Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1909-10-21
A Trip Through Yellowstone Park.

Miss Ellen Welshans, of Shepherds
town, has handed US a very interesting
letter written by her niece, Miss Irene
Welshans, descriptive Of trip through
the famous Yellowstone Park, from which
we take the following extracts:
We reached the lower geyser basin,
where we stopped at the Fountain Hotel
and had lunch, then hurried out to see the
geysers. There were none in action, and
there were none of particular interest
there, except to see the boiling water
bubbling up in so many places and leav-
ing peculiar crusty formation where it
bubbled over and ran down the SIDES.
But the wonderful feature here was the
Mammoth Paint Pots-a Seething, boiling
mass just like large pot OF Stacking lime,
only thicker, and of the most beautiful
coloring one could imagine, from a creamy
white to deep rose pink. How it did
grumble and roar under the ground That
afternoon we drove only nine miles TO
Old Fountain Inn, but we stopped several
times on Our way to see things of interest.
We drove over "Hel's half acre." so
named for the numberleSS boiling pools
and springs The only difference be-
tween these and geysers is that the gey-
sers are active and these are not. Then
we saw the Emerald Springs. the color OF
which is as near that of an emerald as
could be. The color is in the formation
down on the sides, under the water, and
the depth of color depends on the depth
of the pool or spring. The black sand
pool is named from the black sand all
around it, the only one of its kind, and
cannot be accounted for. The turquoise
spring is perfectly beautiful, named also
for the color. think the morning glory"
is the prettiest OF all. II was perfect
morning glory in shape as well as color.
and left very little for the imagination.
We arrived at Old Faithful Inn in time to
clean up little for dinner. Old Faithful
geyser, near the inn, plays once every
hour to height OF $50 feet and has new
er been known TO miss-hence his name.
After dinner guide took us around over
the formations. This section is called the
upper geyser basin, and here there is
enough OF interest to keep one busy
week. So many geyserS-the lion, lion
ess and cubs, which play rather uncer-
tainly at different times and vary quite a
bit; also the giant and giantess; the cas-
tie, said to be the oldest; the punch bowl,
the oyster and shell, the grotto, the sponge
and the butterfly-all named because of
their resemblance to these different OBJ
jects. We saw Old Faithful play four
times, the only one we did see in action,
and once at night with the search light
thrown on. II was magnificent.
The next morning we were up bright
and early and drove all day, reaching
Yellowstone Lake late in the afternoon.
That evening we went out for little
while to see the bears. About block
back OF the hotel is the garbage dump"
where the bears come from the woods to
get their suppers. II was really amusing
to watch them, and how the small bears
would scoot for tree when larger bear
put in his appearance. We saw five that
evening, four large ones and one cub,
some black bears and one silvertip or
grizzly. The next morning we drove
eleven miles to The canyon, getting there
about eleven o'clock. II was beautiful
drive.
After lunch we drove five miles down
to Inspiration Point and Grand View,
both spots very well named. The cam
yon is wonderful and beautiful beyond
description. The crags and rocks pro-
jecting everywhere look just like the
ruins of old castles, while the coloring of
the sands that cover the sides is marvel
ous-every imaginable color and shade
and the falls of Yellowstone river, whose
water is clear, bright green, only adds
TO the beauty OF it all. We saw two ca
gles' nests out on the crags. The depth
of the canyon is from 200 TO 250feet. We
climbed down 494 steps to the falls TO see
the sunlight give it the rainbow tints, and
it was well worth the exertion. That ev-
ening also we went out to see the bears.
That time we saw fourteen, though not all
at the same time. 1t is so amusing TO see
how afraid they are OF each other. They
have great respect for size. We watched
them until dark and then went TO the ho-
tel. The next day we had long drive,
eleven miles in the morning and twenty
in the afternoon. We saw the twin lakes,
which were beautiful The water was
the "bluest' ever saw. Also the bea-
ver-dam, built clear across the Gibbon
river, and Obsidian Cliff, a mountain of
black glass which is so hard it can't be
drilled into at ALL The last four miles Of
our drive was beautiful, all down grade
through the Gardiner canyon, down the
cork-ScreW curve, tnrough the golden
gate-an immense rock on either side of
the road, of golden stone-past the hoo
docs, large field with nothing but pc
euliar shaped white rocks very much like
ghosts, and down past the mammoth hot
springs and the terrace over which the
hot water flows constantly, until we
reached our destination, the Mammoth
Hotel. And it was mammoth II is the
headquarters of all the government Off
ciaIs. But most wonderful OF all TO me is
the park in front of the hotel, with foun-
tain playing in it and the beautiful lawns
and gardens with greenest grass and most
perfect vegetables and fruit growing from
the ground that was once covered by this
crlISty formation from these hot mineral