RAN Site University of California Berkeley THREE WONDERLANDS OF THE AMERICAN WEST Being the notes of a traveler, concerning the Yellowstone Park, the Yosemite National Park, and the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, with a chapter on other wonders of the Great American West BY Thos. D. Murphy rj Author of "British Highways and Byways from a Motor Car" "In Unfamiliar England with a Motor Car," Etc. With sixteen reproductions in color from original paintings by Thomas Moran, N. A. and thirty-two duogravures from photographs. Also maps of the Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon regions Copyright, 1912 By L. C. PAGE &, COMPANY (Incorporated) All Rights Reserved First I mpression, January, 1912 A Word Prefatory My own case was perhaps a typical one; I had read in a desultory manner of the grandeur and beauty of our Western wonderlands, and had listened to what I thought the rather too highly colored encomiums of friends who had visited them. Photographs and illustrations of the scenery are common enough, but no ade- quate conception of vastness can be gained from a picture; it can convey little idea of the un- measured abysms of these mountain vales and canyons, and of the fathomless blue heavens, pierced by titantic peaks, stretching away in dis- tances suggestive of infinity. I was only lan- guidly interested until it chanced my good fortune to see several original paintings by Thomas Moran, the wizard who comes nearer than anything excepting a personal visit in presenting to the eyes the true spirit of these wonderlands, and making one realize their glorious color and grandeur. I found myself wondering if it could be possible that there was such an enchanted land as he portrays such a land of weird mountains, crystal cataracts and emerald rivers, all glowing with a riot of color that seems more like an iridescent dream than a sober reality. It may be on account of this very scepticism that thousands never see the most inspiring marvels of our own country. We question the fidelity of artist and word-painter, and spend our vacations in Europe or in some conventional resort hotel, while the great world of beauty and soul-stirring wonders of the American West remain undiscovered and unexplored so far as we are concerned. Or perhaps some are rather appalled at the vast distances they must cover by rail, and the discomforts which prove more fanciful than real, after all that they dread to undergo. Whatever the reason, there are but few thousands yearly who visit the Yellowstone, the Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, out of the millions who might find recreation and enjoy- ment in these virgin retreats of nature. However, it is refreshing to observe that the hegira to the wilderness is on the increase. The man or woman who takes a vacation trip, as a rest and relaxation, is learning that these boons are hardly to be found in crowded cities and fashion-hampered hotels. For real rest- fulness one must get near to nature, out under the unsullied skies, among the mountains, with their painted crags, towering pines and leaping streams; it matters not how many fellow-pil- grims may be bound to the same destination, there is always the sense of solitude in these virgin wildernesses, and always nooks where one may be as much alone as he wishes. And this is pre-eminently true of the wonderlands which I shall endeavor to describe, in whose bounds may be found perhaps a greater variety of strange natural phenomena and striking and beautiful scenery than in similar limits anywhere else in the entire world. So great are their dimensions that one is never crowded, even in the height of the season. The hotels and camps may be full, but the greatest number of visitors at any one time is but the merest handful in the pine-clad and rock-bound solitudes. Once away from the immediate vicinity of tent or inn, one may commune with nature quite alone and undisturbed. Note Acknowledgments are due to Mr. W. H. Simpson, of the Sante Fe Railway; to Mr. J. W. Stewart, of the Northern Pacific Railway; Mr. Chas. S. Fee, of the Southern Pacific Railway; Mr. D. E. Burley, of the Oregon Short Line; the Pillsbury Picture Co., of Oakland, Calif., and Mr. F. J. Haynes, the well known photographer of St. Paul, for the photographs which I have repro- duced in this book, and for other courtesies too numerous to mention. I am also under obliga- tion to Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., of Bos- ton, for the extensive quotation from John Muir's book, "Our National Parks/' and to the Santa Fe Railway for numerous extracts from its various interesting publications. The copyrights of the original paintings by Thomas Moran, which are shown in this book, and which are reproduced by color photographic process, are owned by The Thos. D. Murphy Co., of Red Oak, Iowa, which concern controls all copyright privileges upon Mr. Moran's more recent pictures. THE AUTHOR. Contents The Yellowstone I. THE HIGHWAYS, THEJ CAMPS AND HOTELS 1 II. NATURAL, WONDERS OP THE PARK THE GEYSERS AND HOT SPRINGS 17 III. NATURAL WONDERS OF THE PARK -THE LAKES AND RIVERS 21 IV. NATURAL WONDERS OF THE PARK THE) CANYON, MT. WASHBURN AND TOWER FALLS 29 V. THE FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE PARK 43 VI. THE HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF THE PARK.. 48 The Yosemite I. THE VALLEY AND THE MOUNTAINS 59 II. UP GLACIER POINT TRAIL 67 III. TO THE MARIPOSA GROVE 78 IV. THE RETURN TO EL PORTAL '! V. GEOLOGY, HISTORY AND GENERAL INFORMATION.. 99 The Grand Canyon I. A FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE GRAND CANYON 110 II. DOWN BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL 119 III. AT THE EL TOVAR 127 IV. THE DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION OF THE CANYON i 135 V. OTHER WONDERS OF THE CANYON REGION 147 Other Wonders of the American West 162 r-*ZT31- ~ BRIDAL VEIL MEADOW, TOSEMITE VALLEY 62 EL CAPITAN, YOSEMITE VALLEY 64 MIRROR LAKE, YOSETMITE VALLEY 68 NEVADA FALLS, YOSEMITE VALLEY 70 VERNAL FALLS, YOSEMITE VALLEY , 72 TWILIGHT, YOSEMITE VALLEY 74 VERNAL FALLS, YOSEMITE VALLEY , 76 OVERHANGING ROCK, YOSEMITE VALLEY 78 "GRIZZLY GIANT," MARIPOSA GROVE, CALIFORNIA 84 "VERMONT" AND "WAWONA," MARIPOSA GROVE, CALIFORNIA 86 BRIDAL VEIL FALLS, YOSEMITE VALLEY 92 YOSEMITE; FALLS, YOSEMITE VALLEY 96 A BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL PARTYGRAND CANYON. 122 VIEW FROM TERRACE, EL TOVAR, GRAND CANYON 130 NEAR EL TOVAR, GRAND CANYON 132 THE INNE"R GORGE, GRAND CANYON 136 LOOKING NORTH FROM GRAND VIEW POINT, GRAND CANYON 144 SUNSET, GRAND CANYON 152 SAN GABRIEL MISSION, CALIFORNIA 164 CLOISTERS, CAPISTRANO MISSION, CALIFORNIA 166 THE CEMETERY GARDEN, SANTA BARBARA MIS- SION, CALIFORNIA 168 MT. RAINIER-TACOMA REFLECTED IN SPANAWAY LAKE 172 Maps YELLOWSTONE 1 NATIONAL PARK 50 TOvSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 100 GRAND CANYON REGION .. .160 TOWER CREEK, YELLOWSTONE PARK From the Original Painting by Thomas Moran, N. A. The Yellowstone i THE HIGHWAYS, THE CAMPS AND HOTELS The Government of the United States builded far better than it knew when by Act of Congress this wonderful region was set aside sacred from the ax of the woodman, the deadly rifle of the hunter, the shriek of the railway engine and the dash and dust of the motor car for "the benefit and enjoyment of the people/' Like many another, I had queried, ere my visit, why the trip might not be shortened and made easier by the introduction of the trolley car or automobile, but the trip itself is the most suffi- cient answer. Enthusiast as I am for the winged wheels, I am glad they are banned and barred in Yellowstone Park. I rejoice that there is one spot still sacred to the old order of things where you may have the solitude of the days of '49, where your old Concord coach-and- four rolls up to your inn as it did in the halcyon days of half a century ago, and where we may see the old-time Wild West as our fathers saw THREE WONDERLANDS it. It may be a rather subdued and convention- alized Wild West, it is true the Indians with anything but hostile intent watching your train as it glides through the little stations on the way, and you are forcibly reminded of the dif- ferent state of affairs, but yesterday, as it were, when you pass within full view of the melan- choly rows of stones marking the site of Ouster's last battle. The wild animals in the confines of the Park hardly deserve the adjective; when some timid deer looks mildly at you from among the trees, hardly caring to get out of your way, or when some big friendly brown bear sidles up to you and takes a morsel out of your hand you think rather of menagerie animals than denizens of the wild. How tame everything seems con- trasted with the exploits of our childhood heroes in this same Wild West! And in the really excellent and in some cases unique hotels in the Park, one finds the very antithesis of the humble shack more saloon than inn that at rare intervals offered hospitality to the western wayfarer of olden days. But in nothing has the change been more marked than in the system of transportation that has brought this once remote region to our very doors. A day and two nights in a Pullman car, gliding over the splendid road-beds of % the_ THE YELLOWSTONE several west-bound railways, takes one from Chicago to the Yellowstone. If the Northern Pacific is chosen, one wakes in the morning to find himself at the beautiful and capacious Liv- ingston station, and a ride of two or three hours along the rapid river brings the great arch of the Gardiner entrance in sight. Or, one may enter the Park from the west, coming by the Oregon Short Line. A day may be devoted to the sights of Salt Lake City its famous temple and wonderful but rapidly vanishing lake and the journey resumed at night. From Salt Lake City the trip to the Park may be comfortably made over night and the tour begun from the new Yellowstone Hotel the next morning. Either entrance will offer some advantage in the way of things to be seen and the plan of coming by one and leaving by the other is a good one. Where this is done the Gardiner entrance should be chosen for the beginning of the jour- ney through the Park. A glance at the maps of the route generally followed will make clear the reason for this. It will be seen that if the western entrance be chosen, in leaving by Gardiner one will miss some ten miles of the road below Norris Basin; and though this must be traversed twice if one enters by Gardiner and leaves by the Yellowstone gate, it entails no 3 THREE WONDERLANDS hardship. If one is to return by the same gate- way, I would recommend the Gardiner entrance, since otherwise the interesting bit of road between Mammoth Hot Springs and the station is likely to be missed six or seven miles of the most perfect road in the Park, with much pic- turesque scenery along it. However, the two routes are so nearly identical that the matter of personal convenience may well be allowed to influence one's decision as to which to adopt. The regulation trip by the way of Gardiner comprises about one hundred and fifty-eight miles and the average of the roadway is sur- prisingly good. The whole route has been