Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-15
The YeIIowsIone Park.

The Yellowstone Park.
Just before the close of the last session
of Congress the report of the Superin-
tendent of the Yellowstone National
Park was laid before that body, and, af-
ter reading, was ordered to be printed.
A copy of this document has just been
received by us from the Government
Printing Office, and, as the first official
and reliable statement concerning the
matter, possesses more than an ordinary
interest. Congress, it will be remem-
bered by an act approved March /,
1872, set apart tract of land near the
head-waters of the Yellowstone river, in
the Territories of Montana and WyO-
ming, asa public park or pleasure ground
- for the benefit and enjoyment of the
people" Contrary to the usual idea, ii
was the intention of Congress, that, with
the exception of roads and hotels. no at
tempt should be made to beautify or
adOrn the reservation set aside, but that
every means should be taken to preserve,
as far as possible, in their natural condi-
ton, the timber, the mineral deposits.
and the many and various curiOsities of
the region. 1t was necessary that some
| competent person should act as Superin-
tendent, both of the park and prelimi-
nary surveys, and for that purpose Hon.
n p Langford, of st. Paul, Mimi, was
selected-an eminently judicious choice,
| Judging from the report before us.
| The park contains nearly $500 square
miles. and is mostly in Montana, from
| which Territory it is alone accessible,
/ the boundary ON the Wyoming side being
| a mountainous range so rugged and pre-
/ cipitous as to defy all human attempts
at crossing, presenting difficulties more
| insuperable than those of the famous
Alpine peaks In 1860 an exploring par
/ ty found themselves face to face with
/ this ridge, on the other side of which
was the object of their journey-the
head waters of the Yellowstone, only a
few miles distant. Sheer above them to
the height of four or five thousand feet
rose the mountains, in the shape of bold,
craggy peaks of basaltic nature, their
submits crowned with glistening snow
Over or through these vertical walls of
stone there was no pass or even canyon,
and the discounted party were Obliged
to make detOur of four or five hundred
miles to find a crossing place. The de-
scription of the topography of the park
reads more like that of some ideal cOun-
try evolved from the brain of the ro-
mancer or dreamer.
The lower geyser basin is mentioned
as the first of the interesting localities
in the park, but the wonders it con-
tains are merely a foreshadowing of
those of the upper geyser basin. In this
locality, says the superintendent, there
are at least two thousand hot springs,
large AID small, and of this number pro-
, baby two hundred are geysers. The
whole basin is enveloped in steam, and
seen at distance, is like the approach
To a cluster of manufactures. The geY
sers project water with terrible force,
7 and in fabulous quantities, and in every
2 conceivable form, to heights varying
: from 20 to $50 feet. These, seen in the
RAYS of midday sun, or in the beams Of
a full moon, are ineXpressibly grand
Unlike any other scenery in the world
= they amaze the beholder by their magni
? tude and novelty.
; Fifteen miles below this locality il
the Yellowstone lake, which lies nearly
eight thousand feet above the level O.
the ocean, 1t is twenty-five miles il
: length. embosomed amid mountains
2 gemmed with green islands, unique il
{ form, and surrounded on all sides by no
a springs of great variety, number AM
beauty. Jets of steam may be seen is
suing from the hot springs, from tn
$ islands, even from the bosom of the lax
y itself. Some of the Hottest and mos
J, inaccessible mountain ridges on the con
4 tinent lift their snow-clad SUBMITS Il
the immediate vicinity. The scenery
cslossal and full of savage grandeur.
u Twenty miles from the foot of tn
S lake, down the Yellowstone river, ar
: the two great cataracts and the gram
y CANYON of the Yellowstone. The uppe
= fall is lis feet in height, the lower
= which plunges directly into the canyo
Il is $50 feet, and the canyon, itself, fror
IS one to three thousand feet in depth,
r. forty miles in length, and for the Who'll
distance presents to the eye the mos
wonderful chasm in the world. Jets Q
. hot vapor issue from its sides and colo
d them with the most brilliant colors
nature. From its profound depth star
are seen in the daytime. A score G
: miles away, and at a point of divergenC
= one mile from the canyon, is the gro
y tesque cataract of Tower creek, and sti
3. further on are the hot springs of Ga
d diners river, considered the most r,
a markakle curiosities of the park. 1t
probable that there is not in the worl
le within the same limit, so many wondel
l. full freaks of physical geography, or S
Il, W anu buC OCuOluO
,e In closing the report the superinten'
- ent says Nothing has been, nothir
. can be said, to magnify the wonders {
4 this national pleasuring ground. 1t
"a all, and more than all, that has been re
We resented, In the catalogue of earth
w wonders it is the greatest, and must ev
j. remain so. 1t confers distinctive cha
actsr upon cur country, greater ths
an that of Niagara, Yosemite, or Mammo
or Cave, though each of these is, in itsel
n. without parallel. But here, the gran
est, most wonderful, and most uniq
elements of nature are combined, seer
ingly to produce upon the most stupen
y: Gus scale an exhibition unlike any 9th
rs upon the globe,
at Aside from granting the land al
tic locating the park, government has do
n nothing, and even the services of t
-, superintendent have thus far been gr'
'ie uitous. Having done thus much, it
ar to be hoped that Congress will gra
ty early appropriations, 30 that roads m
70 be laid out, bridges built, and guild
, y provided for the accommodation OF
itors, who, though now numbering han
'ss ly more than few hundred year, WI
'or before the close of the mex. decaC
re-. grow into unnumbered thousands.
OF -Barnum, at a recent exhibition
W. Providence, passed in free all the
nb.ns of tho acvlrrns in that city