The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-07-14
LARGE TRAFFIC
IN YELLOWSTONE
American Habit of TAX
ing Long Trips Well
illustrated

l.
Travel to Yellowstone national park,
always the best barometer of yaca-
tion travel in the west, gives every
promise of making 1920 the best
tourist season on record.
1t is significant fact, too, that
most of the visitors to Yellowstone
this year have been no casual "flit-
ters," 'hurriedly scanning the Won
ders of this park, then Fastening
home on a return ticket, but are
tourists in the broadcast sense of the
term, making the grand circle of the
west and learning the wonders of
their country as never before.
Persons entering Yellowstone
from the north at Gardiner, Mont,
and from the west at West Yellow
stone, Mont, in almost all cases have
been around by Los Angeles, then up
to San Francisco, Portland and Sc
attic, perhaps into Glacier national
park, and intervening cities. They
go out to Salt Lake City and Den
yer. Visitors coming in from the
east by way of Cody already have
seen Denver, Colorado Springs,
Rocky Mountain national park and
the Wyoming, cities, and continue
their journey to the Pacific coast.
Travel from the south through Jack
son hole and Snake river valley has
been restricted by road trouble, but
few western motorists have made
the journey, finding ample compen-
sation in the beautiful scenery OF
the Tetons, which soon will be made
a part of the Greater Yellowstone"
Never before have the Yellowstone
roads been opened to travel so early
under such difficult conditions as
| this year. The extremely hard Win
ter, which caused much suffering
among the wild animals, piled forty
feet of snow in Sylvan pass on the
east, Dunraven pass on the north
and the Snake river valley on the
south, but thoroughfare was pro-
vided in excellent time. Heroic eff
forts were necessary, of course. A
snow shovel was improvised to meet
the situation, being contrived from
a caterpillar tractor and sheet iron.
Nearly two-score road crews were
put to work mending the soft spots
with stone and earth, and tourists
received the benefit in being able to
make the entire loop tour without
| danger or discomfort.
Sylvan pass was opened first, al
most the entire road force of the
park being modified there in CO.
operation with citizens of Cody, to
accommodate the great number or
people coming into the park by way
of Cody, Cheyenne and Casper. The
road was opened June II; the ear
Hest previous date was June 20.
Snake river came next. The first
car passed through June %. Dun
raven pass, the beautiful scenic route
from Yellowstone canyon to Nam
moth hot springs by way of Tower
falls and the Roosevelt country, an
exceedingly difficult mountain road
which reaches an altitude of $500
feet, was opened July 1. Visitors
had great sport snowballing and TAX
ing pictures on the drifts which bor-
dered the road, dwarfing the big
motor buses. 1t was necessary to
close Dunraven two days later when
very warm day made great head
way in the snowbanks, producing
soft spots in the road that were
considered dangerous, but those
were remedied In brief twenty
four hours, and the pass was open
ed again.
Beginning slowly travel in the
park picked up quickly and soon
passed last years figures. Through
July 6, when the gates had been
open officially for less than three
weeks, 11,702 persons had entered
Yellowstone, compared with 10,o79
last year. The number Of motor
vehicles admitted was exactly the
same, but the seasons daily average
was showing a steady growth. The
total number Of automobiles admit
ted through July was 1885.
f-
lMarsha1 Foch