The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-04-14

sands and range In size from the
length OF your little finger to about
twelve feet long.
To one crater we gave the name of
Bottomless Pitt, because we could
not hear rocks hit the bottom. The
top of its throat Is about thirty feet
across, gradually narrowing until.
ABOUT sixty feet down, 1t opens up
again like the interior OF bottle. I
would like to be lowered down there
on good cable with search light
and telephone. In many places of
similar nature in the west the
Indians had habit of throwing in
offerings which ranged from food to
personal effects and weapons. The
remains OF what was at one time a
well travelled trail led to the ton of
the cone about a quarter and half a
mile wide and about thousand feet
deep. Near it was another large
crater, the bottom Of which contained
small lake. 1t is, think the only
rival of Crater lake, Oregon, in the
united States. The water in it is lev
cold.
The sides of these craters were in
most instances bright almost YER
million red. The explosion seemed
to have been southwark as the walls
OH that side were preached away and
In many places huge islands of GIN
ders and ash had been undermined
and fiOated away on the lava. There
was one crater that might be likened
to huge frying pan of mush that
had been furiously boiling and in
stantly frozen. Imagine the pan a
half mile across and red in color with
the bubbles, rolls, folds and twists
proportionately magnified and you
have faint conception Of what it
was like. At low place, the lava
had broken thru and flowed in the
form of mountain stream down the
slope. We found place where the
lava had flowed over a small cliff
leaving cascade of solid rock. At
the bottom it was churned up in
folded twisted mass.
Often as we walked over these
lava formations they would resound
hollow to our tread and could not
have been over two or three inches
in thickness. There were hundreds
Of openings that might prove to be
caves upon exploration. We were
not equipped for this sort of work
and did not attempt it, but are going
back with a large party better equip
ped and with more time at our dis
pOsal.
AS we passed along the trail our
attention was attracted to a number
of rock mounds covered with charred
sagebrush rots. Closer examination
showed fourteen piles of rock ar
ranged in a row, each pile from five
to eight feet long and an average of
two and half or three feet wide.
The top of the piles In each instance
was covered WIFI charred roots and
looked from short distance like
huge pile of snakes. Only excavation
will show what they really contain,
altho the probabilities are they are
ancient Indian graves.
At all places of interest the COM
pass was set up and bearings taken
on prominent landmarks. These were
recorded as otherwise it would be
practically impossible to locate many
Of the places again. AS far as lay
in our power nothing was left to
chance. We came thru with no mis-
haps of any kind, which was remark
able when you consider we carried
everything necessary to our existence
on our backs, including a SKI camera
tripod, binoculars, surveyors COM
pass, guns, blankets, etc. Deny
drafted food was used. We came out
with about 200 pictures and recol-
lections Of wonderful trip and are
going back this time with moving
pi,ture outfit that others may see
in apparent reality some of the ex-
periences we had. Idaho should and
will awake to the possibilities of this
region as scenic attraction, for
of a like nature of it's size
exists in America. There are in the
United States seventeen national
parks and twenty-eight national
monuments; in fact, about every
state in the west has it's scenic at
of national recognition and
some have six or seven or even more.
No more fitting tribute to the vol
canic forces which built the great
Snake river valley could be paid than
to make this into national park
and when roads are constructed so as
to enable cars to get iii this region,
of the tourists who yearly
pass along the Lincoln highway, a
few miles distant on their way to and
from Yellowstone park, will avail
themselves, OF the opportunity.
1daho's public should and ultimately
will demand that her senator's intro
duce bill suitably framed to give
it the recognition it deserves. When
it does | shall feel that our many
days of work packing outfit and
camera across have not been in vain.
There is one thing to be deplored
and it is that the mounds and other
features built by the Indians will
have been torn down and destroyed
with their contents carried off for
the personal qualification of an UNI
few. Cannot something be
doe to prevent this?
From Sundays Idaho Statesman.
-