HILL HOUSE SEMINARY, ASKERN SPA 
 
NEW SONGS — JUST OUT 
 
 BY MR. GEORGE ELLIOTT KENT. 
 
 ROBIN AND THE CROSS. 
 
 SACRED DUET. 
 
 ‘ There is a sweetness about this sacred duet that is perfectly enchanting. The 
 music falls upon the ear as touchingly as the evening song of the robin redbreast. 
 The words of the duet are in perfect harmony with the song, and both combine to 
 make the work a favourite.” — The Christian Union. 
 
 “The ‘Robin and the Cross’ is a beautiful duet, and displays much musical 
 ability.” — Hull Packet. 
 
 “ The words and music are choice, and they run well together, and are likely to be 
 very acceptable to musical circles.” — Mexborough and Swifitoti Times. 
 
 “ This is a very pretty duet for equal voices, in the key of E flat, and in 6-8 rythm. 
 Young people could learn this duet without much difficulty, and it would be a pleasant 
 addition to their Sunday repertoire of music. We heartily wish it the success it de- 
 serves.” — Derbyshire Courier. 
 
 “This composition is evidently intended for young ladies, being extremely simple, 
 and as such is suitable for Seminaries and Private Schools. It is beautifully printed in 
 bold, clear type, and has a chaste and pretty frontispiece.” — Yorkshire Post. 
 
 SWATEHEART O’ MINE. 
 
 AN IRISH BALLAD. 
 
 “ This class of music has, and always will be favourably received by almost all 
 shades of musicians. ‘ Swateheart o’ Mine ’ is a. ballad of this class, and in our 
 opinion, it is likely to have a long run, although its chief objection lies in its being 
 too short.” — Denton and Houghton Examiner. 
 
 “ ‘ Swateheart o’ Mine ' should be popular in all drawing-rooms.” — Hull Packet. 
 
 “ The phrasing of the melody, which is a very beautiful one, is clear and distinct, 
 and in the moutn of a lady who will attend to such matters as accent and phrasing is 
 very effective. The accompaniment is appropriate, and in perfect keeping with the 
 character of the composition. Mr. Kent is to be w'armly congratulated on his success- 
 ful achievement.” — Derbyshire Courier. 
 
 “The words of ‘Swateheart o’ Mine’ are particularly amusing, and the ballad 
 being in 6-8 time, and in the Key of C, is ear catching, and therefore likely to become 
 very popular.” - Yorkshire Post. 
 
 THE BRAVE VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 A NEW PATRIOTIC SONG. 
 
 Will be out by Christmas. All Volunteers should have it. 
 
 CHRISTMAS SNOWS, or DARKNESS AND 
 
 LIGHT. 
 
 ONLY JUST READY. 
 
 The above songs are the sole property of the Author, and can be had 
 only of George Elliott Kent, Askern, Doncaster. May be sung 
 anywhere. 2 s. net, each. 
 
THF. GREAT GEYSER BASIN OF THE UPPER YELLOWSTONE. 
 
WONDERS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 YELLOWSTONE REGION 
 
 IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 
 
 BEING A DESCRIPTION OF ITS 
 
 GEYSERS, HOT-SPRINGS, GRAND CA&ON, WATERFALLS, 
 LAKE, AND SURROUNDING SCENERY, 
 
 EXPLORED IN 1870-71. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 JAMES RICHARDSON. 
 
 Illustrated by Twenty-one Wood Engravings and Two Maps. 
 
 “ The natural phenomena of the Yellowstone are among the most 
 wonderful in the world.” 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 BLACKIE & SON, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C.; 
 GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH. 
 
 1876. 
 
GLASGOW : 
 
 W. O. BLACKIE AND CO., PRINTERS. 
 
 VIILAFIELD. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The following description of the marvellous features 
 and phenomena of the Yellowstone Lake Legion in the 
 Rocky Mountains begins close to its northern border, 
 at the frontier military post of Fort Ellis. Here, on 
 the verge of the Yellow Valley, is the starting-point 
 of the several exploring parties who have made known 
 to the world the wonders of this extraordinary terri- 
 tory; and here, doubtless, for many years to come the 
 traveller in quest of the scenes described in these 
 pages will shake hands with the advance guard of 
 civilization before plunging into the wilderness. 
 
 The discoveries narrated form an event of high 
 public interest in the history of the United States, and 
 have already been the subject of a legislative enact' 
 ment. In consideration of the importance of the dis- 
 coveries, and from a conviction that in a few years this 
 region will be a place of resort for visitors from all 
 parts of the world, the Senate and House of Repre- 
 sentatives, on March 1, 1872, passed an act withdraw- 
 ing from settlement, occupancy, or sale, under the laws 
 of the United States, the tract of land described, being 
 in extent 55 by 65 miles, and which territory is dedi- 
 cated and set apart as a great national park or pleasure 
 ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. 
 
 The entire area, hemmed in by the loftiest peaks of 
 the Rocky Mountains, is over 6000 feet above sea level ; 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 and the Yellowstone Lake, which occupies an area of 15 
 by 22 miles, has an elevation of 7427 feet. The whole 
 region is of Pliocene age, and bears unequivocal traces 
 of its having been the scene of prolonged and ener- 
 getic volcanic activity. 
 
 The hot springs and the geysers discovered by the 
 explorers represent the latest stages of these remark- 
 able volcanic manifestations. The geysers of Iceland 
 become dwarfed in comparison with the hot springs 
 and geysers of the Yellowstone and Firehole Basins. 
 The explorers describe with enthusiasm the geysers 
 in the latter region, the largest of which, named the 
 Grand Geyser, begins an eruption by filling its basin 
 with boiling water, forming a well 20 by 25 feet in 
 diametric measurements, and having a visible depth, 
 when quiet, of 100 feet. The explosion is preceded by 
 clouds of steam rushing up to a height of 500 feet; the 
 great unbroken body of water succeeds, ascending in 
 one gigantic column to a height of 90 feet; while from 
 the apex of the column there radiate five great jets 
 which shoot up to the unparalleled height of 250 feet 
 from the ground. “The earth trembles under the 
 descending deluge from this vast fountain ; a thousand 
 hissing sounds are heard in the air; rainbows encircle 
 the summits of the jets with a halo of celestial glory/’ 
 This is characterized as being the grandest, the most 
 majestic, and most terrible fountain in the world. All 
 the writers dwell with delight on the exquisite beauty 
 and variety of the mineral and metallic sediments 
 deposited by the hot springs and geysers. In some 
 cases it was noticed how speedily vegetable substances 
 and even insects were petrified by being immersed in 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Vll 
 
 water holding silex in solution. The number of hot 
 springs of all kinds, including geysers, in the Firehole 
 Basin alone is not less than fifteen hundred, all vary- 
 ing in times of action, force, deposits, and colour of 
 water. Taken as a whole, the explorers claim for the 
 thermal phenomena of this basin a superiority to all 
 the other wonders of the American continent. 
 
 Not the least of the marvellous scenes of the Yellow- 
 stone are the Grand Canon, which the river traverses 
 on its way from the lake, and the upper and lower falls 
 over which it is precipitated. The canon is of enor- 
 mous depth. The stream is visible below, dashing 
 against the cliffs and boulders which obstruct its pro- 
 gress, but no sound is heard. By trigonometrical 
 measurement the chasm at one place was found to be 
 1190 feet below the brink. But several of the ex- 
 plorers descended to still greater depths, and, looking 
 up through the gloom, could discern the stars soon 
 after mid-day, so much was the sunlight prevented 
 from entering the chasm. The total depth at this 
 place was estimated at 2500 or 3000 feet. Portions 
 of this savage ravine are beautified by the silicious 
 deposits of ancient hot springs, which have assumed 
 every shade of colour; and we are told that “when 
 the light falls favourably on these blended tints, 
 the Grand Canon presents a more enchanting and 
 bewildering variety of forms and colours than hu- 
 man artist ever conceived.” The falls are represented 
 to the reader in an imposing point of view, and must 
 indeed be very picturesque. The upper fall is 140 feet 
 in height, and within a quarter of a mile the river 
 leaps over a preeipice 350 feet high, “ a sight far more 
 
viii 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 beautiful, though not so grand or impressive as that 
 of Niagara Falls.” 
 
 The Yellowstone Lake offers fresh attractions in its 
 strange peculiarities of form and colouring, causing 
 even the matter-of-fact chief of the Geological Survey 
 to exclaim, “Such a vision is worth a lifetime; and 
 only one of such marvellous beauty will ever greet 
 human eyes!” The lake is twenty miles long and 
 fifteen broad, with shore lines of surpassing beauty. 
 
 The personal interest of the narrative is enhanced 
 by a thrilling account of the sufferings of Mr. Everts, 
 one of the explorers, and who, having wandered from 
 his party and lost his way, was rescued in a state of 
 helpless exhaustion, after thirty-seven days of perilous 
 adventure. 
 
 The wonders of the Yellowstone are for the present 
 inaccessible to ordinary travellers; but the steady pro- 
 gress of the Northern Pacific Kailroad promises a speedy 
 removal of the hindrances to the enjoyment of the un- 
 equalled scenery of the lake and the geyser region. At 
 an early date the railway will probably reach the lower 
 Yellowstone Valley in Montana, and an additional year 
 will bring it to a point directly north of the “ Park.” 
 From this point a stage road will at once be opened to 
 the heart of the territory for the accommodation of 
 travellers; and a narrow-gauge branch railroad from 
 the Northern Pacific main line is intended to be con- 
 structed as soon thereafter as expedient. 
 
 By the Northern Pacific Railroad it will not be more 
 than 85 hours’ ride from New York or Philadelphia to 
 the point on the line nearest the Park, and the route 
 will lie mainly through an exceedingly pleasant country, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IX 
 
 having a delightful summer climate, and taking in 
 Chicago, St. Paul, the valley of the Upper Mississippi, 
 the Lake and Park region of Western Minnesota, the 
 fertile rolling prairies of Dakota, the superb valley of 
 the Yellowstone, and the mountains of Montana: dis- 
 tance from New York to Chicago, 899 miles; Chicago 
 to St. Paul, 443 miles; St. Paul, via Northern Pacific 
 Railroad, to Fargo, Dakota, at the crossing of the Red 
 River of the North, 205 miles; Fargo to the crossing 
 of the Missouri River, 200 miles; Missouri River to 
 crossing of the Yellowstone, 225 miles; first crossing 
 of the Yellowstone to the point on the main line near- 
 est the Park, say 300 miles; total, about 2272 miles. 
 
 The following named reports and papers have (by 
 permission) been freely drawn upon in the preparation 
 of this volume, viz. : 
 
 1. A manuscript report of exploration, by Brevet Col. J. W. 
 Barlow, Captain Engineers, U. S. A. 
 
 2. The official report of the First Yellowstone Expedition, by 
 Lieut. G. C. Doane, U. S. A. 
 
 3. The Fifth Annual Report of the U. S. Geological Survey of 
 the Territories by Dr. F. V. Hayden, U. S. Geologist. 
 
 4. The articles on the Wonders of the Yellowstone in Scribner’s 
 Monthly , by Ex-Gov. N. P. Langford, of Montana, and “More 
 about the Yellowstone,” by Dr. Hayden. 
 
 Whatever of interest the work may possess is due to 
 the careful observations and the eloquent descriptions 
 of these pioneer explorers. The illustrations, by the 
 skilful hand of Thos. Moran, are mainly from his ori- 
 ginal sketches made during the explorations of 1871. 
 
 It remains to be stated in further evidence of the 
 importance attached to the region under review by the 
 
X 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 United States Government, that an expedition has 
 been despatched this summer (1873) to traverse the 
 hitherto unknown territory between the Missouri and 
 the Yellowstone, the primary object being to furnish 
 an escort to the parties engaged in the survey of the 
 Northern Pacific Railroad; but along with this expe- 
 dition a number of scientific men have been commis- 
 sioned to explore the zoology, botany, mineralogy, and 
 geology of the same territory. The military escort 
 numbers 1900 men, with 250 waggons. 
 
 It was expected that before the expiry of the season 
 the expedition would have established a basis betwixt 
 the Missouri and the mouth of the Glendive Creek, 
 and that the survey would be continued some distance 
 up the Yellowstone and Firehole Rivers, and, if practi- 
 cable, across the “divide” between the Yellowstone 
 and Missouri Rivers to the Mussel-shell River. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. page 
 
 The Crown of the Continent — Yellowstone Lake— Ancient 
 Volcanic Action — Modem Thermal Phenomena 1 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 Early Explorations — Lewis and Clarke’s Expeditions — Trap- 
 pers’ Yarns — Colonel Raynold’s Expedition — The Wash- 
 burn Expedition — Colonel Barlow’s Expedition — Dr. 
 Hayden’s Geological Survey 5 
 
 CHAPTER IH. 
 
 Route from Fort Ellis to Bottlers’ Ranch— Fort Ellis — Pro- 
 spect from the Divide — Snowy Mountain — Trail Creek 
 — Pyramid Mountain — The Bottler Brothers — Yellow- 
 stone Valley 15 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Bottlers’ Ranch to Gardiner’s River — River Valley — Second 
 Canon — Cinnabar Mountain — The Devil’s Slide — West- 
 ern Nomenclature — Precious Stones 21 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Hot Springs of Gardiner’s River — Third Canon — Rapids — 
 Valley of Gardiner’s River — Thermal Springs — White 
 Mountain— Hot Springs — Natural Bathing-pools — Dia- 
 na’s Bath— Liberty Cap — Bee-hive — Extinct Geysers — 
 Beautiful Water — Vegetation in Hot Springs— Antiquity 
 of Springs — Classification of Thermal Springs 27 
 
Xll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Gardiner’s River to Grand Canon of the Yellowstone — 
 Forks of Gardiner’s River — Gallatin Mountains — Ba- 
 saltic Columns — Falls of Gardiner’s River — Mountain 
 Prospect — Over the Divide — Agatized Wood — Delightful 
 Climate — Mountain Verdure — Volcanic Ridges — Ravines 
 — Third Canon of the Yellowstone — Hell-roaring River 
 — Hell-roaring Mountain — East Fork of the Yellowstone 
 — Ancient Springs and Calcareous Deposits — First Bridge 
 over the Yellowstone — Rock Cutting — Tower-creek Canon 
 — Column Rock — The Devil’s Den — Tower Falls — The 
 Devil’s Hoof — Mineral Springs — Mouth of Grand Canon 13 
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 Over Mount Washburn to. Falls of the Yellowstone — Ascent 
 of Mount Washburn — Extensive View — Steam Puffs — 
 Elephant’s Back — Grand Canon — Yellowstone Basin — 
 
 The Three Tetons — First View of Yellowstone Lake — 
 Madison Mountains — Gallatin Range — Emigrant Peak — 
 Geological History of the Yellowstone Basin — Ancient 
 Volcanic Action — Descent of Mount Washburn — Hell- 
 broth Springs — The Devil’s Caldron — Cascade Creek — 
 
 The Devil’s Den — Crystal Cascade 61 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Grand Canon and the Falls of the Yellowstone — De- 
 scription of Grand Canon — Descent into the Canon — 
 History of Grand Canon — Lower Falls — Upper Falls . . * 78 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 From the Falls to the Lake — River above the Falls — Alum 
 Creek — Boiling Springs— Crater Hill — A Narrow Escape 
 — The Locomotive Jet — Sulphur Springs — Mud Puffs — 
 
 No Vegetation — Temperature of Springs — Muddy Gey- 
 ser — Mud Volcano — Mud-sulphur Springs — The Grotto 
 — The Giant’s Caldron— Movements of Muddy Geyser. . 90 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Xlll 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Yellowstone Lake — Setting of the Lake — Shape of the Lake 
 — Shores of the Lake — Yellowstone Trout — Worms in 
 Trout — Waterfowl — The Guide-bird — Fauna of Yellow- 
 stone Basin — Islands in the Lake — The First Explorers 105 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Around the Yellowstone Lake — Hot Springs of Pelican 
 Creek — Hot Springs of Steam Point — Fire Slashes — 
 Difficult Travelling — Little Invulnerable — Poetry in the 
 Wilderness — Volcanic Peaks — Mounts Langford, Doane, 
 and Stephenson — Brimstone Basin — Alum Creek — Up- 
 per Yellowstone — Wind River Mountains — Valley of Up- 
 per Yellowstone — The Five Forks — Bridger’s Lake — 
 Yellowstone Mountains — Heart Lake — Madison Lake — 
 Mount Sheridan — Flat Mountain — Bridger’s “Two 
 Ocean River” — A Companion lost — Lakes and Springs 
 — Hot Springs on the West Shore — Bridge Creek — 
 Dead Springs — The Elephant’s Back 114 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Upper Geyser Basin — The Grand Geyser Region — Firehole 
 River — Madison Lake — Mountains about the Lake — Cas- 
 cades — The Geysers — Old Faithful — The Bee-hive — The 
 Giantess — Castle Geyser — Grand Geyser — The Saw-mill 
 — The Comet — The Grotto — The Pyramid — The Punch 
 Bowl — Black Sand Geyser — Riverside Geyser — The Fan 
 — The Sentinels — Iron Spring Creek — Soda Geyser 133 
 
 CHAPTER XIH. 
 
 Lower Geyser Basin -Down the Firehole — Prismatic Hot 
 Springs — The Cauldron — Old Spring Basins — The Conch 
 Spring — Horn Geyser — Bath Spring — The Cavern — Mud 
 Springs — Thud Geyser— Fountain Geyser— Mud Pot — 
 Fissure Spring— White Dome Geyser — Bee-hive — Petri- 
 faction — Hot Spring Vegetation — Cold Spring — Gene- 
 

 xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ral View of the Basin — The Twin Buttes — Fall of the 
 Fairies — Rainbow Spring. 162 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Natural History of Geysers and other Thermal Springs — Ice- 
 land Geysers — History of The Geyser — The Strokr — 
 Eruption of the Geyser — Growth of the Geyser — Mechan- 
 ism of Geysers — Artificial Geysers— Life and Death of 
 Geysers — Laugs — New Zealand Hot Springs — Te Tarata 
 — Hot Springs of the Waikato — Origin of Mineral 
 Springs — Chemistry of Mineral Springs 180 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 * 
 
 Mr. Everts’s Thirty-seven Days of Peril— Lost— Loss of 
 Horse — Midnight Dangers — Starvation — Return to Lake 
 — No Food in the Midst of Plenty — Bessie Lake — This- 
 tle Roots — Hunted by a Lion — Storms — First Fire — 
 
 Vain Efforts to find Food — Attempt to cross the Moun- 
 tains— The Lost Shoe — Forest on Fire — Hallucination — 
 Turned back — The Doctor — Physiological Transforma- 
 tions — Descending the River — Loss of Lens — Discovery 
 and Rescue 199 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Our National Park — The Yellowstone Reservation — Dr. 
 Hayden’s Report— Text of Act of Congress — Appoint- 
 ment of Hon. N. P. Langford Superintendent of Park. . 250 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Great Geyser Basin of the Upper Yellowstone . Front . 
 Overflow of the Great Spring, Gardiner’s River . 27 
 
 Bathing Pools (Diana’s Bath), Gardiner’s River . .31 
 
 Liberty Cap, Gardiner’s River 35 
 
 Extinct Geyser, East Fork of the Yellowstone . .50 
 
 The Devil’s Hoof, Tower Creek 58 
 
 Getting a Specimen 72 
 
 The Devil’s Den, Cascade Creek 76 
 
 Upper Falls of the Yellowstone 86 
 
 The Mud Volcano .100 
 
 Yellowstone Lake ]06 
 
 The First Boat on Yellowstone Lake . . . .113 
 
 Breaking Through the Crust 122 
 
 Castle Geyser and Hot Springs Basin . . . .142 
 
 The Grand Geyser, Firehole Basin 144 
 
 The Giant Geyser 153 
 
 Fan Geyser, Firehole Basin 158 
 
 The Beehive Geyser 161 
 
 Grand Canon and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone . 194 
 Mr. Everts and his Imaginary Companions . . . 236 
 
 The Giantess, Firehole Basin 252 
 
 MAPS. 
 
 Part of the United States, showing Position of the Yellow- 
 stone Region and its Prospective Railway Connection with 
 the Eastern States. 
 
 The American National Park near the Sources of the 
 Yellowstone River, with the Geyser Region, after the 
 Survey of F. V. Hayden, U.S. Geologist, 1871. 
 
PARTorTHtUNITED STATES 
 
 SHOWING THE POS/T/OH OF THE 
 
 rnfflcancoi^c, 
 
 V.. and the. NATIONAL PARK. 
 
 ^ \ 'j.^The Parkis Coloured Green. 
 
 
 Md *Urslncrg 
 Tov 
 
 »OquawkEL 
 
 FairfiM 
 
 1 jf y<nw”U 
 
 ebrnslaiO y i 
 
 
 
 .LONDON. GLASGOW & EDINBURGH 
 
— 
 
CHAPTER J. 
 
 THE CROWN OF THE CONTINENT. 
 
 I N the northwest corner of the Territory of Wy- 
 oming, about half way between the Mississippi 
 River and the Pacific Ocean, and in the same lati- 
 tude as the State of New York, the grand Rocky 
 Mountain system culminates in a knot of peaks 
 and ranges enclosing the most remarkable lake ba- 
 sin in the world. From this point radiate the chief 
 mountain ranges, and three of the longest rivers of 
 the Continent — the Missouri, the Columbia, and 
 the Colorado. 
 
 On the south are the Wind River Mountains, a 
 snow-clad barrier which no white man has ever 
 crossed. On the east is the Snowy Mountain 
 Range, and the grand cluster of volcanic peaks be- 
 tween it and Yellowstone Lake. On the west is 
 the main divide of the Rocky Mountains. On the 
 
 north are the bold peaks of the Gallatin Range, 
 
 i 
 
2 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 and the parallel ridges which give a northward di- 
 rection to all the great tributaries of the Missouri 
 from this region. 
 
 Set like a gem in the centre of this snow-rimmed 
 crown of the continent, is the loveliest body of 
 fresh water on the globe, its dark-blue surface at 
 an elevation greater than that of the highest clouds 
 that fleck the azure sky of a summer’s day, over 
 the tops of the loftiest mountains of the East. Its 
 waters teem with trout, and the primeval forests 
 that cover the surrounding country are crowded 
 with game. But these are the least of its attrac- 
 tions. It is the wildness and grandeur of the en- 
 closing mountain scenery, and still more the cu- 
 rious, beautiful, wonderful and stupendous natural 
 phenomena which characterize the region, that 
 have raised it to sudden fame, and caused it to be 
 set apart by our national government as a grand 
 national play-ground and museum of unparalleled, 
 indeed incomparable, marvels, free to all men for 
 all time. 
 
 Evidences of ancient volcanic action on the 
 grandest scale are so abundant and striking 
 throughout the lake basin, that it has been looked 
 upon as the remains of a mammoth crater, forty 
 miles across. It seems, however, to have been 
 rather the focus of a multitude of craters. “ It is 
 
THE CROWN OF THE CONTINENT 
 
 o 
 
 u 
 
 probable,” says the United States geologist, Dr. 
 Hayden, with his usual caution, “ that during the 
 Pliocene period the entire country drained by the 
 sources of the Yellowstone and the Columbia was 
 the scene of volcanic activity as great as that of 
 any portion of the globe. It might be called one 
 vast crater, made up of a thousand smaller volcanic 
 vents and fissures, out of which the fluid interior 
 of the earth, fragments of rock and volcanic dust, 
 were poured in unlimited quantities. Hundreds of 
 the nuclei or cones of these volcanic vents are now 
 remaining, some of them rising to a height of 10,- 
 000 to 11,000 feet above the sea. Mounts Doane, 
 Longford, Stevenson, and more than a hundred 
 other peaks, may be seen from any high point 
 on either side of the basin, each of which formed 
 a centre of effusion.” 
 
 All that is left of the terrific forces which threw 
 up these lofty mountains and elevated the entire 
 region to its present altitude, now finds issue in oc- 
 casional earthquake shocks, and in the innumera- 
 ble hot springs and geysers, whose description 
 makes up so large a portion of this book of won- 
 ders. Nowhere else in the world can the last- 
 named phenomena be witnessed on so grand a 
 scale, in such limitless variety, or amid scenes so 
 marvellous in beauty, so wild and unearthly in sa- 
 
4 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 vage grandeur, so fascinating in all that awes or at- 
 tracts the lover of the curious, the wonderful, the 
 magnificent in nature. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 FIRST EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 I N their exploration of the headwaters of the 
 Missouri in the summer of 1805, the heroic 
 Captains Lewis and Clarke discovered and named 
 the three terminal branches of that river — the Jef- 
 ferson, the Madison, and the Gallatin ; then as- 
 cending the first named to its springs among the 
 Rocky Mountains, they crossed the lofty ridge of 
 the divide and pursued their investigations along 
 the Columbia to the sea. The following summer 
 they returned, separately exploring the two main 
 branches of the Great River of the Northwest, 
 each perpetuating the name and fame of his bro- 
 ther explorer by calling a river after him. Ascend- 
 ing the southern, or Lewis Fork, Captain Clarke 
 recrossed the mountains to Wisdom River, (a 
 branch of the Jefferson,) then traversed the coun- 
 try of the Jefferson, the Madison and the Galla- 
 
G 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 tin to the Rochejaune, or Yellowstone, which he 
 followed to its junction with the Missouri, where 
 he rejoined Captain Lewis. The map of the coun- 
 try explored by these brave men, makes the source 
 of the Yellowstone a large lake, doubtless from in- 
 formation received from the Indians, but they 
 seem to have heard nothing of the marvels along 
 the upper reaches of the river and around the lake 
 from which it flows. 
 
 In later years — especially after the discovery of 
 the Montana gold-mines had drawn to the upper 
 valleys of the Missouri an adventurous, gold-seek- 
 ing population, who scoured the mountains in all 
 directions — rumors of burning plains, spouting 
 springs, great lakes and other natural wonders, 
 came down from the unknown regions up the Yel- 
 lowstone. And not content with these, the imagi- 
 nation was freely drawn on, and the treasure val- 
 leys of the Arabian Nights were rivalled, if not 
 reproduced. One over-venturous party, hotly pur- 
 sued by Indians, escaped, report said, by travel- 
 ling night after night by the brilliant light of a 
 huge diamond providentially exposed on a moun- 
 tain. A lost trapper turned up after protracted 
 wandering in this mysterious region, his pockets 
 stuffed with nuggets of gold gathered in a stream 
 which he could never find again. More astound- 
 
FIRST EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 7 
 
 ing still was a valley which instantly petrified 
 whatever entered it. Rabbits and sage-hens, even 
 Indians were standing about there, like statuary, 
 among thickets of petrified sage-brush, whose 
 stony branches bore diamonds, rubies, sapphires, 
 emeralds and other gems by the thousand, as largo 
 as walnuts. “ I tell you, sir,” said one who had 
 been there, to Colonel Raynolds, “ it is true, for I 
 gathered a quart myself and sent them down the 
 country.” 
 
 The first earnest attempt to explore the valley of 
 the upper Yellowstone was made in 1859, by 
 Colonel Raynolds, of the Corps of Engineers. 
 His expedition passed entirely around the Yellow- 
 stone basin, but could not penetrate it. In his re- 
 port to the War Department, he says : 
 
 “ It was my original desire to go from the head 
 of Wind River to the head of the Yellowstone, 
 keeping on the Atlantic slope, thence down the 
 Yellowstone, passing the lake, and across by the 
 Gallatin to the three forks of the Missouri. Brid- 
 ger said at tne outset that this would be impossi- 
 ble, and that it would be necessary to cross over to 
 the headwaters of the Columbia and back again to 
 the Yellowstone. I had not previously believed 
 that crossing the main crest twice would be more 
 easily accomplished than the transit over what was 
 
8 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 in effect only a spur ; but the view from our first 
 camp settled the question adversely to my opinion 
 at once. Directly across our route lies a basaltic 
 ridge, rising not less than 5,000 feet above us, its 
 walls apparently vertical, with no visible pass or 
 even canon. On the opposite side of this are the 
 headwaters of the Yellowstone. Bridger remarked 
 triumphantly and forcibly on reaching this spot, 4 1 
 told you you could not go through. A bird can’t 
 fly over that without taking a supply of grub 
 along.’ I had no reply to offer, and mentally con- 
 ceded the accuracy of the information of ‘ the old 
 man of the mountains.’ ***** 
 
 “ After this obstacle had thus forced us over on 
 the western slope of the Bocky Mountains, an 
 effort was made to recross and reach the district in 
 question, but although it ■was June, the immense 
 body of snow baffled all our exertions, and we were 
 compelled to content ourselves with listening to 
 marvellous tales of burning plains, immense lakes, 
 and boiling springs, without being able to verify 
 these wonders. I know of but two white men who 
 claim to ever have visited this part of the Yellow- 
 stone Valley — James Bridger and Bobert Mel- 
 drum. The narratives of both these men are very 
 remarkable, and Bridger, in one of his recitals, de- 
 scribed an immense boiling spring, that is a perfect 
 
FIRST EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 9 
 
 counterpart of the Geysers of Iceland. As lie is 
 uneducated, and had probably never heard of the 
 existence of such natural marvels elsewhere, I have 
 little doubt that he spoke of that which he had ac- 
 tually seen. The burning plains described by 
 these men may be volcanic, or, more probably, 
 burning beds of lignite similar to those on Powder 
 River, which are known to be in a state of ignition 
 .... Had our attempt to enter this district been 
 made a month later in the season, the snow would 
 have mainly disappeared, and there would have 
 been no insurmountable obstacles to overcome. 
 
 “ I cannot doubt, therefore, that at no very dis- 
 tant day the mysteries of this region will be fully 
 revealed, and though small in extent, I regard the 
 valley of the upper Yellowstone as the most inter- 
 esting unexplored district of our widely expanded 
 country.” 
 
 Ten years after Colonel Raynolds’s unsuccessful 
 attempt to solve the problem of the Yellowstone, 
 a small party under Messrs. Cook and Polsom as- 
 cended the river to the lake, and crossed over the 
 divide into the Geyser Basin of the Madison. No 
 report, we believe, was published of their discover- 
 ies. At any rate, the general public were indebted 
 for their first knowledge of the marvels of this re- 
 gion to an expedition organized in the summer of 
 
10 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 1870 bj some of the officials and leading citizens 
 of Montana. This company, led by General Wash- 
 burn, the Surveyor-General of the Territory, and ac- 
 companied by a small escort of United States cav- 
 alry under Lieutenant G. C. Doane, left Fort El- 
 lis toward the latter part of August, and entered 
 the valley of Yellowstone Fiver on the 23d. Dur- 
 ing the next thirty days they explored the canons 
 of the Yellowstone and the shores of Yellowstone 
 Lake ; then crossing the mountains to the headwa- 
 ters of the Madison, they visited the geyser re- 
 gion of Firehole Fiver, and descended that stream 
 to its junction with the Madison, along whose val- 
 ley they returned to civilization, confident, as their 
 historian wrote, that they had seen “ the greatest 
 wonders on the Continent,” and “ convinced that 
 there was not on the globe another region where, 
 within the same limits, nature had crowded so 
 much of grandeur and majesty, with so much of 
 novelty and wonder.” 
 
 Mr. Langford’s account of this expedition, pub- 
 lished in the second volume of Scribner s Monthly, 
 and the report of Lieutenant Doane, printed 
 some time after by the United States Govern- 
 ment, (Ex. Doc. No. 51, 41st Congress,) gave to 
 the world the first authentic information of the 
 marvels of this wonderful region. Though their 
 
FIRST EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 11 
 
 route lay through a terrible wilderness, and most 
 of the party were but amateur explorers at best, 
 only one (Mr. Everts) met with a serious mishap. 
 This gentleman’s story of his separation from the 
 company, and his thirty-seven days of suffering 
 and perilous wandering, is one of the most thrill- 
 ing chapters of adventure ever written. 
 
 The path fairly broken, and the romance of the 
 Yellowstone shown to have a substantial basis in 
 reality, it was not long before others were ready to 
 explore more fully the magnificent scenery and the 
 strange and peculiar phenomena described by the 
 adventurers of 1870. As soon as the following 
 season was sufficiently advanced to admit of ex- 
 plorations among the mountains, the Chief Engi- 
 neer of the Military Department of the Missouri, 
 Brevet Colonel John W. Barlow, set out for a two 
 months’ survey of the Yellowstone Basin, under 
 special orders from General Sheridan. His route 
 lay along the river to the lake ; thence along the 
 northern shore of the lake to the hot springs on its 
 western bank ; thence across the mountains west- 
 ward to the Geyser Basins of Firehole Biver, 
 which he ascended to its source in Madison Lake ; 
 thence to Heart Lake, the source of Snake River ; 
 thence across the mountains to Bridger’s Lake, in 
 the valley of the Upper Yellowstone. Descending 
 
12 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 this stream to where it enters Yellowstone Lake, 
 he returned by the east shore of the lake to Peli- 
 can Creek ; thence across the country to the Falls 
 of the Yellowstone ; thence over the mountains to 
 the East Fork of the Yellowstone, which he fol- 
 lowed to its junction with the main stream. 
 
 In the meantime, a large and thoroughly-organ- 
 ized scientific party, under Dr. F. Y. Hayden, U. S. 
 geologist, were making a systematic survey of the 
 region traversed by Colonel Barlow. The work 
 done by this party is briefly summarized by Dr. 
 Hayden as follows : 
 
 “ From Fort Ellis, we passed eastward over the 
 divide, between the drainage of the Missouri and 
 Yellowstone, to Bottlers’ Ranch. Here we estab- 
 lished a permanent camp, leaving all our wagons 
 and a portion of the party. A careful system of 
 meteorological observations was kept at this local- 
 ity for six weeks. From Bottlers’ Ranch we pro- 
 ceeded up the valley of the Yellowstone, surveyed 
 the remarkable hot springs on Gardiner’s River, 
 The Grand Canon, Tower Falls, Upper and Lower 
 Falls of the Yellowstone, thence into the basin 
 proper, prepared charts of all the Hot Spring 
 groups, which were very numerous, and continued 
 up the river to the lake. We then commenced a 
 systematic survey of the lake and its surroundings. 
 
FIRST EXPLORATIONS. 13 
 
 Mr. Schonborn, with his assistant, made a careful 
 survey of the lake and the mountains from the 
 shore, and Messrs. Elliott and Carrington sur- 
 veyed and sketched its shore-lines from the water 
 in a boat. Careful soundings were also made, and 
 the greatest depth was found to be three hundred 
 feet. From the lake I proceeded, with Messrs. 
 Schonborn, Peale, and Elliott to the Firehole 
 Valley, by way of East Fork of the Madison ; 
 then ascended the Firehole Valley. We made 
 careful charts of the Lower and Upper Geyser 
 Basin, locating all the principal springs, and deter- 
 mining their temperatures. We then returned 
 over the mountains by way of the head of Fire- 
 hole Biver, explored Madison Lake, Heart Lake, 
 etc. After having completed our survey of the 
 lake, we crossed over to the headwaters of the 
 East Fork by way of the valley of Pelican Creek, 
 explored the East Fork to its junction with the 
 main Yellowstone, and thence to Bottlers’ Banch, 
 which we reached on the 28th of August. From 
 this place we passed down the Yellowstone, through 
 the lower canon, to the mouth of Shield’s Biver, to 
 connect our work with that of Colonel Wm. F. 
 Baynolds, in 1860. From there we returned to 
 Fort Ellis.” 
 
 It is safe to say that no exploring expedition on 
 
14 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 this continent ever had a more interesting field of 
 investigation, or ever studied so many grand, 
 curious and wonderful aspects of nature in so short 
 a time. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 FORT ELLIS TO BOTTLERS RANCH. 
 
 r HE traveller bound for the Yellowstone leaves 
 
 the confines of civilization at Fort Ellis. This 
 frontier military post, situated near the head of the 
 beautiful and fertile valley of the East Gallatin, 
 commands the valleys of the Yellowstone and the 
 three forks of the Missouri — the finest and most 
 productive portion of Montana. On the east and 
 north are ranges of hills and mountains which form 
 
 O 
 
 the divide between the waters of the Yellowstone 
 and the Missouri. On the south and west, the 
 beautiful Valley of the Gallatin. Abundant vege- 
 tation, beautiful scenery, streams of pure water 
 flowing down the mountain-sides and across the 
 plains on every hand, and a climate that can hardly 
 be surpassed in any country, combine to make this 
 pleasant station one of the most charming places on 
 the continent. 
 
 For the first six miles the road from Fort Ellis 
 
16 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 to the wonderland of the Yellowstone Yallej fol- 
 lows the general course of the East Gallatin, up 
 steep acclivities and through the defiles of a hilly 
 country to the crest of the divide. The road here 
 takes advantage of a natural pass between hills 
 that rise from six hundred to twelve hundred feet 
 above the road, itself considerably more elevated 
 than the summit of the White Mountains. From 
 the tops of the hills on either side the view is won- 
 derfully fine in every direction. To the west lies 
 the Gallatin Yalley, with its cordon of snow- 
 capped peaks, its finely-timbered water-courses, 
 and its long, grassy declivities, dotted with the 
 habitations of pioneers, and blooming with the 
 fruits of industry. To the eastward lies the beau- 
 tiful Yalley of the Yellowstone, not yet laid under 
 tribute to man. On the further side of this valley 
 — the bed of an ancient lake — the eye takes in at 
 a glance one of the most symmetrical and remark- 
 able ranges of mountains in all the West. In- 
 deed, Dr. Hayden says, in describing them : 
 
 “ Several of my party who had visited Europe 
 regarded this range as in no way inferior in beauty 
 to any in that far-famed country. A series of cone- 
 shaped peaks, looking like gigantic pyramids, are 
 grouped along the east side of the valley for thirty 
 or fort } 7 miles, with their bald, dark summits cov- 
 
FORT ELLIS TO BOTTLERS' RANCH. 
 
