Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-01-30

intended to go, but when Indian trouble
was reported a few weeks before the
4 start was made, most Of them backed
! out. The nine civilians whose names
! have been given adhered to their de-
] termination to explore the Yllowstone
region.
The party went from Helena to Fort
Ellis, near Bozeman, distance OF
about 125 miles, and there was joined
by the military escort consisting OF
Lieutenant Doane of the Second cav
airy. one sergeant and four privates.
The party had two packers and two
colored cooks, and numbered IS alto
gether when it started from Fort Ellis
on Aug. %.
Out to DisprOve Tall Tales
Hedges said afterwards that there
never was a more confirmed bunch Of
skeptics about the wonders Of which
they had heard, and the existence Of
which they thought they we're about to
disprove.
After leaving Fort Ellis they crossed
the Yellowstone and they assembled
that stream past the first and second
falls, the Devils slide and Cinnabar
mountain, and continued on to the
present north boundary Of the park at
the mouth of the Gardiner river, five
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Owing to the fact that they followed
the Yellowstone instead Of the. Gar
diner river, they missed Mammoth hot
springs, however.
They went on to Tower Falls, and
found hot springs in that neighbor-
hood and got their first glimpse OF the
grand canyon. From Tower creek they
went on across the east flank of Mount
Washburne and then climbed the
mountain. From there they could see
the canyon, the falls, boiling springs
and geysers.
Near the mouth Of Cascade creek sew
eral members of the party descended
the canyon sides to the river In
couple Of places.
Park Wonders Begin to Loom
From the canyon the party assembled
the river past Sulphur mountain and
the mud volcano region, then crossed
to the east side Of the river and went
into camp on the shore of Yellowstone
lake. 1t was now the first week in Sep
TENDER.
They continued by easy stages along
the lake shore and during that time
Doane and Langford climbed to the
top of the Absarokee range just east
of the lake. Other white men may
previously have climbed that range, but
If they did, history does not record 1t.
It is quite probable that John Golfer
may have done so in 1907 or 1903 when
he made lone journey through north
ern and northwestern Wyoming and
southern Montana in an effort to get
the Indian tribes in those regions to
come to Lisa's fort at the mouth Of
the Big Horn river, to trade. Golfer
crossed the park region and entered
it from the Wyoming side, but his ex-
act route Is not known.
EVerts Loses Party
On Sept. z, the party forded the
upper Yellowstone and crossed the
arms Of land to the south of the lake
which were almost impossible from
down timber. 1t was on this portion Of
the route, on Sept. 8, that Everts be-
came separated from the party. The
others searched the country for him
for more than two weeks, then, pre-
Stunning that he had been accidentally
killed, or lost and wandered away to
LIS death, or to the outskirts Of the
park and thence toward home, gave
it up.
Everts has been described as a man
Of a naturally timid disposition. He was
not a woodsman nor was he used to !
wilderness travel. He was very near
sighted and wore glasses, and to add to
his difficulties he nislaid or broke his
glasses shortly after he became lost.