The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-11-11
THE NEW WONDERLAND.
The Upper ycliossstt

The Upper Yellowstone Country.
The following are extracts from let
ter received by Professor Henry, of the
Smithsonian Institution, from II. ".
Elliott, artist of Hayden's exploring
expedition, who writes from Fort Ellis:
Fort Ellis is about twenty-five miles
Northwest by North from the Yellow
stone River, and one of the branches of
the East fork of the Galiatin River;
the country beyond this place would
not admit of wagons, so that we fitted
up pack train of horses and mules
the only efficient mode Of transpOrta-
ton that can be employed in this wild
and unexplored country. Soon after
we had passed over the divide and as
cended a grassy hill slope, which fell
away gently to the river head, we
came III view of one of the greatest
chains of lava peaks that can be found
ON this continent.
From right to left, as tar as the eye
could reach, it rested upon a serried
front OF ragged, pinnacled SUBMITS, SO
sharp and keen as to shed the snow
away down upoh their torn and rugged
TANKS, leaving the bare rocks pointing
upward like needles, minarets, and
gothic roofs The snow beneath seemed
to depend upon the struggling and
stunted pines for support, while these
timber lines in turn fall away down the
mountain sides to grassy benches and
uiateaus; the whole forming one of the
most perfect pictures OF lazy upheaval
and overflow that the world affords. In
this chain there are a hundred peaks
that are over II, 900 feet above the level
If tie sea, and 6, 000 feet above the riy-
or, and eight or ten that viii easily
reach tie altitude OF i, 900 or 1906
faot
Near the mouth Of the lower canon,
where the river comes out from abrupt
lnountaln gorges, Il small stream flows
in from the west, and bears the name,
On Doane's map, Of : Gardeners Riv-
er." We assembled it some three miles,
and came into camp at the base Of
4 MOST WONDERFUL HOT SPRING.
Up here on the rolling. semi-wooded
slopes Of d high mountain, one sees at
first what appears to be a huge bank of
snow covering p very large area, with
the strange phenomenon of steamy
clouds of yapOr rising from it, APP
preaching pearer, 1t IS found to be, III
reality, little mountain made up by
the precipitation and deposition of soda
and carbonate of lime, which are held
In solution by the hot water Of the
springs, which come up through basal
tie assures from some great depth, as
the water is always ut the boiling point.
The deposition OF the material held IL
solution is made in delicate layers over
tapping, and in beaded rows, the whole
being iii appearance not unlike the
coral reef The spring in this way IS
constantly shutting itself up and break
ing out afreah in some other place not
tar distant BY this closing up and
breaking out again of the springs Il
large area of country Is covered with
their deposit, and the spot | am de-
describing cannot be less than five hun
dred 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 hundred feet.
The water itself is beautiful blue,
and transparent to great depth--at
least to depths that seem fathomless-
and in many places, in flowing over its
deposits of soda and lime, it shows
tints Of the most exquisite delicaey,
sneh IS rose, creamy yellow, and faint
purple. We gave two days to the sur
yey q this system of springs and the
adjacent country thence proceeded to
the