 17 
 
 ered with perpetual snow, the vegetation growing 
 thinner and smaller as we ascend the almost ver- 
 tical sides, until, long before reaching the summits, 
 it has entirely disappeared. On all sides deep 
 gorges have been gashed out by aqueous forces 
 cutting through the very core of the mountains, 
 and forming those wonderful gulches which only 
 the hardy and daring miner has ventured to ex- 
 plore. This range, which is called on the maps 
 Snowy Mountains, forms the great water-shed be- 
 tween two portions of the Yellowstone River, 
 above and below the first canon, and gives origin 
 to some of the most important branches of that 
 river. From the summit of Emigrant Peak, one 
 of the highest of these volcanic cones, one great 
 mass of these basaltic peaks can be seen as far as 
 the eye can reach, rising to the height of 10,000 to 
 11,000 feet above the sea. Emigrant Peak, the 
 base of which is cut by the Yellowstone River, is 
 10,629 feet above tide-water, while the valley 
 plain near Bottlers’ Ranch, on the opposite side of 
 the river, was found to be 5,925 feet. This splen- 
 did group of peaks rises 5,000 feet and upward 
 above the valley of the Yellowstone.” 
 
 About three miles from the divide the road 
 strikes the valley of Trail Creek, a small-sized 
 
 trout-stream of great clearness and purity, flowing 
 
 2 
 
18 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 southeastward to the Yellowstone, between high 
 hills wooded at the summits. Approaching the 
 river, the country becomes more and more volcanic 
 in appearance, masses of basaltic lava cropping 
 out from the high ridges on the right and left. 
 Many of these masses show a perpendicular front 
 of several hundred feet, with projections resem- 
 bling towers, castles and the like. Several miles 
 away on the right, is Pyramid Mountain, a snow- 
 capped peak. Farther to the south is a long range 
 of mountains, also covered with snow, even in mid- 
 summer. 
 
 On the left of the valley the foot hills bear 
 abundant verdure, the highest summits being cov- 
 ered with a vigorous growth of pines. Trail 
 Creek enters the Yellowstone about thirty miles 
 from Fort Ellis. Ten miles further up the Yel- 
 lowstone is Bottlers’ Banch, the last abode of civi- 
 lized man in this direction. 
 
 The Bottler brothers, who have established 
 
 themselves here, belong to that numerous class of 
 pioneers who are satisfied only when their field of 
 operation is a little in advance of civilization, ex- 
 posed to privation and danger, yet possessing ad- 
 vantages for hunting, trapping and fishing not en- 
 joyed by men content to dwell in safety. These, 
 however, are not their only occupations. They 
 
FORT ELLIS TO BOTTLERS' RANCH. 
 
 19 
 
 have under cultivation large fields of wheat, pota- 
 toes and other crops, possess extensive herds of 
 cattle, and make large quantities of butter, for 
 which they find a ready market in the mining 
 camps of Emigrant Gulch across the river, which 
 at this point is a very rapid stream, about three 
 hundred feet wide and four feet deep on the riffles 
 at low water. 
 
 Of this part of the valley Dr. Hayden says : “ It 
 is about fifteen miles long, and will average three 
 miles in width ; it is well watered, soil fertile, and 
 in every respect one of the most desirable portions 
 of Montana. We may not look for any districts 
 favorable for agriculture in the Yellowstone Val- 
 ley above the second canon ; but this entire lake 
 basin seems admirably adapted for grazing and for 
 the cultivation of the usual crops of the country. 
 The cereals and the roots have already been pro- 
 duced in abundance, especially wheat and potatoes 
 The mountains on either side are covered with 
 snow, to a greater or less extent, all the year, 
 which in melting feeds the numerous little streams 
 that flow down the mountain-sides in the Yellow- 
 stone. Hundreds of springs flow out of the ter- 
 races. One terrace near Bottlers’ Ranch gives ori- 
 gin to fifty springs within a mile, and then, all ag- 
 gregating together in the river bottom, form a 
 
20 
 
 WONDERS OF TEE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 large stream. Thus there is the greatest abun- 
 dance of water for irrigation, or for any of the pur- 
 poses of settlement. The elevation of the valley 
 at this ranch is 4,925 feet, and this may be regard- 
 ed as the average in altitude. But a small portion 
 of it is occupied as yet, but the time is not far dis- 
 tant when the valley will be covered with fine farms 
 and the hills with stock. It will always be a re- 
 gion of interest, from the fact that it is probably 
 the upper limit of agricultural effort in the Yellow- 
 stone Valley.” 
 
CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 DOTTLERS’ RANCH TO GARDNER’S RIVER. 
 
 T Bottlers’ Bancli the wagon road terminates 
 
 For the first ten miles beyond, the trail runs 
 along the west bank of the river through the wild- 
 est imaginable scenery of rock, river and mountain. 
 The path is narrow, rocky and uneven, frequently 
 leading over steep hills of considerable height. 
 From the top of one of these, a bold mountain spur 
 coming down to the water’s edge, the view up the 
 valley is very fine, embracing the river fringed with 
 cottonwoods, the foot hills covered with luxuriant, 
 many-tinted herbage, and over all the snow-crowned 
 summits of the distant mountains. Above this 
 point the valley opens out to a “ bottom ” of large 
 extent and great beauty. Across the river the steep 
 lava mountains come close to the stream, their lofty 
 fronts covered with stunted timber. A large por- 
 tion of the bottom land is subject to overflow by 
 
22 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 the numerous mountain streams that come in from 
 the right, and bears an abundance of grass, in many 
 places waist high. The river is skirted with shrub- 
 bery and cedars, the latter having thick trunks, too 
 short for ordinary lumber, yet of beautiful grain for 
 small cabinet work, and susceptible of exquisite 
 finish. 
 
 At the head of this valley is the second canon 
 of the Yellowstone, granite walls rising on either 
 side to the height of a thousand feet or more, and 
 the river dashing through the narrow gorge with 
 great velocity. Seen from the lofty mountain spur 
 over which the trail is forced to pass, the bright 
 green color of the water, and the numerous ripples, 
 capped with white foam, as the roaring torrent 
 rushes around and over the multitude of rocks 
 that have fallen from above into the channel, present 
 a most picturesque appearance. Above the canon, 
 which is about a mile in length, the valley widens 
 slightly, then narrows so as to compel the traveller to 
 cross a ridge, on whose summit lies a beautiful lake. 
 Descending to the valley again the road traverses a 
 tract of level bottom land, a mile or two wide, cov- 
 ered with a heavy growth of sage-brush. Through- 
 out all this portion of its course, the Yellowstone is 
 abundantly stocked with trout of the largest variety 
 known this side the Bocky Mountains. 
 
BOTTLERS' RANCH TO GARDINERS RIVER. 23 
 
 Some ten miles above the second canon on the 
 edge of the river valley is Cinnabar Mountain, 
 whose weather-beaten side presents one of the most 
 singular freaks of nature in the world. Two par- 
 allel vertical walls of rock, fifty feet wide, traverse 
 the mountain from base to summit, and project to 
 the height of three hundred feet for a distance of 
 fifteen hundred feet. The sides are as even as if 
 wrought by line and plumb. The rock between the 
 walls and on either side has been completely worn 
 away. Speaking of this curious formation, Mr. 
 Langford says : 
 
 “We had seen many of the capricious works 
 wrought by erosion upon the friable rocks of Mon- 
 tana, but never before upon so majestic a scale. 
 Here an entire mountain-side, by wind and water, 
 had been removed, leaving as the evidences of their 
 protracted toil these vertical projections, which, but 
 for their immensity, might as readily be mistaken 
 for works of art as of nature. Their smooth sides, 
 uniform width and height, and great length, con- 
 sidered in connection with the causes which had 
 wrought their insulation, excited our wonder and 
 admiration. They were all the more curious be- 
 cause of their dissimilarity to any other striking ob- 
 jects in natural scenery that we had ever seen or 
 heard of. In future years, when the wonders of the 
 
24 
 
 WONDERS OF TEE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 Yellowstone are incorporated into the family of 
 fashionable resorts, there will be few of its attrac- 
 tions surpassing in interest this marvellous freak of 
 the elements.” 
 
 According to the observations of Dr. Hayden, the 
 mountain is formed of alternate beds of sandstone, 
 limestone, and quartzites, elevated to a nearly verti- 
 cal position by those internal forces which acted in 
 ages past to lift the mountain ranges to their present 
 heights. Standing at the base and looking up the 
 sides of the mountain, the geologist could not but 
 be filled with wonder at the convulsions which threw 
 such immense masses of rocks into their present 
 position. Ridge after ridge extends down the steep 
 sides of the mountain like lofty walls, the interven- 
 ing softer portions having been washed away, leav- 
 ing the harder layers projecting far above. In one 
 place the rocks incline in every possible direction, 
 and are crushed together in the utmost confusion. 
 Between the walls at one point is a band of bright 
 brick-red clay, which has been mistaken for cinna- 
 bar, and hence the name Cinnabar Mountain. The 
 most conspicuous ridge is composed of basalt, which 
 must have been poured out on the surface when all 
 the rocks were in a horizontal position. For rea- 
 sons best known to himself, one of the first explor- 
 
BOTTLERS' RANCH TO GARDINER'S RIVER. 25 
 
 ers of this region gave these parallel ridges the title 
 of “ Devil’s Slide.” 
 
 “ The suggestion was unfortunate,” writes the his- 
 torian of the Expedition, “ as, with more reason 
 perhaps, but with no better taste, we frequently had 
 occasion to appropriate other portions of the person 
 of his Satanic Majesty, or of his dominion, in sig- 
 nification of the varied marvels we met with. Some 
 little excuse may be found for this in the fact that 
 the old mountaineers and trappers who preceded us 
 had been peculiarly lavish in the use of the infernal 
 vocabulary. Every river and glen and mountain 
 had suggested to their imaginations some fancied 
 resemblance to portions of a region wdiich their 
 pious grandmothers had warned them to avoid. It 
 is common for them, when speaking of this region, 
 to designate portions of its physical features, as 
 “ Fire-hole Prairie,” — the “ Devil’s Den,” — “ Hell 
 Boaring Biver,” etc. — and these names, from a re- 
 markable fitness of things, are not likely to be 
 speedily superseded by others less impressive.” 
 
 These “ impressive ” titles stand in curious con- 
 trast with the fanciful names bestowed in this region 
 by Capts. Lewis and Clarke, — Wisdom Biver, Phi- 
 losophy Biver, Philanthropy Creek, and the like. 
 
 From the Devil’s Slide to the mouth of Gardiner’s 
 Biver, twelve miles, the ground rises rapidly, pass- 
 
26 WONDERS OF 1 HE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 ing from a dead level alkali plain, to a succession 
 of plateaus covered slightly with a sterile soil. Evi- 
 dences of volcanic action begin to be frequent : 
 old craters converted into small lakes appear here 
 and there, prettily fringed with vegetation, and cov- 
 ered with waterfowl. Scattered over the hills and 
 through the valleys are numerous beautiful speci- 
 mens of chalcedony and chips of obsidian. Many 
 of the chalcedonies are geodes, in which are crys- 
 tals of quartz ; others contain opal in the centre and 
 agate on the exterior ; and still others have on the 
 outside attached crystals of calcite. 
 
tain torrent twenty yards wide, cuts through 
 a deep and gloomy gorge and enters the Yel- 
 lowstone at the lower end of the Third Canon. 
 
 At this point the Yellowstone shrinks to half 
 its usual size, losing itself among huge granite 
 
28 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 boulders, which choke up the stream and create 
 alternate pools and rapids, crowded with trout. 
 Worn into fantastic forms by the washing water, 
 these immense rock masses give an aspect of pecu- 
 liar wildness to the scenery. But the crowning 
 wonder of this region is the group of hot springs 
 on the slope of a mountain, four miles up the val- 
 ley of Gardiner’s River. The first expedition passed 
 on without seeing them, but they could not escape 
 the vigilance of the scientific company that fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 The lower reaches of the valley of Gardiner’s 
 River, and the enclosing hillsides, are strewn with 
 volcanic rock, having the appearance of furnace 
 cinder. The tops of the rounded hills are covered 
 with fragments of basalt and conglomerate, whose 
 great variety of sombre colors add much to the 
 appearance of desolation which characterizes the 
 valley. Here and there are stagnant lakes fifty to 
 a hundred yards in diameter, apparently occupying 
 ancient volcanic vents. Crossing a barren, elevat- 
 ed region two miles in extent, and three or four 
 hundred feet above the river-bed, the trail de- 
 scends abruptly to a low “ bottom ” covered with 
 a thick calcareous crust, deposited from hot springs, 
 now for the most part dry. At one point, however, 
 a large stream of hot water, six feet wide and two 
 
HOT SPRINGS OF GARDINERS RIVER. 
 
 29 
 
 feet deep, flows swiftly from beneath the crust, its 
 exposed portion clearly revealed by rising steam. 
 The quantity of water flowing from this spring is 
 greater than from any other in this region ; its 
 temperature ranges from 126° to 132° Fah. A 
 little further above are three or four other springs 
 near the margin of the river. These have nearly 
 circular basins, six to ten feet in diameter, and a 
 temperature not above 120°. Already these springs 
 have become the resort of invalids, who speak 
 highly of the virtues of the waters. A short dis- 
 tance up the hill are abundant remains of springs, 
 which in time past must have been very active. 
 For nearly a mile the steep hillside is covered with 
 a thick crust of spring deposits, which, though 
 much decomposed and overgrown with pines and 
 cedars, still bear traces of the wonderful forms dis- 
 played in the vicinity of the active springs further 
 up the hill. Ascending the hill, Dr. Hayden’s par- 
 ty came suddenly and unexpectedly upon these 
 marvellous deposits, which they agreed in pro- 
 nouncing one of the finest displays of natural ar- 
 chitecture in the world. The snowy whiteness of 
 the deposit, which has the form of a frozen cas- 
 cade, at once suggested the name of White Moun- 
 tain Hot Spring. The springs now in active op- 
 eration cover an area of about one square mile, 
 
30 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 while the rest of the territory, three or four square 
 miles in extent, is occupied by the remains of 
 springs which have ceased to flow. Small streams 
 flow down the sides of the Snowy Mountain in 
 channels lined with oxide of iron of the most deli- 
 cate tints of red. Others show exquisite shades of 
 yellow, from a deep, bright sulphur, to a dainty 
 cream-color. Still others are stained with shades 
 of green, all these colors as brilliant as the bright- 
 est aniline dyes. The water after rising from the 
 spring basin flows down the sides of the declivity, 
 step by step, from one reservoir to another, at each 
 one of them losing a portion of its heat, until it be- 
 comes as cool as spring-water. Within five hun- 
 dred feet of its source Dr. Hayden’s party camped 
 for two days by the side of the little stream formed 
 by the aggregated waters of these hot springs, and 
 found the water most excellent for drinking as well 
 as for cooking purposes. It was perfectly clear 
 and tasteless, and harmless iu its effects. During 
 their stay here all the members of the party, as 
 well as the soldiers comprising their escort, en- 
 joyed the luxury of bathing in these most elegant- 
 ly carved natural bathing-pools ; and it was easy 
 to select, from the hundreds of reservoirs, water of 
 any desired temperature. These natural basins 
 vary somewhat in size, but many of them are 
 
HOT SPRINGS OF GARDINERS RIVER. 
 
 31 
 
 about four by six feet in diameter, and one to four 
 feet in depth. Their margins are beautifully scal- 
 loped, and adorned with a natural beadwork of ex- 
 quisite beauty. 
 
 BATHING-POOLS (DIANA’S BATH.) 
 
 The level or terrace upon which the principal ac- 
 tive springs are located, is about midway up the 
 sides of the mountain, covered with the sediment. 
 Still farther up are the ruins of what must have 
 
32 
 
 WONDERS OF TIIE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 been at some period more active springs than any 
 at present known. The sides of the mountain for 
 two or three hundred feet in height, are thickly en- 
 crusted with c alcareous deposit, originally orna- 
 mented with elegant sculpturing, like the bathing 
 pools below ; but atmospheric agencies, which act 
 readily on the lime, have obliterated all their deli- 
 
 9 
 
 cate beauty. 
 
 The largest living spring is near the outer mar- 
 gin of the main terrace. Its dimensions are twen- 
 ty-live feet by forty, and its water so perfectly 
 transparent that one can look down into the beau- 
 tiful ultramarine depth to the very bottom of the 
 basin. Its sides are ornamented with coral-like 
 forms of a great variety of shades, from pure white 
 to a bright cream yellow, while the blue sky reflect- 
 ed in the transparent water gives an azure tint to 
 the whole which surpasses all art. From various 
 portions of the rim, water Hows out in moderate 
 quantities over the sides of the hill. Whenever it 
 gathers into a channel and flows quite swiftly, ba- 
 sins with sides from two to eight feet high are 
 formed with their ornamental designs proportion- 
 ately coarse ; but when the water flows slowly, my- 
 riads of little basins are formed, one below an- 
 other, with a semblance of irregular system. The 
 water holds in solution a great amount of lime, 
 
HOT SPRINGS OF GARDINER'S RIVER. 
 
 33 
 
 with some soda, alumina and magnesia, which are 
 slowly deposited as the water flows down the sides 
 of the mountain. Underneath the sides of many 
 of the pools are rows of exquisitely-ornamented 
 stalactites, formed by the dripping of the water 
 over the margins. All these springs have one or 
 more centres of ebullition which is constant, though 
 seldom rising more than four or five inches above 
 the surface. The ebullition is due mainly to the 
 emission of carbonic acid gas. The springs in the 
 centre of the main basin are probably all at the 
 boiling point — 194° at this elevation. Being inac- 
 cessible, however, it is impossible to determine 
 their actual temperature. The hottest that could 
 be reached was 102° Fall. The terrace imme- 
 diately above the main basin is bordered by a long 
 rounded ridge with a fissure extending its whole 
 length, its interior lined with beautiful crystals of 
 pure sulphur. Only hot vapors and steam issue 
 from this fissure, though the bubbling and gurgling 
 of water far beneath the surface can be distinctly 
 heard. Back of this ridge are several small springs 
 which throw up geyser-like jets of water intermit- 
 tently to the height of three feet. 
 
 On the west side of this deposit, about one-third 
 
 of the way up the White Mountain from the river 
 
 and terrace, where was once the theatre of many 
 
 3 
 
34 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 active springs,) old chimneys or craters are scattered 
 thickly over the surface, and there are several large 
 holes and fissures leading to vast caverns below. 
 The crust gives off a dull hollow sound beneath the 
 tread, and the surface gives indistinct evidence of 
 having been adorned with the beautiful pools or ba- 
 sins already described. At the base of the princi- 
 pal terrace is a large area covered with shallow 
 pools, some of them containing water, with all the 
 ornamentations perfect, while others are fast going 
 to decay, and the decomposed sediment is as white 
 as snow. On this sub-terrace is a remarkable cone 
 about 50 feet in height and 20 feet in diameter at 
 the base. Its form has suggested the name of Lib- 
 erty Cap. It is undoubtedly the remains of an ex- 
 tinct geyser. The water was forced up with con- 
 siderable power, and probably without intermission, 
 building up its own crater until the pressure beneath 
 was exhausted, and the spring gradually closed it- 
 self over at the summit and perished. No water 
 flows from it at the present time. The layers of 
 lime were deposited around the cap like the layers 
 of straw on a thatched roof, or hay on a conical 
 stack. Not far from the Liberty Cap is a smaller 
 cone, called, from its form, the “ Bee-hive.” These 
 springs are constantly changing their position ; some 
 die out, others burst out in new places. On the 
 
HOT SPRINGS OF GARDINERS RIVER. 
 
 35 
 
 northwest margin of the main terrace are examples 
 of what have been called oblong mounds. There 
 
 are sev- 
 eral of 
 them in 
 this re- 
 gion, ex- 
 tending 
 in differ- 
 ent di- 
 rections, 
 from fif- 
 ty to one 
 hundred 
 and fifty 
 yards in 
 length, 
 
 from six to ten feet high, 
 and from ten to fifteen 
 feet broad at the base. 
 There is in all cases a 
 fissure from one end of 
 the liberty cap. tlie summit to the other, 
 
 usually from six to ten inches wide, from which 
 steam sometimes issues in considerable quantities ; 
 and on walking along the top one can hear the water 
 seething and boiling below like a cauldron. The 
 
36 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 inner portion of the shell, as far down as can be 
 seen, is lined with a hard, white enamel-like porce- 
 lain ; in some places beautiful crystals of sulphur 
 have been precipitated from the steam. These 
 mounds have been built up by a kind of oblong fis- 
 sure-spring in the same way that the cones have 
 been constructed. The water, continually spouting 
 up, deposited sediment around the edges of the fis- 
 sure until the force was exhausted, and then the cal- 
 careous basin was rounded up something like a 
 thatched roof by overlapping layers. 
 
 Near the upper terrace, which is really an old 
 rim, are a number of these extinct, oblong geysers, 
 some of which have been broken down so as to show 
 them to be mere shells or caverns, now the abode of 
 wild animals. Dr. Hayden attempted to enter one 
 of them, and found it full of sticks and bones which 
 had been carried in by wild beasts ; and swarms of 
 bats flitted to and fro. Some of the mounds have 
 been worn away so that sections are exposed, show- 
 ing the great number and thickness of the overlap- 
 ping layers of sediment. Many mounds are over- 
 grown with pine-trees, which must be at least eighty 
 or a hundred years old. Indeed, the upper part of 
 this mountain appears like a magnificent ruin of a 
 once flourishing village of these unique structures, 
 now fast decomposing, yet beautiful and instructive 
 
HOT SPRINGS OF GARDINER'S RIVER. 
 
 37 
 
 in their decay. One may now study the layers of 
 deposit, sometimes thousands on a single mound, as 
 he would the rings of growth in a tree. How long 
 a period is required to form one of these mounds, or 
 to build up its beautiful structure, there is no data 
 for determining. On the middle terrace, where the 
 principal portion of the active springs are, some of 
 the pine-trees are buried in sediment apparently to 
 the depth of six or eight feet. All of them are dead 
 at the present time. There is, however, evidence 
 enough around the springs to show that the mineral- 
 water is precipitated with great rapidity. It is pro- 
 bable that all the deposits in the immediate vicinity 
 of the active springs are constantly changing from 
 the margin of the river to the top of the White 
 Mountain and return. The deposits upon the sum- 
 mit are extensive, though now there is very little 
 water issuing from the springs there, and that is of 
 low temperature. Quantities of steam are ever as- 
 cending from the springs, and on damp mornings 
 the entire slope of the mountain is enveloped in 
 clouds of vapor. 
 
 “ But,” observes Dr. Hayden, in summing up his 
 account of this indescribable locality, “ it is to the 
 wonderful variety of exquisitely delicate colors that 
 this picture owes the main part of its attractiveness. 
 The little orifices from which the hot water issues 
 
38 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 are beautifully enamelled with the porcelain -like 
 lining, and around the edges a layer of sulphur is 
 precipitated. As the water flows along the valley, it 
 lays down in its course a pavement more beautiful 
 and elaborate in its adornment than art has ever yet 
 conceived. The sulphur and the iron, with the green 
 microscopic vegetation, tint the whole with an illu- 
 mination of which no decoration-painter has ever 
 dreamed. From the sides of the oblong mound, 
 which is here from 30 to 50 feet high, the water has 
 oozed out at different points, forming small groups 
 of the semicircular, step-like basins. 
 
 “Again, if we look at the principal group of 
 springs from the high mound above the middle ter- 
 race, we can see the same variety of brilliant color- 
 ing. The wonderful transparency of the water sur- 
 passes anything of the kind I have ever seen in any 
 other portion of the world. The sky, with the 
 smallest cloud that flits across it, is reflected in its 
 clear depths, and the ultramarine colors, more vivid 
 than the sea, are greatly heightened by the constant 
 gentle vibrations. One can look down into the clear 
 depths and see, with perfect distinctness, the minut- 
 est ornament on the inner sides of the basins ; and 
 the exquisite beauty of the coloring and the variety 
 of forms baffle any attempt to portray them, either 
 with pen or pencil. And then, too, around the bor- 
 
EOT SPRINGS OF GARDINERS RIVER. 
 
 39 
 
 ders of these springs, especially those of rather low 
 temperature, and on the sides and bottoms of the 
 numerous little channels of the streams that flow 
 from these springs, there is a striking variety of 
 the most vivid colors. I can only compare them to 
 our most brilliant aniline dyes — various shades of 
 red, from the brightest scarlet to a bright rose tint ; 
 also yellow, from deep-bright sulphur, through all 
 the shades, to light cream-color. There are also 
 various shades of green, from the peculiar vegeta- 
 tion. These springs are also filled with minute 
 vegetable forms, which under the microscope prove 
 to be diatoms, among which Dr. Billings discov- 
 ers Palmella and Oscillara. There are also in the 
 little streams that flow from the boiling springs 
 great quantities of a fibrous, silky substance, ap- 
 parently vegetable, which vibrates at the slightest 
 movement of the water, and has the appearance of 
 the finest quality of cashmere wool. When the 
 waters are still these silken masses become in- 
 crusted with lime, the delicate vegetable threads 
 disappear, and a fibrous, spongy mass remains, like 
 delicate snow-white coral.” 
 
 The antiquity of these springs is a question of 
 great interest, yet difficult of solution. When were 
 these immense deposits begun? On the margin 
 of the mountain, high above the present position 
 
40 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 of the hot springs, is a bed of white, or yellow- 
 ish white limestone, from fifty to a hundred and 
 fifty feet thick. It is regularly stratified and the 
 jointing is complete. There is a belt a mile long 
 and one fourth of a mile wide, covered with 
 cubical masses of this rock that have fallen down 
 the slope of the mountain. These immense blocks, 
 fifty to one hundred feet in each dimension, ap- 
 pear as if the mass had slowly fallen down as 
 the underlying rocks were worn away. So thickly 
 is this belt covered with these huge masses that it 
 is with the greatest difficulty one can walk across it. 
 It would seem that this bed must at one time have 
 extended over a portion or all of the valley of Gar- 
 diner’s River. Much of the rock is very compact, 
 and would make beautiful building-stone, on account 
 of its close texture and color, and it could be con- 
 verted into the whitest of lime. If the rocks are 
 examined, however, over a considerable area, they 
 are found to possess all the varieties of structure 
 of a hot- spring deposit. Some portions are quite 
 spongy, and decompose readily ; others are made 
 up of very thin laminae, regular or wavy ; enough 
 to show the origin of the deposit without a doubt. 
 But in what manner was it formed ? Dr. Hayden 
 believes that the limestone was precipitated in the 
 bottom of a lake, which was filled with liot-springs, 
 
HOT SPRINGS OF GARDINERS RIVER. 
 
 41 
 
 much as the calcareous matter is laid down in the 
 bottom of the ocean at the present time. Indeed, 
 portions of the rock do not differ materially from 
 the recent limestones now forming in the vicinity of 
 the West India Islands. The deposit was evidently 
 laid down on a nearly level surface, with a moder- 
 ately uniform thickness, and the strata are horizon- 
 tal. Since this group of strata was formed, the 
 country has been elevated, and the valley of Gar- 
 diner’s Biver has been carved out, so that the com- 
 mencement of the period of activity of these springs 
 must date back to a period merging on, but just 
 prior to, the present geological period — probably at 
 the time of the greatest action of the volcanic forces 
 in this region. 
 
 Classed with reference to their chemical constitu- 
 ents, the springs here and elsewhere in the Yellow- 
 stone Y alley are of two kinds : those in which lime 
 predominates, and those in which silica is most 
 abundant. The springs of Gardiner’s Biver are 
 mainly the former. Where does the lime come 
 from ? The geology of the country surrounding 
 the springs shows already that there is under- 
 neath the spring deposits, at least a thickness of 
 1,500 feet, of carboniferous limestone ; and if the 
 origin of the heat which so elevates the temperature 
 of the waters of these springs is as deep seated as 
 
42 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 is generally supposed, the heated waters have ample 
 time and space for dissolving the calcareous rocks 
 through which they flow. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Gardiner’s river to grand canon. 
 
 BOUT a mile above the springs, Gardiner’s 
 
 River separates into three branches — the 
 East, Middle, and West Forks, which rise high up 
 in the mountains, among perpetual snows. They 
 wind their way across a broad plateau covered 
 mostly with a dense growth of pines, but with some 
 broad, open, meadow-like spots, which, seen from 
 some high mountain peak, lend a rare charm to the 
 landscape. After gathering a sufficient supply of 
 water, they commence wearing their channels down 
 into the volcanic rocks, deeper and deeper as they 
 descend. Each one has its water-fall, which would 
 hll an artist with enthusiasm. From the high ridge 
 between the East and Middle Forks a fine view is 
 obtained of the surrounding country. 
 
 Far to the southwest are lofty peaks covered with 
 snow, rising to the height of 10,000 feet, and form- 
 
44 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 ing a part of the magnificent range of mountains 
 that separates the Yellowstone from the sources of 
 the Gallatin. From this high ridge one can look 
 down into the chasm of the Middle Fork, carved out 
 of the basalt and basaltic conglomerates to the 
 depth of 500 to 800 feet, with nearly vertical sides. 
 In the sides of this canon, as well as those of the 
 East Fork, splendid examples of basaltic columns 
 are displayed, as perfect as those of the celebrated 
 Fingal’s Cave. They usually appear in regular 
 rows, vertical, five and six sided, but far more 
 sharply cut than elsewhere seen in the West, though 
 occasionally the columns are spread out in the form 
 of a fan. Sometimes there are several rows, usually 
 about fifty feet high, one above the other, with con- 
 glomerate between. 
 
 The canon is about 500 yards from margin to 
 margin at top, but narrows down until on the bot- 
 tom it is not more than forty yards wide. At one 
 point the water pours over a declivity of 300 feet or 
 more, forming a most beautiful cascade. The direct 
 fall is over 100 feet. The constant roar of the water 
 is like that of a train of cars in motion. The pines 
 are very dense, usually of moderate size, and among 
 them are many open spaces, covered with stout grass, 
 sometimes with large sage-bushes. Upon the high 
 hills the vegetation is remarkably luxuriant, indi- 
 
GARDNERS RIVER TO GRAND CANON. 45 
 
 eating great fertility of soil, which is usually very 
 thick, and made up mostly of degraded igneous 
 rocks. Above the falls the rows of vertical, ba- 
 saltic columns continue in the walls of the canon, 
 and they may well be ranked among the remarkable 
 wonders of this rare wonder-land. The lower por- 
 tion of the canon is composed of rather coarse ig- 
 neous rocks, which have a jointage and a style of 
 weathering like granite. The West Fork rolls over 
 a bed of basalt, which is divided into blocks that 
 give the walls the appearance of mason-work on 
 a gigantic scale. Below the falls the river has cut 
 the sides of the mountain, exposing a vertical 
 section 400 feet high, with the same irregular joint- 
 age. 
 
 South of the hot springs is a round dome-like 
 mountain, rising 2,100 feet above them, or 8,500 feet 
 above the sea. Its summit commands a prospect 
 from thirty to fifty miles in every direction. To the 
 north and west stands a group of lofty peaks over 
 10,000 feet above the sea, and covered with huge 
 masses of snow. These peaks form a part of the 
 range that separates the waters of the Gallatin from 
 those of the Yellowstone. Farther on to the south- 
 ward are the peaks of the head of the Madison, and 
 in the interval one black mass of pine forest, cover- 
 ing high plateaus, with no point rising over 8,500 
 
16 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 feet above the sea — the whole region being more or 
 less wavy or rolling, interspersed here and there with 
 beautiful lakes a few hundred yards in diameter ; 
 and here and there a bright-green grassy valley 
 through which little streams wind their way to the 
 large rivers. In one of these lakes the exjjlorers 
 saw the greatest abundance of yellow water-lily, 
 which blooms in great profusion on the surface of 
 all the mountain lakes of the Yellowstone Basin. 
 On the east side of Gardiner’s Canon, and west of 
 the Yellowstone, is a sort of wave-like series of 
 ridges, with broad, open, grassy interspaces, with 
 many groves of pines. These ridges gradually slope 
 down to the Yellowstone, northeast. Far to the 
 east and north is one jagged mass of volcanic peaks, 
 some of them snow-clad, others bald and desolate 
 to the eye. Far to the south, dimly outlined on the 
 horizon, may be seen the three Tetons and Madison 
 Peak — monarchs of all the region. A grander view 
 could not well be conceived. 
 
 Leaving Gardiner’s Biver, Dr. Hayden’s party as- 
 cended the broad slope of the dividing ridge be- 
 tween that river and the streamlets which flow into 
 the Yellowstone. Immense boulders of massive 
 granite, considerably rounded, are a marked feature 
 of the country about the entrance of the East Fork. 
 One of these, a mass of red feldspathic granite, is 
 
GARDINER'S RIVER TO GRAND CANON. 47 
 
 twenty-five feet thick and fifty feet long. The high 
 wavy ridge, 9,000 feet above the sea, is composed of 
 beds of steel-gray and brown sandstone and cal- 
 careous clay, in which are numerous impressions of 
 deciduous leaves. Vast quantities of silicified wood 
 of great perfection and beauty are scattered all over 
 the surface. In some cases long trees have been 
 turned to agate, the rings of growth as perfectly 
 shown as in recent wood. The soil is very thick, 
 and covered with luxuriant vegetation. 
 
 “ We were travelling through this region in the 
 latter part of the month of July,” writes Dr. Hay- 
 den, “ and all the vegetation seemed to be in the 
 height of its growth and beauty. The meadows 
 were covered densely with grass and flowers of many 
 varieties, and among the pines were charming groves 
 of poplars, contrasting strongly by their peculiar 
 enlivening foliage with the sombre hue of the pines. 
 The climate was perfect, and in the midst of some 
 of the most remarkable scenery in the world, every 
 hour of our march only increased our enthusiasm. 
 
 “ The climate during the months of June, July, 
 and August, in this valley, cannot be surpassed in 
 the world for its health-giving powers. The finest 
 of mountain water, fish in the greatest abundance, 
 with a good supply of game of all kinds, fully satisfy 
 tne wants of the traveller, and render this valley 
 
48 
 
 WOXDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 one of the most attractive places of resort for in- 
 valids or pleasure-seekers in America.” 
 
 From the summit of the ridge the party descended 
 to the valley of the Yellowstone, nearly opposite the 
 mouth of the East Fork of that river. The road 
 was a rough one. During the period of volcanic 
 action in this region, the sedimentary rocks were 
 crumpled into high, sharp, wave-like series of ridges ; 
 from innumerable fissures, igneous matter was pour- 
 ed out over the surface cooling into* basalt ; and 
 from volcanic vents was also thrown out, into the 
 great lake, rock fragments and volcanic dust, which 
 were arranged by the water and cemented into a 
 breccia. Deep into these ridges the little streams 
 have cut their channels, forming what should be 
 called valleys, rather than canons, with almost ver- 
 tical sides. These ravines, 500 to 800 feet deep, 
 covered mostly with grass or trees, occur in great 
 numbers, many of them entirely dry at present, but 
 attesting the presence and power, at no very remote 
 period, of aqueous forces compared with which those 
 of the present are utterly insignificant. 
 
 Before studying this portion of the Yellowstone 
 Valley, it may be well to retrace our steps to the 
 mouth of Gardiner’s Kiver, to explore the Third 
 Canon of the Yellowstone, so far as possible, and the 
 rest of its interesting valley up to this point. 
 
GARDINERS RIVER TO GRAND CANON. 
 
 49 
 
 As already noticed, the country about the mouth 
 of Gardiner’s River is desolate and gloomy. The 
 hill-slopes are covered with sage brush, the constant 
 sign of arid soil, and grass is scarce. This is the 
 first poor camping-place on the route. The canon 
 being impassable, the trail passes to the right, cross- 
 ing several high mountain-spurs, over which the 
 way is much obstructed by fallen timber, and reach- 
 ing at last a high rolling plateau. This elevated 
 tract is about thirty miles in extent, with a general 
 declivity to the north. Its surface is an undulating 
 prairie, dotted with groves of pine and aspen. Nu- 
 merous lakes are scattered throughout its whole 
 extent, and great numbers of springs, which flow 
 down the slopes, are lost in the volume of the Yel- 
 lowstone. The river breaks through this plateau in 
 a winding canon over 2,000 feet in depth — the 
 middle canon of the Yellowstone rolling over vol- 
 canic boulders in some places, and in others form- 
 ing still pools of seemingly fathomless depth, xlt 
 one point it dashes to and fro, lashed to a white 
 foam on its rocky bed ; at another, where a deep 
 basin occurs in the channel, it subsides into a crys- 
 tal mirror. Numerous small cascades are seen 
 tumbling from the rocky walls at different points, 
 and the river appears from the lofty summits a 
 mere ribbon of foam in the immeasurable distance 
 
50 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 below. Standing on the brink of the chasm the 
 heavy roaring of the imprisoned river comes to the 
 ear only in a sort of hollow, hungry growl, scarcely 
 audible from the depths. Lofty pines on the bank 
 of the stream “ dwindle to shrubs in dizziness of 
 distance.” Everything beneath, says Lieut. Doane, 
 has a weird and deceptive appearance. The water 
 does not look like water, but like oil. Numerous fish- 
 hawks are seen busily plying their vocation, sailing 
 high above the waters, and yet a thousand feet be- 
 low the spectator. In the clefts of the rocks down, 
 hundreds of feet down, bald eagles have their eyries, 
 from which one can see them swooping still farther 
 into the depths to rob the ospreys of their hard- 
 earned trout. It is grand, gloomy, and terrible ; a 
 solitude peopled with fantastic ideas; an empire 
 of shadows and of turmoil. 
 
