Subsequent events — ^the Mormon emigration, the war with
Mexico, and the discovery of gold — drew attention, both
private and official, in other directions; and the great
wonderland became again almost as much unknown as in
the days of Lewis and Clark.
CHAPTER V.
EARLY KNOWLEDGE OF THE YELLOWSTONE.
On the west bank of the Yellowstone River, a quarter of
a mile above the Upper Falls, in a ravine now crossed by
a lofty wooden bridge, stands a tree, on which is the oldest
record, except that of Colter, of the presence of white men
within the limits of the Park. It is an inscription, giving
the initials of a name and the date when inscribed. It was
discovered in 1880 by Col. P. W. Norris, then Superintend-
ent of the Park. It is now practically illegible from over-
growth, although some of the characters can still be made
out. Col. Norris, who saw it in the year 1880, claims to
have successfully deciphered it. He verified the date by
counting the annual rings on another tree near by, which
bore hatchet marks, presumably of the same date. The
time that had elapsed since these cuts were made corre-
sponded well with the inscribed date. The inscription was :
JOR
Aug 19 1S19
Efforts have been made to trace this inscription to some
of the early noted trappers, but the attempt can hardly
succeed. Even if an identity of initials were established, the
identity of individuals would still remain in doubt. Noth-
ing short of some authentic record of such a visit as must
have taken place can satisfy the requirements of the case.
In the absence of any such record, the most that can be
said is that the inscription is proof positive that the Park
country was visited by white men, after Colter's time, fully
fifty years before its final discovery.
36 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Col. Norris' researches disclosed other sirailar evidence,
although in no other instance with so plain a clue as to
date. Near Beaver Lake and Obsidian Cliff, he found, in
1878, a cache of marten traps of an old pattern used by the
Hudson's Bay Company trappers fifty years before. He also
examined the ruins of an ancient block-house discovered by
Frederick Bottler at the base of Mt. Washburn, near the
Grand Caiion of the Yellowstone. Its decayed condition
indicated great age. In other places the stumps of trees,
old logs used to cross streams, and many similar proofs
were brought to light by that inveterate ranger of the
'wilderness.
The Washburn party, in 1870, discovered on the east
bank of the Yellowstone, just above Mud Geyser, the
remains of a pit, probably once used for concealment in
shooting water fowl.
A book called "The Eiver of the West,''* published in
1871, but copyrighted in 1869, before the publication of
any modem account of the geyser regions, contains the
record of an adventure in the Yellowstone country about
the year 1829. The book is a biography of one Joseph
Meek, a trapper and pioneer of considerable note. The
adventure to which reference is made took place in 1829,
and was the result of a decision by the Eock}^ Mountain
Fur Company to retire from competition with the Hud-
son's Bay Company in the Snake Eiver Valley. In leav-
ing the country, Capt. William Sublette, the chief partner,
led his party up Henry Fork, across the Madison and Gal-
latin Elvers, to the high ridge overlooking the Yellowstone,
at some point near the present Cinnabar Mountain. Here
the party was dispersed by a band of Blackfeet, and Meek,
* By Mrs. Frances Fuller Victor, an eminent authority upon
the history of the Northwest coast-
EAHLY KNOWLEDGE OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 37
one of its members, became separated from his compan-
ions. He had lost his horse and most of his equipment,
and in this condition he wandered for several days, with-
out food or shelter, until he was found by two of his
companions. His route lay in a southerly direction, to the
eastward of the Yellowstone, at some distance back from
the river. On the morning of the fifth day he had the fol-
lowing experience :
"Being desirous to learn something of the progress he
had made, he ascended a low mountain in the neighbor-
hood of his camp, and behold! the whole country beyond
was smoking with vapor from boiling springs, and burning
with gases issuing from small craters, each of which was
emitting a sharp, whistling sound. When the first sur-
prise of this astonishing scene had passed, Joe began to
admire its effect from an artistic point of view. The
morning being clear, with a sharp frost, he thought him-
self reminded of the city of Pittsburg, as he had beheld it
on a winter morning, a couple of years before. This, how-
ever, related only to the rising smoke and vapor; for the
extent of the volcanic region was immense, reaching far
out of sight. The general face of the country was smooth
and rolling, being a level plain, dotted with cone-shaped
mounds. On the summit of these mounds were small craters
from four to eight feet in diameter. Interspersed among
these on the level plain were larger craters, some of them
from four to six miles across. Out of these craters issued
blue flames and molten brimstone."*
Making some allowance for the trapper's tendency to
exaggeration, we recognize in tliis description the familiar
picture of the hot springs districts. The precise location
♦ Page 75, "River of the West."
38 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
is difficult to determine; but Meek^s previous wanderings,
and the subsequent route of himself and his companions
whom he met here, show conclusively that it was one of
the numerous districts east of the Yellowstone, which were
possibly then more active than now.
This book affords much other evidence of early knowl-
edge of the country immediately bordering the present
Park. The Great Bend of the Yellowstone where Living-
ston now stands^ was already a famous rendezvous, and
the Gardiner and Firehole Elvers were well known to the
trappers.
In the Louisiana Gazette, of St. Louis^ February 28,
1811, is an article upon Louisiana from the pen of a then
popular writer, Henry M. Brackenridge. In it occurs a
reference to this region which no doubt originated with
John Colter : "I think it probable that, on a close examina-
tion of the country, evident traces of extinguished vol-
canoes will be discovered. Mr. Lisa informs me that about
sixty miles from his fort (at the mouth of the Bighorn)
there is a volcano that actually emits flames. In this tract
immense quantities of sulphur can be procured. It is not
only found in caves, but can be scraped off the prairie in
the manner of salt."" This is only one of a number of
references from early writings that indicate the presence
of volcanic activity on a moribund scale in the Rocky
Mountains as late as the beginning of the Nineteenth
Century.
Among the employes of the American Fur Company in
the decade from 1830 to 1840, was one AVarren Angus
Ferris, clerk, to whom belongs the honor of having written
the first actual description of the Firehole Geyser Basins.
Ferris was attached to the mountain expeditions of the
American Fur Company, and^in the course of his five
EAELY KNOWLEDGE OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 39
years' service (1831-5) saw pretty nearly all the country
ai'ound the Yellowstone Park. He had heard rumors of
the strange phenomena which are now so well known, and
in the spring of 1834, while returning south from the
Flathead country, where he had spent the winter, he made
a visit to the geyser basins for the purpose of verifying or
refuting these reports. He made the journey from a point
near where Beaver Canon Station, on the Utah Northern
Railroad, now stands, and traveled almost west to the
geyser basins. He was among the geysers on the 20th of
May, 1834. In spite of some discrepancies in his account,
it is reasonably certain that the point visited was the Upper
Geyser Basin. Following is his narrative of the visit:*
*'I had heard in the summer of 1833, while at rendez-
vous, that remarkable boiling springs had been discovered
on the sources of the Madison, by a party of trappers, in
their spring hunt; of which the accounts they gave, were
so very astonishing, that I determined to examine them
myself, before recording their description, though I had
the united testimony of more than twenty men on the
subject, who all declared they saw them, and that they
really were as extensive and remarkable as they had been
described. Having now an opportunity of paying them a
visit, and as another or a better might not occur, I parted
• Ferris followed the practice of keeping a journal, and after
his return from the mountains published it in the Western
Literary Messenger, of Buffalo, New York. The article quoted
below was republished in the Wasp, of Nauvoo, Illinois, a
Mormon paper, August 13, 1842, and later became well known.
Where it came from, or who its author was, no one in recent
years knew until in the fall of 1900 the series of articles in the
Literary Messenger was discovered by Mr. O. D. Wheeler, of
St. Paul. Ferris was born at Glen Falls, N. Y., Dec. 20, 1810;
and died at Reinhardt, Texas, February 8, 1873.
40 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
with the company after supper, and taking with me two
Fend d'Oreilles (who were induced to take the excursion
with me, by the promise of an extra present,) set out at a
round pace, the night being -clear and comfortable. Wo
proceeded over the plain about twenty miles, and halted
until daylight, on a fine spring, flowing into Camas Creek.
Eefreshed by a few hours' sleep, we started again after a
hasty breakfast, and entered a very extensive forest, called
the Pine Woods; (a continued succession of low mountains
or hills, entirely covered with a dense growth of this species
of timber;) which we passed through and reached the
vicinity of the springs about dark, having seen several lakes
or ponds on the sources of the Madison^ and rode about
forty miles; which was a hard day's ride, taking into
consideration the rough irregularity of the country through
which we traveled.
^'\Ve regaled ourselves with a cup of coffee, the materials
for making which we had brought with us, and immediately
after supper, lay down to rest, sleepy and much fatigued.
The continual roaring of the springs, however, (which was
distinctly heard,) for some time prevented my going to
sleep, and excited an impatient curiosity to examine them,
which I was obliged to defer the gratification of until
morning, and filled my slumbers with visions of water-
spouts, cataracts, fountains, jets d'eau of immense
dimensions, etc., etc.
^^WTien I arose in the morning, clouds of vapor seemed
like a dense fog to overhang the springs, from which
frequent reports or explosions of different loudness, con-
stantly assailed our ears. I immediately proceeded to
inspect them, and might have exclaimed with the Queen
of Sheba, when their full reality of dimensions and novelty
burst upon my view, 'the half _ was not told me.'
EARLY KNOWLEDGE OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 41
^-'From the surface of a rocky plain or table, burst forth
columns of water, of various dimensions, projecting high
in the air, accompanied by loud explosions, and sulphurous
vapors, which were liighly disagreeable to the smell. The
rock from which these springs burst forth was calcareous,
and probably extended some distance from them, beneath
the soil. The largest of these beautiful fountains projects
a column of boiling water several feet in diameter, to the
height of more than one hundred and fifty feet, in my
opinion ; but the party of Alvarez,* who discovered it, persist
in declaring that it could not be less than four times that
distance in height — accompanied with a tremendous noise.
These explosions and discharges occur at intervals of about
two hours. After having witnessed three of them, I ven-
tured near enough to put my hand into the waters of its
basin, but withdrew it instantly, for the heat of the water
in this immense chaldron was altogether too great for my
comfort; and the agitation of the water, the disagreeable
effluvium continually exuding, and the hollow, unearthly
rumbling under the rock on which I stood, so ill accorded
with my notions of personal safety, that I retreated back
precipitately to a respectful distance. The Indians, who
were with me, were quite appalled, and could not by any
means be induced to approach them. They seemed aston-
ished at my presumption in advancing up to the large one,
and when I safely returned, congratulated me upon my
'narrow escape.^ They believed them to be supernatural
and supposed them to be the production of the Evil Spirit.
One of them remarked that hell, of which he had heard
from the whites, must be in that vicinity. The diameter of
the basin into which the waters of the largest jet prin-
cipally fall, and from the center of which, through a hole
* An American Fur Company clerk.
(2*)
42 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
in the lock, of about nine or ten feet in diameter, the water
spouts up as above related, may be about thirty feet. There
are many other smaller fountains, that did not throw their
waters up so high, but occurred at shorter intervals. In
some instances the volumes were projected obliquely
upward, and fell into the neighboring fountains, or on the
rock or prairie. But their ascent was generally perpendic-
ular, falling in and about their own basins or apertures.
•^These wonderful productions of nature are situated
near the center of a small valley, surrounded by pine-
covered hills, through which a small fork of the Madison
flows."
Here we have a description free from exaggeration and
reasonably true to the facts. No one who has seen the
Upper Geyser Basin will question its general correctness.
The writer then goes on to relate what he has learned from
others, but here exaggeration creeps in and this part of his
narrative is less reliable. It continues :
*Trom several trappers who had recently returned from
the Yellow Stone, I received an account of boiling springs
that differ from those seen on Salt River only in magni-
tude, being on a vastly larger scale; some of their cones
are from twenty to thirty feet high, and forty to fifty paces
in circumference. Those which have ceased to emit boil-
ing water, vapor, etc., of which there were several, are full of
slielving cavities, even some fathoms in extent, which give
them, inside, an appearance of honey-comb. The ground
for several acres' extent in vicinity of the springs is evi-
dently hollow, and constantly exhales a hot steam or vapor
of disagreeable odor, and a character entirely to prevent
vegetation. They are situated in the valley at the head of
that river near the lake, which constitutes its source.
*'A shoii distance from these springs, near the margin of
EARLY KNOWLEDGE OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 43
the lake, there is one quite different from any yet described.
It is of a circular form, several feet in diameter, clear,
cold and pure; the bottom appears visible to the eye, and
feeems seven or eight feet below the surface of the earth or
water, without meeting any resistance. What is most
singular with respect to this fountain is the fact that at
regular intervals of about two minutes, a body or column
of water bursts up to the height of eight feet, \nth an
explosion as loud as the report of a musket, and then falls
back into it; for a few seconds the water is roily, but it
epeedily settles and becomes transparent as before the effu-
sion. A slight tremulous motion of the water, and a low
rumbling sound from the caverns beneath^ precede each
explosion. This spring was believed to be connected with
the lake by some subterranean passage, but the cause of its
periodical eruptions or discharges, is entirely unknown.
I have never before heard of a cold spring, whose waters
exhibit the phenomena of periodical explosive propulsion,
in form of a jet. The geysers of Iceland, and the various
other European springs, the waters of which are projected
upwards, with violence and uniformity, as well as those
seen on the head waters of the Madison, are invariably
hot."
The whole article forms the most interesting and
authentic reference to the geyser regions published prior
to 1870. It proves beyond question that a knowledge of
this region existed among the early trappers, and confirms
our previous deduction that the wide range of the fur
business could not have left it unexplored.
A brief but interesting reference to this region is found
in the following extract from a letter by Father Do Sinot,
dated at the University of St. Louis, January 20, 185?,
describing a journey made by him in 1851 from Fort
44 THE YELLOTTSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
Union, at the mouth of the Yellowstone, to Fort Laramie,
on the Platte :
"Xear the source of the River Puante [Stinking Water,
now called Shoshone], which empties into the Big Horn,
and the sulphurous waters of which have probably the same
medicinal qualities as the celebrated Blue Lick Springs of
Kentucky, is a place called Colter's Hell — from a beaver-
hunter of that name. This locality is often agitated with
subterranean fires. The sulphurous gases which escape in
great volumes from the burning soil infect the atmosphere
for several miles, and render the earth so barren that even
the wild wormwood can not grow on it. The beaver-hunters
have assured me that the underground noises and explo-
fiions are often frightful.
"However, I think that the most extraordinary spot in
this respect, and perhaps the most marvelous of all the
northern half of this continent, is in the very heart of the
Eocky Momitains, between the 43d and 45th degrees of
latitude, and the 109th and 111th degrees of longitude;
that it, between the sources of the Madison and the Yellow-
stone. It reaches more than a hundred miles. Bituminous,
sulphurous and boiling springs are very numerous in it.
The hot springs contain a large quantity of calcareous
matter, and form hills more or less elevated, wliich
resemble in their nature, perhaps, if not in their extent,
the famous springs of Pemboukkalesi, in Asia Minor, so
well described by Chandler. The earth is thrown up very
high, and the influence of the elements causes it to take
the most varied and the most fantastic shapes. Gas, vapor
and smoke are continually escaping by a thousand open-
ings from the base to the summit of the volcanic pile; the
noise at times resembles the steam let off by a boat. Strong,
subterranean explosions occur like those in ^Colter's Hell/
tAULY KNOWLEDGE OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 46
The hunters and the Indians speak of it with a supersti-
tious fear, and consider it the abode of evil spirits, that is
to say, a kind of hell. Indians seldom approach it without
offering some sacrifice, or, at least, without presenting the
calumet of peace to the turbulent spirits, that they may be
propitious. They declare that the subterranean noises
proceed from the forging of warlike weapons; each erup-
tion of the earth is, in their eyes, the result of a combat
between the infernal spirits, and becomes the monument of
a new victory or calamity. Xear Gardiner Eiver, a tribu-
tary of the Yellowstone, and in the vicinity of the region
I have just been describing, there is a mountain of sulphur.
I have this report from Captain Bridger, who is familiar
with every one of these mounds, having passed thirty years
of his Hfe near them.'^
This very accurate description is the first that defines
correctly the geographical location of the geyser regions.
The most comprehensive of these early references to the
natural phenomena of the Upper Yellowstone is the follow-
ing extract from Gunnison's "History of the Mormons''
(1852), and comes directly from James Bridger:
"He [Bridger] gives a picture, most romantic and
enticing, of the head waters of the Yellowstone. A lake,
sixty miles long, cold and pellucid, lies embosomed among
high precipitous mountains. On the west side is a sloping
plain, several miles wide, with clumps of trees and groves
of pine. The ground resounds with the tread of horses.
Geysers spout up seventy feet high, with a terrific, hissing
noise, at regular intervals. Waterfalls are sparkling, leap-
ing and thundering down the precipices, and collect in the
pool below. The river issues from this lake, and for
fifteen miles roars through the perpendicular canon at the
outlet. In this section are the 'Great Springs/ so hot that
46 THK YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
meat is readily cooked in them, and as they descend on
the successive terraces, afford at length delightful baths.
On the other side is an acid spring, which gushes out in a
river torrent ; and below is a cave, which supplies Vermil-
lion' for the savages in abundance."'
In this admirable summary we readily discover the
Yellowstone Lake, the Grand Caiion, the Falls, the geyser
basins, the Mammoth Hot Springs, and Cinnabar Moun-
tain. Prior to 1860, Bridger had related these accounts to
Captain Warren, Captain Eaynolds, Doctor Hayden, and
others, and although he seems to have convinced these
gentlemen that there was something in his stories, they still
attributed less to fact than to fancy.
There are numerous other interesting, though less defi-
nite, references to an early knowledge of the Yellowstone ;
but those we have given show their general character. The
important fact to remember is that this knowledge was
barren of result. For the most part it existed only in the
minds of illiterate men, and perished wdth them. It never
caught the public ear and did not in the least degree hasten
the final discovery.
CHAPTER VI.
JAMES BRIDGER AND HIS STORIES.
This celebrated hunter, trader and guide, whose name
and career are a part of the pioneer history of the West,
was thoroughly familiar with the region now comprised in
the Yellowstone Park. His personal knowledge of it dates
back as far as 1830. He often visited it, not like Ferris in
a single locality, but in all its parts, and was well
acquainted with its wonderful features. In his efforts to
disseminate the knowledge he had acquired, he was as per-
sistent as Colter had been before him, and with little better
success. He tried to get his descriptions before the public,
but no periodical or newspaper would lend itself to his
service. The editor of a leading western paper stated in
1879 that Bridger had told him of the Yellowstone wonders
fully thirty years before. He prepared an article from his
description and then suppressed it, because a man who
claimed to know Bridger told him he w^ould be laughed out
of town if he printed any of ^old Jim Bridger's lies.' ^' In
later years this editor publicly apologized to Bridger for
having doubted his statements.
Certain personal characteristics of Bridger aggravated
this lack of confidence in what he said. He was the great-
est romancer of the West in his time, and his reckless
exaggerations won for him a reputation which he could not
shake off when he wanted to. Accordingly, the truths that
he told about the Yellowstone were classed with his fairy
tales of the same region, and both were set down as the
harmless vaporings of a mind to which truth had long been
a stranger.
48 TtCE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Some of the creations ascribed to him have survived to
this day. We say "ascribed/^ for in reality they are no one
person^s production, but are the . development of many
years and many minds. They all have a basis in fact — the
"soul of truth/^ wliich a great philosopher has said '^exists
in things erroneous/^ In some cases the basis is pretty
hard to discover, and it is easier to believe the embellished
tale than its descent from the fact when once found. It is
stated by an adept in this accomplishment that constant
repetition and enlargement of liis imaginary experiences
eventually leads him to believe them true, and this may
have been the case with Bridger himself. In any event, it
is a fortunate thing that these stories grow and develop
with time, gravitating always from the real to the ideal;
and he is to be pitied who feels an unseemly anxiety for
the basic facts or would rob them of a single increment
which the rolling years have given them.
The few that are recorded here may be credited to
Bridger without exciting the envy of rival experts in the
same line. The first relates to the celebrated Obsidian
Cliff, a mass of black volcanic glass with which all tourists
in the Park become familiar. Its discovery by Bridger was
the result of one of his hunting trips, and it happened in
this wise.
Coming one day in sight of a magnificent elk^ he took
careful aim at the unsuspecting animal and fired. To his
great amazement, the elk not only was not wounded, but
seemed not even to have heard the report of the rifle.
Bridger drew considerably nearer and gave the elk the
benefit of his most deliberate aim ; but with the same result
as before. A third and a fourth effort met with a similar
fate. Utterly exasperated, he seized his rifle by the barrel,
resolved to use it as a club since it had failed as a firearm.
JAMES BRIDGER AND HIS STORIES. 49
He rushed madly toward the elk, but suddenly crashed into
an immovable vertical wall which proved to be a mountain
of perfectly transparent glass, on the farther side of which,
still in peaceful security, the elk was quietly grazing.
Stranger still, the mountain was not only of pure glass,
but was a perfect telescopic lens, and, whereas, the elk
seemed but a few hundred 3^ards off, it was in reality
twenty-five miles away!
Another of Bridger's discoveries was an ice-cold spring
near the summit of a lofty mountain, the water from which
liowed down over a long smooth slope, where it acquired
such velocity that it was boiling hot when it reached the
bottom,*
The origin of the name of Alum Creek, a tributary of
the Yellowstone, was due to an accidental discovery by
Bridger. One day he forded the creek and rode out several
miles and back. He noticed that the return journey was
only a small fraction of the distance going, and that his
horse's feet had shrunk to mere points which sank into the
solid ground, so that the animal could scarcely hobble
* This story, which is taken from the report of Captain W. F.
Raynolds, was one of Bridger's favorites, and it is even said
that he did not regard it as pleasantry at all, but as plain mat-
ter of fact. Mr. Langford, who often heard him relate it, says
that he generally described the stream as flowing over the
smooth surface of a rock, and reasoned that, as two sticks
rubbed together produce heat by friction, so the water rub-
bing over the rock became hot. In proof, he cited an instance
wher© the water was hot only in close proximity to the rock
and not at the surface. Mr. Langford found a partial confirm-
ation of the fact, but not of the theory, in fording the Firehole
River in 1870. He passed over the smooth deposit of an active
hot spring in the bed of the stream, and found that the stream
bottom and the water in contact with it were hot.
(3)
50 THE YELLOWSTOlfE NATIONAL PARK.
along. Seeking the cause he found it to be in the astring-
ent quality of the water, which was saturated with alum to
such an extent that it had power to pucker distance itself.*
To those who have visited the west shore of the Yellow-
stone Lake, and know how simple a matter it is to catch
the lake trout and cook them in the boiling pools without
taking them from the line, the groundwork of the follow-
ing description will be obvious enough. Somewhere along
the shore an immense boiling spring discharges its overflow
directly into the lake. The specific gravity of the water is
less than that of the lake, owing probably to the expansive
action of heat, and it floats in a stratum three or four feet
thiols upon the cold water underneath. When Bridger was
in need of fish it was to this place that he went. Through
the hot upper stratum he let fall his bait to the subjacent
habitable zone, and having hooked his victim, cooked him
on the way out!
In like manner the visitor to the region of petrifications
on Specimen Eidge in the northeast corner of the Park,
and to various points in the hot springs districts, will have
no difficulty in discovering the base material out of which
Bridger contrived the following picturesque yarn. Accord-
ing to his account there exists in the Park country a moun-
tain which was once cursed by a great medicine man of the
Crow nation. Every thing upon the mountain at the time
of this dire event became instantly petrified and has
remained so ever since. All forms of life are standing
about in stone where they were suddenly caught by the
* "The headwaters of this stream are so strong with alum
that one swallow is sufficient to draw one's face into such
shape that it is almost impossible to get it straightened out
again for one hour or so." — Journal of C. J. Weikert, August
26, 1877.
JAMES BRIDGER AND HIS 6T0RIES. 51
petrifying influences, even as the inhabitants of ancient
Pompeii were surprised by the ashes of Vesuvius. Sage
brush, grass, prairie fowl, antelope, elk, and bears may
there be seen as perfect as in actual life. Even flowers are
blooming in colors of crystal, and birds soar with wings
spread in motionless flight, while the air floats with music
and perfumes siliceous, and the sun and the moon shine
with petrified light!
To show how old this story is, we quote the following
from "Life in the Far West,^^ by George Frederick EuA'ton
(18-19). It represents an old trapper who has come do\\Ti
from the mountains and is relating his experiences in a
tavern in St. Louis. The colloquy is with the landlady.
It is also of interest as one of the very few existing speci-
mens of the dialect of the trapper in the days when he
flourished in the region around the Yellowstone I'ark :
" *Well, Mister Harris, I hear you're a great traveler.'
" ^Traveler, marm/ says Black Harris, 'this niggur's no
traveler ; I ar' a trapper, marm, a mountain-man, w^agh !'
" 'Well, Mister Harris, trappers are great travelers, and
you goes over a sight of ground in your perishinations, I'll
be l)ound to say/
" 'A sight, marm, this coon's gone over, if that's the way
your "stick floats."* I've trapped beaver on Platte and
Arkansa, and away up on Missouri and Taller Stone; I've
trapped on Columbia, on Lewis Fork, and Green River and
the Heely (Gila). I've font the "Blackfoot" (and d— d bad
injuns they ar) ; I've "raised the hair" f of more than one
Apach, and made a Rapaho "come" afore now; I've
♦ Meaning: "If that's what you mean." The "stick" is tied
to the beaver trap by a string; and, floating on the water,
points out its position, should a beaver have carried it away
* Scalped.
52 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
trapped in Heav'n, in airth, and h — 1; and scalp my old
head, marm/but I've seen a putrefied forest/
" ^La, Mister Harris ; a what T
" * A putrefied forest, marm, as sure as my rifle's got
liindsights, and "she'' shoots center. It was out on the
Black Hills, Bill Sublette knows the time — the year it
rained fire — and everybody knows when that was. If thar
wasn't cold doins about that time, this child wouldn't say
so. The snow was about fifty foot deep, and the bufler lay
dead on the ground like bees after a beein'; not whar we
was tho', for thar was no bufler, and no meat, and me and
my band had been livin' on our moccasins (least\nse the
parflesh*) for six weeks; and poor doins that feedin' is,
marm, as you'll never know. One day we crossed a "canon"
and over a "divide," and got into a peraira, whar was
green grass, and green trees, and green leaves on the trees,
and birds singing in the green leaves, and this in Febrary,
Wagh! Our animals was like to die when they see the
green grass, and we all sung out, "hurrraw for summer
doins." '
" 'Hyar goes for meat/ says I, and I jest ups old Ginger
[his rifle] at one of them singing birds, and down comes
the crittur elegant; its darned head spinning away from
the body, but never stops singing, and when I takes up the
meat, I find it stone, wagh ! "Hyar's damp powder and no
fire to dry it," I says, quite skeared.'
" ^Fire be dogged,' says old Rube. *Hyar's a hos as'll
make fire come;' and with that he takes his axe and lets
drive at a Cottonwood. Schru-k — goes the axe agin the
tree, and out comes a bit of the blade as big as my hand.
We looks at the animals, and thar they stood shaking over
• Soles made of buffalo hide.
OspREY Falls, Middi.e Gardiner River.
JAMES BRIDGER AND HIS STORIES. 63
the grass, which I'm dog-gone if it wasn't stone too.
Young Sublette comes up, and he'd been clerking down to
the fort on Platte, so he know'd something. He looks and
looks, and scrapes the trees with his butcher knife, and
snaps the grass like pipe stems, and breaks the leaves a
snapping like Californy shells.'
"•'What's all this, boy?' I asks.
" Tutref actions,' looking smart ; 'putrefactions, or I'm a
niggur.'
"'La, Mister Harris,' says the lady, 'putrefactions!
Why, did the leaves, and the trees, and the grass smell
badly?'
"'Smell badly, marm !' says Black Harris; 'would a
thing smell if it was froze to stone? No, marm; this child
didn't know what putrefactions was, and young Sublette's
varsion wouldn't *'shine" nohow, so I chips a piece out of
a tree and puts it in my trap-sack, and carries it safe to
Laramie. AYell, old Captain Stewart (a clever man was
that, though he was an Englishman), he comes along next
spring, and a Dutch doctor chap was along too. I shows
him the piece I chipped out of the tree and he called it a
putrefaction, too ; and so, marm, if that wasn't a putrefied
peraira, what was it? For this hos doesn't know, and he
knows "fat cow" from "poor bull," anyhow.' "
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE.
James Bridger was bom in Eichmond, Va., in March,
1804, and died in Washington, Jackson Co., Mo., July 17,
1881. He must have gone west at a very early age, for he
is kno\\Ti to have been in the mountains in IS?-!. 2>^iles
Register for 1822 speaks of him as associated with Fitz-
Patrick in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Another
record of this period reveals him as leader of a band of
54 THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
whites sent to retake stolen horses from the hostile Ban-
nocks. In 1830 he had become a resident partner in the
Eocky Mountain Fur Company. That he was a recognized
leader among the early mountaineers while yet in his
minority seems beyond question. He became "The Old
Man of the Mountains" before he was thirty years of age.
Among the more prominent achievements of Bridger's
life may be noted the following: He was long a lead-
ing spirit in the Eocky Mountain Fur Company. He
discovered Great Salt Lake and the noted Pass that bears
his name. He built Fort Bridger in the lovely valley of
Black Fork of Green Eiver, where transpired many thrill-
ing events connected with the history of the Mormons and
*' Forty-niners." He had explored, and could accurately
describe, the wonders of the Yellowstone fully a quarter of
a century before their final discovery.
In person he was tall and spare, straight and agile, eyes
gray, hair brown and long, and abundant even in old age;
expression mild, and manners agreeable. He was hospita-
ble and generous, and was always trusted and respected.
He possessed to a high degree the confidence of the In-
dians, one of whom, a Shoshone woman, he made his wife.
Unquestionably Bridger's chief claim to remembrance
by posterity rests upon the extraordinary part he bore in
the exploration of the West. The common verdict of his
many employers, from Eobert Campbell doT\Ti to Captain
Ea}Tiolds, is that as a guide he was without an equal. He
was a born topographer. The whole West was mapped out
in his mind as in an exhaustive atlas. Such was Ms
instinctive sense of locality and direction that it used to be
said that he could "smell his way" where he could not see
it. He was not only a good topographer in the field, but
he could reproduce his impressions in sketches. "With a
JAMES BRIDGER AND HIS STORIES. 55
buffalo skin and a piece of charcoal/' says Captain Gun-
nison, "he will map out any portion of this immense region,
and delineate mountains, streams, and the circular valleys,
called 'holes,' with wonderful accuracy/' His ability in
this line caused him always to be in demand as a guide to
exploring parties, and his name is connected with many
prominent government and private expeditions.
^ His lifetime measures that period of our history during
which the West was changed from a trackless wilderness to
a settled and civilized countrA\ He was among the first
who went to the mountains, and he lived to see all that
had made a life like his possible swept away forever.
CHAPTER VII.
RAYNOLDS' EXPEDITION.
•
On "the 13th of April, 1859, Captain AY. F. Eaynolds, of
the Corps of Topographical Engineers, U. S. A., was
ordered to explore "the region of country through which
flow the principal tributaries of the Yellowstone Eiver,
and the mountains in which they, and the Gallatin and
Madison Forks of the Missouri, have their source." This
was the first government expedition* directed to the pre-
cise locality which is now embraced in the Yellowstone
National Park. It is interesting to us, not for what it
accomplished — for it fortunately failed to penetrate the
Upper Yellowstone country — ^but because it gives an ad-
mirable resume, in the form of a report and a map, of the
geographical knowledge of that country down to the date
of actual discovery.
Captain Eaynolds was in the field during the two seasons
of 1859 and 1860; but it was only in the summer of 1860
that he directed his efforts toward the country in which we
are particularly interested. In May of that year the expe-
dition left its winter quarters at Deer Creek, Wyo., and
marched to the junction of the Wind Eiver and the Popo
Agie where these streams unite under the name of Big
Horn Eiver. Here the party di^dded. One division under
Captain Eaynolds was to ascend the Wind Eiver to its
source and then cross to the head waters of the Yellowstone.
♦ Accompanying this expedition as geologist was Dr. F. V.
Hayden, whose name is so intimately connected with the his-
tory of the Yellowstone Park. James Bridger was guide to the
party.
RAYNOLDS' EXPEDITION. 57
This stream they were to follow down to the Great Bend,
and then cross over to the Three Forks of the Missouri.
The other party, under Lieutenant Maynadier, was to skirt
the east and north flanks of the Absaroka Range and to
join the first party at the Three Forks, if possible, not
later than July 1st.
Captain Eaynolds was charged with other instructions
than those mentioned in his order, which must be kept in
mind in order properly to account for the final outcome of
the expedition. A total eclipse of the sun was to occur on
July 18th of that year, and its Hne of greatest occultation
lay north of the British boundary. It was desired that
Captain Eaynolds should be present in that locality in time
to observe the eclipse. This condition, rather than impas-
sable mountains or unmelted snows, was the chief obstacle
to a thorough exploration of the Upper Yellowstone.
The two parties separated May 24th. Captain Eaynolds,
according to his programme, kept up the Wind Eiver
valley, and with much difficulty effected a crossing by way
of Union Pass — which he named — to the western slope of
the mountains. He then turned north seeking a passage
to the head waters of the Yellowstone. When nearly oppo-
site Two-Ocean Pass, he made a strenuous effort to force
his way through, spending two days in the attempt. But
it was still June and the snow la}" deep on the mountains.
It was a physical impossibilit}' to get through at that jDoint,
and the risk of missing the eclipse forbade efforts else-
where. The Captain was deeply disappointed at this
result. He writes :
"My fondly cherished schemes of this nature were all
dissipated by the prospect before us ; . . . and I there-
fore very reluctantly decided to abandon the plan to which
I had so steadily clung."
68 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Lieutenant Maynadier wisely made no attempt to cross
the xibsaroka Eange, which rose continuously on his left.
Had he done so, the deep snow at that season would have
rendered his efforts futile. He kept close to the flank of
the mountains until he reached the valley of the Yellow-
stone north of the Park, and then hastened to join his com-
manding officer at the appointed rendezvous. He reached
the Three Forks on the 3d day of July.
The expedition had now completely encircled the region
of the Upper Yellowstone. At one point Captain Eaynolds
had stood where his eye could range over all that country
which has since become so famous; but this was the limit
of his endeavor. The Yellowstone wonderland was spared
the misfortune of being discovered at so early a da}^ — a
fact quite as fortunate as any other in its history.
It will be interesting now to survey this region as
known at the time of the Eaynolds Expedition. Nothing
of importance occurred to increase public knowledge of it
until 1870, and Captain Eaynolds' Eeport is therefore the
latest authentic utterance concerning it prior to the date
of actual discovery. In this report Captain Eaynolds says :
^^Beyond these [the mountains southeast of the Park] is
the valley of the Upper Yellowstone, which is as yet a
terra incognita. My expedition passed entirely around, but
could not penetrate it. . . . Although it was June,
the immense body of snow baffled all our exertions, and we
were compelled to content ourselves with listening to mar-
velous tales of burning plains, immense lakes, and boiling
springs, without being able to verify these wonders. I
know of but two men who claim to have ever visited this
part of the Yellowstone A^alley — James Brid^er and Eobert
Meldrum. The narratives of both these men are very
remarkable, and Bridger, in one of his recitals, describes
RAYNOLDS'' EXPEDITION. 59
an immense boiling spring, that is a perfect counterpart of
the geysers of Iceland. As he is uneducated, and had prol)-
ably never heard of the existence of such natural wonders
elsewhere, I have little doubt that he spoke of that which
he had actually seen. . . . Bridger also insisted that
immediately west* of the point at which we made our final
effort to penetrate this singular valley, there is a stream of
considerable size, which divides and flows down either side
of the water-shed, thus discharging its waters into both the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans."
The Captain concludes this particular part of his report
as follows :
^'I can not doubt, therefore, that at no very distant day,
the mysteries of this region will be fully revealed; and,
although small in extent, I regard the valley of the Upper
Yellowstone as the most interesting unexplored district in
our widely expanded country."
Lieutenant Maynadier also contributes a few interesting
observations upon this region. The vast importance of
that extensive mass of mountains, as a reservoir of waters
for the country round about, impressed him deeply. He
says, somewhat ostentatiously :
"As my fancy warmed with the wealth of desolation
before me, I found something to admire in the calm self-
denial with which this region, content with barren magnifi-
cence, gives up its water and soil to more favorable coun-
tries." ^^
Of the Yellowstone Eiver he was told that it had its
source "in a lake in the impenetrable fastnesses of the
Rocky Mountains;" and that for some distance below the
lake it flowed through a narrow gorge, up which "no one
has ever been able to travel/^
• Actually northeast.
60 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
But it is the map prepared by Captain Eaynolds that
tells a more interesting story even than his written report.
It reveals at once to the eye what was known as well
as what was unknown of the Upper Yellowstone. Extend-
ing in a southeasterly and northwesterly direction, is a
large elliptical space, within which geographical features
are represented by dotted lines, indicating that they are
put in by hearsay only. In the midst of a surrounding
country, which is already mapped with great accuracy,
there is a region wholly unknown to the geographer. A
cordon of mountains encircles it, and shows the limit of
official effort to gain a correct knowledge of it. Within this
enchanted inclosure lies the region approximately defined
by the 44th and 45th parallels of latitude and the 110th
md 111th meridians of longitude, which now constitutes
the Yellowstone Xational Park. There one may catch
glimpses, through the uncertain haze of tradition, of the
geysers, hot springs. Lake, Falls, Grand Canon, Mammoth
Hot Springs, and Two-Ocean Pass. This was the net
result of fifty years' desultor}' wandering in and about and
over this "mystic" region.
Eaynolds' report was the first official recognition in any
form of the probable existence of extensive volcanic phe-
nomena in the region of the Upper Yellowstone. Had
it been published immediately after the expedition, and
had not public attention been totally engrossed with other
matters of overshadowing importance, this region must
have become fully known in the early Sixties. But within
a month after the return of Captain Eaynolds to civiliza-
tion there had taken place the national election which was
the signal for attempted armed disruption of the Union.
A year later found every officer of the Army called to new
fields of duty. Western exploration entirely ceased until
M-
W^-'-
J1
Lower Falls of the Yellowstone — Original Sketch by
Private Moore, a Soloier in the Kscort
ov the Expedition of 1S70.
HAYXOLDS^ EXPEDITION. 61
18G.J, and was not vigorously resumed for some years
thereafter. Captain Raynolds' report did not appear until
18GS, although his map was published several years earlier
in order to meet a demand for it by the new settlers in
Western Montana. Nothing transpired in the meantime
to make the general public familiar witli this region, and
the picture here given is therefore substantially correct
down to the date of the celebrated W ashburn expedition.
CHAPTER VIII.
GOLD IN MONTANA.
Among the most fascinating pages of American history
are those which recount the annals of the discoveries of
gold and silver. Xo one can appreciate the magnitude of
those various movements by a simple perusal of statistics
of the mineral wealth which they disclosed. He must pass
through the mining belts and note how almost every rod of
ground, over vast tracts of country, is filled with prospect
holes that attest the miner's former presence. If t'le
trapper carried the tools of his trade to haunts remote and
inaccessible, the miner, with his pick and shovel, certainly
outdid him. One can readily understand that, as soon as
such a movement should be directed toward the region of
the Upper Yellowstone, the wonders of that region wouU
speedily be revealed.
The presence of gold in the mountains of Montana was
first noticed as far back as 1852. Later, in 1858, the
Stuart brothers, James and Granville, founders of Montana,
discovered gold in the Deer Lodge Valley; but they were
destitute of equipments, and so constantly exposed to the
hostility of the Blackfeet, that they went to Fort Bridger
in the southwest corner of Wyoming, and did not return
until late in 1860.
It was in 1860 and 1861 that the rich mines on the
Salmon and Boise Eivers were discovered. In 1862 the
tide of discovery swept across the mountains into Montana.
The rich mines on Pioneer Creek, the Big Prickly Pear, the
Big Hole River, North Boulder Creek, and at Bannock, and
GOLD IN MOXTANA. 63
other points, became known. Although there were scarcely
a thousand people in Montana in the winter of 1862-3, the
news of the great discoveries marshaled a host of immi-
grants ready to enter the territory in the following spring.
These were largely re-enforced by adventurers from both
the Xorthern and Southern States, who sought in these
remote regions exemption from the tributes and levies of
war. The immigrants were welcomed in the spring of
1863 by the news of the discovery of Alder Gulch, the
richest of all gold placers. The work of prospecting,
already being pushed with vigor, was stimulated to an
extraordinary degree by this magnificent discovery. Pros-
pecting parties scoured the country in all directions, often
with loss of life through the Indians, but rarely, after the
first two or three years, with any substantial success. Some
of these expeditions have a particular connection with our
narrative because they passed across portions of what is
now the Yellowstone Park.
The most important of them occurred in August and
September, 1863. It was led by Walter W. DeLacy, an
engineer and surveyor of some distinction in the early
history of Montana. The party at one time numbered
forty-two men, although this number did not continue
constant throughout the expedition. Its sole object was to
"prospect'^ the country. Evidently nothing in the line of
topographical reconnaissance was thought of, for Captain
DeLacy says "there was not a telescope, and hardly a watch,
in the whole party."
The expedition left Virginia City, August 3d; passed
south into Idaho until it struck the Snake Eiver, and then
ascended that stream to the region about Jackson Lake.
Near the mouth of Buffalo Fork a halt was macle, a corral
was built to hold the stocky and a miners' meeting held, at
64 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
which rules were adopted to govern the miners in the con-
templated examination of the country. The party then
broke up into small groups and set out in different direc-
tions so as to cover as much ground as possible. The last
four days of August were spent in this search, but with
failure in every direction. This discouragement led to the
abandonment of the expedition. Fifteen men set out for
home by the way they had come, while DeLacy and twenty-
seven men resolved to reach the Madison Eiver and the
settlements by going north. A day later this party entered
the territory which is now the Yellowstone Park.
The route lay up the Snake Eiver to its junction with
Lewis River, where the hot springs of that locality were
discovered. Here another separation occurred. About
half the party went back down the river to re-examine a
locality where they thought they had found some fair pros-
pects. They soon returned, however, unsuccessful. The
main party under DeLacy ascended the hills to the west of
the river to seek a more practicable route. They soon
reached the summit of the plateau where they discovered
what are now Hering and Beula Lakes, and noted their
divergent drainage. Thence they passed north over Pitch-
stone Plateau until they struck the valley of Moose Creek.
They descended this stream for a few miles and came to a
large lake, which they supposed to be tributary to either
the Madison or the Yellowstone Elvers. To their great
surprise they found, upon rounding its southern point,
that it drained south into the Snake. This is what is now
called Shoshone Lake.
From the outlet of the lake, DeLacy sent a man down
stream to examine the river. This reconnaissance resulted
in the discover)' of Lewds Lake and the hot springs basin
there. When DeLacy resum ed. hi s route, he followed along
•^'
Snow in the Park Forests, Jcjne 13, 1899.
GOLD IN MONTANA. 65
the east shore of the lake to its northern extremity, and
then ascended the beautiful open valley of DeLacy Creek.
He crossed the Continental Divide at the head of the valley,
and camped on the evening of September 8th some miles
beyond the Divide toward the Firehole Eiver. The next
morning, September 9, 18G3, he came upon the consider-
able stream of hot water wliich flows down a mountain
ravine into the Lower Geyser Basin close by the Great
Fountain Geyser. The reader will learn with some amaze-
ment that the party thought little enough of this wonder-
ful locality to pass directly through it without halt or per-
ceptible delay. Before the camping hour of the afternoon
had arrived, they were many miles away at the junction of
the Gibbon and Firehole Elvers.
The other section of the party, which had gone do^^Ti the
Snake from its junction with Lewis River, soon returned,
followed up the river to Lewis and Shoshone Lakes, passed
around the western end of the latter lake, discovering its
extensive geyser basin, and thence crossed over to the
Madison. This stream they descended through the geyser
basins, and followed the main party to the settlements.
DeLacy might have passed into history as the real dis-
coverer of the Yellowstone wonderland, but for the fact
that he failed to appreciate the true importance of what
he saw. In that, however, he was no exception to the gen-
eral rule of immigrants. The search for gold with them
so far overshadowed all other matters, that it would have
required something more than geysers to divert them, even
momentarily, from its prosecution. Although DeLacy
kept a daily journal of his expedition, and noted therein
the various items of interest along his route, he did not
publish it until 1876, long after public interest had been
strongly attracted to the geyser regions. He did, however,
66 THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL I'ARK.
publish a map of the coiintn' through which he passed,
and on this map he correctly noted the drainage of Shos-
hone Lake — something which the Folsom^, AVashburn and
Havden expeditions all failed to do. He also noted the
various hot springs locahties through which the party
passed. In a letter published in Eaymond's "Alineral Re-
sources of the States and Territories West of the Eocky
Mountains/' in 1869, before the date of the Washburn
expedition, he called attention to the existence of geysers
at the head of Shoshone Lake and on the Madison Eiver.
DeLac/s account, as finally published, is an interesting
early -sdew of this region, and is remarkable for its general
correctness. That he failed to publish his discoveries must
be regarded as fortunate, so far as the Park is concerned,
for the time had not yet come when it was desirable that
the real character of this country should be made known.
From 1863 to 1869 there were many other prospecting
parties in the region of the Upper Yellowstone. In 1863
one of these parties, numbering thirty or forty men, as-
cended the Yellowstone and the East Fork to the month
of Soda Butte Creek, and thence across an intervening
ridge to the next northern tributary' of the East Fork.
Here all their horses were stolen by Indians. There were
left only one or two mules, on which was packed all tlie
baggage they could carry, the rest being concealed in a
cache. The party then separated into two portions, and
prospected the country for several days in the vicinity of
Clark's Fork. They finally returned, emptied the cache,
and descended to the Yellowstone, where they found fair
prospects near the present north boundary of the Park.
The expedition has no permanent interest for this narra-
tive, except that it left the two geographical names, ^Tache
Creek" and "Bear Gulch."
GOLD IN MONTANA. 67
Id 1864, a party of seventy-three men, under James
Stuart, passed from Deer Lodge, Montana, to the Yellow-
stone Valley, and thence around the east base of the Ab-
saroka range into the valley of the Shoshone river. The
object of this expedition was to punish the Indians for
outrages of the previous year, and also to prospect the
country for gold. At the Shoshone Stuart was compelled
to return home. The party then separated into groups
that gradually worked their way back to the Montana
settlements. One of these small parties went as far south
as the Sweetwater Eiver, then crossed to the Green and
Snake Elvers, and recrossed the Continental Divide at
Two- Ocean Pass. They descended the Yellowstone, past
the Lake and Grand Canon, and beyond the present limits
of the Park. Norris found remnants of their camp debris
serenteen years afterward.
In 1866, a party under one George Huston left Vir-
ginia City, Montana, and ascended the Madison Eiver to
the geyser basins. Thence they crossed to the Yellowstone
at Mud Geyser, ascended the river to the lake, passed com-
pletely around the latter, discovering Heart Lake on their
way, and then descended the Yellowstone by the Falls and
Canon, to Emigrant Gulch. Here they were interviewed
by a newspaper reporter, and on account of their travels
was published in the Omaha Herald. They had seen al)out
all there was to be seen in the whole region.
At least two parties traversed the Park country in 1867.
One of these gave names to Crevice, Hell-roaring and
Slough Creeks. An account of the wanderings of the other
party appeared in the Montana Post of that year.
;^Lany other parties and individuals passed through this
region during the ^lontana mining craze. Their accounts
appeared now and then in the local papers, and were re-
68 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
printed throughout the country. By 1869, probably very
few of the reading public had not heard rumors of a
strange volcanic region in the Far West. In Montana, par-
ticularly, repeated confirmation of the old trappers' tales
was gradually arousing a deep interest, and the time was
fast approaching when explorations for the specific purpose
of verifying these rumors were to begin.
CHAPTEE IX.
DISCOVERY.
The discovery of the Yellowstone Wonderland — by
which is here meant its full and final disclosure to the
world — was the work of three parties who visited and
explored it in the years 1869, 1870, and 1871, respect-
ively. The first of these expeditions was purely a private
enterprise. It consisted of three men, and was the first
party to enter this country with the express purpose of
verifying or refuting the floating rumors concerning it.
The second expedition was of a mixed character, having
eemi-oiRcial sanction, but being organized and recruited
by private individuals. This was the famous "Yellowstone
Expedition of 1870" — the great starting point in the post-
traditional history of the Park. The third expedition was
strictly official, under the military and scientific depart-
ments of the government. It was a direct result of the
explorations of 1870, and was intended to satisfy the pub-
lic demand for accurate and official information concern-
ing this new region of wonders. It was the final and
necessary step in order that the government might act
intelligently and promptly for the preservation of what
was believed to be the most interesting collection of won-
ders to be found in the world.
THE EXPEDITION OF 18G9.
The question of setting definitely at rest the constantly
multiplying rumors of wonderful volcanic phenomena
70 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
around the sources of the Yellowstone, began to be seri-
ously agitated among the people of Montana as early as
1867. An expedition was planned for that year, but came
to nothing. A like result attended a similar effort the fol-
lowing year. In 1869, the proposition came near material-
izing, but fell through at the last moment, owing to the
failure to obtain a military escort. There were three mem-
bers of this proposed expedition, however, who refused to
be frightened off by any dangers which the situation at
that time promised. They had already provided them-
selves with an elaborate equipment, and were determined,
with escort or without it, to undertake the trip. The
names of these men were David E. Folsom, C. W. Cook,
and William Peterson, the last named being a native of
Denmark. Armed with "repeating rifles, Coitus six-shoot-
ers, and sheath-knives/^ with a "double-barreled shot gun
for small game/^ and equipped with a "good field- glass,
pocket compass and thermometer,'^ and utensils and provi-
sioiis "for a six weeks' trip," they set out from Diamond
City on the Missouri Eiver, forty miles from Helena, Sep-
tember 6, 1869.
The route lay up the Missouri to the Three Forks;
thence via Bozeman and Fort Ellis to the Yellowstone
Eiver ; and thence up the Y^ellowstone to its junction with
the East Fork inside the present limits of the Park. From
this point they crossed to the east bank and followed up
the river, passing through the many groups of hot springs
to be found east of the Grand Canon. On September 21st,
they arrived at the Falls of the Y'ellowstone, where they
remained an entire day. Some distance above the rapids
they re-crossed to the west shore and then ascended the
river past Sulphur ]\tountain and Mud Volcano to Y'ellow-
stone Lake. They then went to the extreme west shore
DISCOVERY. 71
of the lake and spent some time examining the surpass-
ingly beautiful springs at that point. Thence they crossed
the mountains to Shoshone Lake, which they took to be
the head of the ]\radison, and from that point struck out
to the northwest over a toilsome country until they reached
the Lower Geyser Basin near Xez Perce Creek. Here they
saw the Fountain Geyser in action and the many other
phenomena in that locality. They ascended the Firehole
liiver to Excelsior Geyser and Prismatic Lake, and then
turned down the river on their way home. They were
absent on the expedition thirty-six days.
It is said that these explorers were so astonished at
the marvels they had seen that 'Hhey were, on their return,
unfiling to risk their reputations for veracity by a full
recital of them to a small company whom their friends had
assembled to hear the account of their explorations/^ But
Mr. Folsom later prepared a inost entertaining narrative
of his journey which was published in the Western
Monthly, of Chicago, in July, 1871.* It deserves high
rank in the literature of the Park. It is free from exag-
geration and contains some descriptions unsurpassed by
any subsequent writer. The article, and personal inter-
views with the author and his companions, had a strong
♦ It is only through the undiminished loyalty of Mr. N. P.
Langford to every thing pertaining to the welfare of the Yel-
lowstone National Park that this article has been saved from
oblivion. The office of the Western Monthly was destroyed by
the great Chicago fire of ]871, and all the files of the magazine
were lost. Mr. Folsom had lost or given away all copies in his
possession. So far as is known there is but one remaining
copy of this issue, and that is owned by Mr. Langford. In 1894,
Mr. Langford caused the article to be reprinted in handsome
pamphlet form, with an interesting preface by himself.
72 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
influence in leading to the important expedition next to
be described.
THE EXPEDITION OF 1870.
The Yellowstone Expedition of 1870, more commonly
known as the Washburn-Doane Expedition, was the culmi-
nation of the project of discovery to which frequent refer-
ence has already been made. At this time the subject
was exciting a profound interest throughout Montana, and
the leading citizens of the territory were active in organ-
izing a grand expedition. General Sheridan, who passed
through Helena just prior to his departure for the scene
of the Franco-German War, spent some time in arranging
for a military escort to accompany the party. The project
did, not assume definite shape until about the middle of
August, and when the time for departure arrived, Indian
alarms caused a majority of the party to repent their deci-
sion to join it. Finally, there were only nine persons who
were willing to brave all dangers for the success of the
undertaking. These nine were:
General Henry D. Washburn, Surveyor-General of
Montana, chief of the expedition, and author of a series
of valuable "notes'^ describing it.
Hon. Xathaniel P. Langford^ Avho published a series of
articles in Scritne/s Magazine, which gave general pub-
licity to the news of discovery. He became first Superin-
tendent of the Park.
Hon. Cornelius Hedges, who first proposed setting apart
this region as a Xational Park.
Hon. Truman C. Everts, ex-TJ. S. Assessor for Montana,
whose experience upon the expedition forms the most pain-
ful and thrilling chapter in the annals of the Yellowstone.
DISCOVERY. 75
Hcfo. Samuel T. Hauser, President of the First National
Bank of Helena, and later Governor of Montana.
Walter Trumbull, son of the late Senator Trumbull. He
published an account of the expedition in the Overland
Monthly for June, 1871.
Other civilian members of the expedition were Benjamin
Stickney, Jr., Warren C. Gillette and Jacob Smith.
The personnel of this party is sufficient evidence of the
widespread interest which was being taken at the time in
tlie region of the Tpper Yellowstone.
The party proceeded from Helena to Fort Ellis, one hun-
dred and twenty-five miles, where they were to receive a
military escort promised by General Hancock, at that time
commanding the department in which Fort Ellis was loca-
ted. The post order detailing this escort is dated August
21, 1870, and directs Lieutenant Gusta\ais C. Doane, Sec-
ond Cavalry, with one sergeant and four privates, "to
escort the Surveyor-General of Montana to the falls and
lakes of the Yellowstone and return.^' There is a signifi-
cant absence in this order of any reference to geysers or
hot springs; and the discreet post commander evidently
did not intend to commit himself to a recognition of their
existence on the strength of such knowledge as was then
available. His incredulity was, indeed, largely shared by
the members of the party themselves. Mr. Hedges subse-
quently said:
"I think a more confirmed set of skeptics never went out
into the wilderness than those who composed our party,
and never was a party more completely surprised and cap-
tivated with the wonders of nature.^'
Lieutenant Doane, than whom no member of the
expedition holds a more honorable place in its historv', has
left on record a similar confession.
(4)
74 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
The party as finally organized, including two packers
and two colored cooks^ numbered nineteen individuals.
Thirty-five horses and mules, thoroughly equipped for a
month's absence, completed the "outfit/' and made alto-
gether quite an imposing cavalcade.
August 22, 1870, the expedition left Fort Ellis, crossed
to the Yellowstone, and ascended that stream through the
First and Second Caiions, past the "Devil's Slide" and
Cinnabar Mountain, to the present north boundary line
of the Park at the mouth of the Gardiner Eiver. At this
point they were within five miles of the celebrated Mam-
moth Hot Springs which are now the first attraction to
meet the tourist's e^^e on entering the Park. But the party
kept close to the Yellowstone, instead of taking the mod-
ern route up the Gardiner, and missed this wonder alto-
gether.
It was August 26th when the expedition entered the
present territory of the Park. Lieutenant Doane and
Mr. Everts, with one soldier and two hunters picked up
on the way, rode in advance along the brink of the Third
Canon and across the high plateau between the Gardiner
and Tower Creek, camping at nightfall upon the latter
stream. In the broad open valley near the junction of
the Yellowstone and East Fork, a small tepid sulphur
sijriug gave them the first evidence of their api^roach to
the regions of volcanic acti\aty.
Xext day, the remainder of the party arrived. Two
days were spent in examining the beautiful Tower Falls,
and — to our tyros in geyser exploration — the wonderful
hot spring formations to be seen at that point. Here they
also had for the first time glimpses of the Grand Caiion
of the Yellowstone.
The party left Tower Creek on the 29th of August, and
DISCOVERY. 75
followed up the river over the east Hank of Mount Wash-
burn. As their progress lifted them rapidly above the
surrounding country, a marvelously beautiful landscape
unfolded itself to their view. Presently an interesting
incident occurred, which shall stand here in Lieutenant
Doane's own language :
^^Through the mountain gap formed by the canon, and
on the interior slopes some twenty [evidently a misprint]
miles distant, an object now appeared which drew a simul-
taneous expression of wonder from every one of the party.
A column of steam, rising from the dense woods to the
height of several hundred feet, became distinctly visible.
We had all heard fabulous stories of this region, and were
somewhat skeptical of appearances. At first it was pro-
nounced a fire in the woods, but presently some one no-
ticed that the vapor rose in regular puffs, as if expelled
with great force. Then conviction was forced upon us.
It was, in deed, a great column of steam, puffing away on
the lofty mountain side, escaping with a roaring sound
audible at a long distance, even tlirough the hearj forest.
A hearty cheer rang out at this discovery, and we pressed
onward with renewed enthusiasm."
The party then ascended the lofty mountain to their
right, now known as Mt. Washburn, and from its summit
looked around upon the vast panorama which is now inclu-
ded in the Yellowstone Xational Park. Had old James
Bridger been present at that moment, he would have re-
ceived ample vindication for long-standing injustice at the
hands of his incredulous countrymen. There were the
Cafion and Falls and Lake of the Yellowstone with evi-
dence enough of boiling springs and geysers ! The enthu-
siasm of the party was unbounded, and Lieutenant Doane
76 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
exultingly declares that they were "more than satisfied with
the opening up of the campaign."
The pack-train continued its course along the side of
the mountain, and went into camp after a march of only
twelve miles. That evening Messrs. Washburn, Doane and
Hedges went on ahead of the main party, discovering the
extensive mud springs at the southern base of the moun-
tain, and finally reached the verge of a cliff beyond which
yawned the stupendous Canon of the Yellowstone. It was
the first real view from near by, but darkness prevented
further examination.
The next day saw the arrival of the party at the Falls
of the Yellowstone, close by the mouth of Cascade Creek,
which, with its Crystal Falls, received that day their pres-
ent names. The remainder of this day, August 30th, and
the next, were spent in exploring the canon and measuring
the height of the falls. ]\Iessrs. Hauser and Stickney de-
scended the sides of the canon to the brink of the river
about two miles below the falls ; and Lieutenant Doane and
Private McConnell accomplished the same difficult feat
further down. It needs not to be said that the members of
the party were profoundly impressed with the incompara-
ble scener}^ of the Grand Canon, although their descrip-
tions of it are, perhaps, least satisfactory of any they have
left us.
From the Canon the party ascended the now placid river
amid ever-changing wonders. They passed Sulphur Moun-
tain and the uncanny region around the Mud Volcano and
Mnd Geyser, then crossed to the east shore of the river and
finally went into camp, September 3d, on the shore of the
Yellowstone Lake. Here our explorers were again in ecsta-
cies, and not without cause; for, seen under favoring con-
DISCOVERY. ' 77
ditions this "watery solitude" is one of the most beautiful
objects in nature.
