Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-07-16

NaturaIists in Yellowstone ma
tionai park recently discovered
nature made death trap. Within
one mile Of the Tower Fails-Mam-
moth Hot Springs highway IS
guaIing bog with a smooth, grassy
surface. AZ one end Of the bog are
several clear springs which appear
to be ideal for animal watering
places.
But nearby, the naturalists report,
are the carcaSses OF four elk COWS and
one COW moose. Evidence indicates that
the elk stepped into the pools and
became mired in the ooze from which
they were later dragged and devoured
by grizzlies.
One of the naturalists said he tossed
an old bone into an 18-inch deep, clear
pool and 1t sank from sight without
slowing its pace. He attempted to probe
to solid ground with 12-foot pole but
found it impossible.
Naturalists are now specializing how
many skeletons may be resting at the
bottom of the death trap. At times
during the spring, the entire surface
Of the springs is covered by a thick
scum Of hair.
Park Game Census
A Yellowstone park game census
completed recently by rangers showed
$50 black bears and $50 grizzlies roam
ing the preserve.
The park also contains 1880 elk,
exclusive of a part of the 20,00O-head
Jackson Hole herd which grazes in
portions of the park during the summer.
The rangers census also showed 300
deer, 300 buffalo, 800 antelope, 700
moose and 200 Rocky mountain bighorn
sheep in the park.
Curiosity killed a Yellowstone park
grizzly bear recently.
District Ranger Lon Evans of Old
Faithful, upon hearing a terrific COM
motion in the woods near the museum,
dashed out Of the building and found
five-pound screw-top coffee can
firmly fitted over the grizzlys head.
Runs for Gun
Ranger Evans pondered whether he
could find any volunteers to remove the
offending can and allow the silvertip to
find his way out of the vicinity. But
when he saw the furious threshing and
milling, he thought better of such fool
hardness and ran for his gun.
Usually a grizzly must be shot be-
tween the eyes, but when he couldn't /
see the eyes Evans had to shoot for
the heart. The first shot did no good, |
the grizzly reeled crazedly and started /
in Evans direction.
Evans immediate thought was to
leave the vicinity as soon as possible /
but he took courage, aimed his high I
powered rifle, and his shot was true
When the bear was hauled out for
burial in the forest, it was still wear
ing its coffee can helmet. It was on
too tightly to be removed and nobody
particularly wanted It anyway.
Lost Lake Really Lost
Forest service engineers searching for
Yellowstone parks Lost lake concluded
that the man who named it was right.
It's lost.
Marked in a conspicuous place on Of
ficial park maps, the lake is supposed
to be within walking distance of the
continental divide highway from Old
Faithful to West Thumb.
But Park Supt Edmund B. Rogers
says he is unable to find anyone who
has seen Lost lake since 1921. En-
gineers and forest mapping crews have
advised him they can't find it, he said
Rogers said he believed that early
mapping crews may have found such
a lake which since has dried up or that
the lake exists only during the wet
spring season. There also is the pos
sibilty that mappers confused Lost
lake with some other nearby body of
water.
Until someone finds it, Rogers said.
Lost lake will be exactly that as far
as he is concerned.