 The plateau formation is of lava, generally in 
 horizontal layers, as it cooled in a surface flow, yet 
 uplieaved in many places into wave-like undulations, 
 Occasionally granite shafts protrude through the 
 strata, forming landmarks of picturesque form. 
 Like dark icebergs stranded in an ocean of green, 
 they rise high above the tops of the trees in 
 wooded districts, or stand out grim and solid on the 
 grassy expanse of the prairies. 
 
 Near the head of the Third Canon a stream flows 
 
EXTINCT GEYSER, EAST FORK OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
GARDNERS RIVER TO GRAND CANON. 51 
 
 into the Yellowstone from tlie northeast, bearing the 
 sonorous title, Hell-Roaring River. It is quite a 
 large stream, rising high among the mountains, and 
 flowing with tremendous impetuosity down the 
 deep gorges. The mountains on either side come 
 close down to the channel of the Yellowstone, and 
 are among the most rugged in this rugged region. 
 A huge peak of this sort, composed of stratified 
 gneiss, with deep strata of massive red and grey 
 granite, stands at the mouth of Hell-Roaring River, 
 and takes to itself the same imposing name. A short 
 distance above the mouth of Hell Roaring River, 
 the East Fork of the Yellowstone comes in from the 
 southeast. Its sources are high up among the most 
 rugged and inaccessible portions of the basaltic 
 range, several jagged peaks which rise from 10,000 
 to 11,000 feet above the sea. 
 
 “ The summits of these high peaks,” observes Mr. 
 Hayden, “ are all close, compact trachyte, while all 
 around the sides are built up walls of stratified con- 
 glomerate. It is plain that all of them are the 
 nuclei of old volcanoes. The trachyte may some- 
 times be concealed by the conglomerates, but I am 
 inclined to think that each one has formed a cen- 
 tre of effusion. Large quantities of silicified wood 
 are found among the conglomerates, mostly inclosed 
 in the volcanic cement, evidently thrown out of the 
 
52 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 active craters witli the fragments of basalt. My 
 impression is, that when the old volcanoes dis- 
 gorged their contents into the great lake of waters 
 around, they threw out also portions from the sedi- 
 mentary formations, and thus the silicified wood 
 comes from the Tertiary or Cretaceous beds, which 
 may have formed the upper part of the walls of the 
 crater. At any rate, these woods belong to the 
 Coal Series of the West, and they are scattered pro- 
 fusely among the conglomerates. Interlaced among 
 the massive beds of volcanic conglomerates are 
 some layers of a liglit-grey or whitish sandy clay, 
 which show that the whole breccia or conglomerates, 
 with the intercalated layers of clay or sand, were 
 deposited in water like any sedimentary water 
 rocks.” 
 
 Interesting ruins of ancient springs abound in 
 this valley. Mr. Hayden describes one, a very cu- 
 rious mammiform mound of calcareous deposit, 
 about forty feet high, built up by overlapping lay- 
 ers like those of Liberty Cap on Gardiner’s River. 
 
 “ This cone is a complete ruin. No water issues 
 from it at the present time, and none of the springs 
 in the vicinity are above the ordinary temperature 
 of brook-water ; sulphur, alum, and other chemical 
 deposits are abundant. This old ruin is a fine ex- 
 ample of the tendency of the cone to close up its 
 
GARDINER'S RIVER TO GRAND CANON. 53 
 
 summit in its dying stages. The top of the cone is 
 somewhat broken ; but it is eighteen feet in diam- 
 eter at this time, and near the centre there is a hole 
 or chimney two inches in diameter, plainly a steam- 
 vent. This marks the closing history of this spring. 
 ^The inner portions of this small chimney are lined 
 with white enamel, thickly coated with sulphur, 
 which gives it a sulphur-yellow hue. The base upon 
 which the cone rests varies in thickness. On the 
 east side huge masses have been broken off, expos- 
 ing a vertical wall twenty feet high, built up of thin 
 horizontal laminae of limestone. On the west side 
 the wall is not quite as high, perhaps eight or ten 
 feet. It would seem, therefore, that it was at first 
 an overflowing spring, depositing thin horizontal 
 layers, until it built up a broad base ten to twenty 
 feet in height ; then it gradually became a spouting 
 spring, building up with overlapping layers like tho 
 thatch on a house, until it closed itself at the top 
 and ceased.” 
 
 In the tongue that runs down between the junc- 
 tion of the East Fork and the Yellowstone, there is 
 a singular butte cut off from the main range, which 
 at once attracts the traveller’s attention. The basis 
 or lower portion of the butte is granite, while the 
 summit is capped with the modern basalt, and the 
 debris on the sides and at the base is remarkable in 
 
54 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 quantity, and has very much the appearance of an 
 anthracite coal-heap. This butte will always form a 
 conspicuous landmark, not only on account of its 
 position, but also from its peculiar shape and struc- 
 ture. 
 
 Just below the junction of the East Fork the 
 first and only bridge across the Yellowstone was 
 constructed in 1870 for the accommodation of min- 
 ers bound for the “ diggings ” on Clark’s Fork. It 
 was a work of considerable boldness, as the river 
 is some two hundred feet wide, and flows with 
 great rapidity over its narrow and rocky channel. 
 
 A short distance above the bridge, on the west 
 side of the Yellowstone, is a splendid exhibition of 
 black micaceous gneiss, forming a vertical wall on 
 the right side of a little creek, while on the left the 
 entire mass of the hills for miles in extent is com- 
 posed of the usual igneous rocks. Through these 
 rocks the stream, now not more than four feet 
 wide and six inches deep, has cut a channel from 
 two hundred to four hundred yards wide, through 
 the hardest rocks to a depth varying from five hun- 
 dred to a thousand feet ! 
 
 Further up the Yellowstone, on the same side, 
 are a number of wonderful ravines and canons 
 carved in like manner into the very heart of the 
 mountains. Most conspicuous of these is the 
 
GARDINER'S RIVER TO GRAND CANON. 
 
 55 
 
 Canon of Tower Creek. Before reaching that 
 stream, however, Column Rock, a noticeable fea- 
 ture in a landscape of great extent and beauty, 
 demands at least a passing notice. Column Cliff 
 would be a more appropriate name, since it ex- 
 tends along the east bank of the river upwards of 
 two miles. Says Mr. Langford, whose observa- 
 tions were made from the west side : “ At the 
 distance from which we saw it, we could com- 
 pare it in appearance to nothing but a section 
 of the Giant’s Causeway. It was composed of 
 successive pillars of basalt overlying and un- 
 derlying a thick stratum of cement and gravel 
 resembling pudding-stone. In both rows, the pil- 
 lars, standing in close proximity, were each about 
 thirty feet high and from three to five feet 
 in diameter. This interesting object, more from 
 the novelty of its formation and its beautiful 
 surroundings of mountain and river scenery than 
 anything grand or impressive in its appearance, 
 excited our attention, until the gathering shades 
 of evening reminded us of the necessity of se- 
 lecting a suitable camp.” 
 
 Tower Creek rises in the high divide between 
 the valleys of the Missouri and the Yellowstone, 
 and flows for about ten miles through a canon 
 so deep and gloomy that it has earned the ap- 
 
56 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 pellation, “ Devil’s Den.” About two hundred 
 ards above its entrance into the Yellowstone, 
 the stream pours over an abrupt descent of one 
 hundred and fifty-six feet, forming one of the 
 most beautiful falls to be found in any country. 
 These falls are about 260 feet above the level 
 of the Yellowstone at the junction, and are 
 surrounded with columns of volcanic breccia, 
 rising fifty feet above the falls and extending 
 down to the foot, standing like gloomy sentinels, 
 or like gigantic pillars at the entrance of some 
 grand temple. “ One could almost imagine,” says 
 Dr. Hayden, “ that the idea of the Gothic style 
 of architecture had been caught from such carv- 
 ings of nature.” 
 
 Speaking of the symmetry of some of these 
 columns, Mr. Langford says : 
 
 “ Some resemble towers, others the spires of 
 churches, and others still shoot up as lithe and 
 slender as the minarets of a mosque. Some of 
 the loftiest of these formations, standing like 
 sentinels upon the very brink of the fall, are ac- 
 cessible to an expert and adventurous climber. 
 The position attained on one of their narrow 
 summits, amid the uproar of waters and at a 
 height of 250 feet above the boiling chasm, as 
 the writer can affirm, requires a steady head 
 
GARDINER'S RIVER TO GRAND CANON 57 
 
 and strong nerves; yet the view which rewards 
 the temerity of the exploit is full of compensa- 
 tions* Below the fall the stream descends in 
 numerous rapids, with frightful velocity, through a 
 gloomy gorge, to its union with the Yellowstone 
 Its bed is filled with enormous boulders, against 
 which the rushing waters break with great fury. 
 
 Many of the capricious formations wrought from 
 the shale excite merriment as well as wonder. Of 
 this kind especially was a huge mass sixty feet in 
 height, which, from its supposed resemblance to 
 the proverbial foot of his Satanic Majesty, we 
 called the “ Devil’s Hoof.” The scenery of moun- 
 tain, rock, and forest surrounding the falls is very 
 beautiful. Here, too, the hunter and fisherman can 
 indulge their tastes with the certainty of ample re- 
 ward. As a half-way resort to the greater wonders 
 still farther up the marvellous river, the visitor of 
 future years will find no more delightful resting- 
 place. The name of “ Tower Falls,” which we gave 
 it, was suggested by some of the most conspicuous 
 features of the scenery.” 
 
 The sides of the chasm are worn into caverns 
 lined with variously-tinted mosses, nourished by 
 clouds of spray which rise from the cataract ; while 
 above, and to the left, a spur from the great pla- 
 teau rises over all, with a perpendicular front of 400 
 
58 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 feet. The fall is accessible both at the brink and at 
 the foot, and fine views can be obtained from either 
 side of the canon. In appearance it strongly re- 
 sembles Minnehaha, but is several times as high, 
 
 THE DEVIL’S HOOF. 
 
 and the volume of water is at least eight times as 
 great. In the basin a large petrified log was found 
 imbedded in the debris. “ Nothing,” says Lieu- 
 
GARDINER'S RIVER TO GRAND CANON. 59 
 
 tenant Doane, “ can be more chastely beautiful than 
 this lovely cascade, hidden away in the dim light of 
 overshadowing rocks and woods, its very voice 
 hushed to a low murmur, unheard at the distance of 
 a few hundred yards. Thousands might pass by 
 within a half mile and not dream of its existence ; 
 but once seen, it passes to the list of most pleasant 
 memories.” 
 
 Along the Yellowstone, near the mouth of Tower 
 Creek, is a system of small mineral springs distri- 
 buted for a distance of two miles in the bottom of 
 the deep canon through which the river runs. Sev- 
 eral of these springs have a temperature at the boil- 
 ing point ; many are highly sulphurous, holding, in 
 fact, more sulphur than they can carry in solution, 
 and depositing it in yellowish beds along their 
 courses. Several of them are impregnated with iron, 
 alum, and other substances. Their sulphurous 
 fumes can be detected at the distance of half a mile. 
 The excess of sulphur in the rock-walls of the canon 
 give a brilliant yellow color to the rocks in many 
 places. The formation is usually very friable, fall- 
 ing with a natural slope to the edge of the stream, 
 but occasionally masses of a more solid nature pro- 
 ject from the wall in curious shapes of towers, min- 
 arets, and the like ; while over all the solid ledge of 
 trap, with its dark and well-defined columns, makes 
 
60 
 
 WONDERS OF TEE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 a rich and beautiful border inclosing the pictured 
 rocks below. 
 
 This is the mouth of the Grand Canon of the 
 Yellowstone. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 OVER MOUNT WASHBURN TO THE FALLS OF THE 
 YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 HE Upper or Grand Canon of the Yellowstone 
 
 extends from the mouth of Tower Creek to 
 the foot of the Great Fall, a distance of twenty 
 miles. It is impassable throughout its entire length, 
 and accessible to the water’s edge only at few points 
 and by dint of severe labor. The trail ascends the 
 divide between Tower Creek and the Yellowstone, 
 skirting for six or eight miles the canon of Tow'er 
 Creek. The ground rises rapidly and is much 
 broken by creek-beds running parallel "with the 
 river. Following the highest ridges, the first ex- 
 plorers reached at last a point whence they could 
 overlook the Grand Canon cleaving the slopes and 
 breaking through the lofty mountain ranges in front. 
 Here they caught their first glimpse of a phenome- 
 non afterwards to become a familiar sight to them. 
 Through the mountain gap formed by the canon, 
 
62 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 and on the interior slopes some twenty miles distant, 
 an object appeared which drew a simultaneous ex- 
 pression of wonder from every one in the party, It 
 was a column of steam, rising from the dense woods 
 to the height of several hundred feet. They had 
 all heard fabulous stories of this region, and were 
 somewhat skeptical of appearances. At first it was 
 pronounced a fire in the woods, but presently some 
 one noticed that the vapor rose in regular puffs, as 
 if expelled with a great force. Then conviction 
 was forced upon them. It was, indeed, a great 
 column of steam, puffing away on the lofty moun- 
 tain side, with a roaring sorted, audible at a long 
 distance, even through the heavy forest. A hearty 
 cheer rang out at this discovery, and they pressed 
 onward with renewed enthusiasm. 
 
 The highest peak of this ridge was named by the 
 first company who climbed it — Mount Washburn — 
 in honor of their leader. The view from its sum- 
 mit is “ grand be} r ond description yet some con- 
 ception of its grandeur can be formed, let us hope, 
 from the graphic review of its more striking fea- 
 tures by Lieutenant Doane. 
 
 “ Looking northward, the great plateau stretches 
 away from the base of the mountain to the front 
 and left with its innumerable groves and sparkling 
 waters, a variegated landscape of surpassing beauty, 
 
 
MOUNT WASHBURN TO THE FALLS. 
 
 63 
 
 bounded on its extreme verge by the canons of the 
 Yellowstone. The pure atmosphere of this lofty 
 region causes every outline of tree, rock, or lakelet 
 to be visible with wonderful distinctness, and objects 
 twenty miles away appear as if very near at hand. 
 Still further to the left the snowy ranges on the 
 headwaters of Gardiner’s River stretch away to the 
 westward, joining those on the head of the Gallatin, 
 and forming, with the Elephant’s Back, a continu- 
 ous chain, bending constantly to the south, the rim 
 of the Yellowstone Basin. On the verge of the 
 horizon appear, like mole-hills in the distance, and 
 far below, the white summits above the Gallatin 
 Valley. These never thaw during the summer 
 months, though several thousand feet lower than 
 where we now stand upon the bare granite, and no 
 snow visible near, save in the depths of shaded 
 ravines. Beyond the plateau to the right front is 
 the deep valley of the East Fork bearing away east- 
 ward, and still beyond, ragged volcanic peaks, 
 heaped in inextricable confusion, as far as the limit 
 of vision extends. On the east, close beneath our 
 feet, yawns the immense gulf of the Grand Canon, 
 cutting away the bases of two mountains in forcing 
 a passage through the range. Its yellow walls 
 divide the landscape nearly in a straight line to the 
 junction of Warm Spring (Tower) Creek below. The 
 
 5 
 
64 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 ragged edges of the chasm are from two hundred 
 to five hundred yards apart, its depth so profound 
 that the river bed is nowhere visible. No sound 
 reaches the ear from the bottom of the abyss ; the 
 sun’s rays are reflected on the farther wall and then 
 lost in the darkness below. The mind struggles 
 and then falls back upon itself, despairing in the 
 efforts to grasp by a single thought the idea of its 
 immensity. Beyond, a gentle declivity, sloping 
 from the summit of the broken range, extends to 
 the limit of vision, a wilderness of unbroken pine 
 forest. 
 
 “ Turning southward, a new and strange scene 
 bursts upon the view. Filling the whole field of 
 vision, and with its boundaries in the verge of the 
 horizon, lies the great volcanic basin of the Yellow- 
 stone — nearly circular in form, from fifty to seventy- 
 five miles in diameter, and with a general de- 
 pression of about 2,000 feet below the summits 
 of the great ranges which form its outer rim. 
 Mount Washburn lies in the point of the cir- 
 cumference, northeast from the centre of the basin ; 
 far away in the southwest, the three great Tetons on 
 Snake Biver fill another space in the circle ; connect- 
 ing these two highest are crescent ranges, one west- 
 ward and south, past Gardiner’s Kiver and the 
 Gallatin, bounding the lower Madison, thence to the 
 
MOUNT WASHBURN TO THE FALLS. 
 
 65 
 
 Jefferson and by the Snake River range to the Te- 
 tons ; another eastward and south, a continuous 
 range by the head of Rose Bud, inclosing the sources 
 of the Snake, and joining the Tetons beyond. Be- 
 tween the south and west points, this vast circle is 
 broken through in many places for the passage of 
 the rivers ; but a single glance at the interior slopes 
 of the ranges shows that a former complete connec- 
 tion existed, and that the great basin has been one 
 vast crater of a now extinct volcano. The nature 
 of the rocks, the steepness and outline of the inte- 
 rior walls, together with other peculiarities to be 
 mentioned hereafter, render this conclusion a cer- 
 tainty. The lowest point in this great amphitheatre 
 lies directly in front of us, and about eight miles 
 distant : a grassy valley, branching between low 
 ridges, running from the river toward the centre of 
 the basin. A small stream rises in this valley, 
 breaking through the ridges to the west in a deep 
 canon, and falling into the channel of the Yellow- 
 stone, which here bears in a northeast course, flow- 
 ing in view as far as the confluence of the small 
 stream, thence plunged into the Grand Canon, and 
 hidden from sight. No falls can be seen, but their 
 location is readily detected by the sudden disap- 
 pearance of the river ; beyond this open valley the 
 basin appears to be filled with a succession of low, 
 
66 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 converging ridges, heavily timbered, and all of about 
 an equal altitude. 
 
 “ To the south appears a broad sheet of water — 
 the Yellowstone Lake. Across the Grand Canon, 
 on the slope of the great mountain wall, is the steam 
 jet seen this morning ; and in the next ravine be- 
 yond it are six more of inferior volume. Still far- 
 ther south are others, to the number of perhaps 
 twenty, and to the southwest more of them, scat- 
 tered over the vast expanse of the basin, rising from 
 behind the wooded hills in every direction. The 
 view in this respect strongly resembles that from the 
 Alleghanies, where they overlook iron and coal dis- 
 tricts, with all their furnaces in active operation, 
 save that one looks in vain here for the thrifty 
 towns, country villas, steamboats, and railroad 
 depots.” 
 
 Does this picture seem overdrawn ? The briefer 
 and less enthusiastic description of Dr. Hayden 
 confirms its truth, though he does not accept in full 
 Lieutenant Doane’s interpretation of it. He says, 
 in his official report : 
 
 “ The view from the summit of Mount Wash- 
 burn is one of the finest I have ever seen, and al- 
 though the atmosphere was somewhat obscured by 
 smoke, yet an area of fifty to one hundred miles ra- 
 dius in every direction could be seen more or less 
 
MOUNT WASHBURN TO THE FALLS. 
 
 G7 
 
 distinctly. We caught the first glimpse of the 
 great basin of the Yellowstone, with the lake, 
 which reminded one much, from its bays, indenta- 
 tions, and surrounding mountains, of Great Salt 
 Lake. To the south are the Tetons, rising high 
 above all the rest, the monarchs of all they survey, 
 with their summits covered with perpetual snow. To 
 the southwest an immense area of dense pine forests 
 extends for one hundred miles without a peak ris- 
 ing above the black, level mass. A little farther to 
 the southwest and west are the Madison Moun- 
 tains, a lofty, grand, snow-capped range, extending 
 far to the northward. Nearer and in full view, to 
 the west commence the bold peaks of the Gallatin 
 Range, extending northward as far as the eye can 
 reach. To the north we get a full view of the val- 
 ley of the Yellowstone, with the lofty ranges that 
 wall it in. Emigrant Peak, and the splendid group 
 of mountains of which it is a part, can be clearly 
 seen, and lose none of their marvellous beauty of 
 outline, view them from what point we may. To 
 the north and east the eye scans the most remarka- 
 ble chaotic mass of peaks of the most rugged char- 
 acter, apparently without system, yet sending their 
 jagged summits high up among the clouds. Far- 
 ther distant are somewhat more regular ranges, 
 snow-covered, probably the Big Horn. But with 
 
68 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 all this magnificent scenery around us from every 
 side, the greatest beauty was the lake, in full view 
 to the southeast, set like a gem amid the high 
 mountains, which are literally bristling with peaks, 
 many of them capped with snow. These are all of 
 volcanic origin, and the fantastic shapes which 
 many of them have assumed under the hand of 
 time, called forth a variety of names from my par- 
 ty. There were two of them that represented the 
 human profile so well that we called them the 
 “ Giant’s Face ” and “ Old Man of the Mountain.” 
 These formed good landmarks for the topographer, 
 for they were visible from every point of the basin.” 
 As regards the geological character of the coun- 
 try seen from Mount Washburn, Dr. Hayden ob- 
 serves, in discussing the geology of the region : 
 “We may say, in brief, that the entire basin of 
 the Yellowstone is volcanic. I am not prepared to 
 pronounce it a crater, with a lake occupying the in- 
 ner portion, while the mountains that surround the 
 basin are the ruins of this great crater ; but, at a 
 period not very remote in the geological past, this 
 whole country was a scene of w’onderful volcanic 
 activity. I regard the hot springs so abundant all 
 over the valley as the last stages of this grand scene. 
 Hot springs, geysers, etc., are so intimately con- 
 nected with what we usually term volcanoes that 
 
MOUNT WASHBURN TO THE FALLS. 
 
 69 
 
 their origin and action admit of the same explana- 
 tion. Both undoubtedly form safety-valves or vents 
 for the escape of the powerful forces that have been 
 generated in the interior of the earth since the com- 
 mencement of our present period ; the true volcanic 
 action has ceased, but the safety-valves are the 
 thousands of hot springs all over this great area. 
 I believe that the time of the greatest volcanic ac- 
 tivity occurred during the Pliocene period — smoke, 
 ashes, fragments of rock, and lava poured forth 
 from thousands of orifices into the surrounding 
 waters. Hundreds of cones were built up, frag- 
 ments of which still remain ; and around them were 
 arranged by the water the dust and fragments of 
 rock, the ejedamenta of these volcanoes, in the form 
 of the conglomerate or breccia as we find it now. 
 These orifices may have been of every possible 
 form — rounded or oblong, mere fissures, perhaps, 
 extending for miles, and building up their own 
 crater rims as the hot springs build up their rounded, 
 conical peaks or oblong mounds at the present 
 time.” 
 
 Leaving Mount Washburn, with its summit piles 
 of basalt; and its precipitous slope scattered with 
 agates and beautiful fragments of sardonyx, chalce- 
 dony, and malachite, let us descend to the valley. 
 
 The trail pursues a tortuous way to avoid the 
 
70 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 fallen timber and the dense groves of pine, descend- 
 ing the almost vertical inner sides of the rim of the 
 Yellowstone Basin, to the valley of a small creek. 
 Two or three miles down this stream is a hideous 
 glen, filled with sulphurous vapor emitted from six 
 or eight boiling springs of great size and activity. 
 Mr. Langford says of this unsavory place : 
 
 “ It looked like nothing earthly we had ever seen, 
 and the pungent fumes which filled the atmosphere 
 were not unaccompanied by a disagreeable sense of 
 possible suffocation. Entering the basin cautiously, 
 we found the entire surface of the earth covered 
 with the incrusted sinter thrown from the springs. 
 Jets of hot vapor were expelled through a hundred 
 natural orifices with which it was pierced, and 
 through every fracture made by passing over it. 
 The springs themselves were as diabolical in appear- 
 ance as the witches’ caldron in Macbeth, and needed 
 but the presence of Hecate and her weird band to 
 realize that horrible creation of poetic fancy. They 
 were all in a state of violent ebullition, throwing 
 their liquid contents to the height of three or four 
 feet. The largest had a basin twenty by forty feet 
 in diameter. Its greenish-yellow water was covered 
 with bubbles, which were constantly rising, bursting, 
 and emitting sulphurous gas from various parts of 
 its surface. The central spring seethed and bubbled 
 
MOUNT WASHBURN TO THE FALLS. 
 
 71 
 
 like a boiling caldron. Fearful volumes of vapor 
 were constantly escaping it. Near it was another, 
 not so large, but more infernal in appearance. Its 
 contents, of the consistency of paint, were in con- 
 stant, noisy ebullition. A stick thrust into it, on 
 being withdrawn, was coated with lead-colored 
 slime a quarter of an inch in thickness. Nothing 
 flows from this spring. Seemingly, it is boiling 
 down. A fourth spring, which exhibited the same 
 physical features, was partly covered by an over- 
 hanging ledge of rock. We tried to fathom it, but 
 the bottom was beyond the reach of the longest pole 
 we could find. Bocks cast into it increased the agi- 
 tation of its waters. There were several other 
 springs in the group, smaller in size, but presenting 
 the same characteristics. 
 
 “ The approach to them was unsafe, the incrust- 
 ation surrounding them bending in many places be- 
 neath our weight, — and from the fractures thus cre- 
 ated would ooze a sulphury slime of the consistency 
 of mucilage. It w r as with great difficulty that we 
 obtained specimens from the natural apertures with 
 which the crust is filled, — a feat which was accom- 
 plished by one only of our party, who extended him- 
 self at full length upon that portion of the incrust- 
 ation which yielded the least, but which was not 
 sufficiently strong to bear his weight while in an up- 
 
72 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 right position, and at imminent risk of sinking into 
 the infernal mixture, rolled over and over to the 
 edge of the opening, and with the crust slowly bend- 
 ing and sinking beneath him, hurriedly secured the 
 coveted prize. 
 
 GETTING A SPECIMEN. 
 
 “ There was something so revolting in the general 
 appearance of the springs and their surroundings — 
 the foulness of the vapors, the infernal contents, the 
 treacherous incrustation, the noisy ebullition, the 
 general appearance of desolation, and the seclusion 
 and wildness of the location — that, though awe- 
 
MOUNT WASHBURN TO THE FALLS. 
 
 73 
 
 struck, we were not unrcluctant to continue our 
 journey without making them a second visit.” 
 
 Once more our amateur explorers had recourse to 
 their western vocabulary, and bestowed on this un- 
 happy locality the title, “ Hell -broth Springs ” — 
 which, says the historian of the expedition, “ fully 
 expressed our appreciation of their character.” 
 
 The following season this remarkable group of 
 springs was thoroughly examined by the party 
 under Dr. Hayden. That careful observer says : 
 
 “ They are evidently diminishing in power, but 
 the rims all around reveal the most powerful mani- 
 festations far back in the past. Sulphur, copper, 
 alum, and soda cover the surface. There is also 
 precipitated around the borders of some of the 
 mud springs a white efflorescence, probably nitrate 
 of potash. These springs are located on the side 
 of the mountain, nearly 1,000 feet above the margin 
 of the canon, but extend along into the level por- 
 tions below. . . . One of these springs was bub- 
 bling quite briskly, but had a temperature of only 
 100°. Near it is a turbid spring of 170°. In the 
 valley are a large number of turbid, mud, and boil- 
 ing springs, with temperatures from 175° to 185°. 
 There are a number of springs that issue from the 
 side of the mountain, and the waters, gathering into 
 one channel, flow into the Yellowstone, The num- 
 
74 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 ber of frying or simmering springs is great. The 
 ground in many places, for several yards in every 
 direction, is perforated like a sieve, and the water 
 bubbles by with a simmering noise. There is one 
 huge boiling spring which deposits fine black mud 
 all around the sides. The depth of the crater of 
 this spring, its dark, gloomy appearance, and the 
 tremendous force which it manifested in its opera- 
 tions, led us to name it the “Devil’s Caldron.” 
 There are a large number of springs here, but no 
 true geysers. It is plainly the last stages of what 
 was once a most remarkable group. Extending 
 across the canon on the opposite side of the Yellow- 
 stone, interrupted here and there, this group of 
 springs extends for several miles, forming one of tlie 
 largest deposits of silica, but only here and there 
 are there signs of life. Many of the dead 
 springs are mere basins, with a thick deposit of iron 
 on the sides, lining the channel of the water that 
 flows from them. These vary in temperature from 
 98° to 120°. The highest temperature was 192°. 
 The steam-vents are very numerous, and the chim- 
 neys are lined with sulphur. Where the crust can 
 be removed, we find the under side lined with the 
 most delicate crystals of sulphur, which disappear 
 like frost-work at the touch. Still there is a con- 
 siderable amount of solid amorphous sulphur. The 
 
MOUNT WASHBURN TO THE FALLS. 
 
 75 
 
 sulphur and the iron, with the vegetable matter, 
 which is always very abundant about the springs, 
 give, through the almost infinite variety of shades, 
 a most pleasing and striking picture. One of the 
 mud springs, with a basin twenty by twenty-five 
 feet, and six feet deep, is covered with large bub- 
 bles or puffs constantly bursting with a thud. There 
 are a number of high hills in this vicinity entirely 
 composed of the hot-spring deposits, at least nine- 
 tenths silica, appearing snowy- white in the distance ; 
 one of the walls is 175 feet high, and another about 
 70 feet. They are now covered to a greater or less 
 extent with pines. Steam is constantly issuing from 
 vents around the base and from the sides of these 
 hills. There is one lake 100 by 300 yards, with a 
 number of bubbling and boiling springs rising to 
 the surface. Near the shore is one of the sieve- 
 springs, with a great number of small perforations, 
 from which the water bubbles up with a simmering 
 noise ; temperature, 188°. This group really forms 
 one of the great ruins.” 
 
 A short day’s march from Hell-broth Spring brings 
 the traveller to a little stream flowing into the Yel- 
 lowstone, between the upper and the lower fall. 
 From its rapid and tumultuous flow, the first explorers 
 called it Cascade Creek. Just before its union with 
 the Yellowstone it traverses a gloomy gorge cut 
 
76 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 through a kind of volcanic sandstone, largely made up 
 of fragments of obsidian and other igneous rocks ce- 
 mented with volcanic ash. This rock is worn by the 
 water into so many fantastic shapes and cavernous re- 
 cesses, that — with their usual poverty of invention 
 and tartarean taste — the first observers straightway 
 gave the uncanny channel over to the Prince of Dark- 
 ness, and dubbed it the Devil’s Den. A mile be- 
 low this gorge the stream flows over a series of 
 ledges, making a cascade as beautiful as its pre- 
 vious course has been weird and ugly. There is 
 first a fall of five feet, which is immediately suc- 
 ceeded by another of fifteen, into a pool as clear as 
 amber, nestled beneath overarching rocks. Here 
 the stream lingers as if half reluctant to continue 
 its course, then gracefully emerges from the grotto, 
 and, veiling the rocks down an abrupt descent of 
 eighty-four feet, passes rapidly on to the Yellow- 
 stone. For a wonder, this charming fall has re- 
 ceived a corresponding name — Crystal Cascade. An 
 infinite variety of volcanic specimens, quartz, feld- 
 spar, mica, granites, lavas, basalts, composite crys- 
 tals — in fact, everything, from asbestos to obsidian, 
 is represented by fragments in the bed of this stream. 
 
 At the foot of the gorge and on the margin of the 
 Yellowstone stands a high promontory of concre- 
 tionary lava, literally filled with volcanic butternuts. 
 
THE DEVILS DEN, CASCADE CREEK. 
 
WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 77 
 
 Many of these are loose, and can be taken out of 
 the rock with the hand ; broken open, they are in- 
 variably hollow, and lined with minute quartz crys- 
 tals of various tints. This rare formation occurs 
 frequently in the great basin. 
 
 G 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE GRAND CANON AND THE FALLS. 
 
 0 language,” says Dr. Hayden, “ can do jus- 
 
 tice to the wonderful grandeur and beauty of 
 the Grand Canon.” It has no parallel in the 
 world. Through the eye alone can any just idea be 
 gained of its strange, awful, fascinating, unearthly 
 blending of the majestic and the beautiful ; and, 
 even in its visible presence, the mind fails to com- 
 prehend the weird and unfamiliar, almost incredible 
 scenes it reveals. Says Mr. Langford : “ The brain 
 reels as we gaze into this profound and solemn 
 solitude. We shrink from the dizzy verge ap- 
 palled, glad to feel the solid earth under our feet, 
 and venture no more, except with forms extended, 
 and faces barely protruding over the edge of the 
 precipice. The stillness is horrible. Down, down, 
 down, we see the river attenuated to a thread, toss- 
 ing its miniature waves, and dashing, with puny 
 
THE GRAND CANON AND THE FALLS. 
 
 79 
 
 strength, against the massive walls which imprison 
 it. All access to its margin is denied, and the 
 dark gray rocks hold it in dismal shadow. Even 
 the voice of its waters in their convulsive agony 
 cannot be heard. Uncheered by plant or shrub, 
 obstructed with massive boulders and by jutting 
 points, it rushes madly on its solitary course. The 
 solemn grandeur of the scene surpasses descrip- 
 tion. The sense of danger with which it impresses 
 you is harrowing in the extreme. You feel the ab- 
 sence of sound, the oppression of absolute silence. 
 If you could only hear that gurgling river, if you 
 could see a living tree in the depth beneath you, if 
 a bird would fly past, if the wind would move any 
 object in the awful chasm, to break for a moment 
 the solemn silence that reigns there, it would re- 
 lieve that tension of the nerves which the scene 
 has excited, and you would rise from your pros- 
 trate condition and thank God that he had per- 
 mitted you to gaze, unharmed, upon this majestic 
 display of natural architecture. As it is, sympa- 
 thizing in spirit with the deep gloom of the scene, 
 you crawl from the dreadful verge, scared lest the 
 firm rock give way beneath and precipitate you 
 into the horrid gulf.” 
 
 “ The fearful descent into this terrific canon,” 
 Mr. Langford adds, “ was accomplished with great 
 
80 
 
 WONDERS OF TEE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 difficulty by Messrs. Hauser and Stickney, at a 
 point about two miles below the falls. By trigo- 
 nometrical measurement they found the chasm at 
 that point to be 1,190 feet deep. Their ascent 
 from it was perilous, and it was only by making 
 good use of hands and feet, and keeping the 
 nerves braced to the utmost tension, that they 
 were enabled to clamber up the precipitous rocks 
 to a safe landing-place.” 
 
 Lieutenant Doane also made the descent, some- 
 what further down the river, accompanied by one 
 of his company. Selecting the channel of a small 
 creek, they scrambled down its steep descent, wad- 
 ing in the stream. 
 
 “ On entering the ravine, we came at once to hot 
 springs of sulphur, sulphate of copper, alum, 
 steam jets, etc., in endless variety, some of them of 
 very peculiar form. One of them in particular, of 
 sulphur, had built up a tall spire, standing out 
 from the slope of the wall like an enormous horn, 
 with hot water trickling down its sides. The creek 
 ran on a bed of solid rock, in many places smooth 
 and slippery, in others obstructed by masses of de- 
 bris from the overhanging cliffs of the sulphureted 
 limestone above. After descending for three miles 
 in the channel we came to a sort of bench or ter- 
 race, the same one seen previously in following 
 
THE GRAND CANON AND THE FALLS. 
 
 81 
 
 down the creek from our first camp in the basin. 
 Here we found a large flock of mountain sheep, 
 very tame, and greatly astonished, no doubt, at our 
 sudden appearance. McConnell killed one and 
 wounded another, whereupon the rest disappeared, 
 clambering up the steep walls with a celerity truly 
 astonishing. We were now 1,500 feet below the 
 brink. From here the creek channel was more 
 precipitous, and for a mile we made our way down 
 over masses of rock and fallen trees, splashing in 
 warm water, ducking under cascades, and skirting 
 close against sidelong places to keep from falling 
 into boiling caldrons in the channel. After four 
 hours of hard labor we reached the bottom of the 
 gulf and the margin of the Yellowstone, famished 
 with thirst, wet and exhausted. The river- water 
 here is quite warm, and of a villainously alum and 
 sulphurous taste. Its margin is lined with all 
 kinds of chemical springs, some depositing craters 
 of calcareous rock, others muddy, black, blue, 
 slaty, or reddish water. The internal heat renders 
 the atmosphere oppressive, though a strong breeze 
 draws through the canon. A frying sound comes 
 constantly to the ear, mingled with the rush of the 
 current. The place abounds with sickening and 
 purgatorial smells. We had come down the ravine 
 at least four miles, and looking upward the fearful 
 
82 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 wall appeared to reach the sky. It was about 
 three o’clock P.M., and stars could be distinctly 
 seen, so much of the sunlight was cut off from en- 
 tering the chasm. Tall pines on the extreme verge 
 appeared the height of two or three feet. The 
 canon, as before said, was in two benches, with a 
 plateau on either side, about half way down. This 
 plateau, about a hundred yards in width, looked 
 from below like a mere shelf against the wall ; the 
 total depth was not less than 2,500 feet, and more 
 probably 3,000. There are perhaps other canons 
 longer and deeper than this one, but surely none 
 combining grandeur and immensity with such pe- 
 culiarity of formation and profusion of volcanic or 
 chemical phenomena.” 
 