After a day spent in this camp, the expedition continued
by slow stages up the east shore of the lake. Messrs. Doane
and Langford scaled the lofty Absaroka Range just east of
the lake, being the first white men known to have accom-
plished this feat, and their names now designate two of its
noblest summits.
September 7th, the party forded the Upper Yellowstone
and traversed the almost impassable labyrinths of fallen
timber between the several projecting arms on the south of
the lake. It was on this portion of the route, September
9th, that Mr. Everts became separated from his party, lost
his horse with all his accouterments, and commenced
those "thirty-seven days of peril," which so nearly cost
him his life.* This unfortunate affair cast a deep gloom
•
* The following succinct account of Everts' experience is
from the pen of Lieutenant Doane, and is in the main correct.
For Everts' own account see Scribner's Monthly, vol. III., p. 1.
"On the first day of his absence, he had left his horse stand-
ing unfastened, with all his arms and equipments strapried
upon his saddle; the animal became frightened, ran away into
the woods, and he was left without even a pocket knife as a
means of defense. Being very near-sighted, and totally un-
used to traveling in a wild country without guides, he became
completely bewildered. He wandered down to the Snake
River Lake [Heart Lake], where he remained twelve days,
sleeping near the hot springs to keep from freezing at night,
and climbing to the summits each day in the endeavor to
trace out his proper course. Here he subsisted on thistle-
roots, boiled in the springs and was kept up a tree the greater
part of one night by a California lion. After gathering and
cooking a supply of thistle-roots, he managed to strike the
Bouth-west point of the [Yellowstone] Lake, and followed
around the north side of the Yellowstone [River], finally
78 THE YELLOWSTO^"E NATTOXAL PARK,
over the little party and seriously interfered w-itli the prog-
ress of the expedition. A week was spent in searching for
the lost companion, without other results than the discov-
ery of the hot springs basins at Heart Lake and on the west
shore of the Yellowstone Lake.
At length it was concluded that ^Ir. Everts had either
been killed or had wandered back home; and it was re-
solved to wait no longer. The party were surfeited with
sight-seeing, and believed that they had now covered the
whole ground. They therefore determined to strike across
reaching our [old] camp opposite the Grand Canon. He wag
twelve days out before he thought to kindle a fire by using
the lenses of his field-glass, but afterward carried a burning
brand with him in all his wanderings. Herds of g'ame
passed by him during the night, on many occasions when he
was on the verge of starvation. In addition to a tolerable
supply of thistle roots, he had nothing for over thirty days
but a handful of minnows and a couple of »now-birds. Twice
he went five days without food, and three days without water,
in that country which is a net-work of streams and springs.
He was found on the verge of the great plateau, above the
mouth of Gardiner's River. A heavy snow-storm had extin-
guished his fire; his supply of thistle-roots was exhausted;
he was partially deranged, and perishing with cold. A large
lion was killed near him, on the trail, which he said had fol-
lowed him at a short distance for several days previously. It
was a miraculous escape, considering the utter helplessness of
the man, lost in a forest wilderness, and witti the storms of
winter at hand."
On the thirty-seventh day of his wanderings (September
9th to October 16th), he was discovered by Jack Baronett
and George A. Pritchett, near the great trail on a high moun-
tain a few miles west of Yancey's. Baronett threw up a
mound of stones to mark the spot. He carried Everts in his
arms the rest of that day, and passed the night on a small
tributary of Black-tail Deer Creek. The next day he was
taken on a saddle to near the mouth of the Gardiner.
DTSrOVERY. ?D
tlio m&imtriins to the ^faflipon and follow that stream to
the settlements. They set out on the morning of Septem-
ber 17th, over rugged hills and through fallen timber,
crossing the Continental Divide twice, and camping that
night in an open glade on a small branch of the Firehoie.
While passing the second time over the Divide, they caught
a glimpse of Shoshone Lake and erroneously thought it
to be the head of the Firehoie River.
At 9 A. M.^ September 18th, the march was resumed.
The party soon reached the Firehoie just above Kepler
Cascade and ttience followed down the course of the stream.
Tourists who have visited the Park since 1891, when the
new road from the Upper Basin to the Lake was opened,
will remember that immediately after leaving "Old Faith-
fuF^ they plunge into an unbroken pine forest and see no
other evidences of geyser action until they reach the Lake.
The situation of our homeward-bound explorers can thus be
easily understood. They were traveling toward the geysers.
The dense forest concealed everything beyond the radius
of a few hundred feet. In unsuspecting mood, bent only
on getting home to tell their wonderful story, and perhaps
to find their missing companion, they moved down the
river, crossing considerably below the site of the present
bridge above the Upper Basin, and suddenly emerged from
the timber into an open treeless valley. It was nearly noon
of a clear, cool September day. Directly in front of them,
scarcely two hundred yards away, a vertical column of
water and steam was shooting upward a hundred and fifty
feet into 'the air. The bright sunlight turned the clear
water into a mass of glittering crystals, and a gentle breeze
wafted the vast white curtain of steam far to the right
across the valley. Thus it was that "Old Faithful," as if
forewarned of the approach of her distinguished visitors,
80 THE YELLO^A^TONE NATIONAL PARK.
gave them her most graceful salutation; and thus she
bowed out of the era of tradition and fable, and ushered
the civilized world into the untrodden empire of the Fire
King. Little wonder that our astonished explorers
"spurred their jaded horses," and "gathered around the
wonderful phenomenon."
The party spent only the remainder of the day and the
following morning in the Upper Basin; but in that time
saw seven of the principal geysers in action, and gave them
their present names.* They then passed down the river
through the Middle and Lower Basins, but stopped to ex-
amine only such curiosities as were close by the river. Their
rations were nearly gone, their lost companion was not
found, and the desire to tell what they had already seen was
greater than the desire to see more. They therefore made
haste for home, and on the evening of September 19th
encamped where the Firehole and Gibbon Eivers unite to
form the Madison. From this point the party journeyed
steadily homeward, conversing on the expedition of the
past month, and planning how their great discovery might
best be brought to the attention of the world.
The news of this expedition created intense and wide-
spread interest throughout the country. Messrs. Wash-
burn, Hedges, Trumbull, and others, prepared numerous
descriptive articles for the local Montana papers, many of
them among the best that have ever been written upon the
Park, and these were reproduced in every important paper
in the land. The Helena Herald, of October 27, 1870, only
a month after the return of the party, refers to the extra-
ordinary interest aroused by these articles, so unlike the
sixty years' indifference which had marked the history of
this region.
* See list of geysers in ApDondix.
DlSCOVEllY. 81
. These preliminary and hasty reports were followed by
more studied efforts. Lieutenant Doane^s masterly report
was completed December 15, 1870. Besides its intrinsic
merit, it has the distinction of being the first official report
upon the Upper Yellowstone country. It passed through
the customary military channels and was finally sent to
Congress, February 24, 1871. Prof. S. F. Baird, of the
Smithsonian Institution, also - presented the information
gathered by Lieutenant Doane to the Philosophical Society
of Washington during the winter.
Messrs. Langford and Trumbull prepared entertaining
magazine articles, w^hich, however, could not be gotten to
press until the following May and June. But Mr. Lang-
ford in the meantime did effective work from the lecture
stand. In Helena, Minneapolis, New York and Washing-
ton, he told the stor}' of what he had seen. In Washington,
the Hon. James G. Blaine, Speaker of the House, presided
at the lecture, and in the audience was Dr. F. V. Hayden,
who was destined to play a prominent part in the history
of the Yellowstone Park.
From whatever point of view considered, this expedition
is one of the most remarkable in our annals. From Helena
to the farthest point reached by the party, the route passed
over was nearly three hundred miles long. The region of the
Upper Yellowstone is perhaps the most difficult of access
in the entire country. Even to-day, it is an almost certain
place in which to get lost, if one is not thoroughly familiar
with wilderness travel and happens to stray away from the
beaten path. In 1870, moreover, the danger from hostile
Indians was a constant and formidable menace, and the
party was more than once reminded of it during the prog-
ress of the expedition. But in spite of all these dilhculties,
the success of the enterprise was so complete, its incidents
82 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
were so full of romance^, and its results were so far-reach-
ing and important, that it well deserves the wide attention
it has received.
THE JOINT GOVERNMENT EXPEDITION OF 1871.
The direct result of the expedition of 1870 was to cause
the United States Geological Survey to change its pro-
gramme for the season of 1871; so as to give attention to
the new wonderland ; and also to cause the military author-
ities to send a well-appointed engineer party to the same
locality. These two expeditions, one under Dr. Hayden
and the other under Captains Barlow and Heap, of the
Engineer Corps of the Army, moved for the most part
together, camping near each other, and accompanied by the
same military escort. Particular attention will here be
given only to such features of these expeditions as pertain
to new discoveries.
At the very outset of their journey they branched off
from the Washburn route at the mouth of the Gardiner
River, and by ascending this stream, discovered the won-
derful formations now known as the Mammoth Hot
Springs. From this point, the parties traveled eastward to
Tower Creek; thence over Mt. Washburn, and past the
Canon and Falls, to Sulphur Mountain, Mud Geyser, and
the Lake; thence by a new route across the mountains to
the Upper Basin; thence east across the mountains again,
past Shoshone Lake to Yellowstone Lake; thence around
the head of this body of water to its outlet ; thence across
the country, by separate routes, to the mouth of Soda Butte
Creek; and thence down the East Fork to Baronett
Bridge (which had been built only a few months before) ,
and out of the Park by way of Mammoth Hot Springs.
The original work done by;^these parties, besides the
DiscovEnY. 83
discovery of the springs on the Gardiner, was the opening
of a route between the Yellowstone River and the Lower
(acyser Basin; the exploration of the Lower Basin; the
mapping of the shore line of Yellowstone Lake, by Dr.
Hay den; the mapping of the head waters of the Snake
River, by Captain Barlow: and some hasty explorations in
the valley of the East Fork of the Yellowstone, now call:d
Lamar Eiver.
The chief value of these explorations, however, was not
in the line of original discover}^, but in the large collection
of accurate data concerning the entire region. The photo-
graphs were of immense value. Description might
exaggerate, but the camera told the truth; and in this
case the truth was more remarkable than exaggeration.
Unfortunately for Captain Barlow's collection, the great
Chicago iire almost entirely destroyed it. The same cause
delayed the appearance of his report until six weeks after
the Park Bill was passed. An interesting and complete
summary, however, api^eared as a supplement in the
Chicago Journal for January 13, 1872. The report and
collection of photographs and specimens by Dr. Hayden
were therefore the principal results of this season's work,
and they played a decisive part in the events of the winter
of 1871-2.
With the close of the expedition of 1871, the discovery
of the Yellowstone wonderland was made complete. It
remained to see what Congress would do with so unique
and valuable a possession.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES.
Gustavus C. Doane.
Lieutenant Doane was born in Illinois, May 29, 1840,
and died in Bozeman^ Mont.^j May 5, 1892. xVt the age o^
84 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.-
five he went with his parents^, in wake of an ox team, to
Oregon. In 1849 his family went to California at the out-
break of the gold excitement. He remained there ten
years, in the meanwhile working his way through school.
In 1862 he entered the Union service, went east with the
California Hundred, and then joined a Massachusetts
cavalry regiment. He was mustered out in 1865 as a First
Lieutenant. He joined the Carpet-baggers and is said to
have become Mayor of Yazoo City, Mississippi. He was
appointed Second Lieutenant in the Regular Army in 1868,
and continued in the service until his death, attaining the
rank of Captain.
Doane's whole career was actuated by a love of adven-
ture. He had at various times planned a voyage to the
Polar regions, or an expedition of discovery into Africa.
But fate assigned him a middle ground, and he became
prominently connected with the discovery of the Upper
Yellowstone countr}^ His part in the Expedition of 1870
is second to none. He made the first official report upon
the wonders of the Yellowstone, and his fine descriptions
have never been surpassed by any subsequent writer.
Although suffering intense physical torture during the
greater portion of the trip, it did not extinguish in him the
truly poetic ardor with which those strange phenomena
seem to have inspired him. Dr. H'ayden says of this report :
"I venture to state, as my opinion, that for graphic descrip-
tion and thrilling interest it has not been surpassed by any
official report made to our government since the times of
Lewis and Clark.''
Nathaniel Pitt Langford,
Mr. Langford was born August 9, 1832, in Westmore-
land, Oneida County, ISTew York. His early life was spent
on his father's farm, and his education was obtained by
DISCOVERY. 86
winter attendance at district school. At nineteen, he
became clerk in the Oneida Bank of Utica. In 185 i, he
went to St. Paul, where we find him, in 1855, cashier of
the banking house of Marshall & Co., and in 1858, cashier
of the Bank of the State of Minnesota. In 1862, he went
to Montana as second in command of the Xorthem Over-
land Expedition, consisting of 130 men and 53 wagons
drawn by oxen. In 1864, he was made Collector of
Internal Eevenue for the new territory. In 1868, he was
appointed by President Johnson Governor of Montana,
but as this was after the Senate's imbroglio with the Presi-
dent and its refusal to confirm any more presidential
appointments, he did not reach this office. He was one of
the famous Montana Vigilantes, a member of the Yellow-
stone Expedition of 1870, and first Superintendent of the
newly created Park. In 1872, he was appointed National
Bank Examiner for the Pacific States and Territories, and
held the office for thirteen years. He now resides in St.
Paul, ^rinnesota. He is author of a series of articles in
Scrihnc/s for 1871, describing the newly-discovered won-
ders of the Yellowstone, and of the important work,
"Vigilante Days and Ways," the most complete history in
existence of that critical period in Montana history.
The notable part which Mr. Langford bore in the dis-
cover}" of the Upper Yellowstone country, and in the crea-
tion of tbe Yellowstone National Park, has been fully set
forth elsewhere. He has always been its ardent friend, and
his enthusiasm upon the subject in the earlier days of its
history drew upon him the mild raillery of his friends,
who were wont to call him "Natiomal Park" Langford — a
sobriquet to which the initials of his real name readily lent
themselves.
86 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PxVRK.
Henry Dana Washhurn.
General Washburn was born in Windsor, Vt., March 28,
1832. His parents moved to Ohio during his infancy. Ho
received a common school education and at fourteen began
teaching school. He entered Oberlin College, but did not
complete his course. At eighteen he went to Indiana where
he resumed school-teaching. At twenty-one he entered the
New York State and National Law School^ from which he
graduated. At twenty-three he was elected auditor of
Vermilion County, Indiana.
His war record was a highly honorable one. He entered
the army as private in 1861 and left it as Brevet Brigadier-
General in 1865. His service was mainly identified with
the Eighteenth Indiana, of which he became Colonel. He
was in several of the western campaigns, notably in that of
Vicksburg, in which he bore a prominent part. In the last
year of the war he was with Sherman's army, and for a
short time after its close was in command of a military
district in Southern Georgia. In 1864, he was elected to
Congress over the Hon. Daniel W. Voorhees, and again, in
1866, over the Hon. Solomon W. Claypool. At the expira-
tion of his second term he was appointed by President
Grant, surveyor-general of Montana, which office he held
until his death.
It was during his residence in Montana that the famous
Yellowstone Expedition of 1870 took place. His part in
that important work is perhaps the most notable feature
of his career. As leader of the expedition he won the
admiration and affection of its members. He was the first
to send to Washington specimens from the geyser forma-
tions. He ardently espoused the project of setting apart
this region as a public park, and was on his way to Wash-
ington in its interest when his career was cut short by
DISCOVERY. 87
death. The hardship and exposure of the expedition had
precipitated the catastrophe to which he had long been
tending. He left Helena in November, 1870, and died of
consumption at lus home in Clinton, Indiana, January
26, 1871.
Ferdinand Vandiveer Hay den,
"Doctor Hayden was born at Westfield, Massachusetts,
September 7, 1829 His father died when
he was about ten years of age, and about two years later he
went to live with an uncle at Eochester, in Lorain County,
Ohio, where he remained for six years. He taught in the
country district schools of the neighborhood during his
sixteenth and seventeenth years, and at the age of eighteen
went to Oberlin College, where he graduated in 1850. . . .
"He studied medicine with Dr. J. S. Newberry, at Cleve-
land, and at Albany was graduated Doctor of Medicine in
the early part of 1853. After his graduation, he was sent
by Prof. James Hall, of New York, to the Bad Lands of
White River, in Dakota. The years 1851 and 1855 he spent
exploring and collecting fossils in the Upper Missouri
country, mainly at his own expense. From 1856 until
1859, he w^as connected as geologist with the expeditions of
Lieutenant AYarren; engaged in explorations in Nebraska
and Dakota. From 1859 until 1862, he was surgeon, nat-
uralist, and geologist with Captain W. F. Eaynolds, in the
exploration of the Yellowstone and Missouri Elvers. In
October, 1862, he was appointed acting assistant surgeon
and assistant medical inspector until June, 1865, when he
resigned, and was brcvetted Lieutenant-Colonel for meri-
torious services during the war. He then resumed his
scientific work, and in 1866 made another trip to the Bad
Lands of Dakota, this time in the interest of the Academy
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. In 1865, he was
88 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
elected professor of mineralogy and geology in the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania, which position he resigned in 1872.
From 1867 to 1879, his history is that of the organization
of which he had charge, which began as a geological survey
of Xebraska, and became finally the Geological Sun^ey of
the Territories. . . . From 1879 until December,
1886, he was connected with the United States Geological
Survey as geologist. His health began to fail soon after his
connection with this organization, and gradually became
worse, and he lived only a year after his resignation.
"In 1876, the degree of LL.D. was conferred
upon him by the University of Eochester, and in June,
1886, he received the same degree from the University of
Pennsylvania. He was a member of seventeen scientific
societies in the United States, among them the Xational
Academy of Sciences, and was honorary and corresponding
member of some seventy foreign societies. A bibliography
of his writing includes 158 titles.
". . . The diffidence, approaching even timidity,
which impressed his fellow-students at Oberlin, character-
ized Dr. Hay den throughout his life, and rendered it some-
what difficult for those who did not know him intimately
to understand the reasons for his success, which was un-
doubtedly due to his eneTgy and perseverance, qualities
which were equally characteristic of him as a boy and
student and in later life. His desire to forward the cause
of science was sincere and enthusiastic, and he was always
ready to modify his views upon the presentation of evi-
dence. He was intensely nervous, frequently impulsive, but
ever generous, and his honesty and integrity were un-
doubted. The greater part of his work for the government
and for science was a labor of love.''*
* Bulletin PhilosopMcal Society of Washington, Vol. VL, pp.
476-8.
CHAPTER X.
THE NATIONAL PARK IDEA — ITS ORIGIN AND REALIZATION.
Since the Park was created and has to such a marked
degree received the approval of the people, numerous
claimants have arisen for the honor of having first sug-
gested the idea. In truth;, no special credit for originality
should attach to the matter. It was a natural, an unavoid-
able proposition. To those who first saw these wonders,
and were aiot so absorbed with gold-seeking as to be incapa-
ble cf appreciating their importance, it was clear that,
within a few years, they must become objects of universal
interest. It was equally clear that the land around them
would soon be taken up- by private parties, and that the
beautiful formations would be carried off for mercenary pur-
poses ; in short, that the early history of Niagara and of the
Yosemite would repeat itself in the Yellowstone. To avoid
such a calamity only one course was open, and that was for
the government to retain control of the entire region. Tliat
the necessity of such a course should have been set forth
independently by several different parties, as we find it to
have been, is therefore not in the least surprising.
But inasmuch as the development of the project must
have started from some one source, it is of interest histor-
ically to determine what this source was. We find it to
have been the Washburn Expedition of 1870.* The subject
• Mr. Folsom deserves mention In this connection. In the
manuscript of his article in the Western Monthly was a refer-
ence to the Park idea; but the publishers cut out a large part
of his paper, giving only th-e descriptions of the natural won-
(4*)
90 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
was discussed by the party at the first camp after leaving
the geyser regions near the junction of the Firehole and
Gibbon Eivers. The date was September 19, 1870. The
members of the party were sitting around the camp-fire
after supper, conversing about what they had seen, and
picturing to themselves the important pleasure resort
which so wonderful a region must soon become. The
natural impulse to turn the fruits of discovery to the per-
sonal profit of the discoverer made its appearance, and it
was suggested that it would be a "profitable speculation"
to take up land around the various objects of interest. The
conversation had not proceeded far on these lines when
one of the party, Cornelius Hedges, interposed and said that
private ownership of that region, or any part of it, ought
never to be countenanced ; but that it ought to be set apart
by the government and forever held to the unrestricted use
of the people. This higher view of the subject found
immediate acceptance with the other members of the party.
It was agreed that the project should be at once set afoot
and pushed vigorously to a finish.
As soon as the party reached Helena, a series of articles
appeared in the daily papers of that city describing the late
expedition^ and in one of them, written by Mr. Hedges and
published in the Helena Herald November 9, 1870, occurs
what is believed to be the first public reference to the Park
project.
The next mention of the subject was in ^Ir. Langford's
lecture, delivered, as already related, in Washington, Jan-
uary 19, 1871; in New York, January 21, 1871; and at a
ders, and this reference was cut out with the rest. Mr. Folsom
also suggested the idea to General Washburn, of which fact
Mr. N. P. Langford is still a living witness. From Mr. Fol-
som's suggestion, however, ^o direct result can be traced.
NATIONAL PARK IDEA — ORIGIN AND REALIZATION. 91
later date in Minneapolis. At each of these places he closed
his lecture with a reference to the importance of setting
apart this region as a National Park. The New York
Tribune of January 23, 1871, thus quotes Mr. Langford:
"This is probably the most remarkable region of natural
attractions in the world; and, while we already have our
Niagara and Yosemite, this new field of wonders should
be at once withdrawn from occupancy, and set apart as a
public National Park for the enjoyment of the American
people for all time."
Such is the origin of the idea which has found realiza-
tion in our present Yellowstone Park. The history of the
Act of dedication, by which the Park was created, may be
briefly told. The general plan for a vigorous prosecution
of the project was arranged in Helena, Montana, mainly by
Nathaniel P. Langford, Cornelius Hedges and William H.
Clagett, who had just been elected delegate to Congress
from Montana, and who had already himself independently
urged the importance of converting this region into a
public park. Mr. Langford went to Washington when
Congress convened, and he and Mr. Clagett drew the Park
Bill, except as to description of boundaries, which was
furnished by Dr. Hayden. The bill was introduced in the
House by Mr. Clagett, December 18, 1871. Senator
Pomeroy, of Kansas, had expressed a desire to perforai a
like service in the Senate, a^d accordingly Mr. Clagett, as
soon as he had presented the measure to the House, took a
copy to the Senate Chamber and gave it to Senator Pom-
eroy, who immediately introduced it. In each House it
was referred to the Committee on Public Lands. In the
Senate no formal report was prepared. In the House the
Hon. Mark H. Dunnell, of Minnesota, chairman of the
sub-committee having the bill in charge^ addressed a letter
92 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
under date of January 27, 1872, to the Secretary of the
Interior, asking his opinion upon the proposed measure.
The Secretary replied, under date of January 29th, fully
indorsing the project, and submitting a brief report by Dr.
Hayden, which forcibly presented all the main features of
the case.
The bill, being thus before Congress, was put through
mainly by the efforts of three men, Dr. F. V. Hayden,
N. P. Langford and Delegate William H. Clagett. Dr.
Hayden occupied a commanding position in this work, as
representative of the government in the exploration of
1871. He was thoroughly familiar with the subject,' and
was equipped with an exhaustive collection of photographs
and specimens gathered the previous summer. These were
placed on exhibition, and were probably seen by all mem-
bers of Congress. They did a work which no other agency
could do, and doubtless convinced ever}- one who saw them
that the region where such wonders existed should be care-
fully preserved to the people forever. Dr. Hayden gave to
the cause the energy of a genuine enthusiasm, and his work
that winter will always hold a prominent place in the his-
tory of the Park.
Mr. Langford, as already stated, had publicly advocated
the measure in the previous winter. He had rendered
service of the utmost importance, through his publication
in Scrihners Magazine in the preceding May and June.
Four hundred copies of these magazines were brought and
placed upon the desks of members of Congress on the days
when the measure was to be brought to vote. During the
entire winter Mr. Langford devoted much of his time to
the promotion of this work.
The Hon. William H. Clagett, as delegate from the
Territory most directlv interested in the passage of the
NATIONAL PARK IDEA ORIGIN AKD REALIZATION. 93
bill, took an active personal part in its advocacy from
beginning to end.
Through the efforts of these three gentlemen, and others
less conspicuously identified with the work, this measure
received perhaps the most thorough canvass of any bill
that has ever passed Congress. All the members were per-
sonally visited and, with few exceptions, won to the cause.
The result was a practical unanimity of opinion when the
measure came to a vote. This first took place in the Senate,
the bill being passed by that body January 30th. It was
warmly supported upon its passage by several members
and opposed by one, Senator Cole, of California ; a fact the
more remarkable because that Senator had in his own State
— in the preemption by private parties of the Yosemite
wonderland — the most convincing example possible of the
wisdom of such a measure as that proposed.
The Senate bill came up from the Speaker's table in the
House of Eepresentatives, February 27th. Mr. Bunnell
stated that the Committee on Public Lands had instructed
him to ask the House to pass the Senate bill. Hon. H. L.
Dawes, of Massachusetts, warmly advocated the measure,
which was then passed by a decisive vote.* The bill
received the President's signature March 1, 1872. f
• No yea and nay vote was taken in tlie Senate. The vote In
the House was — yeas, 115; nays, 65; not voting, 60.
tTHE ACT OF DEDICATION.
An Act to set apart a certain tract of land lying near the head-
waters of the Yellowstone River as a public park.
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the
tract of land in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming
lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River and de-
scribed as follows, to-wit: Commencing at the junction of
Gardiner's River with the Yellowstone River and running east
94 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Perhaps no act of our national Congress lias received
such general approbation at home or such profuse com-
mendation from foreigners as that creating the Yellow-
stone Xational Park. The lapse of time only serves to con-
firm and extend its importance; and to give additional
force to the sentiment so well expressed by the Earl of
Dunraven when he visited the Park in 1874 :
^'All honor then to the United States for having be-
queathed as a free gift to man the beauties and curiosities
of 'Wonderland/ It was an act worthy of a great nation,
to the meridian, passing ten miles to the eastward of the most
eastern point of Yellowstone Lake; thence south along the said
meridian to the parallel of latitude, passing ten miles south of
the most southern point of Yellowstone Lake; thence west along
said parallel to the meridian, passing fifteen miles west of the
most western point of Madison I-ake; thence north along said
meridian to the latitude of the junction of the Yellowstone and
Gardiner's Rivers; thence east to the place of beginning, is
hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or
sale under the laws of the United States, and dedicated and
6et apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit
and enjoyment of the people; and all persons who shall locate,
or settle upon, or occupy the same or any part thereof, except
as hereinafter provided, shall be considered trespassers and
removed therefrom.
Sec. 2. That said public park shall be under the exclusive
control of the Secretary of the Interior, whose duty it shall
be, as soon as practicable, to make and publish such rules and
regulations as he may deem necessary or proper for the care
and management of the same. Svch regulations shall provide
for the preservation from injury or spoliation of all timber,
mineral deposits, natural curiosities or wonders within said
park, and their retention in their natural condition.
The Secretary may, in his discretion, grant leases for build-
ing purposes, for terms not exceeding ten years, of small par-
cels of ground, at such places in said park as shall require the
erection of buildings for the accommodation of visitors; all of
NA.TTOJCAL PARK IDEA OnTGTX AXD REALIZATION. 9o
and she will have her reward in the praise of the present
army of tourists, no less than in the thanks of the genera-
tions of them yet to come/'*
It was a notable act, not only on account of the trans-
cendent importance of the territory it was designed to pro-
tect, but because it was a marked innovation in the tradi-
tional policy of governments. From time immemorial
privileged classes have been protected by law in the with-
drawal, for the exclusive enjoyment, of immense tracts
for forests, parks and game preserves. But never before
was a region of such vast extent as the Yellowstone Park
set apart for the use of all the people without distinction of
rank or wealth.
The example thus set by the United States has been
widely followed, We have now the Yosemite and Sequoia
National Parks, and numerous parks upon the sites of great
battlefields. The State of Xew York has a Niagara Park
the proceeds of said leases, and all other revenue that may be
derived from any source connected with said park, to be ex-
pended under his direction in the management of the same
and the construction of roads and bridle-paths, and shall
provide against the wanton destruction of the fish and game
found within said park and against their capture or de-
struction for the purpose of merchandise or profit. He shall
also cause all persons trespassing upon the same after the pas-
sage of this act to be removed therefrom, and generally shall
be authorized to take all such measures as shall be necessary
or proper to fully carry out the objects and purposes of this
act
Approved March 1, 1872.
Signed by:
James G. Blaine, Speaker of the House.
Schuyler Colfax. Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.
UiAssEs S. Grant, President of the United States.
♦ Page xi., "The Great^Clxlde."
96 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
and contemplates setting apart a portion of the Adiron-
dac region. Minnesota has the Itasca State Park, includ-
ing the sources of the Mississippi. Canada also has a pub-
lic park at Niagara, and a large reservation in the midst
of the finest scenery of the Eocky Mountains. New Zea-
land has set apart for public use the region of her hot
springs and geysers. Finally the question has been mooted
of reserving a vast tract of Africa wherein the large game
of that continent may be kept from annihilation.*
* In the first edition of this work the author represented
George Catlin, the well-known painter of Indian scenes and
portraits, as having originated the Park idea. This was hardly
a correct position. Catlin's idea of a National Park was solely
as a home for the Indians — a "Nation's Park, containing man
and beast in all the wildness and freshness of their nature's
beauty." He was an enthusiast upon that subject, as the fol-
lowing reference to it will show: "I would ask no other
monument to my memory, nor any other enrollment of my
name among the famous dead, than the reputation of having
been the founder of such an institution."
His scheme had no possible reference to the geyser regions,
of which he most probably never heard, and his name can not
be considered in connection with those who originated the idea
of the Yellowstone Park.
CHAPTER XI.
WHY SO LONG UNKNOWN.
There is no more singular fact connected with the his-
tory of the Upper Yellowstone country than its long
ininumity from the presence of white men. From the date
when Lewis and Clark first stood at the Three Forks of the
Missouri, less than one hundred miles distant from this
notable region, sixty-five years elapsed before it was fully
known. In the meantime all the surrounding country had
been thoroughly explored. Cities, villages, farms and high-
ways had been established throughout the West. A rail-
road had been built across the continent. But around the
head waters of the Yellowstone, the most attractive region
of all, it was still terra incognita, A fact so remarkable
requires explanation.
The most difficult feature of the question is the fact that
little knowledge of this region appears ever to have been
derived from the Indians. Lewis and Clark were told of
the Great Falls of the ^lissouri, and of other notable geo-
graphical features, long before they saw them. But of the
far more wonderful Falls of the Yellowstone, of the great
lake in the mountains, or of the marvelous volcanic
phenomena in the same neighborhood, they received no
hint. There is not a single instance on record, so far as
we can discover, except in the meager facts noted in an
earlier chapter, where rumors of this strange country appear
to have fallen from the lips of Indians. And yet it was
not a region unknown to them, for they had certainly
passed back and forth across it for a long period in the
(5)
98 THi: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
past. Their deep silence coneerniDg it is therefore no lesa
remarkable than mysterious.
But how was it that the long period of the fur trade
should have passed without disclosing this country? To
this question a more satisfactory answer may bo returned.
The Upper Yellowstone country was indeed^ as we have
seen, frequently visited in these early years. But it was
never favorite territory. Old trappers say that,, although it
abounded in beaver, they were not so plentiful as in lower
altitudes, while on the streams impregnated with mineral
matter, the furs were not so good. The seasons also were
unpropitious. The winter snows were so deep— they came
so early and remained so late— that little could be done
there except from the middle of June to the middle of
September. But furs taken during the summer months
are of inferior quality, and there was consequently no
inducement to trap. Moreover it was generally at this time
that the gatherings at posts and rendezvous took place,
and after these were over but little time remained. Causes
like these prevented extensive operations in this region,
and doutbless only a comparatively small number of trap-
pers ever saw it.
Then, the interest of the trader was against the dissem-
ination of any knowledge which might induce immigi-ation
and hasten the certain ruin of his occupation. The stress
of competition also caused him to remain silent concerning
the places he had seen, lest a rival should profit thereby.
He took no pains to reveal the country, and the trappers
were too illiterate to do so had they wished. With the few
notable exceptions which have been mentioned in a previ-
ous chapter, no important press notice of these regions
appeared during the entire sixty-five years.
The fur business itself quickly ran its course, and "vvith
WHY SO LONG UNKNOWN. 99
it disappeared all probability of an early discovery of the
geyser regions from this cause. The war with Mexico fol-
lowed, with the vast cession of territory which it secured.
Then came the highly important discovery of gold in Cali-
fornia. Already the Mormon emigration had taken place.
These great events completely changed the character and
purpose of western exploration. The whole West was
forgotten excepting only California and the Salt Lake
Valley, and the routes leading to them. Xone of these led
close to the geyser regions. On the north were the British
fur trader's route, and the Missouri Eiver route, both of
which led directly west to the Columbia. To the south was
the great thoroughfare along the Platte Eiver and through
South Pass, leading to Utah, California and Oregon. Still
further south were the long known routes near the border
of Old Mexico. It was hopelessly improbable that gold
seekers bound to the Pacific Coast along any of these routes
would stray into the mountain fastnesses about the sources
of the y ellowstone.
I'inally the whole energy of the government in the field
of exploration was directed away from this region. In the
period from ISO-l-G, the date of I^wis and Clark's Expedi-
tion, to 1870, the date of the real discovery of the Park,
there were no fewer than one hundred and ten explorations
in the country west of the Mississippi, nearly all of which
had government authorit}', and were conducted on a scien-
tific basis. Of these eighty-four were in the territory lately
acquired from Mexico, and mostly in the far South and
West. Nineteen were east of the Bighorn Mountains, five
north of the Yellowstone, and only two in the region about
the Upper Yellowstone. Of these two expeditions one was
that of Lewis and Clark, and was in no wise intended to
explore the Upper Y^'ellowstone further than might be
100 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
necessary to find a good route to the Pacific. This leaves
but a single expedition of the whole number, that of
Captain Raynolds, which was directed to this specific terri-
tory. How the purpose of this expedition was defeated by
the heavy snow in the mountains and by the solar eclipse
of 18fi0, has been elsewhere related.
And so it came about that it was the gold-seeker who
finally revealed the well-kept secret of the Yellowstone.
Itself destitute of mineral wealth, this region could not
escape the ubiquitous prospector. It was not, indeed^ by
him that it was publicly proclaimed to the world. He
cared little for any country that was destitute of "color''
or "pay.'' But the hints he dropped put others on the
track and opened the door to real discovery.
This fact of long delay in the discovery of the Upper
Yellowstone is the most important in its history. Had it
been known at an earlier date, its fate would have been
deplorably different*. The period of the fur trade was too
early for the interest of the people to demand, or the power
of the government to enforce, its protection. If Captain
Raynolds had discovered it, all its most valuable tracts
would have beeii pre-empted long before the government
would have been able to give it attention. Fortunately,
the discovery was delayed until there was a considerable
population in the country near by, and the government was
prepared actively to consider the matter. Before settlers
could establish a permanent foothold, the Papk was cre-
ated, and all the vexatious obstacles, which might other-
wise have defeated the project, were avoided.
CHAPTER XII.
LATER EXPLORATIONS.
As soon as the remarkable character of the countr}- about
the sources of the Yellowstone became generally known,
there was a rush of explorers to its borders. Every expedi-
tion that could possibly extend the field of its labors in that
direction did so, and there was scarcely a summer during
the next twenty years that the Park was not the scene of
some official exploration or visit.
By far the most important of these were the various
expeditions under the United States Geological Survey.
Dr. Hay den was again in the country with two parties in
1872, and very widely extended the range of observations
of the previous year. In 1878, survey parties again
entered the Park and resumed work there on a much more
minute and extensive scale. The result of that year's
explorations appeared in 1883 in the form of an elaborate
report by Dr. Hayden and his co-workers, which entered
with much detail into the more important subjects of
scientific interest. It was embellished with a great number
of engravings and colored plates, and with an exhaustive
series of topographical and geological maps. The work
was again taken up in 1883, and was continued for several
years. All questions of scientific importance were investi-
gated more thoroughly than ever before, and many valuable
official reports and monographs, together witli a superb
map, have been the result.
In 1872, General John Gibbon, U. S. A., with a consid-
erable party, made a tour of the Park, passing by the usual
102 THE YELLOAVSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
route from Mammoth Hot Springs via Mt. Washburn,
the Grand Caiion, and the Lake, to the Firehole Geyser
Basins. On his way home he attempted to ascend the
North Fork of the ^ladison, following an old trail ; but he
abandoned the attempt after going a few miles. His name,
which was given to the river, has also attached to many
other features along that valley.
In 1873, Captain William A. Jones, of the Corps of
Engineers, .passed through the Park as part of a more
extended reconnaissance. . He was the first to carry a party
through tlie "impassable barrier'^ of the Absaroka Eange.
Jones Creek, just east of the northern portion of the
Yellowstone Lake, shows where the party entered the Park.
From the Lake the expedition passed down the east bank
of the river to the valley of Junction Butte; thence west
to ^Mammoth Hot Springs ; thence back over the usual trail
via Tower Creek, Mt. Washburn, the Grand Canon and
Mud Geyser, to the Lower Geyser Basin; thence via the
Upper Basin to the west shore of the Yellowstone Lake:
thence to the Upper Yellowstone Piiver; thence through
Two-Ocean Pass and Two-Gwo-Tee Pass to the valley of
Wind Kiver. The chief results of this expedition, in the
line of original discovery, were the passage of the Absaroka
Range, the verification of the traditional "Two-Ocean
Water,'' between Atlantic and Pacific Creeks, in Two-
Ocean Pass, and the discovery of the extremely easy Pass
(Two-Gwo-Tee*) over the Continental Divide, between the
Snake and Wind Rivers. Prof. Theodore B. Comstock
accompanied the expedition as geologist. A valuable
report of the reconnaissance appeared in 1875.
In 1875, Captain William Ludlow, of the Corps of Engi-
♦ So named by Captain Jones for one of his Indian guides.
LATER EXPLORATIONS. 103
neers, made a reconnaissance from Carroll, Montana, on
the Missouri River, to the Yellowstone Park and return.
In the Park he followed the previously traveled routes
and developed little in the line of original discovery. Tie
succeeded, however, in obtaining a very accurate measure-
ment of the height of the Yellowstone Falls, and his re-
port forms one of the ablest brief descriptions of the Paik
extanlt. Among his civil assistants was George Bird Grin-
nell, later widely known as the editor of Forest and Stream,
and as one of the most steadfast and watchful guardians
the Park has ever had.
During the same season a distinguished party, consist-
ing of the Secretary of War, Gen. W. W. Belknap, and
several prominent officers and civilians, with Lieutenant
G. C. Doane, of National Park fame, as guide, made a
complete tour of the Park. An exceedingly interesting
narrative of the trip was written by Gen. W. E. Strong,
who was a member of the party.
In 1877, Gen. W. T. Sherman and staff made a tour of
the Park. His letters on the subject to the Secretary of
AVar, and the official report prepared by Gen. 0. M. Poe
of his staff, form a valuable contribution to the literature
of the Park.
In the same year Gen. 0. 0. Howard crossed the reser-
vation in pursuit of the Nez Perce Indians.
In 1880, the Hon. Carl Schurz, Secretary of the Inte-
rior, accompanied by Gen. Crook with a large number of
officers and soldiers, and an immense pack train, entered
the Park from the valley of Henry Fork and made an ex-
tended tour.
In 1881, Captain W. S. Stanton, of the Corps of Engi-
neers, made a reconnaissance through the Park, entering
by the way of Soda Butte Creek^ and passing out by the
104 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Madison Valley. The most important result of his work
in the Park was a more accurate table of distances over
some of the routes than had previously been in use.
In July and August of this year, the Hon. John W.
Hojt, Governor of Wyoming, with a military escort under
command of Major Julius W. Mason, U. S. A., made an
extended reconnaissance to discover a practicable wagon
route to the Yellowstone Park from the southeast.
He entered the Park by way of the Upper Yellow-
stone, passed through it by way of Yellowstone and
Shoshone Lakes, the Firehole Geyser Basins, the Grand
Canon, the lower end of Yellowstone Lake, and left it
along the route by which Captain Jones had entered in
1873.
In the years 1881 and 1882, General Sheridan, with
parties of considerable size, twice crossed the Park and
visited its most important points. His expeditions were
of great value to the Park from the forcible warning which
he gave to the public concerning the demoralized condition
of its civil administration.
To these various expeditions must be added the exten-
Bive, though desultory, explorations of P. W. Norris dur-
ing the five years that he was Superintendent of the Park.
It has thus come about that Yellowstone National Park,
though remote, inaccessible, and of great extent, is about
the most thoroughly explored section of the United States.
Within the territory bounded by the 44th and 45th paral-
lels of latitude, and the 110th and 111th meridians of lon-
gitude, there are nearly four hundred geographical names.
The names of hot springs and geysers would probably
double the number. To appreciate this fact, it must be
remembered that there are no settlements in the Park,
and that counties, townships, cities, and villages, which
LATER EXPLORATIONS. 105
on ordinary maps form so large a proportion of the names,
are here entirely absent. That region has indeed been a
paradise for the explorer, the topographer, and the geolo-
gist; and its splendid opportunities have not gone unim-
proved.
The most elaborate expedition that ever passed through
this region took place in August, 1883.* It included
among its members the President of the United States,
the Secretary of War, the Lieutenant-General of the
Army, a- United States Senator, and several other distin-
guished officers and civilians. The interesting part of the
journey lay between Fort Washakie, Wyoming, and the
Northern Pacific Eailroad at Cinnabar, Montana. The
party traveled entirely on horseback, accompanied by one
of the most complete pack trains ever organized in this or
any other country, and escorted by a full troop of cavalry.
Couriers were stationed every twenty miles with fresh
relays, and by this means, communication was daily had
with the outside world. The whole distance traveled was
350 miles, through some of the wildest, most rugged, and
least settled portions of the west. Xo accident or draw-
back occurred to mar the pleasure of the expedition. The
• The year 1883 seems to have been the banner year for dis-
tinguished visitors to the Park. The list of arrivals for that
year includes the President of the United States and a mem-
ber of his cabinet; the Chief- Justice and an Associate Justice
of the United States Supreme Court; the General, Lieutenant-
General, and a large number of other distinguished officers of
the army; six United States Senators; one Territorial Gov-
ernor; a prominent railroad president; the Ministers from
Great Britain and Germany; the President of the Admiralty
Division of the High Court of Justice, England; three mem-
bers of Parliament; and a considerable number of other emi-
nent personages, both from this country and abroad.
106 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
great pastime en route was trout fishing, in which the
President and Senator Vest were acknowledged leaders.
The phenomenal "catches'' of these distinguished sports-
men might pass into history as typical "fish stories/' were
they not vouched for by the sober record of official dis-
patches, and the unerring evidence of photographer
Haynes' camera. The elaborate equipment of this expedi-
tion, the eminent character of its personnel, and the evident
responsibility resting upon those who conducted it, at-
tracted a great deal of attention at the time, and gave
it a prominent place in the annals of Western Wyoming.
Twenty years after the visit of President Arthur occurred
the second visit to the Park of a President of the United
States during his term of office. Theodore Eoosevelt ar-
rived in the Park on the 8th of April, accompanied by
John Burroughs, and remained on the Eeserv^ation for six-
teen days. He visited the country around Yancey's, spend-
ing a week in camp there and travelling on horseback. This
portion of his trip gave him an excellent opportunity to
study the question of game preservation, in which he was
deeply interested. He next visited the Firehole Geyser
basins and the Grand Caiion of the Yellowstone, travelling
all the way by sleigh. The venerable naturalist, his travel-
ling companion, accompanied him on all his journeys,
although he had not previously been on horseback in over
forty years. On the day of leaving the Park, April 24th,
the President assisted in laying the comer stone of the now
entrance gate at Gardiner. After the ceremonies, which
were conducted under Masonic auspices, he delivered an
address on the subject of the Park to an assemblage of
about tliree thousand people who had gathered from all the
surrounding country.
CHAPTER XIII.
ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF THE PARK.
The Act of Dedication of the Yellowstone National
Park defines in clear terms the purposes for which it was
created. These are:
(1) The preservation of its natural curiosities, its for-
ests, and its game.
(2) The reservation of its territory from private occu-
pancy, so that it may remain in unrestricted freedom "for
the benefit and enjo3'ment of the people."
(3) The granting of such leases and other privileges as
may be necessary for the comfort and convenience of vis-
itors.
The Act contained no code of laws for the Park, defin-
ing offenses and providing for their punishment, nor any
legal machinery for enforcing such regulations as the Sec-
retary of the Interior might establish. This condition
prevailed for upward of twenty-two years, and during its
continuance there were experienced the evils of a license
which at times was wholly unchecked, and which it was
never possible to bring under thorough control.
This long-standing misfortune was aggravated by an-
other scarcely less serious — the failure of Congress for
several years to appropriate funds for the protection and
improvement of the Park. For this failure, however, no
one can justly be held faultily responsible. The promoters
of the Park project had based extravagant expectations
upon the results to be derived from leases. They believed
that the revenue from this source would amply cover the
^expense of opening the necessary highways and providing
108 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
a proper police force. They did nott make due allowance
for the fact that there was at that time no railroad within
500 miles; that the new reservation was an almost impass-
able wilderness, and that the construction of roads and
bridges must necessarily precede any profitable tourist
business. Neither do they seem to have realized that these
leases could not, in the nature of things, yield a revenue
commensurate withe the work of opening up so wild and
extensive a country. The argument of self-support was a
mistaken one. It did an important work, however, for it
is doubtful if Congress would have created this reserva-
tion had it not believed that no additional public burden
was to be incurred thereby.
Left thus without laws for its government and funds
for its improvement or protection, the early administra-
tion of the Park was necessarily very inefficient. In look-
ing back over those years it is a wonder that it survived at
all and was not restored to the public domain.
The administration of the Park was entrusted by the
Secretary of the Interior to a Superintendent, and his first
choice naturally fell upon Mr. Langford, well known as a
member of the famous Washburn Expedition and as an
ardent friend of the new reservation. But, from the first,
his hands were completely tied. No salary was ever al-
lowed him for his services, nor any funds with which ro
carry out his duties. He was, therefore, powerless to ac-
complish effective work. His office, which he held for
about five years, was a source of great annoyance
to him; for he was frequently, and most unjusitly, charged
in the public press with responsibility for a condition of
things for which he was in no sense to blame.
In 1877, there appeared, as Mr. Langford's successor,
one of the unique and picturesque characters in the his-
Mam.moth Hot Sprixcs Teruaces.
ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF THE PARK. 109
tory of the Park, Philetus W. Xorris, of Michigan. He
was appointed immediately upon the advent of President
Hayes' administration, and held office for nearly five years.
Xorris filled with varying capacity the roles of explorer,
path-finder, poet, and historian in the Park. Naturally a
man of extraordinary energy, he entered upon his new
charge with a genuine enthusiasm and an unbounded faith
in its future value to the people. He was fortunate in
receiving from Congress substantial means for carrying
out his plans, and with his term of service begins the real
administrative history of the Park.
His work covered an extensive range, and left its mark,
as its author did his name, in every quarter. He was an
untiring explorer. He traveled all the existing trails and
penetrated the unknown sections in every direction. He
studied the history and antiquities of the Park and the
results of his researches possess scientific value. He built
the first roads in the Park, opening a vast extent of high-
way, and although this has all been replaced by later work,
it served its original purpose very well. He wroite and
published a great deal about the Park and helped revive
public interest in it at the time of its greatest need.
Norris was succeeded in February, 1882, by Patrick A.
Conger, of Iowa. The two men were as unlike in personal
characteristics and views of official duty as it is possible
to conceive. Conger possessed none of the love of his
work, none of the faith in the Park, none of the enthusi-
asm, energy, and restless activity that were so character-
istic of his predecessor. His administration was weak and
inefficient and brought the Park to the lowest ebb of its
fortunes. Its only palliating feature, as viewed from this
distance, is the fact that its very weakness aroused public
sentiment and paved the way to reform in the government
of the Pa^k.
110 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
As if the unfortunate condition of affairs due to the
lack of suitable laws for the reservation were not enough,
there arose in the early part of Superintendent Conger's
administration a new and even more formidable danger,
under the euphemistic title of the Yellowstone Park Im-
provement Company. Previous to this time, there had
been no regular leases in the Park. Several informal per-
mits for occupancy had been granted, and a small number
of inferior buildings had been erected. In 1880, there
were nine of these buildings, nearly all of 'them being
plain log-cabins, with earth roofs^ of the common frontier
pattern. Only two, the headquarters building at Mammoth
Hot Springs and Marshall's Hotel in the Lower Geyser
Basin, rose in dignity above the primitive type. N'o one
as yet thought of remaining in the Park during the winter
season.
But it finally dawned upon certain individuals that here
was a rare opportunity to exploit the government for their
private emolument under the generous guise of improving
the Park, and catering to the comfort of the tourist. A
company was formed, and a valuable ally secured in the
person of the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, who
granted a lease of 4,400 acres in tracts of about a square
mile each aJt all the principal points of interest. It was
urged in defense of this sweeping grant, that the protec-
tion which had failed of realization by every other method
could be secured in this way. It was thought that, if re-
sponsible parties could be given exclusive control of these
natural curiosities, they would, from motives of self-in-
terest, if from no other, preserve them. But such a mo-
nopolistic privilege was clearly opposed to the spirit of the
Act of Dedication. Why set apart this region for the free
and unrestricted enjoyment of the people, if the Secre-
abmixisthative history of the park. Ill
tary of the Interior could give to private parties absolute
control of all its most important localities? Was this a
proper interpretation of "small parcels of ground/' as
specified in the act? Tlie danger involved in this action
was a grave one, and it aroused a storm of protest through-
out the country.
Jt was about tliis time also that there began to appear
those various railroad and segregation projects which have
ever since been a formidable menace to the continued ex-
istence of the Park.
It had become apparent as early as 1882, that immediate
and radical measures must be adopted if the Park was to
be preserved in its original condition. General Sheridan,
who passed through that region in 1881, 1882, and 1883,
urgently appealed to the public sentiment of the country
in favor of some definite action. The Governor of Mon-
tana made an earnest appeal to Congress. Other influ-
ential voices united in the same cause, and already it was
broadly hinted that the only salvation of the Park lay
in turning it over to the military. The whole matter was
brought prominently before the next Congress, and in
March, 1883, a clause in the Sundry Civil Bill containing
the annual appropriation for the Park, forbade the grant-
ing of leases of more than ten acres to any single party,
authorized the Secretary of the Interior to call upon the
Secretary of War for troops to patrol the Park, and pro-
vided for the employment of ten assistant superintend-
ents who were to constitute a police force. In this way
the bold scheme of the Improvement Company was frus-
trated, and the foundation laid for the present adminis-
trative system. The Secretary of the Interior, however,
seems not to have wished to avail himself of military
assistance, and it was several years before this provision
of the law was put into operation.
112 TIUE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
It was in this same year that the killing of birds and
animals in the Park, and the taking of fish by any other
method than by hook and line, were absolutely prohib-
ited. Previously, hunting had been allowed so far as was
necessary to supply the wants of camping parties— a con-
cession that practically operated as an unrestricted license.
The failure of Congress to enact needed legislation at
length became so nearly chronic that relief was sought
in another direction. Xearly all the territory of the Park,
and all its great attractions, were within the limits of the
Territory of Wyoming. Might it not be within the pro-
vince of territorial legislation to furnish ' the necessary
legal protection? The subject was agitated, and in the
winter of 1884, an act was passed, designed "to protect
and preserve the timber, game, fish, and natural curiosi-
ties of the Park," and for other purposes. The act was
very stringent in its provisions, but totally failed of its
purpose. The attempt at territorial control of a national
institution was in itself a blunder. Then, the officials
chosen to execute the law were poorly qualified for their
work and displayed a lamentable want of tact and moder-
ation. Some of their arrests were unjust and t3Tannieal
in the extreme. They formed an alliance with the assistant
superintendents, federal officials (known in local parlance
as ^"'rabbit catchers"), by which the latter shared, as
informers, the fines levied by themselves. A law which
made abuses like this possible quickly ran its course, and
was repealed March 10, 1886.
Although so unwise a measure could not stand, the first
effect of its repeal was to advertise the fact that the Park
was practically without legal protection. Matters became
even worse than before. The common verdict, as gathered
from official reports and other sources^ is that the body of
ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF THE PARK. 113
police, styled assistant superintendents, were not only
inetlicient, but positively corrupt. They were, for the most
part, creatures of political favoritism, and were totally
unused to the service required of them. Commissioned as
guardians of the rarest natural wonders on the globe, they
not infrequently made merchandise of the treasures which
they were appointed to preserve. Under their surveillance,
vandalism was practically unchecked, and the slaughter of
game was carried on for private profit almost in sight of
the superintendents' quarters.
The difficulties that beset the administration of Superin-
tendent Conger were too great for him to grapple with
successfully, and he resigned, July 28, 1884. In his
place was appointed, August 4, 1884, Robert E. Carpenter,
of Iowa. Mr. Carpenter's views of the requirements of his
office were clear and positive; and he promptly set about
to carry them into execution. He went upon the theory
that the Park was created as an instrument of profit to
those who were shrewd enough to grasp the opportunity.
Its protection and improvement were matters of secondary
consideration. Instead of remaining at his post during the
winter season, he went to Washington, and there, in con-
cert with a member of the Improvement Company, very
nearly succeeded in carrying a measure through Congress
by which important tracts upon the Eeservation were to
be thrown open to private occupancy. So confident of
success were these conspirators that they even located
claims upon the tracts in question, and their names ap-
peared on claim notices posted to designate the localities.
The measure failed of passage, but the scandal of Superin-
tendent Carpenter's conduct led to his prompt removal
from office.
On the day of his removal. May 29, 1885, Colonel David
(5*)
114 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
W. Wear, of Missouri, was appointed to the vacancy.
Colonel Wear appears to have been well qualified for the
place. He set out to reform the administration of the
Park, and his intelligent and vigorous measures gave high
encouragement to those who had been familiar with the
previous condition of affairs. But, as often happens, he
was made to suffer for the sins of his predecessors. The
bad repute into which the government of the Park had
fallen was not easily removed, and Congress finally declined
to appropriate money for its continuance. The Secretary
of the Interior was thus compelled to call upon the Sec-
retary of War for assistance. The regime of civilian
superintendents passed away, and that of the military
superintendents began. The change was strenuously
opposed by the Secretary of the Interior and by all who
held or hoped to hold places under the old order; but the
sequel quickly proved the wisdom of Congress.
August 20, 1886, marks the turning point in the admin-
istrative history of the Park. Upon that day Captain
Moses Harris, First United States Cavalry, relieved the
civilian Superintendent of his duties, and soldiers sup-
planted the so-called assistant superintendents as Park
police. Henceforth an entirely new order was to obtain.
It was to be seen how much could be accomplished, even
in the absence of laws, toward a vigorous an4 healthful
administration. Trespassers upon the Reservation were
promptly removed. The regulations were revised and
extended, printed upon cloth, and posted in all parts of the
Park ; and their violation was visited with summary pun-
ishment to the full extent of the Superintendent's
authority. Abuses of leasehold rights were searchingly
inquired into and reported to the Department. As soon as
this show of real authority was made manifest, and it
ADMINlSTRATiyE HISTORY OF THE PARK. 115
became apparent that here was a man who meant what he
said, a great part of the difliculty was over. Nothing in
fact conduces so much to the infraction of law as a bohef
in the incompetency or insincerity of those delegated to
enforce it, and the removal of this cause was a long step
in the right direction.
The system thus inaugurated still continues with every
prospect of permanency, although Congress has never taken
the necessary steps to make it permanent. The military
commander is still styled the Acting Superintendent. But
it is not probable tliat public opinion will ever sanction a
return to the old order. The administrative machinery
has completely adjusted itself to the present system. A
garrison of sufficient size to accommodate a squadron of
cavalry has been established at Mammoth Hot Spring's
and numerous permanent station houses have been built
throughout the Park for the use of small detachments of
troops in patrolling the Reservation. The system gives
general satisfaction and is not likely to be disturbed.
The new Hotel Company had a meteoric career, prom-
ising great things, but accomplishing no permanent im-
provement except the partial construction of a pretentious
but ill-conceived structure, which has become widely known
as the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. The company's for-
tunes quickly ^collapsed, and the opening of the tourist
season of 1885 found the great building in the possession
of unpaid workmen, who held it under a kind of military
guard until their wages should be paid.
The jSTorthern Pacific Railway Company then came to
the rescue, bought out the Improvement Company and cer-
tain lesser concerns, and organized a new company called
the Yellowstone Park Association. This company com-
pleted the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, and has siD^e
116 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
built hotels at the following points: Norris Geyser Basin,
three buildings, two of which have been destroyed by fire ;
Lower Geyser Basin, the Fountain Hotel; Upper Geyser
Basin, two buildings, one of which has been destroyed by
fire; and one hotel each at the Yellowstone Lake and the
Grand Canon.
At first the carrying of tourists through the Park was
an adjunct of the hotel business^ but in 1891 the Interior
Department granted this privilege to a new company called
the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company, and the
two companies operated thereafter for many years as inde-
pendent concerns. The transportation system of the Park,
which has now developed into the best equipped organiza-
tion of its kind in the world, was, in its essential features,
the creation of Silas S. Huntley, who gave it his undivided
attention from 1892 until 1901, the date of his death. By
virtue of his wide acquaintance throughout the country,
his intimate knowledge of the Park, and his genuine inter-
est in its welfare, he practically controlled its administra-
tion for many years, and died lamented as one of the best
friends it ever had.
In 1901, the Northern Pacific sold the hotel property to
the owners of the Transportation Company, and the two
business w^ere operated during the next two years under
the same management. In the fall of 1902 the Railway
Company took back its hotel property and bought an
interest in the Transportation Company, so that it now
virtually controls the tourist business of the Park.
About 1890 a privilege was granted to W. W. Wylie,
of Bozeman, Montana, to transport tourists through the
Park and subsist them in ^^permanent camps." This privi-
lege was renewed year after year, and the management oi
the business was carried on under the name of the Wylie
ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF THE PARK. IIY
Camping Company. Mr. Wylie succeeded in building up
a lucrative trade. His capable management, personal
interest in the pleasure of tourists, and the cheaper rates
and* longer visit that he gave them brought to his system
a wide popularity.
In 1899, a new company was formed to transport tour-
ists from the Montana branch of the Oregon Short Line
Railroad (Union Pacific) into the Park by the western
entrance. It was called the Monida and Yellowstone
Stage Company, and has been built up from a small begin-
ning to a promising business. It is organized and
controlled by Mr. F. J. Haynes, the licensed photographer
of the Park, whose views of the Park scenery are well
known the world over. The plant of this company is simi-
lar to that of the Yellowstone Park Transportation
Company, and its patrons are cared for at the regular
hotels.
About the year 1890, the privilege was granted of trans-
porting tourists by boat over the Yellowstone Lake between
two points on its shores touched by the road system. The
beneficiary of this privilege, which has been of an exclusive
or monopolistic character, is Mr. E. C. Waters, President
and principal owner of the Yellowstone Lake Boat Com-
pany.
