The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-12-09
NEW NATIONAL
PARK IN MONTANA
PROPOSED PLAYGROUND LIES
WEST OF DILLON AND
SOUTH OF BUTTE
Influential Individuals Join In Effort
to Set Aside Magnificent Scenic
Section for Park Purposes, and
Small Reservation Already Has
Been Made.

1t Is possible that within the next
two years Montana will have another
national park to be known as the
Elkhorn National park, which will
lie entirely within the borders of the
Treasure state and which will contain
scenery second to none of the nation
al parks now in existence. The plan
is now being worked out by q num-
Der Of the representative citizens of
the southern section of the state and
several influential members of con-
gress have expressed themselves as
in favor of the proposed park, which
will lie in what is now an almost in
accessible mountain country 80 miles
west of Dillon and so miles south of
Butte and Anaconda.
The idea first had its inception
several years ago when Frank B.
Felt, we'll known mining man of the
Elkhorn country, and Judge Joseph
c. Smith of Dillon, together with
number of influential citizens of the
Grasshopper country, gathered con-
tributions for the development of
Elkhorn Hot Springs, one of the two
hot springs in the entire country
which remain as government proper
ty, and directly under government
control. The springs, known for
their medicinal quality since the
earliest history of the white man in
this country and before that used by
the Indian tribes for untold ages,
had fallen into disuse and accommo-
datfons were of such nature and the
roads were so impossible that it ne
cessitated pioneering instinct to
spend a few days at the healing wa
ters.
Land Set Aside
Contributions poured into the COM
mittee and the United States govern
ment, represented here by the Bea-
verhead national forest, in which the
springs are located, set aside 24O
acres as a reserve and constructed q
road which is a model of highway
building and which stretches for q
distance of two and half miles down
Grasshopper. creek to junction with
the old county road to the mining
country. A plunge was constructed
of concrete. 20 by 40 feet, which in
less than year proved to be entirely
inadequate and which was supple
mented by second plunge seven feet
at its greatest depth and three times
as large as the first concrete tank.
Dressing rooms were built in rustic
building facing upon the plunge and
villa sites which rent for a nominal
sum each year were laid out by the
forest service under the direction of
Supervisor Summers. The place
proved immensely popular and today
more than a dozen summer cottages,
the magnificent plunges, a good road
and one of the best camping grounds
in the state show what the energy
and foresight of few private citizens
will do in bringing a natural scenic
wonder to the attention of both gov
eminent and public. A register kept
at the springs by the Beaverhead ma
tional forest shows that during the
past year residents of all but three
states in the Union spent q day at
least at the government resort.
For Disabled Veterans
Much remains to be done but first
in the minds of the men most res
ponsible for the improvements is the
establishment of the place as hos
pital site for disabled service men.
The waters, as shown from the tradi.
lions of the Indian tribes and borne
out by the early settlers of the coun-
try, have remarkable curative prop.
critics and 1t is the dream and hope
that the government, in the pure, dry
air Of Elkhorn canyon with the an.
Gent healing springs piped to baths
and plunges, will see fit to establish
service mans hospital which will
bring back disabled veterans to their
pre-war efficiency. The movement is
being fathered by Beaverhead post OF
the American Legion and it has the
backing OF every port in this and in
other states to whom the plan has
been preached by letters and person
al visits.
At present the reservation has blu,
24O acres but it is planned to ask
congress to make a national park
four or five miles in width and from
10 to II miles east and west, which
will take in some of the wildes,
mountain scenery in the entire state
The reservation so planned would in
clude Mount Torrey, 11,17O feet;
Mount Tweedy, 1900; Comet noun
tain. Alturas mountain, which has
been scaled but a few times since it!
discovery, and number of othel
peaks which are covered on theil
lower slopes by heavy forests of pine
and spruce and which tower far above
| tho 10scn~ he II