 The history of this tremendous chasm is not hard 
 to read. Ages ago this whole region was the basin 
 of an immense lake. Then it became a centre of 
 volcanic activity; vast quantities of lava was erupt- 
 ed, which, cooling under water, took the form of 
 basalt ; volumes of volcanic ash and rock-fragments 
 were thrown out from the craters from time to time, 
 forming breccia as it sunk through the water and 
 mingled with the deposits from silicious springs. 
 Over this were spread the later deposits from the 
 waters of the old lake. In time the country was 
 slowly elevated, and the lake was drained away. 
 
THE GRAND CANON AND THE FALLS. 
 
 83 
 
 The easily eroded breccia along the river channel 
 was cut out deeper and deeper as the ages passed, 
 while springs and creeks and the falling rain com- 
 bined to carve the sides of the canon into the fan- 
 tastic forms they now present, by wearing away the 
 softer rock, and leaving the hard basalt and the 
 firmer hot-spring deposits standing in massive 
 columns and Gothic pinnacles. The basis material 
 of the old hot spring deposits in silica, originally 
 white as snow, are now stained by mineral waters 
 with every shade of red and yellow — from scarlet to 
 rose color, from bright sulphur to the daintiest tint 
 of cream. When the light falls favorably on these 
 blended tints the Grand Canon presents a more en- 
 chanting and bewildering variety of forms and 
 colors than human artist ever conceived. 
 
 The erosion was practically arrested at the upper 
 end of the canon by a sudden transition from the 
 softer breccia to hard basalt, and the falls are the 
 result. From below the Upper Fall the vertical wall 
 of basalt can be clearly seen passing diagonally 
 across the rim. The Lower Fall was formed in the 
 same way. 
 
 “ A grander scene than the lower cataract of the 
 Yellowstone,” writes Mr. Langford, “ was never 
 witnessed by mortal eyes. The volume seemed to 
 be adapted to all the harmonies of the surrounding 
 
84 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 scenery. Had it been greater or smaller it would 
 have been less impressive. The river, from a width 
 of two hundred feet above the fall, is compressed 
 by converging rocks to one hundred and fifty feet, 
 where it takes the plunge. The shelf over which it 
 falls is as level and even as a work of art. The 
 height, by actual line measurement, is a few inches 
 more than 350 feet. It is a sheer, compact, solid, 
 perpendicular sheet, faultless in all the elements of 
 grandeur and picturesque beauties. The canon 
 which commences at the upper fall, half a mile 
 above this cataract, is here a thousand feet in depth. 
 Its vertical sides rise grey and dark above the fall 
 to shelving summits, from which one can look down 
 into the boiling, spr ay-filled chasm, enlivened with 
 rainbows, and glittering like a shower of diamonds. 
 From a shelf protruding over the stream, 500 feet 
 below the top of the canon, and 180 above the verge 
 of the cataract, a member of our company, lying 
 prone upon the rock, let down a cord, with a stone 
 attached, into the gulf, and measured its profoundest 
 depths. The life and sound of the cataract, with 
 its sparkling spray and fleecy foam, contrasts 
 strangely with the sombre stillness of the canon a 
 mile below. There all was darkness, gloom, and 
 shadow ; here all was vivacity, gayety, and delight. 
 One was the most unsocial, the other the most 
 
GRAND CANON AND THE FALLS. 
 
 85 
 
 social scene in nature. We could talk, and sing, 
 and whoop, waking the echoes with our mirth and 
 laughter in presence of the falls, but we could not 
 thus profane the silence of the canon. Seen through 
 the canon below the falls, the river for a mile or 
 more is broken by rapids and cascades of great 
 variety and beauty. 
 
 “ Between the Lower and Upper Falls the canon is 
 two hundred to nearly four hundred feet deep. The 
 river runs over a level bed of rock, and is undis- 
 turbed by rapids until near the verge of the lower 
 fall. The upper fall is entirely unlike the other, but 
 in its peculiar character equally interesting. For 
 some distance above it the river breaks into fright- 
 ful rapids. The stream is narrowed between the 
 rocks as it approaches the brink, and bounds with 
 impatient struggles for release, leaping through the 
 stony jaws, in a sheet of snow-white foam, over a 
 precipice nearly perpendicular, 115 feet high * Mid- 
 way in its descent the entire volume of w r ater is 
 carried, by the sloping surface of an intervening 
 ledge, twelve or fifteen feet beyond the vertical base 
 of the precipice, gaining therefrom a novel and in- 
 teresting feature. The churning of the water upon 
 
 * Mr. Langford appears to have underestimated this fall. The 
 report of the U. S. Geological Survey gives the height as 140 
 feet. 
 
86 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 the rocks reduces it to a mass of foam and spray, 
 through which all the colors of the solar spectrum 
 are reproduced in astonishing profusion. What 
 this cataract lacks in sublimity is more than com- 
 pensated by picturesqueness. The rocks which 
 overshadow it do not veil it from the open light. 
 It is up amid the pine foliage which crowns the 
 adjacent hills, the grand feature of a landscape un- 
 rivalled for beauties of vegetation as well as of rock 
 and glen. The two confronting rocks, overhanging 
 the verge at the height of a hundred feet or more, 
 could be readily united by a bridge, from which 
 some of the grandest views of natural scenery in 
 the world could be obtained — while just in front of, 
 and within reaching distance of the arrowy water, 
 from a table one-third of the way below the brink 
 of the fall, all its nearest beauties and terrors may 
 be caught at a glance. 
 
 “ We rambled around the falls and canon two 
 days, and left them with the unpleasant conviction 
 that the greatest wonder of our journey had been 
 seen.” 
 
 A few scattered sentences, culled from Dr. Hay- 
 den’s calmly scientific account of the falls, will 
 suffice to show that Mr. Langford’s description 
 “ o’ersteps not the modesty of nature.” 
 
 “Above the Upper Falls the Yellowstone flows 
 
UPPER FALLS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
GRAND CANON AND THE FALLS. 
 
 87 
 
 through a grassy, meadow-like valley, with a calm, 
 steady current, giving no warning, until very near 
 the falls, that it is about to rush over a precipice 140 
 feet, and then, within a quarter of a mile, again to 
 leap down a distance of 350 feet. 
 
 “ From any point of view the Upper Falls are ex- 
 tremely picturesque and striking. The entire volume 
 of water seems to be, as it were, hurled off of the 
 precipice with the force which it has accumulated 
 in the rapids above, so that the mass is detached 
 into the most beautiful snow-white, bead-like drops, 
 and as it strikes the rocky basin below, it shoots 
 through the water with a sort of ricochet for the 
 distance of 200 feet. The whole presents in the 
 distance the appearance of a mass of snow-white 
 foam. On the sides of the basalt walls there is a 
 thick growth of vegetation, nourished by the spray 
 above, which extends up as far as the moisture can 
 
 reach After the waters roll over the upper 
 
 descent, they flow with great rapidity over the ap- 
 parently flat rocky bottom, which spreads out to 
 nearly double its width above the falls, and con- 
 tinues thus until near the Lower Falls, when the 
 channel again contracts, and the waters seem, as it 
 were, to gather themselves into one compact mass 
 and plunge over the descent of 350 feet in detached 
 drops of foam as white as snow ; some of the large 
 
88 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 globules of water shoot down like the contents of an 
 
 exploded rocket The entire mass of the 
 
 water falls into a circular basin, which has been 
 worn into the hard rock, so that the rebound is one 
 
 of the magnificent features of the scene It 
 
 is a sight far more beautiful, though not so grand 
 or impressive as that of Niagara Falls. A heavy 
 mist always rises from the water at the foot of the 
 falls, so dense that one cannot approach within 200 
 or 300 feet, and even then the clothes will be 
 drenched in a few moments. Upon the yellow, 
 nearly vertical wall of the west side, the mist mostly 
 falls, and for 300 feet from the bottom the wall is 
 covered with a thick matting of mosses, sedges, 
 grasses, and other vegetation of the most vivid 
 green, which have sent their small roots into the 
 softened rocks, and are nourished by the ever- 
 ascending spray. At the base and quite high up on 
 the sides of the canon, are great quantities of talus, 
 and through the fragments of rocks and decomposed 
 spring deposits may be seen the horizontal strata of 
 breccia.” 
 
 On his return down the opposite or eastern side 
 of the river, Colonel Barlow descended to the foot 
 of the Lower Fall for the purpose of exploring the 
 canon. He says : “ I expected this to be an under- 
 taking of great difficulty and attended with some 
 
THE GRAND CANON AND THE FALLS. 89 
 
 danger, but entering a sharp and narrow gorge or 
 fissure in the side of the canon, immediately below 
 the great fall, I found the descent much easier than 
 was anticipated. It proved to be very steep, but 
 the rock being solid, with projecting angles, there 
 was little danger to a careful climber. A slope of 
 loose and finely broken rock, a hundred feet in 
 height, moist from the falling spray, terminated the 
 descent. Sliding to the bottom of this slope, I 
 stood at the foot of the great fall, 350 feet below its 
 crest, the walls of the canon rising 700 feet. My 
 first impression on beholding this fall from below 
 was one of disappointment ; it did not appear as 
 high as I expected. The fall, however, was grand, 
 and presented a symmetrical and unbroken sheet of 
 white foam, set in dark masses of rock, while rain- 
 bows were formed in the spray from almost every 
 point of view. The steep rocks near the falls, con- 
 stantly wet with rising mist, were covered with vege- 
 tation of an intensely green color. The river 
 below runs with the velocity of a torrent, rushing 
 down declivities, spinning round sharp angles, and 
 dashing itself into spray at every turn. I found it 
 impossible to follow the bed of the stream, the 
 steep and slippery side affording no footing what- 
 ever, and crumbling at the slightest touch.” 
 
CHAPTER. IX. 
 
 FROM THE FALLS TO THE LAKE. 
 
 ALF a mile above the Upper Fall the Yellow- 
 
 stone gives no intimation of its approaching 
 career of wildness and grandeur. It rolls peace- 
 fully between low verdant banks and over pebbly 
 reaches or spaces of quicksand, with beautiful 
 curves and a majestic motion. Its waters are clear 
 and cold, and of the emerald hue characteristic of 
 Niagara. Great numbers of small springs, fed by 
 the slowly melting snows of the mountains, flow 
 from the densely wooded foot-hills, irrigating the 
 “ bottoms,” and sustaining a growth of grass and 
 flowers that clothes the low-lands with freshness 
 and vividness of color. Everything terrific, diabolic, 
 volcanic, would seem to have been left behind. The 
 first hint to the contrary is given by a pretty little 
 rivulet, a yard wide and a few inches deep, clear as 
 crystal, winding along through the rank grass to join 
 the Yellowstone. It looks like any clear-watered 
 
FROM THE FALLS TO THE LAKE. 
 
 91 
 
 mountain stream ; but a single taste shows that it 
 has a different origin. It is strongly charged with 
 alum — hence its name, Alum Creek — and its source 
 is in a remarkable group of sulphur and alum 
 springs two or three miles further on, — that is, about 
 ten miles above the falls. 
 
 All about these springs are evidences of volcanic 
 action in great variety and profusion. Mr. Lang- 
 ford says : 
 
 “ The region was filled with boiling springs and 
 craters. Two hills, each 300 feet high, and from a 
 quarter to half a mile across, had been formed 
 wholly of the sinter thrown from adjacent springs — 
 lava, sulphur, and reddish-brown clay. Hot streams 
 of vapor were pouring from crevices scattered over 
 them. Their surfaces answered in hollow intona- 
 tions to every footstep, and in several places yielded 
 to the weight of our horses. Steaming vapor rushed 
 hissingly from the fractures, and all around the 
 natural vents large quantities of sulphur in crystal- 
 lized form, perfectly pure, had been deposited. This 
 could be readily gathered with pick and shovel. A 
 great many exhausted craters dotted the hill-side. 
 One near the summit, still alive, changed its hues 
 like steel under the process of tempering, to every 
 kiss of the passing breeze. The hottest vapors were 
 
 active beneath the incrusted surface everywhere. 
 
 7 
 
92 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 A thick leathern glove was no protection to the 
 hand exposed to them. Around these immense 
 thermal deposits, the country, for a great distance 
 in all directions, is filled with boiling springs, all 
 exhibiting separate characteristics. 
 
 “ The most conspicuous of the cluster is a sul- 
 phur spring twelve by twenty feet in diameter, en- 
 circled by a beautifully scolloped sedimentary border, 
 in which the water is thrown to a height of from 
 three to seven feet. The regular formation of this 
 border, and the perfect shading of the scollops 
 forming it, are among the most delicate and wonder- 
 ful freaks of nature’s handiwork. They look like an 
 elaborate work of art. This spring is located at the 
 western base of Crater Hill, above described, and 
 the gentle slope around it for a distance of 300 
 feet is covered to considerable depth with a mix- 
 ture of sulphur and brown lava. The moistened 
 bed of a small channel, leading from the spring 
 down the slope, indicated that it had recently over- 
 flowed. 
 
 “ A few rods north of this spring, at the base of 
 the hill, is a cavern whose mouth is about seven feet 
 in diameter, from which a dense jet of sulphurous 
 vapor explodes with a regular report like a high- 
 pressure engine. A little farther along we came 
 upon another boiling spring, seventy feet long by 
 
FROM THE FALLS TO TEE LAKE. 
 
 93 
 
 forty wide, the water of which is dark and muddy 
 and in unceasing agitation. 
 
 “ About a hundred yards distant we discovered a 
 boiling alum spring, surrounded with beautiful crys- 
 tals, from the border of which we gathered a quan- 
 tity of alum, nearly pure, but slightly impregnated 
 with iron. The violent ebullition of the water had 
 undermined the surrounding surface in many places, 
 and for the distance of several feet from the margin 
 had so thoroughly saturated the incrustation with 
 its liquid contents, that it was unsafe to approach 
 the edge. As one of our company was unconcern- 
 edly passing near the brink, the incrustation sud- 
 denly sloughed off beneath his feet. A shout of 
 alarm from his comrades aroused him to a sense of 
 his peril, and he only avoided being plunged into 
 the boiling mixture by falling suddenly backward 
 at full length upon the firm portion of the crust, and 
 rolling over to a place of safety. His escape from 
 a horrible death was most marvellous, and in an- 
 other instant he would have been beyond all human 
 aid. Our efforts to sound the depths of this spring 
 with a pole thirty-five feet in length were fruit- 
 less.” 
 
 The report of the Geological Expedition describes 
 these curious springs somewhat more minutely. The 
 first that attracted Dr. Hayden’s attention w r as the 
 
94 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 powerful steam-vent above mentioned, which he 
 calls the Locomotive Jet. “ The aperture is about 
 six inches in diameter, a sort of raised chimney, and 
 all around are numerous small continuous steam - 
 vents, all of which are elegantly lined with the 
 bright-yellow sulphur. The entire surface is covered 
 with the white silicious crust, which gives forth a 
 hollow sound beneath the tread ; and we took plea- 
 sure in breaking it up in the vicinity of the vents, 
 and exposing the wonderful beauty of the sulphur- 
 coating on the inner sides. This crust is ever hot, 
 and yet so firm that we could walk over it anywhere. 
 On the south side of these hills, close to the foot, is 
 a magnificent sulphur-spring. The deposits around 
 it are silica ; but some places are white, and enam- 
 elled like the finest porcelain. The thin edges of 
 the nearly circular rim extend over the waters of 
 the basin several feet, yet the open portion is 
 fifteen feet in diameter. The water is in a constant 
 state of agitation. The steam that issues from 
 this spring is so strong and hot that it was only 
 on the windward side that I could approach it and 
 ascertain its temperature, 197°. The agitation 
 seemed to affect the entire mass, carrying it up im- 
 pulsively to the height of four feet. It may be com- 
 pared to a huge caldron of perfectly clear water 
 somewhat superheated. But it is the decorations 
 
FROM THE FALLS TO THE LAKE. 
 
 95 
 
 about this spring that lent the charm, after our as- 
 tonishment at the seething mass before us — the most 
 beautiful scolloping around the rim, and the inner 
 and outer surface covered with a sort of pearl-like 
 bead work. The base is the pure white silica, while 
 the sulphur gave every possible shade, from yellow 
 to the most delicate cream. No kind of embroider- 
 ing that human art can conceive or fashion could 
 equal this specimen of the cunning skill of nature. 
 On the northeast side of the hills, extending from 
 their summits, are large numbers of the steam-vents, 
 with the sulphur linings and deposits of the sulphur 
 over the surface. These hills are entirely due to 
 the old hot springs, and are from 50 to 150 feet in 
 height. The rock is mostly compact silica, but there 
 is almost every degree of purity, from a kind of ba- 
 salt to the snow-white silica. Some of it is a real 
 conglomerate, with a fine silicious cement inclosing 
 pebbles of white silica, like those seen around the 
 craters of some geysers. Although at the present 
 time there are no true geysers in this group, the evi- 
 dence is clear that these were, in former times, very 
 powerful ones, that have built up mountains of silica 
 by their overflow. The steam- vents on the side and 
 at the foot of these hills represent the dying stages 
 of this once most active group. Quite a dense 
 growth of pines now covers these hills, which rise 
 
96 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE i 
 
 up in the midst of the plains, and from their pecu- 
 liar white appearance are conspicuous for a great 
 distance. At one point there is a steam- vent so hot 
 that it is difficult to approach it, emitting a strong 
 sulphurous smell, and within two feet of it there is 
 a larger spring, boiling like a caldron. So far as I 
 can determine, there is no underground connection 
 of any of the springs with each other. Sometimes 
 the rims of these craters, as well as the inner sides 
 of their basins, have a beautiful papulose surface, 
 the silica just covered with a thin veil of delicate 
 creamy sulphur. At this locality are some very re- 
 markable turbid and mud springs. One of them 
 nas a basin twenty feet in diameter, nearly circular 
 in form, and the contents have almost the consist- 
 ency of thick hasty-pudding. Indeed, there is no 
 comparison that can bring before the mind a clearer 
 picture of such a mud volcano than a huge caldron 
 of thick mush. The surface is covered all over with 
 puffs of mud, which, as they burst, give off a thud- 
 like noise, and then fine mud-waves recede from the 
 centre of the puffs in the most perfect rings to the 
 side. Although there are hundreds of these mud- 
 pots, yet it is very rare that the mud is in just the 
 condition to admit of these peculiar rings. The 
 thud is, of course, produced by the escape of the 
 sulphureted hydrogen gas through the mud. The 
 
FROM THE FALLS TO THE LAKE 
 
 97 
 
 mud is so fine as to have no visible or sensible grain, 
 and is very strongly impregnated with alum. For 
 three hundred yards in length and twenty-five yards 
 in width, the valley of this little branch of Alum 
 Creek is perforated with these mud-vents of all sizes, 
 and the contents are of all degrees of consistency, 
 from merely turbid water to a thick mortar. The 
 entire surface is perfectly bare of vegetation, and 
 hot, yielding in many places to a slight pressure. I 
 attempted to walk about among these simmering 
 vents, and broke through to my knees, covering my- 
 self with the hot mud, to my great pain and subse- 
 quent inconvenience. One of the largest of the tur- 
 bid springs has a basin with a nearly circular rim 
 twenty feet from the margin to the water, and forty 
 feet in diameter. There are two or three centres of 
 ebullition; temperature, 188 °.” 
 
 A couple of miles above these springs, near the 
 banks of the Yellowstone, is a not less remarkable 
 group of sulphur and mud springs. All the inter- 
 mediate space abounds in the remains of similar 
 springs, now quiescent or dead, yet giving evidence 
 of former power and activity beyond that dis- 
 played by any now existing. “ There were giants 
 in those days !” Mr. Langford describes a group 
 of these “ unsightly caldrons,” varying in size from 
 two to ten feet in diameter ; their surfaces from 
 
98 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 three to eight feet below the level of the plain : 
 “ The contents of the most of them were of the 
 consistency of thick paint, which they greatly re- 
 sembled, some being yellow, others pink, and 
 others dark brown. This semi-fluid was boiling at 
 a fearful rate, much after the fashion of a hasty- 
 pudding in the last stages of completion. The 
 bubbles, often two feet in height, would explode 
 with a puff, emitting at each time a villainous 
 smell of sulphuretted vapor. Springs six and 
 eight feet in diameter, but four feet asunder, pre- 
 sented distinct phenomenal characteristics. There 
 was no connection between them, above or below. 
 The sediment varied in color, and not unfrequently 
 there would be an inequality of five feet in their 
 surfaces. Each, seemingly, was supplied with a 
 separate force. They were embraced within a ra- 
 dius of 1,200 feet, which was covered with a strong 
 incrustation, the various vents in which emitted 
 streams of heated vapor. Our silver watches, and 
 other metallic articles, assumed a dark leaden hue. 
 The atmosphere' was filled with sulphurous gases, 
 and the river opposite our camp was impregnated 
 with the mineral bases of adjacent springs. At 
 the base of adjacent foot-hills we found three 
 springs of boiling mud, the largest of which, forty 
 feet in diameter, encircled by an elevated rim of 
 
FROM THU FALLS TO THE LAKE. 
 
 99 
 
 solid tufa, resembles an immense caldron. The 
 seething, bubbling contents, covered with steam, 
 are five feet below the rim. The disgusting ap- 
 pearance of this spring is scarcely atoned for by 
 the wonder with which it fills the beholder. The 
 other two springs, much smaller, but presenting 
 the same general features, are located near a large 
 sulphur spring of milder temperature, but too hot 
 for bathing. On the brow of an adjacent hillock, 
 amid the green pines, heated vapor issues in 
 scorching jets from several craters and fissures. 
 Passing over the hill, we struck a small stream of 
 perfectly transparent water flowing from a cavern, 
 the roof of which tapers back to the water, which 
 is boiling furiously, at a distance of twenty feet 
 from the mouth, and is ejected through it in uni- 
 form jets of great force. The sides and entrance 
 of the cavern are covered with soft, green sedi- 
 ment, which renders the rock on which it is depos- 
 ited as soft and pliable as putty. 
 
 “ About two hundred yards from this cave is a 
 most singular phenomenon, which we called the 
 Muddy Geyser. It presents a funnel-shaped ori- 
 fice, in the midst of a basin one hundred and fifty 
 feet in diameter, with sloping sides of clay and 
 sand. The crater or orifice, at the surface, is thir- 
 ty by fifty feet in diameter. It tapers quite uni- 
 
100 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 formly to the depth of about thirty feet, where the 
 water may be seen, when the geyser is in repose, 
 presenting a surface of six or seven feet in breadth. 
 The flow of this geyser is regular every six hours. 
 The water rises gradually, commencing to boil 
 when about half way to the surface, and occasion- 
 ally breaking forth in great violence. When the 
 crater is filled, it is expelled from it in a splashing, 
 scattered mass, ten or fifteen feet in thickness, to 
 the height of forty feet. The water is of a dark 
 lead color, and deposits the substance it holds in 
 solution in the form of miniature stalagmites upon 
 the sides and top of the crater. As this was the 
 first object which approached a geyser, we, natur- 
 ally enough, regarded it with intense curiosity .... 
 
 “ While returning by a new route to our camp, 
 dull, thundering sounds, which General Washburn 
 likened to frequent discharges of a distant mortar, 
 broke upon our ears. We followed their direction, 
 and found them to proceed from a mud volcano, 
 which occupied the slope of a small hill, embow- 
 ered in a grove of pines. Dense volumes of steam 
 shot into the air with each report, through a crater 
 thirty feet in diameter. The reports, though irreg- 
 ular, occurred as often as every five seconds, and 
 could be distinctly heard half a mile. Each alter- 
 nate report shook the ground a distance of two 
 
FROM THE FALLS TO TIIE LAKE. 
 
 101 
 
 hundred yards or more, and the massive jets of va- 
 por which accompanied them burst forth like the 
 smoke of burning gunpowder. It was impossible to 
 stand on the edge of that side of the crater opposite 
 the wind, and one of our party, Mr. Hedges, was 
 rewarded for his temerity in venturing too near the 
 rim, by being thrown by the force of the volume of 
 steam violently down the outer side of the crater. 
 From hasty views, afforded by occasional gusts of 
 wind, we could see at a depth of sixty feet the re- 
 gurgitating contents. 
 
 “ This volcano, as is evident from the freshness 
 of the vegetation and the particles of dried clay 
 adhering to the topmost branches of the trees sur- 
 rounding it, is of very recent formation. Probably 
 it burst forth but a few months ago. Its first ex- 
 plosion must have been terrible. We saw limbs of 
 trees 125 feet high encased in clay, and found its 
 scattered contents two hundred feet from it.” 
 
 On the east side of the Yellowstone, close to the 
 margin of the river, are a few turbid springs, and 
 mud-springs strongly impregnated with alum. The 
 mud is yellow and contains much sulphur. These, 
 the discoverers, Dr. Hayden and his company, 
 called Mud-sulphur Springs. The main basin is 
 15 by 30 feet, and has three centres of ebullition, 
 showing that deep in the earth are three independ- 
 
102 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 ent orifices for the emission of heated waters. Di. 
 Hayden’s description of the roaring spring issuing 
 from a cavern, coincides with that given above. 
 He called it the Grotto. Around all these springs 
 he observed an abundance of grasses, rushes, 
 mosses, and other plants growing with a surprising 
 luxuriance. The recent mud-volcano described by 
 Mr. Langford was considered by Dr. Hayden as 
 the most remarkable mud- spring thus far discov- 
 ered in the West. 
 
 “ It does not boil with an impulse like most of 
 the mud-springs,” he says, “ but with a constant 
 roar which shakes the ground for a considerable 
 distance, and may be heard for half a mile. A 
 dense column of steam is ever rising, filling the 
 crater, but now and then a passing breeze will re- 
 move it for a moment, revealing one of the most 
 terrific sights one could well imagine. The con- 
 tents are composed of thin mud in a continual 
 state of the most violent* agitation, like an immense 
 caldron of mush submitted to a constant, uniform, 
 
 but most intense heat All the indications 
 
 around this most remarkable caldron show that it 
 has broken out at a recent period ; that the caving 
 in of the sides so choked up the orifice that it re- 
 lieved itself, hurling the muddy contents over the 
 living pines in the vicinity.” 
 
FROM THE FALLS TO THE LAKE. 
 
 103 
 
 The steam rising from this spring — the Giant’s 
 Caldron — can be seen for many miles in every di- 
 rection. The movements of Muddy Geyser were 
 closely watched for twenty-four hours by Mr. 
 Campbell Carrington, who was specially detailed 
 for that duty by Dr. Hayden. His observations 
 began about nine o’clock A.M., July 1st. Then 
 the pool was calm. Shortly after, he heard the 
 loud, hissing noise of escaping steam. Hurrying 
 to the geyser, he saw a wave about three feet in 
 height rise and die away to the left ; three similar 
 waves followed in quick succession. Their dense 
 columns of steam burst up to the height of twenty 
 feet, with a dull, heavy explosion, the action con- 
 tinuing for fifteen minutes, when the spring ceased 
 flowing as suddenly as it had begun. The average 
 height of the flowing was about fifteen feet, though 
 some of the jets reached fully thirty feet. Five 
 minutes after the eruption the pool measured twen- 
 ty-five feet in circumference and three in depth, 
 where before it was a hundred feet in circumfer- 
 ence and eleven in depth. Ten minutes later the 
 mud began to rise slowly in the pool. This con- 
 tinued for a little over three hours, when the spring 
 began to boil near the centre. The ebullition gra- 
 dually increased in violence for twenty minutes, 
 then it suddenly stopped, and the eruption began 
 
104 
 
 WONDERS OR T11E YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 as at first. This rising, falling, and overflowing 
 took place eight times in twenty-four hours. The 
 following table shows the time of the observed 
 llowings and their length : 
 
 “ First flowing, 9.20 A.M. to 9.35 A.M.; length, 15 
 minutes. 
 
 “ Second flowing, 1.30 P.M. to 1.50 P.M.; length, 
 20 minutes. 
 
 “ Third flowing, 5 P.M. to 5.15 P.M.; length, 15 
 minutes. 
 
 “ Fourth flowing, 8.30 P.M. to 8.50 P.M.; length, 
 20 minutes. 
 
 “ Fifth flowing, 12.30 P.M. to 12.45 P.M.; length, 
 15 minutes. 
 
 “ Sixth flowing, 4 A.M. to 4.15 A.M.; length, 15 
 minutes. 
 
 “ Seventh flowing, 7.30 A.M. to 7.45 A.M.; length, 
 15 minutes. 
 
 “Eighth flowing, 11 A.M. to 11.10 A. M.; length, 
 10 minutes. 
 
 “ Total length of time, 26 hours. Aggregate 
 time of flowing, three hours and 15 minutes. Av- 
 erage length of flowings, 15 minutes and 37 and 
 one half seconds.” 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 UCH a vision,” exclaims the sober-minded chief 
 
 of the Geological Survey, “ is worth a lifetime ; 
 and only one of such marvellous beauty will ever 
 greet human eyes.” 
 
 “ Secluded amid the loftiest peaks of the Rocky 
 Mountains,” writes Mr. Langford, “ possessing 
 strange peculiarities of form and beauty, this watery 
 solitude is one of the most attractive natural objects 
 in the world. Its southern shore, indented with 
 long narrow inlets, not unlike the frequent fiords of 
 Iceland, bears testimony to the awful upheaval and 
 tremendous force of the elements which resulted in 
 its creation. The long pine-crowned promontories, 
 stretching into it from the base of the hills, lend 
 new and charming features to an aquatic scene full 
 of novelty and splendor. Islands of emerald hue 
 dot its surface, and a margin of sparkling sand forms 
 its jewelled setting. The winds, compressed in their 
 
 8 
 
106 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 passage through the mountain gorges, lash it into a 
 sea as terrible as the fretted ocean, covering it with 
 foam. But now it lay before us calm and unruffled, 
 save by the gentle wavelets which broke in murmurs 
 along the shore. Water, one of the grandest ele- 
 ments of scenery, never seemed so beautiful before. 
 It formed a fitting climax to all the wonders we had 
 seen, and we gazed upon it for hours, entranced 
 with its increasing attractions.” 
 
 The beautiful sheet of water so enthusiastically 
 yet fittingly described, is somewhat more than 
 twenty miles long and fifteen broad, with an irregu- 
 lar outline, presenting some of the loveliest shore- 
 lines that water ever assumed. Its form has been 
 compared to that of an outspread hand, the north- 
 ern portion representing the palm, the southwestern 
 a swollen thumb, the first and second fingers aborted, 
 the third and fourth disproportionately large. A 
 glance at the map will show that a juster compari- 
 son would be to the head and shoulders of some 
 grotesque animal with two slender ears and a pair 
 of huge knobby horns — the head facing the north. 
 The greatest stretch of water extends from the end 
 of the heavy lower jaw (the outlet of the Yellow- 
 stone) to the top of the upper horn, where the 
 Upper Yellowstone comes in ; while the great body 
 of the water lies between the forehead and the base 
 
YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 107 
 
 of the shoulder. The superficial area of the lake 
 is about three hundred square miles ; its greatest 
 depth 300 feet, and its elevation above the sea 7,427 
 feet. In the last respect it has but one rival, Lake 
 Titicaca in South America. 
 
 Lying upon the very crown of the continent, 
 Yellowstone Lake receives no tributaries of any 
 considerable size, its clear cold water coming solely 
 from the snows that fall on the lofty mountain 
 ranges that hem it in on every side. In the early 
 part of the day, when the air is still and the bright 
 sunshine falls on its unruffled surface, its bright 
 green color, shading to a delicate ultramarine, com- 
 mands the admiration of every beholder. Later in 
 the day, when the mountain winds come down from 
 their icy heights, it puts on an aspect more in ac- 
 cordance with the fierce wilderness around it. Its 
 shores are paved with volcanic rocks, sometimes in 
 masses, sometimes broken and worn into pebbles of 
 trachyte, obsidian, chalcedony, cornelians, agates, 
 and bits of agatized wood ; and again, ground to 
 obsidian-sand and sprinkled with crystals of Cali- 
 fornia diamonds. Here and there hot-spring de- 
 posits show wave-worn bluffs of the purest white ; 
 and in sheltered bays, clay-concretions and casts 
 from mud-puffs strew the beach with curious forms, 
 that exploring trappers mistook for the drinking 
 
108 
 
 WONDERS OH THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 cups, stone war-clubs, and broken idols of some ex- 
 tinct race. 
 
 Vegetation is abundant in the lake as well as 
 around it. Several species of plants grow far out 
 into the deep waters, living thickly on rocks twenty 
 feet below the surface. After a severe storm their 
 uptorn stems strew the beach like kelp on the sea- 
 shore, and the water is discolored with vegetable 
 matter for several yards from the shore. The water 
 swarms with trout, but there is no other kind of fish, 
 no shells, no shell-fish, — nothing but trout. Of 
 these, Mr. Carrington, the naturalist of the Geolo- 
 gical Survey, reports the following interesting obser- 
 vations : 
 
 “ Although I searched with diligence and care 
 in the neighboring streams and waters around the 
 Yellowstone Lake, I was unable to find any other 
 species of fish except the salmon-trout ; their num- 
 bers are almost inconceivable ; average weight, one 
 pound and a half ; color, a light-grey above, passing 
 into a light-yellow below ; the fins, all except the 
 dorsal and caudal, vary from a bright-yellow to a 
 brilliant orange, they being a dark-grey and heavily 
 spotted. A curious fact, and one well worthy of 
 the closest attention of an aspiring icthyologist, is 
 connected with these fish, namely, that among their 
 intestines, and even interlaced in their solid flesh, 
 
YELLOWSTONE LAKE 
 
 109 
 
 are found intestinal worms, varying in size, length, 
 and thickness, the largest measuring about six 
 inches in length. On cutting one of these trout 
 open, the first thing that attracts your attention is 
 small oleaginous-looking spots clinging to the intes- 
 tines, which, on being pressed between the fingers, 
 break and change into one of these worms, small, it 
 is true, but nevertheless perfect in its formation. 
 From five or six up to. forty or fifty will be found in 
 a trout, varying, as I said before, in size, the larger 
 ones being found in the solid flesh, through which 
 they work their way, and which, in a very short 
 while, becomes almost putrid. Their number can 
 generally be estimated from the appearance of the 
 fish itself ; if many, the trout is extremely poor in 
 flesh, the color changes from the healthy grey to a 
 dull pale, it swims lazily near the top of the water, 
 losing all its shyness and fear of man ; it becomes 
 almost savage in its appetite, biting voraciously at 
 anything thrown in the water, and its flesh becomes 
 soft and yielding. If, on the other hand, there are 
 few or none, the flesh of the fish is plump and solid, 
 and he is quick and sprightly in all his motions. I 
 noticed that it was almost invariably the case when 
 a trout had several scars on the outside of his body 
 that it was free from these worms, and I therefore 
 took it for granted that the worms finally worked 
 
110 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 their way through the body, and the flesh, on heal- 
 ing up, leaves the scars on the outside ; the trout, in 
 a short while, becomes plump and healthy again. 
 The only way that I can account for the appearance 
 of these worms is, that the fish swallows certain 
 bugs or insects, and that the larvae formed from 
 them gradually develop into the full-grown intesti- 
 nal worm. But even if this explanation of their 
 appearance was received, does it not seem a little 
 strange that while all the fish above the Upper Falls 
 are more or less affected by them, that below and 
 even between the Upper and Lower Falls such a 
 thing as wormy trout is never heard of ? Being 
 unable, with my limited knowledge of ictliyology, to 
 arrive at any definite conclusion in regard to their 
 appearance, I submit the above facts to those who 
 are more learned than myself in this most interest- 
 ing branch of natural history.” 
 
 Waterfowl make up in number and variety for 
 the lack of life within the lake. The surface fairly 
 swarms with them. Lieutenant Doane enumerates 
 swans, pelicans, gulls, geese, brants, and many va- 
 rieties of ducks and dippers ; also herons and 
 sand-hill cranes. The pelicans are very plentiful, 
 immense fleets of them sailing in company with 
 the majestic swan, and at nightfall the low, flat 
 islands in the lake are white with them. The gulls 
 
YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 Ill 
 
 are of the same variety as those of San Francisco 
 Harbor. Eagles, hawks, ravens, ospreys, prairie 
 chickens, grouse, mocking-birds and woodpeckers 
 are common in and around the lake basin. Men- 
 tion is also made of a guide-bird, whose habits cor- 
 respond with its name. It resembles the black- 
 bird, but is larger. Lieutenant Doane says : 
 
 “ I saw but one of these — the day I went to the 
 bottom of the Grand Canon ; it hopped and Hew 
 along from rock to rock ahead of us during the 
 whole trip down, waited perched upon a rock while 
 we were resting, and led us clear to the summit 
 again in the same manner, making innumerable 
 sounds and gestures constantly to attract attention. 
 Others of the party remarked birds of the same 
 kind and acting in the same manner.” 
 
 Herds of deer, elk, and mountain sheep, throng 
 the forests and mountain meadows about the lake. 
 Buffalo signs, grizzly bears and California lions 
 are far from uncommon, while the smaller lakes 
 and creek-valleys of the basin are fairly alive with 
 otter, beaver, mink, and muskrats. Lieutenant 
 Doane observed several unnamed and undescribed 
 species of squirrels and weasels, and doubtless 
 there are many other new varieties of animal life 
 peculiar to this little-known region. One depart- 
 ment of natural history, however, is happily unre- 
 
112 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 presented in the basin. There are no snakes, 
 though rattlesnakes are plentiful down the Yellow- 
 stone. 
 
 There are but two considerable islands in the 
 lake — Stephenson’s and Frank’s — each about a mile 
 long, narrow and covered with a thick growth of 
 pines. Dot Island, near Frank’s, a small lozenge- 
 shaped mud-bank, not over a third of a mile long, 
 and half a dozen of smaller size, usually near the 
 shore, complete the list. 
 
