The record-union., 1897-05-22
YELLOWSTONE PARK.
A Region Of Marvellous Beauty and
Great Interest.
Some of the Sights Which the Tourist
May Enjoy-Difficultie of Pro.
tecting Game From POachers.

greatest part of which lies in the
northwestern part of Wyoming, but
which extends also into Idaho and
Montana, has been called by some the
Northern Wonderland'' because of it's
natural curiosities and it's majestic
scenery, and the tourist who visits that
part of the United States without ex-
ploring this National pleasure ground
knows that he has failed in his duty
to himself. The whole extraordinarily
sixty-five miles north and south by
hfty-hve miles east and VESTS more
than six thousand feet above the sea
level great timber annex on the
south and east makes the present di-
menSlons of the park about seventy
by eighty miles. The beauties of the
region were so graphically described by
| those who first made reports on the
subject that a law was passed by Con-
greSS by Which the park was reserved
and withdrawn from settlement occu-
pancy or sale, and dedicated and set
| apart as a public park or pleasure
ground for the benefit and enjoyment
of the people,
AT this time Of the year, when peo-
pie are making plans for summer vaca-
tions, those tourists who have been to
| the National Park sing it's praises and
tell of the Incompatible scenes of nat
| ural beauty which are met at every
turn in that garden spot, and they
urge those who have not made the trip
| to do So All about the great valley the
mountains rise to the hight of 10000
and l2,OOO feet, and the great BASIN is
dotted With hot springs, waterfalls and
geysers, and tremendous canyons mark
| the course of the streams Sprays of
water rise hundreds of feet into the air
| from the geysers and strange forma-
| tlonS result from the deposits of silica
and lime which are contained in the
| waters OF the thousands of springs. A
man who has spent much time in the
National Park, and who has seen it not
only in June and July, when it swarms
With visitors from all parts of the
world, but who has lived there during
| the bleak winter months, when it lies
buried under many feet of snow, says
that all that has been written about it's
| beauties did not do the place Justice
The Park is in the keeping of 120
regular troops under command of a.,
captain. These men guard and pa
troll the reservation and fight vardals,
poacherS and fire. OF these enemies
| the soldiers fear fire the most because.
a fire once under way cannot be arrest
| ed. Only few years ago an area of
about three square miles was destroyed,
despite the gallant fight, lasting TWEEN
| ty-one days made by the troops.
THE TOURISTS ROUTE.
| Tourists to the park usually leave ,the
main line of the Northern Pacific Rail
road at Livingston and go on the branch
to Cinnibar, a distance of fifty-two
miles; thence a stage trip of eight miles
takes them to the first stopping place in
| the park, the hotel where the first even
ing is spent. From that point the tour
ist has about $50 miles of coach traveld
to do before he has covered the regular
route. The tour is made in a circle and
only the first twenty miles must be
doubled. In the course of the trip all
| the great canyons, geysers, waterfalls,
| cliffs and precipices are seen. There are
entrances to the park from the south
and west also, from which the distances
to the regular tourists circle vary from
| fifteen to forty miles. The ordinary,
| runaway tourist who wants to see
everything on the jump makes the trip
| in six days, and the stage schedule is
\ oO Oil cAh0Cd llidl Hc always rests III d
good and wellappointed hotel The sec
ond hotel is forty miles from the first,
and there two nights are spent. The
next hotel is forty-seven miles from the
second, and the last hotel is sixteen
| miles from the third and thirty-two
miles from the first. All day the tour
ist sees pictures of nature, to which no
| frame or modification has been made
by the hand of man; for hours the eye
| feasts on awe-inspiring landscapes,
with nothing about or near them to
suggest civilization, and then the trav-
eler goes to a hotel which stands in
the shadow of giant mountain and
reads his mail by electric light, sur
rounded by all the conveniences and
luxuries to be found in the metropolis
That is in the tourist time" said the
native, but the place is lonely enough
in the winter when the hotels are closed
and the park becomes a great snow
covered desert"
| When the season is over or on the
wane the real work of those who are
charged with the protection of the park
and it's game begins, and they have no
! easy task. There is no general law
| against poaching in the park Idaho,
Wyoming and Montana each having it's
own laws to prevent it. But there is a
! law known as the Park Protection Act
which requires the Park Commissioner
TO live in the park, and he has the
power to punish offenders for all crimes
committed there. He has original ju-
risdiction, and an appeal must go to the
United States District Court of Wyo-
ming He has the power to infiict pun
ishment up to $1,000 fine and three
years Imprisonment, or both The
crimes enumerated in the Act are kill
ing wild animals and all acts of vandal-
ism perpetrated in the formations
Formation is the name given to the
stony deposit from the water, which is
among the wonders of the region. The
Commissioner carr also expel or refuse
admittance to persons who make them
selves obnoxious. and who are suspected
of poaching. Regulations for the guild
ance of visitors are printed on muslin
is handed to every visitor when he en-
ters. These are the only posters to be
seen. however. for the people in charge
have fought successfully against the
advertising schemes of all kinds which
at one time threatened to destroy the
beauties of the place
TROUBLE WITH POACHERS.
The paths, trails and roads through
the great reservation are free to all,
and any person may carry firearms,
but these are made useless at the first