In the early part of Superintendent Conger's adminis-
tration the government took up in earnest the question of
road construction in the Park. Norris had opened up a
great extent of roadway, but it was the crudest possible
work, and the money thus spent left no permanent result.
To give this matter systematic direction an engineer officer
of the Army was detailed, in 1883, to take charge of the
work. This officer was Captain D. C. Kingman, of the
Corps of Engineers, whose term of duty ran through three
118 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
years and resulted in laying the foundation of the present
road system of the Park. With the exception of about four
years the work has remained under the Engineer Depart-
ment, and was definitely placed there by Act of Congress of
June 6, 1900.
The year 1894 was an important landmark in the admin-
istrative history of the Park. On May 4, of that year, the
desired code of laws was enacted, and oh August 3, of the
same year, an act was passed further regula.ting the ques-
tion of leases and privileges. The circumstances attending
the passage of the National Park Protective Act are
worthy of record, because it was evidently their sensational
character that aroused Congress to action.
The preservation of the Park buffalo herd has always
been a matter of deep public interest. There is a well-nigh
universal desire that this noble animal, which has played
such a part in the frontier history of our country^ shall
survive in its native freedom within the territory set apart
as a national park and game preserve. Accordingly the
people have followed with extreme jealousy the welfare of
this herd, and have been impatient at any evidence of
neglect on the part of Congress or the Department in
protecting it.
In the month of March. 1894, a notorious poacher was
caught by a government scout in the act of killing buffalo
in their winter range in the Pelican Valley. Quite a
number of slain buffalo were found — enough to show that,
with a little more time, he would have exterminated the
herd altogether. The arrest of this man was a bold and
thrilling exploit, and was executed with brilliant success.
There was present in the Park at the time a representative
of Forest and Stream, a journal which has always been one
of the Park's most enthusiastic guardians, and through this
ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF THE PARK. 119
agency the news was promptly and effectively brought to
the attention of Congress. The imminent danger of total
annihilation of the herd produced the desired effect, and
within a month the long-sought legislation had been
effected.
A formidable danger which for twenty years has threat-
ened the integrity of the Park, is the effort to get railroads
across its territor)\ The policy of the government in regard
to this Eeservation is to maintain it as nearly as possible in
its natural condition, unchanged by the hand of man. The
sentiment of the country is almost a unit in favor of this
policy. Every j^ear demonstrates its wisdom as the people
come to appreciate more and more the rare foresight of
the government in reserving one spot in the national
domain where original conditions may remain undisturbed.
It is the desire to restrict roads to the smallest extent con-
sistent with convenient access to the principal objects of
interest; to restrict buildings to the minimum number re-
quired for the convenience of visitors; and particularly to
keep out such modern innovations as railroads, and even
electric lines.
It is not necessary to rehearse here the arguments in
favor of this policy, for they are well understood. They
may all be summed up in the general fact that the moment
railroads are built through the Park it loses forever that
original condition which is one of its greatest charms.
They would undoubtedly work serious damage to the game,
and to the forests, to say nothing of their effect on the
natural beauty of this region. Electric lines would be less
objectionable than steam roads, but the same fundamental
argument applies to them as well. The people prefer not
to find these things in this Eeservation ; they prefer to travel
behind horses, even if the discomforts are greater, and they
120 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
would rather have the government remove these discom-
forts by creating a perfect system of roads than ever grant
the privilege of building a railway line in the Park. This
question was once put to a vote of the tourists, and their
voice was ninety-five per cent, in favor of the absolute
exclusion of every form of railroad.
There is now but little real need of further legislation by
Congress in the interests of the Park. The necessary
provision should of course be made for the maintenance
of adequate protection, and means should be provided to
perfect the system of roads. Happily these are duties
involving no onerous burden. They require no continuing
outlay to 'beautify and adorn,'' for Nature has attended to
these matters herself. The further policy of the govern-
ment in regard to the Park should be strictly negative, with
the sole object of preserving it unimpaired, as its founders
intended, for the 'T^enefit and enjoyment" of succeeding
generations.
CHAPTER XIV.
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IN THE YELLOWSTONE PARK.
In common experience, the importance of geographical
names lies in their use as a means of identification. To
describe an object there must be a name^ and for this
purpose one name is as good as another. But if the reason
be sought why a particular name happened to be selected,
it will generally be found to arise, not from this practical
necessity, but from some primary fact or tradition, or
from some distinguished character, in the annals of the
community where it occurs. In its mountains and valleys,
its lakes and streams, and in its civil divisions, the cradle
history of a country may always be found recorded.
In newly-discovered countries, the naming of geograph-
ical features is the dearest prerogative of the explorer, as
it is also the one most liable to abuse from personal vanity
or egotism. The desire to attach his name, or those of his
personal friends, to the prominent landmarks of the globe,
where the eye of posterity may never escape them, is a
weakness from which no discoverer has yet shown himself
free.
In a region like the Yellowstone National Park, destined
'for all time to be a resort for the lovers of science and
pleasure, this temptation was quite irresistible; so much
so, that, when the expeditions of 1870 and 1871 left the
field, they left little worth naming behind them. And yet
the honor thus gained has not, we venture to say, been all
that its votaries desired. Small is the number of tourists
who stop to inquire for whom Mary Lake, DeLacy Creek,
(6)
122 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
or Stevenson Island was named. Fewer still are aware that
Mt. Everts was not christened in honor of the distin-
guished American statesman of similar name, but in com-
memoration of one of the most thrilling individual experi-
ences in American histor3\ So with all these personal
names. The lively satisfaction with which they were given
finds no counterpart in the languid indifference with which
the modem visitor mechanically repeats them.
Inasmuch as it fell to the lot of the United States Geo-
logical Survey* to originate a great many of the names in
our western geography, it is interesting to know from
official sources the principles which governed in this impor-
tant work. Writing upon this point, Dr. Hayden says:f
"In attaching names to the manj mountain peaks, new
streams, and other geographical localities, the discovery of
which falls to the pleasant lot of the explorer in the un-
trodden wilds of the West, I have followed the rigid law of
priority, and given the one by which they have been gen-
erally known among the people of the countr}% whether
whites or Indians: but if, as is often the case, no suitable i
descrip)tive name can be secured from the surroundings, a
personal one may then be attached, and the names of
* The organization now known as the United States Geolog-
ical Survey dates from 1879, when it superseded the various
Independent surveys which had previously been made under
King, Wheeler, Powell and Hayden. The Hayden Surveys,
which are alone here considered of those prior to 1879, were
known as the United States Geological (Geological and Geo-
graphical, in one instance) Survey of the Territories. Al-
though the shorter name, United States Geological Survey, la
In all cases used throughout this work, it refers, since 1879, to
the present organization, and before that time to the Hayden
Surveys.
f Page 8, Fifth Annual Report of Dr. Hayden.
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IN YELLOWSTONE PARK. 123
eminent men who have identified themselves with the great
cause, either in the fields of science or legislation, naturally
rise first in the mind.'^
In the more recent and thorough survey of the Park by
the United States Geological Surv^ey, it became necessary
to provide names for those subordinate features which, in a
less restricted field, the early explorers had thought un-
worthy of notice. Prof. Arnold Hague, upon whom this
work has principally fallen, thus states the rule which he
has followed:*
"In consultation with Mr. Henry Gannett, geologist in
charge of geography, it was agreed that the necessary new
names to designate the unnamed mountains, valleys, and
streams should be mainly selected from the beasts, birds,
fishes, trees, flowers, and minerals found within the Park or
the adjacent country.^'
The christening of the hot springs and geysers of the
Park hav9 been singularly fortunate. The names are in all
cases characteristic. They are not studied efforts, but are
simply the spontaneous utterances from first impressions
by those who had never seen, and had heard but little of,
similar phenomena. It is doubtful if the most careful study
could improve them, and tourists will agree with General
Poe, who referred as follows to this subject when he visited
the Park in 1877 :t
''The region of these geysers has been rightly named Fire
Hole, and one almost wonders that in this country, where
the tendency is to name natural objects after men who have
a temporary prominence, this interesting place and its
♦ Page 152, Part I, Annual Report United States Geological
Survey for year ending June 30, 1887.
t Page 79, "Inspection made in the Summer of 1877," etc
124 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
assemblage of wonders should have so completely escaped,
and in general and in particular received names so very
appropriate."
In the race for the geographical honors of the Park, the
prize fell neither to the United States Geological Survey
nor even to Colonel Xorris, though each was a close com-
petitor. It was w^on by that mythical potentate of whose
sulphurous empire this region is thought by some to be
simply an outlying province. Starting with 'T'olter's
Hell," the list grew until it contained "Hell Eoaring
Creek," "Hell Broth Springs," "HelFs Half Acre,"
"Sataoi's Arbor," and the Devil's "Den," "Workshop,"
"Kitchen," "Stairway," "Slide," "Caldron," "Punch
Bowl," "Frying Pan," "Well," "Elbow," "Thumb," "Ink-
stand," etc., etc. It is some satisfaction to know that this
rude and fiery nomenclature is gradually falling into
disuse.
In a measure from sympathy with the purpose of the
early name-givers, and to help those who take an interest
in such matters to know when, by whom, and why the
geographical names of the Park were given, some of the
more important will be explained here. The great propor-
tion of them fall naturally under two heads — Personal and
Characteristic. The personal names may in turn be classi-
fied into names given for the pioneers in the Park; for its
explorers; for those who have served it in the fields of
science or literature ; and for those whose only claim is that
of friendship for the name-giver. To these more general
classes may be added a few names given for Indian tTil)es,
and a dozen or so that may be termed eccentric or
fanciful.
Baronett Peak is named for C. J. Baronett, "Yellowstone
Jack," a famous scout and guide, closely connected with
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IN YELLOWSTONE PARK. 125
the history of the National Park, and builder of the first
bridge across the Yellowstone Eiver.
Colter Peak, it need hardly be said, is for John Coltur.
the original pioneer. The mountain is located southeast of
the Yellowstone Lake.
Yount Peak commemorates an old trapper and guide of
that region. The mountain is the source of the Yellow-
stone Eiver.
Conarit Creek, in the southwest corner of the Park, is
for one All Conant, who was in that country as early as
1805, and came near losing his life in this stream.
Gardiner River, next to Yellowstone, is the most familiar
and important name in the Park. The identity of the
individual for whom it was given was long in doubt, and
has been definitely settled only within the past three years.
His name was Johnson Gardner, and he was one of the
Bo-called free trappers. There are extant articles of agree-
ment between him and Kenneth McKenzie, the bourgeois
in cliarge of the American Fur Company post at Fort
Union, relating to equipment and furs for the year 1832.
There are also a statement of Gardner's account at Fort
Union in the summer of 1832 and a bill of lading of furs
shipped on the bull boat Antoine from the '^Crossing of the
Yellowstone," July 18th of the same year.
This was undoubtedly the individual for whom Gardiner
River was named. The discrepancy in the spelling has no
significance. The first certain reference to both stream and
name, placing the identity of each beyond dispute, occurs in
the letter from Father De Smet, quoted elsewhere. The
name is thus seen to be the oldest in the Park except the
name Yellowstone.
Bridyer Lake requires no explanation. The name of this
famous pioneer survives in many a feature of our western
126 THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIOXAL PARK.
geography, but in none with greater honor than in this*
little lake among the mountains that he knerw so well ; and
near the source of that majestic stream with which so much
of his eventful life was identified.
Heart Lake was named prior to 1870 for an old hunter
by the name of Hart Hunney, who in early times plied his
trade in this vicinity. He was possibly one of Bonneville's
men, for he seems to have known the General well and to
have been familiar with his operations. He was killed by a
war party of Crows in 1852.
The spelling, Heart, dates from the expeditions of 1871.
The notion that the name arose from the shape of the lake
seems to have originated with Captain Barlow. It has gen-
erally been accepted although there is really no similarity
between the form of the lake and that of a heart. Lewis
Lake is the only heart-shaped lake in that locality.
Henry Lake is the name of a noted lake outside the
limits of the Park passed by tourists entering the Park
from the west. It is named for a celebrated fur trader,
Andrew Henry, who built a trading post in 1810 on Henry
Pork, the outlet of the lake.
Jackson Lake was so called for David Jackson, a noted
mountaineer and fur trader, and one of the first three
partners of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. This lake
was discovered by John Colter and was named by Clark
Lake Bidclle, in honor of Nicholas Biddle, who first gave
to the world an authentic edition of the journal of the cele-
brated Lewis and Clark Expedition. This original name
never gained any currency.
Leigh Lake is for Richard Leigh ('Beaver Dick'^), a
noted hunter, trapper and guide in the country around the
Teton Mountains. The nickname ^^Beaver Dick'' arose, not
from the fact that Leigh was an expert beaver trapper, but
GEOGRAPTflCAL NAMES IN YELLOWSTONE PARK. 127
on account of the striking resemblance of two abnonnally
large front teeth in his upper jaw to the teeth of a beaver.
The Indians called him "The Beaver."
Such are the principal names given for the pioneers of
this region — those who entered it before the era of explora-
tion. The explorer list is much more voluminous.
Among the first under this head are those relating to the
Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-6. There are three of
these names, Gallatin, Madison, and Lewis. The first
designates one of the Three Forks of the Missouri, which
takes its rise in the northeast comer of the Park in the
Gallatin Mountains. The second is also one of the Three
Forks, and rises (through its largest tributary, the Firehole
Eiver) in Madison Lake, ten miles south of Lone Star
Geyser. Lewis Lake and Eiver are, of course, named in
honor of the famous explorer, Captain Merriwether Lewis.
Eaynolds Pass, the name of a feature which lies out-
side the Park near Henry Lake, dates from the Eaynolds
Exploring Expedition of 1859-60.
DeLacy Creek commemorates the prospecting expedition
across the Park in 1863 under the leadership of Walter W.
DeLaey, a well-known civil engineer of ^lontana.
Folsom Peak is a well-earned honor that has fallen upon
David M. Folsom, the explorer of 1869, and the first indi-
vidual who ever made anything like a complete report of
a tour of the Park.
Of the ten members of the Washburn Expedition of
1870, including Lieutenant Doane, five bequeathed their
names to prominent mountains of the Park. The leader of
the party was particularly fortunate, for his name, Wash-
hiirn, is on the most noted summit in the Park, a mountain
which will forever be one of the chief delights of visitors
to this region.
128 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Lang ford and Doane are names that have found enviable
resting places on two noble summits of the Absaroka Range^
east of the Yellowstone Lake.
Hedges Peak does honor to the member of the party who
first proposed the idea of converting this region into a
National Park, and whose subsequent writings did much
to carry that idea into effect.
Truman G. Everts, the benighted wanderer, was re-
warded for his suffering and peril by having his name given
to a famous feature of the Park, the bold and lofty rampart
that faces Mammoth Hot Springs from across the Gardiner
Eiver. The location of the name was an awkward mis-
chance. The mountain which should bear the name is Mt.
Sheridan. It was named for Everts by the Washburn
Party the night before he was lost, in recognition of his
having been the first white man (except Mr. Hedges, who
was with him) known to have visited its summit. In the
writings of the Washburn Party, after their return, it is so
used ; one very interesting article, by Mr. Hedges, with this
name as a title, being published in the Helena Herald
before it was known that Mr. Everts had been found. But
the name was finally given to the high land between the
Gardiner and the Yellowstone, a feature which is not a
mountain at all, and which is ten miles from where Everts
was found. The actual locality of the finding was erron-
eously supposed to be near "Eescue Creek."
Follo^^'ing the Washburn Expedition came those of 1871.
Captain Barlow was the only member of his party who
succeeded in leaving his name in the Park. For several
years it designated the upper course of Snake Eiver, but
was later transferred to a neighboring mountain. Barlow
Peak, in order that the true name of the river might apply
to its source.
Tower Creek.
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IX YELLOWSTONE PARK. 129
If Captain Barlow left no other names of his party, he
did leave three distinguished names of Army Officers who
had officially aided in his exploration or had otherwise
laljored in the interest of that region. He remembered the
chief of his Corps in ]\lt. Humphreys, and the commander
of the Military Department in which the Park countr}- was
then situated in Mt. Hancock; and that distinguished
eoldier and faithful friend of the Park, who often visited
it and always worked for its interest, in Mt. Sheridan.
The United States Geological Survey is represented in
the Park nomenclature be3'ond any other organization, and
not always with the best judgment. Some important
names, like that of Dr. Arnold Hague and Mr. Henry Gan-
nett, are absent, while others of no especial claim or merit
are present.
The distinguished name of Dr. Haijden is perpetuated
in the valley of the Yellowstone River, between Mud Geyser
and the Falls.
The name of James Stevenson, Hayden's right-hand
man, and by some considered his superior as an explorer,
designates one of the trio of Peaks — Langford, Doane and
Stevenson — in the Absaroka Eange. There is also a
Stevenson Island in the Yellowstone Lake.
Mt. Chittenden is for George B. Chittenden; Bechler
Elver, for Gusta\ais A. Bechler; Coulter Creel-, for John
M. Coulter, the botanist; Hering Lake, for Rudolph
Hering, the eminent civil engineer ; Mt. Holmes, for W. H.
Holmes, geologist; Carrington Island, for Campbell Car-
rington, zoologist; Peale Island, for Dr. A. C. Pcale, author
of the elaborate report upon hot springs and geysers in tlie
Hayden report of 1878.
Jones Pass and Jones Creek are for Captain W. A.
Jones, who led an expedition into the Park from the east
in 1873
130 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Mt. Hoyt is for Hon. John W. Hoyt, who, as Governor
of Wyoming Territory, made a reconnaissance into the
Park in 1881.
Mason Creek is in honor of Major J. W. Mason, who
commanded Governor Hoyt's escort. Both of the foregoing
names were given by Colonel Norris.
Gihhoji Eiver was named by Colonel Norris for General
John Gibbon, who explored this stream in 1872.
A few names have been given in recognition of scientific,
literary or other service to the Park.
Bnnsen Peak is for the eminent chemist and physicist,
Eobert Wilhelm Bunsen; inventor of the Bunsen electric
cell and of the Bunsen gas burner; co-discoverer with
Kirchoff of the principle of Spectrum Anatysis; and the
first thorough investigator of the phenomena of geyser
action.
Dunraven Peak was named by Henry Gannett for the
Earl of Dunraven, "whose travels and writings have done
so much toward making this region known to our cousins
across the water."
Dunraven visited the Park in 1874. In 1876, he pub-
lished his "Great Divide," describing his travels in the
West. Colonel Norris named this peak after himself, and
coupled it with Mt. Washburn in a characteristic poem.
But the United States Geological Survey decided other-
wise, and transferred the Colonel's name to the northeast
corner of the Park.
Mt. Moran, one of the Tetons, was named for Thomas
Moran, whose paintings of the scenery of this region have
done so much to make it known to the world.
Mt. Norris, Norris Pass and Norris Geyser Basin* are.
* This basin was first explored, described and opened up to
tourists by Colonel Norris. It was^J^wever, discovered in
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IX YELLOWSTONE PARK. 131
of .course, named for P. W. Morris, second Superintendent
of the Park. Elsewhere we have given a sketch of the
enthusiastic and loyal friend of the Park for whom these
features were named. It was not the Colonel's fault that
his name was restricted to so few places along the route of
the tourist.
Mt. Huntley, in the Gallatin Eange, was named for the
late S. S. Huntley, who built up the present admirable
system of tourist transportation in the Park.
Many of the personal names in the Park were given
from motives of friendship or a desire to honor distin-
guished officials. In several instances the persons so hon-
ored never saw the Park.
Ahiathar Peak is for Charles Abiathar White, paleon-
tologist, United States Geological Survey.
Atkins Peak is for John D. C. Atkins, at one time United
States Indian Commissioner.
Mt. Schurz was named for the Secretary of the Interior
under President Hayes.
Lamar River is for the person who held the same port-
folio under President Cleveland.
Kepler Cascade was named by Colonel ISTorris for the
twelve-year-old son of Governor Hoyt.
Virginia Cascade is for the daughter of the late Charles
1872 by E. S. Topping and Dwight Woodruff, who were led in
that direction by noticing from the summit of Bunsen Peak
a vast column of steam ascending to the southward. The day
after this discovery, a tourist party, including a Mr. and Mrs.
H. H. Stone, of Bozeman, Montana, visited it from Mammoth
Hot Springs, and then continued their course, by way of the
general line of the present route, to the Firehole Geyser Basin.
Mrs. Stone was the first white woman to visit the Park.
132 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Gibson, at one time President of the Yellowstone Park
Association.
Isa Lake and Craig Pass, where the road first crosses the
Continental Divide, are for the first tourists who visited
these features.
Mary Lake (and with it Mary Mountain) was named in
1873, and a definite record of the christening has been left
us by the Eev. E. J. Stanley :
"We passed along the bank of a lovely little lakelet,
Bleeping in seclusion in the shade of towering evergreens,
by which it is sheltered from the roaring tempests. It is
near the Divide, and on its pebbly shore some members of
our party unfurled the Stars and Stripes, and christened
it Mary-'s Lake, in honor of Miss Clark, a young lady be-
longing to our party."
Frank Island, in the Yellowstone Lake, is for the brothei
of Henry W. Elliott, a member of the Hayden Expedition
of 1871.
Mary Bay is for Mary Force, a sweetheart of another
member of the same expedition.
The Annie, first boat* on the Yellowstone Lake, was
christened for Miss Anna L. Dawes, daughter of Hon. H.
L. Dawes, at that time a Senator of the United States.
The native tribes of the continent are remembered to a
small extent in the nomenclature of the Park, as much,
perhaps, as they ought to be considering their small con-
nection with it.
♦ The frame and cover for this boat were brought from Salt
Lake City and assembled at the lake. In the well-known
picture of this historic craft, the persons in the boat are James
Stevenson and Henry W. Elliott.
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IN YELLOWSTONE PARK. 133
AhsaroJca Range is given for the Crow Indians, whose
immemorial home, Absaroka, was in the valley of the Big
Horn River at the eastern base of these mountains. The
range was first known ])y the name Yellowstone, and in
1873 was rechristened by ^Fajor Jones, Sierra Shoshone.
The present name was given al)out the year 1885.
Bannock Peak, in the Gallatin Range, is from the name of
a tribe of Indians who inhabited the country to the south-
west of the Park, and were finally settled on a reservation
in southern Idaho. What is known as the Great Bannock
Trail, passed along the valley of Indian Creek, some dis-
tance south of this mountain. The spelling here given
is that which custom seems finally to have settled upon;
but Bannack would more nearly express the original
pronunciation. The various spellings, some sixteen in
number, come from the original Panai'hti, or Bannailiti,
meaning southern people.
Joseph Peak is for the famous chief of the Xez Perce
Indians, who made a forced tour of the Park in the
year 1877.
Sheepeater Cliffs were so named by Colonel Norris in
commenioration of the only tribe of Indians that ever
permanently dwelt in the Park. These clifi's are tlie mag-
nificent walls of the Middle Gardiner Canon below Osprey
Falls.
It was upon one of the ^'ancient and but recently
deserted, secluded, unknown haunts'' of these Indians, that
Colonel Xorris, "in rapt astonishment,'' stumbled one day,
and was so impressed by what he saw, that he gave the
neighboring cliff its present name. He thus describes this
retreat :*
* Page 10, Annual Report Superintendent of the Park for
1879.
134 THE YELLO^YSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
"It is mainly carpeted with soft grass, dotted, fringed,
and overhung with small pines, firs and cedars, and, with
the subdued and mingled murmur of the rapids and cata-
racts above and below it, and the laughing ripple of the
gliding stream, is truly an enchanting dell — a ^dnd and
etorm sheltered refuge for the feeble remnant of a fading
race.''
Indian Creeh, a tributary of the Gardiner, is a stream
along which ran the old Bannock Trail.
Indian Pond describes a beautiful little sheet of water
close to the north shore of the Yellowstone. Its banks were
a favorite camping ground for the Indians.
Nez Perce CreeJc requires no explanation to those who
have read the story of the flight of Chief Joseph and his
braves up the valley of this stream in 1877.
Shoshone, the name of a family of Indians that occupied
the whole countr}^ south and southwest of the Park as far
as to the Sierra Xevada Mountains, designates two natural
features of the Park, Shoshone Lake and Shoshone Eiver.
The Lake, which is one of the sources of Snake Eiver,
was first named De Lacy Lake, after its discov-
erer. The Washburn Party (1870) appear to have named
it after their leader. In 1871, Doctor Hayden, failing to
identify its location, and believing it to be tributary to the
^Madison Eiver, renamed it Madison Lake. It is this name
which appears on the first map of the Park and in the Act
of Dedication, where the west boundary of the Park is
described as being "fifteen miles west of the most western
point of Madison Lake." In 1872, when the correct drain-
age of the lake was discovered, the name "Madison Lake"
was transferred to its present location (See "Madison
Lake"), and its place supplied by "Shoshone Lake." Tlie
Act of Dedication is therefore misleading^ and it is neces-
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IX YELLOWSTONE PARK. 135
sary to know that "Madison Lake" of the Act, is "Shoshone
Lake*' now^ in order to understand the true location of the
west boundary of the Park.*
Shoshone liiver received its first name^ Stinkingwater,
from John Colter, who so named it from a tar sprincr of
very strong odor near the junction of the two forks of the
stream. The river itself is one of the purest and most
beautiful in the mountains, and the original name was so
inappropriate that it has been changed to its present name
by an Act of the Legislature of Wyoming.
There are a few names which do not fall under any of
the above classes and some which are eccentric and fanciful
in character.
Calfee and Miller Creeks were named by Colonel Xorris,
and this is his record of the fact:
"Some seven miles above Cache Creek we passed the
mouth of another stream in a deep, narrow, timbered val-
ley, which we named Calfee Creek^ after tlie famous pho-
tographer of the Park. Five miles further on, we reached
the creek which Miller recognized as the one he descended
in retreating from tlie Indians in 1870, and which on this
account, we called Miller's Creek.''
Cache Creek was so named from the following cireum-
Btance: A prospecting party under one Austin were in
camp on this stream when they were surprised by Indians,
and all their stock stolen except one or two mules. Being
unable to carry all their baggage from this point, they
cached what they could not place on the mules, or could
not themselves carry.
Crevice, Hellroaring and Slough Creels, all names of
♦ Page 250, Sixth Annual Report of Dr. Hayden.
136 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
tributaries of the Yellowstone Eiver from the mountains
along the north border of the Park, are survivals of the
early prospecting days in this region. Topping, in his
"Chronicles of the Yellowstone/^ records the circumstance
that gave rise to the names:
"They [a prospecting party] found gold in a crevice at
the mouth of the first stream above Bear, and named it, in
consequence, Crevice Gulch. Hubbel went ahead the next
day for a hunt, and upon his return he was asked what
kind of a stream the next creek was. ^It's a hell roarer,'
was his reply, and Hell Roaring is its name to this day.
The second day after this, he was again ahead, and, the
same question being asked him, he said: ' 'Twas but a
slough.^ When the party came to it, they found a rushing
torrent, and, in crossing, a pack horse and his load were
swept away, but the name of Slough Creek remains."
Boone Creeh was named prior to 1870, for Eobert With-
row, an eccentric pioneer of Irish descent, who used to call
himself "Daniel Boone the Second."
Solution Creeh is the outlet of Eiddle Lake.
Surprise Creeh was so named because its course, as
made known by official explorations, was surprisingly dif-
ferent from what it had before been understood.
Delusion Lahe was long supposed to be an arm of the
Yellowstone Lake, its index "finger" in the fanciful re-
eemblance of the lake to tlie human hand. This delusion
was cleared away by official explorations.
Eiddle Lahe is thus accounted for by Professor Bradley,
of the United States Geological Survey :
" 'Lake Eiddle* is a fugitive name, which has been lo-
cated at several places, but nowhere permanently. It is
supposed to have been used originally to designate the
mythical lake, among the mountains, whence, according to
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IX YELLOWSTONE PARK. 157
the hunters, water flowed to both oceans. I have agreed to
Mr. Hering's proposal to attach the name to this lake,
which is directly upon the divide at a point where the
waters of the two oceans start so nearly together, and thus
to solve the unsolved ^riddle' of the *^two-ocean-water.' "
This was a year before Captain Jones verified the exist-
ence of Two-Ocean-Pass.
This completes the list of personal names in the Park,
and it now remains to note a few of the more important
that we have classed as characteristic — names expressive of
the form, color, composition, or other peculiarity of the
object named.
Cinimhar Mountain, a prominent feature near the
northern entrance to the Park, was "so named from the
color of its rocks, which have been mistaken for Cinnabar,
although the red color is due to iron." — Hayden. The
Devil's Slide (also named before 1870) is on this moun-
tain.
Electric Peak, the highest mountain in the Park, received
its name from the following circumstance, described by
Mr. Henry Gannett, who ascended the mountain with sur-
veying instruments, July 26, 1872:
"A thunder-shower was approaching as we neared the
summit of the mountain. I was above the others of the
party, and, when about fifty feet below the summit, the
electric current began to pass through my body. At first
I felt nothing, but heard a crackling noise, similar to a
rapid discharge of sparks from a friction machine. Imme-
diately after, I began to feel a tingling or pricking sensa-
tion in my head and the end of my fingers, which., as well
as the noise, increased rapidly, until, when I reached the
top, the noise, which had not changed its character, was
(6*)
138 THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
deafening, and m}" hair stood completely on end, while the
tingling, pricking sensation was absolutely painful. Takinig
off my hat partially relieved me. I started down again, and
met the others twenty-iive or thirty feet below the summit.
They were affected similarly, but in a less degree. One of
them attempted to go to the top, but had proceeded but
ft few feet when he received quite a severe shock, which
felled him as if he had stumbled. We then returned down
the mountain about three hundred feet, and to this point
we still heard and felt the electricity."
Elephant Back was so named ^'On account of the almost
vertical sides of this mountain, and the rounded form of
the summit." — Hayden.
This name, as now applied, refers to a different feature
from that originally designated by it. Many years before
the Park was discovered, it was used to denote the long
ridge of which Mt. Washburn is the commanding summit,
and which was distinctly visible from beyond the present
limits of the Park, both north and south.
Factory Hill. — The term ^^factory" has at various times
been applied to several different localities in the Park,
because of their striking resemblance on frosty mornings
to an active factory town. The resemblance was noted as
far back as 1829. The name has now become fixed, as
above indicated.
Index Peak and Pilot Knob are two imposing summits
near the northeast corner of the Park, and received
their names before 1870. ''One of them derives its name
from its shape, — like a closed hand with the index-finger
extending upward, while the other is visible from so great
a distance on every side that it forms an excellent land-
mark for the wandering miner, and thus its appropriate
name of Pilot Knob." — Hayden,
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IN YELLOWSTONE PARK. 139
Roaring Mountain "takes its name from the shrill, pen-
etrating sound of the stream constantly escaping from one
or more vents near the summit." — Hague.
Sepulcher Mountain is so called from the striking fea-
ture on its northern slope which resembles a tomb or sepul-
cher with a prominent footstone and headstone.
The Teton Mountains were named by the French trap-
pers as early as 1811 from the fancied resemblance of
these peaks, when seen from a distance, to the nipple of
the human breast. The name is now nearly a century old
and has passed into all the literature describing that coun-
try, particularly that of its fur trade era, the most roman-
tic and fascinating in western history. Indeed, it has
become the classic designation of the most interesting his-
toric summit of the Eocky Mountains. That it should
always retain this designation in memory of the nameless
pioneers who have been guided by it across the wilderness,
ajid many of whom have perished beneath its shadow,
would seem to be a self-evident proposition. Individual
merit, no matter how great, can never justify the usurpa-
tion of its place by any personal name whatever. An at-
tempt to do this was made in 1872 by the United States
Geological Survey who rechristened it ^It. Hayden. The
new name has never gained any local standing, and al-
though it has crept into many maps its continued use ought
to be discouraged. It is greatly to the credit of Dr. Hay-
den that he personally disapproved the change, so far at
least, as very rarely, if ever, to refer to the mountain by
its new name.
Fireliolc Jiivcr is a name the origin of which has here-
tofore apparently been misunderstood. It dates from back
as far as 1830, when the valley was called by the tra]~tp.^rs
"Burnt Hole/' from a great forest fire which had recently
140 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAEK.
swept over it, the traces of which are distinctly visible at
the present day. The record on this point is definite and
conclusive.
Atlajitic and Pacific Creel's flow out of Two-Ocean Pass,
where a mountain stream divides, sending its waters
through these streams to the two oceans.
Outlet Creeh was the outlet of Yellowstone Lake when it
was a tributary of the Columbia Eiver.
Pelican Creeh very properly designates a stream the
mouth of which, on the north shore of the Yellowstone
Lake, is a great resort for this particular species of bird.
Pelican Eoost is an island near by.
Soda Butte Creek is so named from an extinct geyser,
or hot spring mound, near the mouth of that stream.
Tangled CreeJc, in the Lower Geyser Basin, is a most
appropriate name. The stream is a perfect network of
separate channels which cross and recross and interlace
with each other in the most confusing fashion.
Violet Creek, in Hayden Yalle}', is bordered with dense
growths of the ^ild violet.
Tower Falls was named by the Washburn party, and this
is their record of the fact and the reason therefor :
"By a vote of a majority of the party this fall was called
Tower Fall.''— Washburn.
"At the crest of the fall the stream has cut its way
through amygdaloid masses, leaving tall spires of rock from
60 to 100 feet in height, and worn in every conceivable
shape. . . . Several of them stand like sentinels on
the very brink of the fall." — Doane.
Sylvan Lake is not surpassed by any name in the Park
in point of fitness. No finer example of sylvan scenery
can be found anywhere than that embracing this exquisite
sheet of water.
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IX YELLOWSTONE PARK. 141
There are many other names in the Park, all of them
given for the fauna and flora that flourish there. They are
not characteristic in the sense that a particular name has
any especial application to the ohject which it designates.
The features so named are all of minor importance and it
is not essential to enumerate them here.
CHAPTER XV.
AN" INDIAN CAMPAIGN THROUGH THE YELLOWSTONE PARK.
In a letter dated at Fort Ellis, Montana Territory,
August 19, 1877, addressed to the Hon. George W.
McCreary, Secretary of War, the writer. General W. T.
Sherman, then on a tour of inspection of the "country
north of the Union Pacific Railroad,'' tells of his recent
visit to the Yellowstone National Park. This was about
the period when our Indian wars in the Ear West were at
their height. Only a year had elapsed since the Custer
massacre. It was the crisis of the Indian military ques-
tion. There was at that time scarcely a spot in the whole
Missouri and Yellowstone Valleys that was safe from
Indian depredations. Naturally, therefore. General Sher-
man had his mind upon this subject when his small party,
comparatively unprotected, were traveling through the
wilds of the National Park. But he saw nothing there
to excite his fears, and in the letter above referred to, says :
"We saw no signs of Indians and felt at no moment more
sense of danger than we do here." It will presently be
seen how delusive was this fancied security, and by how
narrow a margin it escaped resulting disastrously to the
General's party.
The tour from Fort Ellis to the Park and return had
taken from August 4th to August 18th. On the latter
date, the party met an ingoing company of tourists from
Helena composed of the following persons : A. J. Weikert,
^Richard Dietrich, Frederic Pfister, Joseph Roberts, Charles
AN INDIAN CAMPAIGN THROUGH THE PARK. 143
Kenck, Jack Stewart, August Foller, Leslie Wilke, L. Dun-
can, and Benjamin Stone (colored cook). The party fol-
lowed the usual route to the Grand Canon and Falls of the
Yellowstone, where they were in camp August 2ith.
As they were entering the territory of the Park, another
party was on the point of leaving it after a tour of about
two weeks. This party was composed of the following p. r-
sons, most of whom were front Eadersburg, Montana:
George F. Cowan and wife^ Frank and Ida Carpenter,
brother and sister of Mrs. Cowan^ Charles Mann, William
Dingee, Albert Oldham, A. J. Arnold, and a Mr. Meyers.
They had formed a permanent camp in the Lower Basin,
near where the Fountain Hotel now stands, and from that
point had made daily short excursions to the various local-
ities of interest. They all visited the geyser basins and
some of the party crossed to the Lake and Canon of the
Yellowstone. They must have been seen by the Sherman
party, for they were directly in its route. The party com-
pleted their tour of the Park August 23d, and had ar-
ranged to set out for home early on the following morning.
In order to understand the unfortunate turn which the
affairs of these two tourist parties w^ere about to take, it
will be necessary to explain, in briefest outline, the cause
and previous incidents of one of the most remarkable
Indian campaigns in our history.
From the time of Lewis and Clark, the Xez Perce In-
dians had dwelt in what are now the States of Oregon,
Washington, and Idaho. Their territory extended from
the Salmon Eiver on the south to the Pelouse Eiver on
the north, and from the Bitter Koot ^fountains westward
into the present States of Idaho and Washington. In 1855
they ceded to the United States a part of their territory,
and the principal chiefs located in the several portions of
144 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
the remainder. In I860, gold was discovered on the reser-
vation and the usual gold rush followed. The danger of a
conflict with the Indians became so great that a temporary
arrangement, pending action by the government, was
made between them and their Indian agent, opening a por-
tion of the reservation '^to the whites in common with the
Indians for mining purposes.''^
But the settlers did not stop with these concessions. In
defiance of law, they built the town of Lewiston on the
reservation, and gave other proofs of their project for per-
manent occupancy. It soon became necessary for the gov-
ernment to take some decisive step, and this was accom-
plished in 1863 by a new treaty in which the Indians relin-
quished three of their most important valleys, the Wallowa,
the Alpowai, and the Salmon River.
The treaty, however, was far from receiving the general
assent of all the chiefs. A formidable faction, headed by
Chiefs Joseph, Looking Glass, Big Thunder, ^\Tiite Bird,
and others, refused to be bound by it, and were henceforth
referred to in official reports as the "Non-treaty Nez
Perces.'^ For a time the authorities made no effort to en-
force the new treat}^, and the Indians were "tacitly per-
mitted to roam^' over their ancient hunting-grounds.
This condition of affairs continued for thirteen years,
with various efforts in the meajitime to arrive at some sat-
isfactor}' settlement. Finally, in 1876, a civil and military
commission was appointed to visit the Nez Perce Indians,
to examine into their grievances, and to determine what
measures were necessary for a permanent settlement of
the question. Tlie report* of this Commission is interest-
ing, both for the facts it relates in regard to the tribal life
and characteristics of the Nez Perce Indians, and for the
• See Report of Secretary of the Interior, 1877, part 1, p. 607,
^
Beaver Dam.
AJ^ INDIAN CAMPAIGN THROUGH TIEE PARK. 145
heroic treatment of the long-standing troubles wliieh it
recommends.
These Indians were altogether a peculiar people. The
early missionaries had converted thora to the Christian
faith, and, whether from that cause, or from natural
proclivity, they were among the most religious of our
Indian tribes. There is a general concensus of authorities
that, despite certain grave defects of character, they were,
mentally and morally, far above the average Indian. In
later times, approaching the period covered by this sketch,
they fell under the influence of a class of mystics called
"dreamers,'^ who taught a doctrine of land ownership which
was the immediate cause of all their subsequent troubles.
This doctrine was, in substance, that *^the 'Creative Power,*
when He made the earth, made no marks, no lines of divi-
sion or separation, upon it, and that it should be allowed
to remain as it is;'^ that it '^should not be disturbed by
man, and that any cultivation of the soil, or other im-
provements, any voluntary submission to the control of
government/' were incompatible with the true purpose for
which it was made. At bottom it was the broad principle
that no man or aggregation of men can take from other
men the right to enjoy what nature has made free for all.
Why the Commission should characterize this doctrine as
''■pernicious,^' unless a thing is pernicious whenever it is
impracticable, is not easy to understand. From the point
of view of the nomadic life of the redmen, it is hard to
conceive a theory of land tenure, or the want of it, more
nearly approaching a perfect ideal.
Unfortunately for such a doctrine, at the point at which
American histor}^ had now arrived, it was no longer possi-
ble of realization, and any attempt to put it in force could
not result otherwise than in failure. So it was with
(7)
146 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Joseph and his followers. The government for a long time
overlooked their infractions of the Treaty of 1863, but
finally was compelled to interfere. The Commission rec-
ommended that the existing treaty be enforced, by military
aid if necessary. The recommendation was approved, and
to General 0. 0. Howard fell the task of putting the In-
dians on their proper reservation.
For a time it seemed that they would be induced to
submit without the employment of active force; but just
as success was apparently assured, the Indians murdered
some twenty white men, women and children, in revenge
for one of their number killed the previous year. Peaceful
negotiations came at once to an end, and the military
authorities assumed control of the situation. This was
June 13, 1877.
Between that date and July 12th, three battles were
fought, in which both sides suffered severely, and the
Indians displayed extraordinary fighting abilit3\ They
then left their country — as it proved, not to return — and
set out across the mountains to their oft-visited ^'buffalo
country,'^ in the Judith Basin, far to the eastward of the
Upper Missouri.
But their route lay too close to the military post of Fort
Missoula and to the towns in the more thickly settled por-
tions of Montana. They bore off to the southward, through
a country with whose people they were well acquainted,
and with whom they had often traded in previous excur-
sions to the buffalo country. Here they found friends and
obtained the supplies they needed.
In the meantime, General Gibbon, with a small force,
which he had gathered from Forts Benton, Shaw, and Mis-
soula, and from volunteers among ^Montana citizens, was
in close pursuit. He overtook the Indians on the Big Hole
AN INDIAN CAMPAIGN THROUGH THE PARK. 147
River, in Southwestern ^lontana, wiiere a desperate battle
ensued, in which liis own force was severely handled.
The Indians then passed south into Idaho, with Howard
in pursuit, swung around to the east, and recrossed into
^Montana by way of Henry Lake. Near Camas Creek they
had an engagement with the pursuing troops.
Howard arrived at Henry Lake at 8 a. m., August 23cl,
just as the Indians had left. The long marches compelled
hira to halt at this point for three or four days, to rest
his men and replenish his supplies. This gave the Indians
a considerable start, of which, however, they took only a
leisurely advantage. Their route lay across the Yellow-
stone Park, which they entered by Targhee Pass, and on
the night of August 23d they encamped on the Firehole
River, within the Park boundaries, a short distance
from where we left the Radersburg tourists, and less than
twenty miles from the camp of the Helena party. The
interest of the campaign for the next week centers chiefly
upon the fortunes of these unlucky excursionists. An
account of their adventures will be given in the chapters
immediately following.
Just as the Indians went into camp on the night of
August 23d, their first day in the Park, they captured one
Shively who was on his way to Montana from the Black
Hills. As Shively professed to know the country, whicli
the Xoz Perces had never seen before, they impressed him
into their service as guide. He was with them thirteen
days and claims to have served them faithfully, as well
as to have received fair treatment from them. x\t any
rate he won their confidence by his behavior, and was
watched so carelessly that he escaped one dark night just
as the Indians were crossing the northeast boundar}' of
the Park.
148 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
On the 24tii of August the Indians, under Joseph,
moved to the Yellowstone Eiver at the site of the ford
near Mud Geyser. Here they remained during the 25th.
On the following day the bulk of the command crossed
the river, ascended its right bank to the lake, and took the
Pelican Creek trail for the Lamar River valley in the
northeast comer of the Park. A small party of marau-
ders separated from the main body at Mud Geyser,
descended the Yellowstone by the Mt. Washburn trail, at-
tacked the Helena tourist party on their way, killing one
man, burned and partially destroyed Baronett bridge near
the junction of the Yellowstone and Lamar Elvers, made
a raid upon Mammoth Hot Springs, killing one man there,
and went down the valley as far as Henderson's Eanch,
where Cinnabar now stands. Here they committed numer-
ous depredations, stole a number of horses, and then re-
turned without having suffered any loss whatever.
Chief Joseph and his followers left the Park by way
of Miller Creek. Their natural route would have been by
Soda Butte Creek and Clark's Fork ; but they had learned,
probably through Shively, that there was a large party of
miners in the section where Cooke City now stands, and
they feared that they might encounter some opposition
there.
As soon as the command at Henry Lake had become
recuperated, the pursuit was vigorously resumed. Howard
followed in the track of the Indians as far as to the ford
of the Yellowstone; but instead of crossing at this point,
he descended the river by the left bank to the site of Baron-
ett's celebrated first bridge over the Yellowstone. The
bridge was found partially destroyed by the Indians and
had to be repaired, after which the line of march was
continued up the Lamar and Soda Butte Valleys, ajid
across the divide to the valley of Clark's Pork.
AN INDIAN campaign: THROUGH THE PARK. 149
The authorities had been widely warned of the probable
route of the Indians and were lying in wait to intercept
them. Gen. Sturgis expected to do this as they emerged
from the Absaroka Mountains; but unfortunately he sta-
tioned himself in the wrong pass and left the one which
the Indians took unguarded. By this loss of time he fell
in behind both the Indians and Howard, who was now in
close pursuit. The Indians crossed the Yellowstone, Sep-
tember 12th. Here Sturgis ov^ertook them with a com-
pany of cavalry and a slight conflict ensued. The Indians
then struck north, apparently for the British line. On
September 23d they crossed the Missouri at Cow Island
and resumed their march north. But they were inter-
cepted by General Miles in the Bear Paw Mountains and
a severe fight followed, at the northern base of the range
on Snake Creek, less than thirty miles from the boundary.
The Indians were defeated and Looking Glass was killed.
Most of the survivors surrendered unconditionally, and
the rest escaped across the line. This was on October 5,
1877.
Since the first outbreak, June 13th, three months and
twenty-two days had elapsed. The flight and pursuit liad
extended over 1,500 miles. There had been no fewer than
fifteen engagements. The whites had lost 6 officers and
121 soldiers and citizens killed, and 13 officers and 127
soldiers and citizens wounded. A large part of the Inc?ian
losses could never be ascertained, but their known losses
were 151 killed, 88 wounded and 489 captured.
This celebrated campaign is well intended to elicit the
fullest sympathy for the unfortunate Xez Perces. A vast
deal of sentiment has been wasted upon the cause of the
red man. Opinions have ranged from the extreme views
of Catlin, who could see no wrong in the Indian, to those
150 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
of the rabid frontiersman whose creed was "no good Indian
but a dead one/^ But, if there ever was a case where sym-
pathy might well incline to the side of the Indian, it is
the one under consideration.
The Xez Perces had always been friendly to the whites,
and it was their boast that they had never slain a white
man. They were intelligent, brave, and humane. In this
campaign they bought supplies which they might have con-
fiscated; they saved property which they might have de-
stroyed; they spared hundreds of lives which other Indians
would have sacrificed. If some of the more lawless ele-
ment committed various outrages, they might justly reply
that the whites had fired into their tents where their
women and children were sleeping. In short,, their con-
duct in this campaign places them in all respects
nearer the standard of civilized people than any other of
the native tribes of the continent.
In estimating the causes that led to the war, history
can not fail to establish that the Indians were in the right.
It was a last desperate stand against the inevitable destiny
which was robbing the Indian of his empire^ a final protest
against the intolerable encroachments of the pale face. In
defense of this principle, the Xez Perces staked their all
on a single throw. They lost, and were irretrievably ruined.
They were transported to a distant territory, and the land
of "their fathers they saw no more.*
The campaign of 1877 was the only one in which tour-
ists of the National Park were ever subjected to serious
• After the surrender, Joseph and a few of his followers
were sent to Fort Leavenworth, where they remained until
July, 1878, when they were taken to the Indian Territory.
After languishing here for seven years, they were established
on the Colville Reservation in Washington.
AN INDIAN CAMPAIGN THROUGH THE PARK. 151
danger from the Indians.* It has left its mark indeliljly
upon the Park. "Xez Perce Creek" will always remind
the traveler of the terrible danger in which anotlier party
of tourists was once placed upon the borders of that
stream. "Howard's TraiF' will not soon be effaced from
the forests and mountains where Captain Spurgin, witii
brilliant expedition, built the first passable highway
through that tangled wilderness.
* In 1878, there was a slight alarm in the Park caused by
an ephemeral raid of the Bannock Indians; but, beyond the
loss of a few horses, no damage was done.
CHAPTER XYI.
THE NEZ PERCES AND THE RADERSBURG TOURISTS.
Going back to the morning of August 24, when Chief
Joseph and his people arrived in the Lower Ge^'ser Basin,
we will record the experience of the two parties of tourists
to whom allusion was made in the previous chapter. The
Radersburg tourists were encamped about half a mile west
of the Fountain Geyser in a fringe of trees along the left
bank of a small stream. This had been their permanent
camp from which they had made excursions to the Upper
Basin, the Lake and the Canon. Arnold and Dingee had
arisen before sunrise to make a fire and prepare breakfast,
for the party were to start home that morning. Soon
after, Mrs. Cowan aroused her husband and told him there
were Indians outside. Mr. Cowan peered through the flap
of the tent and saw that it was indeed so. Hastily dress-
ing, he went out and commenced talking with an Indian
called Charley, who spoke English well — a tall, slender
Indian, with a long, but not bad-looking face. Charley
pretended that the Indians were Flatheads, but a little
questioning drew out the fact that they were Xez Perces.
As it was known that these Indians were on the warpath,
Mr. Cowan at once realized the gravity of the situation in
which his little party were placed.
Charley pretended that he belonged to L<X)king Glass'
band, who, he said, were friendly; and that the hostiles,
under Chief Joseph, were "two sleeps^' in rear. Cowan told
him where he was from and that his party were just about
THE NEZ PERCES AND THE RADERSBURG TOURISTS. Ibti
to start home. Charley replied that it would not be safe
to go back for he would meet Joseph's men, who would kill
the entire party. Ijooking Glass, he said, was en route to
the Yellowstone buffalo country, and it would be better
to go along with that chief. Cowan told him that he could
not go that way, and that he would take his chances with
Chief Joseph's men. Just at that moment he saw a number
of Indians crowding around the baggage wagon and Arnold
on the point of handing them out supplies. He promptly
elbowed his way through the crowd and ordered Arnold
not to give away any of the provisions. This vigorous
action incensed the Indians, and probably accounts for
their persistent efforts to kill Cowan later in the day.
By this time the Indians had collected in large numbers
and Cowan became thoroughly alarmed. He ordered the
teams hitched up and camp to be broken at once. Every-
thing was soon ready. There was a double-seated cov-
ered spring wagon, and a half spring baggage wagon-
Such of the party as could not find seats in the wagons
rode saddle horses. Cowan ordered the drivers to pull out,
and he himself mounted his horse and rode alonfrside the
wagon in which his wife was seated. The two women were
crying, for the situation seemed to them hopeless. The
stait was made and the little stream crossed, when the
wagons came to an abrupt stop. Directly in front was a
line of mounted warriors, like a platoon of cavalry, with
guns against the thigh as if ready for action, completely
blocking the way.
To this time Cowan had believed what Charley had
told him about the chiefs — that Looking Glass was ahead
and Joseph some distance back. Charley had tried to get
Cowan to go on ahead, saying that Looking Glass want^xl
to see him; but Cowan had refused. Carpenter did go
154 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
on until he discovered the ruse, and did not rejoin the
party for an hour or so after.
When Cowan saw his way barricaded he demanded of
Charley the cause, and insisted, with considerable vehem-
ence, that the Indians must get out of his way. Charley
smiled with a satisfied air, but made no reply. Cowan
repeated his demand. Just then an Indian approached
from the rear, put up his hand, gave some command in
the native tongue, and the Indians lowered their guns.
Cowan thought that this must be some chief of authority
and promptly addressed his demand to him. Tliis Indian,
also smiling and pleasant, looked Cowan straight in the
eye, but said nothing. Cowan pressed his demand, where-
upon Looking Glass (for it was this chief) pointed back-
ward with the thumb of his left hand to an Indian a little
to his left and rear, and said in a heavy, dignified tone:
^'^Him, Joseph!"
Here, then, was a situation. Cowan was ^^up against''
Chief Joseph himself, and Looking Glass and the whole
Nez Perce army. Joseph was painted in vermilion, but
Looking Glass not. Joseph was the better looking man
of the two. Cowan did not hesitate, but carried his peti-
tion promptly and unfalteringly to the throne itself.
Joseph looked him straight in the eye, but never deigned
a word. Charley then came up and said to Cowan : "Look
here, now; we^re going to take your party right along."
Cowan protested, but Charley made no reply except to
order the party to move on.*
Forced to accompany the army of Chief Joseph, the hap-
less party felt that their hopes of escape were slender and
• While talking with Charley before breaking camp, the
Fountain Geyser played. Charley pointed toward it and said
to Cowan: "What makes thai?"
THE NEZ PERCES AND THE RADERSBURG TOURISTS. 155
that they would all be massacred at the first favorable op-
portunity. They were wretchedly armed and could offer
no effective resistance. They moved on up the valley of
"N'ez Perce Creek, and when about a mile and a half above
the present bridge were stopped by the timber. Charley
ordered the wagons abandoned, and the passengers to
mount the horses. The provisions were all confiscated and
the spokes cut out of the wheels of the spring wagon.
Charley rushed matters and in a little while the party
were again on their way.
Nothing of importance transpired on the march up Nez
Perce Creek, and the noon camp of the Indians was
reached in a beautiful spot in the edge of the timber at
the foot of Mary Mountain. The party were ordered to
dismount. Off a little to one side were the squaws pre-
paring something to eat. The chiefs and some other prin-
cipal men were seated in a hall circle in a lovely little
grass-covered opening among the trees and it was evident
that a council was to be held to decide the fate of the
party. In fact, the council commenced at once, an Indian
by the name of Poker Poe acting as spokesman for the
chiefs, who could not speak English. Cowan answered for
his party.
Poker Joe opened up by asking several questions about
where the party were from, the purpose of their visit and
where they desired to go. He said that he had known
Cowan's wife and sister and their brother, Carpenter,
whom he had often seen at the Spokane House fifteen
miles southeast of Helena, near the old trail by which his
people went to the buffalo country in the Judith Basin.
He spoke of the battle of the Bighole, where they had lost
many warriors, and even women and children. He said
their men were very angry and thirsty for revenge, but
156 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
that it was not their desire to injure Montana people, but
only Lewiston soldiers. They were in need of guns and
horses and all kinds of supplies. The chiefs had decided
to take the horses and firearms of the party, and give them
broken down horses and let them go home. This was their
only salvation; otherwise all would be killed.
To this deliberate ultimatum there was evidently only
one reply — acceptance. Resistance was utterly out of the
question. The proposition of the chiefs gave at least a
hope, slender though it was, and after consultation with
his party^ Cowan gave his consent.
The council at once broke up and the Indians made a
rush for the confiscated outfit. Cowan's horse fell to Poker
Joe, who was thrown to the ground by the angry animal
in attempting to mount him from the right side. Poker
Joe then made a circuit of the camp, calling out some
command in the Indian tongue. The squaws immediately
commenced packing up. A few minutes later he repeated
the command, and then a third time, after the same inter-
val. The whole camp then moved up the trail. Poker Joe
told the captives that they were free and directed them to
take the back trail. They started back entirely alone. To
this time they had not suffered the slightest indignity from
the Indians.
After retreating some three-quarters of a mile, a party
of about seventy-five Indians came galloping back uttering
vvarwhoops, and evidently bent upon mischief. They or-
dered the little party to stop, and Charley (who again ap-
pears on the scene) asked, in apparent anger, what had
become of two of the men who had discreetly taken to the
brush. Cowan replied that he did not know before that
they were gone. After a little delay the party were coun-
termarched and taken back up the trail. It was evident
THE NEZ PEKCES AND THE RADERSBURQ TOURISTS. 157
that their situation was now a desperate one. An occa-
sional stop was made to give the Indians time for consul-
tation. The party proceeded back past the council ground
and perhaps thrc^-quarters of a mile beyond, w^hen two
Indians were sent on in great haste, with the probable
purpose of finding out if the chiefs were at a safe distance
ahead. A few minutes later, as the party were passing
over a little knoll, these two Indians came riding back at
full speed. Seeing the party they stopped, and one of the
Indians fired at Mr. Cowan, striking him in the right
thigh. The firing then became general and the party
scattered into the woods. Carpenter and his two sisters
were taken prisoners. Carpenter^s life was saved by an
involuntary act which has won for him the undeserved
credit of showing great presence of mind. An Indian lev-
eled his gun at him, when Carpenter, believing that his
time had come, made a sign of the cross. The religious
nature of the Indian* instantly responded to the familiar
movement, and he dropped his gun and told Carpenter
that he would save him.
When Cowan was shot he slid from his horse, but his
leg was paralyzed and he fell upon the steep side hill and
rolled down against a log. ^Mrs. Cowan instantly leaped
from her horse, ran to her husband's side, enveloped his
head in her arms, and tried to baffle the efforts of the In-
dians to kill him. The Indians tried to pull her away, but
she resisted strenuously, begging them to kill her instead.
Cowan himself held fast to her, preferring that she be
killed there with him than be left to the mercy of the sav-
ages. Charley then came up, asked where Cowan's wound
was, and seeing that it was not fatal, made a desperate
* The Nez Perces had been for nearly fifty years devout fol-
lowers of the Catholic Church,
158 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
effort to get a shot at his head, but Mrs. Cowan was too
alert for him. Finally, Charley drew Mrs. Cowan back
and another Indian held a pistol almost in Cowan's eyes
and fired. Mrs. Cowan was pulled away, and with her
brother and sister was taken along with the Indians. Some
stones were thrown upon Cowan's head, and he was then
left for dead.
Singularly enough, neither the bullet wounds nor the
blows from the stones had been fatal to Mr. Cowan and he
presently recovered consciousness. The attack had taken
place about 2 ;30 p. M., and when he opened his eyes the
sun was just dropping below the western hills. He recalled
what had happened, examined himself, made up his mind
that there was abundant hope yet, and concluded to save
himself if he could. He drew himself up by the branch of
a tree, when, lo ! a little way off, he saw a mounted Indian
in the act of drawing his rifle to fire at him. Cowan tried
to get away, but the Indian dismounted and fired and
struck him in the back. He fell to the ground and mo-
mentarily expected the Indian to come up and dispatch
him, but for some reason he did not come.
After waiting awhile, and seeing no other Indians, Mr.
Cowan commenced a pilgrimage on his knees which con-
tinued for several days and probably has no parallel in
history. He was wholly without food, with three bullet
wounds and dangerous bruises on his person, and in a trail
that was still thronging with hostile Indians. He crawled
along on the back trail in a bright moonlight until about
midnight, when he thought he saw something. Stopping
and looking closely, he saw an Indian rise up from his
sleep, look around and then lie down again. Cowan re-
treated as noiselessly as possible, made a wide detour, and
resumed his course. He next passed a bunch of broken
THE NEZ PERCES AND THE RADERSBURO TOURISTS. lo9
down Xez Perce horseS;, which has been abandoned. Ho
would have caught one, but there was no bridle and it was
doubtful if he could have ridden. It was not until noon of
the following day that he reached a creek crossing and
found plenty of water.
At this snail pace Cowan kept on day after day. One
morning, about nine oY^lock, he heard Indians again. Ly-
ing low behind a tree he watched and listened, and pres-
ently saw a body of about seventy-five Indians passing up
the valley. He thought he saw a white man among them,
but was not certain. It was^ in fact, a company of friendly
Bannock scouts on the trail of the i^ez Perces, under the
command of an army officer. But Cowman did not know
and it would not do to run any risk.
The day after this event he reached the abandoned
wagons. There w^as nothing to be found there in the shape
of food, but he did find a bird dog that belonged to the
party. The dog had probably been there ever since the
v/agons WTre abandoned. At the first sight of Cowan she
rushed at him fiercely, but suddenly recognizing him, her
fury changed and she pawed and caressed him in a par-
oxysm of joy.