 The first explorers constructed a rude raft for the 
 purpose of visiting these islands and exploring the 
 shore-line of the lake, but it was speedily wrecked 
 by the choppy waves beat up by the sudden gusts 
 from the mountains. The Geological Expedition 
 took the precaution to carry from Fort Ellis the 
 framework of a little craft, twelve feet long, three 
 and a half feet wide, and twenty- two inches deep, 
 which, covered with well-tarred canvas, made a 
 very serviceable boat for fair-weather navigation. 
 “ Our little bark, whose keel was the first to plow 
 the waters of the most beautiful lake on the conti- 
 nent,” says Dr. Hayden, “ was named by Mr. Ste- 
 phenson in compliment to Miss Anna L. Dawes, 
 the amiable daughter of Hon. H. L. Dawes. My 
 whole party,” he adds, “ were glad to manifest, by 
 this slight tribute, their gratitude to the distin- 
 
YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 113 
 
 The little craft rode the waves well and per- 
 formed excellent service. Its first voyage was to 
 Stephenson’s Island, named after the first assist- 
 ant of the expedition. 
 
 guished statesman, whose generous sympathy and 
 aid had contributed so much toward securing the 
 appropriation which enabled them to explore this 
 marvellous region.” 
 
 THE FIRST BOAT ON YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 AROUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 T HE Yellowstone leaves the Lake with an easy 
 flow in a channel a quarter of a mile wide, 
 and deep enough to swim a horse. A mile to tho 
 eastward of the outlet is the mouth of Pelican Creek, 
 whose swampy valley is the resort of myriads of 
 waterfowl. On the northern side, three or four 
 miles from the lake, Sulphur Hills stand as monu- 
 ments of a once magnificent system of boiling 
 springs. 
 
 The deposit covers the side of the mountain to 
 an elevation of 600 feet above the lake shore. The 
 huge white mass of silica, covering an area half a 
 mile square, can be seen from any position on the 
 lake shore, whence it appears like an immense bank 
 of snow. In the valley near Pelican Creek, a few 
 springs issue from beneath the crust, distributing 
 their waters over the bottom and depositing oxide 
 
ABOUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE 
 
 115 
 
 of iron, sulphur, and silica in the most beautiful 
 blending of gay colors. Although the waters of the 
 springs are 160° in temperature, the channels are 
 lined with a thick growth of mosses and other 
 plants, and in the water is an abundance of vividly 
 green vegetation. The mass of hot-spring material 
 built up here cannot be less than 400 feet in thick- 
 ness. A large portion of it is pudding-stone or 
 conglomerate. Some of the masses inclosed in the 
 tine white silicious cement are themselves globes of 
 pure white silica, eight inches in diameter. It is 
 plain, from the evidence still remaining, that this 
 old ruin has been the theatre of tremendous geyser 
 action at some period not very remote, and that the 
 steam-vents, which are very numerous, represent 
 only the dying stages. These vents or chimneys are 
 richly adorned with brilliant yellow sulphur, some- 
 times as a hard amorphous coating, and sometimes 
 in delicate crystals that vanish like frost-work at the 
 touch. It seems that it is only during the last 
 stages of these springs that they adorn themselves 
 with these brilliant and vivid colors. 
 
 Hot springs are scattered along the valley of the 
 creek for several miles, some of them of consider- 
 able size and beauty. The average width of the 
 valley is about two miles ; the heat from the springs 
 and the extremely fertile soil combining to fill the 
 
11G 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 valley with abundant vegetation. At the north- 
 eastern corner of the lake, five or six miles from the 
 outlet, is a long, low spit of land built out into the 
 lake by ancient geyser action. A few roaring steam- 
 vents, giving name to the point, are ah that remain 
 of the violent action that once characterized the 
 place. The hot spring area is four or five miles 
 long by two wide ; the ground in many places being 
 perforated like a cullender with simmering vents. 
 A mile or so from the lake is a large pond where 
 there is another extensive group of springs, deposit- 
 ing sulphur, alum, common salt, and staining the 
 ground with oxide of iron. 
 
 South of Steam Point is a small bay bounded by 
 a deposit of yellow clay, full of the remarkable con- 
 cretions already referred to. Further up the east- 
 ern shore are pebbly beaches strewn with agates- 
 cornelians, and chips of chalcedony. Beyond, the 
 narrow lake-shore is quite impassable. The adja- 
 cent lowlands, and the higher levels and liill-slopes 
 further back, are almost as difficult of penetration, 
 owing to the dense growth of lofty pines and the in- 
 terminable fire-slashes that cover large areas. These 
 fire-slashes are due to autumnal fires which sweep 
 through the forests, burning the vegetable mould, 
 so that the trees are left without support, and the 
 first wind lays them down in the wildest confusion. 
 
ABOUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 117 
 
 Through these networks of fallen timber it is with 
 the utmost difficulty that a passage can be forced. 
 All the explorers speak of the exasperating nature 
 of their tribulations in these wildernesses. 
 
 Mr. Langford treats it with characteristic good 
 humor. 
 
 “ Ascending the plateau from the beach,” he says, 
 “ we became at once involved in all the intricacies 
 of a primeval wilderness of pines. Difficulties in- 
 creased with our progress through it, severely try- 
 ing the amiability of every member of the company. 
 Our pack-horses would frequently get wedged be- 
 tween the trees or caught in the traps of a network 
 of fallen trunks, from which labor, patience, and in- 
 genuity were severely taxed to extricate them. The 
 ludicrous sometimes came to our relief, proving that 
 there was nothing so effectual in allaying excitement 
 as hearty laughter. We had a remarkable pony in 
 our pack-train, which, from the moment we entered 
 the forest, by his numerous acrobatic performances 
 and mishaps furnished amusement for the company. 
 One part of the process of travel through this 
 forest could only be accomplished by leaping over 
 the fallen trunks, an exploit which, with all the spirit 
 needful for the purpose, our little broncho lacked 
 the power always to perform. As a consequence, 
 he was frequently found with the feat half accom- 
 
118 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 plished, resting upon the midriff, his fore and hind 
 feet suspended over the opposite sides of some huge 
 log. His ambition to excel was only equalled by 
 the patience he exhibited in difficulty. On one oc- 
 casion, while clambering a steep rocky ascent, his 
 head overtopping his haunches, he literally per- 
 formed three of the most wonderful backward head- 
 springs ever recorded in equine history. A con- 
 tinued experience of this kind, after three weeks’ 
 toilsome travel, found him as sound as on the day 
 of its commencement, and we dubbed him the 
 ‘ Little Invulnerable.’ ” 
 
 In another place Mr. Langford writes : 
 
 “ Our journey of five miles, the next day, was ac- 
 complished with great difficulty and annoyance. Al- 
 most the entire distance was through a forest piled 
 full of fallen trunks. Travelling was but anothei 
 name for scrambling; and as man is at times the 
 least amiable of animals, our tempers frequently 
 displayed alarming activity, not only towards the 
 patient creatures laden with our stores, but towards 
 each other. Once, while involved in the reticulated 
 meshes of a vast net of branches and tree-tops, 
 each man, with varied expletive emphasis, clamor- 
 ously insisting upon a particular mode of extrication, 
 a member of the party, who was always jolly, re- 
 stored us to instant good-liumor by repeating, in 
 
ABO UND YELL 0 WSTONE LAKE. 
 
 119 
 
 theatrical tone and manner, those beautiful lines 
 from Childe Harold : — 
 
 “ There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, 
 
 There is a rapture on the lonely shore.” 
 
 Our ‘ Little Invulnerable,’ too, was the unconscious 
 cause of many bursts of laughter, which, like the 
 plaudits of an appreciative audience, came in at the 
 right time.” 
 
 The eastern rim of the Yellowstone Basin is 
 formed by one of the grandest volcanic ranges in 
 the world, the general level of their summits being 
 about 10,000 feet above the sea, while numerous 
 peaks thrust tlieir rugged crests a thousand feet 
 higher into the sky. Mr. Langford and Lieutenant 
 Doane were the first to penetrate this range, climb- 
 ing with great labor one of the highest of the groups 
 of lofty peaks near the southeast corner of the 
 Lake. 
 
 “ The grandeur and vast extent of the view* from 
 this elevation,” writes Mr. Langford, “ beggar de- 
 scription. The lake and valley surrounding it lay 
 seemingly at our feet within jumping distance. Be- 
 yond them we saw with great distinctness the jets 
 of the mud volcano and geyser. But beyond all 
 these, stretching away into a horizon of cloud-de- 
 fined mountains, was the entire Wind Biver range, 
 
 9 
 
120 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 revealing in the sunlight the dark recesses, gloomy 
 canons, stupendous precipices, and glancing pinna- 
 cles, which everywhere dotted its jagged slopes. 
 Lofty peaks shot up in gigantic spires from the 
 main body of the range, glittering in the sunbeams 
 like solid crystal. The mountain on which we stood 
 was the most westerly peak of a range which, in 
 long-extended volume, swept to the southeastern 
 horizon, exhibiting a continuous elevation more than 
 thirty miles in width ; its central line broken into 
 countless points, knobs, glens, and defiles, all on the 
 most colossal scale of grandeur and magnificence. 
 Outside of these, on either border, along the entire 
 range, lofty peaks rose at intervals, seemingly vying 
 with each other in the varied splendors they pre- 
 sented to the beholder. The scene was full of ma- 
 jesty. The valley at the base of this range was 
 dotted with small lakes and cloven centrally by the 
 river, which, in the far distance, we could see emerg- 
 ing from a canon of immense dimensions, within the 
 shade of which two enormous jets of steam shot 
 to an incredible height into the atmosphere.” 
 
 Between the lake and this group of mountains — 
 the three highest of which bear the names of Lang- 
 ford, Doane, and Stephenson — is Brimstone Basin. 
 For several miles the ground is impregnated with 
 sulphur, and the air is tainted with sulphurous ex- 
 
AROUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 121 
 
 halations. Streams of warm sulphur-water course 
 the hillsides and unite to form a considerable rivulet 
 called Alum Creek, whose channel is coated with a 
 creamy-white mixture of silica and sulphur. Old 
 pine logs, once lofty trees, lie prostrate in every di- 
 rection over the basin, which covers an area some 
 three miles in extent. From all appearances this 
 basin must have been the scene of thermal activity 
 within a comparatively recent period ; but now not 
 a spring can be found with a temperature above 
 that of ordinary spring-water. Similar brimstone 
 basins are numerous around the lake, on the lower 
 slopes of the mountains, at the foot of bluffs, or 
 more frequently in level districts. The latter are 
 always wet, and generally impassable, the thin crust 
 covering an abundance of scalding mud, especially 
 dangerous to horses. 
 
 The Upper Yellowstone rises in the high volca- 
 nic range which shuts off the Yellowstone Basin 
 from the Wind Biver drainage, forming what is 
 known as the great water-shed of the continent. 
 
 This range of mountains has a marvellous histo- 
 ry. As it is the loftiest, so it is the most remarka- 
 ble lateral ridge of the Bocky Bange. The In- 
 dians regard it as the “ crest of the world,” and 
 among the Blackfeet there is a fable that he who 
 attains its summit catches a view of the land of 
 
122 
 
 WONDERS OF TEE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 souls, and beholds the happy hunting-grounds 
 spread out below him, brightening with the abodes 
 of free and generous spirits. 
 
 In the expedition sent across the continent by 
 Mr. Astor, in 1811, under command of Captain 
 Wilson P. Hunt, that gentleman met with the first 
 serious obstacle to his progress at the base of this 
 range. After numerous efforts to scale it, he 
 turned away and followed the valley of the Snake, 
 encountering the most discouraging disasters until 
 he arrived at Astoria. 
 
 Later, in 1833, the indomitable Captain Bonne- 
 ville was lost in this mountain labyrinth, and, after 
 devising various modes of escape, finally deter- 
 mined to ascend the range, which tremendous task 
 he succeeded in accomplishing, in company with 
 one of his men. It was this same line of snow- 
 clad, craggy peaks that turned back Captain Bay- 
 nolds in 1859. 
 
 Near its mouth the Upper Yellowstone is about 
 half the size of the main stream as it leaves the 
 lake. Its valley is about three miles wide and very 
 marshy ; all the little streams flowing down from 
 the wooded hill-slopes being obstructed by beavor- 
 dams, so as to form continuous chains of ponds. 
 The sides of the valley are dark, sombre walls of 
 volcanic rock, which weathers into curious and im- 
 
AROUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 123 
 
 posing forms. Looking up the valley from some 
 high point, one almost imagines himself in the 
 presence of the ruins of some gigantic city, so 
 much like ancient castles and cathedrals do these 
 rocks appear — a deception that is not a little 
 heightened by the singular vertical furrows cut 
 deep into the cliffs. At the base of the walls im- 
 mense masses of breccia have fallen from the 
 mountain tops, in many instances cutting long 
 swaths through the pine forests. In the upper 
 part of the valley, which in midsummer is lush 
 with vegetation, five streams flow down from the 
 mountains to swell the waters of the Yellowstone. 
 These streams Colonel Barlow calls, in honor of 
 his commander’s greatest victory, the Five Forks. 
 Here the valley terminates abruptly, the mountains 
 rising like walls and shutting off the country be- 
 yond. Just at the head of the valley is a little 
 lake, a hundred yards or so in width ; the large 
 lake which has been placed on maps as Bridger’s 
 Lake having no existence. Dr. Hayden with two 
 assistants ascended the mountains to the west of 
 the head of the valley to survey the district bor- 
 dering on the great divide. From this point as 
 far as the eye can reach on every side are bare, 
 bald peaks, domes and ridges in great numbers. 
 At least one hundred peaks worthy of a name can 
 
124 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 be located within the radius of vision. The rocks 
 everywhere, though massive, black, and deeply fur- 
 rowed vertically, have the appearance of horizon- 
 tal stratification. In some instances the furrows 
 are so regular that the breccia has a columnar ap- 
 pearance. The summits of the mountains are com- 
 posed entirely of breccia, containing angular masses 
 of trachyte, from 10 to 30 feet in diameter, though 
 most of the fragments are small. Dr. Hayden’s 
 party camped at night near a small lake, by the 
 side of a bank of snow, 10,000 feet above the sea, 
 with short spring grass and flowers all around 
 them. There are but two seasons on these moun- 
 tain summits, spring and winter ; as late as Au- 
 gust fresh new grass may be seen springing up 
 where a huge bank of snow has just disappeared. 
 Little spring-flowers, seldom more than two or 
 three inches high, cover the ground — Clatonia , Vio- 
 la, Ranunculus, and many others. The following 
 morning they travelled for several miles along a 
 ridge not more than two hundred yards wide, from 
 one side of which the waters flow into the Pacific, 
 and on the other, into the Atlantic. To the west- 
 ward the outlines of the Teton Eange, with its 
 shark-teeth summits, are most clearly visible, cov- 
 ered with snow. From whatever point of view, the 
 sharp-pointed peaks of this range have the form 
 
AROUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 125 
 
 of liuge sharks’ teeth To the southward, for fifty 
 miles at least, nothing but igneous rocks can be 
 seen. Toward the Tetons there is a series of high 
 ridges, passing off from the main Teton Range to- 
 ward the northeast, and varying in height from 
 9,500 to 10,500 feet above the sea, and from 1,000 
 to 1,800 feet above the valleys at their base. 
 
 The explorers ascended one of the high ridges, 
 (not the highest, however,) and found it to be 1,650 
 feet above the valley at its foot. The northeast 
 side is steep like a roof, the southwest breaking off 
 abruptly. From the summit of this ridge, the view 
 is grand in the extreme. To the westward the en- 
 tire country, for the distance of fifty miles, seems 
 to have been thrown up into high, sharp ridges, 
 with gorges 1,000 to 1,500 feet in depth. Beauti- 
 ful lakes, grassy meadows also, come within the 
 field of vision. “ I can conceive,” says Dr. Hay- 
 den, “ of no more wonderful and attractive region 
 for the explorer. It would not be difficult for the 
 traveller to make his way among these grand 
 gorges, penetrating every valley, and ascending 
 every mountain and ridge. The best of grass, 
 wood, water and game are abundant to supply the 
 wants of himself and animals. 
 
 “ I think,” he continues, “ that numerous passes 
 could be found from the valley of Snake River to 
 
126 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 the basin of the Yellowstone. It seems to me 
 there are many points on the south rim of the ba- 
 sin where a road could be made with ease into the 
 valley of Snake Biver. From this ridge there ap- 
 pears to be but little difference in the altitude of 
 Yellowstone Lake and Heart Lake, and they can- 
 not be more than eight or ten miles apart, and yet 
 the latter is one of the sources of Snake Biver. 
 The little branches of Snake Biver nearly inter- 
 lace with some streams that flow into the lake, and 
 the gullies come up within two miles of the shore- 
 line. There is a very narrow dividing ridge in one 
 place, between the drainage, which may be within 
 one mile of the lake.” 
 
 Heart Lake was visited by Colonel Barlow, 
 who found it a pretty, pear-shaped sheet of water, 
 four miles long and two wide in its broadest part. 
 From the north it receives a warm creek fed by a 
 considerable group of hot springs. Its outlet at 
 the southern end joins the terminal creek of Snake 
 Biver, a few miles from its source among the Yel- 
 lowstone Mountains. 
 
 Ten miles northwest of Heart Lake is Madison 
 Lake, the source of Madison Biver, the country 
 between being a somewhat rugged range of moun- 
 tains, of which Bed Mountain is the most conspic- 
 uous. To the eastward from Heart Lake is 
 
ABOUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 127 
 
 Mount Sheridan, from the summit of which a mag- 
 nificent view of the Yellowstone Basin can be ob- 
 tained. Nearer the great lake is Flat Mountain, 
 whose altitude falls a little short of 10,000 feet. 
 Between Flat Mountain and the Yellowstone Range 
 the divide is very low, some of the branches of 
 Snake River extending up to within two miles of 
 the lake, where the elevation is not more than 400 
 feet above the lake level. It is doubtless this sin- 
 gular interlacing of the head-waters of the Yellow- 
 stone and Snake River that gave rise to Bridger’s 
 story of the “ Two Ocean River.” 
 
 At sunrise on the morning of August 10th, at 
 the west base of Flat Mountain, the thermometer 
 stood at 15-£-° Fall., and water froze in Dr. Hay- 
 den’s tent that night a quarter of an inch thick. It 
 was in this neighborhood that Mr. Everts was lost 
 from the first expedition. 
 
 The country between Flat Mountain and the 
 hot springs at the southwestern extremity of the 
 lake is a level plateau with alternating spaces of 
 grassy glade and dense thickets of pine around 
 and between a perfect network of small, lily-cov- 
 ered lakes. The hot springs on the lake shore are 
 numerous and of great variety and interest. There 
 are no true geysers, however, though some of the 
 springs are pulsating springs, the water rising and 
 
128 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 falling in their orifices with great regularity. High- 
 er up the bank are a large number of mud-springs, 
 two or three hundred in all, of variable tempera- 
 tures, the most of them not differing materially 
 from those already described. Some, however, 
 have a character strikingly unique. The area cov- 
 ered by the springs is about three miles long and 
 half a mile wide, a portion of it reaching out into 
 the lake. Some of the submerged springs have 
 built up funnel-shaped craters of silicious deposit, 
 from five to tw r enty feet in height, rising from the 
 bottom to the surface of the water. Extending a 
 pole over the deep water, members of Dr. Hayden’s 
 party caught trout and cooked them in these boil- 
 ing springs out in the lake without removing them 
 from the hook. 
 
 Four hundred yards from the lake shore is a large 
 boiling basin of pink-colored mud, seventy feet in 
 diameter, with a rim of conical mud craters, which 
 project the hot mud in every direction. The deposit 
 speedily hardens into a firm, laminated stone, of 
 beautiful texture, though the brilliant pink color 
 fades to a chalky white. Near and around this basin 
 are a dozen springs, from six to twenty-five feet 
 across, boiling muddy water of a paint-like con- 
 sistency, varying in color from pure white to dark 
 } T ellow. Close by are several flowing springs of 
 
 
AROUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 129 
 
 clear hot water, from ten to fifty feet in diameter 
 their basins and channels lined with deposits of red, 
 green, yellow, and black, giving them an appearance 
 of gorgeous splendor. The bright colors are on the 
 surface of the rock only, which is too friable to be 
 preserved. Below these springs are several large 
 craters of bluish water, boiling to the height of two 
 feet in the centre, and discharging large streams of 
 ■water ; their rims are raised a few inches in a deli- 
 cate rock-margin of a fringe-like appearance, de- 
 posited from the water. Beyond these are two lakes 
 of purple water, hot, but not boiling, and giving de- 
 posits of great beauty. Near by are two more blue 
 springs, one thirty by forty feet, and 173° in tem- 
 perature. This spring discharges a considerable 
 stream into the other, which is seventy feet distant, 
 and six feet lower. The latter is forty feet by 
 seventy-five, 183° in temperature, and discharges a 
 stream of one hundred inches. The craters of these 
 springs are lined with a silvery-white deposit of 
 silica, which reflect the light so as to illuminate the 
 water to an immense depth. Both craters have 
 perpendicular but irregular walls, and the distance 
 to which objects are visible down in their deep 
 abysses is truly wonderful. 
 
 West of these is another group of clear watered 
 hot springs, which surpass all the rest in singularity 
 
130 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 if not in beauty. These have basins of different 
 sizes and immeasurable depth, in which float what 
 appear like raw bullock hides as they look in a tan- 
 ner’s vat, waving sluggishly with every undulation 
 of the water. On examination, this leathery sub- 
 stance proves to be of fragile texture, like the vege- 
 table scum of stagnant pools, and brilliantly colored 
 red, yellow, green, etc., black on the under side. 
 This singular substance is about two inches in thick- 
 ness, jelly-like to the touch, and is composed largely 
 of vegetable matter, which Dr. Hayden thinks to be 
 diatoms. 
 
 Of the beautiful transparency of the springs 
 above described, Dr. Hayden says : “ So clear was 
 the w r ater that the smallest object could be seen on 
 the sides of the basin ; and as the breeze swept 
 across the surface, the ultramarine hue of the trans- 
 parent depth in the bright sunlight was the most 
 dazzlingly beautiful sight I ever beheld. There 
 were a number of these large clear springs, but not 
 more than two or three that exhibited all those 
 brilliant shades, from deep sea green to ultra- 
 marine.” 
 
 Occasionally, says Lieutenant Doane, this ano- 
 maly is seen, namely : “ two springs, at different 
 levels, both boiling violently ; one pours a large and 
 constant stream into the other, yet the former does 
 
AROUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 131 
 
 not diminish, nor does the latter fill up and over- 
 flow.” 
 
 Most of the springs, however, seem to be inde- 
 pendent of each other, since they have different 
 levels at the surface, different temperatures and pul- 
 sations, and rarely are the waters and deposits of 
 any two exactly alike. 
 
 Passing northward through dense woods and al- 
 most impenetrable fire-slashes, the next noteworthy 
 region arrived at is the valley of Bridge Creek, the 
 creek receiving its name from a natural bridge of 
 trachyte thrown across the stream. The bridge is 
 narrow, affording scanty room for the well-worn 
 elk-trail two feet wide, while the descent on either 
 hand is so great that a fall from the bridge would be 
 fatal to man or beast. Numerous herds of elk make 
 daily use of this convenient passway. 
 
 Dead and dying springs are abundant all along 
 the valley of this creek, the most of them being re- 
 duced to mere steam-vents. In one place the 
 spring deposits cover several acres and present a 
 most attractive picture. The ground is thickly cov- 
 ered with conical mounds, from a few inches in di- 
 ameter to a hundred feet, full of steaming orifices 
 lined with brillant sulphur-crystals. The under side 
 of the heated crust is everywhere adorned in the 
 same manner. The basis of the deposit is snow- 
 
132 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 white silica, but it is variegated with every shade 01 
 yellow from sulphur, and with scarlet from oxide of 
 iron. From a distance the whole region has the ap- 
 pearance of a vast lime-kiln in full operation. Most 
 of the country has been eroded into rounded hills 
 from fifty to two hundred feet high, composed of 
 the whitish-yellow and pinkish clays and sands of the 
 modern lake deposit, which seems to prevail more 
 or less all round the rim of the basin, reaching sev- 
 eral hundred feet above the present level of the 
 lake. 
 
 Between Bridge Creek and the outlet of the lake, 
 completing the circuit of the basin, is the Elephant’s 
 Back, a long, low mountain, noticeable only for its 
 rounded summit and precipitous sides. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 UPPER GEYSER BASIN OF FIREHOLE RIYER. 
 
 J UST over tlie western margin of the Yellow- 
 stone Basin, yet within the limits of our 
 great National Park, is the grand geyser region of 
 Firehole River. Here, in a valley a dozen miles 
 long and two or three wide, is an exhibition of boil- 
 ing and spouting springs on a scale so stupendous 
 that if all the corresponding phenomena of all the 
 rest of the world could be brought into an equal 
 area the display would seem as nothing in compari- 
 son. 
 
 Firehole River, the main fork of the Madison, 
 has its source in Madison Lake, a beautiful sheet 
 of water set like a gem among the mountains, 
 dense forests of pines coming down to the very 
 shores. A pointed ridge extends into the lake on 
 the west side about half a mile, giving it the form 
 
 of a heart. Its area is about three miles from north 
 
 10 
 
134 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 to south, and two from east to west. Its shores are 
 paved with masses of trachyte and obsidian. The 
 high mountains about the lake and along the river 
 are gashed with deep gorges, with steep and jag- 
 ged sides. Pines grow upon the mountain-sides 
 where the declivity is so great that they cannot be 
 scaled. In the obstructed gorges and on the 
 mountain-tops, from 9,000 to 10,000 feet above 
 the sea, little lakes occur every mile or so, nestled 
 among the pines. Clear-watered mountain-tor- 
 rents tumble down the almost vertical ridges to 
 swell the Firehole, making cascades that in any 
 other region would enjoy world- wide fame. Just 
 before reaching the geyser-basin, some ten miles 
 below the lake, the river roars through a deep 
 gorge in the trachyte rock, and as it emerges, 
 dashes over two cliffs, one twenty, the other fifty 
 feet in height. “ These pretty falls,” writes Lieu- 
 tenant Doane, “ if located on an Eastern stream, 
 would be celebrated in history and song ; here, 
 amid objects so grand as to strain conception and 
 stagger belief, they were passed without a halt.” 
 Shortly after, the canon widens and the dominion 
 of the Eire King begins. Scattered along both 
 banks of the river are boiling springs from two to 
 twelve feet across, all in active eruption. The cra- 
 ters of these springs are from three to forty feet 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 135 
 
 high. Like the springs on Gardiner’s River, these 
 gradually seal themselves up by depositing mineral 
 matter around and over their orifices. Numbers of 
 such self-extinguished craters, now cones of solid 
 rock, are scattered along the river-side. Two 
 miles further down the stream is the upper geyser- 
 basin, au open, rolling valley, two miles wide and 
 three long, the mountains on either side rising 1,500 
 feet above the valley, with steep, heavily-timbered 
 ledges of dark rock. 
 
 Hurrying down the Firehole, thinking the won- 
 ders of the Yellowstone country had been left be- 
 hind, and anxious only to reach the settlements of 
 the Madison Valley, the expedition of 1871 was 
 startled and astonished to see at no great distance 
 an immense volume of clear, sparkling water pro- 
 jected into the air to the height of one hundred 
 and twenty -five feet. “ Geysers ! geysers !” ex- 
 claimed one of the company, and, spurring their 
 jaded horses, they were soon gathered around an 
 unexpected phenomenon — a perfect geyser. The 
 aperture through which the column of water was 
 projected was an irregular oval, three feet by seven 
 in diameter. The margin of sinter was curiously 
 piled up, the exterior crust filled with little hollows 
 full of water, in which were globules of sediment, 
 gathered around bits of wood and other nuclei. 
 

 136 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 Tliis geyser stands on a mound, thirty feet above 
 the level of the surrounding plain, its crater ris- 
 ing five or six feet higher. It spouted at regular 
 intervals nine times during the explorers’ stay, the 
 columns of boiling water being thrown from ninety 
 to one hundred and twenty-five feet at each dis- 
 charge, which lasted from fifteen to twenty min- 
 utes. They gave it the name of “ Old Faithful.” 
 
 “ Near the crater, and as far as the irruptive wa- 
 ters reach,” writes Lieutenant Doane, “ the char- 
 acter of the deposit is very peculiar. Close around 
 the opening are built up walls, eight feet in height, 
 of spherical nodules, from six inches to three feet in 
 diameter. These stony spheres, in turn, are cov- 
 ered with minute globules of stalagmite, incrusted 
 with a thin glazing of silica. The rock, at a dis- 
 tance, appears the color of ashes of roses, but 
 near at hand shows a metallic gray, with pink and 
 yellow margins of the utmost delicacy. Being 
 constantly wet, the colors are brilliant beyond de- 
 scription. Sloping gently from this rim of the cra- 
 ter in every direction the rocks are full of cavities 
 in successive terraces, forming little pools, with 
 margins of silica the color of silver, the cavities 
 being of irregular shape, constantly full of hot wa- 
 ter, and precipitating delicate, coral-like beads of a 
 bright saffron. These cavities are also fringed 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 137 
 
 with rock around the edges, in meshes as delicate 
 as the finest lace. Diminutive yellow columns rise 
 from their depths, capped with small tablets of 
 rock, and resembling flowers growing in the water. 
 Some of them are filled with oval pebbles of a 
 brilliant white color, and others with a yellow frost- 
 work which builds up gradually in solid stalag- 
 mites. Receding still farther from the crater, the 
 cavities become gradually larger, and the water 
 cooler, causing changes in the brilliant colorings, 
 and also in the formations of the deposits. These 
 become calcareous spar, of a white or slate color, 
 and occasionally variegated. The water of the 
 geyser is colorless, tasteless, and without odor. 
 The deposits are apparently as delicate as the 
 down on the butterfly’s wing, both in texture and 
 coloring, yet are firm and solid beneath the tread. 
 Those who have seen the stage representations of 
 “ Aladdin’s Cave,” and the “ Home of the Dragon 
 Fly,” as produced in a first-class theatre, can form 
 an idea of the wonderful coloring, but not of the 
 intricate frost-work, of this fairy-like, yet solid 
 mound of rock, growing up amid clouds of steam 
 and showers of boiling water. One instinctively 
 touches the hot ledges with his hands, and sounds 
 with a stick the depths of the cavities in the slope, 
 in utter doubt in the evidence of his own eyes. 
 
138 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 The beauty of the scene takes away one’s breath. 
 It is overpowering, transcending the visions of the 
 Moslem’s Paradise.” 
 
 As the next party of explorers were leaving the 
 basin, ascending the river, this grand old geyser, 
 which stands sentinel at the head of the valley, gave 
 them a magnificent parting display. “ With little 
 or no preliminary warning,” writes Dr. Hayden, “ it 
 shot up a column of water about six feet in diam- 
 eter to the height of 100 to 150 feet, and by a suc- 
 cession of impulses seemed to hold it up steadily 
 for the space of fifteen minutes, the great mass of 
 water falling directly back into the basin, and flow- 
 ing over the edges and down the sides in large 
 streams. When the action ceases, the water re- 
 cedes beyond sight, and nothing is heard but the 
 occasional escape of steam until another exhibition 
 occurs. This is one of the most accommodating 
 geysers in the basin, and during our stay played 
 once an hour quite regularly.” 
 
 Old Faithful stands alone, though surrounded by 
 a number of old geyser hills, whether built up in 
 past ages by one spring shifting its position from 
 time to time, or by a group of springs, now almost 
 exhausted, it is impossible to tell. 
 
 Just across the river, and close to the margin, 
 stands a silicious cone, very symmetrical, slightly 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 139 
 
 corrugated on its exterior surface, three feet in 
 height and five in diameter at its base. Its orifice 
 is oval, with scalloped edges, and two feet by three 
 in diameter, Of this unpretending cone Mr. Lang- 
 ford writes : 
 
 “ Not one of our company supposed that it was a 
 geyser ; and among so many wonders it had almost 
 escaped notice. While we were at breakfast upon 
 the morning of our departure a column of water, 
 entirely filling the crater, shot from it, which, by 
 accurate triangular measurement, we found to be 
 219 feet in height. The stream did not deflect 
 more than four or five degrees from a vertical line, 
 and the eruption lasted eighteen minutes. We 
 named it 4 The Beehive.’ ” 
 
 A hundred yards further from the river, near the 
 centre of the large group of spouting and boiling 
 geysers, of which the Beehive is one, is a large oval 
 aperture with scalloped edges, the diameters of 
 which were eighteen and twenty-five feet, the sides 
 corrugated and covered with a greyish- white sili- 
 cious deposit, which was distinctly visible at the 
 depth of one hundred feet below the surface. 
 
 “No water could be discovered,” writes Mr. Lang- 
 ford, on his first approach to the spring, 44 but we 
 could distictly hear it gurgling and boiling at a 
 great distance below. Suddenly it began to rise, 
 
140 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 boiling and spluttering, and sending out huge masses 
 of steam, causing a general stampede of our com- 
 pany, driving us some distance from our point of 
 observation. When within about forty feet of the 
 surface it became stationary, and we returned to 
 look down upon it. It was foaming and surging at 
 a terrible rate, occasionally emitting small jets of 
 hot water nearly to the mouth of the orifice. All 
 at once it seemed seized with a fearful spasm, and 
 rose with incredible rapidity, hardly affording us 
 time to flee to a safe distance, when it burst from 
 the orifice with terrific momentum, rising in a col- 
 umn the full size of this immense aperture to the 
 height of sixty feet ; and through and out of the 
 apex of this vast aqueous mass, five or six lesser 
 jets or round columns of water, varying in size from 
 six to fifteen inches in diameter, were projected to 
 the marvellous height of two hundred and fifty feet. 
 These lesser jets, so much higher than the main 
 column, and shooting through it, doubtless proceed 
 from auxiliary pipes leading into the principal 
 orifice near the bottom, where the explosive force 
 
 is greater This grand eruption continued for 
 
 twenty minutes, and was the most magnificent sight 
 we ever witnessed. We were standing on the side 
 of the geyser nearest the sun, the gleams of which 
 filled the sparkling column of water and spray with 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 141 
 
 myriads of rainbows, whose arches were constantly 
 changing, — dipping and fluttering hither and thither 
 and disappearing only to be succeeded by others, 
 again and again, amid the aqueous column, while 
 the minute globules into which the spent jets were 
 diffused when falling sparkled like a shower of 
 diamonds, and around every shadow which the 
 denser clouds of vapor, interrupting the sun’s rays, 
 cast upon the column, could be seen a luminous 
 circle radiant with all the colors of the prism, and 
 resembling the halo of glory represented in paint- 
 ings as encircling the head of Divinity. All that 
 we had previously witnessed seemed tame in com- 
 parison with the perfect grandeur and beauty of this 
 display. Two of these wonderful eruptions occurred 
 during the twenty-two hours we remained in the 
 valley. This geyser we named ‘ The Giantess.’ ” 
 The central spring of this group stands on the 
 summit of a great mound built up in thin layers, by 
 the continual but moderate overflow of the spring. 
 The crater is twenty feet in diameter, slightly bub- 
 bling or boiling near the centre, and with a thin, 
 elegant ring projecting a few inches over the water. 
 Looking down into the clear water of this spring 
 one seems to be gazing into fathomless depths, 
 while the bright blue of the water is unequalled even 
 by the sea. There are many such central springs, 
 
142 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 usually crowning the summits of mounds, and with 
 projecting rims carved with an intricate delicacy 
 truly marvellous, and adorned with colors that defy 
 description. “ The great beauty of the prismatic 
 colors,” writes Dr. Hayden, “ depends much on the 
 sunlight ; about the middle of the day, when the 
 bright rays descend nearly vertically, and a slight 
 breeze just makes a ripple on the surface, the colors 
 exceed comparison ; when the surface is calm there 
 is one vast chaos of colors, dancing, as it were, like 
 the colors of a kaleidoscope. As seen through this 
 marvellous play of colors, the decorations on the 
 sides of the basin are lighted up with a wild, weird 
 beauty, which wafts one at once into the land of en- 
 chantment ; all the brilliant feats of fairies and 
 genii in the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments are for- 
 gotten in the actual presence of such marvellous 
 beauty ; life becomes a privilege and a blessing after 
 one has seen and thoroughly felt its cunning skill.” 
 Across the river, and a short distance below this 
 group, is the largest and most imposing formation 
 in the valley — the crater of Castle Geyser. This 
 geyser receives its name from its resemblance to the 
 ruins of an old castle as one enters the valley from 
 the east. The deposited silica has crystallized in 
 immense globular masses, like cauliflowers or spong- 
 iform corals, apparently formed about a nucleus at 
 

 CASTLE GEYSER AND HOT SPRINGS BASIN, FIREHOLE RIVER. 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 143 
 
 right angles to the centre. The entire mound is 
 about forty feet high, and the chimney twenty feet. 
 The lower portion rises in steps formed of thin 
 laminae of silica, mostly very thin, but sometimes 
 compact, an inch or two thick. On the southeast 
 side, where the water is thrown out continually, 
 these steps are ornamented with the usual bead and 
 shell work, with the large cauliflower-like masses : 
 but the other portions are fast going to decay, and 
 the debris are abundant. This has undoubtedly 
 been one of the most active and powerful geysers 
 in the basin ; it still keeps up a great roaring inside, 
 and every few moments, as observed by Dr. Hay- 
 den, it throws out a column of w r ater to the height 
 of ten or fifteen feet. Occasionally it seems to have 
 more imposing eruptions, since on one occasion 
 Lieutenant Doane saw it throw a column of water 
 to the height of sixty feet, with the escape of heavy 
 volumes of steam. The next year Colonel Barlow 
 saw a similar display. According to the latter ob- 
 server, the base of the crater is three hundred and 
 twenty-five feet in circumference, and the turret one 
 hundred and twenty-five. At the base of the turret 
 lies a large petrified pine log, covered wfith a bril- 
 liant incrustation several inches thick. 
 
