The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-01
YELLOWSTONE PARK.
Attempts to Make it Accessible to
the People.

Many professors and students in uni
versities and colleges and scientific
men who have Travelled in the Yellow
stone National park have expressed
their interest in an application recently
made by Professor William w Wyii'
of Bozeman, Mont, TO the secretary o.
the interior, for a lease for camping
grounds in the park for ten years
Every season since 1880 Professor Wy
lie has been conducting camping par
ties through the Yellowstone park and
by lectures and literary contributions
has been making known 10 the people
of this country the wonders or tns
park and its opportunities for scien-
tific investigation. He has been sup
ported warmly in his attempt to gel
the right to establish permanent camps
in the park in order that more teach-
ers, students artists, ministers ana
scientists may spend summer Yaca-
tions there at a reasonable cost and
without danger.
THE OPPOSITION TO CAMPS.
Secretary Bliss heard arguments on
Mr.. WyHe's application recently and
received 3 larsS number of letters in
favor of the application. A brief was
submitted also by George II. Lamar
of this ciSy and James 4. Blanchard
of New York. rs attorneys for Mr.. Wy
lie. 1t discloses some of the reasons
>
encountered in his attempts TO make
travel in the park cheaper. Since 1896,
it is declared, all leases for hotels in
the park have been given to the Kel-
lowstone Park association, the stock
of which is controlled by the Northern
Pacific Railroad company. The hotels
charge - day for accommodations.
The railroad guarantees an income Of
$4,000 a year TO the association for .,
years, and nv reason Of the main
tenance Of the hotels for the company
gets about SOS, 900 year The assOcia-
ton and company together control a
transportation line by which travellers
are carried through the park between
the hotels, and by the route followed
by the stakes the journey through the
park takes six days.
The association has opposed Mr.. Wy
lies applications for licenses to take
camping parties through the park, and
Captain Anderson, the superintendent
of the park, who recently gave place
to Colonel Young. in a recent adverse
report upon Mr.. Wylie's application,
wrote:
he regular transportation company
here has a large and expensive plant,
which is subject to forfeiture for mis-
conduct, and it is also under heavy
bonds, and l think under the circum-
stances it deserves protection"
After Captain Anderson made his
adverse report, however, General Mel
son A. Miles sent to Secretary Bliss a
letter declaring as follows:
Il am reliably informed that upon the
strength of departmental letter dated
March 20. 1886. signed by the honorable
acting secretary of the Interior and
addressed TO Professor W. W Wylie
of Bozeman, Mont, there was estab-
lished by Mr.. Wylie four permanent
camps in the National Yellowstone
park for the accommodation of the
travelling public; that during the past
season the business contemplated has
been conducted TO the entire satisfac-
ton OF his patrons. some of whom are
unable to pay the rates at the hotels,
and many of whom prefer this manner
OF seeing the park. l am convinced
that the accommodations afforded I'M
der said authority should be encour-
aged. and would respectfully recon-
mend that such official favor be ex-
ended as may be necessary to con-
tinue the same for a term of wears.
and thereby prevent financial loss and
accommodate the travelling public
BISHOP WARREN'S ENDORSE
MENT.
Bishop Henry W. Warren of the
Methodist Episcopal church has
written letter quite recently declaring
that Professor Wvlies camps in the
Yellowstone park ought to be continued. !
that most scientific people, TO whom the |
park is special attraction. are not, as
a rule, possessed of abundant means.
and that by Professor Wylie's method /
they can visit the park at less than |
half the cost of the other method. His !
letter contains this paragraph:
4 should think it great wrong to the |
public, which is the real owner of the !
park, If the nation was shut up to visit
ing Its property in a single. definite and |
expensive manner. The. European ma
lions have always sought to open the |
choicest treasures of nature and art to |
the whole people. II would be very
unbecoming for a nation declaring the /
principles of American liberty to try
TO make this magnificent property of |
the people so that it could be visited |
only by the rich
General P. NJ. Washabaugh, of |
Chester, Penn, has written an en- /
phatic letter to Secretary Bliss, telling !
OF visit 10 the park last summer in |
one of Professor Wylie's camping par |
ties. and concluding as follows:
We would not care to go again if |
forced to use the corporation hotels and !
stages. The charm of the visit would |
be spoiled. For Gods sake, help us to |
save this beautiful wonderland for the |
free use and enjoyment of our people, |
and from the power of greedy and /
monopolists. They own and /
control all the approaches. but let that /
power end at the line of the park, and /
by so doing you will earn the plaudits |
of all your long-suffering but patient /
and grateful countrymen.
Many similar letters have been sent |
to the secretary of the interior by col
lege professors and scientists who have
visited the Yellowstone park in COM
pany with Mr.. Wylie. The result of
Mr. Wylie's application, supported By
many strong letters of disinterested |
persons and opposed by the Northern
Pacific Railroad company and the yell
lowstOne Park association, is an order
by Secretary Bliss granting 10 Mr..
Wylie a license for conducting camping
parties through the park this summer
Mr.. Bliss declares that il is not eX-
pedient at this time to grant a lease of
the camping places for a term of years,
but in his letter to Mr.. NVylie he says:
This department viii in due time
consider and determine
in view of the public interest
and the objects for which the park
was established, it will be proper to
authorize a system of permanent camps
therein. Meantime, during the period
covered by your said license, you will
De permitted to occupy as permanent
amps the sites heretofore so occupied
~ you by authority of this department,
t being hereby intended that the
privileges relative thereto granted to
you for last season shall, upon the same
conditions, restrictions and official ;
continue to You during the
season of 1897.
CHARGES TO CAMPERS. :