The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-09-28
THE PARK.

other distinguished gentlemen to the Yellow
stone national park may reasonably be ex
pected to result in the enactment of measures
by congress looking to the improvement ant
preservation of that marvellous region. Tha1
it is sadly in need of improvement and pres,
e~rvation will not be disputed, for it is evident
to all who have visited the wonderland, that
it is yet an Unframed, bowling wilderness
which the economical appropriations of con
gress and the palsied efforts Of an antedill-
Wan superintendent have been altogether in
sufficient to redeem. 1t is now seven years
since the attention of the government was
successfully directed to the beauties and Gu
drawn from the public domain. If, during
this seven years, the park has been improved
in any way, such improvement is not observ-
able to the tourist who thinks to take a pleas
IRE jaunt through that section of country, but
who finds, when too late, that he has to put
up with every imaginable hardship Of a
mountain life. Several years after the park
was set apart, five thousand dollars was ap-
propriated to make roads and to
renderit otherwise attractive and safe for tour
lists to visit. The next year con-
gress doubled the amount, not with
out serious misgiyings of its extravaganza,
and his year the appropriation reached the
sum OF fifteen thousand dollars.
Thirty thousand dollars TO improve a
tract of land f~ifty-five by sixty-five miles in
area!
Blu Geyserdom not only suffered from mig
gardly appropriations. Through the persona!
of Senator Christiancy all old fell
low named Norris was appointed superin-
of the park at an annual salary of
$4,000. In the early days of the republic
Col. Norris may have been a very energetic
man and we'll fitted to hold a position requlr-
ing the exercise of sound judgment and phys
and mental activity. But the old gentle
nan has passed his age of usefulness, and
integrity it is evident that lie should
replaced by some man who is competent
o perform the duties of his position.
No efforts are being made to preserve in
act the natural curiosities of the region. In
he vicinity Of the geysers and other springs
are treasures have been formed by deposit
ions from the waters. These are ruthlessly
arried off by vandals who find it an easy
natter to get into the superintendent graces
~ lste aing with seeming interest to some of
lis fabricated adventures with bears and mali
'aters.
The secretary of the interior during his re-
visit thoroughly informed himself as to
he details of Norris management, ascer-
mems are being yearly carried away, that the
anne IS not protected, that the roads are exc
rable, that no provisions have been made to
;uide the tourist from one point of inter est
o a. other aud that the highest mountalns,t the
lost picturesque valleys, the p~rettiest falls
nd the grandest geysers were all named after
he re-Adamite superintendent. MIR. Scl,urz
las very naturally disguised when he found
ut The incapacity of Col. Norris to fill the
osition with credit either to himself or to
ne government, and very freely expressed
is intention of making a new appointment
l Inc earliest opportunity. Al the same
me, however. he confessed himself both
and delighted with the magnificence
f the country, and stated his intention of
himself "to the utmost to secure an
preparation of 100000 from the next con-
ress to render the Yellowstone National
ark a resort for thousands of our country
len who are yearly spending their money in
lands where the natural attractions of
are too inferior for comparison with
of our own"
Withthe removal of Norrs,t the appointment
t a man belonging to the present generation
the expenditur e of a liberal amount of
honey in the way of improvements, the
ark is certain to become in the near future
lie only popular resort for American tourists.