Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-11-21
We tern Wonders

We tern Wonders.
The history Of the wonders Of the
Western world has been written, bur
it's story of marvel has never been
fully told. 1t will take ages to IN.
fold it, and bring all Of its resources
OF beauty clearly to the light, They
are springing up every day 10 strike
with astonishment, and fiji with ad
miration the world. \ class of dis
coveries bordering on enchantmen,
of scene has recently been brought
to the knowledge of mankind by ii
w. Elliott. artist of Hayden's Ex-
ploring Expedition, IN the Upper
Yellow Stone country. They were
made known in communication,
addressed to Prof Henry, OF the
Smithsonian Institute, Washington
The new facts are set forth with a
grace and charm that is inimitabe
they fully present to view the beau
ty and grandeur Of the picture -
The locality Of these new wonders is
in the Upper Yellow Stone country,
and situated twenty. five miles south
erly from Port Ellis, and will be one
of the attractions that will induce
the future counsel to prefer the
Northern Pacific route in his transit
across The continent. They AFRO los
Gated 10 the midst OF great chain
of lava peaks, and can be best do
scribed IN the language OF the dis
| course:
"From right to left, as far as tie
eye could reach, it rested upon Il
serried front OF ragged, pinnacled
SUBMITS, so sharp aud keen as to
shed the snow way down upon their
torn an rugged hanks. leaving the
bare rock pointing upward like nee
dies, mlnare;s and Gothic roofs. The
Snow beneath seemed to iepend up
on the struggling and stunted pines
for support, while these timber
lines in turn fell away down the
mountain sides to grassy benches
and plateaus; the whole forming one
of the most perfect pictures Of lava
upheaval and overflow that the
world affords. In this chain there
are a hundred peaks that are over
ii, 600 feet above the sea, and 5000
feet above the river, and eight or ten
that will easily reach the altitude Of
II 600 or 5000 feet
Near the mouth Of the lower can
on, where the river comes out from
abrupt mountain gor5es, small
stream flows in from the west, ana
bears the name, on Doanes map ot
Gardeners River" We ascend-d
1t some three miles, and came into
camp at the base OF
: MOST WONDERFUL nor SPRING
/ Up here on the rolling, somi-wood-
ed slopes of q high mountain, one
sees at first what appears 10 be a
huge bank of snow, covering very
large area, with the strange phenom-
enon Of steamy clouds Of vapor ris-
ing from it approaching nearer. il
is found to be, in reality, little
mountain made up by the precipi,a-
ton and deposition Of soda and car
Donate of lime, which are held in
solution by the hot water Of the
spring, which come up through bias
attic assures from some great depth
as the water is always ut boiling
point The deposition OF the mate
rial held in solution Is made in deli
cate layers overlapping, aud in bed
4 II -
pearancc not unlike the coral reef
The spring in this way is constant
ly shutting itself up and brea ing
out afresh in some other place not
far distant. By this closing up and
breaking out again. of the springs q
large area Of country is covered
with their deposit, and the spot | am
describing cannot be less than five
hundred acres in extent, over which
here and there, are
THIRTY OR FORTY BOILING SPRINGS,
the depth Of the precipitation in
many places being over two hundro d
feet.
The water itself is beautiful blue,
and transparent to u great depth RI
at least to depths that seem fathom-
less-and in many places, IN lowing
over its deposits OF soda and lime, u
shows tnLs OF the most exquisite del
cacy, such as rose, creamy yellow,
aud faint purple. We gave two days
to the survey Of this system Of spriugs
and the adjacent country; thence
proc eeded TO the
MOUTH OF THE GREAT CANON,
three miles above the head Of the
Lower, and camped at the beauJifu
falls of Tower Creek At the juno
ton of this stream with the Yellow
stone above and below, for a mile
or so, are a number a sulphur and
sulphuretted hydrogen springs
while high up on the basaltic walls oi
the canon opposite the yellow stain
Of dead or cold sulphur springs j:
very marked. The structure Of The
basaltic column Just above The stain.
ing is very perfect, and beautifully
regular.
THE GREAT CANON
, may be said TO end at Tower Creek
and rise at the loot Of the Lower
Falls, giving it length of twenty
five or thirty miles. Ii. is a grea
! basaltc assure, or rather rent. n thi
earth, varying in depth from on'
to two thousand feet, along down
which the river seems delighted 70
J fairly whirl, foam and fly, nov . blu'
and then q snowy ribbon. The
/ work of erosion has left tow
> points and pinnacles, barely stand
/ ing out from its almost vertical walls
at and for sever miles below the
J, falls. These perpendicular walls arc
S gaily painted by the water OF ta'
J. numberless warm and hot springs
e which flow, seep and ooze out from
!. the assures into variety OF tint
f and tones. dazzling white, intense
n | .od nurpIa aaffrnn VpiiDW etc. an(