Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-12-26
RETIREMENT
OFW. W. W YLIE
eozeman Man Who Has Hosts Of
Friends in Fergus County Quits
Transportation Business.
MADE A FORTUNE IN THE PARK
Was the Pioneer Guide for Tourists in
WonderIand-TeIls Of His
First Trip.

w. w. Wylie. of Bozeman, until re-
Gently head of the Wylie Transporter
ton company, the pioneer concern
in the tourist business in the Yellow
stone National park, says that last
season was ten banner year for the
transportation companies doing bust
ness in Wonderland Mr.. Wylie re-
Gently sold out his business, and will
devote his time to his extensive ranch
interests near Bozeman He said to-
day at the Finlen hotel, where he
is stopping, that he did not expect
to again enter the transportation bus
mess.
NO" he said, Il am through with
it l was offered a large salary to
take charge of the business recently
sold out, but had l desired to remain
in it to that extent, | would not have
disposed of the company.
Pioneer in the Business.
Mr.. Wylie is the pioneer in the bus
mess His first trip to the park was
made 25 years ago. The following
year he began the business Of con-
Quoting tourists through the geyser
region, and has been engaged in it up
to the present time. One or two
teams constituted his first outfit, and
from that mis- business steadily grew
untol it reached enormous proportions.
This season Mr.. Wylie had SIS coach
es in his outfit and employed ITS per-
t1,n No, cd
patrons, and he was compelled to re-
fuse business to 1900 others, owing
to his lack of facilities for caring for
them. His business exceeded $780,
900 for the season recently ended
larger than any other in the history
Of the company.
Evolution Of the Business.
When Mr.. Wylie first conducted
parties through the park he packed
his camping outfits from place to place
as do other campers. Then he pur-
chased number Of expensive camp
wagons. designed for use in the park.
These wagons were houses on wheels,
built on the order of a sheep herder's
wagon. only much more complete and
elaborate. The tourist who journey
ed with them ate in the wagon and al
SO slept there in hunks let down from
the sides. These wagons did not prove
satisfactory. They were too heavy for
the roads in the park as they existed
in those days, and were finally dis
carded.
Establishes Permanent Camps.
In the end. Mr.. Wylie devised the
system of maintaining permanent
camps in half a score of the most in
teresting parts of the park and at
convenient intervals from each other
Being the pioneer in the business, he
secured the concession for these
camps from the secretary of the in
terror, and the scheme proved SO sue
cessful that his business began to in
crease with amazing rapidty. Last
season. as stated, he booked 1000
tourists. To transport them he had
to have several hundred horses and
many coaches, his outfit only being
exceeded by the Park Transportation
company, which is run in connection
with the hotels.
Mr.. Wylie spoke today of his first
trip to the park:
Dick Jockey His Companion.
Il made it in the summer of 1886
in company with Dick Jockey, of Hell
ena," he said. 'Mr. Jockey and left
BoZeman on horseback and made OuI
way up the Yellowstone to Gardiner
We had started for Cooke, but We
heard of the wonders of the park and
concluded to investigate for ourselves
Colonel Norris was then working in
the park, later completing a road some
distance into the interior, | remember
that the trip cost Mr. Jockey and my
self just 1927 a piece. Mr. Jockey
was the cook, and | remember he GU
the bacon pretty thin.
81 was SO vastly impressed with the
park that that summer | took my fam
lily through the wonderful region, ant
after that began to take tourist.
through for pay. | have followed TIM
business up to the present time, bu
I am out of it for good now. Butte
InterMountain.