The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-04-21
SN0M SHOE PARTY
AT
OBSlDlAN CLIFF

and spikes. tenpennies and shingles, had
to be heated on the cook stoves before
the carpenters could handle them The
hotel had to be finished In time for the
summer season. when the park il in
its brief period Of verdant glory
More people will go to the Yellow
stone National Park this year than ever
before. In 1872. when the Federal Gov
eminent dedicated it las a public park
or pleasure ground for the benefit and
enjoyment Of the people," probably not
more than a thousand persons a year
were visiting 1T. In the next twenty
three years the number of visitors
climbed slowly to about 5000 annual
~. In 1895. the authorities began
counting the persons who entered the
Park. and complete records have been
kept ever since. There were 5,43S Wis
itors In 1895. Ten years later the num-
Der had risen to 26.1SS. In 1906, 1t
dropped to 17.172- The next year it
fell or nearly thousand. In 1908 the
total was 1918. Then came the most
remarkable increase In visitors that
the park ever has known. In 1909, there
were nearly twice as many (32.545) as,
the. year before. This was principally
800 ~ tiS OPOL4Aa6 OA a new IdllIOaQ
gateway to the 'park-at Yellowstone,
Montana-which made it much easier
OF access.
A Bit Of e. n. Harriman's Wixardry.
This came about through a visit that
the late e. H. Hartman made to the
Park in the summer of 1904. He was
20 impressed by the wonders of the
Park that he Immediately ordered the
IHro ION,
from the Oregon Short Line. a. part of
tho Union Pacific system. to the west
ern border of the Park. This road,
from Idaho Falls to Yellowstone, Mon
tana- twenty miles from the lower
Geyser Basin. was finished Nov IL,
1907, and was opened for tranic the
following June. 1t Is 1o7 miles long and
cost nearly $1,000 900. Its construction
called into play the greatest energy and
skill In the science of railroad build
ing:
Owing to the deep SHOWS and severe
winters work could be carried on DUR
ing only about four months of the year
But, in that brief season. a vast army of
men and machines toiled night and
day. The giant mountain barriers with
their deep valleys In between had to be
conquered. That part of the earth
where the rails ran had to be remod-
eled SO as to secure the safest and
easiest grades. Probably no railway,
where so many obstacles had to be
overcome. ever was built in SO short a
time. But the largely increased num-
Der of visitors to the Park has proved
that the new line is fully appreciated
OF the more than 10000 who entered
the Park last year nearly half went by
20 NJ
Hartman created.
The government scouts who are guard
ians of the wild creatures are about
the only ones who ever see much OF
the winter beauties Of the Park. Those
who have been there any length OF
time have learned much that is new
about the habits of the animals that
abound there. although they are chiefly
concerned in keeping poachers out of
the park. There are fewer Of these
now than there used to be, because
heavier penalties have been laid by the
Government on those who are caught
The few that do venture into the Park
mostly come In winter Then there is
less chance of their being detected. but
more risk of losing their lives in the
cold and snow. One thing more than
oil others teInpts them-the buffalo.
INSCRIPTIONS taxidermists win pay the
weight in silver for a buffalo head
nowadays. for these heads are practi-
cally unattainable by legitimate means.
The rest of the wild creatures that
make their homes in the Park are sell
| dom molested.
Poaehing In the Deep Shows.
1t has been seventeen years since one
OF these poachers after buffalo has
been caught. but he did So much dam
| age before he waa arrested that It has
| taken a long time to make up for it.
Early in March. 1894, a party was or
ganized at Fort Yellowstone for the
purpose of visiting the winter ranges
of the game to ascertain the exact
number Of buffalo that still existed and
to photograph them. The party trav-
eled on Norwegian snowshoes. with
packs Of sleeping bags. provisions and
camera. directly to Hayden Valley via
Norris and the Grand Canyon. They
found eighty-one buffalo in the valley,
together with numerous small groups
| OF elk aggregating more than 800.