South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-05-19
Plum Loco. Cowboys Said
When Jim Bridger Told
Of Gevsers.

ASHTON idaho Nay Label
ed as the biggest liar west Of M.s-
solrl" Jim Brdger cowhay died
twenty years before the world
learned that he had told The truta.
Brldeer a srorered The natural
wonders thar made Yellowstone Na-
tlonal Park Riding cut over tho
"rin % nowhere he discovered
boiling water spoutirg from the
earth and saw teudrlls Of smoke
towering tovaard heaven.
COWBOYS didn't talk mgrn back boz
the "s.xtles- but Bridger did talk
He told his comrades about the
wonders be had discovered And .n
cowboy farEon. ne was given the
'mer-- ha-ha
Plum loco derided his pals ~
the corral Daffy as the demerted
granddad Of an a,l.gator-crazy as
prune,"
Loco explains Philip Ashton
Rollins Princeton graduate. who
has written history ~ cowboys
and their ways means madness.
The boys all thought Jim was loco
because he told them he had seen
geysers gushing up steaming water
from the bowels Of The earth. u
sounded ike an Arabian n isht story
20 them.
And so Jim was branded the
biggest liar west of the Missouri.
That appelaton chung 20 his mem
ory FOR twenty years after his death.
"The truth ~ his discovery now is
given 10 the world in Yellowstone
geysers proved real Jim Brideer
discovered Yellowstone National
Park and didn't know a. He was
laughed To scorn by his playmates
Of the plains
Tn 1859 G W. Cook and David
Folsom hearing the persistent stories
Of Rridger decided 20 invest gate
They rode out to tho land Of the
geysers and discovered what now is
Yellowstone National Park They
Were followed by the Washburn ex-
petition. members OF which con-
ceived the idea Of a naticna park.
Their idea was capitalized and near
Madison Junction. today you will
find a marker dated September 10.
1870 which sets forth the national
park idea. Tn the party that CON
ceived the idea for the birth of yell
lowstone Park were General IT. u.
Washburn. Lieutenant @. O.. Doane
and several civilians.
Were Jim Bridger alive TODAY he
might slap his riding chaps and
chortle ar his fellows Of the corral:
"I told YOU so," he might exult
"YOu didn't believe me. You called
souri,. Come on out and look 10 over
You bunch Of cowstall hums,'
Those cowboys who lived after
Bridger were willing 20 admit the
Righteousness Of his story They
were the first 10 see Yellowstone af-
te- word was sent ont that the great
park was i'm the making The play
ground OF Gods Country found ny
Jim Bridger. their pal, was TO be-
come the most famous spot of scenic
beauty on the face of this mans
great green. gorgeous earth.
But Yellowstone today exceeds in
beauty the wonders Of it's embryo
being as described by Bridger
Things Of beauty are there now that
never were seen by the cowboys Of
Jim's day
And some Of the things described
by Bridger are not there Nor were
they over there The trees i'm yellow
stone are not blue and the sky Is
NOT pink. and the water IN the great
lake Isl not the color Of red ink and
the seysers do not spout molten
metal. Further. there are no grizzly
bears p0k.ng their noses from wood
land crevlces ar passersby. The
"deniZens Of the woods" now are
lapless bears. tanned 20 meet the de-
uand for modern DAYS
On June rs more than 100000
visitors from throughout the world
are expected 10 view the exquisite
beauties Of this great park. The
ni-centernial celebration viii be-
gin on that date. in accordance with
a Congressio nal BILL passed ir
March 1872. which created the park
A great mans foolish sayings pas,
for wise ones.