 Across the river, and a little below the Castle, are 
 some fifty springs and geysers, the chief of which 
 
144 
 
 WONDERS 01 THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 lias been called Grand Geyser, its power seeming 
 greater tlian tliat of any other in the valley. Lieu- 
 tenant Doane describes this magnificent geyser as 
 follows : 
 
 “ Opposite camp, on the other side of the river, is 
 a high ledge of stalagmite, sloping from the base of 
 the mountain down to the river. Numerous small 
 knolls are scattered over its surface; the craters of 
 boiling springs from 15 to 25 feet in diameter ; some 
 of these throw water to the height of three and four 
 feet. On the summit of this bank of rock is the 
 grand geyser of the world, a well in the strata, 20 
 by 25 feet in diametric measurements, (the percep- 
 tible elevation of the rim being but a few inches,) 
 and when quiet having a visible depth of 100 feet. 
 The edge of the basin is bounded by a heavy fringe 
 of rock, and stalagmite in solid layers is deposited 
 by the overflowing waters. When an eruption is 
 about to occur the basin gradually fills with boiling 
 water to within a few feet of the surface, then sud- 
 denly, with heavy concussions, immense clouds of 
 steam rise to the height of 500 feet, and the whole 
 great body of water, 20 by 25 feet, ascends in one 
 gigantic column to the height of 90 feet ; from the 
 apex of this column five great jets shoot up, radi- 
 ating slightly from each other, to the unparalleled 
 altitude of 250 feet from the ground. The earth 
 
THE GRAND GEYSER OF THE FIRE HOLE BASIN. 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 145 
 
 trembles under the descending deluge from this vast 
 fountain ; a thousand hissing sounds are heard in 
 the air ; rainbows encircle the summits of the jets 
 with a halo of celestial glory. The falling water 
 plows up and bears away the shelly strata, and a 
 seething flood pours down the slope and into the 
 river. It is the grandest, the most majestic, and 
 most terrible fountain in the world. After playing 
 thus for twenty minutes it gradually subsides, 
 the water lowers into the crater out of sight, the 
 steam ceases to escape, and all is quiet. This grand 
 geyser played three times in the afternoon, but ap- 
 pears to be irregular in its periods, as we did not 
 see it in eruption again while in the valley. Its 
 waters are of a deep ultramarine color, clear and 
 beautiful. The waving to and fro of the gigantic 
 fountain, in a bright sunlight, when its jets are at 
 their highest, affords a spectacle of wonder of which 
 any description can give but a feeble idea. Our 
 whole party were wild with enthusiasm ; many de- 
 clared it was 300 feet in height ; but I have kept, in 
 the figures as set down above, within the limits of 
 absolute certainty. 
 
 Dr. Hayden describes it with equal enthusiasm. 
 
 “We camped the evening of August 5th, in the 
 middle of the Upper Geyser Basin, in the midst of 
 
 some of the grandest geysers in the world. Colonel 
 
 li 
 
146 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 Barlow and Captain Heap, of the United States 
 Engineers, were camped on the opposite side of the 
 Firehole. Soon after reaching camp a tremendous 
 rumbling was heard, shaking the ground in every 
 direction, and soon a column of steam burst forth 
 from a crater near the edge of the east side of the 
 river. Following the steam by a succession of im- 
 pulses, a column of water, apparently six feet in 
 diameter, rose to the height of 200 feet, while the 
 steam ascended a thousand feet or more. So steady 
 and uniform did the force act, that the column of 
 water appeared to be held there for some minutes, 
 returning into the basin in millions of prismatic 
 drops. This was continued for about fifteen minutes, 
 and the rumbling and confusion attending it could 
 be compared only to that of a charge in battle. It 
 would be difficult to describe the intense excitement 
 which attended such a display. It is probable that 
 if we could have remained in the valley several 
 days, and become accustomed to all the preliminary 
 warnings, the excitement would have ceased, and 
 we could have admired calmly the marvellous ease 
 and beauty with which this column of hot water 
 was held up to that great height for the space of 
 twenty minutes. After the display is over the water 
 settles down in the basin several inches and the 
 temperature slowly falls to 150°. We called this 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 147 
 
 the Grand Geyser, for its power seemed greater 
 than any other of which we obtained any knowl- 
 edge in the valley. The are two orifices in one ba- 
 sin ; one of them seems to have no raised rim, and 
 is a very modest-looking spring in a state of quies- 
 cence, and no one would for a moment suspect the 
 power that was temporarily slumbering below. The 
 orifice is oblong, two and a half by four feet, while 
 for the space of ten feet in every direction around 
 it are rounded masses of silica, from a few inches 
 to three feet in diameter, looking like spongiform 
 corals. Nothing could exceed the crystal clearness 
 of the water. This is the Grand Geyser. Within 
 twenty feet of this orifice is a second one, of irregu- 
 lar quadrangular form, fifteen by twenty-five feet ; 
 the east side of the main cuter rim of reservoir ex- 
 tended twenty feet beyond the large orifice. The 
 bottom of this great reservoir is covered with thick 
 spongiform masses, and in addition the rim is most 
 elegantly adorned with countless pearl -like beads, of 
 all sizes. There are several beautiful triangular 
 reservoirs, one and one half by three feet, set around 
 the outer sides of the rim, with numerous smaller 
 ones, full of clear water, with hundreds of small de- 
 pressions most beautifully scalloped. As we recede 
 from the rim, the waters as they pass slowly away 
 produce, by evaporation, broad shallow basins, with 
 
143 
 
 WONDERS 0I< THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 thin, elegantly colored partitions, portions of which 
 have the form of toad-stools. When the water set- 
 tles into these depressions, or flows away toward 
 the river in numerous small channels, the wonderful 
 variety of coloring which is so attractive to the eye 
 is produced. The larger orifice seems to be in a 
 state of violent agitation as often as once in twenty 
 minutes, raising up the entire mass of water ten or 
 fifteen feet. It is never altogether quiet. Although 
 these two orifices are within the same rim, I could not 
 ascertain that there is the slightest connection with 
 each other. When the large orifice is much agitated 
 it does not disturb the equanimity of the Grand Gey- 
 ser. They both operate perfectly independently of 
 each other. Indeed I do not know that there is a 
 connection between any of the springs in the whole 
 basin, though there may be in some rare cases. 
 The Grand Geyser operated twice while we were in 
 the basin, with an interval of about thirty -two hours ; 
 of course the displays could not be exactly periodic, 
 but it would be an interesting study to remain sev- 
 eral days to watch carefully the movements of such 
 a power.” 
 
 Just east of Grand Geyser is the Saw-mill, a 
 moderate sized geyser, with three smaller ones by 
 the side of it, all playing at the same time. From 
 the larger a column of water is constantly shot up 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 149 
 
 fifteen or twenty feet, with much the sound of the 
 escape of steam from a pipe. The orifice is not 
 more than six inches in diameter ; but with the 
 three smaller ones playing at the same time a great 
 commotion is excited. Near this little group are 
 several large boiling springs, which throw up the 
 water in the centre from two to four feet. These 
 are funnel-shaped, with orifices from six inches to 
 two feet in diameter, in basins with nearly circular 
 rims, from fifteen to forty feet in diameter. About 
 one fourth of a mile northeast of the Castle, upon 
 a mound thirty feet about above the river, built up 
 of thin laminae of silica, and rounded off, rise four 
 chimneys of different sizes, which are geysers, 
 though perhaps not spouting extensively at present. 
 One is twelve inches high, nearly circular, and three 
 feet in diameter ; the second is oblong, four by six 
 feet, with rather coarsely scolloped margins, with an 
 aperture about fifteen inches in diameter ; the third 
 chimney is about three feet high and six feet in di- 
 ameter at the base, with an orifice nearly quadran- 
 gular twelve inches across. The spongiform masses 
 inside are covered all over with beautiful pearly 
 beads of silica. The fourth chimney rises five feet 
 above the mound, is ten feet in diameter at the base, 
 with an orifice two feet across, lined inside with the 
 spongiform masses. This has been at one time a 
 
150 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 first-class geyser, but is now fast going to decay, a 
 beautiful ruin. The elegant bead work on the mar- 
 gin, and all the spongiform masses, now are falling 
 into pieces, forming great quantities of debris around 
 the base of the mound. There is also one boiling 
 spring of great beauty. The orifice, which is nearly 
 circular and beautifully scolloped around the mar- 
 gin, extends straight down, and the water rises 
 within an inch or two of the margin. The water is 
 in a state of constant agitation, boiling up two feet 
 at times. The margin has a coating of bright 
 cream-yellow, while all around the surface there is 
 the most delicate and intricate embroidering, sur- 
 passing the most elaborate lace- work. Surrounding 
 the crater is an outer reservoir four feet wide, with 
 a white and reddish-yellow rim, while in the bottom 
 of the reservoir is the variegated sediment which 
 aids in giving such a wonderfully gay appearance 
 to the spring. A stream of water flows from the 
 spring to the river, and the channel is lined for fifty 
 yards with the variegated sediment. Near this is 
 another mound which rises, with laminated steps, 
 about six feet. Dr. Hayden called it the Bath- 
 tub. It has much the shape and size of an or- 
 dinary batliing-tub, five feet by ten, beautifully 
 scolloped around the inner margin with the spongi- 
 form or cauliflower masses of silica, the outer sur- 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 151 
 
 face being adorned with the greatest profusion of 
 pearly beads. The water is constantly boiling up two 
 feet high, though but a small quantity flows from the 
 spring. The entire valley is full of similar springs, 
 many of these no doubt geysers whose periods of ac- 
 tivity have never been observed. “ We could not 
 distinguish,” writes Lieut. Doane, “ the geysers 
 from the other hot springs except by seeing them 
 play, and doubtless there are many besides in the 
 valley of great size, which we saw when quiet, and 
 classed as boiling springs. They all vary in times, 
 force, deposits, and color of water. The number of 
 springs of all kinds in the valley is not less than 
 fifteen hundred ; and, with the exception of the Blue- 
 stone Springs, scarcely any two are exactly alike. 
 Taken as an aggregate, the Firehole Basin surpasses 
 all the other great wonders of the continent. It 
 produces an effect on the mind of the beholder ut- 
 terly staggering and overpowering. During the 
 night we were several times awakened by the rush 
 of steam and the hissing of the waters, as the rest- 
 less geysers spouted forth in the darkness. A con- 
 stant rumbling, as of machinery in labor, filled the 
 air, which was damp and warm throughout the 
 night.” 
 
 Lieutenant Doane’s suspicion that many quiet- 
 looking springs were slumbering geysers, was speed- 
 
152 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 ily and grandly justified. The very next morning 
 his company were awakened by a fearful hissing- 
 sound, accompanied by the rush of falling water. 
 On looking out, they saw on the other side of the 
 stream a small crater, three feet in height, with an 
 opening 26 inches in diameter, which had scarce- 
 ly been noticed on the previous day. Now it was 
 playing a perpendicular jet to the height of 219 
 feet, amid great clouds of steam, and causing the 
 ground to tremble as the heavy body of water fell 
 with tremendous splashes upon the shelly strata 
 below. Huge masses of rock were torn from their 
 places and borne away into the river channel. It 
 played thus, steadily, for ten minutes, giving 
 time to obtain an accurate measurement by trian- 
 gulation. This crater gave no notice of being a 
 geyser, and its appearance and size, compared with 
 others, were altogether insignificant. “We were 
 more than ever convinced,” adds Lieutenant Doane, 
 “ that continued observation would develop the 
 knowledge of geysers in greater numbers, and per- 
 haps of greater projectile force than any we had 
 seen.” 
 
 Crossing the river once more to the south side — 
 that of Old Faithful and the Castle — we find an- 
 other large group of springs, the chief of which is 
 the Giant. This is remarkable rather for its im- 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 153 
 
 mense flow of water than for any peculiarity of 
 structure. It has a rugged crater, shaped like the 
 base of a broken horn, twelve feet high. Its cavity 
 or nozzle is seven feet in diameter. 
 
 THE GIANT GEiTfc.ES. 
 
 During its quiescent state the boiling water can 
 be seen in its chambers at a depth of forty feet, the 
 action of the steam and water together producing a 
 loud, rumbling sound. Near, and acting in concert 
 with it, are half a dozen smaller craters from two to 
 eight feet in height, constantly full of water, and 
 
154 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 boiling violently from two to six feet into the air. 
 “ This great geyser,” says Lieutenant Doane, 
 “played several times while we were in the valley, on 
 one occasion throwing constantly for over three 
 hours a stream of water seven feet in diameter, from 
 90 to 200 feet perpendicularly. While playing it 
 doubled the size of the Firehole River.” 
 
 At the base of the mountain further south is a 
 remarkable geyser, discovered by Colonel Barlow, 
 and called by him the Comet. 
 
 The crater of this geyser is very beautiful, though, 
 being but slightly elevated above the general slope 
 of the plateau, it might easily be overlooked, should 
 it not happen to play during the visit of an examin- 
 ing party. There are three openings. One, a very 
 small aperture, emits puffs of steam, similar to the 
 exhaust-pipe of a steam engine. The large one in 
 the centre, six feet across, boils violently during an 
 eruption, but does not throw water to a great 
 height. The third opening is the geyser proper. It 
 is twelve by eighteen inches in diameter, somewhat 
 narrowed as it descends, and is of great depth- 
 smooth and straight. These cavities are all lined 
 with delicate deposit, beautifully enamelled, in ap- 
 pearance as delicate as frost-work, but hard and 
 strong, requiring the assistance of a hammer to do- 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 155 
 
 tach fragments for specimens. Soon after Colonel 
 Barlow entered the basin he witnessed a grand 
 eruption of this geyser. He says : 
 
 “ A roar was heard near the hillside a hundred 
 yards distant, and upon rushing out in that direc- 
 tion we saw a huge mass of steam issuing from a 
 crater at the base of the hill, accompanied by a 
 column of water rising to a height far exceeding 
 that of any geyser yet seen. This grand fountain 
 continued to play for several minutes, when, having 
 subsided, I approached to obtain a closer view of 
 the aperture whence had issued such a powerful 
 stream. A sudden gush of steam drove me away, 
 following which the water was again impelled up* 
 ward and upward, far above the steam, until it 
 seemed to have lost the controlling force of gravity. 
 The roar was like the sound of a tornado, but there 
 was no apparent effort — a steady stream, very 
 graceful and perfectly vertical, except as a slight 
 breeze may have waved it to and fro. Strong and 
 smooth, it continued to ascend, like the stream from 
 a powerful steam fire-engine. We were all lost in 
 astonishment at the sudden and marvellous specta- 
 cle. I have no hesitancy in stating that this geyser 
 played to the height of over two hundred feet. It 
 commenced at five o’clock in the afternoon and con- 
 tinued twenty minutes. 
 
156 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 “ The enthusiasm of the party as they watched 
 this wondrous display knew no bounds. Those 
 who were usually loud and boisterous in the ex- 
 hibition of their feelings, became subdued and 
 simply gazed in silent awe; while the more sober 
 members seemed to lose their natural gravity and 
 manifested their delight in shouts of rapture. For 
 myself, I remember trying to obtain a view of the 
 fountain from all points of the compass at once, 
 and was brought to a realizing sense of the difficul- 
 ties attending the execution of this desire, by dis- 
 covering that I was waiting in the torrent of hot 
 water which was now flooding the nearly level sur- 
 face of the surrounding rock. 
 
 “ After the grand column of water subsided, vast 
 clouds of steam, were for some time ejected from 
 the throat of the geyser, and also from a small rent 
 close beside the main orifice. 
 
 “ During the following day we watched this crater 
 with increasing vigilance in the hope of witnessing 
 another of its stupendous exhibitions. The photo- 
 grapher kept his camera levelled upon the spot all 
 day, and careful arrangements for triangulating the 
 height of the column were also made. But though 
 numerous indications of another eruption were 
 observed at intervals by the rising of the water with 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIE. 
 
 157 
 
 violent ebullitions, no explosion occurred till about 
 ton o’clock at night, when the grand performance 
 was repeated. The spectacle by moonlight was 
 truly sublime, but less satisfactory than in the day, 
 since it was more difficult to distinguish between the 
 column of water and the masses of vapor escaping 
 with it. The interval between its eruptions was ap- 
 proximately determined as about twenty-nine hours ; 
 we therefore reasoned that it would play again at 
 three o’clock the following night, and at eight on 
 the succeeding morning. But we were doomed to 
 disappointment ; the eruption persisted in taking- 
 place before daylight on the three succeeding nights, 
 thus preventing the observations we so much desired 
 to make.” 
 
 Two hundred yards below the Giant is the Grotto 
 so named from the curious irregularity of its inclos- 
 ing walls. It has an exceedingly intricate formation, 
 with fantastic arches, pillars, and turreted sides, 
 and discharges several times a day. Several of the 
 first explorers crawled through the sinuous aper- 
 tures when all was quiet. It seemed as harmless as 
 curious then, but their opinion was changed slightly 
 when they saw it an hour after throwing a column 
 of water six feet in diameter to the height of sixty 
 feet. Near it are several vents in which the water 
 
158 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 boils constantly to the height of six feet, large 
 streams running down the banks into the river. 
 
 Around the point of a hill a few hundred yards 
 south of the Grotto, and partially concealed by a 
 grove of pines, is a white cone twenty-five feet high 
 and a hundred feet in diameter at the base. It has 
 evidently been a geyser of considerable importance, 
 but it now merely sends forth puffs of steam from a 
 small orifice at the top. Near it is a quiet liot- 
 spring with a most elegantly scalloped rim. Back 
 of this Pyramid is the Punch Bowl, and still further 
 south, the Black Sand Geyser, neither of which 
 has been specially described. 
 
 Returning to the river and crossing we find at the 
 water’s edge, nearly opposite the Grotto, the River- 
 side Geyser, and a short distance below, on the 
 same side, is the Pan. The latter geyser has a 
 double orifice, which discharges five radiating jets 
 to the height of sixty feet, the falling drops and 
 spray giving the appearance of a feather fan. The 
 effect is very beautiful. Its eruptions are frequent, 
 lasting usually from ten to thirty minutes. A vent 
 connected with it, about forty feet distant, expels 
 dense masses of vapor fifty or sixty feet high, ac- 
 companied by loud, sharp reports, during the time 
 the geyser is in action. Lieutenant Doane describes 
 the curious action of these vents as follows : 
 

 FAN GEYSER, FIREHOLE BASIN. 
 

UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 159 
 
 “ First the steam would rush from the upper cra- 
 ter, roaring violently, then this would suddenly 
 cease, to be followed by a fan-like jet of water rising 
 from the lower crater to the height of over forty 
 feet, playing for perhaps two minutes; then this 
 would suddenly stop flowing, and the steam would 
 rush forth again for a time. Occasionally the small 
 crater threw a transverse stream, alternating with 
 the others ; and thus they played on for hours, after 
 which all would subside to a gentle bubbling.” 
 
 Along both banks of the river are small craters 
 built up in every conceivable shape. Several 
 streams pour out cascades from round holes in 
 the rocky bank of the river, and all around are little 
 geysers playing at intervals from six to forty feet. 
 
 A plateau opposite the Fan contains fifteen hot 
 springs of various characteristics ; some are of a 
 deep blue color and have fantastic caverns distinctly 
 visible below the surface of the water. The open- 
 ings at the surface are often beautifully edged with 
 delicately wrought rock fringes. One variety de- 
 posits a red or brown leathery substance, partially 
 adhering to the sides and bottom of the cavern and 
 waving to and fro like water plants In size these 
 springs vary from five to forty feet in diameter. 
 
 Two hundred yards below the Fan are two lively 
 
 12 
 
160 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 geysers called tlie Sentinels. The one on the right 
 bank of the stream is in constant agitation, its 
 waters revolving horizontally with great violence, 
 occasionally spouting upward to the height of twenty 
 feet, with a lateral projection of fifty feet. Much 
 steam is thrown off at each eruption. The crater of 
 this geyser is three feet by ten. The companion 
 Sentinel on the other side of the stream is smaller 
 and less active. At this point the river-valley is 
 narrow and the stream rapid, with a considerable 
 fall. Forty or fifty comparatively unimportant gey- 
 sers and boiling springs are scattered along the 
 narrow valley to the junction of Iron Spring Creek, 
 the lower limit of the Upper Geyser Basin. 
 
 Iron Spring Creek, a stream about half the size 
 of Firehole Biver, takes its name from a group of 
 springs on its banks, about a mile south of the 
 Giant. Among the most noticeable of these is a 
 group of eight beautiful springs enclosed in a single 
 rim, one hundred and forty feet in length. The 
 interior of the basin is lined with a rose-colored 
 deposit. These springs are situated on the crest of 
 an eminence incrusted with rocky deposits which 
 encroach on the adjacent forest, whose dead and 
 whitened trunks bear evidence of the deadly effect 
 of the hot water flowing among them. On a con- 
 siderable mound, at the junction of Iron Creek with 
 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 161 
 
 the main stream, is a group of geysers that do not 
 differ materially from those already described. The 
 central member of the group is known as Soda 
 Geyser. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 LOWER GEYSER BASIN. — FIREHOLE RIVER. 
 
 B ETWEEN the Upper and Lower Geyser Basin 
 is a space of two or three miles entirely 
 free from hot springs ; yet the abundance of spring 
 deposit over all the valley shows that the region 
 was once the scene of great thermal activity ; the 
 bottom over which the river flows is paved with 
 silica. Vegetation grows remarkably rank along the 
 stream, and in the valley where the crust of silica 
 does not prevent it, the perpetual warmth caused 
 by the proximity to the springs being very favorable 
 to the growth of plants. The forest grows close 
 down to the margin of the river, making travel very 
 difficult, and in one place the hills of trachyte almost 
 close in the valley. 
 
 At the upper end of the basin — which comprises 
 an area of about thirty square miles — are three 
 large boiling springs, on the west margin of the 
 river ; nearly opposite are three more, and a shoit 
 
LOWER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 163 
 
 distance below, on the same side, four or five more. 
 Anywhere else these springs would be accounted 
 marvels ; but they are so eclipsed by a group a few 
 rods further down the stream that we can give them 
 only a passing glance. This group includes some of 
 the grandest hot-springs in the world. The most 
 formidable is near the margin of the river. Dr. 
 Hayden says : 
 
 “ It seems to have broken out close by the river, 
 and to have continually enlarged its orifice by the 
 breaking down of its sides. It evidently com- 
 menced on the east side, and the continual wear of 
 the under side of the crust on the west side has 
 caused the margin to fall in, until an aperture at 
 least 250 feet in diameter has been formed, with 
 walls or sides twenty to thirty feet high, showing 
 the laminae of deposition perfectly. The water is 
 intensely agitated all the time, boiling like a caldron, 
 from which a vast column of steam is ever rising, 
 filling the orifice. As the passing breeze sweeps it 
 away for a moment, one looks down into this terrible 
 seething pit with terror. All around the sides are 
 large masses of the silicious crust that have fallen 
 from the rim. An immense column of water flows 
 out of this caldron into the river. As it pours over 
 the marginal slope, it descends by numerous small 
 channels, with a large number of smaller ones 
 
164 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 spreading over a broad surface, and the marvellous 
 beauty of the strikingly vivid coloring far surpasses 
 anything of the kind we have seen in this land of 
 wondrous beauty — every possible shade of color, 
 from the vivid scarlet to a bright rose, and every 
 shade of yellow to delicate cream, mingled with 
 vivid green from minute vegetation. Some of the 
 channels were lined with a very fine, delicate yellow, 
 silky material, which vibrates at every movement of 
 the waters. Mr. Thomas Moran, the distinguished 
 artist, obtained studies of these beautiful springs, 
 and from his well-known reputation as a colorist, we 
 look for a painting that will convey some concep- 
 tion to the mind of the exquisite variety of colors 
 around this spring. There was one most beautiful 
 funnel-shaped spring, twenty feet in diameter at the 
 top, but tapering down, lined inside and outside with 
 the most delicate decorations. Indeed, to one look- 
 ing down into its clear depths, it seemed like a fairy 
 palace. The same jelly-like substance or pulp to 
 which I have before alluded, covers a large area with 
 the various shades of light-red and green. The 
 surface yields to the tread like a cushion. It is 
 about two inches in thickness, and although seldom 
 so tenacious as to hold together, yet it may be taken 
 up in quite large masses, and when it becomes dry 
 
LOWER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 165 
 
 it is blown about by the wind like fragments of va- 
 riegated lichens.” 
 
 Near this magnificent spring is a hill of silica 
 with a spring 150 feet in diameter on its summit. 
 It is known as the Cauldron. The water boils up in 
 the centre, and overflows with such uniformity on 
 all sides as to form a succession of ornamental 
 steps, from one to three inches in height, just as 
 water would freeze in flowing down a gentle declivity. 
 It has the same transparent clearness, the same 
 brilliancy of coloring, as the spring above described, 
 but the hot steam and the thinness of the rim pre- 
 vented an approach near enough to observe its 
 depth, or ascertain its temperature, except at one 
 edge, where it was 180°. The average temperature 
 of twenty of the springs of this group was 184°. 
 
 About a mile below this group, on the west side 
 of the river, are four small lakes, with quiet surfaces 
 and water as blue as the sky. One of them is 
 nearly half a mile in length. Their water is cold at 
 the present time, but their basins give indications of 
 their having once been enormous hot springs. 
 
 A mile or so further down the river is a group of 
 a hundred or more important springs besides a 
 countless number of unimportant and dead springs, 
 covering a space of nearly a square mile. Only a 
 few of them can be specially noticed here. One, on 
 
166 WONDERS OF TEE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 the right bank of the river, is called the Conch 
 Spring, from the resemblance of its basin to a shell, 
 eight feet by ten. 
 
 A little below the Conch Spring, on the very mar- 
 gin of the river, is a fine geyser, which has built 
 for itself a crater three feet high, with a shell a foot 
 thick. The inside of the crater is about six feet in 
 diameter. The water is in constant agitation ; some- 
 times it will boil up so violently as to throw the en- 
 tire mass up four feet, and then it will die down so 
 as to boil like a caldron. The water is perfectly 
 clear, and the overflow forms a stream six inches 
 wide and two inches deep, passing down the sides 
 of the crater and thence into the river along a most 
 exquisitely decorated channel. The entire surface 
 of the crater is covered with pearl-like beads, formed 
 by the spray. A section of the crater shows it to 
 have been built up very slowly, in thin lamina). An- 
 other spring has a crater like a horn, about a foot in 
 diameter at the top and six feet at the base. It is 
 called the Horn Geyser. It is in constant ebullition, 
 and has the same ornamentations as the one just 
 described. A spring on a level with the river has 
 an enormous square basin, thirty feet across, of un- 
 known depth. It is called the Bath Spring. A 
 little below is another basin of wonderful beauty, 
 called the Cavern. The water issues from several 
 
LOWER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 167 
 
 apertures beneath the crust near the margin of the 
 river. The basin itself is fifteen by twenty feet, and 
 twenty feet deep. Nothing can exceed the trans- 
 parent clearness of the water ; the slightest object 
 is reflected in its clear depths, and the bright blue 
 tints are indescribable. Mu.d springs are also nu- 
 merous and important in this group. As usual, 
 they are of all sizes, from an inch or two to twenty 
 or thirty feet in diameter, with contents varying 
 from turbid water to stiff mud. They seldom have 
 any visible outlet, but are in constant agitation, with 
 a sound which varies with the consistency of the 
 contents ; several give off a suppressed thud as the 
 gases burst their way through the stiff mortar. 
 Sometimes the mortar is as white as snow ; some- 
 times brown, or tinged with a variety of vivid colors. 
 One mud spring, located in the w r oods near a small 
 lake, northeast of the Cavern, has a basin thirty by 
 forty feet, with sides fifteen feet high. It is in con- 
 stant action, frequently hurling the mud outside of 
 the rim. All around it are a number of little vents, 
 which keep up a simmering noise. Some of these 
 vents have built up little cones, from four to twelve 
 inches high, many of them sealed at the top. On 
 removing the cone, the inside is found to be lined 
 with delicate crystals of sulphur, deposited from the 
 steam. 
 
168 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 On the opposite side of the river, along a little 
 branch that flows in from the west, is a consider- 
 able group of geysers and boiling springs. Near 
 the base of the mountains is a first-class boiling 
 spring with a curious fungus-like rim. It is always 
 in violent agitation, sending forth great columns of 
 steam. It flows from beneath a hill, and is sur- 
 rounded with springs whose silicious depositis take 
 the form of the toad-stool fungus. Some of this 
 group may be called spasmodic springs. One, with 
 a most beautifully scalloped rim, fifteen by twenty 
 feet in diameter, is always boiling, and occasionally 
 explodes with great violence, shooting its water 
 several feet into the air. 
 
 Along the eastern side of this Lower Geyser 
 Basin are several extensive areas abounding in mud- 
 springs, boiling springs and geysers, whose infinite- 
 ly varied characteristics can have no more than the 
 briefest notice. Beginning at the north, the first 
 that commands attention is that whose central ob- 
 ject of interest is the Thud Geyser, so called from 
 the peculiar noise it makes as the water rises and 
 recedes. It is situated on the slope of a small hill, 
 is about twenty feet in diameter, and has a crater 
 five feet wide and five high, composed of geyserite 
 of a greyish color, full of deep pockets containing 
 balls of the same material, about the size of walnuts, 
 
LOWER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 169 
 
 each one covered with little rosette-like formations. 
 The column of water thrown out by this geyser dur- 
 ing its eruptions is very wide, and reaches the height 
 of fifty feet. Near it was obtained some pieces of 
 wood, coated with geyserite of a delicate pink tinge : 
 the silica had thoroughly penetrated the woody 
 fibre. There were found, also, pine-cones coated in 
 the same manner, forming beautiful specimens. A 
 few yards back of the geyser are three large mud- 
 springs, in one of which the mud is red, in another 
 white, and in the third pink — the jets of steam caus- 
 ing the mud to assume the form of small conical 
 points throughout the basins. They are situated in 
 a bed of clay, the red color being due to iron. Be- 
 low these latter are some chalybeate springs whose 
 bright-red iron deposit have spread over a consi- 
 derable area, in glaring contrast with the white color 
 of the silicious deposits of their neighbors. 
 
 In the same group is a fissure spring forty feet 
 long,, four feet wide and ten deep, clear as crystal ; 
 also a large basin nearly circular, fifty feet in dia- 
 meter with a number of huge apertures, some of 
 which throw up water thirty feet. One orifice 
 shoots a constant stream six feet high. All around 
 this geyser-group are smaller springs continually 
 bubbling, and large numbers of small geysers, some 
 constantly playing to heights not exceeding ten feet, 
 
170 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 while others merely keep up a violent ebullition, 
 rising and falling with a pulsating motion. There 
 is also one beautiful quiet spring, with a basin so 
 large that it looks like a small lake. Into its clear 
 depths one may look down thirty or forty feet, be- 
 holding a fairy -like palace adorned with more bril- 
 liant colors than any structure made by human 
 hands. The aggregate waters of the group form a 
 little stream which flows westward into the small 
 lake already noticed in connection with the mud- 
 springs at the lower end of the basin. 
 
 South of the Thud Geyser is a large basin 150 feet 
 in diameter, enclosing a crater twenty-five feet in 
 diameter. From the inner crater the water is 
 thrown up in a vast column sixty feet high, falling 
 back in silver-white globules, a natural fountain of 
 marvellous beauty. A short distance south of this 
 Fountain Geyser is the most remarkable mud-pot 
 in the Fireliole valley. Its surface, forty by sixty 
 feet in diameter, is covered with large puffs, which, 
 in exploding with suppressed thuds, throw the hot 
 mud several feet into the air and spatter the broad 
 rounded rim in every direction. The mud is an im- 
 palpable silicious clay, of every shade of color 
 from the purest white to a bright pink. Within a 
 few feet of this mud-spring is a large clear spring 
 sixty feet across, with perhaps fifty centres of ebul- 
 
LOWER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 171 
 
 lition. It is filled with the rusty, leathery deposit 
 already described, and all around the basin where 
 the waters overflow is an extensive deposit of iron. 
 
 A quarter of a mile east of the mud-springs, at 
 the northwestern base of a mountain-spur and ex- 
 tending a thousand yards up a ravine, is a group of 
 springs occupying a space five hundred yards wide. 
 One of these, the Fissure Spring, is a hundred feet 
 long and from four to ten feet wide. Quite a large 
 stream flows from this spring. Many of the sur- 
 rounding springs remain full to the rim, and are in 
 constant ebullition, yet no water flows from them. 
 Others discharge great quantities of water. In this 
 group are three sulphur springs, the only ones in 
 the region : the sulphur present however is not very 
 abundant. Silica and iron seem to be the dominant 
 constituents of nearly all the deposits. Some of the 
 springs send forth a disagreeable odor, and deposit 
 a curious black sediment like fine gunpowder. 
 Near the centre of the group is a small lake COO feet 
 long and 150 wide. By its eastern shore is a 
 geyser which spouts very regularly to the height of 
 fifteen or twenty feet. West of the lake are two 
 small geysers cones incrusted with a cauliflower- 
 like formation ; near them in a fissure are balls of 
 geyserite coated in the same manner. 
 
 A thousand yards further south, in the south- 
 
172 
 
 WONDERS OF TEE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 eastern comer of the basin, is a ravine a mile and a 
 half long and three hundred yards wide, occupied 
 by a most interesting group of springs and geysers. 
 Just below the mouth of the ravine, on a mound fif- 
 teen feet high, is a large cone twenty-five feet high, 
 probably a geyser. Steam issues steadily from the 
 top with the sound of a high-pressure engine. It 
 is called the White Dome Geyser. 
 
 In this lower basin there are very few raised cra- 
 ters, the most of the springs and geysers having 
 funnel-shaped basins, with rims of various forms, 
 but mostly circular. In this group there is besides 
 the White Dome a small cone with its top broken 
 off. It is four feet in diameter, with an aperture 
 eighteen inches across. It is called the Beehive. 
 For several feet around on all sides the surface of 
 the ground is ornamented with pearly tubercles of 
 silica, from the size of a pea to three inches in diam- 
 eter. The spring basins in this group have every 
 variety of form. One, a fine boiling spring, has an 
 oval rim five feet by eight, its sides running straight 
 down beyond the reach of vision. Another is 
 funnel-shaped, tapering to a narrow aperture, with 
 a scalloped rim, projecting several inches over the 
 water. Some springs discharge no water ; others 
 send forth a stream two feet wide and six inches 
 deep. In one of the streams, the channel of which 
 
UFFEli UEYSKK BASIN. 
 
 173 
 
 is about two feet wide and one foot deep, tbe water 
 is filled with a plant with a pinkish-yellow base, 
 bordered with a very fine green silky fringe, per- 
 petually vibrating with the flowing waters. “ Ex- 
 cept that they were a rich vegetable green, these 
 fringes had the form and texture of the finest cash- 
 mere wool. The luxuriant growth of vegetation in 
 and along the borders of these little streams,” adds 
 Dr. Hayden, “ was a wonder of beauty. The whole 
 view was there superior to anything of the kind I 
 had seen.” 
 
 In some of the springs Dr. Hayden’s assistants 
 found butterflies which had fallen in and been 
 scalded to death. On taking them out they were 
 found to be partially petrified, and coated with 
 silica. 
 
 At the mouth of the ravine is the principal gey- 
 ser of the group. Its basin is circular and about 60 
 feet in diameter, although the spring itself, which is 
 in the centre, is only about 15 or 20 feet in diameter. 
 The incrusted margin is full of sinuses, filled with 
 hot water, which falls into them whenever the gey- 
 ser is in operation. These pockets contain also 
 smooth pebbles of geyserite, varying in size from 
 that of a pea to a large-sized walnut, rounded by 
 the action of the water. The water in the spring of 
 the geyser is of a blue color and in constant agitation, 
 
174 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 though more violently so just before spouting. The 
 column of water projected reaches the height of 100 
 feet, and is accompanied by immense clouds of 
 steam. 
 
 Not far from this geyser is an elegantly scallop- 
 ed spring, nearly circular, twenty-five feet in diam- 
 ter, and with vertical sides to an unknown depth. 
 The entire mass of the water is most violently 
 agitated at times, and, overflowing the sides of the 
 basin, passes off in terrace pools or reservoirs to the 
 main stream, producing a system of architecture out 
 of silica similar to that of the calcareous springs on 
 Gardiner’s River. The gay colors, from bright 
 pink to delicate rose, are well shown. 
 
 The valley is filled with springs up to its very 
 source; and springs which burst from the mountain 
 side, eight hundred feet above the level of the basin, 
 have temperatures ranging from 166° to 180°. 
 Tracing one exceptionally cool stream up the 
 south side of the canon, Dr. Hayden found on the 
 almost vertical side of the mountain a little 
 spring so imbedded in bright green moss that it 
 could hardly be seen. 
 
 “ With great difficulty,” he says, “ we managed to 
 climb up the mountain side, and, clearing away the 
 moss, obtained the first water that we could drink for 
 eight hours. In all of our examination during the 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIN. 
 
 175 
 
 day we bad not found a drop of water of sufficient- 
 ly low temperature to take into our moutbs, though 
 there were hundreds of the most beautiful springs 
 all around us. We were like Coleridge’s mariner in 
 the great ocean, “ Water, water everywhere, but not 
 a drop to drink.” 
 