skillfully chosen by government engineers, and considering the difficult and mountainous nature of the country is exceptionally free from steep grades. In course of the last few years the road has been greatly improved; it has many fine stretches of macadam and while portions of it are as yet in rather poor condition, these are always passable on account of the nature of the soil, which does not cut up into deep mud in the wet weather not uncommon in the Yellowstone; but on the other hand, it may be distressingly dusty during the longer dry spells. The gov- ernment representatives have done much to overcome this by installing a sprinkler-cart 4 THE YELLOWSTONE service, which at present covers about two- thirds of the route and is being constantly ex- tended. The numerous streams furnish a ready supply of water, which is elevated by hydraulic rams into the tanks at the roadside. There is yet much to be done to put a large part of the road into first-class condition, especially the twenty-mile stretch from Thumb Station to Lake Hotel, and about fifteen miles from the Canyon to Norris Basin. The former, rough, hilly and often terribly dusty, may be avoided by taking the lake steamer, which is to be recom- mended though the extra fare is high for the distance; the latter road is quite new and work upon it is still in progress, so its early better- ment may be looked for. It chances, fortunate- ly, that these two pieces of road are the least interesting of the entire route; one misses little and gains much in scenic beauty by taking the lake boat, and as for the trip from the Canyon to Norris, he must endure as best he may the stif- ling dust and the jolting and pitching of the coach into the chuck-holes which abound. The finest bit of road in the Park is the six or seven miles from Gardiner to Mammoth Hot Springs, quite as excellent as one will find anywhere, and it is to be hoped that at some not very distant day the whole route may equal this splendid little 5 THREE WONDERLANDS stretch. Then the motor car might come but the motor car has no business in Yellowstone Park. Taking it altogether, while the road yet admits of much improvement, the journey may be accomplished with little fatigue by any- one who is a fair traveler, and those who rather enjoy the strenuous life may have just as much of "roughing it" as they elect. This suggests the consideration of the vari- ous ways in which the round of the Park itself may be made, and one has the choice of three well-established methods. He may make the round in a minimum of six days by the coaches of either of the two transportation companies, stopping at the splendid hotels for the nights ; if fond of outdoor life, he may avail himself of the services of any one of the several camping com- panies, of which the Wylie Permanent Camps are best known ; or he may go quite independent of all these, for camping outfits may be rented at Livingston, Gardiner or Yellowstone in great variety, with wide range in style and price. Guides and cooks may easily be secured, and the tour made in strict privacy and prolonged to suit the convenience of the party for, of course, such an arrangement is practicable only in case of a party of several people. The latter plan affords an ideal summer vacation and if we 6 THE YELLOWSTONE may judge from the enthusiasm of those who have adopted it, it is without doubt the most delightful way of doing the Yellowstone. But it would hardly be worth while to go to the trouble which it entails for a period of less than two or three weeks and for that reason this method will never be pursued by the great majority of Park visitors. Perhaps about an equal number go by the hotel and the regular camping routes ; the former is a little more expensive, and appeals to the traveler who dislikes the slight inconveniences of a canvas tent bedroom. Generally speaking, the hotels may also be preferred by the more elderly and less vigorous tourists, but the mo- tives will be so diverse that generalization is scarcely possible. The permanent camps are charmingly located, often in pine forests by lake or river; they are clean, the sanitation is good, and many of the tents afford the privacy and convenience of the ordinary hotel bedroom ; they are heated by small wood stoves in which the attendants build fires before the tourists rise. There is more freedom and hilarity than in the hotels and the camping parties perhaps enjoy themselves more thoroughly than the hotel guests, but this would be natural, for they have a larger proportion of young people. 7 THREE WONDERLANDS The comfort and conveniences of the hotels have been so carefully looked after that even the experienced traveler will be surprised at the ex- cellence of the service. These remote inns will compare very favorably with the best resort hotels of the East, and despite the disadvan- tages they suffer by bringing their supplies so far by wagon, the bill-of-fare is excellent in quality and variety. Almost every hotel con- venience is supplied and the more modern ot the hotels have numerous rooms with bath in connection. Everything is quite informal and comfortable. One may take his ease at his inn, as desired by the Shakespearian worthy. The notion that an extensive wardrobe must be carried is a delusion; no one "dresses for dinner." I did not see a single "dress suit" dur- ing my round and I doubt if there were any in the Park. People were just plain, everyday American citizens, our own p^rty comprising a schoolteacher and her friend, a country banker, a circuit judge and his niece, an eastern manufacturer and his wife but it is not neces- sary to extend the list; the little given is repre- sentative enough. Such people are not to be hampered by any undue formality and it is hardly necessary to state that the readily formed acquaintances are not the least pleasant 8 THE YELLOWSTONE feature of the tour. The regulation Concord coach of the transportation companies carries eleven passengers besides the driver, but there are many other conveyances carrying four or more. Parties as far as possible are made up in accordance with the wishes of the members, but we found it quite satisfactory to take our chances in the allotment of our party, and the pleasant acquaintances formed during the five days' jaunt fully justified our course. And I do not doubt that had our lot fallen with any other coach the result would have been quite the same. One doesn't chance it very much in the company of the average Yellowstone tourist. We thought ourselves fortunate that our party in- cluded a pleasant old gentleman somewhat talkative and self-opinionated, it is true, but an old-time mining and railroad promoter in the mountains, possessed of a wide fund of knowl- edge of the West, its fauna, flora and history. But for him we should often have missed the flowers, shrubbery, berries, strange trees and animals that abound in the Park. At every pause he brought to our attention something of the kind he had discovered which a less prac- ticed eye must have overlooked. Besides, he had a fund of stories and a ready wit which did much to entertain the party. 9 THREE WONDERLANDS But I am digressing from my topic the Park hotels and one of them is so remarkable as to deserve extended mention, and an extended stay if one's time permits. Its like is hardly to be found elsewhere the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon may resemble, but can hardly compare with it. For the Old Faithful Inn is quite as unique as the wonderland in which it stands. It is distinctly a product of the wilder- ness which surrounds it. Its design and con- struction is peculiarly appropriate to its location in the heart of the mountains and forests of the Park, from which the materials were drawn. Massive, unhewn forest trees, rough boulders and undressed slabs are happily co-ordinated in the great structure, and everywhere gnarled, twisted branches the strangest ever seen have been fitted into some appropriate place, forming supports for the over-hanging gables, the balconies and numerous dormer windows. The entrance hall is seventy-five feet square and rises ninety-two feet through the center to the rough timbers of the roof. In the midst is the immense stone chimney, fourteen feet square, with four great fireplaces, each of which can take a good-sized log in its capacious maw, and against its front is fastened a monstrous wrought iron skeleton clock, whose massive 10 THE YELLOWSTONE weights have a drop of perhaps thirty feet. The huge main entrance and dining-room doors are of solid oaken planks studded with heavy bolts and swung on great hand-wrought iron hinges. On the second and third floors rustic balconies surround the entrance hall, affording a pleasant promenade for the guests, and the bare slabs of the roof are visible at the top. There is a fine veranda in front with many cozy chairs, settees and rustic swings, from which one may watch the steaming basin and get a perfect view of Old Faithful in action. Yet with all this rusticity, comfort, conven- ience and even elegance are everywhere. The polished hardwood floors are covered with oriental rugs and the furniture is of mission pattern in dark weathered oak. The windows are of heavy plate glass in leaded panes and the furnishings of the bed- and bathrooms are of the best. Yet the rustic idea is carefully main- tained; even in the private rooms the walls are of rough planks or ax-dressed slabs and every- thing is redolent with the fragrance of the mountain pine. Verily, this inn is a pleasant place, set down as it is in a weird, enchanted land. One may leave its doors to view the sur- roundings, in charge of the Swiss guide, Joe, who for a dozen or more years has piloted the 11 THREE WONDERLANDS gaping crowds of pilgrims about this seething, spouting geyserland. And the quaint humor of his dry jokes is none the less amusing to you because he is cracking them for the thousandth time. Here is the very center of the active phe- nomena of the Park. Nowhere else are the geysers so plentiful, so varied or so beautiful. The queen of them all in beauty, symmetry and reliability is Old Faithful, which very appropri- ately gives its name to the inn. Every hour, day and night, summer and winter, this great white column of water and shining vapor spouts high into the heavens. There are others larger and which rise higher, but their intervals are very irregular and often of rare occurrence, and were it not for the rightly designated Old Faith- ful, many tourists would go through the Park without seeing a really representative geyser in action. The region around Old Faithful, known as Upper Geyser Basin, has many attractions aside from the geysers themselves. One will linger long to admire the crystal river that glides through the valley like molten diamond over its bed of mossy stones, and to watch the schools of mountain trout that dart hither and thither through the bright water quite regardless of 12 THE YELLOWSTONE your presence. Then there are Emerald Pool and Morning-Glory Spring, two of the most remarkable natural phenomena of the Park. The first is a lakelet of the most delicate emerald green, its waters themselves as clear as crystal but taking their tint from the