Cowan next made his painful w^ay to the old camp,
where he found about a dozen matches and a little coffee
scattered on the ground. With an old fruit can he suc-
ceeded, after much difficulty, in making some coffee — the
first thing he had had in the way of nourishment since
he was shot. Remaining there over night, he started for
the valley of iJs'ez Perce Creek, because he would there be
more in the route of any force that might be following the
Indians. When nearing a point which he had selected for
his permanent bivouac, he discovered two horsemen on the
edge of some timber and presently distinguished that they
160 TPTE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
were white men. He signaled and they approached, in-
quiring in much astonishment, ^'Who in h — 1 are you?''
Cowan gave them his name and they replied that they had
expected to bury him that day. They had met Oldham
and Meyers, who had told them that Cowan was dead.
I'he two men were scouts from Howard's command. They
fixed Cowan up as well as they could, built him a large
fire, left him food to last till Howard should come, and
then went on their way.
Cowan dropped asleep, but soon fell into another peril
which came near proving fatal. The ground on wdiich he
was lying was full of vegetable mould, very dry at that sea-
son of the year, and the fire burrowed through it with
facihty. Cowan was awakened by the heat and found him-
self completely surrounded by fire. With great difficulty
and severe burns, he extricated himself from this new
danger.
Howard and his command came along on the afternoon
of August 30th, and went into camp half a mile above
the present bridge over ^ez Perce Creek. He named tliis
camp **Camp Cowan.'' He brought news of the safety of
Mrs. Cowan and her sister and brother. Cowan was given
surgical attendance, and when camp moved was carried
in one of the wagons. He accompanied General Howard's
command as far as to Mud Geyser, and was then entrusted
to the wagon train in charge of Captain Spurgin. After
many delays and great suffering, he reached Bottler's ranch
about twenty-five miles north of the Park, a great stopping
place in those days. Here the military left him to await
the arrival of friends.
Mrs. Cowan in the meanwhile had returned home. She
remained there but one day, when she went to her father's
house some twenty miles distant and there received news
The nez perces and the radersburg tourists. 161
of Mr. Cowan's safety. She at once went to Helena to
learn Ijy telegraph where he was, and then went by stage to
Bozernan, where she procured a suitable conveyance and
started for Bottler's ranch. The day after her arrival they
.set out on the return journey to Bozeman, Mr. Cowan lying
on a bed in the bottom of the w^agon. The route lay
across the Trail Creek divide between the Yellowstone and
Gallatin liivers. When near the top of liis divide, and
going down a steep hill, the neck yoke broke, the team ran,
and the wagon was overturned down the mountain side.
Only the generous supply of bedding on which 'Mr. Cowan
was lying saved him from serious injurv'. By good luck
a man on horseback happened along just then. Arnold
impressed the horse, made a forced ride to Fort Ellis,
secured an ambulance, and the journey was thus completed
to Bozeman. Cowan was taken at once to a hotel, where
he remained until well enough to return home.
The fatality which seemed to pursue Mr. Cowan did
not yet desert him, but now began to assume a ludicrous
phase. As soon as his presence at the hotel became known,
friends and others rushed in to see him and tender their
congratulations. They gathered around his bed and so
m^^ny sat down upon it that it gave away and fell in a
wreck on the lioor. The proprietor jokingly threatened
to expel the wounded man, as he could not afford to have
such a Jonah on the premises.
Among the callers upon ^Ir. Cowan at this time was an
importunate minister who displayed some of the tactless
ycal which occasionally characterizes members of the cler-
ical profession. He asked many questions, which Mr.
Cowan, in his exhausted condition, became very tired of.
Finally he said with impressive gravity : "Mr. Cowan, dur-
ing all this time that you were crawling along, not know-
(7*)
162 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
ing that you would ever see your friends again, did yon
not frequently think of your God ?'' Mr. Cowan's patience
was gone, and he replied in a way that he has ever since
been a little sorry for: "Xot by a d — ^n sight; I had too
many other things to think of."
The experiences of Mrs. Cowan and her sister, after the
events of August 2-4, though full of hardship and suffer-
ing, were not at any time a matter of peril. They were
treated ^dth respect by the Indians. A council was held
at the ford of the Yellowstone to determine their fate,
and they were given their freedom. Their long ride to
Bottler's ranch was very trj^ing, but they accomplished it
successfullv.*
♦ Mr. and Mrs. Cowan are still living at the date of this
writing (1903), They have made several tours of the Park
since their first unhappy visit. In 1901 Mr. Cowan accom-
panied the writer on an expedition over the route of Joseph
and Howard and rendered material aid in identifying the more
important landmarks of the campaign.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE NEZ PERCES AND THE HELENA TOURISTS.
The party of Helena tourists in camp near ,the "Falls of
the Yellowstone on the night of August 24th, were less
foi-tunate than the Eadersburg party. On the morning of
the 25th, they started up the river toward the Mud Geyser.
They had gone about a mile beyond Sulphur Mountain
when they discovered moving bodies of men, part of whom
were fording the river. Careful scrutiny showed them to
be Indians, and the party rightly divined that they must
be the hostile Xez Perces. They hastily retraced their
steps and went into camp in the timber near the forks of
Otter Creek, about a mile and a half from the Upper Falls
of the Yellowstone. Here they remained undisturbed all
day and the following night. On the morning of the 26th.
Weikert and Wilkie set out to scout the countr}^ They
went as far as Sulphur Mountain, and finding ever}'thing
clear, started back to camp to report. Wlien entering the
timber just north of Alum Creek, they suddenly met a
band of Indians who promptly opened fire on them. A
flight and pursuit of considerable duration ended in the
escape of both men; but not until Weikert had been
wounded. This party of Indians had just attacked and
dispersed the group in camp. They had stolen upon the
camp as dinner was being prepared, and a volley of mus.-
ketry was the first warning the tourists had of their pres-
ence. There was instant flight, and most of the party
managed to get away. But Kenck was soon overtaken and
killed; and Stewart, after being severely wounded, pre-
vailed on the Indians to spare his life.
164 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Weikert and Wilkie, who had hastened back to camp
after their own encounter, found everything in confusion,
and all the party gone. They soon fell in with several of
them, and together they set out for Mammoth Hot Springs.
And now began another series of wanderings through
the trackless wilderness of the Park. Two of the party
made their way by way of the Madison Eiver, where they
were given food by soldiers, to Virginia City and thence to
Helena. The rest of the survivors, after much hardship,
reached Mammoth Hot Springs, and soon after left the
Park with the exception of Weikert, Dietrich, the colored
cook. Stone, and a man named Stpner.
On August 31st, Weikert and one McCartney, owner of
the first hotel ever built in the Park, went to the Falls of
the Yellowstone in order, if possible, to learn the fate of
the missing members of the party. Shortly after their
departure from the Springs a band of Indians prowled
across the country from the Yellowstone to the Gardiner,
and went down the latter stream as far as Henderson's
ranch near the present town of Cinnabar. After a brief
skirmish and a general pillage here, they went back to
Mammoth Hot Springs. Stoner and the colored cook fled
precipitately, but Dietrich, believing the Indians to be
friendly scouts, remained behind and was shot dead in the
door of the hotel. Stone made a lucky escape by climbing
a tree, and his subsequent ludicrous recital of his expe-
rience became a standin/g jest among the inhabitants of
the Yellowstone.
Weikert and McCartney went back to the old camp on
Otter Creek, where they buried Kenck's remains and gath-
ered up whatever of value the Indians had left. On their
way back, when near the falls of the East Gardiner, they
met the band of Indians who had just slain Dietrich at
•'"-r ... *
THE NEZ PERCES AND THE HELENA TOURISTS. 165
Mammoth Hot Springs. A lively skirmish ensued, in
which Weikert lost his horse. The two men succeeded in
finding refuge in some neighboring brushwood.
Several noteworthy incidents are connected with this
raid of the Nez Perces, as there always are with any event
where human life is at stake and men are put upon their
mettle by the problem of self-preservation.
The camp site on Otter Creek was well chosen for de-
fense, but its natural advantages were absolutely ignored
by the party. It was a triangular knoll between the forks
of the stream, and some twenty feet above them. It com-
manded every approach, and with the slightest vigilance
and intelligent preparation, could have been made impreg-
nable to the eighteen Indians who attacked it. But while
the camp was^ properly pitched in a little depression back
of the crest, the men themselves all staid back where the
view around them was entirely cut off. They kept no
guard, and were, therefore, in a worse position than if
actually out in the open plain below. The Indians ap-
proached under cover of the hill, climbed its sides, ani
burst over its crest directly into camp before any one su -
pected their presence.
"When the Helena party retreated from Sulphur ^foun-
tain, after their first sight of the Indians, Kenck wantel
to go right in to ^Mammoth Hot Springs, instead of goin',^
into camp as they did on Otter Creek. He even refused tos
submit to the decision of the majority and started back
alone, but gave it up and rejoined the party. Shortly be-
fore the attack occurred, his mind full of foreboding, he
said to Stone, the colored cook : "Stone, what would you do
if the Indians should jump us?*' Stone replied: "You
take care of yourself, and I'll take care of mine." Scarcely
were the words out of his mouth when the Indians did
166 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
''jump" the camp. Stone took care of himself, as he had
promised, and as we shall presently see, but poor Kenck
was chased to a hill across the creek and there slain.
Stewart's escape was due to an impulse of mercy or in-
dulgence very rare in the annals of Indian warfare. He
was hit with a rifle ball in the first rush to escape. He
fell and the Indians came up and he expected to be dis-
patched at once. He begged lustily for his life and prom-
ised to give the Indians everything he possessed — a rather
superfluous generosity, since they could take it all anyway.
His pleading seemed to make an impression. He gave them
two hundred and sixty dollars in cash and his gold watch,
and they let him go. Just after they left he saw his horse
near by. The animal was incorrigibly wild and very hard
to catch; but this time responded at once to its master's-,
voice and gave himself up without any apparent objection.
\Yeikert's and McCartney's brush with the Indians on
the slope of Mount Everts was a lively affair while it
lasted. Both men spurred their horses up the steep side
of the mountain toward some underbrush, the Indian,;
firing thick and fast all the time. The two men replied,
but not very effectively at the speed at which they were
going. Suddenly both were unhorsed. Weikert's horse
was shot and instantly killed, and McCartney's saddle
slipped back and turned over under the horse, frightening
him and causing him to run away. The mule that carried
the pack was abandoned when the chase began. The In-
dians were getting very close when the two men reached
cover, but then abandoned the chase and themselves took
counsel as to their personal safety.
Once during their flight McCartney looked at Weikert
and saw that he was pale as a sheet. He said to Weikert^
THE NEZ PERCES AND THE HELENA TOURISTS. 167
''Do I look pale?'' "No, do 1?" McCartney answered,
"No."
Just how Dietrich happened to get caught as he did is
a mystery. He was a music teacher from Helena and
unused to roughing it. On his way in from Otter Creek
he became utterly exhausted and a horse had to be sent
back several miles for him. When Weikert and McCart-
ney started back to bury Kenck, McCartney cautioned him
to "look out for his hair.'"' Dietrich replied: "Andy,
[Weikert] you will give me a decent burial, won't you?"
Later in the same day Indians were seen approaching the
Springs. They went on, however, to Henderson's ranch
below and returned the following day. Tliis time they
apparently surprised Dietrich in the cabin, which still
stands in the gulch west of Liberty Cap, and shot him on
the door steps. The soldiers found the body soon after
and laid it in the cabin on the floor. It was buried by
Weikert on the following day. Six weeks later Weikert
came in from Helena and took away the remains of both
Kenck and Dietrich.
Ben Stone, the colored cook, no longer a young man,
possessed enough of the quaint humor of his race to lend
an air of comicality to a situation which more than ouee
came near having tragic consequences. When the Indians
"jumped" the camp on Otter Creek, just after he had made
his laconic reply to Kenck, he could not at first believe it
was Indians, but thought it was some of his own party try-
ing to create a little excitement. He called out to them to
"stop their foolishness," for they might kill some one, and
added, "You can't scare us." A moment later saw liim on
a lively run and the dinner he was cooking was never fin-
ished. As he ran, the Indians fired several shots at him.
He fell into a creek and they probably thought him killed.
168 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAEK.
Later, when Weikert overtook him on the trail and asked
him how he got his trousers torn so (there was a ragged
rent across the seat) he replied: "Oh, I know where I got
that. It was when I fell. I recollect feeling as if some-
thing were crawling under me and it was a piece of lead."
Stone was at Mammoth Hot Springs when the Indians
raided the place. He retreated up the gulch hack of the
McCartney cabin, the Indians in pursuit, and taking ad-
vantage of a moment when a turn in the trail concealed
them from view, shinned up a tree and made himself
scarce in the branches. His heart beat so loud that he
was certain the Indians would hear it. One of them did
stop directly under the tree, but the terrified cook prayed
fervently that he might pass on, and his prayer was
answered.
Weikert, in his Journal, records that Stone remained in
the tree until after dark, "when he slipped down and
crawled over a hill, where he stayed all night and the next
da}', when he again ventured out. Ben said, Tive times I
started out of dem bushes and five times I went back again.
Then I prayed fervently to Almighty God to deliver me
out of this trouble, and he did take me out.' A bear came
to see him while he was in the brush and he was undecided
what to do. If he stayed there the bear would be apt to
eat him, and if he came out the Indians would be likely to
kill him; but he finally decided in favor of the bear,
because he had tried the Indians twice. When the bear
saw him it stood up on its hind feet and looked at him
for a while and then ran away"
The poor darkey then made his way to Henderson's
ranch, where Lieutenant Doane was in camp Tvith a com-
pany of scouts. The sentinel challenged him (Stone's
version) — "'Who comes dar?' 'Ben Stone.' 'Come in.
THE NEZ PERCES AND THE HELEXA TOURISTS. 169
Ben stone;' and you bet I come a runnin'/' Two of
the friendly Indian scouts rushed up to Stone and shook
hands, exclaiming, "How, how!" Stone was again panic
stricken and declared that one of the Indians was Chief
Joseph himself. He did not recover his composure until
AVcikert and McCartney returned to camp.
That night his heart was so full of gratitude over liis
miraculous escape that he could not rest, and started to
spend the night in praying aloud and thanking God for
his goodness. The rest of the camp became weary of his
devotions after a while and asked him to desist. He replied
that God had saved his life and he was going to thank
Him as long and loud as he liked, whether the camp got
any sleep or not. Lieutenant Doane finally stationed a
guard to compel him to silence.
(8)
CHAPTER XYIII.
CAPTAIN SPURGIN AND HIS "SKILLETS/'
One of the interesting features of General Howard's
pursuit of Chief Joseph across the Park was the part
taken by Captain W. F. Spurgin, Twenty-first Infantry,
who was engineer officer of the command.* Before start-
ing on his long pursuit. General Howard organized in
Idaho a company of fifty-two frontiersmen, all of whom
were skilled in some useful kind of work. They were
organized as a company of engineers, armed as infantry
troops, but mounted on horses furnished by themselves,
and were paid at the rate of three dollars a day and their
rations. The company had two pontoon-boats, all necessar}'
tools and supplies, and a large pack train. They were not
designated as engineers, though doing the work of engineer
troops, but as "skilled laborers.^' This long name was
quickly condensed by the troops into "skillets.^' The com-
pany started out every morning half an hour after the
♦ "Captain William F. Spurgin, Twenty-first Infantry.— This
officer performed important duty, first at the depot in Lewis-
ton, and afterwards on the field in command of the Pioneer
Company. His work in clearing the obstructed trails through
the" forests, and in making roads practicable for his bridge,
wagons, and other impedimenta, over precipitous heights and
yawning ravines, was often arduous in the extreme, and ac-
complished with extraordinary quickness. His labors were of
Buch a character as to call forth energy, determination and
skillful adaptation of the means to the end. All these quali-
ties he displayed in a high degree, and succeeded in instilling
the same into those under his command." Report of Gen. O.
0, Howard on Nez Perces Campaign.
CAPTAIN SPURGIN AND HIS "SKILLETS/' 171
scouts> and about an hour before the main body. Their
duty was to make a road for the army, and it involved con-
stant work, great activity, and called forth every practical
expedient for overcoming difficulties with alacrity.
After the Park was reached these difficulties became too
great to open the road as fast as Howard wished to move,
and on the second day the army passed on over Mary
Mountain, leaving Spurgin and the train to follow as fast
as they could. The Captain made the prodigious ascent
of the mountain, opening a road through the timber, and
reached the ford of the Yellowstone very soon after
Howard did. The General asked him how many wagons
he had to abandon, and was greatly pleased to learn that
all had gotten through.
Captain Spurgin crossed to the right bank of the
Yellowstone at the Mud Geyser Ford, as it was expected to
follow the Indians up the Pelican Valley. But at this
point a man named Irwin came into camp, who had just
escaped from the Indians, and the information he brought
induced Gen^^ral Howard to go down the Yellowstone by
tlie left bank, cross at Baronett Bridge, and then ascend
the Valley of Lamar Eiver until he should strike Joseph's
trail again. As the countr}' was too rough for the wagons
to keep up they were placed under separate escort, and
supplies for the troops were carried by pack train. At
Cascade Creek the escort was ordered to join Howard, and
the train was put under charge of Captain Spurgin, ^^dtli
orders to take it back to Fort Ellis.
It was on tliis part of the route from Mud Geyser to
Baronett Bridge, over the shoulder of Mt. Washburn*,
that Captain Spurgin made a proud record for himself as
an officer of energy and resource, and left traces of the
campaign through the Park which a (quarter of a century
172 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
has failed to eradicate. There are evidences of the old
road nearly all the way. The high wooded hill along the
river west of the present road, and about two miles above
the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone, was descended by
cutting a narrow way through the timber and letting the
wagons straight do^\^l, holding them with ropes wound
around trees. The marks on the trees where the ropes
burned through the bark are still (1903) distinctly visible.
The soldiers called this place "Spurgin's Beaver Slide."
The crossing of Cascade Creek also can still be identified.
The train passed through Dunraven Pass, and instead of
keeping along the trail dropped down into the valley of
Carnelian Creek. Thence it kept on to Tower Creek, and
crossed the latter stream about a mile above the modern
bridge. The traces of this old road will not disappear,
except through a forest fire, for centuries to come.
While descending the valley of Carnelian Creek the
little party had a momentary scare that created something
of a panic. One of the herders rode into camp in hot haste
saying that a large body of Indians was coming down the
trail from Dujiraven Pass. The men instantly withdrew a
little distance from the train and took up a defensive
position, where they waited an hour or so until all danger
had passed. It developed later that the Indians were
friendly scouts under Lieutenant Doane.
After arriving at Baronett Bridge, and when the
difficult part of his task was over. Captain Spurgin decided
to take with him only sufficient rations to carry him to
Ellis, and send all the rest on to Howard by pack train.
The circumstance gave rise to an amusing incident worth
recording. There were three garrulous braggarts among
.Spurgin's ^''skillets,'' wlio were always vaunting the great
exploits and the wonderful experiences the^ had gone
CAPTAIN- SPURGIN AXD HIS ''''SKILLETS/' 173
tlirough. Tlie night of the arrival at Baronett Bridge,
Spurgin overheard them in camp engaged in their favorite
pastime, each trying to outdo the other.
One of them related that when he crossed the plains with
his father years before they found the game all gone, and
were compelled to kill their horses for meat. They came
to like this food almost as well as buffalo meat.
The second story teller declared that it was nothing to
have to live on horseflesh ; that he had often been reduced
to such straits ; and on one occasion had actually been com-
pelled to live on rattlesnakes. He found this flesh exceed-
ingly palatable, as good as anything he ever ate.
Xumber three likewise had been compelled in his long
experience to eat everything from horses to snakes, and
other reptiles and "varmints." But once he got into a
country where he could find absolutely nothing. It was on
the Blacktail Deer Creek, not ver}^ far from where they
then were. He was about to give up in despair when all of a
sudden he came upon a herd of strange wild cattle that
weighed all the way from 1,200 to 1,800 pounds. He
pitched his camp in this paradise, which had so suddenly
sprung up in the desert, and reveled in abundance for
several days.
The morning following this wordy contest Captain
Spurgin called these men to his tent, told them his plans,
and asked them how many days' rations they thought would
be barely sufhcient to take him to Ellis; that he wanted to
send all the rest to Howard. The horseflesh eater thought
about twenty days' rations would do. The rattlesnaJvc man
thought it best to make it twentj^-one. The hero of the
wild cattle tale "allowed" that it would require twenty or
twenty-one. Their unanimity of opinion was striking, and
their determination to have plenty to eat equally so.
174 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Spurgin told them that he should take only seven days^
rations. They threw up their hands in horror and declared
that they would all surely starve. "Well/^ said the Cap-
tain, looking at number one, "if worse comes to worst we
can kill our horses and eat them." The man replied that
their horses were too poor to make suitable meat. "In
that case we can fall back upon rattlesnakes/^ suggested
the Captain. "There are plenty of them in this countr}',
are there not?" and he fixed a mischievous eye upon the
rattlesnake man. The latter promptly replied that rattle-
snakes did not flourish in such high altitudes. "Well, in
any event." persisted the Captain, turning to number
three, "we will kill some of those wild cattle on the Black-
tail that weigh from 1,200 to 1,800 pounds, and put up
meat enough to last us. We shall have to do something,
for I'm going to take only seven days' rations."
"We'd better see wHo's around the next time we go
to blowing," said the wild cattle man to his pals as they
slunk away crestfallen at their interview.
Part II —Descriptive
CHAPTER I.
BOUNDARIES AXD TOPOGRAPHY.
At the time when the bill creating the Yellowstone Park
was before Congress there had been no detailed survey of
that region, and the boundaries, as specified in the bill,
were to some extent random guesses. The exploring
parties of 1870 and 1871 had seen all the more important
points of interest. To include these in the proposed
reservation, the framers of the bill passed two lines due
east and west, one through the junction of the Yellowstone
and Gardiner Eivers, and one through a point ten miles
south of the most southerly point of the Yellowstone
Lake; and two lines due north and south, one through a
point ten miles east of the easternmost point of Yellow-
stone Lake, and one through a point fifteen miles west of
the most westerly point of Shoshone (then called Madison)
Lake. The nearly rectangular area thus resulting was
found to lie mainly in the northwest corner of Wyoming,
with narrow strips, two or three miles wide, overlapping
into the Territories of Montana and Idaho. The mean
dimensions of the Reservation were 61.8 miles by 53.6
miles, giving an area of 3,312.5 square miles.
Under Acts of Congress approved March 3, 1891, and
June 4, 1897, authorizing the creation of forest reserves
and the modification of boundaries of reserves already
created, several such creations and changes have been
176 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
made in the country around the Park during the past
twelve years. There are at present two such reserves on
the borders of the Park — the Yellowstone Forest Eeserve
(proclamation of January 29, 1903), which is a consolida-
tion, with some change, of the reserves previously created
east and south of the Park; and the Madison Forest
Keserve, which was newly created by proclamation of
August 16, 1902. The territory thus set aside covers the
entire eastern and southern boundaries of the Park, except
that portion in the State of Idaho ; and limited portions of
the northern and western boundaries. The approximate
areas reserved are:
The Yellowstone Eeserve, 13,070 square miles.
The Madison Eeserve, 1,270 square miles.
This makes, with the Park proper, a total area reserved
from settlement of about 17,600 square miles.*
There have been many attempts to extend the Park
boundaries so as to take in portions of the surrounding
country now embraced in the forest reserves, particularly
the region known as Jackson Hole. The time is now past,
however, when this can be accomplished without a radical
• There Is an exceedingly Interesting historical reference
to this region, in which there is a definition of boundaries
which does great credit to the individual who made it. In a
letter quoted elsewhere, the distinguished Jesuit missionary,
Father DeSmet, writing in 1852, makes this statement: "I
think that the most extraordinary spot in this respect [natural
wonders], and perhaps the most marvelous of all the northern
half of the continent, is in the very heart of the Rocky Moun-
tains, between the 43d and 45th degrees of latitude, and the
109th and 111th degrees of longitude." Let the reader exam-
ine a map of Wyoming on which are represented the Yellow-
stone Park and the neighboring forest reserves, and note how
closely their combined area agrees with that described by
Father DeSmet.
BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPTTY. Ill
change in the present policy of governing the Park. Set-
tlement has already gained a foothold in the surrounding
reserves which it would be difficult to uproot. The perma-
nent exclusion of- railroads from all parts of such an exten-
sive territory is neither practicable nor desirable. The
hunting of wild game throughout this region at certain
seasons and under careful restrictions is eminently proper.
In the Park itself it is very desirable to exclude all these
things and it has been found practicable to do so. The
policy should be carefully maintained, and the Park is the
only place of like extent in the world where this is possi-
ble. It will fall by its own weight if extended too far.
The Indians, with that exquisite propriety which so
often characterized their geographical nomenclature, called
tliis larger region the '^'^summit of the world"; and it is
the summit of the world as they knew it — the top of the
North American Continent. From out its forests and
mountains great rivers descend in every direction to the
sea. The Missouri River, through the Madison and Galla-
tin Forks, and the great tributaries, Yellowstone and
Platte, flows down from these mountains. Likewise Green
River, the principal tributary of the Colorado of the West,
rises in the snows of these same hills, and its icy waters
flow south until they reach the sea on the very border of
the torrid zone. Finally the great southern branch of the
Columbia, the Snake River, finds it sources interlaced with
those of the streams just mentioned.
The vast importance of this region as a source of great
river systems will be understood when it is remembered
that each of these streams flows for fully a thousand miles
through a country where agriculture is possible only by
irrigation, and that their waters, if properly utilized, are
capable of maintaining a population as great as that west
178 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAHK.
of the longitude of Omaha to-day. Surely, it is not only
the "summit of the world," but a veritable fountain head
of national life, and there is a natural harmony of relation
in the fact that this entire region has been brought under
federal control.
MOUNTAIN SYSTEMS.
Confining our inquiries to the Park proper, we shall ne:xt
note its salient topographical features. The Park lies in
the "heart of the Rocky Mountains," and within or around
it are some of the most massive ranges on the continent.
This is particularly true of the extensive system which
borders the Park on the east under the name Absaroka.
It extends north of the Park fully forty miles and south
as far as Union Pass, where it merges into the noted Wind
Eiver range. It separates the valley of the Upper Yellow-
Btone from its principal tributary, the Big Horn. The
range is excessively rugged and broken, and is practically
impassable, except along a few trails. Sylvan Pass, which
has been selected for the eastern approach to the Park, is
about eight thousand six hundred feet high, nearly a thou-
sand feet lower than any other within a distance of forty
miles. There are thirty named peaks of this range within
the Park with a ruling altitude of about ten thousand four
hundred feet; but in the forest reserve, just east of the
Park, the altitude is about two thousand feet higher. The
scenery of these mountains is everj^where of a sublime and
imposing character.
The Gallatin Eange, another important mountain system,
lies in and beyond the northwest corner of the Park. It
separates the watersheds of the Missouri and Yellowstone
Rivers, and is the source of several tributaries of eaoli
stream. The range is one of great scenic beauty and one
BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPHY. 179
that falls prominently under the eye of the tourist. It is
also of particular interest to scientists from its varied geo-
logical structure. It is not a lofty range, its seventeen
named peaks, averaging only about nine thousand eight
hundred feet high; but its highest summit, Electric Peak,
is the loftiest mountain in the Park.
The Washburn Piangc, a detached system, originaV.y
known as the "Elephant's Back," is situated between th^i
Grand Canon of the Yellowstone and the Gardiner Eiver.
It has seven christened summits, with an average altitude
of 9,800 feet. The most conspicuous peak of the range,
as well as the most noted mountain of the Park, is Mt.
Washburn.
The Red Mountain Range is a small group of mountaiiis
between Heart and Lewis Lakes, and southwest of Yellow-
stone Lake. Its principal summit, and next, to Mt. Wash-
burn the most important one in the Park, is ^It Sheridan.
The Big Game Ridge lies along the south boundary of
the Park, and is the source of the Snake River. It has
six named peaks, with an average altitude of 9,800 feet.
The Teton Range lies south of the Park, its northern
spurs crossing the boundary. It is not an extensive system,
but one of great altitude and marvelous scenic beauty. The
Grand Teton, its principal summit, is about 13,700 feet
high. The whole range rises in sheer relief above the sur-
face of Jackson Lake nearl}^ a mile and a half. It has
always l^een a matter of great regret that this wonderful
mountain system was not included in the Park.
The Continental Divide, or the ^^leight of land," whicli
separates the waters that flow into the Atlantic from those
that flow into the Pacific, crosses the Park in a direction
from northwest to southeast. Its sinuous course can be
best understood from the map. It does not lie along the
180 1!11T. YELLOWSTONE N-ATIOJTAL PARK.
crest of any prominent ridge, and in one place is but little
higher than the Yellowstone Lake. A notable feature of
the Divide is the great loop that it makes around the water-
shed of DeLacy Creek, a tributary of Shoshone Lake. The
main tourist route passes directly through this area, and
tlius crosses the Continental Divide twice. Another promi-
nent feature of the Divide is Two-Ocean Pass, described
elsewhere,* which lies just south of the Park.
DEAITTAGE SYSTEMS.
The Absaroka and Gallatin Eanges and the Continental
Divide mark the boundaries of the three great river sys-
tems of the Park, the Yellowstone, the Missouri and the
Snake.
The first two are on the Atlantic slope ; the third is on
the Pacific slope. The areas drained by them are approxi-
mately :
By the Yellowstone, 1,900 square miles.
By the Missouri, 730 square miles.
By the Snake, 682 square miles.
The Yellowstone River has its source in the snow drifts
of Yount Peak, twenty-five miles southeast of the Park.
It enters the Reservation six miles west of the southeast
corner; crosses it in a direction somewhat west of north,
and leaves it at a point about nineteen miles east of the
northwest corner. Xear the center of the Park it flows
through the celebrated lake of the same name, and further
north passes through two remarkable caiions before it
leaves the Reservation. Its principal tributaries from the
east are Pelican Creek, which flows into the Lake, and the
Lamar River, commonly called the East Fork. Those from
the west are Tower Creek and Gardiner River.
* Page 310.
BOTTNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPHY. 181
The Lamar Eiver rises nearly due east of the outlet of
Yellowstone Lake and flows northwesterly, joining the
main stream near Junction Butte. Its principal tributary
is Soda Butte Creek, which rises just outside the northeast
comer of the Park and joins the Lamar Eiver near the ex-
tinct hot spring cone from which it derives its name.
Gardiner Eiver is the second largest tributary of the
Yellowstone, and drains the extensive area between the
Washburn and Gallatin Mountains.
The low-water discharge of the Yellowstone Eiver, aa
measured by the writer, in 1891, a little below the lake out-
let, is 1,598 cubic feet per second; as measured by the
United States Geological Survey, in 1886, 1,525 cubic feet.
The discharge at the north boundary of the Park cannot
be less than 2,000 cubic feet.
The Missouri Eiver drainage flows into the Gallatin and
Madison forks of that stream. The Gallatin drains only a
small area in the extreme northwest corner of the Park.
The Madison is formed by the junction of the Gibbon and
Firehole Elvers, about twelve miles east of the west boun-
dary of the Park. The Gibbon takes its rise a few miles
west of the Falls of the Yellowstone, and flows in a south-
west direction. The Firehole rises in Madison Lake, and
flows north to its junction with the Gibbon. Its principal
tributaries are the Little Firehole Eiver and Iron Creek on
the west, and Xez Perce Creek on the east.
The Snake Eiver drains the southwest portion of the
Park. It rises about fifteen miles south of Yellowstone
Lake, just outside the boundary. It then takes a northerly
circuit into the Park, receiving the waters of Heart and
Lewis Elvers, and leaves the Eeservation just north of Jack-
son Lake. Its princijial tributary is the Lewis Eiver, which
drains Shoshone and Lewis Lakes. Several large streams,
182 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAKK.
Bechler and Falls Elvers among them, cross the southwest
boundary of the Park and join the main Snake further
south.
A very noted stream, the main trunk of which lies out-
side the Park, is the Shoshone (formerly called Stinlving
Water) Eiver, which rises in the Forest Eeserve east of the
Park. Several of its western tributaries, like Jones and
Middle Creeks, drain a considerable area in the Absaroka
Eange, east of the lake ; and along the valley of the second
of these streams is located the eastern entrance to the Park.
These several rivers, with their tributaries, make about
165 named streams in the Park. The abundance of flow-
ing water as indicated by these figures, has an important
bearing upon the practical side of the Park — considered as
a pleasuring ground. The number of bridges and the dam-
ages from floods are a constant and heavy expense to the
road system. On the other hand, the presence of so many
streams, with the rapids and cataracts which abound upon
most of them, forms one of the mo==t attractive features of
the landscape.
In the entire Park there are about thirty-six named lakes
with a total area of nearly 165 square miles. Of these
lakes, twenty-one, with an area of l-i3 square miles, are
on the Yellowstone slope; eight, with an area of perhaps
two square miles, are on the Missouri slope; and seven,
with an area of about twenty square miles, are on the
Snake Eiver slope. The four principal lakes — Yellowstone,
Shoshone, Lewis and Heart — are clustered near the Conti-
nental Divide at its lowest point, the first being on the
Atlantic slope, and the others on the Pacific.
There are upon the various streams of the Park no fewer
than twenty-five interesting waterfalls, where the streams
descend from the plateau to the lower surrounding country.
BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPHY, 183
VALLEYS.
Although the mountains are the prime factors in determ-
ining the topography of a country like the Yellowstone
Park, they are, in a practical sense, of less importance than
the valleys that lie between them and the streams cf "which
they are the source. It is mainly in the valleys that the
fauna of a region dwcll^, and that man carries on his
work. In the Park it so happens that most of the charac-
teristic attractions are also to be found there.
The valleys naturally fall under two broad divisions —
open valleys and caiions. The largest and most important
of the open valleys is that of the Yellowstone and Lamar
Elvers, stretching from Mt. Washburn and Crescent Hill
nearly to the east boundary of the Park. It is fully
twent}'-five miles long and five to ten broad. It is nearly
all open country, with fine pasturage extending well up the
sides of the mountains, forming an ideal grazing ground,
where elk, deer and antelope roam in immense herds.
Hay den Valley, the second largest grassy tract in the
Park, is that portion of the valley of the Upper Yellowstone
which lies north of Mud Geyser. It is covered with rich
grass and is a splendid summer grazing ground, but the
snowfall of winter is too deep for animals to dig through
to the turf.
Among the other open valleys of importance are Swan
Lake Flat and Willow Park, in the valley of the Upper
Gardiner; Elk Park and Gibbon Meadows, on the Gibbon
River; the broad area of Pelican Valley; the Firehole
Geyser Basins, more noted for their natural features than
as a grazing country; and some open tracts around
Shoshone and Lewis Lakes, and along the valley of Falls
River.
184 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Going outside the Park^ the wonderful valley of Jack-
son Hole naturally arrests attention. It is an extensive
region^ generally oj)en and of rolling terrane, though in some
2dacesllat and even as a floor: abounding in fine pasturage,
and a natural home for game of all kinds. But its chief
attraction lies in its marvelous natural beauty. It is tra-
versed b}" the Snake Eiver; dotted with several fine lakcs^,
of which Jackson Lake is the largest, and surrounded by
majestic mountain ranges. The Teton Kange on the west
is its most important scenic attraction. The name, Jackson
Hole, applies strictly to the lower part of the valley below
Jackson Lake.
Caiions are the narrow openings among the hills
through which the water from the mountains finds its way
to the lower country. There are very many of these. On
the Yellowstone, above the Great Bend at Livingston,
where the river finally leaves the mountains, there are four
of these caiions, the first two of which are outside the Park.
The fourth caiion begins about two miles above the Upper
Falls and continues to Baronett Bridge, a distance of
twenty-five miles. Its central portion is the world-
renowned Grand Canon of the Yellowstone.
The Gardiner Eiver has two fine canons that come to the
notice of the tourist. The first of these is near the north-
ern entrance to the Park. The second lies behind Bunsen
Peak, and is of great depth, beauty and grandeur.
On the Gibbon Eiver there is a small, but picturesque,
canon half a mile long, below Virginia Cascade, and an-
other of great interest, extending for five miles below
Gibbon Meadows.
On the Firehole Eiver there are two small gorges, inter-
esting mainly from the cascades and rapids of the river.
One of them is where the tourist route first strikes the river
BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPHY. 186
five miles below the Fountain Hotel, and the other is in the
vicinity of Kepler Cascade, above the Upper Geyser Basin.
Spring Creek Canon is a winding, sylvan valley, of very
picturesque outline, through which Spring Creek flows in
the last three miles of its course. It is traversed by the
tourist route.
On the eastern approach Sylvan Pass is a very striking
natural cut through the mountains, while the canon of
Middle Creek presents a remarkable scene of rugged,
broken country, filled with dense forests, and traversed by a
torrential mountain stream.
There are hundreds of caiions besides those men-
tioned, where streams like the Lamar Eiver and its
tributaries, and the Gallatin, Snake and Upper Yellow-
stone, flow out from their sources in the mountain snows.
But few visitors are fortunate enough ever to see them, and
their beauties will always remain in large part concealed
from the general eye.
PLATEAUS.
A considerable portion of the Park area is composed of
what may be termed plateaus, elevated tracts of land, not
so high as the mountain ranges, but much higher than the
valleys. Ordinarily, these are to be found along the divides
between the larger streams. The more important are the
Pitchstone Plateau, between the Snake Eiver and the head
waters of the Bechler and Falls Elvers, with a mean altitude
of 8.500 feet; Highland Plateau, between the Yellowstone
and the Madison Eivers, altitude 8,300 feet; ^Mirror
Plateau, between the Yellowstone and the Lamar Eivers,
altitude 9,000 feet; the Blacktail Deer Plateau, between
the Yellowstone and the Gardiner, altitude 7.000 feet ; and
the Madison Plateau, we.^ of the Lower Geyser Basin,
altitude 8,300 feet.
(8*)
186 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAEK.
SCENERY.
The mountain scenery of the Park is that of the Eocky
Mountains in general, though not so rugged and imposing
on the whole as may be found in Colorado or in the Sierra
Nevada and Cascade Ranges on the Pacific Slope. Yet in
its general details it is typical of the scenery of the central
mountain region, and perhaps the most varied and beau-
tiful of any. The ^svriter can not better convey a general
idea of it than by reproducing here a description prepared
for a different purpose.*
'•'The physical aspect of the Eocky Mountains is alto-
gether characteristic. The traveler who passes hurriedly
through them on the modem railroad is liable to contrast
imfavorably their grey color, severe outlines and barren
slopes with the verdure-clad hillsides of the Eastern States.
Not so he, who, like the ancient trapper, frequents their
unaccustomed haunts, comes in close contact with their
wild and picturesque details, and observes their varying
moods with the changes of each day and the seasons of the
year. This more intimate acquaintance discloses a
wealth of beauty which the uniform green of the Eastern
mountains does not possess, and it is said by reputable
painters of natural scenery, that no mountains in the world,
not even the Alps, afford scenes so satisfactory to the artist
as those of the Eocky Mountains.
"The general appearance of the mountains is of a greyish
color where vegetation is scarce. This results not ouly
from the exposed areas of rock in situ, but from the dis-
integrated rock which covers the mountains in many
places with a sterile soil. The reddish color of iron oxide
is widely present, particularly in the smaller hills of the
♦American Fur Trade of the Far West, p. 728 et seq.
BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPHY. 187
Bad Lands, while yellow and other colors are of frequent
occurrence.
^^The greater number of the northern mountains have
extensive grassy slopes whose broad areas, inclined upward
as on a mighty easel, and spread out in rolling stretches
with gentle depressions between them, look like beautiful
carpets of green or brown, according to the season, softened
by the mellow haze of distance and burnished by the crim-
son rays of the morning and evening sun. At the higher
elevations, from five to ten thousand feet, forests of pine,
fir and similar trees abound extensively and cover the
mountains with a mantle of dark green or black. At fre-
quent intervals throughout these forests are open spaces,
filled with luxuriant grass, forming parks of faultless
beauty amid the somber solitudes of the surrounding
woods. Everywhere in these wild and sublime situations
occur the always pleasing groves of the quaking aspen, a
grateful relief either from the gloomy view of extensive
forests or the uniform prospect of grass-covered slopes.
Taken together, these varied arrangements of nature
present an artistic appearance that reminds one of the cul-
tivated sections in the mountain regions of Europe where
man has contributed so much to enhance the beauty of
nature.
*The scenery of these mountains, moveover, is subject to
continual and interesting change. Scarcely have the bleak
storms of winter subsided, and while yet deep fields of
snow lie upon the upper slopes, the soft blossoms of spring
shoot eagerly from the scanty soil and oppose the gentle
warmth of their blooms to the chill snow which is slowly
receding before them. So profuse and beautiful are the
flowers in these lofty regions that one would doubt if any
other season could rival the springtime in beauty. But in
188 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
truth the somber season of autumn is the most attractive of
all. The early frosts cover the mountain sides with the
most varied and gorgeous colors. The quaking aspen^
which before was simjily a mass of green upon the moun-
tain side, now stands forth with tenfold greater distinctness
in its rich autumnal foliage. The low growth of under-
brush, which scarcely attracts the eye at other seasons,
takes on a livelier hue, transforming whole mountain sides
into fields of pleasing color. Even upon those inaccessible
and apparently barren slopes, where the eye had not before
detected any sign of vegetable life, may now be seen spots
of crimson and gold, as if nature had scattered here and
there rich bouquets of flowers and bunches of fruit.
"It is not upon the surface of the earth alone that are to
be seen the grandeur and beauty of these regions. Even
the wild mountain storms which are frequent at certain
seasons have an attraction peculiarly their own, and all the
more remarkable by the very contrasts which they produce.
If, in passing, they display on a terrible scale the power of
the elements, on the other hand, they leave behind them, in
the sun-gilded clouds among the mountain tops, the most
peaceful and pleasing pictures which nature anywhere
affords.
"Again, in the long rainless season, the atmosphere, like
the painter's brush, tints the hills, in ever-varying inten-
sity, with the purple and blue of distance. For this is
pre-eminently a land of cloudless skies. The risings and
settings of the sun are on a scale of sublime magnificence,
while the moon rides among the mountain peaks with a
serene splendor unkno^ni in less favored climes. '
It is in this mountain scenery that the chief attraction of
the Park lies — for him who spends considerable time there.
fiOtJNDAKTKS AXD TOPOatJAt>HY. 189
lie may weary of the geysers and hot springs, but he
always finds relief in the varied aspect of nature — ^hei*
shifting seasons, her growth and decay; her mutability
amid scenes of changeless grandeur — and it would make
little difference in his fondness for this region if all its
strange and erratic phenomena should cease to exist.
CHAPTEE IL
GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE PARK,
Nature seems from the first to have design ed this region
for a mountain park. Back in the remote twilight of the
earth's geological histor}', beyond which man is unable to
trace the smallest relic of the past;, and when, the surface
of the globe was one va^t ocean with a few scattering
islands^ the nuclei of all subsequent land gro^\i:hS;, there
had already arisen around the Park country those granite
.protuberances which form the ground work of its present
mountain systems. Just what were the position and extent
of these primeval elevations can never be definitely deter-
mined, but geologists agree that they existed on every side
of the Park which itself remained buried beneath the
waters long ages after their emergence.
In the course of an inconceivable extent of time, embrac-
ing the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras, these exposed areas
were denuded by the action of the elements and the result-
ing detritus was spread about over the bottom of the sur-
rounding seas. Xot improbably chemical action, in those
times of intense activity of all natural agencies, may have
hastened deposition from the impregnated waters and have
aided in the upbuilding of the sedimentary rocks. From
whatever cause, these depositions were of vast extent, their
thickness in some localities, as measured by the geologist,
being several thousand feet. Possilily during all this time
there was an increasing emergence of old mountain foun-
dations, bringing the outlines of the continent more and
more prominently into view.
In geological chronology it was near the close of the
GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE PARK. 191
Cretaceous Period that this long-existing condition under-
went a profound change. The shrinkage of the earth in
the process of cooling had thrown a strain upon its still
weak and plastic crust which it was no longer able to with-
stand. The old Archffian rocks and the vast sedimentary
accumulations were crumpled and forced upward in
stupendous wrinkles, forming lofty mountain ranges
above the ancient sea. These movements may have been
very slow, as we now reckon time, but they were rapid in
a geological sense.
Very interesting would it be if the geologist could
penetrate the lavas which now cover these ancient rocks,
and make for us a map of the Park region as it then was.
We may conjecture that the present surrounding mountain
chains had taken form, and were probably more lofty and
very different in appearance, owing to the vast changes of
later times. It is also probable that the interior of the
Park, which we now call its plateau, had arisen above the
sea and that consequently the formation of sedimentary
rocks had ceased. The interior basin was nevertheless a
depressed area, relatively far deeper than at present.
Whether there were folds or uplifts where Mts. Washburn
and Sheridan now stand is uncertain, but the feeble resist-
ance of the crust at these points in later times would indi-
cate that there were.
Now followed changes of great and far-reaching import-
ance. The crushed and plicated earth-crust yielded to pres-
sure from beneath, where the molten interior, compressed
by the ever increasing force of contraction, was seeking
relief and expansion. Volcanic eruptions of wide extent
and prodigious magnitude took place, and continued inter-
mittently through Tertiary and into Quaternar}- time.
There were evidently many and long periods of quiescence.
192 I^HE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
The pent-up forces having expended their energ}' in one
eruption remained quiescent for a season. The ordinary
atmospheric and vegetable agencies then asserted them-
selves very much as at present, though probably with
greater force and intensity. Meanwhile the imprisoned
fires gathered new force^, burst forth again and destroyed
the peaceful work that had gone on during the period of
rest. Thus these opposite manifestations of natural forces
succeeded each other through long ages, until the reign of
peace was established and the powers of violence and terror
were permanently dethroned.
The lava outpourings during this period of volcanic
activity have given our Park the form in wliich we see
it to-day, except as this has since been modified by the
agencies of denudation and erosion. The earlier outpour-
ings consisted mainly of andesitic breccias; the later of
rhyolite, while all along there were smaller flows of
basaltic lavas. The andesitic eruptions played their prin-
cipal part in the up-building of the mountains. Over the
greater part of the xlbsaroka and Gallatin Eanges the
older granite and sedimentary rocks were buried beneath
the lava, and the modern form of these mountains is that
which time has wrought out from these igneous rocks.
These volcanic outbursts were evidently not so much of
the character of molten lava as in later times. In many
places the heat was not sufficient to consume organic sub-
stances, the forms of which have remained intact to the
present time. The material was apparently not liquid
enouoh to spread itself about like a lake, but instead
banked up in the near neighborhood of eruption and thus
promoted the building up of the mountains. It seems also
to have been of a character that yielded readily to the
agencies of erosion.
There were several craters from which these lavas issued
i tj __ cj _o __ m:
< *
o
Th£' Traverti>-e Rocks.
GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE PARK. 193
— two or more in the Absaroka Range, one in the Gallatin
Range, and two, which interest us more, in the interior of
the Park, Mt. Washburn and Mt. Sheridan. No one can
Etand on the summit of ^It. Wasliburn and look down upon
the forest-covered amphitheater that forms the watershed
of Tower Creek, without feeling instinctively that he is
standing on the rim of an ancient crater, which was once
a seething caldron of molten lava, but is now eJothed in a
garb of beauty by the gentler agencies of nature.
In the process of time the eruptive material from these
volcanoes showed a marked change in character. The later
flows were mainly of rhyolite. It is this rock that makes
the Park plateau what it is to-day. It was of a more
liquid character than the early outflows, and spread itself
all over the country, filling up its depressions and elevating
the general surface of the basin by more than a thousand
feet. The rock has a great variety of superficial habit,
from the soft friable material which grinds to powder
under the wheels of wagons, to the glassy structure so
prominent in Obsidian Cliff. Nine-tenths of all the rock
which the tourist sees is of this character, though its varied
forms might lead him to a different conclusion.
Throughout the entire period of volcanic activity in tliis
region there were limited outpourings of basalt, and the
latest eruptions were of this character. Though small in
extent, compared with the other rocks, it is the most
important of all from a scenic point of view ; for it always
assumes a form that attracts attention. Prominent
examples may be seen in the Middle Gardiner Canon at
Osprey Falls, and along the banks of the Yellowstone near
Tower Falls.
Xext in order of the great events in the geological evo-
lution of the Park is the Glacial Epoch. Its work is
(9)
104 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
everywhere visible and certainly overspread the entire
region. Unquestionably the Park was covered with one
vast ice sheet, which even the warm ground where the hot
springs were could not resist. Perhaps the most extensive
and important of all the glaciers was the one which de-
bouched from the Third Caiion of the Yellowstone and the
Lower Gardiner, into the valley below. It came from two
sources — one in the Absaroka Eange at the head waters of
Lamar Eiver, and the other from th.e Gallatin Eange,
whence it moved eastward and curved around to the left
over Terrace Mountain, joining the main ice stream in the
Gardiner Valley. The debris borne along by these com-
bined glaciers are strewn everywhere throughout the north
of the Park, and are particularly prominent in the valley
of the Yellowstone from the Park boundary north, halfway
to Livingston. In the Gibbon Caiion, near the Falls, are
great accumulations of drift boulders intermixed with
mud. Hayden Valley and vast areas throughout the north
of the Park are stre^Ti with drift. One lone and impres-
sive monument of this once mighty agency still rests in
solitary grandeur on the bank of the Grand Canon, near
Inspiration Point. It is a huge granite boulder and must
have been brought to its present situation by the ice.*
The glacier has been the main agency in giving the Park
topography its present form ; that is, it has done more than
an}i:hing else to shape the valleys and hills and give the
terrane its varied aspect, rounding and smoothing its ele-
vations, plowing out its valleys and scooping out the depres-
sions for its lakes. It has a less enviable reputation^^^th those
to whom falls the practical task of preparing highways for
travelers throughout the Park. Xo obstacle to road build-
* See also page 320.
GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE PARK. 195
ing is quite so formidable as the masses of drift boulders
80 frequently encountered. They have cost the government
thousands upon thousands of dollars. But they have been
of great benefit in other ways, for the line gravel beds are
extensively used in building up a good road surface. One
of these masses of gravel and sand is very remarkable and
has proven a veritable gold mine to the government in its
work around Mammoth Hot Springs. This is Capitol Hill,
which is almost entirely built up of sand and gravel, very
clean and free from loam, and mixed by nature in almost
the identical proportions required lor ordinary concrete.
Another similar deposit is found on Swan Lake Flat, from
which the material for the Golden Gate viaduct was
procured.
The events of the volcanic period of the Park history
are preserved in one of the most perfect natural records
which the researches of geologists have ever brought to
light. The place known as the Fossil Forests of the
Yellowstone is a deep exposure of the volcanic rocks caused
by the erosion of the valley of Lamar Kiver. It discloses
several consecutive horizons of vegetable growth separated
from each other by lava flows, which completely buried the
subjacent growths and provided a foundation for those
above. Beginning with the first or lowest, it is clear that
conditions prevailed at the time wliich were highly favor-
able to vegetable growth, and that these continued long
enough for giant trees to attain mature size. Finally tliis
season of growth was rudely interrupted by the violent
outburst of a volcanic eruption. Vast masses of ejected
material overwhelmed and submerged the land. In this
particular locality the heat was not intense enough to con-
sume the trees, although it killed them and probably
reduced most of them to mere stubs. In the course of long
196 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
ages since that time the percolation of siliceous waters has
turned the organic forms into stone by the process of sub-
stitution, and has thus preserved a most faithful picture of
the vegetable life of that period^ and an infallible proof of
the agencies that destroyed it.
Some of the petrifications are very perfect. Roots,
bark, parts showing incipient decay, worm holes, leaves —
all are preserved with absolute fidelity. The rings of
annual growth may be counted, and these indicate for the
larger trees an age of not less than five hundred years.
Some of the stumps are fully ten feet in diameter. Here
and there the ponderous roots stand imbedded in the rock
face of the cliff » where Erosion has not yet undermined them.
In one case, a large tree that had fallen before petrifaction
lies partly exposed, both ends being still imbedded in the
rock. Some hollow trees show interiors beautifully lined
with holocrystalline quartz.
After the first eruption had ceased a period of quies-
cence followed, during which the ordinary atmospheric
and aqueous agencies began work, eroding the surface in
some places and depositing the products of erosion in
others, while vegetation rapidly covered the newly-formed
soil. A subsequent volcanic outburst destroyed this second
growth and gave a new horizon, on which the same process
was repeated. This continued until there were at least
nine, and probably twelve, of these consecutive growths.
How long it took each growth to reach maturity; how
long each flourished afterward before destruction ; and how
long the several eruptions suspended vegetable life are mat-
ters largely conjectural. But at the very lowest estimate
the time represented by these various accumulations can
not be less than ten thousand years.
That these early trees were of a different species from
GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE PARK. 197
those which now flourish there, need not excite surprise,
for climatic and other conditions are wholly changed. But
an equal difference seems also to have prevailed between
the successive growths^ the trees of which were not only
unlike each other, but more than half of them hitherto
unknown to science. Seventy species in all have been iden-
tified and described.
The cessation of active eruptions with the later basalt
outpourings did not mean the cessation of volcanic activity
in this region. It has continued ever since in the form in
which we see it to-day, although at one time far more wide-
spread than at present. There is some evidence also that
molten matter has been seen in certain localities in the
Park within historic times. There is no doubt that the
source of the energy which is seen to-day in the hot springs
and geysers is identical with that which caused the erup-
tions of former times. Attempts have been made to explain
this heat as originating in chemical action, or from the
retained heat of the lava flows; but there are insuperable
objections to l)oth theories. It is necessary to go back to
the great reservoir of internal heat, which here, as in all
volcanic regions, must be presumed to lie near the surface.
One disquieting inference from this theory is that the
security of our Park may not be as perfect as could be
desired, and that the old pent-up forces may yet assert
themselves with appalling results.
The action of this internal heat, as seen in the thermal
phenomena of the Park, has been very general over its area,
but has nowhere produced any marked change in its
topography. The terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs are
the only considerable exception. They have wrought an
extensive change on the mountain side where they are
found, extending from the Gardiner Kiver back three miles
198 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
and up about 1^500 feet to the tojD of Terrace Mountain.
In the other hot springs districts the changes consist only
of comparatively thin incrustations built up of deposition
from the hot waters.
The period of time through Avhich this thermal action
has been going on is very great, and presumably dates from
the last of the volcanic eruptions. It certainly antedates
by a long period the Glacial Epoch, for drift is found on
the summit of Terrace Mountain, which is itself a creation
of hot springs deposits. Efforts have been made to measure
the rate of deposition from the springs in the geyser basins,
and to calculate therefrom the time required to do the work
which has actually been done. The method is one of great
difficulty and uncertaint}^, but indicates a minimum period
of twenty-five thousand years. It is probably much greater
than this.
The area of hot springs action in the Park is Yeij exten-
sive, far more so than surface indications would lead one
to suppose. All over the Park Plateau are to be found
various substances formed by the decomposition of volcanic
rock through the agency of steam and hot water. The
remarkable coloring of the Grand Canon is that of the
various substance? formed by this decomposition. There
are many other places in the Park where cafions like this
might exist if the eroding agencies were there to carve
them out. The government work in the building of roads
throughout the Park has revealed the existence of "forma-
tion" in many places where it would not be suspected from
superficial appearances.
The erosion of the Grand Canon, one of the most mar-
velous pieces of nature's handiwork, is connected with
another profound change in the topography of the Park.
The surface of the Yellowstone Lake once stood 160 feet
GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THL PAIIK. 199
higher than at present, and its waters flowed through
the narrow gorge of Outlet Creek into Heart Lake, and
thence into Snake Eiver, thus placing the entire watershed
of the lake on the Pacific Slope. In those times the Con-
tinental Divide passed over the summit of Mt. Washburn.
AMiether from some natural convulsion in this region, or
the damming up of the southern outlet by Glacial ice, or
from whatever cause, the waters of the lake found an
outlet over the natural dam at the eastern base of Wash-
burn, and began flowing north. The immense body of
water stored in the lake and its overflow during the ages
that have since elapsed have excavated this wonderful
canon in the decomposed rhyolite. The old shore line of
the lake has been identified in many places.
In the ya&t but unknown period since the great events
which we have noted were complete, the only agencies which
have modified the topography of the country, except the hot
springs action, are those of denudation, erosion and vegeta-
ble g^o^^'th. The succession of the seasons, the action of
wind and rain and snow, the gro^\i:h of forests and other
vegetation, the flow of the streams, have all l)een instru-
mental in giving the Park its present actual appearance.
'No profound change has been produced by these agencies,
but their influence upon the superficial aspect of nature
has been very great.
It is an interesting but never-ending study, that of the
rocks of the Yellowstone Park, and impossible of extended
treatment here; but that the reader may have some assistance
in his attempt to identify them, if he visits the Park, the fol-
lowing references are given to the more important outcrop-
pings along the main route.
Upon entering the Park from the north the tourist alights
In a bed of glacial drift and sees strewn all around him granite
and other boulders brought down from the Gallatin and Nortlj
Absaroka rangeg.
200 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
The rock from which the entrance gate is built is from a
basalt outcrop just across the Yellowstone from Gardiner.
Nearly every piece is a section of an hexagonal prism.
The valley of the Gardiner along which the road lies is on
the line of a fault where the earth's crust parted, that on the
right dropping down and that on the left lifting up, and form-
ing the feature now known as Mt. Everts. It is mainly com-
posed of sedimentary rocks — limestones and sandstones-
Along the eastern portion is a covering of rhyolite distinctly
prominent in the bold escarpment of which a salient angle
fronts Bunsen Peak and the valley of the Middle Gardiner.
Soon after the road leaves the river and begins the ascent
of the hill it strikes the travertine deposits of Mammoth Hot
Springs. The road is cut through this formation in several
places.
In ascending the hill above Mammoth Hot Springs the road
lies in the travertine most of the way for three miles, and in
one place passes through a remarkably confused mass of
broken formation locally called the "Hoodoos."
The Golden Gate Canon is through rhyolite rocks.
The rocky formation of Bunsen Peak is of dacite porphyry
surrounded by rhyolite and basalt. A beautiful display of the
latter rock may be seen in the walls of the Gardiner Canon
behind the mountain.
Swan Lake Flat is covered, as the visitor will readily ob-
serve, with glacial drift.
Near the seventh mile post, whei'e the road crosses the Gar-
diner River, about a thousand feet up stream, may be seen a
fine outcropping of basalt broken up into angular bould-ars.
Quantities of this rock have been crushed for use on the roads.
The Gallatin Range, in full view, has many exposures of
sedimentary rocks, lim-estone and sandstone.
Along the front of Mounts Holmes and Huntley and of Trilo-
bite Point are exposures of the Archaean rocks, granite and
gneiss.
The tourist route now lies almost wholly in the rhyolite
rocks until Hayden Valley is reached. The appearances of
this rock are very varied, one of the extreme forms being
seen in Obsidian Cliff. In some places the rock is hard and
weathers well, but as a general thing it is soft. This is tbe
GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE PARK. 201
case in the picturesque exposures at Virginia Cascades and in
the Gibbon Canon above the falls, although at the sites of both
these cataracts the rock is hard enough to resist the action
of the water.
All over the high plateau the road work has encountered a
rock which is largely glassy rhyolite or obsidian, and although
it can be removed only by blasting, it crumbles to pieces upon
exposure. This characteristic accounts for the fact that in
passing through the forests where this rock mostly abounds
one would not suspect its presence except by digging into the
ground. This condition prevails all along the road between
Norris and the Grand Canon.
