Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-19
HAUNTS OF Big GAME.
REPORT OF COLONEL YOUNG ON
YELLOWSTONE PARK.
Efforts to Save the BuGnlO-It Is
Hoped That About Fifty of Them
Remaiu-MOOse Are Bc-
coming Numerous.

oH11u NuIleTouSs
The interior department is preparing to
distribute in a few days copies of the
report OF Colonel S. Il. NJ. Young. Third
cavalry, acting superintendent OF Yellow
stcne National park. The most attention
will. of course. be given Colonel Young 5
own statement of wha has TRANSFERRED dur
ing the period of his service as custodian
of the national game reserve. from August
q to the date of the report, November 10.
This covers the entire period OF the year
during which visitors are usually Iound
within park limits, except q few days
earlier III August and in the latter part Of
June.
Christian Endeayorers and thsir friends
troCped into the reserve during the sum
mcr, swelling TIE number of visitors TO
1882 for the entire season, and the col
one! commanding compliments the En-
deIvor Society so far IA to say: Viola
tons of the rules and regulations were
extremely rare during the latter part of
the season." i. e.. during his term of Of
lice.
The mania for carving and writing
names on guard rails. benches. etc, placed
for the safety and convenience OF Wis
increased during the latter part OF the
season. 1t is contemplated 10 erect a large
bulletin board for the convenience of Wis
itors next season affected with this in
sane passion, with columns for names and
address. and Il heading, All fools and
idiots required to register here on!y.
The park association should construct
a hotel at Upper Geyser Basin, where
now there is but a temporary lunch sta
ton. l have been informed by Hon: ID.
S Lamont. vice president of the Northern
Pacific railway, that the subject of build
ing u hotel at that point, and also "A new
one at Mammoth Hot Springs, will be
.al-.t, JVVnl,t. ltNVf-.tna,,s .t thu D4AfItN r
OF the directors of the association in De
cember next.
Camps for Visitors.
con my recommendation Il proposition
to establish permanent camps. suitable i'll
neatness, comfort, and convenience for 4
perience that mode OF outing in the park,
is now being considered by the park asso-
citation and the park transportation com
pany. There is Il demand for this kind
of accommodations, and in my judgment,
it is for the interest OF the public. and the
proper management of the park could be
best subserved by the accomplishment of
this proposition. The maximum charges
for this service should be fixed by the de-
partment, ard the acting superintendent
should see that the service charged tor,
both by the park association and the park
transportation company. are duly, proper
ly. and courteously rendered.
Many portions OF the present Travelled
roads should be macadamized and pro-
tected by strong revetments. Permanent
stone guards. connected by guard rails.
should be constructed at all dangerous
points. a massive stone or steel bridge
the former pre~ferable-should take the
place of the wooden structure in the
Golden Gate pass
Commission On Roads.
According to the report it is due to the
public that n commission. composed of Il
member of the geological survey. an Of
ticer of the engineer corps, United States
army. and a gentleman from civil life, be
~ 80 njr,r ,;,j sIN attn -,
perintendent on the location of new roads
and saddle trails. in order that all the
beauties. wonders and grand scenery may
be made accessible to visitors. PoacherS
of game and fish are not the only people
who give the officers of the park trouble,
as Colonel Young indicates later in his
report. After enumerating the number of
troops stationed about the reservation, he
says:
Foot troops are necessary in Upper
Geyser Basin and at Mammoth Hot
Springs during the summer season. in or
der to afford adequate protection to the
wonderful formations. incrustations, etc,
at these points, while the cavalry would
be occupied in keeping the main Travelled
routes thoroughly patrolled. to require all
campers travellers and other persons
found in the park to comply with the
rules and regulations governing the same.
1t is Impossible to accomplish this with
the present small force at Fort Yellow
stone
An officer of the army, Second Lieuten-
ane Elmer Lindsey. of the Fourth cavalry,
was detailed specially to care for and
watch %yer the game and fish in Yellow.
watch on the game. but on those who
came to the park to angle for the game.
is indicated in what he says of trout:
The brook trout in Gardiner river and
in the West fork (Glen creek) have
thriven and bred abundantly. especially
in Willow creek. These streams. however,
being easily accessible from the wagon
roads, and the brook trout taking the fly
so eagerly, have been fished out to such
deemd advisable to prohibit fishing in them
for 4 time. This was done, and the order
has not yet been revoked; it probably may
be revoked next s~eason-for a part of
of any fish being taken from Shoshone or
Lewis lakes. l have seen fishes of appar-
Shoshone lake, and n skeleton has been
found on the shore of Shoshone lake of a
fish that probably weighed ten pounds.
Two soldiers of Troop y. Fourth cavalry,
reported having seen schools of trout two
feet long near the mouth of De Lacey
creek in Shoshone lake"
Few New Buffalo Seen.
Buffalo. moose, elk, antelope. and bear
take up. the major part of Lieutenant
Lindsley's subreport. But very few buff
faio have been reported this season" he
says. The scouts, however, seldom see
much sign III the summer, and now the
few remaining buffalo are scattered and
range in the most remote and inaccessible
parts Of the park in summer. l am con-
iident of finding twenty-five this winter,
when the snowsho" Season sets in. and
hope there are nearly double this number
in the park. Since Idaho has forbidden
the killing of buffalo-as has Montana ana
Wyoming-l have strong hopes of being
able to protect them from further sIaugh-
ter by poachers. Whether they will still
decrease on account of natural causes
only time can tell. A strong effort is be-
ing made to protect them and to save
the remnant. if possible
Moose are becoming quite numerous in
the south part of the park, and there
are rumOrs of a band further north. but
these, writes the lieutenant, will not be
verified before snow fails. Notwithstand
ing the hard winter OF 1861, which
killed many elk and drove more out of the
park, there is no perceptible diminution
in their number. Five thousand are said
to winter in the reservation, and at least
1a.ooV leave in the autumn to winter in
the lower country. Last winter drove
many OF the antelope out of the park.
and of the number which left but few
returned. a year ago there were prob
abby loco. but now. it is unlikely that there
are half that number. Their winter range
has become infested with coyotes. whicG
kill many antelopes and worry the rest OF
them. The bear have increased and are
quite numerous: the small black bears
are very fearless. They frequent the gar.
hage dumps at all the hotels. and are
objects of much interest to tourists. They