The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-08-31
= MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS.

We have just returned from our
tour through the Y ellowstoneNational
Park and have enjoyed the trip so
greatly and seen so many natural
wonders that we wish to give the
FREE PRESS readers the benefit of our
experience, and advise all who can to
take an early opportunity to see and
enjoy this wonderful region.
Presumably most people have gen.
eral idea of the location and principle
features of the park. 1t is located in
the heart of the Rocky Mountains in
the northwestern corner of Wyom-
ing, narrow strip on the northern
boundry extending into Montana. 1t
comprises a tract about sixty miles
north and south by fifty miles east
and west, and is one vast StOrehCuse
of some of the grandest manifesto
tions of the wonders of nature to be
found in the world.
There are several mountain trails
by which it can be reached from the
west and south, but the principal
gateway is from Cinnabar, station on
the Northern Pacific Railway three
miles from the northern bOundry of
the park and 1858 miles from ST. Paul.
The Northern Pacific therefore has a
practical monopoly of the park bust
ness, but the tourist does not suffer on
this account as the road is one of the
finest to travel on in the west, has an
excellent road bed, fine equipment,
and the trains are never without a
dining car day or night.
From Cinnabar there are two ways
to see the park, one via. the Yellow
stone Park Transportation Co. and
the other by joining a camping outfit.
By either plan the tourist follows the
government road which makes Cir
cular tour of the park taking in all of
the leading features. This road is
about IT'S miles long, was constructed
by the government at great expense
and is probably the best mountain
road in the west.
The Park Transportation Co. has
built at convenient places four large
firSt-class hotels and three lunch sta
tions. 1t operates line OF four and
six horse stage coaches of the concord
pattern, there being about fifty
coaches and four hundred horses in
the service, a sufficient number Of
coaches to accommodate the number
of tourists arriving, leave Cinnabar
each day on the arrival of the train.
The coaches make frequent stops at
all places of interest and stop at one
of the hotels over each night.
The cost of the trip is SiXty-fve
dollars, which includes all meals,
hotel accommodation and transpOrta-
tiOn. The time required is six days
though the tourist has the privilege
of stopping over at any of the hotels
as often and for aS long time as he
desires without extra charge for
transportation, resuming the trip on
later coaches which run daily and on
a time schedule. Most tourists, I'M
less pressed for time find it desirable
to break the trip in this way.
The other way Of seeing the park is
by joining a camping outfit which
leaves Cinnabar every two weeks, con-
Stunning twelve days in the trip. The
outfit is in charge OF man who has
special permit from the government.
He provides separate sleeping tents
with good mattresses for each party
OF two or more, carries full stock of
provisions and good cook, also takes
along number of saddle horses for
the free use of tourists who desire to
take side trips. The camp follows the
government road and stays from one
to three days in place. The cost of
the trip this way is forty-five dollars,
including all expenses for meals,
sleeping accommodations and trans
pOrta tiOn. For one who likes camp
ing this is delightful trip, affording
ample opportunity for fishing and eX-
ploring, but for one who cannot spare
the time, or prefers first-class hotel
accommodations to camp life the
Park Transportation Company's trip
is preferable, although the cost is
greater.
| will not attempt to enumerate the
wonders and attractions to be found
III UllC lOl w UElD
in detail. 1t would be useless to at
tempt to describe the beauties and
wonders to be seen. 1t is not in the
power of pen to do it. Only by per-
Sonal contact and observation can one
obtain any adequate conception of
their grandeur.
The principal points of interest
among many lesser ones are the Up
per GeySer Basin and the Grand Canon
and Falls of the Yellowstone. There
are numerous active geyser basins in
the park, and the formation shows
many more that existed in times past.
There are miles and miles Of country
and mountains thousands of feet high
that have been built entirely from the
deposit of hot springs and geysers.
The tourist at the present time visits
three leading geyser basins, among
which the Upper Basin as it is called,
is the chief. Here within a space of
perhaps mile square are twenty
eight geysers throwing up a various
intervals vast columns of hot water
and steam to heights varying from
ten to three hundred feet. Inter
sperSed among these are thousands of
hot springs some of them boiling and
others in quieScent state. Some of
the latter are perfect pictures to be-
hold, the water is exceptionally clear
and one can peer into their depths