Along the shore of the Yellowstone Lake the road passes
over lacustrine deposits for considerable distances which were
laid down when the lake stood at its ancient level.
Along the Yellowstone River from Mud Geyser to the head
of the rapids the road lies all the way in glacial drift, which
indeed extends along the river amid outcroppings of rhyolite
to below the site of the Grand Caiion Hotel.
The Grand Canon is carved through decomposed rhyolite.
On leaving the Grand Canon Hotel for Mt. Washburn, the
road across the undulating plain to the base of the mountain
lies in glacial drift which overspreads in a thin coat the under-
lying rhyolite.
Where the road crosses the east fork of Cascade Creek and
begins the ascent of the mountain it enters the area of ande-
yite rocks in the form of the early basic breccias.
The road continues in this rock to the summit of the moun-
tain and down the northern slope to within three miles of
Tower Creek where it again comes into an area of rhyolite.
Glacial drift Is everywhere found in the lower valley of
Tower Creek.
Andesites compose the bed of the Yellowstone all along the
lower course of the Grand Caiion. Below Tower Falls this is
capped by a conglomerate of "gneissic and andesitic pebbles
in friable sandstone," and this by a wonderful wall of colum-
nar basalt.
Rising from the bottom of the caiion a mile below Tower
Falls is a stately, Isolated column of rock that has resisted
202 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAEK.
the wear of time. It is 260 feet high, but does not rise to the
level of the basalt.
The road from the Yellowstone to the top of Crescent hill
divide lies mainly in the early acid and basic breccias, or
andesltic lavas.
All over these portions of the Park, beginning on the north-
ern slopes of Washburn and extending east to Soda Butte the
ground Is strewn with "specimens" of various sorts — agate,
chalcedony, onyx, Jasper, garnets, amethyst, etc. The names
Specimen Ridge, Garnet Hill, Amethyst Creek and several
others took their rise from this circumstance.
The ride across the high plateau from Crescent Hill to the
Gardiner River is -everywhere through the glacial drift, but
With frequent outcroppings of rock in situ. Basalt and early
acid breccias (andesite) are prevailing rocks, with an out-
cropping of limestone n-ear the crest of the slope descending
to Black-tail-deer Creek.
The immediate valley of this stream is composed of rhyolite,
but the basalt recurs again along the east Gardiner, and the
beautiful Undine Falls is over this rock. The canon for a con-
siderable distance along the hillside below the falls Is carved
out of the same material.
From the high ground where the road emerges from Cres^
cent Hill Canon a splendid view is had of the country across
the Yellowstone River. The mountains there are composed
mainly of Archaean rocks, and in these are found the only gold
and silver veins In the Park.
CHAPTER III.
GEYSERS.
The hot springs of the Yellowstone National Park may
be roughly divided into two classes, eruptive and non-
eruptive. To the first the term geyser is applied, while the
term hot springs is restricted to the second. Tiiese two
classes pass into each other by insensible gradations and
the line of demarcation it is not possible to draw. The fol-
lowing description will pertain only to those examples
about which there is no doubt, and which may be taken as
types of their class.
A geyser may be defined as a periodically eruptive hot
spring. The name, as might be expected, is of Icelandic
origin, and comes from the verb gcysa, to gush. The gen-
eral characteristics of a true geyser, as illustrated by the
most perfect example known. Old Faithful in the Yellow-
stone Park, are the following :
(1.) There is an irregular tube descending from the
earth's surface to some interior source of heat.
(2.) The mouth of this tube may be either a self -built
mound or cone (as in the example), or simply an open
pool.
(3.) Into this tube meteoric water finds its way and is
subjected to the action of heat.
(4.) The result is an eruption and expulsion of the
water from the tube with more or less violence.
(5.) The eruption is generally preceded by slight prelim-
inary upheavals leading gradually to the final outburst.
(6.) After cessation of the eruption there is a heavy
escape of steam.
204 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
(7.) A quiescent period, generally of indeterminate du-
ration, follows during which the conditions necessary for
an eruption are reproduced.
Geyser phenomena have attracted a great deal of scien-
tific attention, and many theories have been advanced to
explain them. Passing over for the present the less import-
ant, attention will first be given to Bunsen's theory, because
it is, upon the whole, the most satisfactory yet advanced.
This theory was a direct deduction from observations upon
the Great Geyser of Iceland, and has been experimentally
illustrated- by artificial examples.
The fundamental principle upon which it is l)ased is
the well known fact that the temperature of the boiling
point of water varies with the pressure to which the water
is subjected. At the sea level, under the pressure of one
atmosphere (fifteen pounds to the square inch), the boiling
point is about 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Under a pressure of
two atmospheres it is 250 degrees; of three, 275 degrees; of
four, 293 degrees, and so on. At an altitude like that of
the Park plateau, where the atmospheric pressure is much
less than at sea level, the normal boiling point is about 198
degrees, but the law of variation due to pressure conditions
applies exactly as in lower altitudes.
If water, subjected to great pressure, be heated to a
temperature considerably above that of its normal boiling
point, and if then the pressure be suddenly relieved, it will
almost instantaneously be converted into steam; a fact
which always operates to enhance the danger from the ex-
plosion of steam boilers. In the case of an ordinary geyser,
it is readily seen that in the long irregular tube descending
to great depths there are present the necessary conditions
for subjecting the water to great pressure. At the surface
the pressure is that of the weight of the atmosphere cor-
GEYSERS. 205
responding to the altitude; at a certain depth below (33
feet at the sea level, but less at higher altitudes) it is twice
as great; at double this depth three times as great, and
so on.
Suppose, now, that there is an interior heat at some
point along the geyser tube well below the surface. The
boiling point of water in the vicinity of the heat supply
\^nll be higher than at the surface in definite relation to its
distance down. If the tube be of large diameter and the
circulation quite free, the water will never reach this point,
for it will rise nearer the top, where the boiling point is
lower and will pass off in steam. The spring will thus be
simply a boiling or quiescent spring. But if the tube be
comparatively small and if the circulation be in any way
impeded, the temperature at tlie source of heat will rise
until it reaches a boiling point corresponding to its depth.
Steam will result, and will rise through the water, grad-
ually increasing the temperature in the upper portions of
the tube. After a time the water throughout the entire
tube becomes heated nearly to the boiling point and can
no longer condense the steam rising from below, which
then accumulates until its expansive power is great enough
to lift the column above and project some of the water
from the tube. This lessens the weight of the column and
relieves the pressure at every point. In places ^vliere the
water had been just below the boiling point, it is now above,
and more steam is rapidly produced. This throws out
more water, still further lightens the column, and causes
the generation of more steam, until finally the whole con-
tents of the tube are ejected with terrific violence.
From this explanation it is apparent that anything
which impedes the circulation of water in the geyser tube
will expedite the eruption. The well-known effect of
206 THE YELLOWSTONE KATIOXAL PARK.
"soaping geysers'^ may thus be accounted for. As oil
thro\\Ti upon waves gives a viscosity to the surface^ which
greatly moderates their violence^ so the addition of soap
or lye makes the water of the geyser tube less free to cir-
culate, and thus hastens the conditions necessary to an
eruption.
The apparently contrar)^ process of violently agitating
the water of the geyser, as by stirring it with a stick, some-
times produces the same eifect; but this results from the
sudden forcing upward of masses of superheated water,
instead of allowing them to rise and gradually cool.
That Bunsen's theory really explains the phenomena of
geyser action there can be little doubt. It is true that in
no single geyser does one find a perfect example of the
theory. But it must be remembered that tj'pical conditions
probably never exist. The point of application of heat;
tlie mode of application, whether from the heated surface
of rocks or from superheated steam issuing into the tube;
the diameter and regularity of the tube; the point of in-
flow of the cold water, are all matters which influence the
eruption and determine its character. In the endless
^^ariety of conditions in nature one need not wonder at the
varying results. He should rather wonder that in a single
instance nature has produced a combination of such per-
fection as is found in Old Faithful, which, for thousands
of years has performed its duty with the regularity of clock
work.
There are various other theories, each with some partic-
ular merit, which may be briefly referred to. Sir George
Mackenzie, who visited Iceland in 1810-11, thought the
geyser tube at some point beneath the surface curved to one
side and then upward, communicating with a chamber in
the immediate vicinity of the source of heat. The water
GEYSERS. 207
in this chamber becomes heated above the boiling point,
and, expanding, forces the water into the tube until the
chamber is finally emptied to the level of its outlet. Any
further expulsion of water lessens the weight of the column
above. Bunsens theory comes into play, and with the
accumulated pressure of the steam in the chamber, pro-
duces a violent eruption.
Prof. Comstock, who visited the Park in 1873, thought
that there were two chambers, the lower being in contact
with the source of heat, and the upper acting as a sort of
trap in the geyser tube. After a sufficient force of steam
has accumulated in the lower chamber, it ejects the con-
tents of the chamber above.
S. Baring-Gould, who visited Iceland in 1863, observed
that if a tube be bent into two arms of unequal length, the
shorter of which is closed, and if the tube be filled with
water and the shorter arm then heated, all the character-
istic phenomena of geyser action result, the water being
finally ejected with explosive violence from the longer tube.
Xow, it is probable that in nature each of these theories
may find illustration^ but it must still be acknowledged
that in all cases Bunsens tlicory is the partial explanation,'
and in many the only adequate one.
The most superficial examination of the geysers in the
Park will disclose two widely different classes as regards
their external aj)pcarance and mode of eruption — the foun-
tain geysers and the cone geysers.
In the fountain geyser there is no cone or mound, but in
its place a considerable pool, which in intervals of rest bears
a perfect resemblance to the larger quiescent springs. The
eruption generally consists of a succession of prodigious
impulses by which large masses of water are thrown up
one after another. There is ordinarily no continuous jet.
208 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
To geysers of this class, Mackenzie's and Comstock's theo-
ries would seem to find closer application than to any oth-
ers. Noted examples are the Fountain, the Great Foun-
tain, the Grand and the Giantess Geysers.
The cone geysers, on the other hand, have no pool about
the crater and water is not generally visible in the tube.
There is always a self -built cone or mound of greater or
less prominence, ranging from a broad, gently-sloping
mound, like that of Old Faithful, to a huge cone like that
of the Castle. The eruptions from these geysers usually
lake the form of a continuous jet, and are more in accord-
ance with the theory of Bunsen. Prominent examples are
the Giant, Castle, Old Faithful, Lone Star and Union.
An interesting and singular fact pertaining to this re-
gion is that in most cases the springs and geysers have no
underground connection with each other. Water in con-
tiguous pools stands at different levels, and powerful gey-
sers play with no apparent effect upon others near by.
It is another interesting question to know whence comes
the water for these geysers and hot springs. Into the hid-
den caverns of "Old Faithful" flow perhaps a quarter of
a million gallons per hour. This is a large stream, but it
is a mere trifle compared with the entire outflow of hot
water throughout the Park. The subterranean passages by
which the necessary supply is furnished to all these thou-
sands of springs, certainly constitute the most intricate
and extensive system of water-works of which there is any
knowledge.
Xot the least wonderful of the features of the great gey-
sers are the marvelous formations which surround them,
more exquisitely beautiful than any production of art".
Tliey are much finer than those to be found around the
ordinary quiescent springs. The falling or dashing of the
Cone and Fountain Geysers (Old Faithful and the Great
Fountain).
GEYSERS. 209
hot water seems to bo essential to the most perfect results.
To say that tht'se rocky formations simulate cauliflower,
sponge, fleeces of wool, flowers or bead-work, conveys but
a feeble idea of their marvelous beauty. It is indeed a
most interesting fact that nature here produces in stone,
by the process of deposition, the identical forms elsewhere
produced by the Yery different processes of animal and
vegetable life.
These formations are all silica and are of flinty hard-
ness. Bunsen, and Prof. Le Conte following him, assert it
to be a rule that the presence of silica in the water is essen-
tial to the development of a geyser. In one sense this is
true, and in another it is not. Should the heated waters
find a ready-made tube, like a fissure in solid rock, this
would serve for a geyser tube as well as any other. The
Monarch Geyser, in Xorris Geyser Basin, seems to have
originated in this way. But in the general case, geyser
tubes are built up, not found ready made. In such cases
silica is an indispensable ingredient of the water. A cal-
careous deposit, like that at Mammoth Hot Springs, would
lack strength to resist the violent strain of an eruption.
So it is found to be a fact that silica is the chief mineral in
the water of all important geysers.
(9*)
CHAPTER IT.
HOT SPRINGS AXD KINDRED FEATURES.
Under this general head will be included all the various
forms of thermal activity in the Park except the geysers,
viz. : the quiescent springs, boiling springs, mud springs
or paint pots, the steam vents and fumaroles.
QUIESCENT SPRINGS.
The quiescent spring stands at the opposite pole from
the geyser. The conditions are such that the water no-
where reaches the boiling point, and the surface steams
quietly away unruffled except by the passing breeze.
There is not the smallest suggestion of the turbulence and
violent energy of the geyser, but its whole behavior is list-
less and peaceful. In keeping with this character is the
inimitable beauty of its soft blue waters. It is not simply
the beautiful hue of gTeat depths of clear water. In ordi-
nary pools, however deep and clear, one does not find all
the colors of the spectrum, flitting about, as though seen
through a revolving prism. Sometimes there is aa iri-
descent effect similar to that of a film of oil upon water;
but there is no oil here. There are doubtless many con-
triliuting causes that produce these remarkable effects.
There is first a great depth of clear water which always
presents a beautiful appearance. Then there are the min-
eral deposits on the sides of the crater, producing indefinite
reflection, the effects of which are multiplied by the refrac-
tive power of the water. The mineral ingredients dis-
solved or suspended in the water doubtless add to the effect.
The rirds about the quiescent springs are often very
HOT SPRINGS AND KINDRKD FEATURES. 211
beautiful, and the observer is astonislied to see how they
stand up above the general surface of the ground so evenly
built that the water has hardly a choice of route in flowing
away. Tyndall, however, makes this puzzling phenomenon
clear. He says:
"Imagine the case of a simple thermal siliceous spring,
whose waters trickle down a gentle incline; the water thus
exposed evaporates speedily, and silica is deposited. This
deposit gradually elevates the side over which the water
passes, until finally the latter has to take another course.
The same takes place here ; the ground is elevated as before,
and the spring has to move forward. Thus it is compelled
to travel round and round, discharging its silica and deep-
ening the shaft in which it dwells, until finally, in the
course of ages, the simple spring has produced that won-
derful apparatus which has so long puzzled and astonished
both the traveler and the philosopher.^'
What will astonish the visitor even more is the fact that
this building up is often the result of vegetable growth.
The heat of the water would seem incompatible witli the
existence of life within it ; but it is not so. Low forms of
algous growth abound in nearly all the springs where tlie
tem.perature is below 185 degrees Fahrenheit. The soft,
slippery, colored substance that borders many of the springs
and the rivulets which flow from them is a form of vege-
table life — very elementar}^ it is true, but still life.
These algous groT\i;hs are even considered as one of the
most important agencies in causing the deposition of the
mineral ingredients of the waters. This deposition takes
place mainly, however, as a result of evaporation. It is
generally supposed that it results from cooling, but this is
true only to a small extent. Water from the springs has
been kept for years and reduced nearly to the freezing point
212 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
without deposition: but, singularly enough, actual freezing
forces it to give up its mineral ingredients.
As in the case of the gej^sers, so in that of these quiescent
springs, there is an almost infinite variety; but popular
interest attaches mainly to those like the Morning Glory,
which are such gems of beauty tliat they stand unrivaled
among the works of nature or art. There are several ex-
amples of this higher order in the Park. The Morning
Glory is the most beautiful in the Upper Geyser Basin.
Prismatic Lake and Turquoise Pool in the Midway Basin
are the largest in the Park. There is a very beautiful one
on the west shore of the Yellowstone Lake a hundred yards
from the road junction.
The celebrated Mammoth Hot Springs on the Gardiner
River are quite different from those in any other part of
the Park, although in the matchless beauty of coloring they
resemble and possibly excel the finer examples in the geyser
basins. The water of these springs, as already explained,
holds carbonate of lime in solution, while most of the oth-
ers contain silica. To this fact must be attributed the pecu-
liar character of the formations at Mammoth Hot Springs.
WTierever the deposits of springs are calcareous, the char-
acter of the formations is different from those produced by
the deposit of silica. They rise in terraces one above an-
other, and mold for themselves overhanging bowls of tran-
scendent beauty in form and color.
The quantity of mineral matter held in these calcareous
waters is astonishing, and its rate of deposition is very
rapid. Consequently, the growth of the "formation" is
rapid, and beautiful bowls and terraces are built up in one
or two seasons. The rapidity of deposit is so great that
commercial advantage is taken of it, and a licensed resi-
dent of the Park makes his living by coating specimens in
HOT SPKIXGS AND KINDRED FEATURES. 213
these springs and selling them to the public. He would
soon go out of business if compelled to await the slow pro-
cess of the silica waters.
But if the growth of these deposits is rapid, their per-
manence is unfortunately much less than that of other
formations. The subterranean channels are weak and give
way easily to pressure. New outlets break forth and the
general history of the springs is that of constant change.
IIow extensive and rapid this has been in the past is evi-
denced l)y the presence of many well grown trees whicli
are still standing, though killed and partly buried by the
deposit.
There are many other forms of quiescent springs
throughout the Park. Some are simple open pools, filled
with turbid water, exhibiting no beauty or attractiveness.
Others are densely muddy and positively repulsive. In the
lower geyser basin there is an extensive pond or lake of
hot water, besides several of smaller size, in all of whicli
the water has a dark, almost black, color. It is one of
these springs that is called the Firehole, from the appear-
ance of a lambent light blue flame beneath the water,
caused by the escape of superheated steam from a fissure in
the rock.
BOILING SPRINGS.
The boiling spring is intermediate between the quiescent
spring and the geyser. The circulation is sufficiently free
to prevent a great rise of temperature in the lower depths
of the tube, and nothing more than a surface ebullition,
often extremely violent, results. Tliese springs are gener-
ally objects of secondary interest. They are simply enorm-
ous caldrons, but in some instances they exhibit peculiari-
ties which are very interesting. Several of them show
214 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAEK.
a geyseric tendenc}^, in which the eruptive force is expended
before it can produce any decisive result. Among the more
important of these features is Beryl Spring, in the Gibbon
Caiion, on the right bank of the river, close to the road. It
discharges a large volume of hot water. There is another
and larger spring in the valley of the Gibbon near its mouth
and close by the side of the road leading into the Park
from the west. There are several of these springs in the
Firehole Geyser basins. Excelsior Geyser, from its very
infrequent eruptions, may more properly be considered a
boiling spring. The quantity of water that it discharges
is immense. Xorris Geyser Basin has a few of these
springs, though none of particular interest. On the west
shore of the Yellowstone Lake, near the road way, is a large
boiling spring, the waters of which have a faint muddy
tinge. Perhaps the most interesting feature of this class
in the Park is Sulphur Spring, a pseudo-geyser at the west
base of Sulphur Mountain. Its ebulUtion is extremely
spasmodic and violent, but the discharge of water very
small. It is heavily charged vrith. sulphur and the rim of
the pool and edges of the stream carrying the overflow are
bordered with brilliant yellow.
Between the true quiescent spring and the boiling spring
there is every gradation. The various examples can be
numbered by the thousands and no two are alike. Every
spring has its own individual character.
"frying pan'^ springs.
A peculiar phenomenon to which it is diflficult to assign
a distinctive name, is exemplified in the feature called the
'M)eviFs Frying Pan,^^ three miles north of the Xorris
Geyser Basin. It is a true reproduction, upon a large scale,
of the appearance of the ordinary frying pan. This phe-
HOT SPRINGS AND KINDRED FEATURES. 215
nomenon has a wide distribution, and something resem-
bling it may be found in certain pools or lakes, the bottoms
of which are apparently full of the bubbling vents. The
most striking example is Turbid Lake, which lies a short
distance from the east shore of the Yellowstone Lake. It
is a considerable body of water, at least half a mile across,
and is fed by the purest streams of the mountains. But
nearly its entire bottom is overspread with these vents, and
the steam and gas from them escape in feeble bubbles at
the top. The whole appearance is like that of a tub of
water that has been used in washing. The outlet of the
lake is a turbid stream, not capable of sustaining fish.
MUD SPRINGS.
A very characteristic and interesting class of phenomena
are the mud springs that abound in all parts of the Park.
They present an almost endless variety of form and aspect,
but there are only two that need now detain us — the "paint
pots'^ and the eruptive springs, like the Mud Geyser on the
Yellowstone Eiver.
The mud springs, or Paint Pots, as they are now always
called, are extremely curious phenomena. They are caused
by the rising of steam through considerable depths of
earthy material. The water is just sufficient in quantity
to keep the material in a plastic condition, and the steam
operates upon it precisely as it doc^s upon a kettle of thick
mush. Generally there are various mineral ingredients,
mostly oxides of iron, which impart different colors to dif-
ferent parts of the group. As the steam puffs up here and
there from the thick mass, it forms the mud into a variety
of imitative figures, prominent among which is that of the
lily. These figures immediately sink back into the general
niass, only to be formed anew by other puJffs of steam. The
216 THE YELLOWSTONE XATIO^AL TAUJl.
material is so fine as to be almost impalpable between the
fingers. Lieutenant Doane, however, justly observes that
"mortar might well be good after being constantly worked
for perhaps ten thousand years." This "mortar' has ac-
tually been used with good results in "calsomining"^ walls.
The Paint Pots, in one form or another, are found in
a great many situations, but there are only three localities
where they are grouped in sufficient number to attract es-
pecial interest. These are the Gibbon Paint Pots on the
border of the Gibbon Meadows, east of the road, rarely seen
by tourists; the Mammoth Paint Pots directly in front of
the Fountain Hotel and near the Fountain Geyser, and a
group on the west shore of the Yellowstone Lake, near the
road junction.
Mud Geyser (or Mud Volcano, as it was originally and
more properly called) is considered by many the most
extraordinary and wonderful natural feature in the Park.
In point of beauty it stands at the antipodes of the quies-
cent pool. It is uncanny, repulsive and suggestive of
everjihing horrible and uncouth. A similar feature to that
just described is found in the Devil's Inkstand, on the
northern face of Mt. Washburn.
STEAM VENTS.
The steam vents exhibit still another striking form of
thermal phenomena in the Park. They exist where surface
water is apparently lacking and where there is a vast quan-
tity of steam generated far below. The result is that there
is no accumulation of water in the tube, which might even-
tuate in an eruption, but it is all blo-^vn out in fine mist
as fast as it runs in. The most prominent example is in
Norris Geyser Basin where, witliin a small area, there are
several of these vents. For many years the Growler and
HOT SPRINGS AND KINDRED FEATURES: 217
Hurricane held the record as steam producers, but lately
they have yielded a part of their vigor to a new vent which
exliibits greater power than either of its predecessors. The
force of the steam as it comes from these vents is terrific.
A large quantity of water is blown out in the form of mist
and the rain that falls on the leeward side of the steam
column is like the perpetual shower at the base of Niagara.
Roaring Mountain has one of these powerful vents near
the summit. There is another large one on the east shore
of the Yellowstone Lake, called Steamboat Spring, and
there are many smaller ones in different localities.
FUMAROLES.
The fumaroles are small vents from which the steam
escapes quietly and without any marked exhibition of force.
They are found all over the Park, but it is only in cold,
damp weather when the steam is rapidly condensed, that
their actual frequency can be appreciated.
SPRINGS.
Many of the stream sources throughout the Park are
warm. Springs that have every appearance of being cold
are often found, upon examination, to have temperatures
far above the normal for spring water. In fact, the whole
country is in a heated condition near the surface, and the
evidences thereof are so numerous and frequent that they
cease to attract attention from those who are familiar with
them.
Eeference has already been made to the fact that mineral
ingredients in the hot springs of the plateau are composed
mainly of silica, while those at Mammoth Hot Springs are
nearly pure travertine. The hot waters in the latter case
have decomposed the underlying limestone which are here
near the surface, whereas farther out in the Park the min-
(10
218 THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
eral ingredients come almost exclusively from the lavas in
which there is only a trace of carbonic acid. This differ-
ence in composition produces the great difference in the
superficial appearance of the deposits. Xothing could
be more unlike than the formations at Mammoth Hot
Springs and those around the Great Fountain or Old Faith-
ful Geyser ; yet each in its way is a transcendently beautiful
specimen of nature^s handiwork.
The temperature of the thermal springs of the Park
varies all the way from cold spring water up to the boiling
point, 198 degrees. In the geysers it rises above the boil-
ing point, though, from the nature of the case, the measur-
ing of such temperature is practically impossible. In a
few instances temperatures of 200 degrees have been re-
corded.
The following table gives an analysis of the principal
waters of the Park. It is the work of the Chemical Labo-
ratory of the United States Geological Survey, and was
performed by Frank Austin Gooch and James Edward
Whitfield:
HOT SPRINGS AND KINDRED FEATURES.
d O
Q
^ ^ ?i
£. -• M
? O "
re o
90
3 <5 rt)
'Tj n.
p p p
Jo K> di
v£) Oi O
On O fO
OOOCOOOtiO
00 ii
4^ 4^
ON w
00 00
c/1 o
o c
OJ Ca
0> i-i
P p p
b b b
0> M K)
00 ^ ^
C/1 00 -H
p p o
b b b
c o
b b
0000
o o
OO vT) K) On
^J Cn Oj ^-I
a\ OJ
4^ Cn
Silica.
Sulphuric Acid.
p p
OJ OJ
p
b
o oi o
w o OJ
OD 00
01 vO K>
Cn -P^ Cn
K) bO
« OJ
c o
o o
Cn ON
Carbonic Acid.
poo
b b b
•-I fO i-l
-f^ vD -fi.
vO O On
p O p
b b b
p p
b b
o o
p o
b b
Boracic Acid.
0000000000
- o
Arsenious Acid.
0000000000
l-H 0> OJ
\o o 00
OJ 4^ VsD
<J\ U\ -1^
4i- OJ ><t
O VsO \D
00 « OJ
OJ OJ
Ca OJ
O Oj
00 ^
U\ OS
-P' o
O 01
p o
b w
Oj »-j
C/i vO
000
^ 00 OJ
GO O ON
M -J 4^
000
b b b
p p
b b
o c
« O Ol fO -P».
ON VO
00 4^
Chlorine.
Basic Oxygen.
P P &5
000
fD fD fD
r^- rt- P
p p §
O O 2
r^ P r^
■f n '^
p 2 P
o S o
o R n>
000000000
goo
•^ ON 4^
O VO v£)
Iron.
to
^000000
o o
b b
^j cn M ^J
8»0 Oj
OJ o
10 Cn On
Aluminum,
Calcium.
000
8 8 8
8 8
O 10 to
p c
b b c
Ov ^J
O Oj KJ
M to VO
Magnesium.
000
o b b
10 10 4^
vO OJ c
00000
K) Oj M
Ov K) 4^
^ Cn Cn
o o
Oj ^-i
"<I 4i-
vO Cn
000
4:*. to tn
1-1 Oj w
Cn 00 --I
Potassium.
O o c o
OJ Oj Oj
00 -1 -Pi.
Cn I-I Cn
OJ 00 M
OJ -P^ OJ
ON « OJ
ON 00 01
9 ?
OJ Oj
VjD .f*. VI vO
O On tn vO
Sodium.
219
i
a
CHAPTER V.
FAUNA OF THE YELLOWSTONE.
The big game animals that were found throughout the
United States when settlement took possession of the
country, have disappeared except from a few favored local-
ities. Driven back into the swamps and mountain^ they
still survive there in some degree of safety. The noblest
of them all, the buffalo, has long since been practically
exterminated and most of the other large species have
drifted rapidly in the 'same direction. The better senti-
ment of the country deplores this unhappy fate, and in
recent years there has grown up a determined purpose to
avert it.
Two things are necessary to this end — efficient game
laws and ample game preserves. The first rests largely
with the individual States and the second with the general
government. The many forest reserves which the govern-
ment has created are practically game preserves also, by
virtue of the exclusion of settlement; and if the States in
which they are located will but enact and enforce efficient
game laws, the perpetuation of the native fauna will be
amply ensured.
The most important of all these game preserves, both
on account of its extent and the laws and regulations
governing it, is the Yellowstone Park. The x\ct of Dedi-
cation recognized its function in this respect, and the Pro-
tective Act of 1894 made it definite and specific. It is
admirably fitted by nature for this particular purpose.
It offers little in a commercial way to tempt the cupidity
FAUNA OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 221
of man. Its mineral wealth is buried so deeply under the
lava that no miner will ever reveal it. Its altitude and
climate unfit it for agriculture. Its forests are of little
value for lumber. But as a home for the native species
of the continent it possesses unrivaled advantages.
"The broad expanse of forest incloses sequestered nooks,
and enticing grassy parks, with absolute seclusion in
mountain recesses admirably adapted for the homes of
wild animals. It is the great diversity of its physical fea-
tures, offering within a restricted area all the require-
ments for animal life, which fits it for the home of big
game. Abundant food supply, shelter from wind and
weather in winter, cool resorts on the uplands in summer,
favorable localities for breeding purposes and the rearing
of young, all are found here. The Park supplies what is
really needed — a zoological reservation where big game
may roam unmolested by the intrusion of man, rather
than a zoological garden inclosed by fences, and the game
fed or sustained more or less by artificial methods." *
It is a matter of regret that the many years of lax ad-
ministration in the early history of the Park largely nulli-
fied its purposes as a game preserve. Killing of wild ani-
mals within its borders was not entirely prohibited until
1883, and the restricted license previously in force was
shamefully abused. Some of the larger species were
greatly reduced iix numbers, while in a few instances they
were nearly exterminated. In later years, particularly
since the legislation of 1894, the elk, deer, bear and beaver
have rapidly regained their former numbers, and there 18
now not the smallest reason to apprehend their extinction.
The outlook f'^r the antelope and mountain sheep is good
* "The Yellowstone National Park as a Game Preserve," by
Pr. ArPAld Hague,
222 THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
though not so flattering. The buffalo and moose are
nearly gone, with no prospect of restoration except
through the direct agency of man in addition to his work
of protection. The smaller species — gophers, squirrels,
woodchucks, etc., — flourish in great numbers. The birds
have never suffered from poaching and the fishes have
multiplied extensively since the Park was created. The
killing of any of the species except fish is absolutely for-
bidden and it is an interesting fact that this protection is
fully understood by the animals themselves. They ex-
hibit a familiarity and fearlessness in the Park which is a
distinct advance from their native condition.
MA:M]SrALS.
To enumerate the species which do, or may, flourish in
the Park Avould be to give a list of the fauna of the Eocky
j\rountains. Among the mammals, interest naturally first
attaches to the buffalo. That noble animal is part and
parcel of the pioneer history of our country, and its sud-
den disappearance, as if some unseen hand had swept it
from the earth, has been a theme of universal regret.
Only a very few are left and the most of these are in pri-
vate herds. The Park has the only herd that still roams
in its native freedom, but unhappily it seems doomed to
extinction except through some heroic measure of relief.
The fact that Congress has taken a hand in its preserva-
tion and has made a special appropriation to that end is
a significant proof of the high value set upon the per-
peituity of this species.*
♦ The present purpose is to capture and corral the native
herd in a situation where the winter snows arc not so deep
as in their present home in the Pelican Valley; to introduce
new blood from the few remaining private herds; to provide
tAUNA OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 223
That other animal which has borne such a part in the
frontier history of our country, and has been of more im-
portance in the commercial world than all the other wild
animals combined, is happily in a most flourishing condi-
tion in the Park. The American beaver abounds in nearly
all the streams and evidences of its work are everywhere
present. Here, better than in any other place in the world,
the interesting life of this wonderful animal can be
studied; for it, too, feels that it is safe, and that the pres-
ence of man does not mean its destruction.
The third in "the alliterative trio of the most important
American wild beasts, the bear, is likewise safe from even
remote danger of extinction. These animals are now to be
seen in every part of the Park. Around the hotels and
working camps they have become exceedingly tame and
are a never-failing source of delight to the tourist. They
are at the same time an intolerable annoyance from their
habit of breaking into tents and buildings in search of
food.
The two well-known species, the grizzly and the black
be^r, flourish in the Park, but the latter by far the more
numerously. Science does not specifically recognize the
60-called cinnamon bear, which seems to be a variation
in color from the black bear. Tlie term white bear, as
used by the early hunters, and silver tip, as used to-day,
apply to the grizzly bear.
forage and shelter, if necessary, and, of course, perfect pro-
tection; and thus let the herd recuperate and become better
acquainted with its benefactors. The young will be gradually
given their liberty with the expectation that they will not
flee to the mountains, but will remain in the lower valleys
where they can find subsistence in winter. It is earnestly
to be hoped that this policy will succeed.
224 THE YELLOWSTON-E NATIONAL PARK.
The most abundant species of the larger game is that
superb and majestic animal, the American elk. It is to
be seen in every part of the Park. Its present numbers
and recent increase remove all danger of extermination.
If a thousand elk were slaughtered every year from the
overflow into the surrounding country, the natural in-
crease would more than offset it. The Park is particu-
larly adapted to the life of this animal The open and
partly wooded country in the east and north of the Park
affords every desired condition — from the low warm val-
leys for winter to the high cool mountain sides for sum-
mer. The elk will always remain the most numerous
among the larger game of the Park as it will always be
the most attractive from the dignity and grace of its
bearing.
Deer are abundant in two well-known species— the
black-tail, or Dakota mule deer, and the white-tail. The
first is the more common, and is found in nearly all parts
of the Park. Their winter range is mainly in the north
of the Park and they are as familiar around the buildings
at j\rammoth Hot Springs as a herd of domestic cattle.
The antelope and mountain sheep are much less numer-
ous than the elk and deer, but there is no reason to sup-
pose that they are not holding their own. The antelope
range is in the north of the Park extending from Gardi-
ner to Soda Butte and back on the northern slopes of Mt.
Washburn. The mountain sheep range principally upon
Mt. Everts and ]\It. Washburn. In the winter season both
antelope and sheep are seen near the road in the vicinity
of Gardiner.
All reports indicate that the moose, which used to range
through the southern portions of the Park, have well-nigh
disappeared.
y
l^ijLiN Among the Flowers — Posixg for a Picture.
J'AUXA OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 225
Among the fiir-bcaring animals there are, in addition
to the beaver already mentioned, a large number of otter,
and a few foxes of the common species. Muskrats are very
abundant.
Of the strictly carnivorous species the mountain lion
is the most important. It seems to be in no danger of
extinction and is one of two animals that the authorities
consider it necessary to kill for the protection of other
game. The other of these animals is the coyote, whose
power of increase baffles all efforts to exterminate it. The
coyote is the only abundant species of the wolf genus
known to exist in the Park.
There are two species of the lynx genus in. the Park,
the Canadian L}mx and the bobcat, or wild cat.
An animal which was very common in the Park ten
years ago, but is now rarely seen, if at all, is the porcu-
pine. WTiat is the cause of its strange disappearance,
and whether that disappearance is permanent or only tem-
porary, no one knows.
Among the smaller species the groundhog, or eastern
woodchuck, is exceedingly numerous and frequents the
roadsides in all parts of the Park. Tlie red squirrel is
everywhere seen and the diminutive chipmunk is always
scampering out from under the horses' feet. The pine
marten is a rare animal, but nevertheless flourishes through-
out the forests with no danger of disappearance.
BIRDS.
Although an ornithologist, in passing through the Park,
would report a list of birds so extensive as to lead one to
think that they abound in great numbers, there is really
a noticeable paucity of the winged tribes. Tliere are many
species, but a scarcity of individuals except in a few cases.
226 THE TELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
It is stated by an authority on this subject that the birds
of the Park seem distant and hard to see, and are there-
fore more difficult to study than those in the lower alti-
tudes. The following list enumerates some of the more
conspicuous :
The most numerous of all the species are the water-
fowl that frequent the lakes and rivers. The pelican on
the Yellowstone Lake is always an attractive feature of
that body of water. It is a splendid bird, and, when seen
in large numbers upon the water, it looks like a fleet of
white boats. It is equally graceful in the air where it
soars in magnificent curves between the blue of the water
and the sky. The great breeding ground of the pelican
is at the northeast corner of the lake, w^here its name is
used to designate three important geographical features —
Pelican Creek, Pelican Eoost, an island, and Pelican Cone,
a hill back in the interior.
The swan, though actually found in the Park, is rarely
seen.
Gulls and terns are numerous on the larger lakes.
The grebe, the great blue heron, the sandhill crane, the
mudhen, and the spotted sandpiper abound in limited
numbers.
The water-ousel is one of the really numerous species
of birds in the Park and it would seem as if the thousand
torrents of that region furnish it with an ideal home.
It may be seen everywhere among the foaming cascades
and on the slippery rocks, and it remains in the Park in
winter as well as summer. It is particularly numerous
along the Gardiner River.
The Canada goose is a very frequent visitor to the Park
in the fall of the year, when it may be seen in countless
numbers among the marshes in the warm spring districts.
f AUNA OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 227
Wary as it is of the wiles of man, and watchful as it natur-
ally is of his whereabouts, it doffs its fear in this protected
region and remains in apparent indifference by the road
sides as if conscious of its immunity from danger.
Ducks abound in great numbers and in all the more
important species. Where the water from the hot springs
keeps the streams open, they remain all winter. Around
Mammoth Hot Springs they frequent the roads and barn-
yards for food and resemble at first sight domestic flocks.
The sportsman who is forced to devise ways and means
for catching these wary birds in the world outside would
scarcely believe that they could become so tame when
within the protection of the Park.
Among the larger birds of prey both the golden and
bald eagles are occasionally seen, although they are not
numerous. The fish-hawk or osprey is very common, and
is found in all the streams. Its nests on rocky pinnacles
are often mistaken for eagles' nests.
There are several species of hawk, and this bird is one
of the most numerous in the Park. Its nests may be seen
in considerable numbers in the tops of dead pine trees
along the north shore of the Yellowstone lake. The west-
ern red-tail, or chicken-hawk, is also frequently seen,.
Owls are not uncommon, the most conspicuous being
the western horned owl.
Of the land birds that elsewhere furnish legitimate
sport for the hunter, the ruffed grouse is the only one that
is found in sufficient numbers to merit attention.
Among the scavenger and carrion birds the raven, the
crow and the magpie are quite common. A familiar bird
to all tourists who camp through the Park is the Rocky
Mountain Jay, or "camp robber," as it is commonly called.
This name, however, is a harsh one for so useful a bird,
and camp scavenger would more correctly describe it.
228 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
The better known and more common among the other
birds that live in the Park are the following: The robin,
the blue bird, the chickadee, two nuthatches, the brown
tree creeper, the Macgillivray warbler, the yellow throat,
the winter wren, the tit lark, the Louisiana tanager, the
meadow lark, the blue-headed blackbird, the white
crowned sparrow, the Cassin purple finch, the pink-sided
junco, the pine siskin, the kingfisher, northern violet-
green and cliff swallows, and the Eocky mountain hairy
woodpecker.
Among the winter birds are the water-ousel and the
raerganzer on the streams; and the ptarmigan, Bohemian
wai-wing, snow-flake, and red poll, land birds.
FISHES.
It is now generally recognized that the Yellowstone
Park affords the finest trout fishing in the world. There
are a few other fishes, like the grayling in the Madison
and its branches and white fish in the lower Gardiner;
but the Park is practically an exclusive home for that
most beautiful and interesting of all the fishes, the trout.
Not all the streams of the Park were originally stocked
with fish. Where the waters leave the great volcanic jAa.-
teau and fall to the underlying formations, the cataracts
form impassable barriers to the ascent of fish. In the
lower courses of all the streams there were native trout,
but above the falls, with one exception, there were none.
The excej^tion of the Yellowstone Eiver and Lake is a most
interesting one. ^Yhy the Falls of Yellowstone, the high-
est and most impassable of all, should apparently have
proven no barrier, is at first a puzzling question. But the
solution is to be found in Two-Ocean Pass. Across this
remarkable divide fish may easily make their way, and
FAUNA OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 229
the Yellowstone Lake is unquestionably stocked from this
direction. "W^e thus have an example, probably without
parallel, of an extensive body of water on the Atlantic
slope stocked by nature with fjsh from the Pacific.
Beginning with the year 1890 the United States Fish
Commission took up the work of stocking all the fishlcss
streams of the Park and to the present time have made
the following plants :
10,000 yearling lake trout in the Yellowstone Eiver
above the falls in 1890.
30,000 yearling lake trout in the Shoshone Lake, in
1890.
12,000 yearling lake trout in Lewis Lake, in 1890.
3,350 yearling Loch Leven trout in Lewis Lake, in 1890.
3,350 yearling Loch Leven trout in the Shoshone Lake,
in 1890.
9,800 Von Behr trout in Xez Perce Creek, in 1890.
7,800 yearling brook trout in Gardiner Eiver, "West
Fork, in 1890.
4,500 yearling rainbow trout in Beaver Creek, in 1893.
1,000 yearling rainbow trout in Beaver Creek in 1895.
1,000 rainbow trout fry in De Lacy Creek and near
Mammoth Hot Springs, in 1896.
10,000 brook trout fry in Willow and Glen Creeks, in
1901.
9,000 brook trout fry in Glen Creek, in 1902.
18,000 brook trout fry in Willow Creek, in 1902.
11,000 brook trout fry in Indian Creek, in 1902.
These plants have taken decisive root and there is now
scarcely a hidden stream or lake in all this region that
is without its attractions for the sportsmen. Full freedom
of fishing in all the streams is allowed, except that the
iish can be taken only by hook and line.
230 THE YPJLLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Tlie trout of the Yellowstone Lake are to a large degree
infected with a parasitic disease that renders them unfit
for eating. Many efforts have been made to discover the
cause of this condition, and a suitable remedy for it, but
so far without success. The most reasonable explanation
is to be found in the excessive number of these fish and
the absence of sufficient food, whereby their vitality is
reduced and they become an easy prey of parasites which
a more vigorous constitution would throw off.
REPTILES.
Scarcely any reference need be made to the reptiles of
1he Park because of the extreme paucity of their number.
There are a few lizards and toads, and an abundance of
frogs. There are also three or four species of snakes, among
which are the large bull snake and a diminutive water
snake. Both are entirely harmless. The author has never
seen a rattlesnake in the Park, but it is said that they
have been seen in the low altitude near the mouth of the
Gardiner River. They apparently do not exist as far up
as Mammoth Hot Springs. The tourist may enjoy what-
ever satisfaction there is in the fact that there are no
poisonous reptiles or other animals in the Park.
INSECTS.
It remains t6 assign to the smallest representatives of
animal life in the Park (smallest in size but greatest in
numbers) the most important place so far as the comfort
of the tourist is concerned. The mosquito and kindred
pests are exceedingly vigorous and active at certain sea-
sons. They begin to appear late in June, and the energy
of the mosquito is at its height in the early days of July.
By the first of August it has nearly disappeared. It is
aided in its career of tort ure b y an exceedingly dimiuu-
FAUNA OF THE YELLOWSTOXE. 231
tive gnat which flourishes for a brief period early in the
season.
The reign of the mosquito is followed by that of several
epccies of horse flics, which are desperately fierce and vora-
cious in the late summer, and are a great drawback to the
pleasure of driving.
Finally the common house fly abounds in even greater
numbers than in lower altitudes and is an unmitigated
nuisance in all camping operations.
GAME.
The tourist is often disappointed that he sees but little
game in the Park, and hastens to the conclusion that the
fact of its existence has been much overdrawn. He should
remember that it is of the nature of wild animals to shun
the haunts of man. In the summer season when tourists
visit the Park herbivorous animals are nearly all in the
higher altitudes with their cool retreats and greater free-
dom from annopng insects. They naturally do not con-
gregate along the roadsides. It is nevertheless noticeable
that their sense of safety is making them better acquainted
with men and they are seen in ever-increasing frequency
as time goes on. It is now very rare that the visitor is
not favored with the sight of elk and deer somewhere in
his tour. Bear he always sees. If he travels in the north-
east section of the Park he is certain to see antelope. In
the late autumn or early spring he may see almost any
day, on the rugged cliffs of the lower Gardiner Canon, a
fine band of mountain sheep. Buffalo are now in evidence
under compulsion in the corral near Mammoth Hot
Springs. To him who travels the bridle paths of the Park
away from the beaten routes the evidence of the presence
of game quickly conquers all preconceived doubts.
232 THE YELLOTTSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
The question is often asked whether the game interests
of the Park would not be promoted by fencing the entire
reservation. While fencing the boundary might be of
some advantage in a few special localities, it would not
be so if applied to the Park as a whole. The undertaking
itself would be a stupendous one owing to the almost
insuperable obstacles encountered on a straight line
through a mountainous country. The fence would not
restrain poachers, who, with a pair of plyers, could cut it
wherever desired; but it would restrain government offi-
cials, who would not feel at liberty to cut it, and whose
freedom of movement along the boundary would be cur-
tailed thereb3\ Falling timber would keep the fence full
of breaks unless it was constantly patched. In the winter
deep snow would bury it in a thousand places and game
could pass over it with ease, while the melting of the
snow in spring would restore the fence and prevent their
return. In fact, one of the greatest purposes of the Park
as a game preserve— that of providing a refuge for the
game of the surrounding country — ^would be destroyed
by such a fence.
The best of all game fences for the Park are the forest
reserves that have been created on its borders, supported
and strengthened by a vigorous administration of the
game laws in the surrounding States. It is entirely con-
sistent with the function of the Park in the preservation
of game that the animals reared under its protection
should overflow into the surrounding regions where they
may satisfy the natural desire of man for the sport of
hunting.
CHAPTER VI.
FLORA OF THE YELLOWSTONE.
Considering its geographical location in the heart of
the arid regions of the west, the Park is blessed with an
unusually bountiful flora. Its climate is, in fact, much
more humid than in any portion of the surrounding coun-
try. The mean annual precipitation at Mammoth ITot
Springs for a period of ten years is nineteen inches. For
the ujjper Park it is probably as high as twenty-five inches.
Tlie mean annual precipitation in the lower valleys sur-
rounding the Park is about 14.5 inches. This greater
humidity of the Park region produces a result upon vege-
tation that is very apparent. The forest gro'W'ths are
abundant, the flowers marvelously profuse and the grass
nutritious and luxuriant. The Park is a vast oasis in the
midst of a parched and arid country that stretches away
from it in every direction for hundreds of miles.
The principal features of the Park flora which attract
attention from the tourist are its forests and flowers and
these will be separately considered in the next two chap-
ters. Excelling them in practical utility, though seldom
noticed except in the more beautiful glades and parks, are
the various grasses which flourish everywhere outside of
the dense forests. The importance of these grasses can
not be overestimated. The very existence of the game
depends upon them, and the convenience of visitors in
subsisting their animals is greatly promoted thereby.
The Park grasses have never been separately cata-
logued, but thev are uractically the same as in the sur-
(10*) ^ ^ .
234 THE YELLOTTSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
rounding country with the natural modifications due to
difference of environment* As a general thing the grasses
of the western country are of excellent quality. They
retain their nutritive power in winter as well as summer,
60 that whenever the snow does nOt fall too deeply, graz-
ing herds can find sustenance at all seasons of the year.
The three grasses that are the cliief reliance for grazing
are the gramma grass, the buffalo grass and the bunch
grass. Gramma grass has a wide distribution throughout
the west and is sometimes mistaken for bufl;alo grass. It
attains a growth as high as ten inches. It is one of the
native grasses that thrives under irrigation. Buffalo grass
is also widely distributed, but is dying out before the ad-
vance of civilization. The bunch grass is most important
of all, and is the main reliance of grazing herds both in
winter and summer.
Besides the more important grazing grasses there arc
many other growths. "Wild timothy and clover abound
and the swamps are filled with rank growths which, in
several places, have been mown and cured for hay. The
quality, however, is very inferior.
The area of good pasturage in the Park is exitensive,
although it does not cover more than twenty per cent, of
the entire Eeservation. The principal open grassy tracts
have been already described in the chapter on the topog-
raphy of the Park. In the more open forests in the north-
eastern part of the Park the grasses invade the woods and
form the most attractive places of all for grazing.
That singular and useless plant which grows almost
universally throughout the arid west, the sage brush (genus
* Mr. Alfred Rydberg, in his catalogue of the Flora of
Montana and the Yellowstone Park, enumerates 191 grasses.
About 80 species have been reported from the Park, but the
buffalo grass and gramma grass are not among them.
FLORA OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 235
Artemisia) is represented in the Park by several species.
The most common there, as elsewhere, is the tridentata, or
three-pronged leaf. It grows extensively around Mammoth
Hot Springs, where it attains a height of nearly ten feet.
The growths in the higher altitudes are much smaller.
In the valley of the Lower Gardiner that other plant
peculiar to the arid regions, the greasewood {Sarcobaius
vermiculaius), flourishes. In external form it resembles
the tridentata sage, but its color and composition are ver>'
different. The presence of sage brush indicates a good
agricultural soil; that of greasewood a poor soil; though
sometimes the two plants are found growing together.
The cactus is represented by two species, the well-known
prickly pear, and the small spherical growth, which abounds
in the lower prairies. Both of these plants produce attrac-
tive blossoms, and both are exceedingly troublesome to man
nnd beast in traveling over the country where they exist.
Iliese plants flourish only in the lower altitudes of the
Tark.
Several well kno^vn species of wild fruits are met with.
Ived raspberries grow all along the northern boundary of
the Park. In the region of the travertine rocks between
Terrace Mountain and Bunsen Peak they grow in sufficient
quantities to justify picking. Another place where they
grow profusely is the Canon of Lamar Eiver, about six
miles above the mouth of that stream.
Neither the black raspberry nor the common blackberry
grows in the Park, but there are wild gooseberries and cur-
rants in abundance. The fragrant serdce berry is met
with, but not the buffalo berry, which grows so abundantly
in the valleys below the Park.
There is found all over the Park in the dense forests of
lod^e pole pine, a small plant which yields a diminutive
236 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
fruit of the cranberry genus. In taste and smell it resem-
bles exactly the common huckleberry. It grows in the
greatest profusion, and fills the air with its fragrance;
but its exceedingly small size prevents its being gathered
for use.
Among the minor plants which abound are some of the
wild edible roots^ such as the camas root, the Indian turnip,
the bitter root, and the wild onion. Mushrooms grow
extensively, and a certain variety attains enormous size.
One specimen measured forty inches in circumference and
weighed about ten pounds.
Lichens, mosses, and a few prostrate growths abound to a
limited extent. Mint is found in some localities. There are
but few vines and almost no thorny growths. Kinnikinick,
or the bear berry, from the bark of which the Indian made
a native tobacco, grows extensively throughout the forests.
The cultivation of ordinary domestic plants and vege-
tables in the Park is very precarious owing to the altitude
and frequent frost. In the lower valley of the Gardiner the
raising of vegetables has been successfully accomplished,
but never on the Park Plateau, where the altitude is nearly
half a mile greater. A novel system of hothouse cultiva-
tion has been successfully tried in the geyser basins where
the steam from the hoi springs has been utilized to force the
growth of lettuce and similar vegetables.
CHAPTER VII.
FORESTS OF THE YELLOWSTONE.
The most prominent feature of the Park flora is its forest
growth, which covers five-sixths of its area. Tlie trees are
nearly all conifera, but the species are few in nuniber.
Probably three-fourths of the forests consist of the lodge
pole pine (Pinus Murraijana) , sometimes called black pine
from its dark appearance in large masses. It grows in tall,
straight, slender trunks, with no foliage, except near the
top. The trees stand so close together that the lower limbs
of earlier growths die out and the individual tree is simply
a huge telegraph pole sixty to seventy feet long, with a
Christmas tree on the top. In some places the gro\^-ths are
60 dense and the trunks so weak and slender that when tlie
top support is removed, as by cutting the right of way for a
road, the trees lop over in great circles until the tops touch
the ground. The tree is of little use for lumber, but it has
been utilized extensively for fuel, telegraph poles, fences
and similar purposes.
The white pine (Pinus flexilis) is found extensively in
the lower altitudes in the north of the Park. It is seen
at its best on the formation around Fort Yellowstone. It
docs not grow much above an elevation of 6,000 feet. It
is not a very shapely tree, and is interesting rather from its
sturdy form than from any real beauty or symmetry. It is
of little use for lumber.
A related species (Pinus aJhicauUs) grows in the higher
altitudes. In external appearance, habit and utility it
resembles the flexilis pine.
288 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAU^,
The trees just mentioned constitute the only species of
pines that grow in the Park. Three other important trees
have also a wide area of growth. The Douglas Spruce
(Pseudotsuga macronata) is a tree that resembles in ex-
ternal form of growth the pinus flexilis. It is found most
abundantly in the northern portions of the Park, but to a
considerable extent also in various other sections. In size
of trunk it is by far the largest tree in the Park, occasional
specimens exceeding six feet in diameter. It is the great
lumber tree of the Park, and is always chosen in preference
to other trees for bridge timber.
The two trees upon which the beauty of the Park forests
mainly depends are the Engelmann Spruce and the Silver
Fir, of the genera Picea and Ahies, respectively. Both
trees flourish in the higher altitudes, the spruce being par-
tial to damp ground. Xeither tree yields a good lumber,
and neither is sought for this purpose when the Douglas
Spruce is available.
The Engelmann spruce is a tall, well-built tree, with
symmetrical branches — commencing but little above the
ground, and generally drooping a little as if pressed do^^^l
by the weight of many winters' snow. The bark is of a
light reddish hue, which contrasts beautifully with the
dark foliage.
The silver fir, sometimes called balsam, is also a tall
s}Tnmetrical tree, whose soft, glaucous, Ught green foliage
makes it the most beautiful tree in the woods. It is not
generally found in dense growths, like the Eugelmann
spruce, but is encountered more frequently on the skirts
of forests verging toward the timber line.
In a few instances these trees have assumed a remarkable
growth, the limbs commencing with hedge-like density
from the ground, and extending in a solid mass to the top
FORESTS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 239
as if trimmed with artistic skill by an experienced gar-
dener. There are several examples of these growths which
should rank among the marvels of the Park. It is said
that they have been utilized for shelter in the winter by
chance wayfarers; for when covered with a roof of snow
their interior is as dry and wann as the room of a house.
It is upon the two species just described that the beauty
of the Park forests chiefly rests. The roads that are built
through them are invariably cool and pleasant, and in
some places form majestic avenues, with stately columns
rising in perfect symmetry on either side. The visitor
quickly learns the contrast between these rich evergreen
forests and the somber solitudes of the lodge pole pine.
The Park boasts two species of cedar, the Juniperus
scopulorum, and a prostrate form, Juniperus sihirica. The
first is confined to the Lower Gardiner and the Yellowstone
Valleys, and principally to the vicinity of Mammoth Hot
Springs. This tree rarely attains sufficient size or regular-
ity of form to make it useful for lumber or even fence
posts. It is a small growth, misshapen in the extreme,
and is attractive mainly on account of the remark-
able contortions and unusual shapes it assumes. It is as if
its entire life had been beset with wind and stonn until it
had lost every vestige of form and comeliness. There are,
however, a few examples which exhibit remarkable sym-
metry of growth.
The prostrate cedar growth is found generally through-
out the Park, at high as well as low altitudes. It creeps
over the ground like a vine, and is a very ornamental shrub.
The genus Populus is represented in the Park by three
species. The angustifolia, or narrow-leafed, cottonwood
grows along the streams in the lower altitudes, but is not
very abundant within the limits of the Park. There is
MO THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
also a Cottonwood of broader leaf, but of rather infrequent
occurrence. The tremuloides, or quaking aspen, is the
great representative of the genus in the Park, and the only
deciduous tree to be found there abundantly. It grows in
email detached copses in every part of the Eeservation,
and is an element of the highest importance in the beauty
of the landscape. AATiether in the soft, pale green of early
epring or the pure crimson and yellow of early fall, these
groves always appeal to the lover of nature as one of her
choicest beauties. In certain localities the tree grows to a
height of thirty or forty feet, with spreading tops and
snow-white trunks — a singular and striking phenomenon,
like a group of ponderous umbrellas with white handles
and green tops.
The elk and deer browse the quaking aspen, and the
beaver cuts it down for his use ; so that between the two it
has a hard struggle for existence in some localities.
Whether from browsing or some other cause, many of the
groves in the northern part of the Park seem to be trimmed
up exactly the same distance from the ground, as if all the
limbs had been carefully cut off at a fixed height.
The species above described include all the larger trees
of the Park. There are besides several smaller growths and
numerous low shrubs that are scarcely to be considered as
forming a part of the forest. Willow thickets abound
on nearly all the streams, and in some places, as in Willow
Park, are very beautiful either in early spring or late
autumn. The willows are naturally a great resource for the
beaver in his peculiar manner of life. Alder growths
abound on nearly all the streams. The dwarf maple is
quite common around Mammoth Hot Springs, and is a
very pretty tree.
Considered in their broader bearing upon the welfare of
CtROUP ok 1\\kk Hkidcjes.
tORESTS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 241
the Park, its forests are an element of great importance.
Their value differs with the different species, and in some
instances is much overestimated. In the vast compact
areas of lodge pole pine there is nothing of beauty and
little of utility. The dense shade prevents the g^o^\ih of
grass and underbrush, and the game find nothing to
live on among them. The spruce and fir are very different
trees. They grow more in detached masses, interspersed
with pasturage which often invades their precincts with a
fine grassy turf, forming ideal grazing grounds for the
herbivorous game. As seen in their native beauty on the
slopes of Mt. Washburn they are one of the chief attrac-
tions of the Park.
As a source of timber supply the forests of the Park
and surrounding mountains are not of high rank. Only
one of their trees }ields a good lumber, and that, unfortu-
nately, is among the least abundant. Railroads are now
resorting to the lodge pole pine for ties and telegraph
poles, but this due to necessity from the growing scarcity
of better timber rather than to any merit in the wood itself.
The influence of the Park forests upon the flow of its
streams is very different from what is generally supposed.
So far as tlie spring floods are concerned, the effect of the
forests, contrary to the received opinion, is to intensify, not
to moderate. This is a truth that has been fully demon-
strated from many years' observations in connection with
the opening of the roads in the spring. The same observa-
tions also indicate that, so far as snowfall is concerned,
an open country is more conducive to uniformity of flow
and a prolonged supply extending well into the summer
than is a forest covered area. The broader question of how
far forests have an influence upon precipitation is one
about which there is much uncertaint}', but the consensus
(II)
242 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
of opinion is that it is favorable, and that the forests serve
on the whole as great natural reservoirs in creating and
conserving the su^^ply of water.
The preservation of the Park forests has always been a
matter of anxious solicitude on the part of the authorities.
Extreme precautions are taken to prevent iires, and severe
penalties are visited upon anyone who is careless in thia
respect.
Forest fires in the Park arise from two principal causes
— lightning and the agency of man. It is said that they
have been started from the friction of trees rubbing to-
gether in the wind; but this is very improbable.
Lightning is undoubtedly a frequent cause of fires, and
one which can not be eliminated. The thunder showers of
the Park are characterized by intense electrical activity and
lightning strokes are frequent and severe. These strokes
often take place when there is very little rain — not enough
to extinguish any fire that might be started. The danger is
therefore a formidable one, and unhappily one that will
always continue.
