The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-12-03

BEAUTIES AND WONDERS OF THE
YELLOWSTONE RESERVATION.

A Geological Curiosity - The Famous
Devils SIide-VaIIey of the Sinking
Water-The snow EIk-Henry Lake.
Snake River.
There are many wonders within our great
national reservation that have never been
noticed by the numerous guide books, and
there are just as many more outside of the
border line and in the neighbOrhOod which
should have been included when the park was
created. The mistake was in not making 1t
twice the SIZE for the whole country round
about is one region of continuous wonders,
such as no other portion of the known or I'M
known world can boast of. The CInnabar
mountains, the Devils Slide the beautiful
valley of the Sinking Water, the Teton
Basin, Just across the Continental divide, and
last, but not least, Henrys lake, over IN
Idaho-these and the other marvels close by,
when taken as a whole, and leaving out all
that is not included in the park proper, com
bine a region of stupendous and startling
wonders, fully equal, if not actually superior,
to all that is contained i'll the $3.50 square
miles of the park.
The Ciunabar mountains are full of petrl-
factions of every kind, and the fossils scat
tered all through the canyons and gorgeS and
to supply all the museums in the country for
ages to come On the SUBMITS of these huge
piles are undoubted evidences of the glacial
period Glaciers exist even now in the wind
river and Teton ranges, much below !2,3Oo
feet.
A GEOLOGICAL CURIOSITY.
But the most remarkable example OF the
glacial period in this region is huge bowlder
resting ON the brink of the Grand canyon,
about a mile and a half below the great falls.
1t is very compact, a coarse, crystalline fields
pathic granite, in shape rectangular, the edges
sharp and unworn, and its cubical dimensions
somewhat more than , 900 feet. 1t is within
Il stones throw of the brink of the canyon,
and rests upon a series of sheets OF rhyoIte,
surely not more than 900 feet in thickness.
In seeking the possible source of this rock one
would naturally turn toward the south, the
sources of the Yellowstone; but the great
ranges to the east and south are volcanic,
and are not known to contain a single
exposure of granite rock. There are no such
formations i'll the whole upper Yellowstone;
for there is a total absence of granite pebbles
on the shores of the lake or in the beds of the
rivers. The home of this wanderer must be
SOUGHT in the north, beyond the valley OF the
Third canyon, fifty miles away, and at the
southern end of the Gallatin mountains.
Four miles from the northern border line
OF the park and just after passing the Second
canyon going south Is the famous DeVIs
Slide. 1t is a rosy, brOwn-cOlOred shoot run
ming from the top to the base of the mountain
at an angle of about 80 degrees, and looks for
all the world like a tOboggan slide that
has been generously sprinkled with CHINA
mon. At the top on either side rise two lofty
Ininaret towers, 50 wonderfully paired In
size, shape and outline that one might very
well suppose they We're constructed from a
single model rather than being, as they are,
the simple handiwOrk Of nature. The slide
starts from this point and shoots down a
steep grade bringing up sharp and abrupt on
the brink of the Second canyon, The Indians
believe that when it Numbered the evil one
went plunging down this awful incline, pitch
ing into the roaring Yellowstone at its base,
and then by some subterranean passage within
the earth mounted to the top again, and re
peated his little diversion until it ceased thun-
dering. The lightning was caused by friction
with the fierY-cOlOred rOadbed in the devils
rapid descent.
\ GARDEN OF EDEN.
The Valley of the Sinking Water is the
most beautiful little garden of Eden on the
North American continent. The title would
seem TO convey the impression that it is a bad
smelling stream, of offensive OdOr and vile
taste. as its name would Indicate On the
contrary. it is a beautiful mountain rivulet Of
the clearest and purest water, but strongly
inpregnated with sulphur. On account of its
Deculiar Odor 1t was named by the BannOck
Indians whose reservation was, long time
ago. the park, "Yuskinmaya WlciSta,' which
translated into the vernacular signifies bad
water Here it is that the few large game
animals still left alive in the northwest seek
a refuge from the ready rifle of the hunter.
This beautiful country is the home Of the
/ = Ill
species. the giant blue elk, and the rarest of
all game animals the albinO elk. The snow
elk is certainly the scarcest Of the big game
still left in our country, and until a short time
AGO was known to the white man only by ira
diti0n The Indians have often spoken of it,
but their statements We're never credited.
Now comes the proof in the seeing. A band
of fifty was sighted in the Sinking Water
country by party Of hunters last February,
and, although they were pursued for two
DAYS and night by the indefatigable noun
caineers, Yet did they fortunately succeed IN
escaping the deadly bullets of the pot hunters.
They finally made their escape over into the
National park, where they were safe from
pursuit.
Just across the western boundary in Idaho
Is the lovely Henry lake. Before it is too late
this beautiful sheet Of water should be pre-
served from destruction. 1t Is situated on
the public road built by the government
leading from the upper geyser basin TO Nir
ginia City This lake Is the headwaters of the
Henry's fork or Snake river. Snake river
followed throughout its course, is truly a
river Of rapids. For three miles above tho
Shoshone falls it flows through Immense
. .avar-1ls with lofty basatic walls on each side
hundreds of feet high. At the Twin or Little
falls the river is divided by an island, and the
two streams rush over separate precipices
and pitch into a pool 10 feet below A.
viewed from the bluff, hundreds Of feet above
the sight is grand; and as for looking VI
from below, the gorgeous panorama Is toe
awful and tremendous to describe in words
. Five miles below are the great falls where
. the entire river deScends III one mighty sheet
2lO feet Forty miles further are Solomon
faIs-Fort KeOgh Cor. Chicago Times,