Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-09-18
The Peauties o Wonderland: nei.ie ted
i'll 1t ia:;iscr isott Pleasing. and
Instructive.
The Mammoth Hot Springs Furnishing
the Foundation for the Following
Article.
Pilgrim S Progress.
e, ID I 'ri'5s3t9s::


o. tie greet white terraces, formed ty The
overflow Of The Mammoth aat Springs. 1t
shat time was So overcome with the ey
treme heat o5 tile SUE. both direct and re-
siected from the glarinS formation, that l
fe.t Ike doing anything e.se than going
near springs which Were Let. Bet wesoon
struck tie winding l1s,gll which leads us
f:leazalstly 70 lie summit. protected ly ihe
.,eli:s.II shade Of the massive Ii1les which
We're drawn up IL Inc ga eittscs side, IT, 81
los. Is u pas, tllgou.ll III triumph. Per
h;.l>s tie magic wand q Dc. Ilersey, our
colrsso;:s Friend s.2lt. GUIDE Lad touched
these -talH@rt. silent watchn1eil o. tie
springs, ana <.ause,l lisesa TO reeede. d.
H. is as familiar vita scenes in the Park,
is though he n@St helped make them. We
were fortunate il Asss.n h:i2s with us. He
c.4: ~ the way, pcs Gp ,.:>s little qui..l and
scratch III 5.esl,t l. u,i4l;ai.t an article as
ssas- .. the press gag. T lie terraces pre-
sent The ;:i19ysGss.E9e u an Intnonse cat
aract e,sst4.ls l'57 the coas@.,is;as elements,
IN tie ;.eT u lt;sl9llg over q great mass Of
broken rocks. AS tise pools on The sum
nit I'll 10 overlooking, the water slowly
slides down into the next series below, and
these Return the compliment to the next
and SO on down until the bottom terraces.
for lack OF a better receptacle, empty the
boiling contents OF their kettles into the
thirsty Gardiner river, which in turn,
hastens with its treasures, down the noun
tain, to pay tribute to the great missouri
system. Thus Goes nature initiate the So
ciai. commercial, religious and govern
mental Institutions Of man. The springs
suggested another thing to me, VIA
Psaris.a1 bath-house. Of which I once read.
It consisted Of a six-story building with
bathing apartments on each floor. Water
wasn't good enough Tor the fastidious
farislans, 50 they turned q little wine into
the water. As it became currently re-
ported that the same gfape-lulee, was
compelled to do service for each apartment
in succession, the high toned, cleanly ones
made d rush for the top floor to make sure
Of looking upon and bathing in the wine
when It was red. This comparison was
emphasized in my mind when we arrived
at Bath lake. There, upon the topmost
story Of the spring formation is natures
high-toned bathing apartment. It's tenn
perature, in most places, is such as to adj
nit Of its use for this SANITARY recreation.
4 thoughtful young man had wandered
there TO take q nice quiet soak and save
the half dollar which was properly i'm
posed at the hotel. He had pictured to
his imagination all the extFavagant luxu-
ries OF an Ethiopian Prince, reclining in
the perfumed waters of an oriental bathing
place. As the verdant seeker after that
which is universally acknowledged to be
next to godiiness had just troubled the
beautiful waters Of the lake where its tenn
perature is thesshighest- fact way up
we ominously pointed to the path behind
us. signifiying thereby that it devolyed up
on him as 4 gentleman. to remain seated
He did not dare to swim further out for
fear Of tunbling into the ''bottomless pit" !"
The water holly contested the question
with him His was & literal trial by fire.
But emulating the boy who stood upon
the burning DICK, the poor fellow sfstaid
with it, and still kept sitting as motionless
as adecoy duck (or goose) opon the slough
of Despond. When we concluded that he
was ''Heil done" one of the party inform
ed him that he was now ready for the
barbecue and we moved on to the next
place Of interest, which is something
else that was the constant cry all through
this Garden Of wonders. Surprises were
popping up out of the ground Wher-
everwe wandered. All this general talk
about the phenomena of the Park is posi-
bic; but the pen runs dry and the tongue is
paralyzed when one attempts to describe
them. Who can paint the gorgeous color
ing, the crystal waters, or the grotesque
figures thrown together by the sediment
brought to the surface by the bubbling
springs? Who could toss upon canvas the
odors which fill the air about the place?
Who can fail to be interested, awed, be-
Wildered BY these scenes? One feels that