bottom of the pool, giving a wonderful effect of purity and transparency. The water is just below the boil- ing temperature, and apparently of great depth. The Morning-Glory Spring, whose marked re- semblance in shape to that flower gives it the name, is easily the most beautiful of the numer- ous hot springs of the Park. Its sides, following the contour of a giant morning-glory, slope away to a great depth, and reflect the hues of a thousand gems into the clear water that fills the spring. Turquois, emerald, jasper, amethyst, amber and lapis lazuli seem to lend their multi- farious colors to the walls of the spring, combin- ing to produce an effect indescribably beautiful. And yet, much as one may admire and enjoy all this weird beauty, he is never wholly free from a sense of uneasiness as he walks over the fire- fretted ground and feels beneath his tread a certain uncanny hollowness, and the tale the guides often tell about the breaking out of a new geyser comes unpleasantly to mind. For at Norris Basin a short time ago a terrific erup- 13 THREE WONDERLANDS tion took place, resulting in the formation of a new geyser. A loud report was heard and heavy stones were hurled hundreds of feet but shortly after a party had left the spot. A little disquieting, but, after all, no one of the hundreds of thousands who have gone through Yellow- stone Park has ever been injured by such a catastrophe. Clearly, there is enough about Old Faithful, aside from the pleasant inn itself, to tempt anyone whose time permits to linger much longer than the few hours allowed by the regular tour; but those who must hasten on will carry away with them an ineffaceable recollec- tion of the unique hotel and its strange sur- roundings. Decidedly more conventional, but quite equal in appointment and comfort to Old Faith- ful Inn, is the Lake Hotel, some forty miles farther on the road. It was built but a few years ago, and is styled the Colonial on account of its massive colonnades fronting on the lake. Standing as it does in the edge of a stately pine forest and commanding a most picturesque view of the lake and mountains, its situation is a superb one. In the woods near at hand our naturalist friend found wild strawberries and called our attention to the tiny shrubs loaded with huckleberries. Here, too, a great colony 14 THE YELLOWSTONE of bears is often seen and at evening they con- gregate in a nearby open space in the woods to await the hotel garbage wagon. They are very mild, harmless mendicants, though at times they may show flashes of ill nature towards each other. They are always a great attraction for the hotel guests, some of whom are quite willing to miss a meal to watch the ungainly antics of the brutes. The Lake Hotel is in the center of the fishing district and the devotee of the sport will find a veritable paradise at hand. Even the novice is sure of a catch and the skilled fisher- man almost deprecates the eagerness of the Yellowstone Lake trout to take the bait. The most favored fishing grounds are near the outlet of the lake, though one is sure of success almost anywhere. The principal catch is lake trout, some of which attain considerable size. The tourist with several days at his disposal in the Park and who prefers the convenience of the hotel to camping, will no doubt give the greater portion of his time to the Colonial. The Mammoth Hot Springs and Fountain Hotels are older and hardly comparable to the two I have described, though the service is much the same. The Canyon Hotel is the poorest of the five, and some day there will doubtless be a 15 THREE WONDERLANDS new one built more in keeping with its magnifi- cent surroundings. When I penned the foregoing lines it hardly occurred to me that my prophecy in regard to a new hotel at the canyon would be fulfilled before the publication of this book. But such has proven the case. Early in 1910 the construc- tion of a new hotel was begun, which is quite as distinctive and impressive in its way as the Old Faithful Inn or the Lake Colonial Hotel. The most unique feature is the "lounge/' one hundred and seventy-five feet by eighty-four feet in size, with open timber roof. It projects from the main building towards the canyon and a splendid view of the great gorge may be had from the windows. It is a matter of no small satisfaction to know that the canyon region at last has a hotel in every way in keeping with the magnificent surroundings, and the new inn will no doubt be one of the most popular stopping places in the Park. 16 II NATURAL WONDERS OF THE PARK-THE GEYSERS AND HOT SPRINGS I am in no sense attempting a guide book, and shall make no effort to follow the regulation tour in sequence. It shall be my aim to note but a few of the most remarkable phenomena of the Park and to endeavor to record some of the impressions its weird beauty and magnificence made upon my own mind. I cannot but feel that anyone who does something, though it be but little, towards disseminating a wider know- ledge of this untrammeled playground of the nation, is doing a commendable act. Doubtless the most distinctive feature of Yellowstone Park is its geysers those strange, boiling, spouting springs, hot, highly colored pools, mud caldrons, paint pots, or whatever form they may take. In this regard the region is almost unique, for while geysers are found in Iceland, they do not compare with those of the Yellowstone region, and are, moreover, quite 17 THREE WONDERLANDS inaccessible to the average tourist. Not only is the geyser interesting as a strange natural phenomenon, but it is often so gloriously beauti- ful as to make a long journey to witness it well worth the while. And when one finds such a remarkable group in immediate connection with many other strange and delightful natural phenomena as in Yellowstone Park, the combi- nation is indeed a rare one. Various theories have been advanced to account for geyser action, but all have finally been abandoned in favor of that of Bunsen. He considers that the Yellowstone region is of volcanic origin and of comparatively recent date, though it may be millions of years old, for that matter. There are masses of heated rock near the surface and in these are numerous fissures through which the waters of Yellowstone Lake find their way. When the steam thus generated beneath the water rises to a sufficient pressure it ejects the column above it, following in dense clouds. The intervals vary according to the time required to fill the tube and generate the steam, and should depend much on the size and shape of the subterranean cavity. Where the circulation of the water is unhindered, a simple hot spring or pool will result, and these are more numerous than the spouting geysers. From the 18 OLD FAITHFUL GEYSER, YELLOWSTONE PARK Courtesy Northern Pacific Railway THE YELLOWSTONE very nature of geyser action, it is easy to see that under favorable conditions it may cease at any time or may break out in new places, as pre- viously related. In 1888 the Excelsior Geyser once the greatest and most spectacular in the Park ceased to act. Old Faithful may be taken as typical of the Yellowstone geysers which I have no inten- tion of cataloguing and describing in detail. It is within a few hundred yards of the hotel and may be viewed to advantage from an easy chair on the veranda. Every sixty-five minutes, with but trifling variation, this great white column rises from one to two hundred feet in the air, with a duration of four or five minutes. The appearance is greatly varied by weather condi- tions and differs much according to the hour of the day, thus presenting new beauties at almost every eruption. Sunrise, sunset, moonlight, wind and storm, all gild with various hues or sway the great steaming column into a thousand fantastic forms. When the geyser is quiescent one may approach the crater, an oblong opening about two by six feet, with a quiet pool of crys- tal clear water. Some say that the deposits around the crater indicate an age of tens if not hundreds of thousands of years. And bearing this fact in mind, one will experience a strange 19 THREE WONDERLANDS sensation as he gazes on this weird intermittent fountain, justly considered one of the gems of the wonderland. When Columbus discovered America this great white column at regular intervals was playing and glittering in the primal solitude; when Lief Erickson landed it was unspeakably old, but glorious as ever; when Christ was on earth its strange beauty fell on the eye of the infrequent savage who gazed on it with a superstitious awe; long before the reputed date of the creation it played and corus- cated in the sunlight; before man himself trod the earth Old Faithful, robed in showers of dia- monds and the glories of the rainbow, rose and fell with none to see and admire. And thinking of its immeasurable age, one is led to hope that for countless centuries to come this beautiful natural phenomenon may continue to play to the delight and admiration of millions yet unborn. 20 Ill NATURAL WONDERS OF THE PARK- THE LAKES AND RIVERS Next to geyser action in its myriad forms, the rivers and lakes of the Yellowstone will delight the visitor. There are none more beautiful in the whole world; the pure, limpid waters, the swift green and crystal rapids, the glorious foam-clad, rainbow-hued falls and the magnificent setting of natural scenery are alto- gether unmatched. The panorama, as one gazes up the great painted chasm of the canyon with the green foam-flecked Yellowstone writhing through it, ending in two of the most glorious cataracts on earth, has altogether nothing to compare with it; the canyon of the Colorado is as brilliant and vaster, but its dark, sand-laden river is no match for the emerald flood of the Yellowstone. The whole course of the river from Livingston to its source in the lake is one of constant beauty, which is probably at its height about the last of June, when the floods 21 THREE WONDERLANDS of the melting snows swell the stream. For twenty miles after leaving the lake the water lies in broad lazy reaches, as though it were resting for the awful turmoil before it, and its banks are beautifully diversified with open glades and majestic trees. One might float unhindered from the lake to the canyon with little to prepare him for the tremendous leap that the river makes to the bottom of the great many-colored gorge that awaits it. A sheer fall of three hundred and sixty feet is quickly fol- lowed by a second more than half as high, after which the vexed stream bounds madly onward between the variegated walls on either hand, and from thence until it joins the Missouri it has little of rest or quiet. The Firehole River, which the road follows for many miles, is picturesque, though it lacks the stupendous scenery of the Yellowstone. It is swift, crystal clear, and in places of consid- erable volume. It flows westward from the continental divide and its waters finally merge into those of the Columbia. Along its shores are many delightful camping sites, and the river runs directly through the group of geysers at Upper Basin. In fact, at this point the tempera^ ture is noticeably raised by the volume of water poured into it from the geysers and hot springs 22 THE YELLOWSTONE