The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-09
= he polar regions ere hardly
less accessible than the yell
lowstone National Park-thc


a lowstone National Park-tht
N greatest playground OF The
American peoples in winter. This
is scarcely conceivable, for in summer
10000 visitors now find it one OF the
easiest places to reach and to traye
through,
Lieutenant Frederick Schwat5a
made an attempt TO explore the park
IN January nearly twenty five year.
ago He had returned not long before
from an expedition in search Of Sill
John Franklin's party that had perish
ed IN the arctic regions. Before that
ne had been on 1900 mile sledcc
tourney in the frozen north and had
suffered terrible hardships On his triu
into the Yellowstone Park Lieutenant
Schwatka was accompanied by large
we'll organized party. They Travelled
on Norwegian skis and Canadian web
snowshoes; but the snow was SO light
that 1t would not support them. and
their toboggans were exceedingly diff
cult to draw. 1t took them three DAYS
TO cover twenty miles. Lieutenant
6ohwatka, Injured as he was to such
nardships, fell III and was unable to
proceed. He and all the rest Of the
party but four OF the sturdiest mon
turned back. The photographer, r
Jay Haynes; Edward Wilson, a govern
ment scout, and two others kept on
1t took them twenty nine days to make
the circuit OF the park. 200 miles The
thermometer ranged between 40 and
90 degrees below zero most OF the time
and the adventure nearly cost then,
their lives.
Winter Population Of the playground. ,
The total winter population OF the
park Is usually between four and nv.
hundred people These include three
troops Of cavalry. The cavalry can us.
their horses only during the sunl1ne,
months. During the winter they are
stabbed at Fort Yellowstone. The stage
horses are driven down TO the low
lands. miles away, when the tourist
season is over. and Craze in the shell
tered valleys there until the SHOWS
melt.
In the great hotels that are thronge1
during the tourist season live only the
caretakers. generally two in each place
q man and his wife. The first blizzard
isolates from the world outside every.
BODY in this great nationa! domain thai
has an area Of S.312 square miles NJ
valley within its limits has an elevation
OF less than 5000 feet, while many Of
the mountain peaks within and nea,
the Park RICE from 10000 TO 1900
I rect above sea level. Yellowstone Lake
10 by 20 miles IA sizei Is the larges
body Of Watertn Enierica at that alti.
tude. 7,74l feet above the sea On thu
summit OF the range, a few miles south
OF Yellowstone Lake. is Two Ocea1
Pond. small lake with two outlets
one into the Atlantic through the Vel
io"stone and Missouri rivers. the 9th.
eF INTO the Pacific through the Snak,
river, a branch OF the Columbia Tn,
Grand Canyon OF the Yellowstone. te,
miles long. has an average depth q
1.2oo feet and Is the most Brilliant,
colored landscape in existence. But Il
winter everything is blanketed with
snow eight to ten feet deep. All is Ice
hound except the more than half hun
dred great geysers that throw thei
columns Of boiling water hundreds o
feet In the air. almost as little seen b,
humankind as when they began thci
spoutings ages ago.
From December to March the en-
forced dwellers in the Park are ncarl,
ne much cut off from the world a
though they were penncd in BY the Pc
lar Ice. OF course the telephone an,
the telegraph bring them scraps q
news from the outer world, but IN
only way OF getting about is on snow
shoes. or skis. Even then tho dig
tances between the places where tn
people live are so great and the way
90 dangerous that few venture fortl
Only the Government scouts who's
duty 1t IS to look after the wild life +
the Park and see that it is not rnoiestc
By poachers get out at all. The res
Of the people there are like the bears
|. they hibernate until Spring. An am
>sc!e supply Of fuel and provisions 1
4 laid In before the first snowstorns be
GIN to sweep over the Continental III
vide.2and there ia little to DO until IN
sun swings northward and the snow
melt
Building a Hotel Amid Arctic TEN
perature.
Despite the arctic rigors OF this re
gion. however. $50 men hayc bee
fighting the cold there this wntt
completing the nth Of the big hote
that are the hating places OF touris,
In this summer playground that be
longs to the people OF the Unite
States. The first order prepared on II
kitchen ranges OF this new hostelr
which stands on the brink OF the gret
prectDice down which roars endless
the mighty cataract of the Yellowston
ives for nails. Nails big and little, brat