The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1880-05-14
Written for the RECORD.
THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONALpARK
BY q. a. Mann.

THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONALPARH
By q. a. MANN.
Ilis wonderful piece of mother Eart
was reserved for the Nation, as Il pleasure
ground, bya Law passcdin Congress Manl
list 1872. No filter spot could have been Sc
lccted. No other place On earth present.
such Il startling combination of natur,
marycls crowded into such a limited space
The most picturesque falls amid cloud pierre
ing mountains, the loyeliest trou$brookl
within emerald and diiower-carpetcd banks
majestic forests; sulphur mountains, ho
I and cold springs, impregnated with every
/ conceivable saline mineral; crystal lakes
upon which the pleasure seeker sttmbles
as it were, unaware; gentle slopes amid
lnolls, riyalIing III beauty with the best
kept lawns aud terraces, the ground cover
1 ed with luscious wild Strawberries. amid
/ the croWning glory Of it all-the incompar-
able gcyscrS in the lower and upper basins.
! Going 10 the Park, the tourist viii do
well TO make Rozeman his basis OF opera
tions, rs there he Will find the necessary
| outfit and guides in close proximity to, and
easy communication with, the Park. There
| is also another route which the writer took
by the way ofJetlerson bridge, Frederick s
mill, Sterling, the valley Of the Madison,
| Canyon ofthe Madison with beautiful seem
cry, Gibbons fork, directly into the lower
basin. But the former route is to be pre-
ferred on account of better roads and, be
cause, starting from the Mammoth Hot
Springs, one can view in uninterrupted sue
cession all that is most desirable to sec.
Bozeman, the County seat Of Gallatin
County, is situated at the Eastern end and
head Of Gallatin valley. Before the pleas
ure seeker proceeds on his enchanting road
it would well be worth his while and small
expense to spend Il few days in this beau
tiful mountain town and, if a pilgrim"
learn the true generosity, hospitality and
largc-hcartcdness Of her inhabitants; paya
visit to Fort Ellis, distant about 8 miles,
and make 4 hurried tripto the neighboring
great agricultural ranches bordering on the
East-and Wcst~Gallatin If time can be
spared one should mount Il ,,cayuse" and,
being provided with fishing tackle, pay
visit to Mystic lake, Il clear sheet of water,
set like sapphire among cluster ofhuge
emeralds.
After visiting these and other points of
interest in the immediate vicinity Of Boze-
man, the tourist, in reality, begins the
grand tour.
Here it would he proper to state for the
guidance Of travellers, that a great amount
OF veXation and annoyance can be obviated
and a considerable saving of money be
effected by outfitting-anl that-well at
Bozeman. The experience of years has
proved that, by obtaining supplies, pack |
aud riding animals here, the traveller will
do far better than at any other place, or,
worse still, pushing on to the Yellowstone, /
and essay to outfit there, where supplies |
are scarce. Rod and gun, bedding and |
provisions can be purchased at BoZcman at |
as low figures as anywhere else, and the |
tourist is unhampered until he reaches Boze-
man and there disposes of everything COM |
fortably and .iudiciously upon his animals. /
The route from Bozeman passes through |
Fort Ellis, thence up Rocky or Spring Cam
y0n. In this romantic gorge Spring creek |
winds its tortuolls course, while towering /
high above, on the right is, one of the grand
est and loftiest cliffs to be seen in the Noun
tains. On the left, standing in remarkable
are towers of conglomeratc Of a
leaden and some of reddish hue, among
the evergreen cedar and fir trees, while still /
above, and scattered around are huge blocks
Of the same formation, seemingly ready to
fall and minglc with those strcWn on the
side and at the base of the mountains. Here
presents ifseif 1t rici4 fnI2 fer lhe scenic
artist, and one which never will be over
worked. Some distance up The trail We
reach the Coal mines. Should the miners
be ut work among the ''dusky diamonds -
it will pay the traveller to dismount and |
take a walk through the tunnel to where
good quality Of coal is being extracted from
mother earth \ bosom. The trail from here
now perceptibly ascends and at point,
distant about ten miles from Fort Ellis we
reach the summit the Divide between the
waters of the Gallatin and those off the Vel
lowstone. On a clear day the view to be
obtained from this point is magnificent in
the extreme. BY gaining access to the
higher ground on the right Of the trail, can
be seen spread out to westward in panora-
mic view the grand valley Of the Gallatin
with those majestic mountaill--sentinels
guard over it, and with the val
ieya of the Jefferson and Madison i'll the
To the East and lower down
lies tie valley ofthe Yellowstone with lofty
and snow-capped peaks bordering its
Eastern side. The trail dcscends on the
Yellowstone side Of the Divide aud follows
Trail creek. which stream has its source but
a few yards from that Of Spring creek, the
waters Of the latter flowing into the Gala
tin. Twenty two miles frome Bozeman 3
halt should be made in Trail creek Canyon,
as the model mountain ranch OF james
Ferrell, where Il warm greeting awaits the
tourist. and where the earliest of vegetables
and Ill that canbe had on a Nothern ranch IS
at fair rates From here the road |
diyerges and passes up the valley. stop /
might be made with advantage to the travel
ler at the place of the Pioneer ranchman OF
the YelloWstone-the Boiler Brothers. II
the traveller wishes to enjoy refreshing
rest, the sweetest of sweet milk and butter,
the freshest Of eggs aud other delicacies,
the warmest hospitality, let him, by all /
means halt here and, if possible or advis-
able, remain over night. lie will never
regret having dQue so.
About two miles above this point, and on
the foothills. about TWO hundred YARDS
from the trail arcconglomerate columns or
towers, similar to those i'll Rocky Canyon.
Here, also, is a bed Of basalt which will
tempt many Il lover of scientific research
to leave the trail and pay ita visit, brief
though ii may be. I'Ile next object Of i'll
tercst is the Point OF Rocks. The road
has been, with some difficulty, cut through |
and ovei. !; ledge If rocks whose base j',ts
into the Yellowstone. Avicw is here pre-
sented of the valley, river and mountains
to the Lower Canyon, distant about TWEEN
ty miles, While tip stream one can see tn
where lofty mountains obstract the view,
ana where tile river suddenly debouchcs to
to the east.
rhe second canyon, 4 few miles above
Point of Rocks is i very desirable camping
No. Tile nnIire riNer here eoMtains- -eN-