along its course. Immediately on its bank near the picturesque bridge where the road crosses is one of the most beautiful of the geysers in the Upper Basin group the Riverside, which dis- charges its waters at an angle of about forty-five degrees, the only one that varies much from the vertical. There are many minor streams, all of which exhibit much the same characteristics. The road follows the Gibbon River some miles, crossing it several times. It rather lacks the beauty of its sister streams, though many of its falls and cascades form pretty bits of scenery. But the glory of the Park is Yellowstone Lake, a splendid sheet of pure water covering about one hundred and fifty square miles. It lies 7,741 feet above the level of the sea, girt by majestic mountains and usually reflecting a serene, cloudless sky. The waters are light- green in color tone and are permeated by myriads of tiny crystal bubbles that rise from the multitude of hot springs which flow into the bottom of the lake. We were so fortunate as to secure seats in the b9w of the launch that takes one from Thumb Station to Lake Hotel, and from this point of vantage an entrancing view presented itself. Coming out into the main body of the lake, we sailed toward the THREE WONDERLANDS great Absaroka Range, which flings its fanciful peaks high into the northeastern heavens, on that day intensely blue with an occasional snowy cloud drifting lazily along. It takes a stretch of imagination, perhaps, to see the Sleeping Giant or Cathedral Spires among the stern shapes that lie silhouetted against the horizon, but with a little aid from the mariner at the wheel you descry them and the resemblance grows as you glide toward them. Still farther to the right lies the lofty Sheridan Range, with patches of snow still flecking the forest-clad slopes. Whichever way one turns he is con- fronted by a panorama of dancing sunlit water stretching away to pine-clad shores and distant mountain peaks. Soon there looms up against a background of somber pines, the long yellow facade of the Lake Hotel with its massive overhanging gables upheld by great Corinthian pillars. We find it a very pleasant inn, its spacious lobby rich in mahogany and the polished floors strewn with oriental rugs. It fronts directly on the lake and a long row of comfortable chairs invites us to enjoy the splendid prospect at our ease. And indeed, so soon as his name is on the register, one hastens to the ample terrace in front of the hotel, where he may sit and silently admire the 24 THE YELLOWSTONE glorious sheet of water that stretches away toward the mountain ranges beyond their summits glowing in the declining sun. I doubt if there is a finer bit of water on this mundane sphere. We have seen the Scotch, Swiss, Italian and Adirondack lakes, but all of them lack something of the indefinable charm and weird beauty of Yellowstone Lake on such an evening as this. Perhaps its very loneliness and remoteness lend not a little to the sentiment that overmasters one. What a fit setting this virgin wilderness, far from the hum of cities and sacred from the huntsman's gun, forms for it! The pelican, winging his way directly over the rowboats, unscared, and a flock of wild ducks floating yonder within a stone's throw from where you sit, give you a sense of strangeness. Elsewhere one may not find these shy wild things so careless of man's presence and what tells them they are safe? But the evening advances; the lengthening shadows sweep over the bright waters which glow mysteriously beneath the opalescent skies. Momentarily the colors change; amber ame- thyst sapphire seem to prevail in turn; then the glow fades from the rippling surface, which becomes a deep steel-blue mirror for the moun- tains and stars. But we are indeed favored 25 THREE WONDERLANDS tonight a copper-colored moon is peeping over the eastern peaks; it gains in radiance as it ascends the heavens and flings a long streak of fire across the dancing wavelets. The whole scene is transformed as by enchantment; the mountains become weird pyramids and towers, vast, ill-defined and unreal; the somber pines hide unimaginable mysteries; every nook and cranny of the sinuous shore line is peopled with ghostly habitants; one becomes oblivious of the inn and his fellow-beings and imagines himself the first human being who has ever beheld the entrancing scene. He beholds Yellowstone Lake, virginal, undiscovered, alone in the heart of an unknown wonderland. But I awaken to the fact that I am quite alone in my contemplation of the glories of the sunset and moonrise on the lake; except for a few stragglers the guests have disappeared. A dozen or more bears in the grove to the rear of the hotel have proven a greater drawing card than the scene which inspires my ecstacies and I may as well plead guilty myself to giving a good part of the evening to watching the antics of these uncouth denizens of the Park. There are other fine lakes in the vicinity, though much smaller and not on the regular route of travel. Shoshone, Lewis and Heart 26 THE YELLOWSTONE Lakes are of considerable size like perfect gems set in the encircling hills. From Teton Point the tourist gets a fine view of Shoshone Lake. It is about seven miles long and from one to three in width. Its shores are most picturesque and a rather rough road leads around it from Upper Basin, passing through a group of geysers at the western end of the lake. The drive from Lake Hotel to the canyon takes one through as peaceful and quiet a bit of landscape as may be found in the Park. The weird mud volcano, some fifty feet in diameter, a great seething caldron of boiling mud, uncanny and malodorous, is the only notable evidence of geyser action in the twenty miles; there are no startling phenomena aside from this along the way. Just a splendid road with easy grades leading through a wide grassy valley along a tranquil shining river resting in broad quiet reaches and giving no hint of the awful fury just beyond. From our seat beside the driver it was our turn to occupy this coveted position we had a splendid view of river and valley and the grass-covered hillocks brought sharply to mind bits of country we had seen in the Scotch Highlands. But one's interest in this quiet valley is quite overshadowed by his eager anticipation of 27 THREE WONDERLANDS the wonders soon to come. We have read so much, heard so much, and have seen such mar- velous photographs and pictures of the Canyon and Falls of the Yellowstone that expectation is roused to the highest pitch. We wonder if we shall be disappointed; whether the reality will be less than the word-painting of Kipling and the canvas of Thomas Moran. Is the canyon such a marvel of color as they tell us, and are the river and its falls so overwhelming in grandeur and beauty as descriptions have made them? It is with eager anticipation that we await the testimony of our own eyes con- cerning the marvels of Yellowstone Canyon. 28 IV NATURAL WONDERS OF THE PARK-THE CANYON, MT. WASHBURN AND TOWER FALLS The old Canyon Hotel, standing on an eminence overlooking the valley, was rather the shabbiest and least satisfactory of the quintet. Perhaps the builders of the hotel considered that the exhilarating glories of the scenery were sufficient to atone for any lack of bodily com- fort. The old building, however, has been replaced since our visit in 1909 by the palatial structure already alluded to, which is said to even surpass the Lake Hotel in size and appoint- ment. But I would not intimate that the old Canyon Hotel was uncomfortable; perhaps it suffered rather in the minds of those who had just sojourned at the Lake Hotel and Old Faith- ful Inn. We arrived in time for luncheon and though we craned our necks for a sight of the canyon, we had no more than fugitive glimpses of the river through the trees. 29 THREE WONDERLANDS We realized later that we were fortunate in not seeing the canyon piecemeal; the view from Inspiration Point is far more impressive and overwhelming in its grandeur coming as it does when one is quite unprepared for it. A three- mile walk or drive from the hotel through thickly standing pine trees takes one to this famous viewpoint. A substantial platform sur- rounded by a rustic balustrade extends over the edge of the canyon and affords the vision a full sweep up and down the vast chasm. A long silence ensues as we contemplate the panorama before us. Words are indeed idle; photographs are misleading; the master- piece of the artist is inadequate. These may give some idea of the contour of the canyon and some hint of its coloring, but the awful distances, the overpowering vastness, dawn upon one only when his own eyes look upon the scene. It is this that quite overwhelms the beholder, who as a rule has little to say the first few minutes when the canyon in its full splendor bursts on his vision. There it lies before him, resplendent in every color of the spectrum, a vast rent in the mountains one-third of a mile deep, and at its bottom, too far away to be heard, dashes the vexed river a hundred feet wide, they tell us, but seemingly a mere writhing thread of emerald. 30 THE YELLOWSTONE The falls in the distance seem dazzling columns of snowy whiteness, edged with rainbows and half hidden at times in white mist. The prevail- ing hue of the canyon walls is pale yellow, but there are many dashes of warmer coloring, from soft browns and pinks to blood red. The sides are fretted into a thousand fanciful architectural shapes spires and turrets and battlemented walls and in places the eroded rocks have an odd semblance to a ruined church or castle. The canyon is quite devoid of vegetation, though here and there stately pine trees have fastened themselves in inaccessible places on its walls. Anxious to see every phase of its beauty possible in our limited time, we drive to Artist's Point on the opposite side of the river. This is the spot from which Moran painted his great picture now hanging in the National Capitol. One has here a much nearer view of the falls, both Upper and Lower, and may gain some idea of the tremendous plunge of the latter, though if one is hardy enough for the climb, the foot of the falls is the place to appreciate most their real power and grandeur, if not their beauty. But it is folly for me to essay a description for which far abler pens have been inadequate. 