Year: 1879

Amid the other wonders of Yellowstone


Park, according TO the tradition of many


old trappers, it was reputed to have q


stream of considerable SIZE which divided


near it source and flowed down both sides
OF the water shed, thus discharging its


waters into both the Atlantic and the Paci-
tic Oceans. In some maps OF this district,
/ dating back TO 1851, this most remarkable
geographical feature is noted, and Captain


Reynolds Report of the Exploration of
| the Yellowstone, in 1868, alludes TO il.


Somewhat later Captain Jones, of the


United States Engineers, gave a brief ac-
count OF il. But the most circumstantial
account is that just published by F. Y.


Hayden, the geologist in charge of the
United States Geological and Geographical
Survey. During the last season he passed
over this divide, making a careful study of
! it, and having a chart showing the exact
character OF the drainage, skeiched on the
spot. The Two-Ocean Pass is located
about longitude 10 deg, and latitude A
/ deg. % mn. At the summit, not over 10


miles from the junction of the Atlantic
creek with the Upper Yellowstone river.
the elevation, S0Sl feet. is not mole than
$50 feet above the valley Of the main
streal.. The valley is at first quite mar
roeg, but it gradually expands into an open,
grassy meadow, which near the pass be-
comes One-third of mile in width, and
gradually closes up again into canon on
,he Pacific slope. SO obscure is here the
drainage that the party OF explorers, on
the night Of October 5, 1878. encamped
within a quarter mile OF tpa XHker divide,
but did not perceive j yhcy CON-
nencad their march on the I'd y ing morn
I -. THE Conditions wS1esa. j 20 Ie
es follows The summit OF the pass, for a
distance Of about half mile, is 50 nearly a
level that marsh is formed, which in times
Of high water becomes a lake. 4 portion
Of the waters from the surrounding noun
tains accumulates in the marshy meadows,
and gradually gravitates from either side
INTO two small StEeans-0ne Of which
flows to the northeast, the other towards
the southwest. On the east side of the
divide there is a depression or gorge in the
mountain, which is occupied by small
stream; this, al the time of Mr.. Hayden's
visit, flowed in a well-marked channel to-
wards the northeast, into Atlantic creek,
and constituted the Two Ocean creek. AT
the base Of the mountain side a small
stream rising from q spring IS separated
from this creek by distance of not quite
SIX feet, and at the time of his visit this
distance was occupied by a small, dry
channel, which connected the spring with
the Two Ocean creek, and which showed
that at times of high water portion Of the
water that started down this latter broke
over the side into the small stream from
the spring, and flowed thence along into
the Pacific. Lower down in the Two
Ocean Channel were also found two places
where there are two old channels connected
in time of high water with the channel
from the spring, shown. that even here
portion Of the water that started down the
mountains side for the Atlantic was d.


verted towards the Pacific. This is even a
more uncommon occurrence than the
simple separation of water on divide, and
the entire seres Of phenomena as here met
with is probably without an exact paral-
lei.