Evening star., 1909-08-28
EQUAL TO THE BEST
Hotels and Lunch Stations in
Yellowstone Fark.
FINE SERVICE, GOOD FARE
Each Has It's Own Manager All I'M
der One Supervision.
LARGE AMOUNT OF SUPPLIES
John Yancy, Picturesque Character,
and His Tragic Fate-Breaks
Long Established Rule.
LARGE AMOUNT OF SUPPLIES
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
| Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
OLD FAITHFUL INN, August 10, 1909
| In all my travels in different parts of
the world, I have never found any hotels
| more comfortable or better kept than
the Ave great houses and the two lunch
stations in Yellowstone Park. This fact
| is the more remarkable because the near
est one is fifty-four miles from any kind
of a market. the rest are still farther
away. and everything that is used. ex-
| cept water and cream and milk. has to
be hauled in wagons from fifty-four to
seventy-five miles.
1t may seem incredible, but at the
lunch station at Norris Basin we had a
| luncheon and a dinner that were not
only as we'll cooked, but served upon as
| fine china, with as many novelties. as
| could be furnished at Delmonico's or the
Waldorf at New York. At dinner the
first course was caviar served in an
artistic basket carved from a chunk OF
Ice. and the other courses were offered
| in equally dainty forms. or course the
ordinary luncheon is not served with
such frills. because an average of 4bC
hungry and hurried tourists begin to
| ing and want to get away soon as
they can. The dining room will seat 12O
people, and four luncheons have to be
served in two hours. the tables cleared
china each time. We stayed all the aft
ernoon and all night. and the cook. who
seems to be genius. and the mana
geress, who is said to be the best hotel
keeper In Wyoming. had time to make
a little display. but l mention the in
pi6anf Show what the OF the
station are. and the taste and accom-
plishments Of those who are in charge.
Surprises in Bills Of Fare.
Inn. about twenty miles from the Oregon
Short Line entrance on the west side of
the park. and were so surprised at the
that I folded up the bill of fare and car
ity. But, after day or two at the Old
Faithful Inn. the Fountain bill of fare
lost its significance, for we found some
thing similar lying on the table before
us three times every day. It is not a
long bill of fare. but an unusually short
one, like those of the Swiss hotels in
Europe. But everything Is 80 wholesome.
SO well cooked and SO well served that
i cannot leave the park without this ex-
preston of appreciation Of the service
L
hotels and his associates are doing for
the public
Mr. Farrow is Canadian by birth.
He received his professional training In
California. began service in the park sew
eral years ago as a clerk at the Mammoth h
Hot Springs Hotel, was afterward it's
manager and five years ago was promot-
ed to be superintendent Of all the seven
establishments Of the Yellowstone Park
Association. He has a task quite differ
ent and more difficult than that of any
city hotel keeper l know. but every tour
list who has a sense of appreciation will
testify to the perfect manner in which 1t
is done.
If you see a tall man with very bald
head and a cheerful countenance driving
and walking about the park without hat
you may be sure 1t is Mr.. Farrow. His
face and scalp are thoroughly tanned,
and are the color of one OF those neat
little racing saddles used by Jockeys on
the English turf. He hasn't worn a hat
summer or winter for five years. He
goes about in the rain and the snow with
the thermometer twenty degrees below
zero, with his head as bare as an ostrich
egg Mr.. Farrow does this as penance
for the bad hotel keeping of the world.
He realizes that some one should suffer
for the sins of his profession. and is thus
sacrificing himself FOR them.
An Exquisite Bungalod.
The prettiest artificial object in the
park. an exquisite little bungalow back
Of the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. is
the source of all the supplies that are
consumed in the park stranger would
suppose 1t to be the studio Of an artist,
and many visitors consider II an act of
sacrilege to use such an artistic building
for such a practical purpose: but Mr.. l..
8. Wells, who has been quartermaster
and commissary for the Yellowstone Park
Association for eleven years. insists that
he has earned the privilege. The bunga-
low was designed and built by Mr.. Ream-
er. the architect Of the association, who
built Old Faithful Inn and is now design
ing similar hotels for the canyon of the
Yellowstone and Mammoth Hot Springs.
During the season, which lasts from 11O
to 120 days. the hotels of the park take
care of $4,000 or 5000 people. and as
nothing is produced here, all the supplies
have to be brought from Chicago. ST.
Paul and other Cities except the milk
and cream. which are supplied under
contract from herd OF $50 dairy cows
maintained there until fall by the con-
tractor. The Mammoth Hot Springs
Hotel. which stands at the northern en-
trance, Is supplied from dairy near
Livingston. on the Northern Pacific rail-
road. All the meats. eggs. chickens. but
ter and similar perishable supplies are
shipped in from Omaha and st. Paul
daily, and in the upper part of the park
Is q slaughter mouse, Wner6 contractor
fattens, kills and dresses beef. veal. NUT
ton and pork for the neighboring two or
three hotels. Salmon and halibut ar
rive daily from Seattle by express over
the Northern Pacific railroad. and, being
landed at Gardiner, are re-iced and
transferred to express wagons. by which
they reach the most remote hotel within
sixty hours after leaving Seattle. Other
fish, chiefly mountain trout, are sup
piled by professional fishermen employed
by the hotel company.
Vegetables Delivered Daily.
Fresh vegetables are delivered daily
from a garden In Gardiner valley, three
or four miles below Mammoth Hot
Springs Hotel. This garden was started
by Col. Jack" Pitcher when he was in
command of Fort Yellowstone several
years ago, for the benefit of the soldiers
| of the garrison; but his successor in
command turned it over to the hotel COM
pany Mr. Reanner, the architect, has
recently built a charming little bunga-
| low there, so that the Chinese gardener
| now lives in the most attractive dwell
| ing in the park. with the exception OF
| that of Mr. Child, the president Of both
| the hotel and the stays companies. And
| he deserves 1t.
He Is a genius. and contributes as much
| as any other citizen and more than Oh
| per cent of them to the happiness and
comfort of travellers who come this way.
/ mt. boy iy,'