31 THREE WONDERLANDS Better leave the reader with the masterly pictures of Mr. Moran, which tell the story as nearly as it may be told by aught save a personal visit to the canyon. If these pictures or any- thing I have said should prove sufficient to interest others in this truly representative American wonderland, it will be enough. The time will come, no doubt, when the standard route of travel through the Park will be changed, and instead of returning to Norris Basin from the canyon and doubling back to Mammoth Hot Springs, the tourist will proceed over the Mount Washburn road to Tower Falls due north and from thence to Fort Yellow- stone. It may require a day longer, but it will be a day well spent, for the view from Mount Washburn is another of the marvels of the Park. Unfortunately, a rainy day interfered with our plans; the mountain was enveloped in low-hung clouds, making a trip to the summit quite useless. I will therefore borrow the lan- guage of one who is a sort of tutelar spirit of our Western wilds and whose vast lore and keen appreciation is set forth in language of befitting beauty Mr. John Muir, the gentle naturalist whose all-embracing love of nature even extends to the despised rattlesnake. In his book "Our 32 THE YELLOWSTONE National Parks" he thus describes the view from Mount Washburn: "Perhaps you have already said that you have seen enough for a lifetime. But before you go away you should spend at least one day and a night on a mountain top, for a last general, calming, settling view. Mount Washburn is a good one for the purpose, because it stands in the middle of the park, is unencumbered with other peaks, and is so easy of access that the climb to its summit is only a saunter. First your eye goes roving around the mountain rim amid the hundreds of peaks: some with plain flowing skirts, others abruptly precipitous and defended by sheer battlemented escarpments; flat-topped or round; heaving like sea- waves or spired and turreted like Gothic cathedrals; streaked with snow in the ravines, and darkened with files of adventurous trees climbing the ridges. The nearer peaks are perchance clad in sapphire blue, others far off in creamy white. In the broad glare of the noon they seem to shrink and crouch to less than half their real stature and grow dull and uncommunicative mere dead, draggled heaps of waste ashes and stone, giving no hint of the multitude of animals enjoying life in their fastnesses, or of the bright bloom-bordered streams and lakes. But when 33 THREE WONDERLANDS storms blow they awake and arise, wearing robes of cloud and mist in majestic speaking attitudes like gods. In the color glory of morn- ing and evening they become still more impres- sive ; steeped in the divine light of the alpenglow their earthiness disappears, and blending with the heavens, they seem neither high nor low. "Over all the central plateau, which from here seems level, and over the foothills and lower slopes of the mountains, the forest extends like a black uniform bed of weeds, interrupted only by lakes and meadows and small burned spots called parks all of them, except the Yellowstone Lake, being mere dots and spangles in general views, made conspicuous by their color and brightness "A few columns and puffs of steam are seen rising from the treetops, some near, but most of them far off, indicating geysers and hot springs, gentle-looking and noiseless as downy clouds, softly hinting the reaction going on between the surface and the hot interior. From here you see them better than when you are standing beside them, frightened and confused, regarding them as lawless cataclysms. The shocks and outbursts of earthquakes, volcanoes, geysers, storms, the pounding of waves, the uprush of 84 GREAT FALLS, FROM BELOW, YELLOWSTONE PARK Courtesy Northern Pacific Railway THE YELLOWSTONE sap in plants, each and all tell the orderly love- beats of Nature's heart. "Turning to the eastward, you have the canyon and reaches of the river in full view; and yonder to the southward lies the great lake, the largest and most important of all the high foun- tains of the Missouri-Mississippi, and the last to be discovered "Yonder is Amethyst Mountain, and other mountains hardly less rich in old forests, which now seem to spring up again in their glory ; and you see the storms that buried them the ashes and torrents laden with boulders and mud, the centuries of sunshine, and the dark, lurid nights. You see again the vast floods of lava, red-hot and white-hot, pouring out from gigantic geysers, usurping the basins of lakes and streams, absorbing or driving away their hissing, scream- ing waters, flowing around hills and ridges, submerging every subordinate feature. Then you see the snow and glaciers taking possession of the land, making new landscapes. How admirable it is that, after passing through so many vicissitudes of frost and fire and flood, the physiognomy and even the complexion of the landscape should still be so divinely fine "The sun is setting; long, violet shadows are growing out over the woods from the mountains 35 THREE WONDERLANDS along the western rim of the Park, the Absaroka Range is baptized in the divine light of the alpenglow, and its rocks and trees are trans- figured. Next to the light of the dawn on high mountain tops, the alpenglow is the most im- pressive of all the terrestrial manifestations of God. "Now comes the gloaming. The alpenglow is fading into earthy murky gloom, but do not let your town habits draw you away to the hotel. Stay on this good fire-mountain and spend the night among the stars. Watch their glorious bloom until the dawn, and get one more baptism of light. Then, with fresh heart, go down to your work and whatever your fate, under whatever ignorance or knowledge you may afterward chance to suffer, you will remem- ber these fine, wild views, and look back with joy to your wanderings in the blessed old Yel- lowstone Wonderland." Tower Fall is at the lower end of the canyon and is one of the most charming of the cataracts of the Yellowstone. It plunges some seventy-five feet sheer downwards, while high above it rise the spirelike pinnacles which give the name to the fall. The words of the discov- erer, penned some thirty years ago, should forever be associated with the entrancing scene 36 THE YELLOWSTONE which he so vividly and gracefully describes: "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 most pleasant memories." There is no spot in the Park more delight- fully located for the lover of nature who desires to camp under the open skies in the midst of the loveliest and most inspiring surroundings. Far off the beaten path of the tourist and the goal of only the infrequent visitor, it offers opportunity for complete severance from the busy world and for undisturbed rest and recrea- tion. The walls of the canyon here are of columnar basalt, a formation similar to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, rising to a height of eight hundred feet or more in such regularity as to seem almost the work of man. The road from Tower Fall to Mammoth Hot Springs is mainly through a rather uninter- esting tract, being in good part a treeless meadow where thousands of elk pasture in winter time. This road will not compare with the main traveled roads of the Park, but we may 37 THREE WONDERLANDS hope that some day a fine hotel may be built near Tower Fall and the main route of travel take this direction. Among the more interesting phenomena are the Mammoth Hot Springs near Fort Yel- lowstone. The waters, issuing from the earth just below the boiling point and heavily charged with mineral deposits, have in long course of time built up strange, beautifully colored ter- races, many of them of great extent. In the main these are of snowy whiteness, giving the semblance of sculptured marble, but others are of variegated coloring, in which pink and orange seem to predominate.. This is due to a small vegetable growth not to mineral pigments, as might be supposed and the color vanishes when the spring becomes extinct. Some of the springs take the form of pools several hundred feet in diameter, and the water is of remarkable transparency, despite the heavy solution of minerals it carries. Of this Dr. Hayden said: "The wonderful transparency of the water surpasses anything of the kind I have ever seen in any other portion of the world. The sky, 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 heightened by constant, gentle vibrations. One 38 THE YELLOWSTONE can look down into the clear depths and see, with perfect distinctness, the minutest orna- ment on the inner sides of the basin; and the exquisite beauty of the coloring and the variety of forms baffle any attempt to portray them either with pen or pencil/' But a few miles from Mammoth Hot Springs, the road passes through the famous Golden Gate over a concrete causeway lately constructed by the Government. This clings to the almost perpendicular side of the cliff, a splendid cement road protected by substantial balustrades and supported upon massive rounded arches. The view from either entrance of the canyon is a beautiful one, and the yellow lichen covering the rocks has given the pass its name Golden Gate. On one side of the road giant cliffs stretch their stern outlines up into the heavens and far below on the opposite side dashes the clear mountain stream. There is one uncanny feature at times masses of rock be- come detached from the cliffs and hurl them- selves on the road. A huge piece had recently been broken from the cement balustrade in this manner. Just beyond the Golden Gate towards Mammoth Hot Springs are the irregular rocks styled the Koodoos though the reason for this name is hardly apparent. These huge blocks of 39 THREE WONDERLANDS limestone many of them as large as a good- sized house are thrown promiscuously about, lying in every conceivable position. The whole region is uncanny; what cataclysm tumbled these huge stones in wild confusion, apparently with as little effort as though they were a child's marbles? One theory is that at some distant time the river eroded vast caves beneath the mountain, which collapsed in these unwieldy blocks of stone. To me, the most inspiring view along the regular route of the tour is the far-reaching scene from Shoshone Point. Leaving the hos- pitable doors of Old Faithful Inn, we began a steady climb of perhaps ten miles, winding our tedious course through the continuous forest of pine trees that covers the mountain slopes. We are crossing the continental divide and note on the milestones the steadily increasing altitude. Twice we cross the line of the divide, which sweeps northward here in a great loop ; midway, on the very crest, our driver pauses and pointing with his whip laconically remarks, "The Tetons." We are altogether unprepared for the panorama that bursts on our vision and may well hold our breath in surprise and delighted astonishment. Right below us, like a great diamond, lies Sho- shone Lake, rippling and glittering in the sun- 40 THE YELLOWSTONE shine, its brilliancy enchanced by the dense green of the pines that encircle it, while far away, shrouded in the soft blue haze of distance, rise the blue and purple peaks of the Tetons, the giants of the Rocky Mountain Range. Between lies a wide stretch of pine-clad mountains, with here and there a glint of lake and river. The day is perfect, cloudless and serene, and it is distance alone that lends the soft atmospheric tone to the snow-capped summits some fifty miles away. One may catch other glimpses of these majestic peaks from different points along the road always inspiring, always beautiful and grand, but nowhere else is there such a splendid foreground to complete the picture as at Shoshone Point. But one may well despair of enumerating even a fraction of the marvelous scenes and phenomena that abound in the Yellowstone. Such a catalogue would of itself fill a volume. The sketches I have drawn are only typical and are at best but dim reflections of the reality. Much will depend on the weather, but fortu- nately, the average weather in the Park is fine and the showers and dull skies usually transi- tory. And in this connection I might remark that cool, crisp days and rather sharp nights predominate, a condition for which the tourist 41 THREE WONDERLANDS should adequately provide, iespecially early in the season. Yellowstone Lake is seldom free from ice until the middle of June and in some seasons much later. The heavy snows are often long in disappearing. The days in August and September are often fairly warm, though never oppressive, and one will find this a very enjoy- able time to visit the Park. There will be fewer wild flowers and less water in the streams, but the crowds will be smaller and the mosquitoes and gnats, often very annoying earlier in the season, will have disappeared. 