In like manner the agency of man in causing forest fires
dates from the indefinite past, and will never be wholly
eliminated. It is thought by many that this danger is
greater now than it used to be, but this is probably not
true of the Park, from which railroads and settlements are
excluded. The Indians and trappers of early days who
wandered through this region were not confronted with
"extinguish your fires'' at every turn, and were not afraid
of the guard house if they left smoldering coals behind
them. Probably their camp fires caused quite as many
conflagrations as those of tourists do now.
The control of a forest fire that has once gotten under
way is next to impossible except by the aid of rain. The
FORESTS OF THE YELLOWSTONE^ 243
fire does not travel on the ground, as on the prairie or in a
forest of deciduous trees. In the Park there is not gen-
erally enough material of the right character on the ground
to enable a fire to gain dangerous headway. The real
progress is through the tree tops. The fire leaps up among
the resinous cones and leaves, which are torn off in flames,
borne on the wind for hundreds of feet, where they stait
new fires, and the process is repeated indefinitely.
It is impossible to battle successfully with an enemy
like this, who travels through the air and laughs at the
efforts made to circumvent him. Only at night or in the
early morning is there the least possibility of making
effective headway against him. The chill air dampens the
fury of the fire, and it ceases to run from about evening
twilight until nine or ten o'clock in the morning. The
fiercest progress is from two to four o'clock in the after-
noon, when the heat and wind are at their maximum. The
volume of smoke given off by these forest fires is very dense
and heavy, and gives an exaggerated impression of their
magnitude.
The proportion of the Park territory which has been
burned over in the past three hundred years is almost as
great as the Park itself. Evidences of former fires abound
everywhere, from the dead timber of last year's conflagra-
tion to full grown forests which still show on close
inspection charred remains that have resisted the decay of
time. The charring of wood gives it a wonderful preserv-
ative power, amounting in some instances to practical
indestructibility. It is, therefore, a simple matter to trace
these fires, and with some definite starting point or datum
it is comparatively easy to estimate their relative ages.
Fortunately we have such a datum which not only serves
our present purposes, but gives a clew to, the_origin of one
244 Tlir. YELLOWSTONE KATIONAL PARK.
of the most important geographical names of the Park. In
the journal of a clerk of the American Fur Company,*
who spent the years 1830-35 in the country around the
Park, the fact is recorded that the name ^^Burnt Hole," or
its equivalent, Firehole^ arose from a great forest fire that
swept over this region a ^"'few years before." The name
itself was applied then, as now, to the Firehole Geyser
Basins. This fire must have been as late as 1826, for it
was not until then that American trappers began to fre-
quent this region, and were there to note the facts. Its
remains are still everywhere visible, and. the process of
decay, as compared with other traceable fire effects, is cer-
tainly not more than half completed. The trunks of trees
that were killed three-quarters of a century ago still retain
their form, though shattered by decay ; while in many other
places they have returned completely to the mother earth,
and full grown trees rise above them, with only a charred
remnant here and there to record the story of the past.
The burned areas generally grow up again, though rarely
to their full extent, and the ultimate result of every fire is
probably to diminish the forest area. The young pine
thickets are exceedingly dense and a large proportion of
the trees die out in the process of growth. The down tim-
ber resulting from forest fires is a great obstacle to travel
and renders the country in many places absolutely im-
passable on horseback.
To what extent these forest fires are an injury to the
Park it is impossible to say. If they could come in the
right spots through the southern and central portions of
the Park and leave us more pasturage where the lodge pole
pine now holds sway, the Park would be the gainer. If it
* See Page 38.
Ornamental Forest Growths.
FORESTS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 2^:5
were possible to break up these dense masses into smaller
groups like those around Mt. Washburn, every benefit that
flows from the forests would still obtain, the landscape
would be beautified, the game pasturage would be
increased, while the open spaces would facilitate the arrest
of such fires as might break out.
But there is no obvious way of accomplishing this result
within any reasonable cost. Certainly the forest fire is not
one. It is as liable to break out in the wrong place as in
the right one. It creates a devastated area which for years
is a blot upon the landscape. This is followed by a gener-
ation of down timber aggravated by impenetrable growths
of jack pine, and the final outcome, after a century or two
of time, is a forest like that which was destroyed. If it
were ever considered desirable to thin out the forests in
any portion of the Park it would have to be done by arti-
ficial means. The government may yet find it to it? advan-
tage to permit certain sections to be deforested and turned
into pasturage, but it will never be found practicable to
utilize forest fires for this purpose.
CHAPTER Vni.
THE FLOWERS OF THE PAKK.
Occasionally a ^dsitor comes to the Yellowstone with a
very literal idea of what is meant by the word park. He
is looking for beautifully aligned walks and roadways,
carpet-like lawns^ formal beds of flowers, and other feat-
ures of the conventional city park. With something of a
shock he encounters the actual reality as it exists where
the majority of tourists enter the Park, and it does indeed
seem, at first sight, as if the name was a little out of
place when applied to such a region.
But if this country as a whole seems more like a wonder-
land than a park, there are hundreds of genuine parks
scattered all through it. The traveler who leaves the main
road to follow one of the many trails that lead through the
woods to some distant mountain peak is sure, in time^, to
come upon spots more picturesque and beautiful than
an}i;hing art can produce. Take, for example, a sparsely
wooded glade on the slope of Mt. Washburn, carpeted with
the numerous native grasses and threaded by a silver
rivulet from the melting snows above. Fir and spruce, in
dark evergreen masses, contrast with the soft green of
the quaking aspen or the mellow brown of certain char-
acteristic shrubs. Here and there, perchance, lie prostrate
forms of forest trees, returning, by the slow process of
decay, to the soil from which they sprung. Ever}^where,
in contrast, the animating presence of life, ^laughing "«ith
joy for its wild freedom,^' reflects the abounding health
and vigor of Xature. Far upward^ through the openings
THE FLOWERS OF THE PARK. 247
of the trees, the mountain stands forth in silent majesty,
while over it the white clouds are winging their way across
the canopy of the deep blue sky.
But there remains to be mentioned the most attractive
feature of the picture and the one that gives the finishing
touch to its beaut}- — the native wild flowers. The Yellow-
stone Park is, in fact, one vast garden of flowers. They
grow almost everywhere, and one rarely finds a spot so
sterile that Xature has failed to beautify it with some
simple blossom. They lift their heads almost from under
the melting drifts, and they persist in the fall until the
snow crushes them to the ground. They seem all to come
at once, for their time is short, and has to be improved
while it lasts. Tlieir beauty, moreover, increases with the
hardness of their environment, and the most exquisite
tints are found in those lofty and exposed situations where
the conditions of growth seem most unfavorable. One of
the pleasantest surprises to visitors who ascend any of the
high mountains is in finding the permanent snow banks
bordered with banks of flowers, so dense and rich as to
paint the ground with their color.
With few exceptions, the flowers of the Park are not
particularly fragrant, and, like all wild flowers, they wilt
quickly in the hand, but revive in water, and can thus be
preserved for a considerable time. AMien skillfully com-
bined by an artist in that kind of work, and interspersed
with grasses and leaves, they yield more exquisite bouquets
than can be made from cultivated flowers.
To the true lover of Xature the flowers of the Park will
always be one of its greatest attractions. The unique
phenomena of this region produce a vivid impression b}^
their very strangeness, but it is not an impression that
lasts. One quickly .wearies of anything that exists in.
248 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL P^iRK.
apparent violence of the orderly course of Nature, and he
finds a more enduring satisfaction in common things, like
the wild flowers of forest or mountain. Theirs is a
charm that never grows old; their sweet influence never
ceases ; and they return in fresh radiance with every spring
to remind us anew of life's beauty.
It would be quite impossi1:)le, within the limits of this
chapter, to give a full description of the flowers of the
Park, for they run well up into the hundreds. We shall
note about sixty of the more important species — ^those
which the visitor is sure to see on his tour, particularly if
made in the latter part of June or the flrst half of July.
There are a few species that disappear early in the season,
and a considerable number that are gone before the first
of August; but, owing to the range of altitude, a large
proportion of the flowers can be found in one locality or
another nearly the entire season. In the following list the
popular and generic names are given in most cases, but
the specific names are, with few exceptions, omitted.
Among the early arrivals the most beautiful is the
Bitter-root (Lewisia rediviva). Because of the infre-
quency of warm, early springs in the Park, this flower is
not always al^undant there; but under favorable conditions
it fairly covers the hillsides near Mammoth Hot Springs,
and in the lower altitudes, with its delicate pink blossoms.
It is an exquisite star-shaped flower, growing close to the
ground, and is unusual in having no green in stem or
calyx, which are of the pink of the flower, tipped with
brown. The root of this plant was extensively used by the
Indians for food.
The Bitter-root has been chosen as the State flower of
Montana.
The Lungwort (Mertensia) is another early arrival, and
THE FLOWERS OF THE PARK. 249
its large blue clusters grow in profusion on the hills be-
tween Mammoth Hot Springs and the Golden Gate.
A flower that is seen almost every-where in the early
spring, soon after the snow disappears, is the Phlox, of
which there are at least six recognized species in the Park.
It grows close to the ground in compact masses, which
form mats of delicately tinted blossoms. It is one of the
few wild flowers that possess a genuine fragrance, and its
odor fills the air wherever it grows. Its color shades from
white to every delicate tint of lavender and pink, produc-
ing exquisite efl'ects. A peculiarity of this flower is that
it gains a quick foothold on the newly made grades along
the tourist route.
Violets are found in six or seven distinct species; but
their season is short and very early, an,d as they choose
secluded spots for their blooming, they are not often seen
by tourists.
Probably the most abundant flower in the Park is the
Lupine (Lupinus, in six species.) It is found in almost
every locality, and grows in masses on the grassy hillsides
in every shade of color — from a lavender so pale as to be
almost white, to the deepest blue or purple. Its graceful
form and variety of tint are its chief attractions.
The bright blue of the Larkspur (Delphinium, in five
species) is likewise found everywhere throughout the
Park. It is dreaded by stockmen as a plant poisonous to
sheep and cattle.
That somber and appropriately-named plant the Monk's-
hood, or Wolfsbane (Aconitiim), is also poisonous. It
flourishes best in the higher altitudes, and in damp
ground. The body of the blossom is white, but it is so
deeply varied with purple as to give the color-character to
the flower.
250 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
A flower which grows in fascinating variety throughout
the Park, and is a particular favorite with many, is the
Indian Paint, Brush (Castilleja), also called the Painted
Cup or Indian Pink. It is found almost everywhere. In
the lower altitudes it takes on all the shades of Indian red
— ^the color it is best known by in other regions. But it is
in the higher altitudes, well up toward the mountain
peaks, that it is to be seen in its greatest beauty. Here it
assumes a very diiferent dress, and attains a perfection
of size, form and color which the other varieties hardly
suggest. It is generally of a deep rose or crimson, like an
American Beauty, but ranges through every shade of these
particular colors. It is an interesting fact that the real
blossom of this brilliant plant is so small as to be scarcely
perceptible. What gives it its wealth of color is the leaf
which grows in thick clusters at the top of the stem, to
protect the tiny blossoms it conceals.
The Forget-me-not is another characteristic flower of
the Park. The true forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestrls) is
found only at high altitudes, almost at the mountain
summits, in fact. Here it is of a deep blue and grows in
thick clusters close to the ground. Lower down occurs
what seems to be another variety of the same flower, more
beautiful, without doubt, than the first. It groM^s much
taller, in branching, feathery clusters, and is of a paler
blue, though of the same rare tint — the tint that one
always associates with this particular flower. It seems, in
fact, to respond to one's idea of what a forget-me-not
should be, but botanists tell us that it belongs to a differ-
ent genus (Lappula). It sometimes grows in such
abundance as to impart its color to the hillside.
Another flower of this same rare blue is the wild flax
THE FLOWERS OF THE PARK. 251
(Linum Lewisii). It is exquisite but perishable, the petals
falling easily at the approach of midday. It Is found
everywhere throughout the Park.
What is considered by man[y the most beautiful flower
in the Park is the Columbine (Aquilegia), Certainly, in
grace of form and delicacy of coloring it is unsurpassed.
The varied tints of these dainty flowers elude description.
The palest are cream- white, and the others seem made up of
every faint shade of yellow, pink, blue and purple. The
plant grows about a foot high, with pendent blossom,
swinging like a bell from its slender stem. It flourislies
best in the open forests at high altitudes, and its favorite
habitat is Mt. Washburn.
An experienced collector of Park flowers has called the
fringed gentian (Gentiana elegaiis), "the characteristic
flower of the Park as well as the most beautiful.'' While
this is perhaps too sweeping a claim, tlie flower is certain-
ly very abundant and of great beauty. It grows in the
moist places of the geyser basins and in the mountain
meadows everywhere. Its deep rich blue color is found
in no other flower, and there are few flowers which, on
close inspection, displays so flne a texture. It difl'ers in
size from the gentian of the east, being slightly smaller.
It flourishes in great beauty around the Upper Geyser
Basin, where there have heeix found specimens of a pure
white.
The Immortelle, or Everlasting of the East (Anaphalis)
is quite common. It is a sub-alpine plant, and its blos-
som is of a delicate, velvety white. Properly cared for it
retains its beauty for an indefinite period.
ThcSulphur Flower or Umbrella Plant {Eriogonum, five
or six species) grows in great profusion through the moun-
252 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
tain portions of the Park — sometimes fairly covering the
hillsides' with its varied ^ades of cream white, sulphur,
yellow and red.
The wild Geranium, cranesbill magenta (Geranium)
grows profusely along the roadside. It is conspicuous be-
cause of the strong magenta color of its blossoms; but it
can hardly be called a beautiful flower. The leaves of the
plant turn red in autumn.
The Harebell (Campanula roiundifoUa) is an abundant
flower. It grows in clusters along the roadside everywhere
and is dainty and beautiful here as in other regions.
One of the most brilli-ant and effective of all the flow-
ers, through more rarely seen than many others, is the
Blue Penstemon, Beard Tongue (Penstemon, there are no
fewer than thirteen species of this genus in the Park). Its
long stem, growing from six inches to two feet or more in
height, holds clusters of trumpet-shaped bells of an inde-
scribably rich blue, often tinged at the base with wine
color. It is seen rather sparsely scattered in dry places
near the roads.
A plant most characteristic of the Park, and a conspicu-
ous ornament in the landscape at all seasons, is the Fire
Weed or WiUow Herb (Epilohium). When in bloom, its
long clusters of a peculiar magenta pink, on stems from
a foot to five feet in height, decorate the roadway and hill-
side in all localities, and when the blossoms have passed,
the leaves take on a brilliant red, and are an important
element in the autumnal coloring. This plant takes its
name from its tendency to grow in localities that have
been devastated by fire.
Clinging to the rocks around Golden Gate, often where
there is no visible soil, may be seen the Evening Primrose,
or Eock Rose (Oenothera, four species j. Its large beau-
THE FLOWERS OF THE PARK. 253
tiful blossoms open at sunset and close about noon. They
are white at lirst, but gradually turn a deep rose pink.
The roots of the plant are long, as if going deep in their
search for water. These flowers are very interesting in
their habit of growth — bright, little bouquets hanging up
in the rocks. Fortunately, their period of flowering is a
long one.
One of the daintiest of all the flowers, and one some-
what resembling the Columbine in grace of form, is the
yellow Adder's Tongue (Erythronium). This has been
called the Dogtooth Violet, surely a gross misnomer. In
California it is most appropriately called the Easter Lily,
but Easter has long passed before it makes its appearance
in the Park. There is no gayer sight than a mass of these
yellow lilies, as one comes upon them in the woods under
some spreading tree — ^as "jocund company" as are the daf-
fodils which inspired Wordsworth's immortal lines.
The Mountain Primrose (Primula) is a brilliant, crim-
son, bell-shaped flower on long branching stems, gro\Wng
close to the water's edge along the mountain streams. It
is not abundant and is rarely seen by tourists,- except in
Spring Creek Canon, on the road from the Upper Geyser
Basin to the Yellowstone Lake.
The PyroUa (five species) is a little flower, so rare that
it perhaps hardly deserves a place in this short list, but its
beauty is of such rare quality as to justify including it.
It resembles in size and general appearance the Lily of
the Yalley, and is found in the woods about Yellowstone
Lake.
The Monkey-face (Mimulus) is a bright little yellow
flower growing in wet places at the edge of streams.
That wonderful, night blooming flower (Menizelia) is
considered by some the most beautiful in the Rocky Moun-
254 fHE YtLLOWSTOXE X^ATIOXAL PARK.
tains. It is not Avell known because it chooses as its habitat
only the most desolate and arid spots^ and because its
blossoms can be seen onl}^ at night. The plant somewhat
resembles a thistle and would not win a second glance from
the passer-by in the day time when its marvelous satin-
like blossom is tight-folded in its bed of grayish green.
When open at night it exhales a rich, heavy perfume
which, like the gleaming white of its blossom, attracts
night-fiying insects.
This flower is found quite abundantly below Mammoth
Hot Springs, and is locally known as the Night Blooming
Cereus; but this niame properly applies only to a tropical
cactus, Cereus gi'andiflorns.
The Yellow Water Lily (Nymphae polysepala) is found
in great abundance in some of the lakes and ponds. It is
particularly noticeable in the little pond at the first cross-
ing of the Continental Divide above the Upper Geyser
Basin.
The Aster, in not fewer than twelve distinct species, is
found ever\'where throughout the Park and during the
entire season. It is one of the first flowers of spring and
the last to disappear in the fall.
The Sunflower (Helianthus) is represented by several
species and grows in great profusion, as does also the allied
genus Helianthella.
Besides the flowers briefly described above, the follow-
ing may be mentioned as among those which are quite sure
to fall under the eye of the tourist :
The Anemone or Wind Flower (Anemone in two spo-
Qies) ; the Pasque flower (Pulsatilla hirsutissima) ; the
Arnica plant (Arnica, seven species), a bright yellow
flower growing in the shade of evergreen trees; the But-
tercup (Banunculus) in at least thirteen different species;
THE FLOWERS OF THE PAKK.
256
two flowers, the .Marsh Mallow (Caltha hptosepala) , and
the Globe Flower (TruUius alblflorus), of the same family
and growing in the same environment; the Shooting-star
or Ameriean Cowslip (Dodecatlieon, in four species), a
l^eantiful flower of wide distribution; the Prickly Pear
(Opuntia polyacantlia) wliich has a delicate and beautiful
blossom; the Double Bladder-pod (Physaria), one of. many
representatives of the Mustard family; Jacob's Ladder, or
Greek Valerian (Polymonium, in four species) ; the
Golden Eod (Solidago, in five species) ; that beautiful resi-
dent of high altitudes, Townsendii, in five species; the
Clematis Douglasii, more beautiful in seed than in flower;
the Douglasii Montana, an exquisite little pink flower, of
the Primrose family which grows in great profusion in
certain localities; the Spring Beauty (Clayionia), and tlie
Thistle (Cardials in two species).
Among the flowering shrubs and vines the more promi-
aent are:
The Wild Eose, which is present in great abundance in
the lower altitudes and is conspicuous both for its beautiful
blossoms in spring and its scarcely less beautiful foliage in
fall; the Spirea; the Shad Bush, or Ser\dce Berry, which
is covered with white flowers in spring; the Mountain x\sh,
the Labrador and Xew Jersey tea plants, the several varie-
ties of berry l^ushes, and the Strawberry plant which grows
all over the Park.
There are several representatives of the fern family in
the Park, the mo#t important being the Cystopteris fra-
gilis, wliich has a general distribution throughout the
reservation.
The beautiful but destructive parasite, the Mistletoe, is
found on the lodge pole pine.
The Orchid family has nimierous representatives in the
256 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAR^.
Park, the most important being the Calypso hulbosa or
horealis.
There are many trees and shrubs in the Park, some of
which are described in the two preceding chapters, that
yield such beautiful autumnal foliage as almost to entitle
them to be classed with the flowers. Among the more con-
spicuous are the Quaking Aspen, the Eed Osier or Dog-
wood (Cornus stolonifera), the Oregon Grape (Berheris
agrifolium), valued for its medicinal qualities, and the
Nine-bark (Opulaster paucifloriis).
Several of the grasses are exceedingly beautiful in their
season of blossom, and, like the autumn leaves, deserve to
be considered with the flowers.
It may be added that certain domestic flowers grow unu-
sually well under cultivation in the Park. This is par-
ticularly true of Pansies, which attain a size of blossom
and a richness of coloring unsurpassed anywhere.
CHAPTER IX.
THE CLIMATE OF THE PARK.
Take it in all its phases, year in and year out, the climate
of the Park is as delightful and health giving as it is
possible to find. None of the ordinary causes of disease
which pervade the atmosphere or reside in the "water in
lower altitudes are found here. There are no great
extremes of heat and cold, or of moisture or drought.
Table of Mean Mojithly Te7?iperatiires , Fahrenheit, Based
upon te?i years' observations {i8pi-i^oo).
Month.
January . . .
February. .
March
April
May
June
Jtiiy
August
September
October. . .
November.
December .
M
rt
>^
Ph
o
a
w
M
03
u
OJ
q
^
o
^
^
h4
Ph
5
^
tn
'^
iS.3
30.6
53-0
32.2
13-3
23.6
19.1
30.9
55-S
33-0
14.2
24.1
22.6
37-8
62.6
43-5
26.4
33-3
35.2
49-4
6S.6
57.8
46.9
46.9
44.1
60.0
75-5
66.4
57-8
56.7
54.8
6q.6
80.1
76.2
67.8
67.4
61.2
73.8
81.7
78.3
71.8
72.0
61. 1
73-7
82.0
78.5
70.3
71.6
52.3
67.5
79-3
72.6
62.7
65.8
40.4
56.0
70.5
59-9
49.6
53-5
26.5
45-0
61.7
44-8
29.2
37.3
20.4
35.6
55-4
36.5
19.8
28.6
29.4
31-5
40.2
49.1
57-1
66.4
74-4
74.3
64.8
52.0
41.8
30-4
The Park temperatures are for Mammoth Hot Springs.
(II*)
258 TTIE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
The air is clear, electrical and bracing, the nights always
cool, the altitude exhilarating, the odor of the evergreen
forests invigorating, while the varied and beautiful scenery
exalts the mind and diverts attention from cares which are
often the real cause of physical ills. In the broadest and
highest sense the Park is a sanitarium which rarely fails to
give substantial benefits to those who seek them.
The preceding table gives the mean monthly tempera-
ture for the ten j^ears, 1891-1900, in the Yellowstone
Park and in several of the largest cities of the United
States. The Park temperatures are for Mammoth Hot
Springs. For the general plateau, which averages 1,500
feet higher, these figures should be diminished by at least
ten degrees. In the middle of the day and under the direct
influence of the sun, August temperatures sometimes reach
ninety degrees. But no such heat pervades the general
atmosphere, and in the shade the air always seems cool.
Night temperatures at Mammoth Hot Springs rarely
exceed sixty degrees, and in the Upper Park scarcely a week
passes without frost.
The winter temperatures of the Park, so far as they have
been regularly observed, are much less extreme than is gen-
erally suj)posed. The impression prevails that the Park
in winter is a veritable section from the Polar Eegions.
The facts are wholly different. Mammoth Hot Springs has
wonderfully mild and temperate winters. The proportion
of clear days which characterizes its summers is equaled if
not exceeded by those of its winters. The snowfall never
reaches a depth that blockades travel, if there is any
determined effort to keep the roads open.
In the upper Park the weather is much colder and the
snowfall much greater. The mean annual fall (light) at
THE CLIMATE OF THE PARK. 259
Mammoth Hot Sprinp^s for the ten years, 1890-1900, was
8.6 feet, with a maximum of 12.3 feet and a minimum of
5.5 feet. In the upper park it doubtless amounts to twenty
feet. Its weight often destroys bridge railings and light
buildings, and it shows its effects every^vhere upon forest
trees. Drifts accumulate in enormous magnitude and
numberless avalanches fall from the mountain sides every
winter. Nevertheless it is not until late in the winter that
the fall of the snow really blockades travel, and it would
doubtless be possible to maintain open roads the year round.
The great depth of the light fall of snow conveys an exag-
gerated idea of its real depth. It settles rapidly and
evaporates like water in the summer time. Even with the
temperature below the freezing point the snow disappears
with very noticeable progress.
The winter climate at Mammoth Hot Springs is un-
doubtedly more healthy for northern people than the
southern resorts which are so much patronized. In the
Park the conditions of genuine winter are expected and
provided for. Heating and clothing are adapted to the
climate. In the so-called winter resorts there is too little
cold to make winter provision for, and too much to be com-
fortable without it; so that a great deal of the expected
pleasure and benefit of the milder climate never material-
izes. In the Park there is everything that a lover of
genuine ^dnter desires — unlimited opportunit}- for skating,
coasting, snow-shoeing and sleighing; crisp clear air; beau-
tiful snowstorms; fine winter scenery; and as pure and
perfect an atmosphere as exists on the globe.
On the w^hole, the Park climate, both in summer and
winter, is thoroughly tonic in its effect upon the system.
These benefits are probably more noticeable after three or
four months' sojourn than for much shorter or longer
260 THE YELLOWSTON^E NATIONAL PARK.
periods. As a place for continued residence the altitude is
too high for most constitutions, but as a place to go for a
few months' rest and recuperation it has no equal.
A matter which has naturally attracted considerable
inquiry is the therapeutic value of the mineral springs of
the Park. The superstitious faith in the efficacy of min-
eral waters to restore healthy which has characterized
mankind in all ages, caused the physically afflicted to hail
the discovery of this region as the promised fountain of
new life. The first explorers to ascend the Gardiner in
1871 found "numbers of invalids'' encamped on its banks,
where the hot waters from Mammoth Hot Springs enter
that stream: and it is recorded that "they were most
emphatic in their favorable expressions in regard to their
sanitary effects/^
But this impression was very evanescent. No one now
goes to the Park because of its mineral waters. Neverthe-
less, it would be premature to assume that there is no
medicinal virtue in them. There is in the Park almost
every variety of mineral spring; there are abundant and
luxurious waters for bathing; and it is not at all improb-
able that the opportunities afforded in this region may yet
be utilized to the great advantage of the public*
* For analysis of Park waters see page 219.
Golden Gate Viaduct.
CHAPTEH X.
ROADS^ HOTELS AND TRANSrORTATION.
The Park is a very extensive tract of country and its
points of interest are widely separated from each other.
The ordinary tour requires about 150 miles of travel and
one week's time. The question of ways and means of
making it in comfort is an all-important one; for if the
roads are bad, the hotels ill-kept, or the transportation
uncomfortable, the physical discomforts resulting detract
largely from the pleasure of a visit.
The road system of the Park is designed to provide an
entrance on each of the four sides, and to give access to all
the more important objects of interest. The mileage of
all the roads -within the original reservation is about 306
miles; that of connecting roads in the forest reserves,
built and maintained by the government, about 111 miles;
making a total of 417 miles. This mileage may be ex-
tended in the future, although it is the present policy not
to multiply the roads, but to restrict them as much as
possible, leaving the larger area of the Park free from this
form of civilized intrusion.
When it is considered that these roads are in the heart
of the mountains, where the country is wild and rugged,
it vnll be understood that the problem of working out a
satisfactory system is a very large one. Many things have
to bo considered that ordinary railroad work is free of.
Questions of drainage, dust, character of road bed are
much more exacting in highway construction. It is only
because its shorter curves and heavier grades give greater
flexibility of location, thus avoiding heavy cuts and fills,
262 THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
long tunnels and high bridges, that the cost of a first-class
modern highway is not greater, mile for mile, than that of
a railroad through the same country. The full magnitude
of the Park road system as an engineering work has never
been appreciated by the public and only very recently has
Congress recognized it in any adequate degree.
The first person to submit an official project for a road
system in the Park was X. P. Langford, first Superintend-
ent. In his annual report for 1872 he presented an out-
line of what was then urgently required and asked for an
appropriation from Congress, l^othing was done, how-
ever, until 1877, when Congress gave $15,000 to com-
mence the work. P. W. Norris had succeeded Mr. Lang-
ford as Superintendent and to him fell the task of build-
ing the first government roads in the Park. He opened
up a great extent of country in the next four years, ex-
pending for this and other purposes nearly $70,000. The
work was very primitive in character, no attention being
given to proper location and but little to proper construc-
tion. It has all been since abandoned.
In 1883 the goverimient sent an officer of the Corps
of Engineers to take charge of the work and by him the
general project for the existing system was prepared.
From that time on, for many years, Congress gave small
annual appropriations, a portion of which was used in the
building of roads. The usual annual appropriation was
$40,000. In the year 1902 Congress definitely adopted
an estimate for the work and pledged the sum of $750,000,
to be given in three equal annual instalments. The work
has remained in charge of the Corps of Engineers except
during the four years from 1894 to 1898. It was defi-
nitely placed under the Engineer Department by Act of
Congress of June 6, 1900.
ROADS, HOTELS AND TRANSPORTATION. 263
The road system of the Park, as it is now worked out,
embraces a general circuit or belt line connecting all the
important centers of interest; four approaches or en-
trances, one on each side of the Park, numerous side roads
to isolated objects of interest; and bridle trails through
sections of the Park where roads are not likely to be
built.
The main circuit of the system, includes the following
localities, which are the six great centers of attraction in
the Park: Mammoth Hot Springs, ISTorris Geyser Basin,
the Firehole Geyser Basins, Yellowstone Lake, the Grand
Canon of the Yellowstone, and the country around Tower
Falls. Between the east and west sides of the circuit,
where they approach nearest each other, there is a cross-
road, extending from Norris to the Grand Caiion. The
total mileage of the belt line and of this cross-road is 152
miles.
The most important of the approaches is that from the
north, where the Northern Pacific Eailroad touches the
border of the Park. The distance from this point to the
belt line at Mammoth Hot Springs is five miles.
The eastern approach lies partly within the Park auJ
partly in the Yellowstone Forest Eeserve. It connect-
with the Burlington Railway system and leads from the
valley of Shoshone River through Sylvan Pass to the belt
line at the Lake outlet. It is 59 miles long, of which dis-
tance 31 miles is within the Park.
The southern approach lies partly in the Park and
partly in the Yellowstone Forest Eoserve. It has at present
no direct connection with any railroad. Its initial point
may be taken at the confluence of Snake River and
Buffalo Fork, whence it extends up the valley of Snake
River to Lewis Lake and across the Continental Divide to
264 THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
the belt line on the west shore of Yellowstone Lake. Its
length is 52 miles, of which 23 miles is within the Park.
The western approach lies entirely in the valley of the
Madison Eiver and its two tributaries, the Gibbon and
Firehole. It forks at the confluence of these two strearrxs
and a branch ascends each until it intersects the belt line.
The length of this approach, including the two branches,
is 20 miles, all of which lies within the Park. It is by
this approach that traffic coming from the Oregon Short
Line Eailroad (Union Pacific) enters the Park.
The principal side roads of the Park are the following:
To the Middle Gardiner Falls and around Bunsen Peak;
to the great Fountain Geyser in the Lower Basin ; through
the various points of interest in the L^pper Basin; to Sul-
phur Mountain in Hayden Valley; to iirtist Point on the
right bank of the Grand Canon; to Inspiration Point on
the left bank; to the summit of Mt. Washburn from Dun-
"raven Pass; and up the valleys of Lamar River and Soda
Butte Creek to the northeast corner of the Park. The
total mileage of these roads is about 71 miles.
The country through which the Park roads are built is
rough and mountainous, largely covered vrith. dense for-
ests, intersected ^vith a net work of streams, and lying at
an altitude where the snow falls to a great depth. The
soil is a heterogeneous mixture of a great variety of sub-
stances which are for the most part unfit for road build-
ing. The rock is nearly all of a volcanic character and
with few exceptions too soft for a satisfactory macadam.
Beds of valuable gravel occur at too rare intervals for
general use as a surfacing material. The streams are
torrential in character and subject to heavy freshets in the
spring. There are over sixty bridges and five hundred
culverts. But in spite of this evidence of the great abund-
ROADS^ HOTELS AND TRANSPORTATION. 265
ance of water, the chief drawback to the roads is its
absence in the right place; for the drought of summer
never fails to bring with it a dusty road bed. The natural
conditions for road building and maintenance in the Park
are thus seen to be not the most desirable.
In later years careful attention has been given to the
location of the roads, an important consideration always
being to carry them where they will develop the scenery
of the Park to the best advantage. The final locations
are not everywhere what they ought to be, for in the earlier
work very little attention was paid to this matter, and in
later years the desire to save cost has caused the retention
of several faulty pieces of work.
In the work of construction, the right of way through
timber is taken at thirty feet, except in a few places where
it has been widened to facilitate the melting of snow. The
surface width of the road on the main circuit is fixed at
eighteen feet and the limiting gradient at eight feet in
the hundred. On this portion of the system the bridges
are all to be of steel or masonry and the culverts vitrified
clay pipe. The surface is to be metaled with crushed rock
or gravel, and to be sprinkled during the dry season with
water or oil. This higher character of work extends also
to the northern approach which is subjected to the heavi-
est traffic of any of the Park roads.
The work on the other approaches and on the side roads
is of a less substantial and costly character. A steeper
gradient and narrower width are permitted; the surface
will not be macadamized or sprinkled in the near future;
and wood will be used in the structures.
Over the entire svtjtem mile-posts of turned cedar are
provided. They are numbered on opposite sides with the
nearest full miles to the next inijjortant stopping place.
(12)
266 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Suitable sign-boards are placed at all junction points, and
at the more notable objects of interest
Among the more interesting, difBcult and costly pieces
of work are the following: The road through the Lower
Gardiner Caiion; the passage of the Travertine Eocks,
two miles and a half above Mammoth Hot Springs; the
cliff road in Grolden Gate Canon; the water grade in Gib-
bon Caiion; Spring Creek Canon, Craig Pass and Cork-
screw Hill on the Continental Divide Koad ; the road along
the Eapids of the Yellowstone ; the side road to the summit
of Mt. Washburn; the cliff road at Tower Falls;" the road
through the East Gardiner Caiion; and the crossing of
Sylvan Pass on the Eastern Approach.
The principal structures are: The entrance gate at the
north boundary ; the Golden Gate Viaduct ; the Melan Arch
Bridge over the Eapids of the Yellowstone; the wooden
arch bridge over a dry ravine in the same vicinity; a steel
arch bridge over Cascade Creek; the new Baronett Bridge
over the Yellowstone; the arch bridge over Tower Creek;
and the five- span steel arch over the Middle Gardiner.
Such, in its main feature is the road system of the
Park as assured in the immediate future. It must not be
supposed, however, that this will be the limit of govern-
ment endeavor to build up here the finest system of moun-
tain roads in the world; and we may be pardoned for
stepping ahead into the future and forecasting what the
final development of this road system v^hould be.
The present location will never be changed except in
minor details. The width of the roads should be gradually
increased; the improvement of the surface should be car-
ried on until a rock road bed is everywhere secured; the
means of laying dust should be developed to the highest
possible efficiency ; strong guard walls should be built along
ROADS, HOTELS AND TRANSPORTATION. 267
all side hill grades ; the dead and decaying timber should be
cleared away from the roads to a distance of 100 feet, the
trees thinned out, and grass and shrubbery introduced
to beautify the roadside and induce game to show them-
selves ; the structures should be built, as far as possible, of
rustic design, in the rough native stone, and all other work
should be carried out with due reference to the purpose of
the roads as public highways in the world's greatest of
natural parks. The opportunities for artistic work in
harmony with the surroundings are almost endless,
and it is to those who are to follow after the pioneer work
is done that the real satisfaction of definite results will
come.
It is the ultimate realization of an end like this that
will permanently exclude railroads from the Park. The
only real argument in their favor now is the discomfort of
coach travel arising from the condition of the roads. The
final result will be a matter of considerable time; but it
will come; and if the present policy is adhered to, future
generations will commend that wisdom which excluded
from this region the innovations of modern travel, and left
one place in the world where the horse and the coach can
not be displaced by steam or electricity.
The hotel system of the Park will eventually include
buildings at Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin,
the Lower Geyser Basin, the Upper Geyser Basin, the
West Shore of the Yellowstone Lake, the Lake Outlet, the
Grand Canon, and Tower Falls; with probably additional
ones on the eastern and southern approaches. Five of these
buildings are already in existence. They include all essen-
tial modern appurtenances of a first-class hotel, and will,
of courso; be improved and developed with the increase of
travel.
268 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
There is an hotel system in vogue in the Park, which
has served satisfactorily for several years a large section
of the traveling public, and has gained wide popularity. It
is the "permanent camp" system established by W. W.
Wylie, and hitherto known by his name. It consists vir-
tually of hotels under canvas, and its chief merit lies in
the more economical service which it provides for the
tourist.
In addition to these methods of sheltering and subsist-
ing visitors, camping by individual parties is resorted to
extensively.
Over the roads above described the tourist is carried
from point to point in coaches. These are usually drawn
by four horses, sometimes by six, and are supplemented
by single conveyances for the accommodation of special
parties. The present system is the result of long develop-
ment and is as complete as any in the world. The average
speed of travel is about six miles per hour, and the longest
single drive between hotels is twenty miles.
The drivers are men of experience and skill, and serve
the additional role of guide. They bear a relation to the
visitor not imlike that of a boat captain to his passengers,
and no small part of the tourist's pleasure is dependent
upon them. Some of these drivers have gro^wai up Avith
the transportation business of the Park from the begin-
ning, and have acquired an enviable celebrity in the lore
of this region.
The course of the tourist route is such as to include the
Yellowstone Lake for a distance of about twenty miles.
A boat plies from the west shore, where it meets the
coaches from the Upper Basin, to the hotel at the Lake
Outlet. This voyage is one of the most delightful features
of the Park tour.
Orange Geyser and Pulpit Tekkace.
CHAPTEE XL
ADMINISTRATION OF THE PARK.
The administration of the Park is assigned by law to
the Secretary of the Interior, who delegates his authority
to a local Superintendent. By statute, also, the Secretary
of the Interior is authorized to call upon the Secretary of
War for such details of troops as may be necessary to pro-
tect the Park. Owing to the failure of Congress to pro-
vide for a civilian Su])erintendent and police force, since
1886, the Secretary of the Interior has found it necessary
to avail himself of this second statute, so that the present
working of the Park administration is on this wise:
An army officer, commanding the troops of the Park, is
the representative of the Secretary of the Interior, and is
called the Acting Superintendent of the Park, on the as-
sumption that the old regime of civilian Superintendents
is only temporarily suspended. The Superintendent is
charged with the enforcement of the rules and regulations
provided for the government of the Park. As to all such
matters, he receives his instructions direct from the Sec-
retary of the Interior, and he annually submits to that
official a report upon the condition of the Park.
The specific duties which form the burden of the Super-
intendent's work are as follows :
(1) The supervision of all privileges granted to private
parties by the Secretary of the Interior for the conduct
of business upon the reser^'ation.
(2) The protection of the Park from vandalism. The
pardonable desire to carry off specimens of the beautiful
270 TITE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
formations, and the morbid craze, peculiar to certain
minds, to cover tliem with individual names, would, if -un-
restrained, soon destroy what nature, through long ages,
has so laborious^ built up.
(3) The protection of game. This has now become one
of the most important duties of the Superintendent, be-
cause of the high place which the Park is destined to hold
as a preserve for the native fauna of the continent.
(4) The presers^ation of the forests.
To assist him in his work of patrolling the reservation,
the Superint^ident relies primarily upon a force of cav-
alry troops. It is probable than an entire squadron will
be required hereafter, and the necessary garrison buildings
for a force of this size are being provided at Fort Yellow-
stone. A portion of this force will be constantly out in
the Park, where commodious and comfortable quarters are
provided for squads of about ten soldiers each. There are
ten of these sub-stations in all, and they are occupied
throughout the entire year. Nearly all of them are con-
nected with Fort Yellowstone by telephone. The duties
of these detachments are to protect the formations, forests
and game, to assist visitors with information and guid-
ance, and to report all irregularities that fall under their
observation. The entire circuit of the roads is patrolled
daily and a strict surveillance is maintained over all the
interests of the Park.
The frequent changes of troops to meet the necessities
of the service in other parts of the country prevent that
close acquaintance with the Park which is essential to its
thorough police. To offset as far as possible this unavoid-
able drawback, the Superintendent is allowed a small force
of civilian scouts who remain on the work from year to
ADMINISTRATION OF THE PARK. 271
year. One of these scouts is paid from the appropriation
for the army and the others from the regular approj)ria-
tion for the l*ark. They are necessarily men of much re-
source, inured to hardship and fatigue, and possessed of
tact and judgment to discharge properly the often deli-
cate duties which are thrust upon them.
The Superintendent is allowed a civilian clerk to assist
him in the work of his office at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Many reasons combine to make the position of Superin-
tendent of the Yellowstone Park a very popular one among
army officers, and it is probably more sought after than
any other position outside of the regular line of their pro-
fession.
Besides the Superintendent, who is the executive officer
of the Park, there is si judicial officer in the character of
United States Commissioner. This office was created by
the National Park Protective Act of 1891, which directed
that the United States Circuit Court in the District of
Wyoming should appoint a Commissioner to reside per-
manently in the Park. The same statute appropriated
funds for the erection of a jail and courtroom at Mam-
moth Hot Springs. For the service of legal process the
United States ^Farshal for the District of A\'yoming is au-
thorized to appoint one or more deputies to reside in the
Park.
The Commissioner has jurisdiction to try all offenses
against the Park statutes and regulations, and he is author-
ized to arrest and bind over to the proper court any per-
son committing a felony within the Park. Offenses not pro-
hibited by the Park statutes or regulations are subject to
the same punishment as the laws of AVyoming provide in
such cases. The courts of the three States, Wyoming,
272 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
Montana^, and Idaho, are authorized to serve civil and
criminal process in those parts of the Park that lie within
their respective territories.
The administrative and judicial machinery of the Park
is now admirably adapted to its purpose, and there is no
sufficient reason why the protection of all its interests
should not be thoroughly efficient.
CHAPTER XIT.
A TOUR OF THE PARK.
PreUminarij.
From what has been thus far set forth the reader can
not have failed to observe how fortunate have been the
events, in both prehistoric and recent times, which have
made the Yellowstone Park what it is to-daj. In the
course of long ages Nature developed this region into its
present attractive form and filled it with wonders which
will always command the admiration of men. She placed
it at the very apex of the continent, whence it sends forth
in every direction perennial supplies of water to the thirst^'
desert around it. She overspread it with sheltering forests
aiid grass-covered j^arks and valleys, where the native
fauna, elsewhere fast passing away, nuiy find a secure
rc^fuge in all future time. With infinite foresight she
made it unfit for the gainful occupations of men, so that
every motive to appropriate it for private use is removed.
For many years after the white man first looked within
its borders, a rare combination of circumstances prevailed
to keep it from becoming generally known until the time
had arrived when the government could effectually reserve
it from settlement. Finally, since its formal erection into
a public park, the same good fortune has attended it, in
spite of many adverse influences, until it has become thor-
oughly intrenched in the good opinion of the people.
Tt is undoubtedly true that in dedicating this tract of
country to "the benefit and enjoyment of the people," the
274 THE YELLOWSTOXE XMTIOXxVL PAHK.
founders of the Yellowstone Park were wiser than they
knew. Very prohably the word "benefit/' as we may now
interjDret it, had little weight with them, and was put in
as a fuller justification of what was then an unprecedented
measure. Most likely they saw no benefit in the new Park
except that which flows from all true enjoyment; and it-
was after all the pleasure that comes from beholding the
wonders of nature that influenced their action.
In a large degree the same consideration prevails to-day.
The people go to the Park to see its "wonders/' and in
their hurried visits this is about all they can attend to.
Whatever interest they may feel in the history and phys-
iogTa])hy of this region, it is still the natural phenomena
of which they have heard so much that receive their prin-
cipal attention. It is therefore incumbent, in a work
like the present, to consult the convenience of the visitor
in this respect; and no better method suggests, itself than
to accompany him on a tour of the Park, explainin^g its
features of interest as they fall under his observation.
In the following description there will be mentioned in
succinct outline all the notalfle objects of interest in the
Park. The necessary limit of space forbids anytliing like
extended description, even if the inherent dilficulties of
such a task would permit. Captain Ludlow has well stated
the nature of these difficulties :
"The Park scenery, as a whole,'' he says, "is too grand,
its scope too immense, its details too varied and minute,
to admit of adequate description, save by some gi-eat
writer, who, y^ith mind and pen equally trained, can seize
upon the salient points, and, with just discrimination,
throw into proper relief the varied features of mingled
grandeur, wonder, and beauty/'
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 275
Of the many who liave attempted^ with pen or i)encil, to
reproduce the wonders of the Yellowstone, no one has yet
completely satisfied these important requirements. Tlie
writer, for his part, will modestly decline any such under-
taking, and, like that pioneer explorer, Folsoni, will con-
iine his descriptions "to the bare facts." He will, however,
occasionally call to aid those who have seen and written
of these wonders. To the early explorers, in particular,
who entered this region before it became generally known,
its strange phenomena appealed with an imaginative force
wdiicli the guide-book tourist of to-day can hardly realize.
Tliis may account for the fact that some of these exj^lorers,
who have never, before or since, put pen to paper with any
literary purpose in view, have left in their narratives
strokes of word painting which the most gifted ^^Tite^
would find it difficult to excel.
The best season for the tour is in the early days of July.
The rain and snow and chilly air, not uncommon in June,
are gone. The drought and smoke of August and Sep-
t'em])er are still remote. Only mosquitos, so amazingly
plentiful at certain seasons (Langford found them on
the very summit of the Grand Teton), are a drawback
worth considering. It is late enough, however, to call
forth in their richest glory the magnificent profusion of
flowers which everywhere abound in the Park. The air is
at its l)est, full of life and energy, and clear — so clear
that it confounds distances and gives to objects, though
far away, a distinctness quite unknown in lower altitudes.
Tlie skies, as they appear at this season, surpass the
sunny skies of Italy, and the tourist will find in their
empyreal depths a beauty and fascination forever lacking
in' the dingy air of civilization. In short, the open air
276 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK,
coach rides through this rich mountain atmosphere fornl
one of the most attractive and invigorating features of the
tour.
The general course of the tour, as it will prohably
always be followed by the vast majority of visitors, is from
Mammoth Hot Springs to Xorris Geyser Basin, the Pire-
hole Geyser Basins, the Yellowstone Lake, the Grand
Canon, Mt. Washburn and the country near Tower Falls.
CHAPTER XIII.
A TOUIl OF THE PAKK.
North Boundary to Mammoth Hot Springs.
Distance five miles. The road for most of the way lies
in the valley of the Gardiner. The principal points of
interest en route are:
Xorthern Entrance to the Park. — The Xorthern Pacific
Eailroad touches the Reservation at this point, where a
well-designed and appropriate station has been erected.
Just across the boundary the government has built a
dignified and substantial gateway. The space between the
station and gate, enclosed by a loop in the road leading to
and from the platform, has been converted into a minia-
ture park.
The Junction of the Gardiner and Yellowstone Eivcrs
determines the north boundary of the Park.
The two prominent peaks which are in full view on the
right as the tourist enters the Park are Electric Peak and
Sepulcher Mountain. The feature which gave the latter
its name is very apparent from this point.
Soon after crossing the boundary the road enters the
Gardiner CaFion, which it follows for two miles. Portions
of this valley are exceedingly picturesque. The cliffs on
the east shore are bold and precipitous, but of a loose
texture which suggests constant danger from falling rocks.
The nests of ospreys here and there crown detached pin-
nacles. The chief beauty of the Canon is in the stream
itself, a typical, foaming, mountain torrent, of such rapid
fall that, in its higher stages, it is a continuous mass of
278 THE YELLOAYSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
snow-wliite foam. Dwarf cedar^ cottomvood, Tvillow, and
the wild rose line its banks and give an added charm to its
beauty. The tourist road crosses the river on steel bridges
four times in the space of about a mile.
The Boiling Elver (3 J miles). — This feature, which
can be seen from the hillside after the last crossing of the
Gardiner, is an immense stream of hot water issuing from
an opening in the rocks, and discharging directly into the
river. It is formed of the collected waters of Mammoth
Hot Springs, which find their way to this point through
subterranean channels.
A winding road, which rises 600 feet in the distance of
a mile and a half, carries the tourist from the valley of
the Gardiner to the first of the great characteristic features
of the Park, the world-renowned
Mammoth Hot Springs and to the administrative and
business headquarters of the Park. This is the only point
in the Park where an extensive transformation of natural
conditions by the work of man has been permitted. Yet
it was unavoidable here, and in jielding to this necessity,
the efl'ort has been made to provide a substitute that would
be in harmony with the natural surroundings, and would
be in itself a feature of interest. The grounds on which
the various buildings stand have been carefully graded,
provided with a thorough system of irrigation by which
the old lime dust is converted into lawn, laid out with
convenient roads and walks, and ornamented with shade
trees and shrubbery. The entire group of buildings is pro-
vided with an ample water suj)ply from a neighboring
mountain stream, and both buildings and grounds are
lighted with, electricity from a plant located in rear of
Capitol Hill, and operated b}^ water from the same source
as the domestic supply. The principal buildings are those
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 279
pertaining to the garrison of Fort Yellowstone, the office
for the government work in the Park, the Weather Bureau
Building, the ^Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, and the office
of the United States Commissioner.
First in importance, among the many natural features
of interest accessible from this locality, are the Hot
Springs Terraces. There have been built one upon an-
other until the present active portion constitutes a hill
rising 300 feet above the site of the Mammoth Hot
Springs Hotel. The formation about these springs, it
will be remembered, is calcareous, and to this fact is due
its distinctive character, so different from the silica, for-
mations which prevail nearly everywhere else in the Park.
The overhanging bowls which these deposits build up are
among the finest specimens of Xature's work in the world,
while the water which fills them is of that peculiar beauty
to be found only in thermal springs. Speaking of this
feature Dr. Hayden says :
"The wonderful transparency of the water surpasses any
thing of the kind I have ever seen in any other portion of
the world. The sk}^ with the smallest cloud that flits
across it, is reflected in its clear depths, and the ultra-
marine colors, more vivid than the sea, are greatly heiglit-
ened by constant, gentle vibrations. One can look do\vii
into the clear depths and see, mth perfect distinctness, the
minutest ornament on the inner sides of the basins; and
the exquisite beauty of the coloring and the variety of
forms bailie any attempt to j^ortray them either with pen
or pencil.^'
Cleopatra Spring^ Jupiter Terrace, Pulpit Terrace,
the Narrow Gauge Terrace — an incongruous name for a
long fissure spring — the ^^llite Elephant, another fissure
spring, and the Orange Geyser, a very pretty formation.
280 T]IE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
dome-sliaped, with a pulsating spring in the top, are
among the most interesting of tlie active springs.
Liberty Cap is the cone of an extinct spring and stands
thirty-eight feet high. Its base is elliptical-shaped, and the
long and short diameters are 24 and IS feet, respectively.
Baili Lake is a warm pool of considerable size, much
used for batliing.
Scattered over the formation in every direction are
caves, springs, steam-vents, peculiar deposits, and curios-
ities without number to attract and detain the visitor.
Many of them, like Cupid's Cave, the Devil's Kitclien, and
McCartney's Cave, are of much interest. In the last-
mentioned cave, or, more properly, crater, an elk fell one
winter when the crater was level full with light snow. His
antlers caught between the sides of the crater, holding him
in a suspended position until he perished. He was found
the following sj^ring by Mr. McCartney. In many of the
caves there is an accumulation of carbonic acid gas in suffi-
cient quantities to destroy animal life. The chief sufferers
are the birds, whicli are killed b}^ it in great numbers. Tlie
Stygian Cave at the extreme upper end of the active ter-
races is the most noted in this respect.
Besides the "formation," as the terraces are collectively
termed, there are many other features of interest within
an easy ride or drive.
Lookout (or Capitol) Hill is a prominent rounded
elevation opposite the hotel. Upon its summit is a block-
house, built by Colonel Norris, in 18T9, as a headquarters
building for the Superintendent. The awkward and
inconvenient location was selected for its defensive quali-
ties. It will be remembered that the two previous years,
1877 and 1878, had witnessed the Nez Perce and Bannock
incursions into the Park.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 281
Around Bunsen Peak (12 miles). This is one of the
most picturesque and beautiful drives in the Park. Leav-
ing Mammoth Hot Springs the road leads first to the Glen
Creek crossing, directly at the foot of Bunsen Peak, and
then climbs the mountain side by a rather steep grade,
wdth many windings that develop the scenery to advantage.
Some of the views from this grade are particularly fine.
After reaching the top of the hill a short drive brings the
visitor to the
Middle Gardmer Cafion and Osprey Falls. This caiion
ranks next to the Grand Caiion of the Yellowstone as the
most impressive in the Park, and Osprey Falls is one of the
largest cataracts. The canon walls (the Sheep-eater Cliffs
of Xorris)* just below the falls are at least 500 feet high,
and palisades of columnar basalt, extending along both
sides, form a striking feature. The high bench at the
brink of the canon near the falls is covered with a beauti-
ful evergreen forest open enough to permit the gro\vth of
grass, and forms a delightful resort for pleasure parties.
From the falls the road extends like a rural lane throu.di
groves of evergreen, and quaking aspen to the country
south of Bunsen Peak, affording another fine view of llu
Gardiner Canon, and opening out at length upon one of
the genuinely beautiful mountain scenes of the Park.
This is the Gallatin Range, as seen across the open country
of Stvan Lalce Flat The range is one of great promi-
nence, and its higher peaks glisten ^Yit\l the snow that
accumulates on their northern slopes in great depths every
winter. Among the more noticeable peaks are Mt.
Holmes, the Quadrant, Three Rivers, Trilohite and Hunt-
ley. Farther to the north Electric Peak stands out in
perfect outline, the highest mountain in the Park, and one
* See page 133.
( 12* )
282 THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIOJs^AL PARK.
which the visitor will see from at least three other points
in his tour. Sepulcher Mountain, with its broad grassy
southern slope, seems very near; and Terrace Mountain
closes in the gap between Sepulcher and Bunsen. The
latter mountain stands out almost entirely alone, very
regular in outline, and an easy mountain climb for one of
its altitude.
Eounding the northern base of Bunsen Peak the road
comes into the main tourist route just at the head of
Golden Gate Cannon, through which Glen Creek finds its
way between. Terrace Mountain and Bunsen Peak. This
canon has always been considered one of the star features
of the Park scenery. The view from either end locking
through it is fine, and the local effects have been height-
ened by the construction of the government road in the side
of the cliff on. the left bank of the stream. Among its
more prominent features are Euslic Falls, at the head of
the canon, and the concrete Viaduct at the lower end, the
only structure of its kind in the world.
Descending the long hill on the return to Mammoth
Hot Springs, the road leads through a very singular form-
ation of Travertine Eocls, absurdly labeled in local nomen-
clature, the "Koodoos.^'' These rocks are a limestone
formation of very weak texture and are scattered around
in enormous boulders, some of them a hundred feet
through, and all lying in the most indiscriminate confu-
sion. The lines of stratification show how these rocks have
been tipped from their original horizontal position, but
the disturbing cause has affected no two alike. It would
seem that the original crust of which they were a part
became undermined, and that their present chaotic condi-
tion is the result of its breaking up and caving in.
x^nother interesting drive from Mammoth Hot Springs
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 283
is that through the East Gardiner Canon to the very pretty
cascade, Undine Falls, at its head. Here, too, the road,
winding along the mountain in difficult and dangerous situ-
ations, is an important aid in developing the scenery.
It is through this canon that access can most easily be
had to the summit of Mt. Everts, whose bold escarpments
rise in impressive grandeur directly across the valley from
the road. The many vantage points along the crest of
these cliffs afford some of the finest panoramic views in
the Park.
CHAPTER XIV.
A TOUR OF THE PARK,
Mammoth Hot Springs to Norris Geyser Basin.
Distance, twenty miles. The first object of interest
besides those already described after ascending the long hill
above the Springs (four miles), is
Swan Lahe (5 miles), a little pond on the right of the
road.
The large ditch that parallels the road after crossing
the outlet of the lake conveys water from the Gardiner
Eiver for the supply at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Willow Park (8 miles) comprises the valley of the lower
course of Obsidian Creek. It is a dense growth of wil-
lows, and forms an attractive sight, either in the fresh
foliage of spring or in its autumnal coloring.
Apollinaris Spring (10 miles) is on the left of the road-
way, in a pine forest. Tourists generally stop and try its
water.
Obsidian Cliff (12 miles) is composed of a kind of vol-
canic glass, black as anthracite, which abounds at this
point in enormous masses. The Indians once quarried
implements of war and the chase here, and many fine
arrowheads have been picked up by explorers. The build-
ing of the first road along the base of this cliff has some
historic celebrity, owing to the novel method adopted in
clearing away the rock. Colonel Norris, the builder, broke
the glassy material into fragments by heating it with fires
and then dashing cold water upon it.
Beaver Lalce (12.5 miles) has its outlet opposite the
A TOUR OF THE PAR^. 285
base of Obsidian Cliff. It is formed by ancient beaver
dams, now overgrown with vegetation. The old dam
extends in a sinuous line entirely across the valley, and,
although apparently less than a yard thick, is quite
impervious to water. The lake is a great resort for water
fowl later in the year.
Ii oaring Mountain (15.5 miles) is a high hill on the left
of the road, with a powerful steam vent near the summit.
For many years prior to 1902 the sound which gave rise
to the name had almost disappeared. But in that year
there was a wonderful development of thermal activity and
the sound increased to such an extent that it could be
heard at the distance of a mile. The increased heat killed
the trees on the mountain side over the space of half a
mile square.
Ticin Lakes (16 miles) are two exquisitely beautiful
ponds, if only seen in a good sunlight and with a tranquil
surface. The peculiar green of the water is perhaps to be
seen nowhere except in the National Park. It resembles
the coloring of the water in such quiescent springs as the
Morning Glory, but it is not here due to hot water; for
ice forms on these lakes in cold weather as quickly as
upon any other waters of the Park.
The Frying Pan (17.75 miles) is a small basin of gey-
serite, on the right of the road, vigorously stewing away in
a manner which reminds one of a kitchen spider in opera-
tion.
After passing Obsidian Cliff evidences of hot spring
action constantly increase, until they reach their climax
in the Norris Geyser Basin. There are but few other
places in the Park where the odor of sulphur is so general
and offensive as on this portion of the tourist route,
Norris Geyser Basin is clearly among the more recent
286 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
volcanic developments of this region. Its rapid encroach-
ment upon the forest growth, and the frequent appear-
ance of new springs and the disappearance of others,
indicate its relatively recent origin. Compared with the
Firehole Geyser Basins it is of minor importance, so far
as the magnitude of its phenomena are concerned; but
coming first to the notice of the tourist it receives a large
amount of attention. Its activity is evidently on the
increase, but it shows less stability than the older geyser
basins, and its principal features are undergoing constant
change. For example, its only prominent geyser, the
Monarch, became inactive in 1902, but whether perma-
nently so is wholly uncertain. The wonderful steam vents
known as the Growler and Hurricane have yielded their
etrenigth to a new vent, which holds the record for power
over them both and rivals the one which has given Roaring
Mountain its name. The mist that comes from these steam
vents has killed the trees for a long distance around, and
keeps the road constantly muddy in their vicinity.
The Constant and Minute-Man, small geysers, make up
in frequency of action what they lack in power.
The road passes through the midst of this basin, in close
proximity to some of the boiling springs, and does not get
clear of the hot ground until it enters Elh Parle, a mile
and a half beyond Norris. There is a great profusion of
names for these various features — such as Congress,
Arsenic, Pearl, Neiv Crater, Emerald Pool, Locomotive,
etc., but their location and identity can be determined
satisfactorily only by the aid of the sign-boards or a
guide.
