The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1906-08-02
GLIMpsEs Of HADEs
FOR THE EDITORS
Look Into the Mysterious Things
Of Our National Park

The First Of Series of Letters on the I'm.
pressons Of Yellowstone Park...Won.
derful Does Not Describe 1t
For years we have been reading and
hearing about the wonders of Yellow
stone Park, but not until the past week
were we privileged to see for ourselves
the scenic beauty and grandeur of our
great national playground. 1t is an
immense thing, and grander, and we
might say in many instances more
hideous, than the mind had ever con-
templated. From the time we entered
the Park until we again passed from its
borders there was something unusual
passing before our eyes; the pictures
and the descriptions are not half COM
parison.
We reached Gardiner, the entrance
to the Park, late in the afternoon of
the 22nd. We were soon aboard six
horse tally-ho which carries us through
the official gateway, splendid arch
way of lava erected by the government
in 1903 at an expense of $4,000. 1t is
only stretch Of miles to Mammoth
Hot Springs, the business center of the
park. The roadway follows the Gard
iner river and for short distance we
see the beautiful Gardiner canyon, the
road skirting the banks 1,5OO feet above
the water. AS we come to the Nam
moth hotel to our right is Fort Yellow
stone, where are quartered two COM
panies of United States cavalry, the
commanding officer being superinten-
dent of the Park.
After supper our party took stroll
across the great terraces of the Nam
moth Hot Springs. The present ac-
tivity is some 300 feet above the bottom
of the plateau, the eminence being
formed by the thermal action of the
water which is impregnated with car
Donate of lime. The boiling water
keeps rising in the center and as it flows
over the edge it keeps forminga crusty
substance in the shape of dam. The
place where it overiows keeps chang
ing and in that way the edge on top is
kept quite level. As the cooling water
keeps rolling down the sides it presents
very pretty picture. From the pur-
est of white in the center to the deeper
shades of yellow and the predominant
ing tints Of orange, with pools of blue
water at the bottom, the color effects
are beautiful. At the base of the larg-
est terrace is Liberty Cap, an extinct
cone, which towers fifty-two feet high,
and has diameter of twenty feet.
Near this is the DEVILS Thumb, sim
liar structure, and running into the
mountain. Here are many terraces,
the largest, Jupiter, being 1900 feet
across, and small geyser which is
quite active. We passed the night at
the fine hotel here, where the service
is equal to any of the large palatial
hotels of the country. A splendid
orchestra regaled the guests with mu-
SIC uu1ulS tAS SVSAAAAS.
At 500 in the morning all was ready
for the drive of forty miles to the Low
er Geyser Basin. Our party was
divided into coach loads of eleven, and
the writer had the pleasure of being
classed in No. 2, with members Of the
California crowd of three years ago.
There were our newly elected presi-
dent, "Guvner" Wilson of Bathgate,
Wells of Litchville, Crary of Edmore,
Bryant of Napoleon, Wright of Oakes,
and their wives, and the good-looking
Taylor of LaMoure. M. E. Sheridan,
alias ''Silver Tip" as he is best known
in the Park, was our driver, and by his
affable and courteous ways he soon had
the esteem and confidence of the party.
The road leads along the winding.
Gardiner river, and as we pass from
Mammoth Hot Springs we ascend ], 200
feet in distance of less than three
miles. The first thing of interest we
pass through are the "Hoodoos," an
extinct crater, where slender shafts of
limestone and rock rear their heads far
above us with ugly. looking holes and
passes between them. This is supposed
to be where the crust had broken in
showing the interior of what was once
steaming, active mountain. AS we
pass further along we come to mar
row roadway cut through the great cliffs
of limestone that rise abruptly about
seventy-ive feet, and what has been
named "Silver Gate" Again we come
to another pass where the cliffs rise
from 200 to 300 feet above US, and what
from the golden color Of the yellow
moss that grows on its sides has been
properly termed Golden Gate" This
looks like q dangerous road, and with
inexperienced horses and coachman, it
would not be very inviting to Dakotan
who is use to wide and level roads.