 Looking back over the valley the morning before 
 his departure for the Upper Basin, Dr. Hayden saw 
 it literally filled with columns of steam, ascending 
 from more than a thousand vents. “ I can compare 
 the view,” he w T rites, “ to nothing but that of some 
 manufacturing city like Pittsburgh, as seen from a 
 high point, except that instead of the black coal 
 smoke, there are here the white delicate clouds of 
 steam. Small groups or solitary springs that are 
 scattered everywhere in the woods, upon the moun- 
 tain-sides, and which would otherwise escape obser- 
 vation, are detected by the columns of steam. It is 
 evident that some of these groups of springs have 
 changed their base of operations within a compara- 
 tively recent period ; for about midway on the east 
 side of the lower basin there is a large area covered 
 with a thick, apparently modern, deposit of the sili- 
 ca, as white as snow, while standing quite thickly all 
 around are dead pines, which appear to have been 
 destroyed by the excessive overflow of water and 
 
 the increased deposition. These dry trees have a 
 
 13 
 
17 G 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 most desolate look ; many of them have fallen down 
 and are incrusted with the silica, while portions that 
 have fallen into the boiling springs have been re- 
 duced to pulp. This seems to be one of the con- 
 ditions of silicification, for when these pulpy masses 
 of wood are permitted to dry by the cessation of 
 the springs, the most perfect specimens of petrified 
 wood are the result. In one instance a green pine- 
 tree had fallen so as to immerse its thick top in a 
 large hot basin, and leaves, twigs, and cones had 
 become completely incrusted with the white silica, 
 and a portion had entered into the cellular structure, 
 so that when removed from the water, and dried in 
 the sun, very fair specimens were obtained. Mem- 
 bers of my party obtained specimens of pine cones 
 that were sufficiently silicified to be packed away 
 among the collections.” 
 
 Grasshoppers, and even butterflies, as we have 
 seen, are occasionally subjected to the same treat- 
 ment, with the same result. By-and-by, when the 
 geyser regions become a popular resort, the prepa- 
 ration of petrifactions to be carried away as me- 
 mentos, may become quite an item of entertain- 
 ment if not of industry. 
 
 To obtain a complete view of the Lower Geyser 
 Basin, Colonel Barlow made a trip to the summit of 
 the Twin Buttes on the west side of the basin. 
 
UPPER GEYSER BASIK 
 
 177 
 
 From this point the valley of Firehole River could 
 be overlooked for a distance of twenty miles ; but 
 nothing new was discovered except an attractive 
 fall plunging over a precipibe a short distance to the 
 south. 
 
 After much severe climbing over rocky ridges, and 
 scrambling through deep and thickly wooded ra- 
 vines, he succeeded in reaching the foot of the fall — 
 the loveliest vision he had ever beheld. “ Towering 
 above my head,” he writes, “ was a perpendicular 
 cliff, three hundred feet high, while from a slight 
 depression in its upper edge descended a sparkling 
 stream, dashed into spray as it impinged against 
 projecting angles of the rocky wall. On reaching 
 the bottom the mist is gathered into a shallow basin, 
 forming a pool of clear cold water, delightfully re- 
 freshing in this region of steaming geysers and vol- 
 canic heat. After resting a moment in this quiet 
 retreat, the water slowly finds its way through the 
 forest, and crossing the geyser valley eventually 
 reaches Firehole River, some two miles distant.” 
 
 From the marshy ground about the fall the pines 
 shoot upward to an astonishing altitude, as though 
 ambitious to overtop the cliff. Colonel Barlow 
 approached the fall through a natural avenue in 
 these pines, and as he caught sight of its dancing 
 water, leaping with life-like action down the face 
 
178 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 of the overhanging cliff, the thought of fairies was 
 so strongly suggested that he could think of no 
 name so appropriate as the Fall of the Fairies. 
 
 The extreme north of the Lower Basin is bounded 
 by the East Fork of Madison Biver, along whose 
 valley, within the basin and above it, are numerous 
 groups of interesting springs, though not materi- 
 ally different from those already described. Near 
 the head of the stream sulphur springs are abund- 
 ant, with here and there extensive deposits of sul- 
 phur. Steam-vents are frequent, their orifices 
 fined with sulphur, and the surrounding crust filled 
 with crystals of a vivid yellow. The channels of 
 the streams are fined with a delicate veil of creamy 
 sulphur. In some of the springs, lower down the 
 stream, iron predominates. Within the basin on 
 the south side of the East Fork are a hundred 
 springs or more, any one of which, if alone, would 
 be worthy of elaborate description. In some the 
 fallen leaves of trees are frosted with silica as 
 white as snow, and the inner surface of the basins 
 are covered with a delicate bead-like embroidery of 
 marvellous beauty. The most beautiful of the group 
 is a Prismatic Spring, like those described in the 
 Upper Basin. “ Nothing ever conceived by human 
 art,” says Dr. Hayden, “ could equal the peculiar 
 vividness and delicacy of coloring of these remark- 
 
ABOUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 
 
 179 
 
 able prismatic springs.” About a mile south of the 
 East Fork, at the head of a little stream that flows 
 into the Firehole, is another of these brilliant springs. 
 A thin, delicately ornamental rim of silica surrounds 
 a basin six feet in diameter, filled to the brim with 
 water of marvellous transparency. When its sur- 
 face is rippled by a passing breeze, the reflected 
 sunlight is broken as by a million prisms. It is 
 called the Rainbow Spring. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS AND OTHER THERMAL 
 SPRINGS. 
 
 N Icelandic speech the word geyser means sim- 
 
 ply rager , and is applied indiscriminately to all 
 turbulent fountains of water or mud. The most 
 violent and noisy “ rager ” on the island being the 
 great intermittent spouting spring near Haukadal, it 
 naturally gained for itself the title, The Geyser ; 
 and being the earliest known and most remarkable 
 fountain of the kind, its native common name was 
 adopted in other languages as the generic name for 
 all springs of its class. 
 
 The history of this great, but no longer the great- 
 est geyser, begins in the early part of the fifteenth 
 century, when its eruptions are mentioned in Ice- 
 landic records. In the middle of the seventeenth 
 century the Bishop of Skalholt noticed its daily dis- 
 charges. A hundred years later Olafsen and Povel- 
 sen described it as having three or four eruptions a 
 day, some of them attaining the height of 300 feet, 
 
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS. 
 
 181 
 
 including, doubtless, the uprush of vapor. The 
 depth of its tube was then 72 feet ; now it is com- 
 monly given as 74, though Commander Forbes, 
 Ft. N., claims that it is not so deep by ten feet. In 
 1774 Yon Troil estimated the height of the ejected 
 column at 92 feet. Seventeen years later, Stanley 
 gave 96 feet as its greatest height. Forty yards 
 west of the Geyser this traveller found a rival, 
 called the Strokr, (in English, the Churn,) playing 
 to the height of 130 feet. The same year, 1789, an 
 earthquake destroyed the mechanism of the Strokr, 
 converting it into a quiet reservoir of boiling water, 
 whereupon its name was transferred to the present 
 Strokr, which then became especially active and 
 noisy. In 1804 the Geyser had regained somewhat 
 of its ancient power, erupting every six hours to the 
 height of 200 feet ; and the original Strokr had re- 
 paired its tube so that it could lift a column to nearly 
 the same height and sustain it for a much longer 
 period. During the next five years the power of the 
 Geyser fell off a half, and its paroxysms became 
 much less frequent — Hooker estimating its column, 
 in 1809, at 100 feet, and Mackenzie, a year later, at 
 90 feet, its eruptions taking place every thirty hours. 
 At the same time the Strokr played every ten or 
 twelve hours, sixty feet high, for the space of thirty 
 minutes. In 1815 the periods had changed again, 
 
182 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 the Geyser erupting every six hours, to an average 
 height of 80 feet, — the jets occasionally reaching 
 150 feet, while the Strokr had prolonged its quiet 
 intervals to twenty-four hours. Of late years the 
 Geyser’s violent eruptions seldom occur oftener-than 
 once in thirty hours, and do not exceed 100 feet in 
 altitude, and generally averaging 70 or 80 feet. Be- 
 tween these eruptions are usually two minor spirts, 
 attaining from 30 to 50 feet. The Strokr is exceed- 
 ingly irregular in its operation, and generally re- 
 quires a dose of turf to bring on an exhibition. 
 
 A grand eruption of the Geyser has been admir- 
 ably described by Commander Forbes. 
 
 “ Twice during the night,” he says, “ I was 
 aroused by the unearthly complaints of The Geyser ; 
 but beyond the vast clouds of vapor which invari- 
 ably follow each detonation, and a gentle overflow- 
 ing of the basin, they were false alarms. As morning 
 was breaking it sounded an unmistakable ‘ reveille,’ 
 which would have roused the dead : and I had 
 barely time to take up my position at the brink of 
 the old * Strokr ’ before full power was turned on. 
 Jet succeeded jet with fearful rapidity, earth trem- 
 bled and the very cone itself seemed to stagger under 
 the ordeal. Portions of its sides, rent with the un- 
 controllable fury it had suddenly generated, were 
 ripped off and flew up in volleys, soaring high above 
 
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS. 
 
 183 
 
 water and steam, whilst the latter rolled away iu 
 fleecy clouds before the light north wind, and catch- 
 ing the rays of the morning sun just glistening over 
 the Jokul tops in the East, was lustrous white as the 
 purest snow. Discharge succeeded discharge in 
 rapid succession for upwards of four minutes, when, 
 apparently exhausted and its basin empty, I scram- 
 bled up to the margin, intending to have a good look 
 down the tube, which I imagined must also be 
 empty ; but the water was still within a few feet of 
 the brink, and boiling furiously. Hastening back to 
 my former position, the basin filled rapidly, and I 
 was just in time to witness the most magnificent ex- 
 plosion of all. Everything seemed to depend on 
 this superhuman effort, and a solid, unbroken co- 
 lumn of water twenty-five feet in circumference, 
 was hurled upwards, attaining an altitude very 
 near 100 feet. Here the column paused for a mo- 
 ment before reversing its motion, then fell listles.4 
 and exhausted through the volumes which followed 
 it into its throbbing cup, again to undergo its fiery 
 ordeal at the threshold of the infernal regions.” 
 Grand as this display must have been, it was but 
 a momentary spasm, a feeble effort compared with 
 the terrific force which sustains the Giant’s river- 
 volume, with a steady up-rush two hundred feet 
 high, for the space of three hours and a half. 
 
184 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 There are many, perhaps scores, of geysers in the 
 Firehole Basin, which — even in midsummer, when 
 their action is weakest — far surpass the glory of 
 Iceland. 
 
 But what is the origin of the power that sustains 
 these wonderful eruptions ? And what is the cause 
 of its intermittent action? Fortunately these 
 questions are not only answerable, but the answers 
 are susceptible of demonstration, as Professor Tyn- 
 dall has shown in his admirable lectures on heat 
 considered as a mode of motion, wherein he gives 
 the following lucid description of the mechanism 
 and development of the Great Geyser of Iceland : 
 in principle the description applies equally to the 
 geysers of Firehole Basin, and all other springs of 
 the kind. 
 
 “ It consists of a tube seventy-four feet deep and 
 ten feet in diameter. The tube is surmounted by a 
 basin which measures from north to south fifty-two 
 feet across, and from east to west sixty feet. The 
 interior of the tube and basin is coated with a beau- 
 tiful smooth silicious plaster, so hard as to resist 
 the blows of a hammer ; and the first question is, 
 liow was this wonderful tube constructed — how was 
 this perfect plaster laid on? Chemical analysis 
 shows that the water holds silica in solution, and 
 the conjecture might therefore arise that the water 
 
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS. 
 
 185 
 
 had deposited the silica against the sides of the tubo 
 and basin. But this is not the case : the water de- 
 posits no sediment ; no matter how long it may be 
 kept, no solid substance is separated from it. It 
 may be bottled up and preserved for years as clear 
 as crystal, without showing the slightest tendency 
 to form a precipitate. To answer the question in 
 this way would moreover assume that the shaft was 
 formed by some foreign agency, and that the water 
 merely lined it. The geyser basin, however, rests 
 upon the summit of a mound about forty feet high, 
 and it is evident from mere inspection that the 
 mound has been deposited by the geyser. But in 
 building up this mound the spring must have formed 
 the tube which perforates the mound, and hence 
 the conclusion that the geyser is the architect of its 
 own tube. 
 
 If we place a quantity of geyser water in an eva- 
 porating basin the following takes place : in the 
 centre of the basin the liquid deposits nothing, but 
 at the sides where it is drawn up by capillary at- 
 traction, and thus subjected to speedy evaporation, 
 we find silica deposited. Bound the edge a ring of 
 silica is laid on, and not until the evaporation has 
 continued a considerable time do we find the slight- 
 est turbidity in the middle of the water. This experi- 
 ment is the microscopic representative of what oc- 
 
186 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 curs in Iceland. Imagine the case of a simple 
 thermal silicious spring, whose waters trickle down 
 a gentle inclosure ; the water thus exposed evapor- 
 ates speedily, and silica is deposited. This deposit 
 gradually elevates the side over which the water 
 passes until finally the latter has to take another 
 course. The same takes place here, the ground is 
 elevated as before, and the spring has to move for- 
 ward. Thus it is compelled to travel round and 
 round, discharging its silica and deepening the shaft 
 in which it dwells, until finally, in the course of ages, 
 the simple spring has produced this wonderful ap- 
 paratus which has so long puzzled and astonished 
 both the traveller and the philosopher.” 
 
 The time required for the construction of the 
 Great Geyser tube has been estimated by Com- 
 mander Forbes as ten or eleven centuries, on the 
 following grounds : a bunch of grass, placed under 
 a little fall made by the ejected water, receives, in 
 twenty-four hours, a coating of silica the thickness 
 of a thin sheet of paper, or about one five-hundredth 
 part of an inch. At this rate it would take 103G 
 years to build up the 762 inches, which, according 
 to his measurement, is the depth of the tube. In 
 evidence of the probable truth of this estimate he 
 makes note of the following facts : first, there is no 
 notice of this fountain in the early history of the colo- 
 
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS. 
 
 187 
 
 nization of the island 986 years ago, at which time 
 the tube would have been only three feet deep, and 
 its eruptions too slight to attract attention ; second, 
 486 years afterwards, when the tube would have 
 been twenty-six feet deep, and the eruptions propor- 
 tionately important, the Geyser is mentioned ; third, 
 accurate records of all occurrences were kept by the 
 early inhabitants, and if so remarkable a phenome- 
 non had existed at the time, it could not have been 
 left unnoticed. 
 
 The phenomena attending a geyser-eruption — the 
 filling of the basin with water, the agitation of the 
 water, with deafening detonations, the escape of 
 steam, and so on — have been sufficiently described 
 in the preceding chapters. Their causes have been 
 ingeniously explained by Professor Bunsen, who 
 succeeded in determining the temperature of the 
 geyser-tube, throughout its entire length, a few min- 
 utes before an eruption. The annexed diagram 
 shows on the left the observed temperatures of the 
 water at different depths, and on the right the tem- 
 peratures at which water would boil, taking into ac- 
 count the pressure of the atmosphere increased by 
 the presence of the superincumbent column of water. 
 The degrees have been changed from Centigrade to 
 our familiar Fahrenheit standard, disregarding frac- 
 tions. 
 
183 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 Observed Temperature. Boiling Temperature. 
 
 186°. . . . 
 
 A 
 
 10 feet. 
 
 ....225® 
 
 ,230°.... 
 
 74 feet. 
 
 ... 241° 
 
 
 B 
 
 . . .249° 
 
 251°... 
 
 a. : 
 
 . . . .255° 
 
 255°... 
 
 
 ....266° 
 
 259°. . . 
 
 
 ....278° 
 
 It will be observed that in no part of the tube 
 does the water reach the boiling point. The nearest 
 approach to it is at A, thirty feet from the bottom ; 
 out even here the water is some four degrees below 
 the temperature at which it could boil. How then is 
 an eruption possible ? 
 
 Professor Tyndall’s explanation is in substance 
 this : Suppose that by the entrance of steam from 
 the ducts near the bottom of the tube the geyser 
 column is elevated six feet, a height quite within the 
 limits of actual observation ; the water at A is there- 
 
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS. 
 
 189 
 
 ' by transferred to B. Its boiling point at A is 255°, 
 and its actual temperature is 251°; but at B its 
 boiling point is only 249°, hence when transferred 
 from A to B, the heat which it possesses is in excess 
 of that necessary to make it boil. This excess of 
 heat is instantly applied to the generation of steam ; 
 the column is thus lifted higher, and the "water be- 
 low is relieved of pressure, and its boiling point 
 lowered. More steam is generated ; this lifts the 
 column still higher, and compels the generation of 
 more and more steam, until the whole upper portion 
 of the column bursts into ebullition, and the water, 
 mixed with steam- clouds, is projected into the at- 
 mosphere, and we have the geyser eruption in all 
 its .grandeur. 
 
 One confirmation of this theory of Bunsen’s is 
 that small stones suspended in the lower part of 
 the geyser-tube are not thrown out during an erup- 
 tion ; and a stronger confirmation lies in the fact 
 that all the peculiarities of geyser action can be 
 imitated. Professor Tyndall uses for this purpose 
 an apparatus consisting of a tube of iron six feet 
 long, surmounted by a basin, and heated by fires 
 underneath. To imitate, as far as possible, the con- 
 ditions of the geyser, he encircles the tube with a 
 second fire, two feet from the bottom. As the water 
 in the tube becomes heated, the phenomena of gey- 
 
190 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 ser eruption are repeated in miniature with beautiful 
 regularity. By stopping the mouth of the tube with 
 a cork, the enforced explosions of the Strokr are re- 
 produced ; and by similar simple devices the action 
 of all other eruptive springs may be accurately imi- 
 tated. 
 
 All through the Firehole Basin and around Yel- 
 lowstone Lake are many extinct geysers ; sometimes, 
 as in the case of Old Faithful, an active geyser is 
 surrounded by a number of deserted cones, the re- 
 mains of ancient “ roarers.” What occasions their 
 decline ? Earthquakes may, and no doubt frequently 
 do, derange their mechanism, as observed in the old 
 Strokr. But most of them probably die a natural 
 death, from old age and decrepitude. 
 
 “ A moment’s reflection,” says Professor Tyndall, 
 “ will suggest that there must be a limit to the oper- 
 ations of the geyser. When the tube has reached 
 such an altitude that the water in the depths below, 
 owing to the increased pressure, cannot attain its 
 boiling point, the eruptions of necessity cease. The 
 spring, however, continues to deposit its silica, and 
 often forms a Laug, or cistern. Some of these, in 
 Iceland, are forty feet deep. Their beauty, accord- 
 ing to Bunsen, is indescribable. Over the surface 
 curls a light vapor ; the water is of the purest azure, 
 and tints with its lovely hue the fantastic incrust- 
 
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS. 
 
 191 
 
 ations on the cistern walls ; while at the bottom is 
 often seen the mouth of the once mighty geyser. 
 There are in Iceland vast, but now extinct geyser 
 operations. Mounds are observed whose shafts are 
 tilled with rubbish, the water having forced a pas- 
 sage underneath and retired to other scenes of ac- 
 tion. We have, in fact, the geyser in its youth, 
 manhood, old age, and death here presented to us. 
 In its youth as a simple thermal spring ; in its man- 
 hood, as an eruptive column ; in its old age, as the 
 tranquil Laug ; while its death is recorded by the 
 ruined shaft and mound, which testify the fact of its 
 once active existence.” 
 
 All that Professor Tyndall describes so eloquently 
 of Iceland, exists in our Grand National Park in in- 
 finitely greater variety, and magnitude, and splen- 
 dor. And much more : Iceland has no Gardiner’s 
 River. To find the nearest approach to the marvels 
 of White Mountain Hot Spring, we must go to the 
 opposite side of the globe — to New Zealand. In 
 the celebrated Lake District of the North Island is 
 a region of hot springs, far exceeding in extent and 
 variety all the others in the world, save those of the 
 Yellowstone. First of all, says Hochstetter, the 
 most marvellous of the Rotomahana marvels is 
 the Te Tarata — the Tattooed Rock — with its ter- 
 raced marble steps projecting intq the lake. The 
 
192 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 spring lies about eighty feet above the lake, on a 
 fern-dad hill-slope, in a crater-like excavation, with 
 steep reddish sides, from thirty to forty feet high, 
 and open only toward the lake. The basin of the 
 spring is about eighty feet long and sixty wide, filled 
 to the brim with perfectly transparent water, which 
 in its snow-white basin appears of a beautiful blue, 
 like the blue turquoise. Immense clouds of steam 
 curl up from the surface, obstructing the view, but 
 the noise of boiling and seething is always audible. 
 The water is slightly salt, but not unpleasant to the 
 taste, chemically neutral, and possesses petrifying, 
 or rather incrusting qualities, in a high degree. 
 The deposit is silicious, like that of the Iceland 
 springs and the springs around Yellowstone Lake, 
 not calcareous, like those of Gardiner’s River ; yet 
 the system of terraces built up by the deposit on the 
 hill-slope has the same appearance of a cataract 
 plunging over a series of natural shelves and sud- 
 denly turned to stone. The deposits cover an area 
 of about three acres, a mere trifle compared with 
 the square miles of similar formations on Gardiner’s 
 River and in the Yellowstone Basin. 
 
 In the same neighborhood is a system of bubbling 
 mud-pools, miniature copies of those on the Yellow- 
 stone above the falls. The principal group, lying in 
 
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS. 
 
 193 
 
 a ravine nearly a quarter of a mile long, is described 
 by Dr. Hochstetter as follows : 
 
 “ The entrance to the ravine is overgrown with a 
 thicket and rather difficult of access ; it also requires 
 considerable caution, as suspicious places have to be 
 passed, where the visitor is in danger of being swal- 
 lowed up in heated mud. Inside, the ravine has the 
 appearance of a volcanic crater. The bare walls, 
 utterly destitute of vegetation, are terribly fissured 
 and torn, and odd-looking rocky serratures, threat- 
 ening every moment to break loose, loom up like 
 dismal spectres from red, white and blue fumarole- 
 clay — evidently the last remains of decomposed 
 rocks. The bottom of the ravine is of fine mud, scat- 
 tered with blocks of silicious deposit, like cakes of 
 floating ice after a thaw. Here, a big caldron of 
 mud is simmering ; there, lies a deep basin of boil- 
 ing water ; next to this is a terrible hole, emitting his- 
 sing jets of steam, and further on are mud-cones 
 from two to five feet high, vomiting hot mud from 
 their craters with dull rumblings, and imitating on 
 a small scale the play of large fire volcanoes.” The 
 gay colors of the Yellowstone mud-springs are fre- 
 quently exhibited in the volcanic lake district of 
 New Zealand, and so indeed are most of the other 
 phenomena we have been studying, though on a far 
 less magnificent scale. For example, the grandest 
 
194 
 
 WONDERS OF TIIE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 “ Firehole basin” on the island occupies the Shallow 
 valley of a little stream the Waikato, for the distance 
 of a mile. It is but a cabinet exhibition compara- 
 tively, yet the learned geologist of the Novara expe- 
 dition grows eloquent in his description of it. “ In 
 the morning a dense fog lay upon the Waikato, but 
 it soon vanished, the sun shone brightly into the 
 valley, and now — what a sight ! In its swift course, 
 forming rapids after rapids, the Waikato was plung- 
 ing through the deep valley between steep-rising 
 mountains ; its floods whirling and foaming round 
 two small rocky islands in the middle of the river, 
 ■were dashing with a loud uproar through the defile 
 of the valley. Along its banks white clouds of 
 steam were ascending from hot cascades falling into 
 the river, and from basins full of boiling water shut 
 in by a white mass of stone. Yonder a steaming 
 fountain was rising and falling ; now there sprung 
 from another place a second fountain ; this also 
 ceased in its turn ; then two commenced playing si- 
 multaneously, one quite low at the river bank, the 
 other opposite on a terrace ; and thus the play con- 
 tinued with endless changes, as though experiments 
 were being made with grand waterworks, to see 
 whether the fountains were all in perfect order, and 
 whether the waterfalls had a sufficient supply. I 
 began to count the places where a boiling water- 
 
TIIE GRAND CANON AND LOWER FALLS OF T1IE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS. 
 
 195 
 
 basin was visible, or where a cloud of steam indicat- 
 ed the existence of one. I counted seventy- six 
 points, without, however, being able to survey the 
 whole region, and among them were numerous inter- 
 mittent geyser-like fountains with periodical erup- 
 tions of water.” 
 
 The picture is admirably drawn, but could the 
 artist have done so well with the stupendous chasm 
 of the Grand Canon? or the thousand volcanic 
 vents of Fireliole Basin with their deafening detona- 
 tions, their immeasurable evolutions of water and 
 steam ? It is possible, but scarcely probable. The 
 incomprehensible grandeur of the scene would have 
 awed, astounded, bewildered him, and like our Yel- 
 lowstone explorers, he would have despaired of 
 grouping the myriad marvels into one grand effect, 
 and contented himself with setting down a few de- 
 tails of form and color. 
 
 In following the exploration of the Yellowstone 
 country and Firehole Basin, the reader has doubt- 
 less observed, in the passage from the quiet springs of 
 Gardiner’s Biver to the erupting fountains further 
 on, that there is a complete change in the nature of 
 the deposits. The mounds and terraces built up by 
 the former have for their basis lime, those of the 
 latter silica. Dr. Hayden attributes the calcareous 
 deposits to the deep bed of limestone underlying the 
 
196 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 
 springs, but not all waters have tlie power of disolv- 
 ing lime so freely, nor could ordinary water take 
 from the trachytic lavas below the silicious springs 
 around Yellowstone Lake and in the Firehole Basin, 
 the silica that appears so abundantly in their depo- 
 sits. There must be other forces at work. What 
 are they ? “ Both kinds of springs,” says Dr. 
 
 Hochstetter, in his chapter on New Zealand springs, 
 “ owe their origin to the water permeating the sur- 
 face and sinking through fissures into the bowels of 
 the earth, where it becomes heated by the still ex- 
 isting volcanic fires. High-pressure steam is thus 
 generated, which, accompanied by volcanic gases — 
 such as muriatic acid, sulphurous acid, sulphuretted 
 hydrogen and carbonic acid — rises again toward 
 the colder surface and is there condensed into hot 
 water. The overheated steam and the gases decom- 
 pose the rock beneath, dissolving certain ingredients 
 which are deposited on the surface. According to 
 Bunsen’s ingenious observations, a chronological 
 succession takes place in the cooperation of the 
 gases. The sulphurous acid acts first. It is gener- 
 ated where rising sulphur vapor comes in contact 
 with glowing masses of rock. Wherever vapors of 
 sulphurous acid are constantly formed, there acid- 
 springs or solfataras arise. Incrustations of alum 
 are very common in such places, arising from the 
 
NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS. 
 
 197 
 
 action of sulphuric acid on the alumina and alkali 
 of the lavas ; another product of the decomposition 
 of the lavas is gypsum, or sulphate of lime, the re- 
 siduum being a more or less ferruginous fumarole 
 clay, the material of the mud-pools. After the sul- 
 phurous acid comes sulphuretted hydrogen, pro- 
 duced by the action of steam on sulphids ; and by 
 the mutual decomposition of sulphuretted hydrogen 
 and sulphurous acid sulphur is formed, the charac- 
 teristic precipitate in all solfataras, while the depo- 
 sition of silica is either entirely wanting or quite 
 inconsiderable, and the smell of sulphuretted hy- 
 drogen is but rarely noticed. These acid springs 
 have no periodical outbursts of water. 
 
 In course of time the source of sulphurous acid 
 becomes exhausted, and sulphuretted hydrogen 
 alone remains active. The acid reaction of the soil 
 disappears, yielding to an alkaline reaction by the 
 formation of sulphids. At the same time carbonic 
 acid begins to act upon the rocks, and the alkaline 
 bi-carbonates thus produced dissolve the silica, 
 which on the evaporation of the water is deposited 
 in the form of opal or quartz or silicious earth, and 
 thus the shell of the springs is formed, on the struc- 
 ture of which the periodicity of the outburst de- 
 pends The deposition of silica in quantities 
 
 sufficient for the formation of this spring- apparatus 
 
198 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 in the course of years, takes place only in the alka- 
 line springs. Their water is either neutral or has 
 a slightly alkaline reaction. Silica, common salt, 
 carbonates and sulphates are the chief ingredients 
 dissolved in it. In the place of sulphurous acid the 
 odor of sulphuretted hydrogen is sometimes observed 
 
 in these springs By the gradual cooling 
 
 of the volcanic rocks under the surface of the earth 
 the hot springs themselves gradually die out, for 
 they too are but a transient phenomenon in the 
 eternal change of created things.” 
 
CHAPTEE XV. 
 
 Mli. EVERTS’S THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 O N the day that I found myself separated from 
 the company, and for several days previous, our 
 course had been impeded by the dense growth of 
 pine forest, and occasional large tracts of fallen tim- 
 ber frequently rendering our progress almost impos- 
 sible. Whenever we came to one of these immense 
 windfalls, each man engaged in the pursuit of a pas- 
 sage through it, and it was while thus employed, and 
 with the idea that I had found one, that I strayed 
 out of sight and hearing of my comrades. We had 
 had a toilsome day. It was quite late in the after- 
 noon. As separations like these had frequently oc- 
 curred, it gave me no alarm, and I rode on, fully 
 confident of soon rejoining the company, or of find- 
 ing their camp. I came up with the pack-horse, 
 which Mr. Langford afterwards recovered, and tried 
 to drive him along. But failing to do so, and my 
 eyesight being defective, I spurred forward, intend- 
 ing to return with assistance from the party. This 
 
200 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 incident tended to accelerate my speed. I rode on 
 in the direction which I supposed had been taken, 
 until darkness overtook me in the dense forest. 
 This was disagreeable enough, but caused me no 
 alarm. I had no doubt of being with the party at 
 breakfast the next morning. I selected a spot for 
 comfortable repose, picketed my horse, built a fire, 
 and went to sleep. 
 
 The next morning I rose at early dawn, saddled 
 and mounted my horse, and took my course in the 
 supposed direction of the camp. Our ride of the 
 previous day had been up a peninsula jutting into 
 the lake, for the shore of which I started, with the 
 expectation of finding my friends camped on the 
 beach. The forest was quite dark, and the trees so 
 thick, that it was only by a slow process I could get 
 through them at all. In searching for the trail I 
 became somewhat confused. The falling foliage of 
 the pines had obliterated every trace of travel. I 
 was obliged frequently to dismount, and examine 
 the ground for the faintest indications. Coming to 
 an opening, from which I could see several vistas, 
 I dismounted for the purpose of selecting one lead- 
 ing in the direction I had chosen, and leaving my 
 horse unhitched, as had always been my custom, 
 walked a few rods into the forest. While survey- 
 ing the ground my horse took fright, and I turned 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 201 
 
 around in time to see him disappearing at full 
 speed among the trees. That was the last I ever 
 saw of him. It was yet quite dark. My blankets, 
 gun, pistols, fishing-tackle, matches — everything, 
 except the clothing on my person, a couple of 
 knives, and a small opera-glass were attached to the 
 saddle. 
 
 I did not yet realize the possibility of a perma- 
 nent separation from the company. Instead of fol- 
 lowing up the pursuit of their camp, I engaged in an 
 effort to recover my horse. Half a day’s search 
 convinced me of its impracticability. I wrote and 
 posted in an open space several notices, which, if 
 my friends should chance to see, would inform them 
 of my condition and the route I had taken, and 
 then struck out into the forest in the supposed direc- 
 tion of their camp. As the day wore on without any 
 discovery, alarm took the place of anxiety at the 
 prospect of another night alone in the wilderness, 
 and this time without food or fire. But even this 
 dismal foreboding was cheered by the hope that I 
 should soon rejoin my companions, who would 
 laugh at my adventure, and incorporate it as a thrill- 
 ing episode into the journal of our trip. The bright 
 side of a misfortune, as I found by experience, even 
 under the worst possible circumstances, always pre- 
 sents some features of encouragement. When I 
 
202 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 began to realize that my condition was one of act- 
 ual peril, I banished from my mind all fear of an 
 unfavorable result. Seating myself on a log, I re- 
 called every foot of the way I had travelled since 
 the separation from my friends, and the most prob- 
 able opinion I could form of their whereabouts was, 
 that they had, by a course but little different from 
 mine, passed by the spot where I had posted the 
 notices, learned of my disaster, and were waiting for 
 me to rejoin them there, or searching for me in that 
 vicinity. A night must be spent amid the prostrate 
 trunks before my return could be accomplished. 
 At no time during my period of exile did I experi- 
 ence so much mental suffering from the cravings 
 of hunger as when, exhausted with this long day of 
 fruitless search, I resigned myself to a couch of 
 pine foliage in the pitchy darkness of a thicket of 
 small trees Naturally timid in the night, I fully 
 realized the exposure of my condition. I peered up- 
 ward through the darkness, but all was blackness 
 and gloom. The wind sighed mournfully through 
 the pines. The forest seemed alive with the screech- 
 ing of night birds, the angry barking of coyotes, 
 and the prolonged, dismal howl of the gray wolf. 
 These sounds, familiar by their constant occurrence 
 throughout the journey, were now full of terror, 
 and drove slumber from my eye-lids, but above all 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 203 
 
 this, however, was the hope that I should be re- 
 stored to my comrades the next day. 
 
 Early the next morning I rose unrefreshed, and 
 pursued my weary way over the prostrate trunks. 
 It was noon when I reached the spot where my no- 
 tices were posted. No one had been there. My 
 disappointment was almost overwhelming. For the 
 first time, I reahzed that I was lost. Then came a 
 crushing sense of destitution. No food, no lire ; no 
 means to procure either ; alone in an unexplored 
 wilderness, one hundred and fifty miles from the 
 nearest human abode, surrounded by wild beasts, 
 and famishing with hunger. It was no time for de- 
 spondency. A moment afterwards I felt how cala-^ 
 mity can elevate the mind, in the formation of the 
 resolution “ not to perish in that wilderness.” 
 
 The hope of finding the party still controlled my 
 plans. I thought, by traversing the peninsula cen- 
 trally, I would be enabled to strike the shore of the 
 lake in advance of their camp, and near the point of 
 departure for the Madison. Acting upon this im- 
 pression, I rose from a sleepless couch, and pursued 
 my way through the timber-entangled forest. A 
 feeling of weakness took the place of hunger. Con- 
 scious of the need of food, I felt no cravings. Oc- 
 casionally, while scrambling over logs and through 
 thickets, a sense of faintness and exhaustion would 
 
204 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 come over me, but I would suppress it with the aud- 
 ible expression, ,£ This won’t do ; I must find mj 
 company.” Despondency would sometimes strive 
 with resolution for the mastery of my thoughts. I 
 would think of home— of my daughter — and of the 
 possible chance of starvation, or death in some more 
 terrible form ; but as often as these gloomy fore- 
 bodings came, I would strive to banish them with 
 reflections better adapted to my immediate necessi- 
 ties. I recollect at this time discussing the question, 
 whether there was not implanted by Providence in 
 every man a principle of self-preservation equal to 
 any emergency which did not destroy his reason. I 
 decided this question affirmatively a thousand times 
 afterwards in my wanderings, and I record this ex- 
 perience here, that any person who reads it, should 
 he ever find himself in like circumstances, may not 
 despair. There is life in the thought. It will revive 
 hope, allay hunger, renew energy, encourage perse- 
 verance, and, as I have proved in my own case, 
 bring a man out of difficulty, when nothing else can 
 avail. 
 
 It was mid-day when I emerged from the forest 
 into an open space at the foot of the peninsula. A 
 broad lake of beautiful curvature, with magnificent 
 surroundings, lay before me, glittering in the sun- 
 beams. It was full twelve miles in circumference. 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 205 
 
 A wide belt of sand formed the margin which I was 
 approaching, directly opposite to which, rising seem- 
 ingly from the very depths of the water, towered the 
 loftiest peak of a range of mountains apparently in- 
 terminable. The ascending vapor from innumerable 
 hot springs, and the sparkling jet of a single geyser 
 added the feature of novelty to one of the grandest 
 landscapes I ever beheld. Nor was the life of the 
 scene less noticeable than its other attractions. 
 Large flocks of swans and other water-fowl were 
 sporting on the quiet surface of the lake ; otters in 
 great numbers performed the most amusing aquatic 
 evolutions ; mink and beaver swam around unscared, 
 in most grotesque confusion. Deer, elk, and moun- 
 tain sheep stared at me, manifesting more surprise 
 than fear at my presence among them. The adja- 
 cent forest was vocal with the songs of birds, chief 
 of which were the chattering notes of a species of 
 mocking-bird, whose imitative efforts afforded abun- 
 dant merriment. Seen under favorable circumstan- 
 ces, this assemblage of grandeur, beauty, and nov- 
 elty would have been transporting ; but jaded with 
 travel, famishing with hunger, and distressed with 
 anxiety, I was in no humor for ecstasy. My tastes 
 were subdued and chastened by the perils which en- 
 vironed me. I longed for food, friends, and protec- 
 tion. Associated with my thoughts, however, was 
 
 15 
 
 

 206 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 the wish that some of my friends of peculiar tastes 
 could enjoy this display of secluded magnificence, 
 now, probably, for the first time beheld by mortal 
 eyes. 
 