From the Norris Hotel a drive of three miles up the
Gibbon River, on the cross- road leading to the Grand
Caiion, carries the tourist to Virginia Cascade, a pictur-
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 287
osqiic waterfall in a rocky canon of considerable beauty.
This cascade is not a cataract, but a rocky slide on which
the water glides down some sixty feet over the slippery
surface of the rock. In fact, this characteristic prevails
on the Gibbon Eiver as far do^Ti as the head of the canon,
four miles below Norris, and the river slips over a smooth
rocky floor a considerable part of the distance.
Xear the Virginia Cascade is quite a noted feature on
the old road called the Devil's Elbow, an extremely sharp
turn of nearly 180 degrees around a jutting point of rock.
It was a constant menace to travel. In 1902 this old road
was replaced by a new one cut in the rock of the cliff above,
where it now forms one of the attractions between Norris
and the Caiion.
Another feature on this road which may properly be
noted here, is the Wedded Trees, as they have been named.
They are near the sixth mile-post from Norris. Two tall
slender pines are permanently united by a limb growing
between them. This singular phenomena has been met
with in several other places in the Park.
Near the eighth mile i:>ost, where an old freight road
branches off to the Canon Hotel, is the site of tlici famous
"hold-up" of 1897. At this point a few masked highway-
men stopped all the regular coaches of the day, including a
government conveyance with an army officer and his family.
Xo bodily injury was done anyone, but the pockets of the
entire party were successfully emptied of all valuables. The
exploit was a very clever piece of work^ and its authors
made good their escape.
CHAPTER XV.
A TOUR OF THE PARK.
N orris Geyser Basin to Lower Geyser Basin.
Distance, 20 miles. The road follows the Gibbon River
to within four miles of its mouth, then crosses a point of
land to the Firehole, and ascends the right bank of the
latter stream to the Lower Basin.
Gihhon Meadows (3.5 miles) is a broad open bottom,
just at the head of Gibbon Canon.
The GMon Paint Pots (4 miles) are on the left of the
road, near the head of the canon, and one-fourth of a mile
away.
Monument Geyser Basin (4.5 miles), is on the high hill
just west of the upper end of Gibbon Canon. It is an
interesting spot, but rarely visited owing to its inaccessi-
bility. It was discovered and named by Colonel Xorris.
The Gibhon CaTion (4 to 10.5 miles) affords the tourist
one of the pleasantest rides in the Park. The mountains
rise boldly from the river on either side, and present sev-
eral particularly fine views. The road lies close to the
river's edge, and the stream is an important adjunct to the
scenery.
Beryl Spring (5 miles) is close to the road on the side
opposite the river. It boils violently and discharges a large
amount of water. The steam from it frequently obscures
the roadway.
The Soda and Iron Spring (8 miles), like Apollinaris
Spring already mentioned, is a frequent stopping place for
tourists.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 289
GMon Falls (8.5 mik's) is a waterfall of very irregular
outline, but witlial one of much beauty. The road hanga
on the side of the cliff far above it, and affords a lovely
view of the forest-covered valley below.
The Western Approach (10 miles). At a point where
the main road leaves the valley of the Gibbon Eiver to
cross over to the Firehole River, the Giljbon Branch of the
Western Approach comes in. There are no features of
particular interest on this road beyond the general beauty
of the scenery, except an ^^aix)llinaris'' spring just below
the Gibbon Bridge, and a very large boiling spring about a
mile above the junction of Gibbon and Firehole Elvers.
Eeturning to the main route, a drive of five miles from
the Gibbon Eiver, brings the traveler to the Firehole Eiver
(14.5 miles) at the site of a very pretty cascade. At this
point the Fireliole Branch of the AVestem Approach comes
in. The road ascends the right or east bank of the river
for the next three miles. There are several attractive
river scenes on this stretch of road.
Nez Perce Creek (18 miles) is the principal tributary'
of the Firehole, and is of historic interest from the fact
that the route of Chief Joseph in 1877 was along its valley.
Howard s first camp in the Park, Camp Cowan, was
situated about half a mile above the modern bridge, while
five or six miles farther on are the sites of the council and
the attack described in an earlier chapter.
This stream forms the north boundary of the Lower
Geyser Basin, and a drive of two miles after crossing the
bridge lands the tourist at the Fountain Hotel, near a
well-known geyser of the same name.
Tc attempt anything like a detailed description of the
Firehole Geyser regions would l">e intolerable alike to
reader and author. Of the objects of interest, any one of
•(13)
290 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
which in otlicr localities would attract marked attention,
there are several thousand. In the present description,
therefore, only the more important features will be
noticed — those notable objects to see which is an indis-
pensable part of any well-ordered tour of the Park.
The Fountain Geijser is a tjqDical example of the first
class of geysers described in a previous chapter. Its prox-
imity to the hotel (one-fourth mile) causes it to be much
visited.
The Mammoth Paint Pots, a little way east of the Foun-
tain, are probably the most prominent example of this
class of phenomena in the Park.
The Great Fountain Geyser lies a mile and a half south-
east of the Fountain. It is the chief wonder of the Lower
Basin, and, in some respects, the most remarkable geyser
in the Park. Its formation is quite unlike that of any
other. At first sight the visitor is tempted to believe that
some one has here placed a vast pedestal upon which to
erect a monument. It is a broad, circular table about two
feet high, composed entirely of hard silicious deposit. In
its surface are numerous pools molded and ornamented in
a manner quite unapproachable, at least on so large a
scale, in any other part of the Park. In the center of the
pedestal, where the monument ought to stand, is a large
irregular pool of great depth, full of hot water, forming, to
all appearances, a lovely quiescent spring. At times of
eruption, the contents of this spring are hurled bodily
upward to a height sometimes reaching 100 feet. The tor-
rent of water which follows the prodigious do^vn-pouring
upon the face of the pedestal, flows away in all directions
over the white geyserite plain. No visitor to the Yellow-
stone can afford to miss the Great Fountain Geyser.
Surprise Pool, close to tlie Great Fountain, is always
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 29]
ready to disclose the reason for its name to any one who
will go to the trouble of throwing into it a handful of dirt
or a spray of evergreen.
The Egg^'hdl, on the left bank of a hot stream that
flows a little south of the Great Fountain, is shaped like
an egg set on end in the ground with the upper third of
the shell broken off. It is an exquisite trifle.
In a small valley, extending to the northeast from the
Great Fountain, are several ol)jects worthy of notice. One
of these is an immense hot lake, by far the largest in the
Park. Steady Geyser and Young Hopeful, near the head
of the valley, are not remarkable in this land of geysers.
The principal attraction of the locality is what has
come to be called the Firehole. It is at the extreme upper
end of the valley, difficult to find, and unsatisfactory to
visit when the wind agitates the water surface. It is a
large hot spring from the bottom of which, to all appear-
ances, a light colored flame is constantly issuing, only to
be extinguished in the water before it reaches the surface.
At times it has a distinct ruddy tinge, and it always flickers
back and forth like the lambent flame of a torch. When
seen under favorable conditions^ the illusion is perfect,
and the beholder is sure that he has at last caught a
glimpse of the hidden fires which produce the weird
phenemena of this region. But it is only illusion.
Tlirough a fissure in the rock superheated steam escapes
and divides the water just as bubbles do on a smaller scale.
The reflection from the surface thus formed accounts for
the appearance, which is intensified by the black back-
ground formed by the sides and bottom of the pool.
About half a mile southwest of the Fountain Geyser,
as elsewhere described, in an open grove on the banks of
292 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
a little stream, is the spot where the Xez Perce Indians
captured the Cowan party, August 24, 1877.
The Lower Geyser Basin has an area of thirty square
miles. Conspicuous among its topographical features are
the Twin Buttcs, two prominent peaks west of the river,
which dominate the entire basin.
There will be included in tliis chapter, as more properly
belonging to it than to the next, a description of the Mid-
way Geyser Basin. Its principal interest lies in the
stupendous character of its phenomena.
Excelsior Geyser, as a dynamic agent, has no equal in
the Park. It is really a water volcano, and its eruptions
have nothing of the characteristic display of a genuine
geyser. Its crater is a vast seething caldron close by
the brink of the Firehole Eiver, into which, in non-
eruptive periods even, it pours 4,000 gallons of water per
minute. The shape of the crater is irregular. Its dimen-
sions are about 330 by 200 feet, and 20 feet deep. It was
not kno-^TL to be a geyser until 1878, and did not really
disclose its true character until the winter of 1881. Dur-
ing the remainder of that year and 1882, it gave
continuous exhibitions of its power. Its water column was
more than 50 feet in diameter, and occasionally rose to the
enormous height of 250 feet. At such times it doubled
the volume of water in the Firehole Eiver. Its eruptions
were frequently accompanied by the ejection of large rocks.
A second period of activity took place in 1888, since which
time it has remained inactive.
Prismatic Lake is the most perfect spring of its kind
in the world. It rests on the summit of a self-built mound,
sloping very gently in all directions. Down this slope the
overflow from the spring descends in tiny rivulets, every-
where interlaced with each other. A map of the mound
■J^^
J%^^^W_
Crater of Great Fouxtaix Geyser.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 293
resembles a spider web, with the spider (the spring) in
the center. The pool is 250 by 300 feet in size. Over the
lake hangs an ever-present cloud of steam, which itself
often bears a crimson tinge, reflected from the waters
below. The steam unfortunately obscures the surface of
the lake, and one involuntarily "washes for a row-boat, in
which to explore its unseen portions. AVhercver \'isible,
there is a varied and wonderful play of colors, which fully
justifies the name.
Turquoise Spring is another large pool, 100 feet in
diameter, and rivals Prismatic Lake in the beauty of its
coloring.
The Midway Geyser Basin contains hundreds of other
springs, some of them very beautiful, but the Basin is
mainly noted for the three features just described.
CHAPTER XAa.
A TOUR OF THE PARK.
Lower Geyser Basin to Upper Geyser Basin.
Distance, nine miles. Eoad follows the Fireliole Eiver.
Midway Geyser Basin, already described, is passed four
miles out. No other object of interest is met until the
visitor actually arrives at the Upper Basin.
This locality is probably the most popular with the
tourist of any in the Park. Its two rivals, the Grand
Canon and the Yellowstone Lake, are so unlike it as not to
admit of ,any comparison. It is the home of the genus
geyser, as seen in its highest development. There are fif-
teen examples of the first magnitude and scores of less
important ones.* The quiescent pools and springs are also
numerous and of great beauty.
The first important feature en route is the Biscuit
Basin, which is reached by a side road leading to the west
bank of the Firehole Eiver. It contains a geyser and
several beautiful springs. The most interesting are the
Jewell Geyser and the Sapphire Pool. Near this locality
is the Mystic Falls, a fine cascade, on the Little Firehole
River.
Artemisia Geyser comes next to the attention of the
tourist. It has been known as a geyser only since 188G.
It is on the right of the roadway, at a considerably lower
level.
The Morning Glory is a little further up stream. In
• For list of names of geysers, with heights of eruptions, see
Page 343.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 295
this beautiful object the quiescent pool is at its best. Its
exquisite bordering aud the deep cerulean hue of its
transparent waters make it, and others like it, objects of
ceaseless admiration.
The Fan Geyser is close by the Firehole on the cast
bank, not far above the Morning Glory. The Riverside
is also on the east bank at the point where the road crosses
the river. It is an inconspicuous object when not in
eruption, and one would scarcely suspect it of being a
geyser. It spouts obliquely across the river, and not, like
most geysers, vertically.
Next in order, after crossing the river to the west bank,
is the Grotto, remarkable for its irregular and cavernous
crater. A little further on, close to the river, stands the
broken crater of one of the Park's greatest geysers, the
Giant. Lieutenant Doane compared its crater to a 'Tiuge
shattered horn.*'
A few hundred feet further up stream, still close to the
river, is the Ohlong. Directly across the road, but a short
distance away, is the Splendid, well worthy of its name;
and near it, sometimes playing simultaneously, is the
Comet.
To the westward from the Firehole, nearly on the divide
between it and Iron Creek, is a lovely spring, called the
Puncli-Bowl. x\cross the divide in the Iron Creek Valley
is the Blach Sand Basin, a unique but beautiful pool.
Near it is another attraction. Specimen Lal-e, so named
from an abundance of specimens of partly petrified Avood.
The limit of curiosities in this direction is Emerald Pool,
which competent judges pronounce to be the finest
quiescent spring in the Park.
Eeturning to the Firehole by a different route, we pass
a large spring or geyser known as the Three Crater Spring.
296 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAKK.
Its three craters are connected b}' narrow water ways, mak-
ing one continuous pool, though fed from three sources.
A thousand feet to the north stands the most imposing
crater in the Park_, that of the Castle Geyser. It is
frequently seen in moderate eruption, but rarely when
doing its best. As ordinarily seen, it throws a column of
water only 50 or 60 feet, but at times it plays as high as
150 or 200 feet.
Crossing the river to its right bank, nearly opposite the
Castle, there are found within a narrow compass three
noted geysers, the Sawmill, Turhan, and Grand. Of these
the last is by far the finest and ranks among the very
greatest geysers in the world. It was not seen by the
AVashburn Party, in 1870, but it seems to have been the
first ge^'ser to welcome to the Upper Basin the Hayden
and Barlow parties in 1871. Captain Barlow says of its
eruption : *
''This grand fountain continued to play for several
minutes. AVhen dying down, I approached to obtain a
closer view of the aperture whence had issued such a
powerful stream. A sudden gush of steam drove me away,
following which the water was again impelled upward and
upward, far above the steam, till it seemed to have lost
the controlling force of gravity, and that it would never
cease to rise. The roar was like the sound of a tornado,
but there was no apparent effort; a steady stream, very
graceful and perfectly vertical, except as a slight breeze
may have waved it to and fro. Strong and smooth, it
continued to ascend like the stream from a powerful steam
fire-engine. We were all lost in astonishment at the sudden
and marvelous spectacle. The proportions of the fountain
were perfect. The enthusiasm of the party was manifested
* Page 25, "Reconnaissance of the Yellowstone River.'
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 297
in shouts of delight. Under the excitement of the mo-
ment, it was estimated to be from three to five hundred
feet in height/^
Further up the river on the same side and at some dis-
tance back, are the Lion, Lioness and the two Cuhs, an in-
teresting group, including one notable geyser. Half way
up a high mound of geyserite which covers a large area on
the north side of the river, is an exquisitely beautiful for-
mation called, from its appearance, the Sponge.
On top of the mound is another of the great geysers,
thought by the Washburn Party to be the greatest in the
world, the Giantess. It belongs to the class of fountain
geysers, and when not in action strongly resembles a quies-
cent spring. Its eruptions are infrequent and irregular,
but when it does play it is a sight not to be forgotten. Mr.
Langford thus describes the first eruption known to have
been seen by white men:*
"We were, standing on the side of the geyser nearest the
sun, the gleams of which filled the sparkling columns of
water and spray with myriad rainbows, whose arches are
constantly changing — dipping and fluttering hither and
thither, and disappearing only to be succeeded by others^
again and again, amid the aqueous column, wdiile the mi-
nute globules, into which the spent jets were diffused when
falling, sparkled like a shower of diamonds, and around
every shadow which the denser clouds of vapor, interrupt-
ing the sun's rays, cast upon the column, could be seen a
luminous circle, radiant with all the colors of the prism,
and resembling the halo of glory represented in paintings
as encircling the head of Divinity. All that we had pre-
viously witnessed seemed tame in comparison with the
perfect grandeur and beauty of this display."
♦ "The Wonders of the Yellowstone."
298 THE YELLOTTSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
Between the Giantess and the river is the Bee Hive, also
one of the more prominent geysers. The symmetry of its
cone is only surpassed by the regularity of its water
column. From an artistic point of view it is the most
perfect geyser in the Park. Its slender jet attains a great
height and is vertical and symmetrical throughout.
Crossing again to the west bank of the stream and
ascending to the very head of the basin, we come to the
last and most important of the geysers, Old Faithful.
Any other geyser, any five other geysers, could be erased
from the list better than part with Old Faithful. The
Giant, Giantess, Grand, Splendid, and Excelsior, have
more powerful eruptions. The Bee Hive is more artistic.
The Great Fountain has a more wonderful formation.
But Old Faithful partakes in a high degree of all these
characteristics, and, in addition, has the invaluable quality
of uniform periodicity of action. It is, in; fact, the most
perfect of all known geysers.
To it fell the honor of welcoming civilized man to this
region. It was the first geyser named. It stands at the
head of the basin and has been happily called "The Guar-
dian of the Yalley."
It is located in the center of an oblong mound, l-iS by
215 feet at the base, 20 by 54 feet at the summit, and about
12 feet high. The tube, which seems to have originated
in a fissure in the rock, has an inside measurement of 2 by
6 feet.
The ornamentation about the crater, though limited
in extent, is nowhere surpassed for beauty of form and
color. In particular, the three small pools on the north
side of the crater, and very close to it, are specimens
of the most remarkable handiwork which Nature has
lavished upon this region. A singular fact is that the
A TOUR OF TtTE PARK. 299
waters in these three pools, although so close together as
apparently to be subject to the same conditions, are of
different colors. Speaking of these marvelous appearances,
Lieutenant Doane says:*
"One instinctively touches the hot ledges with his
hands, and sounds with a stick the depths of the cavities
in the elope, in utter doubt of the evidence of his own
eves. . . . It is the most lovely inanimate object in
existence.'*
In its eruption this geyser is equally fascinating. It
always gives ample warning, and visitors have time to sta-
tion themselves where the view will be most perfect.
The graceful column rises, at first with apparent effort,
but later with evident ease, to a height of 150 feet. The
noise is simply that of a jet of water from an ordinary
hose, only in intensity corresponding to the greater flow.
The steam, when carried laterally by a gentle breeze,
unfurls itself like an enormous flag from its watery stand-
ard. The water is of crystal clearness, and the myriad
drops float in the air with all manner of brilliant effects.
To quote Lieutenant Doane again:
"Rainbows play around the tremendous fountain, the
waters of which fall about the basin in showers of bril-
liants, and then rush steaming down the slopes to the
liver."
The uniform periodicity of this geyser is its most won-
derful and most useful characteristic. It never fails the
tourist. With an average interval of sixty-five minutes,
it varies but little either way. The combination of con-
ditions by which the supply of heat and water, and the
form of tube, are so perfectly adapted to their work, that
even a chronometer is scarcely more regular in its action,
♦ Page 29, "Yellowstone Expedition of 1870."
800 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
is one of the miracles of nature. ISTight and day, -winter
and summer, seen or unseen, this "tremendous fountain''
has been pla3dng for untold ages. Only in thousands of
years can its lifetime be reckoned; for the visible work it
has wrought, and its present infinitely slow rate of prog-
ress, fairly appall the inquirer who seeks to learn its real
age.
Upper Geyser Basin.
icTHAPTER XVII.
A TOUR OF THE PAllK.
Upper Geyser Basin to the Yellowstone Lake.
Distance nineteen miles. The route ascends the Fire-
hole River to the mouth of Spring Creek, wiiich stream it
follows to the Continental Divide. For seven miles it
then lies on the Pacific slope, after which it descends the
mountains to the Yellowstone Lake. The drive is one of
the most pleasant in the Park, and the scenery is pic-
turesque and wild.
Kepler Cascade (1.25 miles) is a fascinating waterfall.
Lieutenant Doane, w^ho first wrote of it, says:*
"These pretty little falls, if located on an eastern stream,
would be celebrated in history and song; here, amid ob-
jects so grand as to strain conception and stagger belief,
they were passed without a halt.''
Half a mile up the Firehole, above the mouth of Spring
Creek, is the Lone Star Geyser (i miles). This geyser
is conspicuous chiefly for its fine cone. It plays frequently
to a height of 40 or 50 feet.
Madison Lalce, ten miles further up the valley, is the
ultimate source of the Madison River. This body of
water, with the exception of Red Rock Lake, the source of
the Jefferson, is further from the sea by direct water
course than any other lake on tlie globe.
Returning down the Firehole, we enter the mouth of
Spring Creclv Cation (3.5 miles), which the road ascends
for a distance of three miles. This is one of the prettiest
♦ Page 27. "Yellowstone Expedition of 1870.'
802 THE yelloavstoxe national park.
drives in the Park. The caiion is narrow and winding,
hemmed in by fantastic rocks and dark, evergreen forests,
and traversed by a crystal mountain stream whose banks
are thickly lined with willow and other shrubbery.
The first crossing the Continental Divide (8.5 miles)
is through a narrow, rocky gorge, overhung by precipit-
ous cliffs, inclosing a lily covered pond which rests
squarely on the doubtful ground between the two oceans.
Craig Pass and Isa Lake are the names that have been
used to designate these two features.
Corkscrew Hill (9 miles) is a name originating wdth
the stage drivers, and refers to a very winding stretch of
side hill road about a mile long, leading down from the
Divide to the valley of DeLacy Creek. Besides its pic-
turesque scenery, its chief interest to the tourist lies in the
exhilarating speed at which coaches are bowled down the
hill after the slow and tedious pull up the other side.
Shoshotie Point (10.5 miles) is in the center of the
large amphitheater-shaped tract which is drained by the
branches of DeLacy Creek. It overlooks Shoshone Lake
and the broad basin surrounding it, and gives a splendid
view of the Teton Mountains.
Shoshone Lake is a lovely body of water, with an area
of twelve square miles and a most picturesque shore line.
On its west shore is a geyser basin, second in importance
only to those on the Firehole. Among its many interest-
ino: features may be mentioned the Union Geyser, of which
the middle crater plays to a height of 100 feet; and the
Bronze Geyser, very striking because of the perfect metal-
lic luster of its formation.
From Shoshone Point, the road again ascends to the
Continental Di\dde, and then drops down the Atlantic
slope towards the Yellowstone Valley.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. il03
Lake View (18 miles) is at a point where a suddn
tui-n in the forest road brings the tourist, quite without
warning, in full view of one of the most striking water
landscapes in the world. The whole vista of the Yellow-
stone Lake is spread out before him, still 300 feet below
where he is staniding. Far to the right and left, along
the distant eastern shore, extends the Absaroka Range of
mountains, many of its summits still capped with snow.
Everywhere the dark pine forests come down to the water's
edge, in fine contrast with the silver surface of the lake.
The sparkling of the waves, the passage of the cloud shad-
ows, and the tranquil mirror of the waters where sheltered
from the wind, all combine to make the picture one to be
long remembered.
The Yellowstone Lake is about 7,741 feet, nearly a mile
and a half, above the level of the sea. It has a shore line
of 100 miles, and an area of 139 square miles. Its max-
imum depth is 300 feet, and its average depth about 30
feet. It is fed almost entirely from the springs and snow
drifts of the Absaroka Range. Its waters are icy cold,
clear and transparent to great depths, and literall}^ swarm
with trout. It is subject to heavy southwest winds, and at
times is lashed into tempestuous seas.
The shape of the lake was compared by the early explor-
ers to the form of the human hand. The resemblance is
exceedingly remote, and one writer has well observed tliat
only the hand of a base ball player who has stood for years
behind the bat could satisfy the comparison. The "fin-
gers" have now been generally dropped from the maps and
replaced by the usual names ; but "Thumb" seems to have
become a fixture.
Surpassing the Yellowstone both in area and altitude
there are but few lakes in the world. Lake Titticaca, in
304 THE YELLOWSTO\^E XATIOXAL PARK.
Peru, and one or two others in the less explored regions
of the Andes, and also a few lakes on the lofty tableland
of Thibet^j comprise the number.
Tlie Yellowstone Lake has been a theme of enthusiastic
praise by all who have ever seen it, and no encomium that
it would be possible to pronounce would overrate its
merits. One has but to witness a summer sunrise or
Bunset in these magnificent surroundings to understand
this. It is said that Lake Maggiore of Italy bears the
closest resemblance to it of any well-known lake^, but even
it does not appeal to the imagination like these mountains
and forests and resplendent waters ; resting here in perfect
harmony on the very summit of the continent. Standing
on its shore in the long hours of a summer twilight, and
looking out upon the tinted waters in which are imaged the
sun-gilded mountain tops and the crimson halo of a western
sk}', one can well understand the thrill of inspiration
behind these exquisite words of Mr. Folsom — ^his parting
address to the lake in 1869, as he turned from its western
shore into the deep forests that surround it:*
"As we were about departing on our homeward journey,
we ascended the summit of a neighboring hill to get a
final view of Yellowstone Lake. Xestled among the forest-
crowned hills which bounded our vision, lay this inland
sea, its crystal waves dancing and sparkling in the sun-
light as if laughing with joy for their wild freedom. It
is a scene of transcendent beauty which has been viewed
by but few white men, and we felt glad to have looked
upon it before its primeval solitude should be broken by
the croAvds of pleasure seekers which at no distant day
will throng its shores."
• Page 20, Langford's reprint of the "Valley of the Upper'
Yellowstone."
o
A TOUR OF THE PaRK. 305
The storms on the lake are sometimes severe, and the
northwest winds stir up a heavy sea nearly every day
during the summer season. There is, however, nothing
of a cyclonic character about them. A thunder shower
on the lake in 1885 proved fatal to a member of a govern-
ment surveying party who were out in a boat near the
northeast corner of the lake. It was a combination sail
aud row boat, and the lightning struck the mast, instantly
killing an oarsman who was sitting near it. The circum-
stances attending this unfortunate accident were very
peculiar, and a deal of romantic lore has grown up around
it. One singular feature^ was the fact that there was
apparently no rain, and only a single clap of thunder —
a veritable bolt from a clear sky. The party was under
^fr. John R. Eenshaw, United States Geological Surv-ey,
who was himself rendered insensible for a time by the
shock.
A most singular and interesting acoustic phenomenon
of this region, although rarely noticed by tourists, is the
occurrence of strange and indefinable overhead sounds.
The}; have long been noted by explorers, but only in the
vicinity of Shoshone and Yellowstone Lakes. They seem
to occur in the morning, and to last only for a moment.
They have an apparent motion through the air, the general
direction noted by writers being from north to south. They
resemble the ringing of telegraph wires or the humming of
a swarm of bees, beginning softly in the distance, growing
rapidly plainer until directly overhead, and then fading as
rapidly in the opposite direction. Although this phenom-
enon has been made the subject of scientific study, no
rational explanation of it has ever been advanced. Its
weird character is in keeping with its strange surroundings.
In other lands and times it would have been an object of
(13*)
306 THE YELLOWSTO^^E XATIOXAL PARK.
superstitions reverence or dread, and would have found a
permanent place in the traditions of the people.
Dropping down from Lake View, where we left the tour-
ist while making these few observations upon Yellowstone
Lake, we next come to Duclc Lalce (18 miles), a snug little
pond of genuine beauty, ensconced in the dense forest
scarcely half a mile distant from the shore of the larger
lake.
The road touches the Yellowstone Lake at its western-
most extremity, where the Soutliern Approach comes in.
This road leads up from the famous Jaclson Hole and
Lake, and from the Teton J/o?/»^au?s, all of which lie well
south of the Park. The distance to the outlet of Jackson
Lake, immediately opposite the Grand Teton, is forty-five
miles. From Jackson Hole there is a government road
leading into the Wind Eive'r Valley and Central Wyoming,
and another road leading across Teton Pass into Idaho.
From the time when it first became well known to the
fur traders before 1830, the Valley of eJackson Hole has
been considered one of the most beautiful mountain valleys
in the world. A striking feature is its extremeh^ flat topog-
raphy in certain portions, surrounded as it is by some of the
most rugged mountains on the continent. Its beauty is
greatly enhanced by the presence of several lakes, which lie
immediately at the base of the Teton range, and in whose
placid surface these mountains stand reflected as from the
most perfect mirror. The landscape tlui< formed has been
the despair of painters of natural scenery since the valley
became frequented by students of nature. ]Sreither pen
nor pencil, nor the modern perfection of the photographic
art, can reproduce its marvelous beauty.
The Teton Mountains, which the tourist sees from
different points on the park road system, here stand forth
in their full grandeur in his immediate presence. It is
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 307
the most striking mountain range in the entire Rocky
Mountain region. The French trappers gave the name
Les Trois Tetons (Three Tetons), hecause from certain
points of view three peaks stood out prominently above all
the others. The altitude of the Grand Teton is 13,691
feet, being the highest in the Central Rocky Mountain
region north of Colorado, unless it be Fremont Peak, in
the Wind River Mountains, which is of almost exactly the
same altitude. It is not alone its great altitude that has
mtide the Grand Teton so famous in frontier history. Tlv
topography of the surrounding countr}' is such that i's
summit is visible at a great distance in almost every
direction, while its appearance from wherever seen is
striking and unmistakable. From Union Pass, for exam-
ple, sixty miles east, it looks like a slender spire of pure
outline piercing the sky, in appearance so remarkable that
the beholder is forced to question whether it can really
pertain-to any mountain. It was the great prominence of
this peak, and its ease of identification from other moun-
tains, that made it so useful to the early travelers. Far
and wide it was the beacon of the trapper. Familiar with
its different aspects as seen from different directions, In;
could tell his position at once when his eyes fell upon it.
To the visitor in the Park, whether he goes to Jackson
Hole or not, this mountain becomes a familiar sight, and
one that never fails to appeal to his sense of natural beau-
ty. It is prominently visible from ^he following points
on the road system: Shoshone Point, Yellowstone Lake,
several points on the Fast Road, and on nearly the en-
tire portion of the road leading up the southern slope of
Mt. Washburn.*
♦ The Grand Teton Is one of the most difficult mountains
to climb of which there Is any knowledge. To the present
308 THE yi'LLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
The only objects of particular interest on the south-
ern approach in going from Yellowstone Lake to JacksoD
Hole, are Lewis Lahe, the Falls of Leivis River, just below
the lake, and Moose Falls, on Crawfish Creek.
From the west shore of Yellowstone Lake a visit
can be advantageously made to Heart Lal-e and Mount
Sheridan. This lake has been pronounced the prettiest in
the Park. Near it, on the tributary Witch Creek, is a
small but important geyser basin. The principal features
are the Deluge, Spile and Eustic Geysers, and the Fissure
Group of springs. The Eustic Geyser is remarkable in
having about it a cordon of logs, evidently placed there by
the Indians or white men many years ago. The logs are
completely incrusted with the deposits of the springs.
Mt. Sheridan would rank with Mt. AYashburn as a popu-
lar peak for mountain climbers were it only more accessi-
ble. No summit in the Park affords a finer prospect.
The junction of the main tourist route with the south-
ern approach is an important point in the Park business.
A lunch station is located here and also a patrol station
for government troops. It is here that the tourist boat
leaves the west shore and from this point there is a choice
of routes to the lake hotel at the outlet either across the
lake by boat or by the road over the hills.
The only attractions on the road are a few fine views of
the lake, and the Natural Bridge (11 miles) over a small
stream that empties^into the lake. This feature consists
time (1903) it has been ascended by white men only twice;
by Messrs. N. P. Langford and James Stevenson in 1872, and
by Messrs. William Owen, Frank S. Spalding, John Shive,
and Frank Peterson in 1898. These explorers found, on a
point a little lower ihan the main summit, a rude shelter of
granite slabs, evidently placed there by human hands, one can
only conjecture how long ago.
Thunderstorm on Yellowstone Lake.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 309
of an arch about forty feet high and thirty feet span. As
Been from below, it is of very symmetrical outline.
The boat ride across the lake is one of the delightful
features of the tour. It is a welcome relief from the long
coach rides and is in itself a rare experience, for nowheic
else in the ordinary routes of travel over the globe is the
tourist likely to ride on a body of water of similar extent lo-
cated a mile and a half above the level of the sea. From
near the center of the lake the view is surpassingly fine.
To the south and southwest the long arms of the lake pen-
etrate the dark forest-clad hills, which are but stepping
Btones to the lofty mountains behind them. Far beyond
these may again be seen the familiar forms of the Tetons.
All along the eastern shore stand the serried peaks of the
Absaroka Range, the boundary which nature has so well
establislied along the eastern border of the Park. A notalde
feature of this range is the profile of a human face formed
by the superimposed contours of two mountain peaks,
one some distance behind the other. The best effect is had
from points between Stevenson Island and the Lake Hotel.
The face is looking directly upward. A similar profile,
noted by the early explorers from the summit of Mt.
Washburn, and nearly in the same locality as this, al-
though of course not the same feature, was called by them
the "Giant's Face," or the "Old Man of the Mountain.*'
The Yellowstone Lake is an important center of thermal
activity. On the west shore is an extensive and important
hot springs basin. The principal features are the Paint
Pots, not inferior to those near the Fountain Hotel, two
of the largest and most beautiful quiescent springs in the
Park ; the Lal-e Shore Geyser, which plays frequently to a
height of about 30 feet; an unnamed geyser of consider-
able power but of very infrequent action; and the cele-
310 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PAEK.
brated Fishing Cone where unfortunate trout find catch-
ing and cooking painfully near together. On the north-
east shore are Steamboat Spring, and other thermal phe-
nomena worth \dsiting.
Some twenty miles above the head of the lake is the
celebrated Two-Ocean Pass, long known to the early trap-
pers. It is probably the most remarkable example of such
a phenomenon in the world. x\lthough the fact of its ex-
istence was asserted and stoutly maintained by Bridger for
many years prior to the discovery of the Park region, it
was generally disbelieved until Captain Jones crossed the
pass in 1873. It has since been visited and described by
Hayden in 1878, by Hague in 1881, and by Prof. Ever-
mann of the United States Fish Commission in 1891. The
following facts are taken from Prof. Evermann's report:
The pass is in a nearly level grassy park hemmed in
by the surrounding hills, and is 8,150 feet above the level
of the sea. Its extreme length is about one mile and its
extreme breadth about three-fourths of a mile. From the
north a stream issues from a caiion and divides, part flow-
ing to Atlantic Creek and part to Pacific Creek. A similar
stream, with a similar division, comes from the south. At
extreme low water, these divisions may possibly disappear
and all the water flow either one way or the other. But
at ordinary and high stages the Avater flows both ways.
These streams are by no means insignificant rivulets, but
substantial water-courses capable of affording passage to
fish of considerable size.
Here, then, we have the very interesting phenomenon of
a single stream upon the summit of the continent dividing
and flowing part one way and part the other, and forming
a continuous water connection between the x\tlantic and
Pacific Oceans over a distance of nearly 6,000 miles.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 311
The Lake Hotel is situated about a mile southwest of
the outlet in an open grove back a few hundred feet from
the shore. It is the the most important point in the Park
business except Mammoth Hot Springs. The headquarters
of the boat management is here, as are also a branch, station
of the "Weather Bureau, a patrol station for the troops
and one of the Wylie ^'permanent camps/' Only a mile
and a half distant is the junction with the
Eastern Approach. This road is throughout its length
one of exceptional scenic attraction, and will always be of
great interest to travelers. It crosses the Yellowstone
Eiver just below the lake outlet, and then follows the shore
of the lake for about four miles. It touches Indian Pond
(3 miles), a very pretty sheet of water near the lake, from
the shore of which a splendid view can be had of the Teton
Mountains and of Mt. Sheridan. The next attraction is
Turhid Lake (5 miles), a circular shaped body of water,
half a mile in diameter. The bottom of this lake is honey-
comljcd with steam vents which stir up the mud and keep
the water in a roily, turbid condition.
Further on is a fine example of ^Vedded trees," and
another of the numerous ''apollinaris" springs. Every-
where the trails of elk may be seen, spreading like a net
work over the mountain side, for this is a great summer
grazing ground for these animals.
The road, as it winds along the hillsides to secure easy
grades and bring out the scenery, affords several magnifi-
cent view^s of the lake and of the mountains beyond.
Sylvan Lake, near the source of Clear Creek, is one of
the beauties of the Park. It is not a large body of water,
but its irregular shore line, its fringe of dark evergreen
trees and the lofty mountains that overhang it, make up a
picture which appeals to the artistic instincts of the vis-
itor.
312 ^ THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
Sylvan Pass (22 miles) takes its name from the lake,
for there is nothing of a sylvan character in the pass it-
self. On the conivsLTj it presents a scene entirely nniq-ae
among mountain passes. It is like a vast trough, the sides
of which are composed of loose rock that has fallen down
from the lofty cliffs above, and now rests on its natural
slope, forming a treacherous foothold even for the wild
animals of the mountains. The great natural obstacles
in crossing it have always prevented it from being much
used, either by wild game or the Indians, and it was not
until after extensive exploration that the government engi-
neers finally selected it for the line of the Eastern Ap-
proach across the Absaroka Divide. Two considerations
at length prevailed over the enormous difficulties of the
work — the fact that the pass was nearly 1,000 feet lower
than any other available, and the unique and unusual char-
acter of the scenery.
At the very summit of the pass a rippling waterfall
comes down from the cliffs on the south, and flows into
a little pond of great clearness and depth. Owing to the
loose texture of the rock-filled ravine, a large part of the
water that enters this pond flows away by subterranean
passages, and it is full to overflowing only during the
spring high water. By the end of the tourist season it
falls nearly ten feet.
The pass is flanked by lofty moimtains — Avalanche Peak
and Mount Hoyl on the north, and Grizzly and Top Notch
Peal'S on the south. They rise directly from the pass to
heights of from 1,000 to 2,000 feet.
Descending from the pass by a steep grade, the road
arrives, in about a mile, at a crystal fountain which is
probably the largest cold water spring in the park. It
gives egress to the waters which flow out of Sylvan Pass
A TOUR OF TUE PARK. 313
through the loose rock. This spring is on the immediate
borders of Middle Creek (:33 miles) ^ the left shore of
which the road follows to its outlet. The valley of this
stream presents some of the most rugged topography in
the mountains, and the construction of the road through it
was a work of great difficulty. Wild torrents are everywhere
rushing down the mountain sides. Frequent labyrinths
of fallen trees and rocks show where avalanches and land-
elides have swept everything before them. Wherever the
forests open so as to give a view outside, the lofty crests
of the neighboring mountains are seen, in far greater
apparent altitude than when viewed from a distance in
the open country.
Soon after crossing the east boundary (30 miles), the
road arrives at Shoshone River (32 miles), which it crosses
just above the mouth of Middle Creek. It follows the
immediate shore of this stream all the re^t of the way
through the forest reserve. Along this portion of the
road the scenery is grand and inspiring. The mountains
are far more rugged and wild than in the Park, and aver-
age about 2,000 feet higher. Strange and fantastic forms,
like the "Hoodoos" east of the Park, abound. The river
itself is a beautiful stream, but wild and unmanagable in
the season of floods. Its shores are lined with attractive
verdure in the form of cottonwood, quaking aspen and
willow.
The Eastern Approach gives access to the Park from the
celebrated Big Horn Basin, .of W3^oming, and connects
with the Burlington Eailroad system.
(14)
CHAPTER XVIII.
A TOUR OF THE PARK.
Yellowstone Lake to the Grand Canon of the Yellowstone.
Distance seventeen miles. The road follows the Yellow-
stone Eiver along the west bank all the way.
Just after the tourist leaves the Lake Hotel he will sec
on the right of the roadway a small monument. It was
placed there, in 1893, by the United States Corps of
Engineers to mark a position accurately determined from
astronomical observations by the United States Coast and
Geodetic Survey in 1892. It is of value as a jDoint of refer-
ence in surveys and other similar work.*
Mild Volcano (7.5 miles) is a weird, uncanny object,
but, nevertheless, a very fascinating feature, and one
which the tourist should stop and examine. It is an
immense funnel-shaped crater in the side of a considerable
hill on the west bank of the river. The mud rises some
distance above a large steam vent in the side of the crater
next the hill, and chokes the vent until the steam has
accumulated in sufficient force to lift the superincumbent
mass. As the imprisoned steam bursts forth it hurls the
mud with great violence against the opposite side of the
crater, making a heavy thud which is audible for half a
mile. These outbursts take place every few seconds.
A striking example of the strange commingling of dis-
similar features in the hot springs districts is found in the
Latitude, 40° 33' 16.1'' north,
longitude, 110° 23' 43.1" west.
Magnetic variation about 19" east.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 315
Grotto, a spring of perfectly clear water, not far from the
]\Iud Volcano. It is acted upon by the steam in a manner
precisely similar to that of the Mud Volcano, but its
waters issue directly from the rock, and are entirely clear.
Mud Geyser, now rarely seen in action, was an import-
ant geyser twenty years ago. As it became infrequent in
its eruptions, and tourists rarely saw them, the name was
unconsciously, but mistakenly, transferred to the Mud
Volcano, which has none of the characteristics of a
geyser.
The locality where these objects are found has consid-
erable historic interest. The ford just below the Mud Vol-
cano was long used by the hunters and trappers who
passed up and down the river. Folsom crossed it in 18GD,
and the "Washburn party in IS TO. The Xez Perces
encamped here two days, in 18TT, and here transpired a pa:t
of the episode elsewhere related. Hither came General
Howard in pursuit of the Indians, although he did not
cross the river at this point.
Trout Creel: (9.5 miles) has a most peculiar feature,
where the tourist route crosses it, in the form of an
extraordinary doubling of the channel upon itself. It
resembles in form the trade-mark of the Xorthern Pacific
Eailroad.
Sulphur Mountain (11.5 miles) is half a mile back from
the main route. At its base is a remarkable sulphur
spring, always in a state of violent ebullition, although
discharging only a small amount of water. This is highly
impregnated with sulphur, and leaves a yellow border
along the rivulet which carries it away. The best time to
visit Sulphur ]\Iountain is on a clear, sharp morning. Tlie
myriad little steam vents which cover the surface of the
hill are then very noticeable.
316 THE lELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
Hay den Valley is a broad, grassy expanse extending
several miles along the river, and far back from it on the
"west side. It was once a vast arm of the lake. It com-
prises some fifty square miles, and is an important winter
range for the Park buifalo and elk.
"Spurgiti's Beaver Slide'' (13.5 miles) is back from the
road, and is the place, described in a previous chapter,
where Captain Spurgin, in 1877, let Howard's wagon train
down the steep side of the mountain. The evidences of his
vrork are still distinctly visible.
The river along the lower portion of Hayden Valley is
the most tranquil "and lovely stream imaginable — broad,
deep, transparent, flowing peacefully around its graceful
curves, disturbed only by the splashing trout which inhabit
it. There is little here to suggest the mad turmoil into
which it is soon to plunge. At a point fifteen miles below
the lake, the river and road are forced by the narrowing
valley close together. The stream becomes suddenly broken
into turbulent cascades as it dashes violently between pre-
cipitous banks and among massive boulders.
The road also becomes decidedly picturesque. Hung
up on the almost vertical cliff overlooking the rapids, it
forms a short drive unsurpassed for interest an3^where else
in the Park. At one point it crosses a deep ravine over
the highest bridge on the road system. Just to the left
of this bridge, in the bottom of the ravine, still stands
the tree upon which some white man carved his initials
away back in 1819.
Half a mile below the head of the rapids, the river sud-
denly contracts its width to less than Mty feet, turns
abruptly to^he right, and disappears. It is the Upper Falls
of the Yellowstone. In some respects, this cataract dif-
fers from almost any other. Although the ledge over
A TOCR OF THE VAUK. 317
which it falls is apparently perpendicular, the velocity of
flow at the crest of the fall is so great that the water pours
over as if on the surface of a wheel. Visitors at Niagara
have noticed the difference in this respect between the
almost vertical sheet of water on the American side and
the well-rounded flow at the apex of the Horseshoe Fall.
The height of the Upper Fall of the Yellowstone is 112
feet.
From this point, the character of the scenery is wild
and rugged. A ride of a few hundred yards brings the
tourist to a sharp bend in the road, which at once unfolds
to him the whole vista of the Grand Canon of the Yellow-
stone. The sight is so impressive and absorbing that the
chances are he will cross the ravine of Cascade Creek with- .
out even noticing the lovely Crystal Falls almost beneath
his feet.
The Cafion Hotel is half a mile be^^ond Cascade Creek,
in an open park, a little way back from the brink of the
Cafion. From its porch, the crest of Upper Fall can
be seen, and the roar of both cataracts is distinctly audible.
The Grand Cafion of the Yellowstone is acknowledged by
all beholders to stand w^ithout parallel among the natural
wonders of the globe. Other caiions, the Yosemite, for
example, have greater depths and more imposing walls;
but there are none which, in the words of Captain Ludlow,
"unite more potently the two requisites of majesty and
beauty." The cafion itself is vast. A cross-section in the
largest part measures 2,000 feet at the top, 200 feet at the
bottom, and is 1,200 feet deep, giving an area of over
thirty acres. But such a gorge in an}^ other part of the
world would not be what it is here. Its sides would soon
be clothed with vegetation, and it would be simply an im-
318 Tin- YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
mense valley, beautiful, no doubt, but not what it is Ib
the Yellowstone Park.
There are three distinct features which unite their pecu-
liar glories to enhance the beauty of this canon. These
are the canon itself, the waterfall at its head, and the river
below.
It is the volcanic rock through which the river has cut
its way that gives the Grand Caiion its distinctive charac-
ter. It is pre-eminently a canon of color. The hue has no
existence which can not be found there. "Hung up and
let down and spread abroad are all the colors of the land,
Bea and sky,^^ says Talmage, without hyperbole. From the
dark, forest-bordered brink, the sides descend for the most
part with the natural slope of the loose rock, but fre-
quently broken by vertical ledges and isolated pinnacLs,
which give a castellated and romantic air to the whol}.
Eagles build their nests here, and soar midway through
the vast chasm, far below the beholder. The more prom-
inent of the projecting ledges cause many turns in the
general course of the canon, and give numerous vantage
places for sight-seeing. Lode out Point is one of these,
half a mile below the Lower Falls. Inspiration Point,
some two miles farther down, is another. The gorgeous
coloring of the cafion walls does not extend through its
entire length of twenty miles. In the lower portion, the
forests have crept well down to the water's edge. Still, it
is everywhere an extremely beautiful and impressive sight.
Along the bottom of the canon, numerous steam vents can
he seen, one of which, it is said, exhibits geyseric action.
In places, the canon walls almost shut out the light of day
from the extreme bottom. Lieutenant Doane, who made
the dangerous descent several miles below the Falls, re-
cords that " it was- about three o'clock r. ii., and stars
A TOUK OF THE PARK. 31^
could be distinctly seen, so much of the sunlight was cat
ofT from entering the chasm."
Ilio Lower Fall of the Yellowstone must be placed in
the front rank of similar phenomena. It carries not one-
twentieth of the water of Niagara, but Niagara is in no
single part so beautiful. Its height is 310 feet. Its descent
is very regular, slightly broken by a point of rock on the
right bank. A third of the fall is hidden behind the vast
cloud of spray which forever conceals the mad play of the
waters beneath; but the mighty turmoil of that recess in
the rocks may be judged from the deep-toned thunder
which rises in ceaseless cadence and jars the air for miles
around.
To many visitors the stream far down in the bottom
of the canon is the crowning beauty of the whole scene. It
is so distant that its rapid course is diminished to the
gentlest movement, and its continuous roar to the subdued
murmur of the pine forests. Its winding, hide-and-seek
course, its dark surface where the shadows cover it, its
bright limpid green under the play of the sunlight, its
ever recurring foam- white patches, and particularly its
display of life where all around is silent and motionless,
make it a thing of entrancing beauty to all who behold it.
It is not strange that this canon has been a theme for
writer, painter and photographer, from its discovery to
the present time. But at first thought it is strange that all
attempts to portray its beauties are less satisfactory than
those pertaining to any other feature of the Park. The
artist Moran acknowledged that "its beautiful tints were
beyond the reach of human art;'' and General Sherman
said of this artist's celebrated effort : "The painting by
Moran in the Capitol is good^ but painting and words are
unequal to the subject/''
S20 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
In photography, the number of pictures by professional
ond amateur artists that have been made of this caiion is
prodigious. But photography can only reproduce the form ;
it is powerless in the presence of such an array of colors
as here exists.
The pen itself is scarcely more effective than the pencil
or camera. Folsom, who first wrote of the canon, frankly
owned that "language is entirely inadequate to convey a
just conception of the awful grandeur and sublimity of
this masterpiece of nature's handiwork.'' Time has shown
this confession to be substantially true. From the clumsy
work of the casual newspaper scril)e, to the giddy flight
of that eminent clergyman, who fancied he saw in this
canon a suitable hall for the great judgment, with the na-
tions of the earth filing along the bottom upon waters
^'congealed and transfixed with the agitations of that day,"
all descriptions do injustice to their subject. They fall
short of their mark or overreach it. They are not true to
nature. We shall, therefore, pass them by, and shall com-
mend our readers to a study of this great wonderwork
from the pine-clad verge of the Grand Caiion itself.
Back perhaps a quarter of a mile from Inspiration
Point, but within fifty yards of the brink of the cafion,
is a huge rectangular block of granite* which rests alone
in the woods, a most singular and striking object. It is
evidently an intruder in unfamiliar territory, for there is
not a particle of granite outcrop known to exist ,within
twenty miles. It must have been transported to this place
from some distant quarry by the powerful agencies of the
Glacial Epoch.
Flight Banlv of tlte Canon. Half a mile above the Upper
• Approximately 24' x 20' x 18' high.
Upper Falls of the Yellowstone.
Lower Falls through Eain ;Mist.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 321
Fall is a concrete steel bridge, of the design knoA\Ti as the
Mclan Arch, spanning the Yellowstone River and giving
access to the right bank. The arch has a span of 120 feet,
one of the longest of the kind yet built. From this bridge a
road leads down the canon as far as Artist Point, from
which Thomas Moran drew his inspiration for the cele-
brated painting which now adorns the Capitol at Wash-
ington.
This road affords the best possible view to be had of the
Upper Falls, and leads to the head of a long stainvay by
which a safe descent can be made to the bottom of the
canon at the foot of the Lower Falls. This is a side ex-
cursion well worth taking, though a rather laborious one.
The view from below is very impressive and the proximity
to the falls gives one a sense of the terrible power of this
great cataract, wliich can not be realized when seen from a
distance. Fortunately, the prevailing breeze wafts the
cloud of spray toward the left bank of the river and leaves
the point at which the observer stands comparatively
unobscured.
The guide who conducts tourists through this part of
their wanderings, has an extremely interesting surprise to
which he treats every one — a surprise quite in harmony
«'ith the general character of the surroundings. Taking his
protege to the river's edge he asks him to reach down and
dig with his fingers into the sandy bottom. Obeying in-
structions, the startled tourist suddenly jerks his hand out
as if from a bed of slumbering coals. In fact, the bottom
of the river is a mass of boiling springs. The cold water
flowing above obscures their presence and but for an acci-
dental discovery they might have remained unknown in-
definitely.
322 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
To the eastward of the Grand Canon are several inter-
esting hot springs areas, and there is one notable group at
the southern base of Mt. Washburn. Tt resembles in some
degree Mud Geyser and is considered by many as excelling
that feature in interest. Tt is to one of the features in
this locality that the name Devil's Inkstand applies.
CHAPTER XIX.
A TOUR OF THE PARK.
Grand Canon to Tower Falls.
Distance twenty miles. The tourist, after leaving the
Grand Canon, enters upon the true scenic portion of the
route. Hitherto he has been absorbed with those peculiar
phenomena on which the fame of the Park chiefly depends.
He has doubtless often expressed his surprise that one can
travel so far in the very heart of the Eocky ^lountains and
see so little near at hand of the rugged grandeur whicli
is associated in his mind with the scenery of those moun-
tains. The ride over Mt. ^Yashburn will satisfy any rea-
sonable expectation he may have in this regard.
For three miles after leaving the hotel the road extends
across a rolling forested country and reaches the base of
the mountain at the crossing of the east fork of Cascade
Creek. Here the ascent begins, and here begins also that
marvelous development of scenery which perhaps has no
parallel on any other highway in the world. In the course
of a mile or so the road rises above the dense forests on the
right and the broad champaign to the south unfolds itself
to tlie view with the distant peaks of Sheridan and the
Tetons and of the Absaroka Eange defining tlie limit of
vision. Winding in and out of deep ravines, and over a
high spur of Dunraven Peak everywhere among grassy
elopes or scattered growths of evergreen where the wild
game find ideal pasturage, the labor of ascent is almost for-
gotten in the constant attraction of the surroundings.
There is no need to look far away to see the beauty of
324 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
nature. It is spread in extravagant profusion all around.
The forest growths exhibit that superb regularity of form
and richness of color that characterize the spruce and fir
in the higher altitudes. The mountain side is one vast
flower garden, where the columbine, larkspur, paintbrush
and kindred blossoms give a rich tone to the green forest
glades.
At a point where the road rises a hundred feet or more
to avoid an extensive marshy tract, Yellowstone Lake
comes into view, but it is lost again as the road descends
into
- Dunraven Pass (7 miles). This crossing leads from the
south to the north slope of the AVashbum Eange and carries
the tourist to the headwaters of Tower Creek, or its eastern
tributary, Carnelian Creek It is a very practicable moun-
tain pass, as unlike Sylvan Pass as are the rocky walls of
the Grand Canon to the grassy slopes of Hayden Valley.
It required no heavy draft upon the skill of the engineer
to select it as the best crossing of the range.
At Dunraven Pass the road divides. The low line passes
directly through and skirts the steep western slope of
Washburn on a nearly level grade until it reaches the
crest of a long spur, locally known as the "hog back/' the
great northern buttress to the mountain, and nature's well
made stairway to the summit from that side. This lower
route gives a short cut for travelers who do not ca.re to
pass over the mountain.
To enable visitors to reach the top of the mountain, a
side road, or ^%op," branches off from the main line in
the Pass, climbs up the southwest slope to the summit, and
descends along the crest of the spur on the north until
it joins the main line.
The development of the scenery as the road ascends the
Gkaxite Bouldek, near inspiration Point.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 325
mountain from Dunraven Pass to the summit (3 miles),
constitutes one of the most interesting features of the en-
tire Park tour. As the steep grade carries the tourist rap-
idly into a higher altitude, new objects of interest come
into view in all directions far and near. Again the silver
surface of Yellowstone Lake stands out in its dark forest
environment and the winding course of the Yellowstone can
be traced nearly to the head of the rapids. The main view
on the first portion of the climb lies to the southwest with
Mt. Sheridan and the Tetons the most conspicuous objects.
A great rift in the earth's surface in the near- fore-
ground shows where the Grand Canon lies, and clouds of
vapor, seen under favorable conditions, indicate the local-
ities of the falls.
After an ascent of about a mile the road crosses a bald
ridge — the south spur of the mountain — and brings at once
into view the whole southern half of the Absaroka Eange.
The rugged peaks that bound the eastern horizon, the forest
covered areas nearer by, the central portion of the Grand
Canon and the green, grassy parks along the base and sides
of the mountain, almost at the feet of the tourist, are
among the new attractions which the road unfolds to liis
view.
A short drive along the crest of the ridge toward the
Washburn summit, leads to a depression or "saddle" be-
tween the main mountain and a prominent peak between
it and Dunraven Pass. Here again the view changes com-
pletely, and the tourist now looks out upon an entirely new
landscape spread over the northwestern portion of the
Park. The Gallatin Eange, with Electric, Sepulcher and
Bunsen Peaks, and even Cinnabar Mountain and the
"Devil's Slide," are distinctly visible if the air be clear.
In the nearer foreground is the vast amphitheater which
326 TItE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
comprises the watershed of Tower Creek and its tribu-
taries, one of the most magnificent forest scenes to be
found in the mountains. To the north are the serried
peaks of the snowy range beyond the border of the Park,
and on the hither side of the boundary are Crescent and
Garnet Hills, familiar landmarks near the beautiful spot
which will probably always bear the name of John Yancey.
This noble landscape grows and expands as the road
zigzags for a mile up the western slope of the mountain.
The road is itself an object of interest here, from the great
difficulty of construction and the dangerous situations
through which it passes. It leads to the crest of a rocky
ridge that juts out directly south from the main summit
and is so broken and wild that it might well appall an en-
gineer who should seek to find a passage through it. But
the passage was found and the road built, and after break-
ing through a comb of rock leads to another "saddle"
between the Washburn summit and a slightly lower one
directly to the east.
Again the scene shifts completely and the tourist looks
out upon the country around the northeast corner of the
Park, where lies one of the most rugged mountain masses in
the United States. Scores of giant peaks stand silhouetted
against the sky, among them Index and Pilot, well-kno^^^l
landmarks in all that region. In the nearer foreground is
the valley of Lamar River with its large tributaries gash-
ing the great ranges to the north, while close in at the base
of the mountain, is the lower portion of the Grand Canon
of the Yellowstone The entire mountain side below is a
variegated landscape where dense forests, open evergreen
groves, rolling grassy hills, and green patches of the
quaking aspen, vie with each other in composing a scene
of transcendent beauty and interest.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 327
Now follows a short, spiral climb, which soon terminates
at the summit of j\lt. Washburn (10 miles), where the suc-
cessive scenes which we have attempted to describe stand
forth in one all-embracing j^anorama, the like of which can
hardly be found elsewhere upon the accessible portions of
the globe. It is idle to undertake a description of this
wonderful panorama — it includes too much and assumes
too many changes in the course of even a single day. It is
one thing in the morning, another in the evening; beau-
tiful in the brilliant sunlight of this region, and entrancing
in the wild tempests that have beaten upon its scarred face
for ages ; but always, and in whatever guise, it is sublime.
The one drawback to the pleasure of visiting Mt. Wash-
burn is the heavy Tvdnd that generally prevails there. One
has but to see the tempest-torn trees that grow on its
slopes with a permanent list to the northeast to understand
the power of these winds and their prevailing direction.
The government has ameliorated this condition as far as
possible by erecting a suitable shelter on the summit from
which the landscape can be viewed in comparative com-
fort. It is always desirable to make the ascent early in the
day, as the wind does not generally reach its full force
until about noon.
Mt. A\^ashburn is the most celebrated peak in the Park,
and the first to receive its present name. Its prominence
justifies its notoriety, but the real cause of it is the fact
that for eight years the main tourist route lay across it.
From its summit the Washburn party received the first
definite confirmation of the truth of the rumors that led
them into this region. All reports and magazine articles
A^•hich first gave a knowledge of the Park to the world were
written by persons who had crossed this mountain. As the
view from its summit is comprehensive and grand, cove?-
828 TILE YELLOAYSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
ing almost the entire Park, it of course figured prominent-
ly in all narratives. Visitors fell into the custom estab-
lished by the first explorers, of leaving their cards in a
receptacle for the purpose on the summit. Many eminent
names are to be seen there. It is a matter of congratula-
tion that the progress upon the road system has restored
this mountain to its former place in the tourist route.
Here, on the summit of this great mountain, the visitor
may profitably exercise whatever imagination nature has
given him and picture in his mind the eventful history of
the country embraced within the scope of his vision. For
this was the central point in the building up of the Park.
Let him go back to those primal times when everywhere
beneath and around him were the rolling waves of the sea,
except that far on the horizon in various directions the sk^'
line denoted elevations above the surface of the water.
These were the first land, but where the park now is none
had yet appeared.
Then comes a time when the earth's crust is pushed
upward; the water slides off the land and the space of tlie
ocean is reduced. The plastic crust is creased and folded
and great mountains are formed, among them doubtless
the one on which we are standing. The Park becomes dry
land — a great basin surrounded by lofty hills.
The forces of life assert themselves; vegetation springs
up; rivers flow down to the sea, and the sun daily illum-
ines a world rejoicing in the beauty of growth.
