The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1872-06-01
Tkt Yew aorth-afest.
SKETCHES OF WESTERN
TRAVEL.
Hip The Madiso,s.
(DY h. ". RAYMOND.

mayed. the agony shall be brief; and more.
over, there 10 no dread examination await
Ing you beyond, to reveal your wicked
neglect tfyou skip the next paragraph alto
gether. Geography IL not pleasant, but
grtevtous; yet 10 u necessary to him wh0
would travel, whether In person or by sym
pathetic Imagination. Wherefore, listen:
THE TWO GREAT RIVER SYsTENs
OF the Missouri. Mississippi. on the one
hand, and the Snake. Columbia on the other,
have their highest sources close together. In
the Rocky Mountains, where their upper
waters even pass each other In opposite di.
rect,ons, like the fingers of two hands, EN-.
ployed In the fascinating game Of
'Heres the church and hssc's the people:
Open the door and there's the people"
Persons who do not know this game will
be bewildered by the Illustration, just a.
persons who enter tor the first time the
country of which speak are bewildered
when they find one stream running north
for the Gulf of Mexico, and the next run
ming south for the Pacific Oceal. For this
pcrplcxity, dear reader, there are only two
remedies: you must either learn the game or
visit the region.
1t 10 the Missouri system which chiefly
concerns 10 here; and It must suffice N say
of II that four large rivers rise not fur from
the northwest corner of Wyoming Territory
and dow for some distance northwsrd.
Three of them, the Jefferson, the Madison
and the GalIatin, unite at Gallntin City,
tinues nOrthwsrd to near the British bound.
sry, which II avoids by great bend to the
cast, after which it gradually assumes
southeast course to the Mississippi The
fourth river Is the Yellowstone, which bends
on Ito own book, 50 to speak. before reach
ing the Missouri, and finally joins that river
on the borders of Dakota. In the upper
part of their course, therefore, the valleys
Of the Jefferson, Madison, Gallatin and Vel.
lowst0ne are, In . general way. parallel.
and their order from west to cast Is indi.
Gated by the order In which I have named
them. Tho Gallatin, being the shortest.
rises farther north than the others, and the
headwstcrs of the Madison are separated
from the Yellowstone lake, which may he
called the head Of the Yellowstone, by noun.
tain ranges only. To traverse. mainly by
valley routes, the gcyscrs Of the upper Mad.
ison (or Fire Hole fiver) the Yellowstone
lake, canon and ca,aracts, and the hot
springs that dot the region between these
rivers, one may either ascend the Yellow.
stone, cross the mountains to the Madison
and descend the Madison, or cice cersn
The 6rst is what the parties of Washburne'
and Hayden did. The second is what our
party did-only We left the Yellowstone
after following It down to the great canon,
and returned by = different trail across the
mountains to the Madison valley. by which
We returned 10 the settlements. Here end.
eth the first lesson In geography.
6awtelle and his dog did not share in the
triumphal departure from Virginia City,
but awaited " at the camp on the Madison,
~. .~nf0
ing the 10th of August, we began
OUR JOURNEY
In earnest, and travelled eighteen miles up
the Valleys fair days work for tue pack
animals. though on our WY home We
''pushed things" over the same ground at
the rate of thirty miles daily. The valley
Of the Madison ut this point Is nm inspiring
scene The river 10 accompanied on the
mountains, with their bold outlines, ragged
brown and red rock surfaces, snow ,t0uciicd
crests and occasional trscery Of piney canons
Opposite these 10 \ succession Of inferior but
picturesque ridges, and between IL the broad,
fair. grassy valley, very paradise for stock.
rsisers TO the north, It draws together
into the dark and PERCEPTIONS lower canon
OF the Madison. Southwark Il. e. up the
Valley the bcnched or terrsced structure Of
the terrain becomes more and more distinct,
until ct last three or four gigantic terraces.
rising one above another from the stream 10
the mountains, stretch away for many miles
on either side along the valley. What nat.
Lfal preparation for railroad! The engi
neer need only choose his level. and then
''go It." on gravel foundation hundreds 0f
fest deep There 10 more or less volcanic
rock oil along the ranges, but ~ We ascend
q length high lava walls. like the Palisades
OF the Hudson. Upun these lsvas, and the
gravel terraces, the vegetation 10 scanly.
though the clear mountain streams which
cut their way through deep eide-can0ns 1t
intervals of about ten miles are delightfully."-
shad0wed with pines and cDstonwOods and
fringed with verdure. The general aspec,
Of the scenery, after the meadows are left
behind, 10 desolsts and grand
Impossible to describe 10 the quiet beau
y Of a. evening Or noon day
CAM
By rushing stream In these sublime soli.
tudes; the blazing fire, the luxurious Re
pose Of man and beast; the fragrant pipe
we'll chosen by some carly poet 1T cOppery
hue - par eecelyencs the emblem of peace
Grouse strut and 6utter In the bushes:
eagles scream and wheel il the sky: prU.
ceesi0ns Of ducks make straight swift course
down the river; the service.berry thicke,s
and the freshly turned stones and stumps
betray the recent presence Of the fruit and
iusect.lovipg bear mo bug bear to 10 and
our repeating breecl.l0adersG there are
upon the Nrsil delicate fOot-priuts Ut ante
lope and deer, and heavy fuol.mark Of the
elk. From our green, cO0l covert We lUOk
laxily out upon the valley. hot with the me.
Sidian glow, Or VAT and haxy IN the twi
light, or mystical and solemn beneath the
moon.
On The fourth day W reached the middle
Of the canyon Of the Madison, where The
river breaks through the main chain Of the
Ncky Mountains; and 10 avoid the dim
Guilty Of The passage. We turned out Of the
valley, crossed the low divide known . the
Reynolds Pass, and saw before % the
cleaning waters Of
aEM1Y'e LAKE,.
Here W found hoep,tahlc shelter II Saw.
tells's ranch. and excellent amusement foe .
day In hunting and nshtng upon bio pro.
serves What with innumenble grouse On
~ hillsides, ducks aa6 geess q lie saigy
eloughs, snowy swans asd pelicans upOn
the hke. and four footed game Of Every
variety In forest and neld, the spertsmanb
Taste cannot feli 70 b grsii6ed. lf 10 d 8
-. >N~A~