Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-03-19
FLOWS IN TWO DIRECTIONS.

A Stream That Divides Its Wstsrs Be |
tween the Atlantic and Pacific.
The Yellowstone park sbounds with |
wonders, but one of which little has
been published is a section Of the park
which has recently become the study
of scientists; it is Two-Ocean pass.
Here is q stream of water which flows
in two directions This spot Is the sub
ject Of an interesting article In the
Popular Science Monthly, by Barton
w. Evermann, of the United States
fish commission. He says:
Many years ago the famous old
guide, Jim Bridgcr, told his incredu-
lous friends that he had found, on the
divide west of the Upper Yellowstone.
a creek which flowed in both directions
-one end flowing east into the Yellow
stone, the other west into Snake river.
But, as he also told about many other
strange and to them impossible things
which he had seen-among which were
o glass mountain and river which ran
down hill SO fast that the water was
made boiling hot-thcy were not dis
posed to acknowledge the existence OF
his 'Two-Occan crock" Subsequent
events indicated Bridger.
Atlantic creek was found to have two
forks entering the pass. At the north
end Of low, square meadow is . small
wooded canyon, down which flows the
North fork. This stream hugs the
border of tho Nat very closely. The
South fork comes down the canyon ON
the south side, s!Sirting the brow Of
the hill a little less clos ely than does
the North fork. The two coming to-
gcther near the middle Of the eastern
border of the meadow form Atlantic
| creek, which, after = course of = few
miles. flows into the Upper Yellow
stone. hut the remarkable phenomena
| exhibited here remain to be described.
Each fork Of Atlantic creek, just
after entering the meadow, divides as
| il to flow around IN island, but the
stream toward the meadow. instead of
returning to the portion from which it
had parted, continues its westerly
course across the meadow. just before
reaching the western border the two
streams unite, and then pour their COM
bined waters into Pacific creek; thus
arc Atlantic and Pacific creeks united,
and q continuous waterway from the
mouth Of the Columbia, via Two-O Ocean
pass, to the Gulf of Mexico is estab-
lished. Two-Occan creek is not q
myth, but verify, and Jim Dridger il
vindicatcd. We stood upon the bank
of either fork of Atlantic creek, just
above the place of the parting Of the
waters" and watched the stream pur-
sue its rapid but dangerous and uncer'
tain course along the very crest of the
Great Continental Divide. A creek
flowing along the ridgc-pole of q con
tinent Is unusual and strange, and well
worth watching and experimenting
with. So we waded to the middle Of
the North fork, and, lying down upon
the rocks in it's bed, we drank the pure
icy water that was hurrying to the Pa
cific. and without rising, but by simply
bending little to the left, we took q
drought from that portion of the
stream which was just deciding to x
cast, via the Missouri Mississippi route
to the Gulf of Mexico. And then W.
tossed chips, two At a time, into ths
stream. Though they strike the waite,
within an inch or SO Of each other, MOI
infrequently one would be carried By
the current to the left, keeping in At
lantic creek, while the other might b,
carried q little to the right and entel
the branch running across the meadow
to Pacific creek; the one beginning /,
journey which will finally bring It t,
the great gulf, the other entering upo,
. long voyage in the opposite directio,
j to Balboa's ocean.