Then comes a reign of terror, for the very earth bursts
forth with fire and ashes until the sun is hid and the world
is shrouded in daxkness. The giant trees are overwhelmed,
broken down and buried deep in the lifeless mass. The val-
leys are filled up, new mountains are built, and the face
of nature is radically changed. The vast amphitheater at
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 329
the feet of the visitor, as he stands facing westward, is one
of the centers of these volcanic tempests.
After a time the fires cease, and nature, ever quick to
respond, puts forth again tree and flower, and a new world
arises on the ruins of the old. Again the crater breaks
forth; terror and desolation reign, and the beauty of life
is smitten in dust and ashes.
So it continues for countless centuries until the fury of
the volcano is spent and its dominion comes to an end; and
until the vast basin, which was formed when the land arose
from the sea, is filled with the debris cast forth from the
earth^s interior.
And now a marvelous transformation ensues. Heat is
followed by cold, fire gives way to snow, and the reign of
lava is succeeded by the reign of ice. The sky is again ob-
scured, no longer with smoke and ashes, but with silvery
enow, which falls until it enrobes the earth in a mantle of
ice as deep as the lava beneath it. Yielding to its weight,
it slides with infinite procrastination do^Mi the slopes, carv-
ing out new valleys and canons, scoring the rocky hillsides,
breaking off boulders, rounding and polishing them like
marbles, and moulding the landscape into new forms.
At last the ice king is shorn of his power, the glaciers
melt and drop their burden of rocks and del^ris; the sun
resumes its sway and life begins again. Then for the first
time the country around this mountain looked somewhat
as it does to-day, though to the south it was very different.
The waves of Yellowstone Lake Avashed its base, and the
Canon and Falls did not exist. Presently some change
occurs and the waters commence flowing north. They cut
into the soft, decomposed rock, and year after year dig
■ deeper into the color-laden earth, until they form the vast
chasm that half way encircles the mountain.
(14*)
330 T]TE YELLOWSTOXE NATIOXAL PARK.
From the passing of the ice age, on through periods of
time which we can not measure;, the Park grows to its
present form. The pent-up but not extinguished fires
cover the face of the country with geysers and springs and
strange suggestions of the nether world. But the milder
forces of nature are also doing their work. The hillsides
are clothed with forests and flowers. New forms of life
arise and the stately elk and gentle deer are seen among
the trees. Then man appears — aboriginal man — few in
numbers, and armed with the crude weapons of a primitive
age.
Time rolls on and at length there comes a man of dif-
ferent skin and costume, wending his solitary way across
this mighty wilderness. One standing on this summit might
have seen him clambering up its southern face, a "thirty
pound pack'' on his back, perhaps coming to this very
point to study his surroundings, and then disappearing to
the northward not to be seen again. It was the coming of
the white man.
Others follow in his train, in hunter garb, and for many
years roam over the country like the Indians who came be-
fore them. At last a larger company appear, hunters, not
after the game of the forest, but the wonders of nature of
which they had heard strange reports. They climb this
mountain, give it a name, and go their way. Others in
ever increasing number follow, and at last come pick and
spade and dynamite, and a roadway is carved up the rocky
slopes to this very summit, that man may come here,
through all future time, and study the handiwork of na-
ture as it lies outspread before him from the summit of Mt.
Washburn.
The long ride down the northern slope of the mountain
ia full of general interest, although there are no notable
A TOUn OF THE PARK. 331
features immediately on the route. It follows the long
spur already mentioned as the great northern support of
the mountain and the natural line of ascent to its summit.
The road is first on one side of the crest and then on the
other, and the scene is thus constantly shifting and al-
ways with renewed interest. It hnally plunges into a dense
forest along the lower course of Tower Creel:, and after
many curves and windings in getting down from a lofty
bench, reaches the picturesque situation in the vicinity of
Tower Falls (20 miles). — This waterfall is the most
beautiful in the Park, if one takes into consideration all its
surroundings. The fall itself is very graceful in form.
The deep cavernous basin into which it pours itself is lined
with shapely evergreen trees, so that the fall is partially
screened from view. Above it stand those peculiar forms of
rock characteristic of that locality — detached pinnacles or
towers which gave rise to the name. The lapse of more
than thirty years since Lieutenant Doane saw these fa'.ls,
has given us nothing descriptive of them that can compare
with the simple words of his report penned upon the first
inspiration of a new discovery:
"Nothing can be more chastely beautiful than this lovely
cascade, hidden away in the dim light of overshadowing
rocks and woods, its very voice hushed to a low murmur,
unheard at the distance of a few hundred yards. Thou-
sands might pass by within half a mile and not dream of
its existence; but once seen, it passes to the list of mos':
pleasant memories.^'
The portion of the Park to which the tourist has now
arrived is the most desirable of all in which to spend a
season of rest and recuperation. It is full of attractions
for the lover of nature and the scientific inquirjr.
The scenery in the immediate vicinity of the falls and For
332 THE YELLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
two niiles below, is very different from anything else in
the Park and is not surpassed anywhere for variety and
beauty. It is the lower end of the Grand Canon, but its
character is very different from that farther up. The gorge
is about 500 feet deep, mth nearly vertical sides, and the
green waters of the river, run through it as in the bottom
of a trough, flecked evers^where with white patches which
show how rapidly it flows. Along the sides of the caiion
well up toward the brink are fine examples of columnar
basalt walls, so regular in outline that they look like great
stone fences erected there by the hand of man. The pecu-
liar towers or pinnacles to which we have already referred,
occur all along this stretch of the river, and one of them
is probably the most remarkable feature of its kind in the
world. It rises from the bottom of the canon close to the
edge of the water on the left bank to a height of fully 300
feet above the water surface. It is locally called the
Needle. It was seen by Folsom in 18(19, and then forgotten
until it was rediscovered a few years ago. It stands like a
solitary watch tower to guard the lower entrance to the
Grand Canon, and will henceforth remain one of the rare
wonders of the Park.
All along this stretch of the river are abundant evi-
dences of internal heat. There are a great many small
springs and steam vents, and the odor of sulphur is very
apparent. About two miles below Tower Creek, just to the
left of the road, in an open space covered with hot springs
deposit, is a spring which has been used for bathing pur-
poses for more than thirty years.
Just above the mouth of Tower Creek is the old Ban-
nock Ford over the Yellowstone, a crossing of immemo-
rial antiquity, and the same that was used by Colter in
1807.
.5»«a
Mi.
J^
1
*-*
Tower Falls.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 333
Junction Butte is on the right bank of the Yellowstone,
in the angle between that stream and the East Fork. It
stands not only near one of the most important stream
junctions in the Park, but also near a not less important
road junction. It is a very striking object. Its summit is
nearly flat, and its sides near the summit are perpendicular.
Below this is a steep slope composed of enormous masses of
finely broken stone disengaged from the cliff by the force of
the elements. It is a fitting landmark for its important
situation.
Baronett Bridge, which crossed the Yellowstone just
opposite Junction Butte, was the first bridge ever built
over that river in any part of its course. It was built by
the well-known mountaineer, C. J. Baronett, in the spring
of 1871, for the convenience of Clark's Fork miners. It
was partially destroyed by the Xez Perces in 187 T, but was
repaired by Howard's command, and still further repaired
the following year by Baronett and Morris. It was re-
placed in 1880 by a more substantial structure, and this
itself has been replaced by a steel bridge located a half
mile further up stream.
''Yancey's" or Pleasant Valley, is the name of a beautiful
spot in which a long familiar character in Park history,
*'Uncle" John Yancey, dwelt for many years, and kept a
rude lodging place for the convenience of visitors to that
part of the Park.
Lost Creeh Canon and Falh, hidden in the forest a half
mile back from the road as it crosses the plains near the
old bathing spring, is well worthy of a visit. It reminds
one somewhat of the falls of Minnehaha. The formation of
the walls is very unusual, and the water pours over the
brink in a light spray wliich forms, with the surrounding
verdure, a scene of quiet beauty rarely found in so wild
334 THE YFLLOWSTOXE NATIONAL PARK.
and rough a couutr}'. It is a spot which the visitor can not
leave without an involuntary feeling of regret. Near the
outlet of the caiion ia one of the ideal camping grounds
of the Park, which has been utilized l)y hundreds of visitors.
With it are associated some of the most pleasant memories
in the tourist history of this region.
The Petrified Trees, two weather-scarred stubs, ancient
monuments of a once more active period of vegetable
growth in this region, will gratify the curiosity of the
tourist who has not time to visit the more extensive region
of petrifactions further east. They are located on the side
of a ravine, a quarter of a mile to the left of the road and
about four miles from Tower Falls.
An extensive region full of interesting features, in which
one can profitably spend months of study and research, is
the valley of Lamar Eiver and its tributaries. In many
respects this is the most interesting section of the Park. It
is the largest treeless tract on the Eeservation, and is the
great winter pasture of the elk, which gather here in
thousands as soon as the fall snows come. In the summer
it is the chief grazing ground of the antelope.
Amethyst Mountain, Specimen Ridge and the Fossil
Forests are names at once suggestive of the action of geo-
logical agencies which have been described in another
chapter. Amethyst, limpid quartz, milky quartz, chalce-
dony, carnelian, prase, chrj^soprase, banded agate, flint,
jaspers of all colors, semiopal, calcite, and many other
varieties abound. The forest petrifications present one of
the most interesting scientific problems in the Park.
The Lamar River Canon (7 miles above Junction Butte)
is a gorge about half a mile long, the chief characteristic
of which is the enormous number and size of boulders
that have fallen into it. Some of them are almost spherical
A TOUJ{ OF THE TAllK. 335
in shape, and are as smooth as if from the hand of a stone
glazer. They are piled up like billiard balls, to such a
depth that in some places the stream at low water flows
entirely out of sight beneath them.
Amethyst Falls is a pretty cascade near where a small
stream of the same name empties into Lamar River.
Soda Butte (15 miles above Junction Butte) and Soda
Butte Canon are worthy of much attention. The caiion in
particular is as wonderful a bit of scenery as any mountains
afford. It is everywhere rugged, majestic and imposing,
and there is no point in its twelve miles' length, that does
not present a landscape deserving of the tourist's careful
study.
Trout Lake, on a tributary of Soda Butte Creek, is one
of the gems of these mountains, and as its name implies,
an ideal fishing resort.
Cooke City is a small mining camp located on the north-
east border of the Park. It is older than the Park itself,
having been established in 1870.
Death Gulch, a side ravine in the valley of Cache Creek,
first tributary of Lamar River above Soda Butte Creek,
is a spot about which there hangs a great deal of mystery.
It is claimed by reputable authorities, on the strength of
personal observation, that it emits a deadly gas, and that
animals, even of the larger species, have be^n found dead
there in considerable numbers. The truth of these state-
ments has been strenuously denied by others. The writer
himself once visited the spot for the express purpose of
settling the question in his own mind, and was unable to
find any evidence of the gas or of any animals killed by
it. The slope of the ravine is such that the accumulation
of a heavy gas is impossible, unless dammed up by snow
drifts in winter. WTiile the positive statements of reputa-
336 THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
ble obseryers can not easily be set aside, it is remarkable
that all the evidence which they claim to have \vitnessed
should disappear so quickly and so completel}". Take it all
in all, Death Gulch is one of the mysteries of the Park still
awaiting solution.
Tlie Hoodoo Begion, near the head of Miller Creek, be-
yond the east boundary of the Park, furnishes probably
the most striking example in existence of the effects of ero-
sion and wind action upon masses of moderately soft rock.
The region was discovered by miners in 1870, but was first
explored and reported upon by Colonel Xorris in 1880,
who thus describes it:*
"Xearly every form, animate or inanimate, real or
chimerical, ever actually seen or conjured by the imagina-
tion, may here be observed. Language does not suffice to
describe these peculiar formations; sketches may probably
do something, and photographs more, to convey a concep-
tion of their remarkable character, but actual observation is
necessary to adequately impress the mind with the wild,
unearthly appearance of these eroded Hoodoos of the Goblin
Land. These monuments are from fifty to two or three
hundred feet in height, with narrow, tortuous passages
between them, which sometimes are tunnels through perma-
nent snow or ice fields, where the Bighorn sheep hide in
safety; while the ceaseless but ever changing moans of the
wild winds seem to chant fitting requiems to these gnome-
like monuments of the legendary' Indian gods."
Prom Tower Falls to Mammoth Hot Springs (22 miles)
the route presents nothing of unusual interest, although
tlie scener}' is everywhere of a pleasing and satisfactory
character. The road first climbs the long hill above Yan-
• Pa^e 8, Annual Report, Superintendent of the Park, for
the year 1880.
A TOUR OF THE PARK. 337
cey's, four miles, much of the way in dense forests, and
finally emerges at the summit in a deep gorge through the
hills called the Crescent Hill Canon. Immediately upon
leaving this ravine the road passes over a little ridge from
which the tourist has an unobstructed view of Electric and
Bunsen Peaks, Mt. Everts, Terrace ^tountain and the
roadway leading up from Mammoth Hot Springs, by
which he started on his tour a few days before. To the
right lies the Valley of the Yellowstone, the stream flowing
out of sight fully 1,500 feet below him. The slopes of the
mountain on the farther shore, seamed with the valleys of
numerous tributaries, dotted here and there with groves of
quaking aspen, but generally open and free of forest
growths, compose a landscape which never fails to call forth
expressions of delight from those who see it for the first
time.
The Tliird Carton of the Yellowstone (the third above
the Great Bend at Livingston, the Grand Canon being the
fourth) begins near the mouth of Blacktail Deer Creek and
continues to the north boundary. It is rarely visited by
tourists on account of its inaccessibility, but it is well
worth seeing as an example on a large scale of the grandeur
and power of the forces of nature that have thus carved a
way for the river through the very heart of the mountains.
From the exit from Crescent Hill Canon the road de-
scends by a gentle grade all the way to the high bridge
over the Gardiner, and a quick drive of an hour and a
half brings the visitor to ]\rammoth Hot Springs, whore
his Park tour and our present labors end together.
(IS)
APPENDIX.
MAP INDEX.
The following list contains all the geographical names
in the Park, with marginal references to aid in locatin.iz
them upon the map.
MOUNTAIN RANGES^ PEAKS^ BIJTTES, El DOES, HILLS.
[The numbers in the third column denote elevations.
These are taken from the latest map by the United States
Geological Survey, and are the same as that of the one nun
dred foot contour nearest the summit. The true elevation
of the ultimate peak is in each case slightly greater, lying
between the figure given and an altitude one hundred feet
higher.]
Name.
Map
Reference.
Am-
Uule.
^^«-^- EefSll'ce.
Alft-
tUdr'.
Ahiathar Peak..,
...C :14..
.10,800
Crow Foot Ridge. D-E : 5. .
. 9.700
Absaroka Range.
,A-X : 12-lG
Doano, Mt M : 13. .
.lu.r.oi)
Amethyst Mtu...
,..F :11..
. 9,423
Druid Peak D : 12..
. 9.t-.oo
Aiitler Peak
....E :4..
.10.200
Dunraven Peak F : 9. .
. 9.700
Atkins Peak
..N :14..
.10.900
Eagle Peak O : 14. .
. lO.SO )
Avalanche Peak.
, ..L :18..
.10.500
Echo Peak E : 4..
. o.coo
Bannock Peak. ..
...D :4..
.10.400
Electric Peak B : 4-5. .
.11,155
Barlow Peak
..Q : 10..
. 9.. -.00
Elephant Back J : 9. .
. 8.C00
Baronett Peak..
...C : 1.3..
.10,300
Everts, Mt C : 7. .
. 7,90J
Big Game Ridge. Q-J : 9-11
Factory Hill O : 8..
. 9,50!)
Birch Hills
...R :4..
. 7.300
Flat Mtn N : 9..
. 9.tH);>
Bison Peak
..D :12..
. 8,800
Folsom Peak E : 8 . .
. 9,300
Bobcat Ridge
....T :<»..
. 9.500
Forellen Peak T : 5. .
. 9.70)>
Bnnsen Peak. ...
...D :6..
. 9.100
Gallatin Range. A-F : 1-4. .
Cathedral Peak.
...J :13..
.10.600
Garnet Hill C : 9. .
. 7.001
Chittenden, Mt. .
..K :12..
.10,100
Giant Castle.... K : 14-15..
.10 00.)
Cinnabar Mtn...
...A :5..
. 7.000
Gibbon Hill H :r,..
. .^.coii
Colter Peak
,..0 :13..
.10.. 500
Gravel Peak T : 11. .
. \).m-)
Crags, The
,...E :3..
. 9,0(X)
Gray Peak C-D : 4..
.10.. 300
Crescent Hill...
....D :9..
. 7,900
Grizzly Peak L : 12. .
. 9,700
340
APPENDIX.
^«-^- Bef'rlce.
Hfxnoock, Mt R : 10. .
Hawks Rest R : 14. .
Hedges Peak G : 9. .
Holmes, Mt F : 4. .
Horseshoe Hill E : 6. .
Hoyt, Mt L :13..
Huckleberry Mtn. . .S : 7. .
Humphreys, Mt.
Huntley, Mt
Index Peak
Joseph Peak
Junction Butte.
Lake Butte
..N :14..
...E :4..
..C :16..
...C :4..
, .B :10..
.K :11..
Landmark, The F:
I-angford, Mt
Mary Mtn. ...
Moran, Mt. ..
Needles, The.
Norris, Mt
Observation Peak
Obsidian Cliff
Paint Pot Hill. ..
Pelican Cone
Pilot Knob
Pinon Peak
Prospect Peak
Pyramid Peak
...M :13..
J :7..
W : 5..
...E :14..
....E :13.
G :8..
..F :6..
..H : 6..
..I :12..
• C : 16..
..S : 10..
D-B : 8..
..J :14..
Quadrant Mtn D : 4. .
Alti-
tude.
.10,100
. 9,800
. 9.500
.10,300
. 8,200
.10,400
. 9,700
.11,000
. 9,900
.11,740
.10,300
. 6,500
. 8,G00
. 8,800
.10,600
. 8,500
.12,800
. 9.G0O
..9,900
. 9,300
. 7,800
. -7,900
. 9,580
.11.977
. 9,600
. 9,300
.10,300
.10,200
Name.
Map
Rfft7-ence.
Red Mt. Range... P : 7-8...
Reservation Peak.M : 14. . ,
Roaring Mtn F : 6. . ,
Saddle Mtn H : 15...
Schurz, Mt N : 14..,
Sepulcher Mtn..B-C :5-6..,
Sheepeater Cliffs.. .D : 7. . .
Sheridan, Mt P : 8. .
Signal Hills M : 12..,
Silver Tip Peak...K : 13. .
Specimen Ridge. . .E : 11. , ,
Stevenson, Mt.
Storm Peak...
.M : 13..
,..E :8..
Survey Peak T : 4. .
Table Mtn O : 14..
Terrace Mtn C : 6. .
Teton, The G'nd.Off Map. .
Three Rivers Peak.E : 4. .
Thunderer, The. . . D : 14. .
Top Notch Peak...L : 13. .
Trident, The Q-R : 14. .
Trilobite Point F : 4 . .
Turret Mtn P : 14. .
Twin Buttes K : 14..
Washburn, Mt F : 9. .
White Peak F. A..
Wildcat Peak T : 8. .
Yount Peak Off Map..
Alti-
tude.
10,600
8,000
11,100
9,500
9,500
7,500
10,250
9,500
10,400
8,700
10,300
9,500
9,200
10,800
8,100
13,691
9,900
10,400
10,000
10,000
9,900
10,400
8,400
10,000
0,800
9,800
12,250
MOUNT AIX PASSES.
Craig Pass....
Jones Pass
Norris Pass...
L :6.
...K : 12.
M : 6.
8,300
9,450
8,260
Raynolds Pass. .Off Map. . . 6,911
Sylvan Pass L:13... 8,650
LAKES.
Beach Lake K : 8.
Beaver Lake F : 6.
Beula Lake B : 5.
Bridger Lake R : 13.
Delusion Lake M : 9.
Dryad Lake K : 8.
Duck Lake M : 7.
Fern Lake H : 11.
Frost Lake I : 14.
Gallatin Lake E : 4.
8,150 Goose Lake K:4... 7,100
7,415 Grassy Lake R: 5... 7,150
7,530 Grebe Lake G:8... 7,950
7,900 Grizzly Lake F:5... 7,490
7,800 Heart Lake P:9... 7,469
8,250 Henry Lake Off Map... 6,443
7,850 Bering Lake R : 5 . . , 7,530
8,150 Indian Pond J : 11. . . 7,7ro
7,350 Isa Lake L: 6... 8,250
9,000 Jackson Lake. ...U-W : 6... 6,000
APPENDIX.
64:1
Kame.
Map
Seference.
Alti-
tude.
^«"^- JtefeZce.
Alti-
tude.
Leigh Lake....
....W : 5..
Summit Lake M : 3..
. 8,450
Lewis l^alie...
:7..
. 7.720
Swan Lake D : 6. .
. 7,200
Loon Lake. ...
R :3..
. 6,400
Sylvan Lake L : 13..
. 8,300
Lost Lake
M :7..
. s.rjoo
Tern Lake I : 11. .
. 8,150
Madison Lake.
N :4..
. 8,250
Trout Lake D : 13..
. 6,850
Mallard Lake..
L :5..
. 8,000
Turijid Lake K : 11..
. 7,800
Mary Lake
J :7..
. 8,100
Twin Lakes G : 6. .
. 7,450
Mirror Lake. ..
....G :12. .
. 8,700
Wapiti Lake H : 11..
. 8,500
Obsidian Lake.
E :6..
. 7,r,r,o
Wliite Lake I : 11. .
. 8,150
Riddle Lake. ..
N :8..
. 7,050
Woods, Lake of the. F : 6. .
. 7,550
Stiosiione Lake.
,M-N :5-6..
. 7,740
Yellowstone L. .K-O :8-12. .
. 7,741
STREAMS.
[Map locations refer only to outlets, or to points where
streams pass off the limits of the map. Altitudes refer to
the same points, but are given only in the most important
cases.]
^«-<'- EefefeZe.
Agate Creek E : 10
Alum Creek H:9
Amethyst Creek r E : 12
Amphitheater Creek D : 13
Antelope Creek E : 10
Arnica Creek L : 8
Aster Creek P : 7
Astringent Creek J : 12
Atlantic Creek S : 13
Badger Creek ; . . .P : 13
Basin Creek Q : 9
Bear Creek B:7
Bear Creek K : 11
Beaver Creek O : 9
Beaver Dam Creek O : 12
Bechler River R : 1
Berry Creek U : 6
Black-tail Deer Creek B :8
Bluflf Creek H : 10
Bog Creek H : 10
Boone Creek T : 1
Bridge Creek K : 9
Broad Creek F : 10
Buffalo Creek D : 11
Burnt Creek E : 10
iache Creek F : 13
Kame.
Map
Reference.
Calfee Creek F : 13
Canyon Creek 1 : 5
Carnelian Creek E : 9
Cascade Creek G : 8
Chalcedony Creek E : 12
Chipmunk Creek 0:11
Clear Creek L : 11
Cliff Creek Q : 13
Clover Creek G : 13
Cold Creek H : 14
Columbine Creek M : 11
Conant Creek T : 1
Cotton Grass Creek H : 9
Cougar Creek G : 2
Coulter Creek R : 8
Crawfish Creek R : 6
Crevice Creek C : 7
Crooked Creek R : 10
Crow Creek K : 15
Crystal Creek D : 11
Cub Creek L : 11
Deep Creek E : 10
De Lacy Creek M : 6
Duck Creek G : 3
Elk Creek D : 9
Elk Tongue Creek C : 12
342
APPENDIX.
^«"^- Ref^ence.
Escarpment Creek Q : 13
Fairy Creek J : 4
Falcon Creek R : 13
Falls Kiver S : 1
Fan Creek C : 2
Fawn Creek C : 5
FIreliole River I : 4
Fireliole, Little L : 4
Flint Creek F : 13
Forest Creek Q : 7
Fox Creek R : U
Gallatin River A : 1
Gardiner River (5,360) B:6
Geode Creek C:8
Geyser Creek H : 6
Gibbon River I : 4
Glade Creek S :6
Glen Creek -.C : 6
Gneiss Creek G:l
Gravel Creek U : 10
Grayling Creek F : 1
Grouse Creek 0:10
Harebell Creek R : 8
Heart River Q .'d
Hell Roaring Creek C : 9
Indian Creek E : u
Iron Creek L : 4
Jasper Creek D : 11
Jay Creek S : 13
Jones Creek K : 15
Juniper Creek J : 6
Lamar River (5,970) D : 10
Lava Creek D : 7
Lewis River R : 7
Lizard Creek U : 6
Lost Creek D :
Lupine Creek D : 7
Lynx Creek Q : 13
Madison River G : 1
Magpie Creek J :
Maple Creek G :2
Mason Creek L : 16
Meadow Creek M : 11
>nfldle Creek L : 15
Miller Creek G : 13
?nnk Creek T : 11
Mist Creek I : 14
Name. „ ,^^P
Beference.
Moose Creek N :6
Moss Creek G : 10
Mountain Creek P : 13
Mountain Ash Creek R : 3
Nez Perce Creek (7,237) J:4
Obsidian Creek E : 6
Opal Creek E : 12
Otter Creek H : 8
Outlet Creek p : 9
Owl Creek T:5
Pacific Creek W : 11
Panther Creek D : 5
Pebble Creek D : 13
Pelican Creek K : 10
Phlox Creek Q : 13
Plateau Creek , C : 12
Polecat Creek S : 6
Quartz Creek E : 10
Rabbit Creek K : 4
Raven Creek J : 12
Red Creek Q ; 8
Rescue Creek C : 7
Rocky Creek O : 12
Rose Creek D : 12
Sedge Creek K : U
Senecio Creek S : 13
Sentinel Creek J :4
Shallow Creek F:ll
Shoshone River L : 10
Sickle Creek Q : 10
Slough Creek D : 10
Snake River (6,808) W : 8
Soda Butte Creek E : 12
Solfatara Creek G : 6
Solution Creek M : 8
Sour Creek H : 9
Spirea Creek R:6
Spring Creek M : 5
Spruce Creek J : 6
Squirrel Creek N : 5
Stellaria Creek C : 3
Straight Creek E : 5
Sulphur Creek G : 9
Surface Creek G : 9
Surprise Creek P : 9
Tangled Creek J : 4
Thistle Creek J : 10
APPENDIX.
343
■^«"*«- Beference.
Thoroughfare Creek R : 13
Timothy Creek G : 13
Tower Creek D : 10
Trail Creek O : 12
Trappers' Creek P : 13
Trout Creek I : 9
Violet Creek I :8
Weasel Creek K:9
Willow Creek H : 14
Winter Creek E : 6
Witch Creek 0:8
Wolverine Creek R : 8
Yellowstone River (5,360). . .A : 5
WATERFALLS.
[Figures in parentheses indicate approximate heights of
falls in feet. These in most cases are not to be relied upon as
strictly accurate, there having been no published record of
actual measurements, except in the case of the Yellowstone
Falls.]
Amethyst Falls E : 12
Colonnade Falls P : 3
Crecelius Cascade L -.16
Crystal Falls (129) G : 8
Fairy Fall (250) K : 4
Firehole Falls (60) 1:4
Gibbon Falls (80) I : 5
Iris P^alls P : 3
Kepler Cascade (80) L : 3
Lewis Falls, Upper (80) P:7
Lewis Falls, Lower (50) Q:7
Moose Falls R : 6
Mystic Falls L : 4
Osprey Falls (150) D : 6
Ouzel Falls P
Rainbosv Falls (140) R
Rustic Falls (70) D
Silver Cord Cascade G
Terraced Falls R
Tower Falls (132) D : 10
Undine Falls (60) D : 7
Union Falls Q : 4
Virginia Cascade (60) H:7
Wraith Falls (100) D:7
Yellowstone Falls H : 9
Upper, (112).
Lower, (310).
LIST OF THE PK0:MIXENT GEYSERS.
The numbers in the third column are the highest re-
corded, eruptions. The numbers in the fourth and fifth col-
umns are not to be taken as indicating the correct duration
or periodicity of eruptions. The prevalent notion that gey-
sers exhibit uniform periodicity of action, is erroneous.
There is only one geyser of importance in the Park that can
be depended on, and that is Old Faithful. The figures for
the other geysers are merely rough averages, true, perhaps,
as the mean of a year's observations, but not at all to be
relied upon in predicting particular eruptions.
344
APPENDIX.
The following abbreviations are used: "M. H. S.," for
Mammoth Hot Springs; "N. G. B.," "L. G. B.," "M. G. B.," "U.
G. B.," "S. G. B.," and "H. G. B.," for the Norris, Lower,
Middle, Upper, Shoshone, and Heart Lake, Geyser Basins re-
spectively; "E. S. Y.," and "W. S. Y.," for the East and West
Shores respectively of the Yellowstone Lake; "s." for second;
"m." for minute; "h." for hour; and "d." for day.
Name.
Loca-
tion.
Eruptions.
Anthors of Names.
Height.
Dura-
tion.
Inter
val.
Remarks.
Arsenic
N. G. B.
...........
U. S. G. S.
Artemesla
IT. G. B.
"'isoft'.""
"io'in'.'"
U. S. G. S.
A t r»m 1 7 p r
U. G. B.
L.G. B.
20 ft.
10 m.
Unknown.
V^ H_/lAJ.J.^^i
ggad
Has a " beautifully
beaded tube."—
Comstock.
Bee Hive
U. G. B.
U.G. B.
U.G. B.
U. G. B.
220 ft.
8 m.
20 h.
Washburn Party.
U. S.G. S.
U. S. G. S.
Bijou
Bulger
51t."'
100 ft.
Castle
"25 "m."
"24'h!"'
Washburn Party.
" From a distance It
strongly resembles
an old feudal cnst'e
partially in ruins."
— Doane.
Catfish
L.G. B.
U. G. B.
U. S.G. 8.
dilnamaii
U. S.G. S. Really a
quiescent spring.
Sometimes called a
geyser from the cir-
_
cumstance that a
Chinaman who had
used It for a wash-
tub caused an erup-
tion by the soap put
in the spring, thus
initiating the prac-
tice of "soaping gey-
sers."
Clepsydra
L.G. B.
50 It.
10 e.
8 m.
'Like the ancient
water-clock of that
name, it marks the
passage of time by
the discharge of
water." — Comstock
(1878).
U. S.G. S.
Comet
U.G. B.
N.G. B.
60 ft.
Im.
Congress^
Came Into existence
in the winter of 1898.
Like the memorable
53d Congress, for
which it is named,
its performance Is
sadly incommen-
surate with Its
promises.
Constant
N.G. B.
80 ft.
10 s.
Im.
Norris.
Svi.VAN Lake, East Koad.
APPENDIX.
345
Name.
Loca-
tion.
Eruptions.
Authors of Names.
Height.
Dura-
tion.
Inter-
val.
Remarks.
Cubs
U.G. B.
H.G. B.
N. G. B.
U. G. B.
See " Lion."
Deluge
""ibft."'
20 ft.
U. S.G. S.
Echinus
U. S. G. S.
Economic
No water lost In erup-
tion; all falls back
into crater.
Excelsior
M.G.B,
300 ft.
lto4h.
^'A geyser so immeas-
urably excelling any
other ancient or
modern known to
history, that I find
but one name fit-
ting, and herein
christen it the Ex-
celsior." — N orris.
The Sheridan par-
ties in 1881 and 1882
called It the Sheri-
dan Geyser.
Fan
U.G. B.
60 ft.
10 m.
8h.
Washburn Party.
Fnarless
N. G. B.
N. G. B.
l.g.:b.
L. G. B.
Norris.
Fissue..... .!.......".
■■■iooiftr'
3 ft.
60 ft.
20 mV"
■"2h'.""
U. S.G. 8.
Fitful
Comstock.
Fountain
15 "m."
""i'h."
U. S. G. S.
Giant
U. G. B.
U.(^. B.
2(X) ft.
2.50 ft.
00 m.
12 h.
6d.
14 d.
Washburn Party.
Washburn Party.
Giantess
Grand
U. G. B.
L. G. B.
200 ft.
1 ft.
20 m.
80s.
20 h.
Im.
U.P G. S.
Gray Bulger
U.S. G. S.
GreatFountaln
L.G. B.
100 ft.
U. S.G. S. Called Ar-
chitectural Foun-
tain in 1871.
Grotto.....
U.G. B.
40 ft.
30 m.
4 h.
Washburn Party.
Jet
L.G. B.
U.G.B.
U.G. B.
15 ft.
50 ft.
60 ft.
U.S. G. S.
Jewell
"i'm."
8 m.
■50 m."
24 h.
U. S. G. S.
Lion
With Lioness and
Cubs called "The
Chimneys " by Bar-
low in 1&71; renamtd
"Trinity" Geyser bv
Comstock in 1878;
most Isolated cone
called " Niobe " by
U. S. G. S. in 187»;
present name given
by Norris in 1881.
Lioness
U.G.B.
M : 5
80 ft.
60 ft.
10 m.
10 m.
24 h.
40 m.
See *' Lion."
Lone Star
Unknown. First called
" The Solitary " by
theU. S.G.S.inl872.
Minute
N. G. B.
U.G.B.
40 ft.
20 s.
90 s.
Norris.
Model
Geyser on a small
scale.
Monarch
N. G. B.
U.G.B.
125 ft.
60 ft.
20 m.
6 m.
12 h.
8 h.
Norris.
Mortar
" Resembles in its
eruption the partic-
ular piece of ord-
nance from which it
derives its name."—
Ha vnes Guide Book.
Mud Geyser
N.G. B.
10 ft.
5 m.
20 m.
Norris.
Mud Geyser
I : 9
80 ft.
20 m.
8 h.
Washburn Party.
346
APPENDIX.
NAME.
Loca-
tion.
Eruptions.
Authors of Names.
Height.
Dura-
tion.
Inter-
val.
Remarks.
Oblong
U. G. B.
U. G. B.
N.G. B.
N. B.B.
L. G. B.
U.G. B.
U.G. B.
L. G. B.
H.G.B.
U.G. B.
U.G. B.
S. G B.
U.G B.
H,G. B.
U.G. B.
U.G. B.
L.G. B.
U. G. B
U. G. B.
S. G. B
40 ft,
150 ft.
4 m.
4J^m.
8 h.
65 m.
U. S. G S
Old Faithful
Pearl
Washburn Party.
U. S. G S
Pebble
50 ft.
75 m.
U S G S
Pink Cone
U. 8. G.S.
Restless
U S G S
Riverside
Rosette
80 ft.
80 ft.
47 ft.
35 ft.
20 ft.
16 m.
8h.
U. S. G. S.
U. S. G. S.
Rustic .
4 m.
15 m.
U S G S
Sawmill
U.S. G.S.
Sentinel
Barlow.
Shield
U. S. G. S.
Spasmodic
5 ft.
U. S. G. S.
Spike
U.S. G. S.
Splendid
200 ft.
10 m.
8h.
Norrls.
Sponge
From appearance of
the crater.
U. 8. G 8
Steady
80 ft.
100 ft.
20 ft.
in ft.
66 ft.
3 ft.
Surprise
2
25 m.
60 m.
Turban
U.S. G.S. " From the
Union (1)
(2)
5 h.
fancied appearance
of some of the large
globular masses in
ItsbasintoaTuikish
head-dress."— Peale.
U. S. G. S. in 1^72. So
named " because of
(8)
Vlxon
N.G. B.
L. G. B.
U.G. B.
L. G. B.
the various forms of
geyseric action." —
Peale. No. lis North
Cone: No. 2 Middle
Cone; No. 8 South
Cone.
Norrls.
White Dome....
YoungFalthful
12 ft.
20 ft.
20 ft.
U.S. G.S.
Earl of Dunraven.
Young Hopeful
U.S. G.S.
INDEX.
The list of names in the Appendix being arranged alphabeti-
cally, names found in it are not included in this index unless
they also occur in the main body of the work.
Absaroka, Indian name for Crow
Tribe, 6.
Absaroka Range, name consider-
ed, 133.
described, 178.
Act of Dedication, 93, 94.
Act of 1883, Military Assistance
in protecting Park, 111.
Act of 1890, admitting Wyom-
ing, 112.
Act of 1894, National Park Pro-
tective Act, 118.
Act of 1894, regulating leases, 118.
Administration of tlie Park, 2G9
et seq.
Administrative History of tfio Y.
N. P., 107 et seq.
Algous growtlis in hot water,
211.
Alum Creek, Bridger's story of,
49.
American Fur Company, 30.
Amethyst Mountain, 334.
" Annie," first boat on Y. Lake,
132.
Antelope, habitat of, in Y. N.
P., 224.
Apollinaris Spring, 284.
Area of the Y. N. P.. 175.
Arsenic Geyser, 286.
Artomesia Geyser, 254.
Artist Point, 321.
Arthur, Chester A., visits Y. N.
P., 105.
Ashley, W. H., 31.
Astor, John Jacob, and the Ameri-
can fur trade, 33.
Atlantic Creek, 140.
Autumn foliage in the Y. N.
P., 188.
Avalanche Peak, 312.
Bannock .Ford over Yellowstone,
332.
Bannock Indians. 8, 133, 151.
Bannock Peak, 133,
Bannock Trail, 10.
Baring-Gould's theory of geyser
action, 208.
Barlow, Captain J. W., expedi-
tion of, 82 et seq.
quoted, 5, 296.
Barlow Peak, 128.
Baronett, C. J., 124.
Baronet t Bridge, 148. 133.
Baronett Peak. 124.
Bath Lake. 280.
Bears, 223.
Beaver, 223.
Beaver Dish. 120.
Beaver Lake. 284.
Bee Hive Geyser, 298.
Belknap, W. W., visits Y. N.
P., 103.
Beryl Spring, 288.
Big Game Ridge, 179.
Bighorn Basin, 313.
Birds in" the Y. N. P.. 225.
Biscuit Basin, 254.
(347)
348
INDEX.
Blackfeet Indians, 6, 7, 17, 25.
Black Growler, 286.
Black Sand Basin, 295.
Blaine, J. G., Introduces Lang-
ford at Washington lecture,
81.
signs Act of Dedication, 94.
Boat, first on Y. Lake. r'^2.
Boat ride on Y. Lake, 308.
Boiling River, 278.
Boiling Springs In Y. N. F., 213.
Bonneville, Captain, 32.
Bottler's Ranch, 165.
Boundaries of the Y. N. P., 94,
175.
Brackenridge, H. M., quoted 17,
18, 19, 27, 38.
Bradbury, John, 3, 21, 27.
Bradley, F. H., quoted, 136.
Bridger, James, 31, 45, 56.
biographical sketch, 53.
his stories, 47 et seq.
Bridger Lake, 125.
Bronze Geyser, 302.
Bufifalo of Y. N. P., 118, 220, 222.
Buusen Peak, 130.
Bunsen's theory of geyser action,
204.
Burlington R. R., 313.
" Burning Mountains," 11.
Cache Creek, name of, 66, 135.
Calcareous Springs in the Y. N.
P., 212.
Canyons of the Park, 183.
Capitol Hill, 280.
Carpenter, Frank and Ida, mem-
bers of Radersburg tourist
party, 142.
Carpenter, R. E., Fourth Super-
intendent Y. N. P., 112.
Cascade Creek, 317.
Castle Geyser, 296.
Catlin, George, proposes a Na-
tional Park, 96.
Chemical Analysis of Park Wa-
ters, 219.
Cinnabar Mountain, 137.
Clagett, W. H., his work for
Park bill, 91.
Climate of the Y. N. P., 257.
Coast and Geodetic Survey, mon-
ument of, near Y. Lake, 314.
Colter, John, adventures of, 15
et seq.
discoveries of, 21.
" Colter's Hell," 21, 26, 44.
Colter Peak, 125.
" Colter's Route in 1807," 19, 20.
Comet Geyser, 295.
Commissioner to try Park of-
fenses, 271.
Comstock, T. B., member of
Captain Jones' party in 1873,
102.
his theory of geyser action,
207,
quoted 343.
Conant Creek, trail along, 125.
Conger, P. H., Third Superin-
tendent of Y. N. P., 109, 113.
Congress Geyser, 286.
Constant Geyser, 286.
Continental Divide, 179.
Cooke City, 335.
Corkscrew Hill, 302.
Cowan, Mr. and Mrs. George F.,
members Radersburg tourist
party, 143, 152 et seq.
Craig Pass, 132, 302.
Crescent Hill Canyon, 337.
Crevice Creek, 135.
Crook, General George, visits
Park, 103,
Crow Indians, territory of, 6, 17,
25.
Crystal Falls, 317.
Dawes, Miss Anna L., 132.
Death Gulch, 335.
De I-acy Creek, 127.
De Lacy, W. W., expedition of
in 1863, 63 et seq.
Deluge Geyser, 308.
De Smet, Father, quoted, 44, 176.
" Devil," frequency of name in
Y. N. P., 124,
Devil's Inkstand, 216, 322,
Devil's Kitchen. 280.
INDEX.
349
Dietrich, Richard, member of
Helena tourist party, 142.
killed by Nez Perces. 164, 167.
Discovery of gold in Montana, 62
et seq.
Discovery of the Y., 69 et seq.
Doane, Lieutenant G. C, bio-
graphical sketch, 83.
commands escort to Wash-
burn Expedition, 73.
guide to General Belknap, 103.
quoted, 5, 12, 75, 77, 140, 299,
301, 318, 331.
report of, upon Washburn Ex-
pedition, 81.
Doane, Mt., 128.
Drainage areas of Y. N. P., 180.
Duck Lake, 306.
Dunnell, M. H., and Park bill,
91, 93.
Dunraven, Earl of, quoted, 94.
Dunraven Peak, 130.
Dunraven Pass, 324.
East Gardiner Canyon and Falls,
282.
Eastern Approach, 311.
I':chinus Geyser, 286.
Eggshell, 291.
Elephant Back, original name for
Washburn Range, 138.
Electric Peak. 137, 277, 281.
Electric* Railways in Y. N. P.,
119.
Elk in Y. N. P., 224.
Emerald Pool (Norris Geyser
Basin), 286.
(Upper Geyser Basin), 255.
Entrance gate to Park, 277.
Equipment for snow-shoe travel-
ing, 195.
Erosion, work of, in Y. N. P.,
158.
Everts, Mt., 128, 283.
Everts, T. C, lost in the Park,
77.
member of Washburn Party,
72.
Excelsior Geyser, 292.
Expedition of 1869. See Folsom
Expedition,
of 1S70. See Washburn Expedi-
tion.
Explorations by U. S. Govern
ment, relation of to Y. N. P.,
101.
Face, protile of in Absaroka
Range, 300.
Factory Hill, 138.
Falls River, 182.
Falls of the Yellowstone describ-
ed, 317, 319.
Fan Geyser, 295.
Fauna of the Y. N. P., 220 et
seq.
Fencing the Park boundary, 232.
Fearless Geyser, 220.
Ferris, W. A., at Upper Geyser
Basin, 11, 38 et seq.
sketch of, 38.
Firehole Cascade, 222.
Spring, 291.
River, 139.
Fish Commission, U. S., work of,
in Y. N. P., 229.
Fishes of the Y. N. P., 228.
Fishing. Bridger's story of, 50.
Fishing Cone, west shore Y.
Lake, 310.
Flora of the Y. N. P., 233.
Flowers of the Y. N. P., 246 et
seq.
Folsom, D. E., expedition of, 70
et seq.
quoted, 304, 320.
suggests Park idea, 89.
Folsom Peak, 127.
" Forest and Stream," 118.
Forest Reserves around Park, 175.
Forests of the Y. N. P.. 237 et
soq.
Forest Fires, 243.
Fort Yellowstone, 270.
Fossil forests of the Y., 195, 334,
Fountain Geyser, 289.
French name for Y. River, 2, 5.
Frying Pan, 214, 285.
Fumaroles, 217.
350
I>TDEX.
Fur trade, relation of to Y. P.,
28 et seq., 98.
Gallatin Range, 178.
Gallatin River, 181.
Game preserve, the Y. N. P., as
a, 220.
Game in the Y. N. P., 231.
Gannett, Henry, 123.
quoted, 1.30, 139.
Gardiner River, 38, 181.
name of, 125.
Gardner, Johnson, 125.
Geographical names in the Y.
Park, 121 et seq.
Geology of the Y. N. P., 190 et
seq.
Geyser action, theories concern-
ing, 203 et seq.
Geysers, description of, 203 et
seq.
list of, 343.
Giant Geyser, 295.
Giantess Geyser, 297.
" Giant's Face," 309.
Gibbon Canyon, 288.
Gihbon Falls, 289.
Gibbon, John, 101.
battle of, with Nez Perces, 146.
Gibbon Meadows, 288.
Gibbon Paintpots, 288.
Gibbon River, 130, 181.
Glacial Epoch in Y. N. P., 193.
Glass Mountain, Bridger's story,
48.
Gold, discovery of in Montana,
62 et seq., 100.
Golden Gate, 282.
Grand Canyon of the Y., colors
in, 4, 317.
history of, 198.
Grand Geyser, 296.
Grand Teton, 307.
ascent of, 307.
granite blocks near summit,
308.
name considered, 139.
Granite Block near Grand Can-
yon, 194, 320.
Granite Blocks near summit of
Grand Teton, 308.
Grant, U. S., signs Act of Dedi-
cation, 94.
Grasses of the Park, 233.
Great Bend of the Y., 38.
Great Fountain Geyser, 289.
Grinnell, G. B., 103.
Grosventre Indians, 7.
Grotto Geyser, 255.
Gunnison, Captain J. W., quot-
ed, 45.
Hague, Arnold, quoted, 123, 139,
281.
Hancock, Mt., 129.
Harris, Captain Moses, Sixth
Superintendent Y. N. P., 114.
Hauser, S. T.. member of Wash-
burn Party, 73.
Hayden, F. V., biographical
sketch, 87.
connection of, with Park bill,
91.
explorations of, in Y. N. P., 82.
geologist to Captain Raynolds,
56.
quoted, 5, 138.
Hayden Valley, 129, 316.
Haynes, F. J., 105, 117.
Health resort, Y". N. P., as a, 259.
Heap, Captain D. P., with Cap-
tain Barlow, 1871, 82.
Heart Lake, 308.
name of, 126.
Hedges. Cornelius, member of
Washburn Party, 72.
originates National Park pro-
ject, 90.
Hedges Peak, 128.
Helena tourists, 1877, 142, 163.
Hell Roaring Creek, 135.
Henry, Andrew, fur trader. 126.
Henry Lake, ]26.
Holmes, Mt., 281.
Hoodoo Region, 836.
Hotel system of Y. N. P., 267.
Hot Springs of the Y. N. P., 210
et seq.
INDEX.
351
Howard, General O. O., and Nez
I'erce campaign, 103, 146 et
seq.
Hoyt, J. W., expedition of, 104.
Hudson's Bay Fur Company, liis-
torioal slieteb, 29.
Humphreys, Mt., 129.
Huntley, S. S., 116.
Huntley, Mt., 131. 281.
Hurricane, The, 286.
Huston, George, crosses Park
country, 67.
Index Peak, 138.
Indians and naroo Yellowstone,
3, 5.
knowledge of, concerning the
geyser regions, 6.
trails of, in Y. N. P., 9.
Inscription on pine tree near
Grand Canyon, 35, 316.
Insects of Park, 230.
Inspiration Point, 318.
Irving, Washington, quotes Brad-
bury, 21.
Isa Lake, 1.31, 302.
Jackson, Da^-id. fur trader, 31.
Jackson Hole, 184.
Jackson Lake, 126.
Jones Creek and Pass, 129.
Jones, Captain W. A., expedi-
tion of, 102.
quoted, 5.
Joseph, Non-treaty Nez Perce
chief, 144 et seq., 154.
Joseph Peak, 133.
Junction Butte, 333.
Kenck, Charles, member Helena
tourist party, 142.
killed by Nez Perces, 163.
Kepler Cascade, 131, 301.
Kingman, Lieutenant D. C, pre-
pares project for Park road
system, 117.
Lake Shore Geyser, 309.
Lake View. 303.
Lakes of the Y. N. P., 182, 339.
Lamar River, 131, 181.
canyon of, 334.
Langford, N. P., ascends Grand
Teton, 307.
biographical sketch of, 84.
lirst Superintendent Y. N. P.,
108.
lectures on the Washburn Ex-
pedition, 81.
member of the Washburn Ex-
pedition, 72.
quoted, 91, 297.
reprints Folsom's article, 71.
submits first project for road
system, 262.
work of, for Park bill, 01.
Langford, Mt., 128.
Leases, Act of 1894 regulating,
118.
Leigh Lake, 126.
Leigh, Richard, 126.
Lewis and Clark among the Man-
dans, 1.
expedition of, 97, 127.
use name "Yellow Stone," 1, 2.
quoted, 2, 15.
Lewis Lake, 308.
Lewis, Meriwether, kills a Black-
foot Indian, 7.
Lewis River, 181.
Liberty Cap, 280.
Lightning Stroke on Yellowstone
Lake, 305.
Lion Geyser, 297.
Lioness Geyser, 297.
Lisa, Manuel, at mouth of Big-
horn River, 7, 38.
employs John Colter, 17.
Lone Star Geyser, 301.
Looking Glass, Nez Perce chief,
144, 152.
Lookout Hill, 280.
I-ookout Point, 318.
Lost Creek Canyon, 333.
Louisiana, cession of to U. S., 2.
Lower Fall of the Y., described,
319.
Lower Geyser Basin, 288 et seq.
Ludlow, Captain William, expedi-
tion of, 102.
quoted, 274.
352
IKDEX.
Mackenzie, theory of geyser ac-
tion, 208.
Madison Forest Reserve, 176.
Madison Lake, 301.
Madison River, 181,
Mammoth Hot Springs, 278.
Mammoth Paintpots, 290.
Map Index, 338 et seq.
Mary Lake, 132.
Mason, Major J. W., commands
escort to Governor Hoyt, 104.
Maynadier, Lieutenant, com-
mands detachment of Ray-
nolds Party, 57, 59.
McCartney, C. J., attacked by
Nez Perces, 164, 166.
McCartney Cave, 280.
Meek, Joseph, adventures of, 36,
Melan Arch Bridge, 321.
Middle Creek, 313.
Middle Gardiner Falls and Can-
yon, 281.
Midway Geyser Basin, 292.
Miles, General N. A., intercepts
and captures Nez Perces, 149.
Mineral Springs of the Y. N. P.,
therapeutic value of, 2G0.
Minnetaree, Indian dialect, 5.
Missouri River, 181,
Mi tsi a-da-zi, Indian name for
Yellowstone, 5.
Monarch Geyser, 286.
Monida and Yellowstone Com-
pany, 117.
Montana Territory, discovery of
gold in, 62 et seq.
Monument Geyser Basin, 288.
Monument, survey, 3, 14.
Moran, Thomas, painting by, 319.
Moran, Mt., 130.
Morning Glory, 294.
Mosquitoes, 230, 275.
Mountains of the Park, list of,
338.
Mountain Sheep of Y. N. P., 224.
Mountain Systems of the Y. N.
P., 178.
Mud Geyser, Y. River, 216, 315.
Mud Volcano, 216, 314.
Mystic Fall, 294.
Names, geographical. In Y. N. P.,
121 et seq.
Narrow Gauge Terrace, 279.
National Park project, origin of,
89 et seq.
National Park Protective Act,
118.
Natural Bridge, 308.
Needle, The, near Tower Falls,
332.
Nez Perce Creek, 134.
Nez Perce Indians, historical
sketch of, 143 et seq.
incursions of, into Y. N. P., 152
et seq.
Nez Perce War, beginning of,
115.
Norris, P. "W., builds road of vol-
canic glass, 284.
discoveries of, 35, 36.
names objects for himself, 124,
130.
quoted, 12, 133, 135, 336, 344.
road work of, 117, 262.
second Superintendent Y. N.
P., 109.
Norris Geyser Basin, 285.
discovery of, 131.
Northern Pacific R. R., relation
of to Park, 115, 116.
North-west Fur Company, 2, 3,
29.
Oblong Geyser, 295.
Obsidian Cliff, 48, 284.
Old Faithful, 298.
'•Old Man of the Mountains,"
309.
Orange Geyser, 279.
Outlet Creek, 140.
Overhead sounds near Y. Lake,
305.
Pacific Creek, 140.
Pacific Fur Co., 30.
Paintpots described, 215.
Peale. A. C, quoted, 10.
Pelican Creek, 140.
Pend d'Oreilles Indians in gey-
ser basins, 11.
IXDEX.
353
Petrifiictions in Y. N. P., Bridg-
er's story. 50 et seq.
Petrified Trees, 334.
I'ieiTe Jaune. See lioche Jaune.
I'ilut Kaob, 138.
Plateaus of tlie Y. N. P., 185.
I'oe, General O. M., quoted, 123.
Potts, companion of Colter, 21.
Prismatic Lake, 292.
Punch Bowl, 255.
Quadrant Mountain, 281.
Quaking Aspen, beauty of, 240.
Quiescent Springs, 210.
Radersburg tourist party, 1877,
142, 152 et seq.
Pallroads and the Y. N, P., 119.
Rainfall in Y. X. P., 233.
Rattlesnakes not known in Park,
230.
Raymond, R. W., quoted, 5.
Raynolds, Captain W. C, expedi
tion of, 56 et seq.
Raynolds Pass, 127.
Red Mountain Range, 179.
Renshaw, John R., 305.
Reptiles in the Park, 230.
Riddle Lake, 136.
Riverside Geyser, 295.
Road system of the Y. N. P.,
117, 261.
Roaring Mountain, 139, 285.
Roche Jaune, French name for Y.
River, 2-5.
Rocks of the Y. N. P., 199.
Rocky Mountain Fur Company,
sketch of. 31.
Roosevelt, Theodore, visits Park,
106.
Rustic Falls, 282.
Rustic Geyser, old logs around,
10, 308.
Sawmill Geyser, 296.
Scenery of the Y. N. P., 186.
Schurz, Carl, visits Park, 104.
Schurz, Mt., 131.
Sepulcher Mountain, 139, 277.
Sheepeater Cliffs, 133.
Sheepeator Indians, 8, 9, 12, 13.
( 15* >
Sheridan, Mt., 129, 179, 308.
an extinct volcano, 193.
Sheridan, General P. H., aids ex-
ploration and discovery, 72.
gives public warning of dan-
gers to Park, 111.
quoted, 13,
visits Park, 104.
Sherman, General W. T., quoted,
319.
visits Park, 103, 142.
Shively, Nez Perce guide, 147.
Shoshone Indians, 6, 7, 8.
Shoshone Geyser, 302.
Shoshone Lake, 302.
Shoshone Point, 302.
Shoshone River, name of, 10, 44,
135, 182, 313.
Silica, its function in geyser for-
mation, 209.
Siouan family of Indians, 6.
Slough Creek, 135.
Smith, Jedediah, fur trader, 31.
Snake River, 181.
Snowfall in Y. N. P., 259.
Soaping Geysers, 206.
Soda Butte, 335.
Canyon, 335.
Soda Spring, 288.
Southern Approach, 306.
Specimen Ridge, 334.
Splendid Geyser, 295,
Sponge, The, 297.
Spring Creek Canyon, 301.
Spurgin, Captain W. F., builds
road for Howard across Y.
N, P., 170 et seq.
Spurgin's Reaver Slide, 172. 316.
Stanton. Captain W. S., makes
reconnaissance through Y.
N. P., 104,
Steamboat Spring, 217.
Steam vents, 216.
Stevenson. J., name perpetuated
in Park, 129.
Stewart, J., escapes from In-
dians, 166.
Stinking Water River, 44, 135,
182.
354
INDEX.
Stone, Beuj., experience of with
Nez Perees, 164, 167.
Streams of the Y. N. P., 182.
list of, 340.
Stuart, James, 62, 67.
Sturgis, General S. D., attacks
Nez Perees, 149.
Stygian Cave, 280.
Sublette, ^Yilliam, fur trader, 3L
Sulphur Mountain, 315.
Spring, 214.
Superintendent of the Park, im-
portance of office, 271.
Surprise Pool, 290.
Swan Lake, 284.
Flats, 281.
Sylvan Lake, 140, 311.
Sylvan Pass, 312.
Talmage, T. DeWitt, quoted, 318,
320.
Tangled Creek, 140.
Temperatures in Y. N. P., 257.
Terrace Mountain, 198, 282.
Teton Mountains, 139, 179, 307.
Therapeutic value of springs In
Y. N. P., 260.
Third Canyon of the Y., 337.
Thompson, David, and name
" Yellowstone," 1, 2.
Topping, E. S., 131.
Tour of the Y. N. P., description
of, 273 et seq.
Tower Falls, 140, 331.
Transportation system of the Y.
N. P., 268.
Ti-avertine Rocks, 282.
Tree inscribed with date 1819,
35.
Trout Creek, serpentine course
of, 315.
Trout in Y. Lake, 228, 230.
Trout Lake, 335.
Trumbull, Walter, member Wash-
burn Party, 73, 81.
Turban Geyser, 296.
Turbid L!?ke, 215, 311.
Turquoise Spring, 293.
Twin Lakes, 285.
Two-Ocean Pass, 310.
Tyndall, John, quoted, 211.
Union Geyser, 302,
U. S. Geological Survey, explora-
tions of, 100.
names by, in Y. N. P., 122, 129.
organization of, 122.
Upper Fall of the Y., 316.
Upper Geyser Basin, 294 et seq.
Valleys of the Y. N. P., 183.
Verendrye, Chevalier de la, ex-
plorations of, 3.
Virginia Cascade, 131, 286.
Visitors to Y. N. P. in 1883, 105.
Washburn Expedition of 1870,
history of, 72 et seq.
Washburn, General H. D., bio-
graphical sketch, 86.
chief of Washburn Expedition,
72.
quoted, 140.
Washburn, Mt., 179, 327.
ascent of described, 325 et seq.
an extinct volcano, 193.
AVashburn Range, 179.
Water- fa lis of Y. N. P., 182, 342.
Waters, E. C, 117.
Wear, D. W., Fifth Superintend-
ent Y. N. P., 114.
Wedded Trees, 287.
Weikert, A. J., member of
Helena tourist party, 142.
experience of, with Nez Perees,
164, 166.
We-Saw, Shoshone Indian, 12.
Willow Park, 284.
Winter in the Y. N. P., 259.
Wyeth, Nathaniel J., 33.
Wylie Camping Co., 116.
Wyoming Territory attempta to
protect Park, 112.
" Yancey's," 333.
" Yellowstone," origin of name,
1-5.
Yellowstone Forest Reserve, 175.
Yellowstone Lake, description of,
303.
first boat on, 132.
history of, 199.
overhead sounds near, 305.
trout in, 228. 230.
Y'ellowstone Lake Boat Co., 117.
INDEX.
355
Yellowstone National Park, ad-
ministration of, 269.
administrative history of, 107
et seq.
area of, 175.
boundaries of, 04, 175.
climate of, 189, 257.
drainage areas of, 180.
exploration of, 101.
extension of, 177,
fauna of, 220.
first suggestion of, 89 et seq.
tlora of, 2.3.S.
flowers of, 246.
forests of, 237.
geographical names in, 108, 121.
geology of, 190.
historical sketch of, 328.
lakes of the, 182.
mountain systems of, 178.
road system of, 117.
scenery of, 186.
source of great rivers near,
177.
tr»ur of, 273 et seq.
winter in, 259.
Yellowstone Park Association,
115.
Yellowstone Park Improvement
Company, 110, 115.
Yellowstone Park Trpnsportation
Company, 116.
Yellowstone River, ]*<>.
flow of, 181.
source of, 2, 180.
Yount Peak, source r»f the T.
River, 2, 125.
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