Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-10-24
GENERAL SHERMAN.
Writes About His Visit to the National
Park and the Great Geysers.

The following extracts are taken from
one of General Sherman's letters giving
an account of his journeyings in the
great wild west. He says:
| suppose you would like to hear
something about
THE NATIONAL PARK,
or +" Woodland, as it is called here AS
YOU know, | came from the Big Horn
here with two light spring and
one light wagon with six saddle horses.
Here we organized the party-Colonel
r. Bacon, my son, and self; three
drivers, one packer, four soldiers, and
five pack-mules, making four officers,
four soldiers, one citizen. and twenty
animals The packer was also guide.
We had good maps by Captains Barlow
and Hoop, of the engineers, which we
found very accurate. Our route OF
travel was about twenty miles a day or
less
Our first days travel took us south
east over the mountain range to the
valley of the Yellowstone; the next two
days to the mouth of Gordner's river.
Thus far we took our carriages, and
along the valley are scattered ranches,
at a few of which were fields ofpotatoes,
wheat, and oats, with cattle and horses.
At the north of Gardeners river begins
the park, and up to that point the road
is comparatively easy and good, but
here begins the real labor, nothing but
L narrow trail, with mountains and ra-
vines SO sharp and steep that every pru-
dent horseman will lead instead of rid
ing his horse, and actual labor is hard
The first day has nothing of interest but
scenery of the boldest mountain char
acter, the highest mountains marked
with snow patches, and the streams
coming from the real ice water. The
sun at midday had a tropic heat, while
at night water freezes IN the buckets,
and no reasonable amount of covering
will keep one warm.
There is an abundance of pine wood
for fires, and the mountain passes are
excellent for the animals. The next day
is consumed In slowly travelling up
Mount Washburn, the last thousand
feet of ascent on foot This is the sum-
NIT so graphically described by Lord
Dunraven in the most excellent book
recently published under the title of the
s'Great Divide" Only his lordship as
sumed Mount Washburn to be the apex
of this continent, which it is not; but
from Mount Washburn is plainly seen,
as on map at ones feet, the whole of
the National Park, and the mountains
to the south of the Yellowstone lake,
whence flow the waters, east, west,
north, and south. This is demonstrated
by Captain Barlow's map, but takes
from the narration of Dunravan not a
particle of interest for any man stand
ing on Mount Washburn feels as though
the whole world was below him. The
view is simply sublime, with the labor
of reaching it once, but not twice. | do
not propose to try 1t again.
Descending Monnt Washburn by a
trail through woods, one emerges into
the meadows or springs out of which
Cascade Creek takes its waters, and fol-
lowing it to near its mouth, you camp
and walk to the great falls, and the
head of the Yellowstone canon. In
grandeur, majesty, coloring, etc, these
probably equal any on earth. The
paiting by Moran in the capitol is good,
but painting and words are unequal to
the subject They must be seen to be
appreciated and felt.
General Roe and found jutting rock
about mile below the LEVIN Falls, from
which a perfect view is had of the LEVIN
Falls and the canon. The upper falls
are given at 125 feet and the lower at
$50. The canon Is described as 1000
feet It is not 1000 Immediately below
the LEVIN Falls, but may be lower down,
fer this canon is thirty miles long, and
when it breaks through the range,
abreast of Washburn, may be 200 feet.
Just below the LEVIN Falls, [ think 1 900
feet would be nearer the exact measure
ment, but 1t forms an actual canon,
the sides being almost vertical and no
one venturing to attempt a decent. 1t
is not SO much the form of this canon,
though fantastic in the extreme. that
elected my admiration, but the color
ing. The soft rock through which the
waters have cut away are of the most
delicate colors- buff, gray, and red-all
so perfectly blended as to make picture
of exquisite finish. The falls and can
non Of the Yellowstone will remain to
the end of time objects Of natural beau
ty and grandeur to attract the attention
of the living.
u to this time We had seen no gey-
sers or hot springs, but the next day,
eight miles up from the falls. we came
to Sulphur Mountain, bare, naked, re-
pulsive hill, not of large extent, at the
base of which were hot, bubbling
springs, with all the pond crisp with sui
phur, and SIX miles from there, up, or
south, close to the Yellowstone, we
reached and camped at Mud Springs.
These, also, are hot, most of them
muddy. Water slushed around as in a
boiling pot Some were muddy water.
and others thick mud, putting up just
like q vast pot of mush.
Below the falls, the Yellowstone is
rapid, bold current of water, so full of
real speckled trout, weighing from six
ounces to four and one-half pounds,
that, in the Language of settler, it is no
g trick at all to catch them. They will
bite at an artificial fly, or better at live
grasshopper. which abound here; out
n