The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1885-09-19
NOTICED IN THE PARK.


NOTICED IN THE PARK
:. What the Year Has Brought Forth in tn
Nations Wonderland
The seasons travel to the Park has bee
t much larger than ever before, both by til
r regular lines of transportation and by pr
vate conveyance. The extraordinar
efforts put forth by the Northern Paciti
t to advertise the Park and provide compal
atively cheap rates to and through it ha
had its inevitable result. The $3.50 cou
pom ticket issued to cover all expense
from St. Paul through the Park and rctur
has been very popular, The passenge
department of the Northern Pacific ha
also taken great care to look after tn
comfort of the tourist patrons; the assist
ant general agent made his summer head
quarters In the Park and every considera
BILE party was accompanied by some com
petent attache of the road. Wakefield {
Hoffman's stage line, working in conjunc
ton with the Northern Pacific, has un
doubtedly done much to Icy the founda
ton for continuance of the travel
There has been no little murmuring agains
the exclusive privileges granted the firm
by the railroad company. In providing
cheap rates which they found necessary
to attract travel the Northern Pacific hao
to arrange with some responsible and re-
liable transportation company in the Park
They could not trust their through passen-
gers to Tom, Dick or Harry who was apt
to be irresponsible if any accident occur
red, who might provide poor conveyances
or none at all in an emergency or who by
discourtesy or carelessness might offend
the travel that it is SO desirable to keep
drawn in this direction. The company
had to contract and deal with some one
solid and competent concern and it Is diff
ficult to see how they could have made
a better selection than Wakefield s. Hoff-
man. The firm, by -the-way, has made
some money this year--thc first, as they
say, that they have ever made in the Park.
The hotel management appears to have
given poor satisfaction if the very frequent
complaints of returning tourists can be
taken as an index.
Government work in the Park has made
a good showing this year for the first time.
The unexpended balance of last years
appropriation and the amount Of this
years appropriation made fair sum with
which to work. A considerable amount
Of road building that had been begun in
previous years, but was unfinished. was
completed and made available for travel
early in the season and the work has since
been progressing rapidly. The new road
from Gardiner to Mammoth Hot Springs
is SO vast an improvement over the old
one that there is no comparison between
the two. Passengers, drivers and horses
are alike grateful for the change. The
same may be said of the Golden Gate
road which was built to avoid the steep
ascent of Terrace mountain. A great part
of it was cut out of the solid rock walls
of Gardiner Canyon but it is of easy grade
and as smooth and hard as city street.
1t is model of Lieut.. Kingman's engi-
neering ability and of Oscar Swanson's
skill as road builder. A fine stretch of
road has been built along the Gibbon river,
and Oscar Swanson has now nearly COM
pleted a turnpike from Firehole Basin to
the Upper Geysers-as pretty stretch of
road as can be found anywhere in the west.
In fact to the man who is used to travel
ing In the mountains where good road is
rarity nothing will be found more gratifying
or surprising than the generally fair roads
that traverse the mountains and valleys of
the National Park along the main routes
Of travel. A road has now been started
from Norris Basin to Yellowstone Falls.
It will only be twelve miles long and will
,upersede the road from Firehole, 80 miles
% the Falls, which is the only present
.oute for wagon. The Falls and Canyon
ire to our mind the great attraction in the
Park and when they are easily accessible
will become the great resort. A good road
rom the Falls to Yellowstone Lake will
make that beautiful sheet of water much
more generally resorted to by tourists who
;njoy boating, bathing and fishing amid
he grandest scenery in the world. Con-
,ress should make liberal appropriations
or the improvement of the National Park.
With the assistance of a little money ex
,enditure its incompatible wonders and
,eauties would be more easy and COM
fotable of access and would lose nothing
by tie invasion. As it was dedicated for
the pleasure Of the people no niggardly !
policy should be pursued in making it a
pleasurable resort One hundred thousand
dollars might setter be spent annually IN I
protecting and improving the Palk than
n deepening, wideaing and Strengthening c
oms unnavigable breoklet that happens
o run through the district from which an i
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