42 V THE FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE PARK The wild animals are by no means the least interesting feature of the Park though many of them are hardly wild in the accepted sense. Long immunity from the rifle of the huntsman has left the denizen of this enchanted land almost free from fear of man, and they more often resemble our domestic animals in their habits and actions. There are bears, buffaloes, elk, deer, antelopes, mountain sheep, many fur bearers including several colonies of beavers and numerous smaller animals, among which several varieties of squirrel are oftenest seen. The tourist by the ordinary route will see only a few of these native inhabitants of the Park; the elk and deer keep to the mountains during the daytime and only stragglers are seen. In the woods near Mammoth Hot Springs we came upon a large deer which eyed us curiously with little signs of fear, though we came within a dozen yards of it. The buffaloes here, some 43 THREE WONDERLANDS dozen in number, are a daily sight; for the soldiers drive them into a large corral a mile from the hotel and the animals behave much as domestic cattle. The beaver is always shy, but we saw one or two of them at Beaver Lake near the Obsidian Cliff. The industrious little brutes have dammed the creek here until it forms a considerable lake remarkable for the indigo-blue color of its waters. There are several other colonies in the Park, though not on the regular route of travel. Wolves and mountain lions, once fairly common, have been nearly exterminated by the guards. Squirrels and chipmunks one will see by the hundreds, often perched on a log, chattering saucily at the coach as it passes. Birds are principally migratory, since the eggs of few species hatch at the altitude of the Park. Pelicans abound on the lake, having appropriated an island to their own use, and numbers of these huge birds flying low over the water often afford a picturesque sight. They are quite fearless and sometimes make little effort to get out of the way of the boats. But, strangest of all, the timidity of the wild ducks vanishes in the Park they seem to realize they are safe here and one will often see a flock feed- ing fearlessly within a stone's throw. Even the 44 THE YELLOWSTONE Canada duck, said to be the most timorous of all, shows the same sense of security in this favored spot. Eagles are to be seen but rarely, though one for years has nested on Eagle Cliff, a high rocky pinnacle on the road near Gardiner. But of all the living things of the Park, the bears are seen oftenest and create the greatest interest among the tourists. Bruin has quite lost his savage traits and is sometimes entirely too familiar with campers. He will loot a camp in daytime when the owners are away and often prowl around by night in an unpleasant manner. A friend told me of being roused by a noise in his tent one night and on striking a match found a large bear nosing round, but the intruder speedily departed when discovered. The bears are a never-failing source of attraction at the hotels, especially at Old Faithful and Lake and a dozen or more are Often seen at the garbage dumping ground, where their antics amuse spectators of all ages. Reptiles are very rare, though rattlesnakes have been found in the lower altitudes, and harmless lizards are numerous. Of all things Yellowstone Park is the fish- erman's paradise. Here the disciple of Ike Walton is hampered with no license or restric- tion save that he must confine himself to hook 45 THREE WONDERLANDS and line. Yellowstone Lake and many of the streams literally swarm with trout which were "planted" by the United States Fish Commission a few years ago. Rainbow and Loch Leven trout the latter from the famous Scotch lake and of unequalled excellence are common in certain localities, and native mountain trout abound in the lakes and most of the streams. The most famous fishing ground is at the outlet of Yellowstone Lake, and even the unskilled amateur is certain of success here. The regular tourist, who has but half a day at this point, often employs it in fishing. Of late years a large proportion of the fish taken is found to be worthless on account of a parasite which has attacked them, especially in Yellowstone Lake. The number of fish here is so vast that the food is insufficient, making them especially suscep- tible to the ravages of the parasite. Even if one does not greatly care to fish, he will be delighted to watch the schools of trout as they dart about in the clear streams, giving the touch of anima- tion that always adds to the interest of natural scenery. The forests of the Yellowstone are not comparable to those of the Yosemite, and really fine individual trees are rare. In places the pines grow almost as thickly as they can stand, 46 THE YELLOWSTONE springing up over myriads of fallen trunks no doubt victims of fire and storm. A large part of the mountains is devoid of trees of any kind, and many comparatively level tracts like Hayden Valley are also quite treeless. Perhaps two-thirds of the Park is well wooded. Various shrubs the gooseberry, currant, chokeberry, buffalo-berry abound and wild fruits and flowers in great variety are to be found. The flowers are especially numerous in season and are surprisingly hardy considering the fact that there are few nights in the year without frost. The rarer and more beautiful varieties are found in the higher elevations and one of the delights of ascending the mountains is the beauty and fragrance of the flowers that deck their slopes. 47 VI THE HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF THE PARK When one has finished the round of the Park, he will likely find himself curious to know the story of the discovery and setting aside of this wonderland as a pleasure-ground for any who may care to come. It is refreshing to find an instance where the National Government acted with great promptness, and wisely as well, and has been fairly consistent in carrying out its original plans. It was within two or three years after reliable surveys had been made and really authentic descriptions of the marvelous country given to the world that the act of Congress, setting aside the region as a National Park "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people," was passed. No time was lost in which to give jobbers and speculators a chance to get in their work; perhaps the region was then considered of little value. In any event, it was set aside so soon after its discovery as to insure that its virgin state would be preserved that 48 THE YELLOWSTONE even the railroad would be excluded and no town could be founded within its limits. It would seem that the Indian tribes in this vicinity the Blackfeet, Crows and others knew little of the country within the present bounds of the Park before the advent of the white man. There is good evidence that scattering tribes of red men had been in the region from time to time, but the number must have been few and their visits infrequent. Doane, who surveyed the locality in 1870, ascribes the absence of the Indians to "super- stitious fears." He saw a few Sheep-eaters and Snake-Indians corresponding quite closely in degradation to the Digger Indians in the present limits of the Park, but said that the larger tribes never entered the basin. There is some dispute about this, but it is easy to con- ceive that such an array of mysterious phenom- ena could not fail to excite the superstition of savages, who would naturally attribute the strange manifestations to infernal powers. The earliest reference to the region is in the stories of John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1806. As the expedition returned to St. Louis, this man at his own request was released to engage in trapping beavers in the vicinity of what is now 49 THREE WONDERLANDS the Park. He joined a party of trappers and being a resourceful man with some knowledge of Indian habits and language, was sent out with a companion to gain the good will of sev- eral of the tribes. His adventures were astounding, though apparently authentic, and again illustrate the wonderful endurance and vitality of the old-time Western trapper. In the course of his wanderings his companion was killed and he himself captured by the Blackfeet Indians, then intensely hostile to the whites. A council was at once held by the savages, three hundred or more in number, to decide how their unfortunate captive should be disposed of, and the plan of binding him to a tree to serve as a target for their arrows seemed about to prevail when the chief interfered. He ordered that Colter be stripped of his clothes and given a chance to run for his life. Doubtless the old savage thought merely to have a little diversion ; it is hardly possible he believed that under such conditions his prisoner could outrun and finally escape from several hundred fleet-footed war- riors. It chanced, however, that Colter was a famous runner and distanced all his pursuers save one, upon whom he suddenly turned, killing the savage with his own weapon, which the desperate scout wrested from him. Plunging 50 THE YELLOWSTONE into the river near at hand, Colter hid until nightfall under a pile of drift-wood and under cover of darkness swam down the stream, eluding his pursuers. Then for seven days he wandered stark naked under the burning sun, his feet bruised by stones and torn by the prickly pear, when by strange chance he reached the trappers' fort from which he started out some months before. Such a story seems quite in- credible, but it is well authenticated. But while his companions and the people generally seemed willing enough to accept Colter's almost incredible story of his escape, they laughed at his tales of a wonderful country he had visited in his wanderings a land of steaming pools, springs of boiling water that at intervals shot hundreds of feet in the air, of seething caldrons of pitch and strange lakes and rivers. All this was treated with derision and classed with the tales of Gulliver and Munchau- sen. "Colter's Hell" was the title the wise ones gave to the region of the trapper's stories. But we know now that it was truthful enough and the first intimation the world received of the Yellowstone wonderland. Nearly half a century elapsed after the thrilling experience of John Colter before authentic facts were published concerning the 51 THREE WONDERLANDS region he tried to describe. Legends and rumors more or less fantastic were afloat