The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-12
I'm the W0nde
OF North America.
First View of the Snow-Clad Rockies
And of the Far-Famed Yellowstone Park.

a fine water power, fall OF eleven feet
to the mile. Billings is situated at the
mouth of the valley of the Yellowstone
at the foot Of Ciarl's Ford Bottom. Here
is an irrigating ditch forty miles long
besides Its tributaries, which waters
125.000 acres of land, producing the
choices. grains, vegetables and alfalfa.
The town Is named In honor of Hon.
Frederick Billings, late president of the
Northern Pacific. and Is noticeable for
its many handsome buildings, among
them fine brick church. the gift Of
Mrs. Billings. Right along this locality
over 100000 acres Of the once noted
Crow Indian reservation has been
thrown open to settlement.
Valuable Deposits Of Coal.
At Laurel station bra nch road leads
to the famous Rocky Fork coal at Red
Lodge. This coal is bituminous In its
character and SO rich in combusttble
matter that pieces of it can be lighted
with a match. The veins are from six
to thirty fet in thickness and cOnsidered
ineXhaustible in quantity. The road
crosses the Yellowstone on a combina-
tlon trestle bridge at grades from 80 to
ITO feet per mile for long distance.
Resuming the main line for Living
ston We make in quick succession five
stations and points Of interest. The
main one Is Hunters Hot Springs,
noted for their wonderful healing vir-
tues, and II traditionary reports of the
aborlsines may be credited all the
Northern tribes from time immemorlal
have made pilgrimages to this natural
sanitarirm with their invalids. They
aTe loCa.ed NEARLY 1900 feet phove sea
levsl and from so to 100 feus above The
Yeliow4l,Jne river. THE temperature
ranges from 14S degrees to 16S degrees,
and uEey discharge 1000 ealcms a min
ute. Here Is a great country for game
We were told that back of the bluffs,
wiihin easy walking distance of the
Springs. eve found antelopes. wtiite
Eares, ducks. geese and other small
game. while "deer"-elk are numerous
In 'ahe mcU'apa.ns.
First View of the Rockies.
From Billings the train follows close
ly the Yellowstone river for 1l5 miles to
Livingston. The prospect from the car
windows combine more striking fea-
lures cf beauty and grandeur than we
have yet met At Merrill, 966 miles from
st. Paul. we obtain our first glimpse of
the snow-white peaks of the Rockies
and also refreshing whiffs of invigorat-
Ing mountain air. What do we see?
Standing on the platform of our Pull
man car we behold on the one side the
broad valley with the winding, glisten-
ing river, and beyond to the westward
and southwark rise white, gigantic
masses of mountains 10000 feet high.
with peaks clear cut like sugar loaf.
called the Clark's Ford range. This
range seems so lofty and the condition
of the atmosphere so ethereal that some
of our Eastern tourists. who had never
seen such high mountains before, were
naturally surprised. The question was
asked, 'tAre these clouds?" When told
that they We're the Rocky Mountains
the passenger, who had his conception
of mountains from the Alleghenies and
the Adirondacks, subsiied into a state
of wonderment and awe easily i'm
agined.
AS the train winds in different drec-
tions these superb crags. like oating
turrets. form an interesting study in
the various changes which they un-
dergo. The grandeur of the scenery is
increased as we near the gateway of
the Yellowstone or Snow Range. When
within three miles Of Livingston the
portal is opened just wide enough to
allow the river an outlet, and through
the canyon thus cut by the great stream
the branch railroad enters to the world
renowned region of Yellowstone Ma
tional Park. A series of letters descrip-
tive, Of What / Saw in Yellowstone
Park" will appear at later date.
j. f. Richmond.