Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-08-24
Yellowstone Park,

t
August 8, 1905.
l stopped at the entrance to the
Grand canon in my last letter, and l
stopped in sheer despair. There are
no words that will give you the slight
est conception of its grandeur. have
been so full of all the strange sights
and beauties of this wonderland, that
have scarcely been able to eat or sleep
and the canon day was the climax.
wish you, my readers, could have stood
with me on Inspiration point to look
down 1900 feet, past crags and cliffs,
to the ribbon of water babbling musi-
cally over the stones below. The
stream is here some seventy feet WIDE
yet it looks like mere creek from
that lofty promontory as Its waters
rush over the rocky bed in beautiful
shades of blues, and green's. But it is
the coloring of this canon itself that is
heavens own marvel. The word 'gor-
geous" seems altogether too weak.
An improvised platform at Inspira-
ton point allows view far down the
canon, a great gulf that shocks one
into silence. 1t is stupendous and its
coloring is perfect picture. On the
side of the canon it seem ed as if a rain
bow had been caught in it's descent
and splintered on the rocks, where in
the brilliant sunshine of this mid
summer afternoon all it's exquisite
colors lay shattered in irridescent
hues. This coloring against the bold,
strong outlines Of crags and cliffs fills
one with the profoundest awe. Fur
Their on, straight up the canon, the eye
rests on magnificent view of the
lower falls dropping in stately beauty.
On erag jutting out just above
where the coloring held us GREATNESS
under it's spell we discerned a nest and
watched what we supposed was an
eagle, but later learned was fish
hawk, circling around and around after
crow. The chase was an exciting
one and we gazed interestedly until
assured of the escape of the prey
from where we watched the return of
the fish hawk to his nest on the cliff.
All that you have ever read or heard
of canon beauty can give you no con-
ception of this gem of the Yellowstone
region. On the opposite side is what
is known as Artists point, where
Thomas Morgan is supposed to have
painted his famous picture of the canon
which now hangs at the capitol at
Washington. This fact, however, is dis
puted, but the point which gives one
of the best views Of the canon is called
Artists point.
The Falls.
From Lookout point further on down
the canon one gets fine view of both
the Upper and Lower falls, which vary
SO widely in their character. The Up
per fall pitches exultantly over the
brink of the chasm for something over
100 feet, while the Lower fall leaps
majestically into the gulch in digni-
fed, regal manner. On the opposite
side is Uncle Toms trail, looking like
a winding thread down the mighty
chasm. This furnishes fine trip for
the venturesome. Uncle Tom, an old
scout, lives on the hill and has i'm
proved the trail. making it passable to
the ordinary individual. He has thecon-
cession from the government and for
81 conducts the tourists over the trail,
and to watch them, as we did, from
securer heights of the canon, causes
one often and often tc shudder An
other trail leads down over. the Lower
falls and this is favorite descent.
The Canon hotel IS one of the oldest
in the park, having seen some eighteen
years of service. After dinner that
evening | wandered across the plaza
and trained the kodak on a graceful
fawn who had come to the deep pool
beyond the road to drink. From here
I followed the trail through the wood,
coming to the brink Of the canon, there
to ruminate on it's wild grandeur in
the waning evening light.
1t Is we'll that this is the end of the
sight seeing part of the journey, be-
cause one begins to feel here that he
could not well see more. have only
been able to jot down Impressions here
and there, for as wonders crowded
each other SO swiftly, day by day, it
seemed practically an imposs!bility to
absorb it ALL From the beginning the
wonders seem without limit. l should
tell no one to try to do the park in the
allotted five and half days; rather
twice the time should be taken to thor
oughly enjoy the unique journey and to
digest in a satisfactory measure the
true greatness of all. A fellow trav-
eler who recently visited the Grand
canon of Arizona insists that the color
ing in this Yellowstone canon is far
superior, but of that cannot say until
see the other on my return trip.
Near End of Town.
We started from Canon hotel on
Wednesday morning, the last day in
Yellowstone. The thought Of the end
was with the greatest regret. Like
children, we were loath to leave a
fairy land Thirty-one miles by stage
were 10 be done that day and at 1890
o'clock we reached. Norris, the lunch
station, from where after lunch we
re-traversed the road to Mammoth Hot
springs taken on the first day out At
Norris we babe farewell to number
of cougenial fellow travellers who had
come over what is known as the Mon