con- cerning the strange region, but it was not until 1869 that a well-equipped prospecting party undertook to explore the head waters of the Yellowstone. This was a purely private enter- prise and was undertaken by a party of three explorers with the definite purpose of ascer- taining the true nature of the country about which so many strange stories had been told. These three men, "armed with repeating rifles, Colt's six-shooters 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 provisions for a six weeks' trip, set out from Diamond City on the Missouri River, forty miles from Helena, September 6, 1869. "The route lay up against the Missouri to the Three Forks; thence via Bozeman and Fort Ellis to the Yellowstone River; and thence up the Yellowstone 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 canyon. On September 21st, they arrived at the Falls of the Yellowstone, where they 52 THE YELLOWSTONE remained an entire day. Some distance above the rapids they re-crossed to the west shore and then ascended the river past Sulphur Mountain and Mud Volcano to Yellowstone Lake. They then went to the extreme west shore of the lake and spent some time examining the sur- passingly beautiful springs at that point. Thence they crossed the mountains to Shoshone Lake, which they took to be the head of Madison, and from that point struck out to the northwest over a toilsome country until they reached the Lower Geyser Basin near Nez Perce Creek. Here they saw the Fountain Geyser in action and the many other phenomena in that locality. They ascended the Firehole River to Excelsior Geyser and Prismatic Lake, and then turned down the river on their way home." Thirty-six days were consumed on the expe- dition and the party witnessed a large number of the marvels of the Park, which so astonished them that "on their return they were unwilling to risk their reputation for veracity" by a full recital of the wonders they had seen. However, their experience had a strong influence in the formation of a larger semi-official expedition that explored the country the following winter 1870. This expedition left Helena, Montana, in 53 THREE WONDERLANDS August and consisted of nine persons many more who originally intended to accompany it being deterred on account of serious Indian disturbances that arose about the time set for departure. The expedition was under the direction of General Washburn, Surveyor-Gen- eral of Montana, and its personnel was of unusually high order. A small military escort under Lieutenant Doane joined the party at Fort Ellis and the expedition entered the present territory of the Park on August 26th, following the course of the Yellowstone River. Accord- ing to their own statement, the members of the expedition were profoundly sceptical of the wonders they were about to see, especially as to the boiling springs and geysers. Tower Fall first excited their astonishment, but was speedily forgotten in the wonder and amazement that the canyon and Lower Falls aroused. From Mount Washburn they viewed the great panorama before them and all doubt as to the remarkable characteristics of the region vanished at once. Before leaving, this party witnessed most of the phenomena now on the regular tour of the Park, among these Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Lake, and the Upper and Lower Basins. On emerging from the forest into the field of geyser activity now styled 54 THE YELLOWSTONE Upper Basin, they were delighted to behold the first exhibition of Old Faithful ever witnessed by white men. The overjoyed wanderers could scarce believe their eyes as they beheld the steaming column rising before them, glorious in the crisp air of a clear September day. The era of myth and fable was past and the truth about the great American wonderland was to be given to the world at last. A most remarkable incident of the expedi- tion was the experience of Mr. Evarts, who became separated from the party and nearly lost his life in the weird country he had helped to discover. For thirty-seven days he wandered mainly in circles, it seems and when nearly exhausted he was rescued by a party of trappers. Being wholly without weapons, his food consisted of thistle roots, which he boiled in the springs. His difficulties were much increased by his extreme near-sightedness, which greatly hindered him in securing food and water. His companions on missing him searched for him a week and then gave him up as lost. The official expedition the following year added but little to the knowledge of the wonders of the Park, but made some very important sur- veys and collected a vast amount of accurate 55 THREE WONDERLANDS data concerning the region. Many photographs were taken which greatly assisted in dissemin- ating knowledge of the newly discovered wonderland. The idea of setting the region aside as a National Park appears to have occurred to sev- eral minds at once. It was so manifestly the correct thing to do that this can hardly be con- sidered strange. It was indeed fortunate that the idea was so promptly acted upon before private parties had taken up the land or in any way interfered with the formations or phenom- ena. The bill was introduced in Congress early in 1872 and met with little opposition, becoming a law when signed by the President March 1st following. The exact wording of the act itself unusu- ally short and to the point may serve as a fitting close to our rather hasty sketch: "THE ACT OF DEDICATION" "AN ACT to set apart a certain tract of land lying near the headwaters of the Yellow- stone River as a public park. "Sec. 1. Be it enacted by 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 56 THE YELLOWSTONE Wyoming lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River and described as follows, to-wit: Commencing at the junction of Gardi- ner's River with the Yellowstone River and running east 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 Yel- lowstone Lake; thence west along said parallel to the meridian, passing fifteen miles west of the most western point of Madison Lake; 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 settle- ment, occupancy, or sale under the laws of the United States, and dedicated and set 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 57 THREE WONDERLANDS regulations as he may deem necessary or proper for the care and management of the same. Such 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 building purposes, for terms not exceeding ten years, of small parcels of ground, at such places in said Park as shall require the erection of buildings for the accommodation of visitors; all of the proceeds of said leases, and all other revenue that may be derived from any source connected with said Park, to be expended 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 destruc- tion for the purpose of merchandise or profit. He shall also cause all persons trespassing upon the same after the passage 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." 58 CASCADE FALLS, YOSEMITE PARK From the Original Painting by Thomas Moran, N. A. The Yosemite i THE VALLEY AND THE MOUNTAINS If, as is probable, strangeness and almost unearthly weirdness impressed you most in the Yellowstone, the all-predominating characteris- tic of the Yosemite, which is likely to prove as striking, is beauty. True, there is grandeur in its mountain peaks and walls and there is a suggestion of awful power in its torrents that sweep unhindered over stupendous cliffs, but none the less it is beauty that makes the pre- dominant impression on the beholder. Here is a world elysian in this peaceful valley with its marvelous Mirror Lake, its green and crystal river, its sparkling brooks, its forests of un- matched majesty and its riot of wild flowers, shut in by towering mountains which fling their fretted spires and sullen ramparts against a heaven as blue as that of Italy itself. If the Yellowstone, with its sulphur mountains, its boiling springs and steaming vales, may be com- 59 THREE WONDERLANDS pared to an inferno, surely we have the antithesis in this lovely vale whose fittest semblance is Paradise. Here indeed we may find a realiza- tion of Tennyson's "Fantastic beauty such as lurks In some wild poet when he works Without a conscience or an aim." In color, in contour, in beauty, in grandeur, in all that goes to make a natural landscape enchanting and impressive, Yosemite surely excels. It is easy of access now, since the advent of the railway up the Merced River Canyon to El Portal, not very far from the official entrance of the Park. One may take a Pullman car at San Francisco or Los Angeles at midnight and at daybreak find himself gliding along the banks of the river in the mountain pass that leads to the valley. El Portal station is reached quite early in the morning. Here a new hotel, located well up the mountainside, affords oppor- tunity for breakfast and it is also the starting point for the coaches that take you into the valley. Very different indeed from the situa- tion four or five years ago, when a coach ride of seventy-five miles was necessary to reach the point where the train now stops. At that time perhaps quite as many came to Yosemite by the 60 THE YOSEMITE way of Raymond on the south, visiting the great trees enroute, as from Merced, but in either case the distance by coach was about the same, and while every mile of the road is replete with interest and beauty, not a few people were deterred by the one hundred and fifty miles of coaching over mountain roads. To this was added the round of the valley by coach and trail, forty miles or more, depending upon how thor- oughly the tourist might wish to explore the Park. And the Yosemite roads are not to be compared with those of the Yellowstone. In fact, they average little better than mountain trails, usually too narrow for vehicles to pass each other, very steep in places, distressingly stony and rough, and in dry weather covered several inches deep with an impalpable white dust that rolls in suffocating clouds from the wheels. If one is content to visit Yosemite Valley only, he can now do so and drive no more than twenty-five to fifty miles by coach, supple- mented, of course, by mule-back trail trips to his liking. And this is as far as many go as far as I myself thought to go, in fact. But fortu- nately, wiser counsel prevailed and by extending our time two days longer we visited the Mari- posa Grove of big trees. This required a 61 THREE WONDERLANDS coaching trip of some eighty miles every mile rough and dusty, but it is, withal, an experience the memory of which we would not willingly part with. And had our time been a day or two longer we might have employed it pleasantly and avoided much of the fatigue caused by our too hurried trip. The coach which is to take us into the Park is waiting in front of the hotel. It is a four- horse, ten-passenger affair quite similar to those used in the Yellowstone. Both are modifica- tions of and probably improvements upon the old-time stagecoach of the mountains, though of course the latter had greater provision for mail and baggage. The Yosemite coaches have no covering, but this is hardly necessary in a country where rain is light and infrequent during the