River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-01-29
A Trip to Yellowstone Park.
I'VE are kindly permitted to publish the fol-
lowing letter from Mr. Joe Romdenne, a former
resident of our city, to his niece, Miss Mamie
Iangdon.l

"A Trip to Yellowstone Park.
I'VE are kindly permitted TO publish the fol-
lowing letter from Mr. Joe Ronldenne, a former
resident of our city, to his niece, Miss Mamie
Iangdonl
BOHEMIAN, Montana, Jan. %, 1891.
am a little late in writing, but will
try and make up for it by telling you all
about my trip last summer.
We left here early on the morning Of
August 18th with our pack train of seven
teen horses and made drive of forty
miles. We had lots of trouble with the
horses, as they would buck and throw
their packs, and then we would have to
stop and catch them and pack up again.
First. / must tell you how a horse is
packed. They put on saddle, that re-
sembles a saw-buck very much. then the
stuff you wish to pack is put on each side
of the horse and against the legs of the
saw-buck, or saddle. and tied there, about
one hundred or one hundred and twenty
five pounds ON a side, according to the
size of the horse. Then long rope is
thrown over the horse and around the
pack and two men pull it as tight as pos
sible, or until green hand thinks the
horse will be cut in two. This is called
circling. The horses are then turned
loose and driven, and they will all follow
along behind one another, keeping in the
tracks of the horse ahead. One man
goes ahead and takes the lead, and no
hA the x.rhnla frai
will follow.
We had to go southwest from here, and
there is only one pass through the noun
tains in that direction, called the West
Gallatin Canyon. The canyon is about
five miles long and the trail through it is
very bad, being only about eight inches
wide in some places, with the steep
mountain ON one side and the river on
the other, and straight down from the
trail from forty to one hundred and fifty
feet. We had one mule in the train with
a very heavy pack on him, and right in
the middle of this canyon he slipped and
went rolling down to the river, about fifty
feet below. We all watched him go
ONCl lONho anu anu NetCh
man thought to himself, good bye mule"
We went down to where he lay to get the
pack, and when we took it off the mule
calmly got up and walked back up to
the rest of the train. He was cut and
skinned considerable, but we brought
him home still very fair specimen of
the genus mule. We got through the
canyon at last, but not before four ami
mails had slipped and rolled down. 1t
hurt some of them quite badly, but all
came out all right.
After getting into the mountains about
one hundred miles we had no track to
follow, and for nine days we wandered
around up mountains and down into
valleys, before we could find pass across
into the Park. We were lost, and had
nothing for a guide but a compass. The
scenery was grand, and such hunting
and fishing L never expect to see again.
The country was so wild that game was
tame, and we could ride within hun
dred yards of elk, deer and antelope
| before they would run. Bears were also
plenty, but not a man in the outfit was
brave enough to hunt one.
One day when we were up TO SNOW
| line l sat on a snow bank tanning myself,
and could look around and see .fOlCerS
growing not twenty feet away from the
snow, very pretty flowers, too, but all
white. The only flowers / saw at snow
line with color in them were some with
yellow hearts and white petals.
At last we got into the Park, and that /
cannot describe. / can convince any I'M
believer that there is hell by taking
him there for half an hour. He will
come to the conclusion that it is only
about ten feet below him, when he sees
steam rising from the ground all around,
and scalding. hot water shooting up into
the air anywhere from one TO two hun
bred feet. 1 will send a little guide-book
which will tell you more than L can write
about it. But it must be seen to be APP
Lleciated.
/ must tell you about Sulphur Noun
tain. 1t is mountain of sulphur, and
the whole surface is honey -combed with
little holes through which the hot steam
is always escaping, and the ground is so
hot in some places that it will burn your
heavy boots. You cannot bear your hand
or the ground anywhere, and the smell
is awftI. Right at the foot of the noun
tain is a spring which is continually boil
ing up about two feet, and it is just the
color of sulphur and is much thicker
than water. 1t must be almost clear sui
phur, for ON cooling some and trying TO
drink it you will hold your nose and
get sick.
We camped one night in little valley
where there is small river which is so
hot you can't put your hand in it, and
about hundred yards away an ice-cold
stream runs parallel with it, and the cold
stream is SO full of alum that it will
pucker your mouth up like very sour
lemon. These two streams run into each
other and form lukewarm stream called
Alum Creek.
We stayed in the Park until we got
tired OF geyserS ana not springs, ana then
went down into Wyoming. We passed
Shoshone Lake and the three Giant
Teton Mountains, and then three of us
had to leave the party and come home.
By this time l had become great rider,
and we made the last one hundred and
seventy-fve miles from the Upper Gey-
ser Basin to Bozeman in less than three
days.
Was well satisfied with the trip and
feel better for it. 1t cost me about three
hundred dollars, but have two horses
left besides camp equipage, and they are
worth something.
Love to all. Yours, JOE.
Granula at Jenson's.
LOST Near the Congregational
pburph last Saturday fnrauoan N nor.