Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-10-01
SOME ORLEANS co. PEOPLE IN THE
YELLOWSTONE M TTONAL
PARK.

Looking through a bunch of old let
tors recently, came across one writ
ten in Fee 1888 by the late Mr.. Blake,
in which occurs an invitation TO
write the MONITOR on any matter
that might consider of interest to it's
readers. While yet a s'tenderfoot" I
essayed some crude descriptions and
observations of Fargo and the Red
River Valley, since which I have
refrained from using your valuable
space, not through lost interest in
Orleans county and my old friends,
but because my time has been occu-
pied with work, and my observations
have not covered any noteworthy
subjects.
Now I am just home from a two
weeks camping trip in 'sWonderland,
The Yellowstone National Park. Here
we met so many noteworthy objects,
that an attempt to describe some of
them may not be wholly without in
terest to your readers. Our party
consisted of Clarence Cowles, an AL
bany boy, Mrs. Davis, county super
intenoent of schools, from Fargo,
Laura Golden, daughter of Carrie
Hovey Golden, formerly from Orleans
county, now residing in Minneapolis,
my wife, formerly from Irasburgh,
our son Kenneth, and the writer.
Leaving Fargo in the morning, we
had daylight ride past the wheat
fields of the Red, Sheyenne and James
river valleys, across the Missouri
river, through the "Bad Lands" with
their weird, fantastic Duties. peaks
and gorges, among the cattle ranges
of eastern Montana, reaching the
Yellowstone river at Glendive near
sunset, and following up this stream
while the setting sun painted the
scuiptured pinnacles and turrets of
sandstone along its course, with col
ors no artist could reproduce, and the
twilight aftergiow fading into dark
ness wrought mystic spell which
became a part of our dreams as we
rolled up the slopes Of the foot hills
to awaken next morning in Living
stone, surrounded by the snow capped
peaks of the Snowy and Belt ranges
of the Rockies After a breakfast, |
consisting in part OF Montana grown
Strawberries and crisp trout from the
clear mountain streams, We boarded |
the train for Cinnabar, terminus of |
the Park branch of the Northern Pa /
cific Railway, forty one miles from
Livingstone. The road follows the /
valley Of the Yellowstone river, pass
ing first through the Gate of the |
Mountains, it's walls rising on either
hand to q height Of 1900 feet, then
through Paradise Valley fertile tract
some thirty miles long, extending to
"Yankee Jim Canyon" Guarding
the south entrance to this valley, |
Emigrant Peak, 10, 900 feet high, lifts
it's snowy head. Before the con-
struction of the Park branch railroad,
"Yankee Jim" George had construct
ed wagon road through the pass
bearing his name and collected toll
from all visitors to the Park regions.
This canon is narrower than the for
mer, and it's walls higher. Emerging
from the canon the road skirts the
base of Cinnabar Mountain, on the
side Of which is the "Devils Slide,"
two walls of trap rock about $50 feet
apart and extending up the mountain
nearly 1900 feet, the cleft filed with
mineral bearing rock of a cinnabar
color. Electric Peak, over II, 900 feet |
high is an object of interest, although
just outside the Park limits.
Arrived at C1nnabar, a typical from
tier town, we made the acquaintance
of our ''outfitter," guide and cook,
inspected our camp supplies, pro-
cured stock of trout flies, left our
trunks, and, donned our old clothes.
After dinner, the boys, mounted on
saddle horses, and the balance of the |
party, seated in the covered spring
wagon, driven by our guide, and with
our mess wagon driven by our cook,
started on our camping trip.
On the north boundary of the Park
we passed through the hamlet of |
Gardiner and soon began climbing up
the valley of Gardiner river, through
Gardiner canon,past Eagle Nest Rock,
a Jagged point standing out from the
canon walls about 1900 feet high and |
having on its top an eagles nest,
about which the parent birds were
soaring or perched near the nest.
The first trace of subterranean heat
seen, was at Boiling river, stream of
hot water finding it's way through un-