tourist season. The bodies are swung on leather thorough-brace springs and, if the trip be not too long, are fairly comfortable to ride in. However, the condition of the Yose- mite roads is such that no vehicle of whatever description could be expected to roll smoothly over them. Almost a mile from the hotel we enter the official confines of the Park, but we proceed a half dozen miles farther ere we come in sight of the mountain-girdled vale whose beauty we are 62 ' - _ - _ 5 .; m>3 _ Q THE YOSEMITE about to explore. The scenery between El Portal and the valley is thoroughly picturesque. We follow a narrow canyon between moun- tainous hills, and towering cliffs often rise above the road, alongside which the Merced River courses, now in swift cascades, now lying in quiet pools beneath overhanging trees, and again fleeting past in angry rapids; here the water is clear as crystal, there emerald green, but always delightful in its variations of color and light. It is a steady, up-hill climb to the entrance of the valley. The road is uneven and deep with dust, and the heavy coach severely taxes the four spanking horses, which are allowed frequent breathing spells; we pause to give them water from the river and to drink, ourselves, from the same crystal flood. We have been long on the road ; it seems we must be nearing our goal. But the driver dashes our hopes; we have come only four miles, one-third of the distance to our destination. The weather is unusually warm for the Yosemite, where the rule is bright crisp days and sharp, if not frosty nights, and the heat with the dust clouds is anything but conducive to comfort. Despite the beauty of the scenery along the river, we find ourselves growing restive and eagerly looking forward to the journey's end. 63 THREE WONDERLANDS But our discomforts are all forgotten in an instant. Through a sudden opening in the pines a vast wall of dazzling whiteness flings itself in bold relief against the intense azure of the sky it is El Capitan, rising sheer almost a mile from the floor of the valley and dwarfing the giant pines that crowd about its foot. A little farther, on the opposite side of the valley, Bridal Veil Fall, now shrunken to a silvery ribbon, drops its tenuous thread from a cliff a thousand feet above us. Then wonders begin to crowd upon us from every direction. Cathedral Rocks vast sculptured twin spires, one of them rising sheer and solitary for seven hundred feet pierce the skies twenty-six hundred feet above us, seemingly laughing to scorn the efforts of any mortal architect. Standing side by side they have resemblance perhaps somewhat fancied to the splendid facade of the Duomo of Florence. Then the Three Brothers greet our vision, and just above us we behold El Capitan from an even more impressive viewpoint. Yonder is Sentinel Rock, thrusting its rugged spire high in the heavens, and we see through the pines the effect of Mr. Moran's masterly picture, save that the rock looms bald and glaring in the noonday sun not tinged with the purple evening shadows of the artist's more 64 EL CAPITAN, YOSEMITE VALLEY Courtesy Southern Pacific Railway THE YOSEMITE poetic rendering. Behind it is Sentinel Dome, one of the strange spherical glacier-scarped peaks of which we are to see several before we leave the valley. Ere we have recovered from our astonish- ment and while still quite overwhelmed with the display of wonders on every hand, we arrive at the end of our first day's journey. The coach leaves some of its passengers at the camps, but several go on to the old-fashioned Sentinel Hotel that for forty years has afforded shelter and good cheer to Yosemite travelers. It is a rambling wooden structure situated in the pleasantest spot in the valley. Its veran- das to the rear overhang the clear waters of the river and a school of trout often flits about beneath your eye too well fed, however, to be easily tempted by hook and line. About three- quarters of a mile distant there is a full view of Yosemite Fall, the highest cataract in the world, which has a sheer drop of sixteen hun- dred feet from the edge of the cliff over which it pours and a total descent of twenty-six hun- dred feet to the floor of the valley. It is sadly shrunken now, but in the height of its glory in May or June a raging torrent thirty-five feet wide, breaking almost to white foam ere it reaches the bottom, fills the valley with its 65 THREE WONDERLANDS thunder and the beholder with awe. It stands, a column of dazzling white, often edged with rainbows, in glorious relief against its back- ground of red and yellow granite, and dis- appears among the somber pines at its foot. 66 II UP GLACIER POINT TRAIL We reached the hotel shortly before noon and had the remainder of the day to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings and to rest in antici- pation of the strenuous work we had in view for the morrow. For we were easily persuaded to extend our time another day to take the trail to Glacier Point and from thence to Wawona thirteen miles by mule and twenty-six more by coach. It is a trip that should occupy two days if one has the leisure but if not, better endure a little fatigue than miss it. The trail trip will give at least one experience in mountain climb- ing, but there is no end of opportunity in this direction in the Yosemite, ranging from com- paratively easy trails upon which one need not dismount, to the hardest possible work on foot. Some years ago an enterprising Scotchman by the name of Anderson scaled the shining sides of Half Dome, climbing a thousand feet of perpendicular wall by means of a rope ladder 67 THREE WONDERLANDS fastened to pegs which he drove into the rock. This was used by other adventurers, but finally decayed so as to become dangerous and its use was forbidden, and for many years no human being has set foot on the summit of Half Dome. Sentinel Rock, too, seemingly inaccessible as it is, has been scaled several times once by a woman. The ascent is difficult and dangerous, since the peak rises sheer for a distance of fifteen hundred feet. The ascent of El Capitan is not so arduous, though it is usually undertaken only by the more venturesome. Clouds Rest, however, which overtops everything else in the vicinity and from which one may look down even on Half Dome, may be ascended without great danger, though not without fatigue. The round trip from Sentinel Hotel comprises about twenty-five miles and must be made on mule- back. A clear day must be selected, since not infrequently the clouds that hover about the summit well named Clouds Rest will shut out the view. Cumulus clouds of dazzling whiteness are common in the Yosemite heavens and present a scene of unmatched brilliancy as they roll along just over the peaks and lie sharply against the deep blue skies. "Cloud towers by ghostly masons wrought/' they add much of beauty and weirdness to the more sub- 68 MIRROR LAKE, YOSEMITE VALLEY Courtesy Santa Fe Railway THE YOSEMITE stantial forms of the guardians of the valley. It is likely that more than one or two of these excursions will be out of question with the casual tourist, and if he is to select but one, that to Glacier Point by the way of Vernal and Nevada Falls is generally chosen. The distance is about thirteen miles and the trip is not dif- ficult as mountain trails average, though one will climb many steep ascents and ride on the edge of many yawning precipices but no dan- ger need be apprehended, since the mules are so wonderfully sure-footed and cautious that acci- dents never occur. We are early away next morning, since we are to visit Mirror Lake before starting on the trail indeed to have conformed to the best traditions we should have come here at day- break; for the sunrise effect on the still little tarn is famed as a scene of surpassing beauty. But Mirror Lake is worth seeing at any time, though it is scarcely more than a mountain pool. It is surrounded by towering trees and these, with every rock and fallen trunk, are reflected with marvelous fidelity in the dark and some- what sinister-looking water. We view it from every angle and the ubiquitous photographer insists on a "snapshot" of the party before we proceed on our journey. 69 THREE WONDERLANDS Our party was a small one some half dozen besides our guide two Belgian counts who were just completing a tour of the world, a globe- trotting Englishman and a very fussy old lady of the propagandist class being among the num- ber. The latter rode directly behind me and sorely tried the good nature of our guide by constant nagging and especially by taking him to task for smoking his pipe. He was a typical westerner, good natured and loquacious, but evidently not overstocked with patience, for he muttered a few expletives at the reproof so pointedly administered him and rode some dis- tance ahead, leading the mount of another lady member of the party who was more con- siderate of his feelings and to whom he showed every courtesy. The old lady followed directly behind myself and though my mule was one of the most sure-footed he had been twenty years on the trail she expressed continual concern and anxiety lest he should stumble and fall. Barney, as they called him, was inclined to be pretty slow and paid little heed to my urging. As a consequence, Martha my companion's mule often crowded him closely, at which times the old lady's uneasiness seemed to increase tenfold. Naturally I could not but be affected by her anxiety for my safety for it surely 70 NEVADA FALLS, YOSEMITE VALLEY Courtesy Pillsbury Photograph Co. THE YOSEMITE must be this that made her take such continual interest in Barney's keeping his feet though my doubts were somewhat aroused when I noticed that her solicitude for fear "Barney would stumble" increased in proportion to her proximity to me and when, in a particularly steep place, she exclaimed hysterically, "Barney will surely fall down and Martha will stumble over him." In ascending the trail we follow the Merced for some distance and catch many glimpses of swift rapids and of Nevada and Vernal Falls. These are two of the finest of the Yosemite cataracts, with a good volume of water at all times of the year. We continue along the riotous river past the Happy Isles and cross a rude log bridge from which, barely a half mile away, we have a splendid view of Vernal Fall, where the river drops sheer three hundred and fifty feet a glorious column of dazzling white against the dark background of the canyon. From the foot of the cataract a cloud of spray rises incessantly and the river, as if mad to escape its vexation and turmoil, dashes in wild precipitation among the great granite rocks that lie scattered along its bed. The trail passes directly by the top of the fall and we dismount for a short rest and closer view. A mile farther 71 THREE WONDERLANDS we come to Nevada Fall, twice the height of Vernal, though its drop is not so sheer. It plunges down the sharply sloping precipice over which it writhes like a living thing, green in color tone and more compact than a sheer fall, but a sight of unmatched grandeur and beauty, made the more impressive by the great Liberty Cap, an odd granite cone rising two thousand feet from the pool at its base. Just back of th