The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1926-07-01
"WESTLAND TRAILS
All rights reserved
(By H. C. REAGAN
CHAPTER FIVE

A Philadelphia Engineering firm re-
ceiving a contract to build Hydro
Electric plant at Monmouth Hot
Springs, or old Fort Yellowstone, sent
one of their young engineers out to
supervise the building of the plant.
Arriving at Livingston he took the
Park Branch train to Gardiner, the
Park entrance and when approaching
the Canyon, as is usual the train
agent called out 1--WE are about to en-
ter Yankee Jim's Canyon, the gateway
to the Park. Yankee Jim's cabin to the
right" Like thousands before him, he
made an effort to see the cabin, and if
possible, to see Jim. After time this
young engineer, whose name was Hal
Spencer, decided to go down the valley
to visit Yankee jim. Arriving at the
cabin, he was greeted by Yankee Jim,
our old friend of Cooke City, who had
come down the trail several years ago.
"Well, stranger, nobody home but
me and the cats. Come in"
Accepting the invitation, the engin-
eer went in.
"Well, Uncle Jim, I have heard a
great deal about you since have been
up at the Fort, and was anxious to
meet you"
eyes, you may hear a great deal
about me. Some true and a damn big
lot of it not true"
"Can you tell me something about
yourself?"
II don't know as | can say anything
that would interest you. Say, did you
see old Macintosh up at the Fort :?
He was down here to see me short
time ago and spoke of working for
you, and that you was all right. Wait
until | get my old pipe filled up. No,
thanks, | would rather smoke this old
pipe. It refreshes my memory better
than cigar and many dream Of by
gone days 1 have when smoking this
old pipe filled with Bull Durahm. What
do you want me to tell you about?
Oh, myself? Well, stranger, that is
a long story" II understand you was
one of the original discoverere Of
mineral up at Cooker"
eyes, Horn Miller and I sure did
find some good mineral there, and
plenty of it. Old Horn is up there
yet. 1 got tired waiting for things
to develop and came down here. I saw
a good chance to make some money.
/ saw that the Canyon which is now
called Yankee Jim's Canyon was the
gateway to the Park so / bought the
land and built the trail through the
Canyon; built this cabin and the
cabin across the road, which I used as
a road house and toll gate. I made
some money, although the trail cost
me sixteen thousand dollars to build,
besides what | paid for the land. Dur
ing that period | met great many
people from all parts Of the world who
came into the Park, and have had my
photograph taken thousands Of times.
So if you are in the notion you may
snap me. l see you have your camera.
Don't think you are the only one that
has snapped Yankee Jim. am used to
it. You see live close to the Yellow
stone River, which lays just over there,
from which I get my winter supply of
trout. You see those two cats? They
are my children and they mind me al
though they do fight sometimes over
the fish heads. l was never married.
Old prospectors never have time to get
and the life Of hunter,
trapper, scout and prospector like 1
have been never gave me chance to
get into society, although have had
the pleasure Of the visits Of a great