, 1923-08-08
YELLOWSTONE TRAVEL
BREAKS ALL RECORDS

Mid-season finds Yellowstone Natl
onal Park enjoying the banner year
of its history. Attendance is running
a third heavier than ever before,
there have been more celebrated visi-
every condition has been favorable to
the maximum enjoyment of the park.
The total travel to August LIST was
1928 persons, compared with 3D.
$40 persons to the same date in 1922
and 42,195 in 1921. The rail travel
was 23,143 compared with 1875 last
year and 1871 in 1921.
Motor travel to August LIST was
49,369 persons in 14,706 cars COM
pared with $4,000 persons in 9,307
cars last year and 28,Ss3 persons in
$3.50 cars in 1921.
By entrances the travel this year
has been as follows; Northern Gate
way, 23,311; Western, 24,279; Eastern
1881; Southern, 6,SS2.
The favored automobile entrances
were the Gardner Gateway, with
4,974 cars; and the Eastern with
4,376. Through the Western en-
trance came 1880 cars and through
the southern 2,026. Arrivals at the
south entrance we're increasing rapid
ly toward the end of the month. The
southern entrance established a re-
cord for automobile entrances at a
single gateway on July 10Th when
lit ears entered with 600 passengers.
This heavy travel was due in part to
erroneous reports in circulation al
leging an impossible condition of the
eastern road to the park.
Rail travel to August LIST by en-
frances was as follows; Gardner
Gateway, GIL; Western, 12,43O;
Eastern, 3,946; Southern, Sc.
The greatest days travel in the
history of Yellowstone National Park
was July 18th when 1855 persons en-
tered. The record of the previous
year, made July 23rd, was 1888. So
far during the present season there
have been twelve days when nor
than 1000 visitors arrived.
The greatest number of auto
mobiles and passengers entering the
park on a single day was ATS cars
with 1923 passengers on July 18th.
Last years record was 337 cars with
1,181 passengers on August 7th.
Besides being the objective of a
great number of motorists, the park
is in the route of thousands of cars
going to and from the Pacific Coast.
The volume of transcontinental auto
mobile travel is unparalleled in his
tory.
Second, the visit of President and
NJ H.,ls~- .xl Al. A1.-1o 1ou%x-
attracted national attention to the
park.
Third, there seems to have occurred
a general re-direction of interest on
the part of Eastern tourists from
Europe to Western America.
1t is significant that the press of
the entire country is. giving generous
attention to the Yellowstone, as well
as other national parks.
Fourth, the enjoyment of the park
seems to have become d~emocratized.
The visitors represent every class of
travellers, including great numbers of
mechanics and farmers arriving in
their own hrs A recent party in
cluded forty printers of New York
City. Horseback parties of society
girls from Eastern cities have shared
the roads with groups of Boy Scouts
from the towns of neighboring states.
Old residents here do not recall a
time when the Yellowstone region
was more beautiful. Late spring
rains and recurring showers have left
the park greener and more abundant
with wild flowers at this date than
ever before.
The Yellowstone bears too have
done a tremendous service in promot-
ing enjoyment of the park and en-
couraging further attendance. Bears
this year have been more numerous
than at any time sinc 1919, when be-
cause of excessively cold weather
many of them left the park area and
were killed by hunters. Many of
these bears have appeared regularly
on park highways, "holding-up" auto
mobiles for sugar and bacon rinds,
and permitting themselves to be
photographed at the leisure of the
photographer. .
The roads were in perfect condi-
ton when the season opened and a
crew of several hundred men has
labored continually to keep them in
shape. 1t is apparent to park officir
ais that the future increase Of auto
mobile travel will render advisable
the widening and improvement Of
present highways at many points.
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