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

OF climbing down into crevices and
chipping of ice to melt for drinking
purposes, nor how good the contents
Of the first water hole tasted. The
first night we camped in the bottom
of one Of the cinder craters was one
to be remembered. l do not know
how to make you understand the
feeling that came over US when dark
ness came. We had been more or
less boisterous in our conduct around
the campfire on other nights. This
night we we're quiet as II apprehen-
sive of something. guess it was a
feeling that IL anything did happen
it would be another eruption and we
would go with it. The light. OF our
fire played on the sides Of the gigan-
tic funnel we were in. At times it
would be lighted up about a hundred
feet or more on it's slopes with black
shadows from the rocks coming and
| Sing; above that were the black
ings of the unlighted portion, and
beyond that a huge ring of jet black
sky with here and there star show
ng thru. We were strangely silent
and awed. 1t is little to be wondered
1t that the superstitious Indians
feared this country.
Presently we passed into an open
country, formed of cinder cones and
| ashes with small patches of scrub
cedar, juniper, pinion pine and
timber pine on the slopes or around
the bases of the cinder buttes. Incl
dentally, this is the farthest south
the timber pine is found. There were
also large patches Of pear cactus. l
believe this to be about the northern
limit for this cactus.
After reaching crater we after
wards named Echo crater, a central
camp was established. Cole re-
NAMED in charge, while l went on
thru and returned with Era Martin
and Yves Watson, who were waiting
for us on the north. The four of us
made our side trips of exploration
from this camp, each day bringing
some new and unexpected feature to
view.
Ancient Bear Tracks
Northeast of Echo crater were sew
eral large cinder flats from quarter
to half mile long. AS we came
closer we were surprised to see rows
Of white spots crossing them in all
directions. Closer examination
showed these to be bear tracks made
hundreds Of years ago before the lava
ash had become packed and hard.
The wind had carried variety of
plant seed and dust and deposited it
in the tracks, where it had taken
root. (This plant was afterwards
identified as variety Of pigmy buck
wheat.) In a few places the tracks
81 animals as small as coyotes or bob
cats could easily be followed.
Near the Bear Track Flats" we
found the most recent sign of vol
canic eruption, piece of sagebrush
with a clot of lava frozen" around
1t. Evidences were found that would
indicate this most recent upheaval
was in miniature and occurred not to
exceed more than $50 to 200 years
ago, possibly as late as. the eruption
of Buffalo Hump in Boise county in
1866.
Northward from Bear Track
Flats" our attention was attracted
by a series Of rock formations like
oldtime dome-shaped beehives.
Closer examination showed them to
be cones of lava, each with hole or
volcanic throat in the top. The open
ings were generally perpendicular
and in all observed were twisted or
rather rif1ed like gun barrel, We
or1 IN of
pirate for this place than Trench
Mortar Flat" Several Of these oddly
formed trench mortars' were
double barrelled. Many of them were
plugged up by rocks which had been
thrown in and caught crossways a
few feet down. Since well defined
Indian trail ran hundred yards to
the east, it was probably the work of
the Indians. We often wondered
what they thought of the region.
Northwest of Trench Mortar
Flats" was the largest cinder cone of
the group. 1t was possibly thou
sand feet high and we named it big
Cinder Butte" Just below this
cone runs series of low rolling
cinder hills near which we found the
peculiar lava known as blue
Dragon Flow" which is like blue and
gray taffy candy, magnified until it's
minute twists and folds are as much
as thirty feet across. In some places
it had the form of whirlpool, in
others it resembled gigantic sankes
from a few inches to two or three
feet in diameter. Here was wave
Of the lava tapping over the one next
to it as If it had instantly frozen
while in motion. Yonder was a
place where the pressure from under
meath had cracked the surface and
forced out long roll or tube Of lava
several yards in length. A spectacle
of this kind is impossible of descrip-
ton. There were more odd and
fantastic shapes and formations than
enc would believe existed in the
whole world.
Lava a Cobalt Blue
Perhaps the strangest feature of
this flow was its color and texture.
The surface was as smooth as glass
in many places and the color rich
cobalt blue. The tint was in what
looked to be varnish or enamel.
Pieces Clipped off showed that this
coating extended to an average OF
about one-quarter inch.
Standing on the edge of this re-
mark a hle Mace we watched the play