 The lake was at least one thousand feet lower 
 than the highest point of the peninsula, and several 
 hundred feet below the level of Yellowstone Lake, 
 I recognized the mountain which overshadowed it 
 as the landmark which, a few days before, had re- 
 ceived from General Washburn the name of Mount 
 Everts ; and as it is associated with some of the 
 most agreeable and terrible incidents of my exile, I 
 feel that I have more than a mere discoverer’s right 
 to the perpetuity of that christening. The lake is 
 fed by innumerable small streams from the moun- 
 tains, and the countless hot springs surrounding it. 
 A large river flows from it, through a canon a thou- 
 sand feet in height, in a southeasterly direction, to 
 a distant range of mountains, which I conjectured 
 to be Snake Liver ; and with the belief that I had 
 discovered the source of the great southern tributary 
 of the Columbia, I gave it the name of Bessie Lake, 
 after the 
 
 “ Sole daughter of my house and heart.” 
 
 During the first two days, the fear of -meeting 
 with Indians gave me considerable anxiety ; but, 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 207 
 
 when conscious of being lost, there was nothing I 
 so much desired as to fall in with a lodge of Ban- 
 nocks or Crows. Having nothing to tempt their cu- 
 pidity, they would do me no personal harm, and, 
 with the promise of reward, would probably minis- 
 ter to my wants and aid my deliverance. Imagine 
 my delight, while gazing upon the animated expanse 
 of water, at seeing sail out from a distant point a 
 large canoe containing a single oarsman. It was 
 rapidly approaching the shore where I was seated. 
 With hurried steps I paced the beach to meet it, all 
 my energies stimulated by the assurance it gave of 
 food, safety, and restoration to friends. As I drew 
 near to it it turned towards the shore, and oh ! bit- 
 ter disappointment, the object which my eager fancy 
 had transformed into an angel of relief stalked from 
 the water, an enormous pelican, flapped its dragon- 
 wings as if in mockery of my sorrow, and flew to a 
 solitary point farther up the lake. This little inci- 
 dent quite unmanned me. The transition from joy 
 to grief brought with it a terrible consciousness of 
 the horrors of my condition. But night was fast 
 approaching, and darkness would come with it. 
 While looking for a spot where I might repose in 
 safety, my attention was attracted to a small green 
 plant of so lively a hue as to form a striking con- 
 trast with the deep pine foliage. For closer exam- 
 
203 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 ination I pulled it up by the root, which was long 
 and tapering, not unlike a radish. It was a thistle. 
 I tasted it ; it was palatable and nutritious. My 
 appetite craved it, and the first meal in four days 
 was made on thistle-roots. Eureka ! I had found 
 food. No optical illusion deceived me this time ; I 
 could subsist until I rejoined my companions. 
 Glorious counterpoise to the wretchedness of the 
 preceding half-hour ! 
 
 Overjoyed at this discovery, with hunger allayed, 
 I stretched myself under a tree, upon the foliage 
 which had partially filled a space between contigu- 
 ous trunks, and fell asleep. How long I slept I 
 know not ; but suddenly I was roused by a loud, 
 shrill scream, like that of a human being in distress, 
 poured, seemingly, into the very portals of my ear. 
 There was no mistaking that fearful voice. I had 
 been deceived by and answered it a dozen times 
 while threading the forest, with the belief that it 
 was a friendly signal. It was the screech of a moun- 
 tain lion, so alarmingly near as to cause every nerve 
 to thrill with terror. To yell in return, seize with 
 convulsive grasp the limbs of the friendly tree, and 
 swing myself into it, was the work of a moment. 
 Scrambling hurriedly from limb to limb, I was soon 
 as near the top as safety would permit. The savage 
 beast was snuffing and growling below, apparently 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 209 
 
 on the very spot I had just abandoned. I answered 
 every growl with a responsive scream, Terrified at 
 the delay and pawing of the beast, I increased my 
 voice to its utmost volume, broke branches from the 
 limbs, and, in the impotency of fright, madly hurled 
 them at the spot whence the continued bowlings 
 proceeded. 
 
 Failing to alarm the animal, which now began to 
 make the circuit of the tree, as if to select a spot 
 for springing into it, I shook, with a strength in- 
 creased by terror, the slender trunk until every limb 
 rustled with the motion. All in vain. The terrible 
 creature pursued his walk around the tree, lashing 
 the ground with his tail, and prolonging his howlings 
 almost to a roar. It was too dark to see, but the 
 movements of the lion kept me apprised of its po- 
 sition. Whenever I heard it on one side of the tree 
 I speedily changed to the opposite — an exercise 
 which, in my weakened state, I could only have per- 
 formed under the impulse of terror. I would alter- 
 nately sweat and thrill with horror at the thought 
 of being torn to pieces and devoured by this for- 
 midable monster. All my attempts to frighten it 
 seemed unavailing. Disheartened at its persistency, 
 and expecting every moment it would take the 
 deadly leap, I tried to collect my thoughts, and pre- 
 pare for the fatal encounter which I knew must re- 
 
210 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 suit. Just at this moment it occurred to me that I 
 would try silence. Clasping the trunk of the tree 
 with both arms, I sat perfectly still. The lion, at 
 this time ranging round, occasionally snuffing and 
 pausing, and all the while filling the forest with the 
 echo of his bowlings, suddenly imitated my exam- 
 ple. This silence was more terrible, if possible, 
 than the clatter and crash of his movements through 
 the brushwood, for now I did not know from what 
 direction to expect his attack. Moments passed 
 with me like hours. After a lapse of time which I 
 cannot estimate, the beast gave a spring into the 
 thicket and ran screaming into the forest. My de- 
 liverance was effected. 
 
 Had strength permitted, I should have retained 
 my perch till daylight, but with the consciousness 
 of escape from the jaws of the ferocious brute came 
 a sense of overpowering weakness which almost 
 palsied me, and made my descent from the tree 
 both difficult and dangerous. Incredible as it may 
 seem, I lay down in my old bed, and was soon lost 
 in a slumber so profound that I did not awake until 
 after daylight. The experience of the night seemed 
 like a terrible dream ; but the broken limbs which 
 in the agony of consternation I had thrown from 
 the tree, and the rifts made in the fallen foliage by 
 my visitant in his circumambulations, were too con- 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 211 . 
 
 vincing evidences of its reality. I could not dwell 
 upon my exposure and escape without shuddering, 
 and reflecting that probably like perils would often 
 occur under less fortunate circumstances, and with 
 a more fatal issue. I wondered what fate was in 
 reserve for me — whether I would ultimately sink 
 from exhaustion and perish of starvation, or be- 
 come the prey of some of the ferocious animals 
 that roamed these vast fastnesses. My thoughts 
 then turned to the loved ones at home. They could 
 never know my fate, and would indulge a thousand 
 conjectures concerning it, not the least distressing 
 of which would be that I had been captured by a 
 band of hostile Sioux, and tortured to death at the 
 stake. 
 
 I was roused from this train of reflections by a 
 marked change in the atmosphere. One of those 
 dreary storms of mingled snow and rain, common 
 to these high latitudes, set in. My clothing, which 
 had been much torn, exposed my person to its 
 “ pitiless peltings.” An easterly wind, rising to a 
 gale, admonished me that it would be furious and 
 of long duration. None of the discouragements I 
 had met with dissipated the hope of rejoining my 
 friends ; but foreseeing the delay, now unavoidable, 
 I knew that my escape from the wilderness must be 
 accomplished, if at all, by my own unaided exer* 
 
212 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 tions. This thought was terribly afflicting, and 
 brought before me, in vivid array, all the dreadful 
 realities of my condition. I could see no ray of 
 hope. In this condition of mind I could find no 
 better shelter than the spreading branches of a 
 spruce tree, under which, covered with earth and 
 boughs, I lay during the two succeeding days ; the 
 storm, meanwhile, raging with unabated violence. 
 While thus exposed, and suffering from cold and 
 hunger, a little benumbed bird, not larger than a 
 snow-bird, hopped within my reach. I instantly 
 seized and killed it, and, plucking its feathers, ate 
 it raw. It was a delicious meal for a half-starved 
 man. 
 
 Taking advantage of a lull in the elements, on 
 the morning of the third day I rose early and 
 started in the direction of a large group of hot 
 springs which were steaming under the shadow of 
 Mount Everts. The distance I travelled could not 
 have been less than ten miles. Long before I 
 reached the wonderful cluster of natural caldrons, 
 the storm had recommenced. Chilled through, 
 with my clothing thoroughly saturated, I lay down 
 under a tree upon the heated incrustation until 
 completely warmed. My heels and the sides of my 
 feet were frozen. As soon as warmth had perme- 
 ated my system, and I had quieted my appetite 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 213 
 
 with a few tliistle-roots, I took a survey of my sur- 
 roundings, and selected a spot between two springs, 
 sufficiently asunder to afford heat at my head and 
 feet. On this spot I built a bower of pine branch- 
 es, spread its incrusted surface with fallen foliage 
 and small boughs, and stowed myself away to await 
 the close of the storm. Thistles were abundant, 
 and I had fed upon them long enough to realize 
 that they would, for a while at least, sustain life. 
 In convenient proximity to my abode was a small, 
 round, boiling spring, which I called my dinner- 
 pot, and in which, from time to time, I cooked my 
 roots. 
 
 This establishment, the best I could improvise 
 with the means at hand, I occupied seven days — 
 the first three of which were darkened by one of 
 the most furious storms I ever saw. The vapor 
 w r hich supplied me with warmth saturated my 
 clothing with its condensations. I was enveloped 
 in a perpetual steam -bath. At first this was barely 
 preferable to the storm, but I soon became accus- 
 tomed to it, and before I left, though thoroughly 
 parboiled, actually enjoyed it. 
 
 I had little else to do during my imprisonment 
 but cook, think, and sleep. Of the variety and 
 strangeness of my reflections it is impossible to 
 give the faintest conception. Much of my time 
 
214 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 was given to devising means for escape. I recol- 
 lected to have read, at the time of their publication, 
 the narratives of Lieutenant Strain and Doctor 
 Kane, and derived courage and hope from the re- 
 flection that they struggled with and survived perils 
 not unlike those which environed me. The chilling 
 thought would then occur, that they were not aloue. 
 They had companions in suffering and sympathy. 
 Each could bear his share of the burden of misery 
 which it fell to my lot to bear alone, and make it 
 lighter from the encouragement of mutual counsel 
 and aid in a cause of common suffering. Selfish as 
 the thought may seem, there was nothing I so 
 much desired as a companion in misfortune. How 
 greatly it would alleviate my distress ! What a 
 relief it would be to. compare my wretchedness with 
 that of a brother sufferer, and with him devise ex- 
 pedients for every exigency as it occurred ! I con- 
 fess to the weakness, if it be one, of having stpian- 
 dered much pity upon myself during the time I had 
 little else to do. 
 
 Nothing gave me more concern than the want of 
 fire. I recalled everything I had ever read or 
 heard of the means by which fire could be pro- 
 duced ; but none of them were within my reach. 
 An escape without it was simply impossible. It 
 was indispensable as a protection against night 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 215 
 
 attacks from wild beasts. Exposure to another 
 storm like the one just over would destroy my life, 
 as this one would have done, but for the warmth 
 derived from the springs. As I lay in my bower 
 anxiously awaiting the disappearance of the snow, 
 which had fallen to the depth of a foot or more, 
 and impressed with the belief that for want of 
 fire I should be obliged to remain among the springs, 
 it occurred to me that I would erect some sort of 
 monument, which might, at some future day, inform 
 a casual visitor of the circumstances under which 
 I had perished. A gleam of sunshine lit up the 
 bosom of the lake, and with it the thought flashed 
 upon my mind that I could, with a lens from my 
 opera-glasses, get fire from Heaven. Oh, happy, 
 life-renewing thought ! Instantly subjecting it to 
 the test of experiment, when I saw the smoke curl 
 from the bit of dry wood in my fingers, I felt, if the 
 whole world were offered me for it, I would cast it 
 all aside before parting with that little spark. I 
 was now the happy possessor of food and fire. 
 These would carry me through. All thoughts of 
 failure were instantly abandoned. Though the 
 food was barely adequate to my necessities — a fact 
 too painfully attested by my attenuated body — I 
 had forgotten the cravings of hunger, and had the 
 
216 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 means of producing fire. I said to myself, “ I will 
 not despair.” 
 
 My stay at the springs was prolonged several 
 days by an accident that befell me on the third 
 night after my arrival there. An unlucky move- 
 ment while asleep broke the crust on which I re- 
 posed, and the hot steam, pouring upon my hip, 
 scalded it severely before I could escape. This 
 new affliction, added to my frost-bitten feet, already 
 festering, was the cause of frequent delay and un- 
 ceasing pain through all my wanderings. After 
 obtaining fire, I set to work making preparations 
 for as early departure as my condition would per- 
 mit. I had lost both knives since parting from the 
 company, but I now made a convenient substitute 
 by sharpening the tongue of a buckle which I cut 
 from my vest. With this I cut the legs and coun- 
 ters from my boots, making of them a passable 
 pair of slippers, which I fastened to my feet as 
 firmly as I could with strips of bark. With the 
 ravellings of a linen handkerchief, aided by the 
 magic buckle-tongue, I mended my clothing. Of 
 the same material I made a fish-line, which, on 
 finding a piece of red tape in one of my pockets 
 better suited to the purpose, I abandoned as a 
 “ bad job.” I made of a pin that I found in my 
 coat a fish-hook, and, by sewing up the bottoms of 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 217 
 
 my boot-legs, constructed a very good pair of 
 pouches to carry my food in, fastening them to my 
 belt by the straps. 
 
 Thus accountered, on the morning of the eighth 
 day after my arrival at the springs I bade them a 
 final farewell, and started on my course directly 
 across that portion of the neck of the peninsula be- 
 tween me and the southeast arm of Yellowstone 
 Lake. It was a beautiful morning. The sun shone 
 bright and warm, and there was a freshness in the 
 atmosphere truly exhilarating. As I wandered mu- 
 singly along, the consciousness of being alone, and 
 having surrendered all hope of finding my friends, 
 returned upon me with crushing power. I felt, too, 
 that those friends, by the necessities of their condi- 
 tion, had been compelled to abandon all efforts for 
 my recovery. The thought was full of bitterness 
 and sorrow. I tried to realize what their conjec- 
 tures were concerning my disappearance ; but could 
 derive no consolation from the long and dismal 
 train of circumstances they suggested. Weakened 
 by a long fast, and the unsatisfying nature of the 
 only food I could procure, I know that from this 
 time onward to the day of my rescue, my mind, 
 though unimpaired in those perceptions needful to 
 self-preservation, was in a condition to receive im- 
 pressions akin to insanity. I was constantly travel- 
 
218 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 ling in dream-land, and indulging in strange reveries 
 such as I had never before known. I seemed to 
 possess a sort of duality of being, which, while con- 
 stantly reminding me of the necessities of my con- 
 dition, fed my imagination with vagaries of the most 
 extravagant character. Nevertheless I was perfectly 
 conscious of the tendency of these morbid influences, 
 and often tried to shake them off, but they would 
 ever return with increased force, and I finally rea- 
 soned myself into the belief that their indulgence, as 
 it afforded me pleasure, could work no harm while 
 it did not interfere with my plans for deliverance. 
 Thus I lived in a world of ideal happiness, and in a 
 world of positive suffering at the same time. 
 
 A change in the wind and an overcast sky, accom- 
 panied by cold, brought with them a need of 
 warmth. I drew out my lens and touchwood, but 
 alas ! there was no sun. I sat down on a log to 
 await his friendly appearance. Hours passed; he 
 did not come. Night, cold freezing night, set in, 
 and found me exposed to all its terrors. A bleak 
 liill-side sparsely covered with pines afforded poor 
 accommodations for a lialf-clad, famishing man. I 
 could only keep from freezing by the most active 
 exertion in walking, rubbing, and striking my be- 
 numbed feet and hands against the logs. It seem- 
 ed the longest, most terrible night of my life, and 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN BAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 219 
 
 glad was I when the approaching dawn enabled me 
 to commence retracing my steps to Bessie Lake. I 
 arrived there at noon, built my first fire on the 
 beach, and remained by it, recuperating for the suc- 
 ceeding two days. 
 
 The faint hope that my friends might be delayed 
 by their search for me until I could rejoin them 
 now forsook me altogether. I made my arrange- 
 ments independent of it. Either of three directions 
 I might take would effect my escape, if life and 
 strength held out. I drew upon the sand of the 
 beach a map of these several courses with reference 
 to my starting-point from the lake, and considered 
 'well the difficulties each would present. All were 
 sufficiently defined to avoid mistake. One was to 
 follow Snake Biver a distance of one hundred miles 
 or more to Eagle Bock bridge ; another, to cross the 
 country between the southern shore of Yellowstone 
 Lake and the Madison Mountains, by scaling which 
 I could easily reach the settlements in the Madison 
 Valley ; and the other, to retrace my journey over 
 the long and discouraging route by which I had en- 
 tered the country. Of these routes the last men- 
 tioned seemed the least inviting, probably because 
 I had so recently traversed it, and was familiar with 
 its difficulties. I had heard and read so much con- 
 cerning the desolation and elemental upheavals and 
 
220 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 violent waters of the upper valley of the Snake, 
 that I dared not attempt to return in that direction. 
 The route by the Madison Range, encumbered by 
 the single obstruction of the mountain barrier, was 
 much the shortest, and so most unwisely, as will 
 hereafter appear, I adopted it. 
 
 Filling my pouches with thistle-roots, I took a 
 parting survey of the little solitude that had afforded 
 me food and fire the preceding ten days, and with 
 something of that melancholy feeling experienced by 
 one who leaves his home to grapple with untried 
 adventures, started for the nearest point on Yellow- 
 stone Lake. All that day I travelled over timber- 
 heaps, amid tree tops, and through thickets. At 
 noon I took the precaution to obtain fire. With a 
 brand which I kept alive by frequent blowing, and 
 constant waving to and fro, at a late hour in the 
 afternoon, faint and exhausted, I kindled a fire for 
 the night on the only vacant spot I could find amid 
 a dense wilderness of pines. The deep gloom of the 
 forest, in the spectral light which revealed on all 
 sides of me a compact and unending growth of trunks 
 and an impervious canopy of sombre foliage ; the 
 shrieking of night-birds ; the supernaturally human 
 scream of the mountain lion, the prolonged howl of 
 the wolf, made me insensible to all other forms of 
 suffering. 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 221 
 
 The burn on my hip was so inflamed that I could 
 only sleep in a sitting posture. Seated with my 
 back against a tree, the smoke from the fire almost 
 enveloping me in its suffocating folds, I vainly tried, 
 amid the din and uproar of this horrible serenade, 
 to woo the drowsy god. My imagination was in- 
 stinct with terror. At one moment it seemed as if, 
 in the density of a thicket, I could see the blazing 
 eyes of a formidable forest monster fixed upon me, 
 preparatoiy to a deadly leap ; at another I fancied 
 that I heard the swift approach of a pack of yelping 
 wolves through the distant brushwood, which in a 
 few moments would tear me limb from limb. 
 Whenever, by fatigue and weakness, my terrors 
 yielded to drowsiness, the least noise roused me to a 
 sense of the hideousness of my condition. Once, 
 in a fitful slumber, I fell forward into the fire, and 
 inflicted a wretched burn on my hand. Oh ! with 
 what agony I longed for day ! 
 
 A bright and glorious morning succeeded the dis- 
 mal night, and brought with it the conviction that I 
 had been the victim of uncontrollable nervous ex- 
 citement. I resolved henceforth to banish it alto- 
 gether, and, in much better spirits than I anticipat- 
 ed, resumed my journey towards the lake. Another 
 
 day of unceasing toil among the tree-tops and thick- 
 
 16 
 
222 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLO Wti 1 OF E. 
 
 ets overtook me, near sunset, standing upon a lofty 
 headland jutting into the lake, and commanding a 
 magnificent prospect of the mountains and valley 
 over an immense area. In front of me, at a distance 
 of fifty miles away, in the clear blue of the horizon, 
 rose the arrowy peaks of the Three Tetons. On the 
 right, and apparently in close proximity to the emi- 
 nence I occupied, rolled the picturesque range of the 
 Madison, scarred with clefts, ravines, gorges, and 
 canons, each of which glittered in the sunlight or 
 deepened in shadow as the fitful rays of the des- 
 cending luminary glanced along their varied rocky 
 irregularities. Above where I stood were the lofty 
 domes of Mounts Langford and Doane, marking the 
 limits of that wonderful barrier which had so long 
 defied human power in its efforts to subdue it. Ris- 
 ing seemingly from the promontory which favored 
 my vision was the familiar summit of Mount Everts, 
 at the base of which I had dwelt so long, and which 
 still seemed to hold me within its friendly shadow. 
 All the vast country within this grand enclosure of 
 mountains and lake, scarred and seamed with the 
 grotesque ridges, rocky escarpments, undulating hil- 
 locks, and miniature lakes, and steaming with hot 
 springs, produced by the volcanic forces of a former 
 era, lay spread out before me like a vast panorama. 
 
 I doubt if distress and suffering can ever entirely 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 223 
 
 obliterate all sense of natural grandeur and magni- 
 ficence. Lost in the wonder and admiration inspired 
 by this vast world of beauties, I nearly forgot to 
 improve the few moments of remaining sunshine to 
 obtain fire. With a lighted brand in my hand, I 
 effected a most difficult and arduous descent of the 
 abrupt and stony headland to the beach of the lake. 
 The sand was soft and yielding. I kindled a fire, 
 and removing the stiffened slippers from my feet, 
 attached them to my belt, and wandered barefoot 
 along the sandy shore to gather wood for the night. 
 The dry, warm sand was most grateful to my lace- 
 rated and festering feet, and for a long time after 
 my wood-pile was supplied, I sat with them unco- 
 vered. At length, conscious of the need of every 
 possible protection from the freezing night atmos- 
 phere, I sought my belt for the slippers, and one 
 was missing. In gathering the wood it had become 
 detached and was lost. Darkness was closing over 
 the landscape, when, sorely disheartened with the 
 thought of passing the night with one foot exposed 
 to a freezing temperature, I commenced a search 
 for the missing slipper. I knew I could not travel 
 a day without it. Fearful that it had dropped into 
 the lake, and been carried by some recurrent wave 
 beyond recovery, my search for an hour among fal- 
 len trees and bushes, up the hill-side and along 
 
224 
 
 WONDERS OJT THE TELL OWE TONE. 
 
 the beach, in darkness and with flaming brands, at 
 one moment crawling on hands and feet into a 
 brush-heap, another peering among logs and bushes 
 and stones, was filled with anxiety and dismay. 
 Success at length rewarded my perseverance, and 
 no language can describe the joy with which I 
 drew the cause of so much distress from beneath 
 the limb that, as I passed, had torn it from my belt. 
 With a feeling of great relief I now sat down in the 
 sand, my back to a log, and listened to the dash and 
 roar of the waves. It was a wild lullaby, but had 
 no terrors for a worn-out man. I never passed a 
 night of more refreshing sleep. When I awoke my 
 fire was extinguished save a few embers, which I 
 soon fanned into a cheerful flame. I ate breakfast 
 with some relish, and started along the beach in 
 pursuit of a camp, believing that if successful I 
 should find directions what to do, and food to sus- 
 tain me. The search which I was making lay in the 
 direction of my pre-arranged route to the Madison 
 Mountains, which I intended to approach at their 
 lowest point of altitude. 
 
 Buoyed by the hope of finding food and counsel, 
 and another night of undisturbed repose in the sand, 
 I resumed my journey along the shore, and at noon 
 found the camp last occupied by my friends on the 
 lake. I struck their trail in the sand some time be- 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 225 
 
 fore I came to it. A thorough search for food in 
 the ground and trees revealed nothing, and no no- 
 tice to apprise me of their movements could be seen . 
 A dinner-fork, which afterwards proved to be of in- 
 finite service in digging roots, and a yeast-powder 
 can, which would hold half a pint, and which I con- 
 verted into a drinking-cup and dinner-pot, were the 
 only evidences that the spot had ever been visited 
 by civilized man. “ Oh !” thought I, “ why did they 
 forget to leave me food !” It never occurred to me that 
 they might have cached it, as I have since learned 
 they did, in several spots nearer the place of my sep- 
 aration from them. I left the camp in deep dejec- 
 tion, with the purpose of following the trail of the 
 party to the Madison. Carefully inspecting the 
 faint traces left of their course of travel, I became 
 satisfied that from some cause they had made a re- 
 trograde movement from this camp, and departed 
 from the lake at a point farther down stream. Tak- 
 ing this as an indication that there were obstruc- 
 tions above, I commenced retracing my steps along 
 the beach. An hour of sunshine in the afternoon 
 enabled me to procure fire, which, in the usual man- 
 ner, I carried to my camping-place. There I built 
 a fire, and to protect myself from the wind, which 
 was blowing violently, lashing the lake into foam, I 
 made a bower of pine boughs, crept under it, and 
 
226 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 very soon fell asleep. How long I slept I know not, 
 but I was aroused by the snapping and cracking of 
 the burning foliage, to find my shelter and the adja- 
 cent forest in a broad sheet of flame. My left hand 
 was badly burned, and my hair singed closer than 
 a barber would have trimmed it, while making my 
 escape from the semicircle of burning trees. Among 
 the disasters of this fire, there was none I felt more 
 seriously than the loss of my buckle-tongue knife, 
 my pin fish-hook, and tape fish-line. 
 
 The grandeur of the burning forest surpasses de- 
 scription. An immense sheet of flame, following to 
 their tops the lofty trees of an almost impenetrable 
 pine forest, leaping madly from top to top, and send- 
 ing thousands of forked tongues a hundred feet or 
 more athwart the midnight darkness, lighting up 
 with lurid gloom and glare the surrounding scenery 
 of lake and mountains, fills the beholder with min- 
 gled feelings of awe and astonishment. I never be- 
 fore saw anything so terribly beautiful. It was 
 marvellous to witness the flash-like rapidity with 
 which the flames would mount the loftiest trees. 
 The roaring, cracking, crashing, and snapping of 
 falling limbs and burning foliage was deafening. 
 On, on, on travelled the destructive element, until it 
 seemed as if the whole forest was enveloped in 
 flame, xlfar up the wood-crowned hill, the overtop- 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 227 
 
 ping trees shot forth pinnacles and walls and stream- 
 ers of arrowy fire. The entire hill-side was an ocean 
 of glowing and surging fiery billows. Favored by 
 the gale, the conflagration spread with lightning 
 swiftness over an illimitable extent of country, 
 filling the atmosphere with driving clouds of suffo- 
 cating fume, and leaving a broad and blackened 
 trail of spectral trunks shorn of limbs and foliage, 
 smoking and burning, to mark the immense sweep 
 of its devastation. 
 
 Resolved to search for a trail no longer, when 
 daylight came I selected for a landmark the lowest 
 notch in the Madison Range. Carefully surveying 
 the jagged and broken surface over which I must 
 travel to reach it, I left the lake and pushed into 
 the midst of its intricacies. All the day, until nearly 
 sunset, I struggled over rugged hills, through wind- 
 falls, thickets, and matted forests, with the rock- 
 ribbed beacon constantly in view. As I advanced 
 it receded, as if in mockery of my toil. Night over- 
 took me with my journey half accomplished. The 
 precaution of obtaining fire gave me warmth and 
 sleep, and long before daylight I was on my way. 
 The hope of finding an easy pass into the valley of 
 the Madison inspired me with fresh courage and de- 
 termination ; but long before I arrived at the base 
 of the range, I scanned hopelessly its insurmountable 
 
228 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 difficulties. It presented to my eager vision an end- 
 less succession of inaccessible peaks and precipices, 
 rising thousands of feet sheer and bare above the 
 plain. No friendly gorge or gully or canon invited 
 such an effort as I could make to scale this rocky 
 barrier. Oh for the faith that could remove moun- 
 tains ! How soon should this colossal fabric open 
 at my approach ! What a feeling of helpless de- 
 spair came over me with the conviction that the jour- 
 ney of the last two days had been in vain ! I seat- 
 ed myself on a rock upon the summit of a command- 
 ing hill, and cast my eyes along the only route 
 which now seemed tenable — down the Yellowstone. 
 How many dreary miles of forest and mountain filled 
 the terrible panorama ! I thought that before ac- 
 cepting this discouraging alternative I would spend 
 a day in search for a pass. Twenty miles at most 
 would take me into the Madison Valley, and thirty 
 more restore me to friends who had abundance. 
 Supposing that I should find plenty of thistles, I 
 had left the lake with a small supply, and that was 
 entirely spent. I looked in vain for them where I 
 then was. 
 
 While I was thus considering whether to remain 
 and search for a passage or return to the Yellow- 
 stone, I experienced one of those strange hallucin- 
 ations which many of my friends have misnamed 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 229 
 
 insanity, but which to me was Providence. An old 
 clerical friend, for whose character and counsel I 
 had always cherished peculiar regard, in some un- 
 accountable manner seemed to be standing before 
 me, charged with advice which would relieve my 
 perplexity. I seemed to hear him say, as if in a 
 voice and with the manner of authority : 
 
 “ Go back immediately, as rapidly as your 
 strength will permit. There is no food here, and 
 the idea of scaling these rocks is madness.” 
 
 “Doctor,” I rejoined, “the distance is too great. 
 I cannot live to travel it.” 
 
 “ Say not so. Your life depends upon the effort. 
 Return at once. Start now, lest your resolution 
 falter. Travel as fast and as far as possible — it is 
 your only chance.” 
 
 “ Doctor, I am rejoiced to meet you in this hour 
 of distress, but doubt the wisdom of your counsel. 
 I am within seventy miles of Virginia. Just over 
 these rocks, a few miles away, I shall find friends. 
 My shoes are nearly worn out, my clothes are in 
 tatters, and my strength is almost overcome. As a 
 last trial, it seems to me I can but attempt to scale 
 this mountain or perish in the effort, if God so 
 wills.” 
 
 “ Don’t think of it. Your power of endurance 
 will carry you through. I will accompany you. 
 
230 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 Put your trust in Heaven. Help yourself and God 
 will help you.” 
 
 Overcome by these and other persuasions, and 
 delighted with the idea of having a travelling com- 
 panion, I plodded my way over the route I had 
 come, intending at a certain point to change it so 
 as to strike the river at the foot of the lake. Stop- 
 ping after a few miles of travel, I had no difficulty 
 in procuring fire, and passed a comfortable night. 
 When I resumed my journey the next day the sun 
 was just rising. Whenever I was disposed, as was 
 often the case, to question the wisdom of the 
 change of routes, my old friend appeared to be 
 near with words of encouragement, but his reticence 
 on other subjects both surprised and annoyed me. 
 I was impressed at times, during the entire journey, 
 with the belief that my return was a fatal error, 
 and if my deliverance had failed should have per- 
 ished with that conviction. Early this day I de- 
 flected from my old route and took my course for 
 the foot of the lake, with the hope, by constant 
 travel, to reach it the next day. The distance was 
 greater than I anticipated. Nothing is more de- 
 ceptive than distance in these high latitudes. At 
 the close of each of the two succeeding days, my 
 point of destination was seemingly as far from me 
 as at the moment I took leave of the Madison 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 231 
 
 Range, and when, cold and hungry, on the after- 
 noon of the fourth day, I gathered the first food I 
 had eaten in nearly five days, and lay down by my 
 fire near the debouchure of the river, I had nearly 
 abandoned all hope of escape. 
 
 At daybreak I was on the trail down the river. 
 The thought I had adopted from the first, “ I will 
 not perish in this wilderness,” often revived my 
 sinking spirits, when, from faintness and exhaus- 
 tion, I felt but little desire for life. Once, while 
 struggling through a field of tangled trunks which 
 seemed interminable, at one of the pauses I found 
 myself seriously considering whether it was not 
 preferable to die there than renew the effort to pro- 
 ceed. I felt that all attempt to escape was but a 
 bitter prolongation of the agony of dissolution. A 
 seeming whisper in the air, “ While there is life 
 there is hope ; take courage,” broke the delusion, 
 and I clambered on. I did not forget to improve 
 the mid-day sun to procure fire. Sparks from the 
 lighted brands had burned my hands and crisped 
 the nails of my fingers, and the smoke from them 
 had tanned my face to the complexion of an Indian. 
 While passing through an opening in the forest I 
 found the tip of a gull’s wing ; it was fresh. I made 
 a fire upon the spot, mashed the bones with a stone, 
 and consigning them to my camp kettle, the yeast- 
 
232 
 
 WONDERS OF TIIE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 powder box, made half a pint of delicious broth. 
 The remainder of that day and the night ensuing 
 were given to sleep. 
 
 I lost all sense of time. Days and nights came 
 and went, and were numbered only by the growing 
 consciousness that I was gradually starving. I felt 
 no hunger, did not eat to appease appetite, but to 
 renew strength. I experienced but little pain. The 
 gaping sores on my feet, the severe burn on my hip, 
 the festering crevices at the joints of my fingers, all 
 terrible in appearance, had ceased to give me the 
 least concern. The roots which supplied my food 
 had suspended the digestive power of the stomach, 
 and their fibres were packed in it in a matted, com- 
 pact mass. 
 
 Not so with my hours of slumber. They were 
 visited by the most luxurious dreams. I would ap- 
 parently visit the most gorgeously decorated res- 
 taurants of New York and Washington ; sit down 
 to immense tables spread with the most appetizing 
 viands ; partake of the richest oyster stews and 
 plumpest pies ; engage myself in the labor and 
 preparation of curious dishes, and with them fill 
 range upon range of elegantly furnished tables un- 
 til they fairly groaned beneath the accumulated 
 dainties prepared by my own hands. Frequently 
 the entire night would seem to have been spent in 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN RAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 233 
 
 getting up a sumptuous dinner. I would realize 
 the fatigue of roasting, boiling, baking, and fabri- 
 cating the choicest dishes known to the modern 
 cuisine , and in my disturbed slumbers would enjoy 
 with epicurean relish the food thus furnished even 
 to repletion. Alas ! there was more luxury than 
 life in these somnolent vagaries. 
 
 It was a cold, gloomy day when I arrived in the 
 vicinity of the falls. The sky was overcast and the 
 snow-capped peaks rose chilly and bleak through 
 the biting atmosphere. The moaning of the wind 
 through the pines, mingling with the sullen roar of 
 the falls, was strangely in unison with my own sad- 
 dened feelings. I had no heart to gaze upon a 
 scene which a few weeks before had inspired me 
 with rapture and awe. One moment of sunshine 
 was of more value to me than all the marvels amid 
 which I was famishing. But the sun had hid his 
 face and denied me all hope of obtaining fire. The 
 only alternative was to seek shelter in a thicket. I 
 penetrated the forest a long distance before finding 
 one that suited me. Breaking and crowding my 
 way into its very midst, I cleared a spot large 
 enough to recline upon, interlaced the surrounding 
 brushwood, gathered the fallen foliage into a bed, 
 and lay down with a prayer for sleep and forgetful- 
 ness. Alas ! neither came. The coldness increased 
 
234 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 through the night. Constant friction with my 
 hands and unceasing beating with my legs and feet 
 saved me from freezing. It was the most terrible 
 night of my journey, and when, with the early 
 dawn, I pulled myself into a standing posture, it 
 was to realize that my right arm was partially par- 
 alyzed, and my limbs so stiffened with cold as to be 
 almost immovable. Fearing lest paralysis should 
 suddenly seize upon the entire system, I literally 
 dragged myself through the forest to the river. 
 Seated near the verge of the great canon below the 
 falls, I anxiously awaited the appearance of the 
 sun. That great luminary never looked so beauti- 
 ful as when, a few moments afterwards, he emerged 
 from the clouds and exposed his glowing beams to 
 the concentrating powers of my lens. I kindled a 
 mighty flame, fed it with every dry stick and bro- 
 ken tree-top I could find, and without motion, and 
 almost without sense, remained beside it several 
 hours. The great falls of the Yellowstone were 
 roaring within three hundred yards, and the awful 
 canon yawned almost at my feet; but they had lost 
 all charm for me. In fact, I regarded them as ene- 
 mies which had lured me to destruction, and felt a 
 sullen satisfaction in morbid indifference. 
 
 My old friend and adviser, whose presence I had 
 felt more than seen the last few days, now forsook 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF EERIE. 
 
 235 
 
 me altogether. But I was not alone. By some 
 process which I was too weak to solve, my arms, 
 legs, and stomach were transformed into so many 
 travelling companions. Often for hours I would 
 plod along conversing with these imaginary friends. 
 Each had his peculiar wants which he expected me 
 to supply. The stomach was importunate in his 
 demand for a change of diet — complained inces- 
 santly of the roots I fed him, their present effect 
 and more remote consequences. I would try to 
 silence him with promises, beg of him to wait a 
 few days, and when this failed of the quiet I de- 
 sired, I would seek to intimidate him by declaring, 
 as a sure result of negligence, our inability to reach 
 home alive. All to no purpose — he tormented me 
 with his fretful humors through the entire journey. 
 The others would generally concur with him in 
 these fancied altercations. The legs implored me 
 for rest, and the arms complained that I gave them 
 too much to do. Troublesome as they were, it was 
 a pleasure to realize their presence. I worked for 
 them, too, with right good will, doing many things 
 for their seeming comfort which, had I felt myself 
 alone, would have remained undone. They ap- 
 peared to be perfectly helpless of themselves ; 
 would do nothing for me or for each other. I often 
 wondered, while they ate and slept so much, that 
 
236 
 
 WONDERS OF TEE TELLOWSTONE 
 
 they did not aid in gathering wood and kindling 
 fires. As a counterpoise to their own inertia, when- 
 ever they discovered languor in me on necessary 
 occasions, they were not wanting in words of en- 
 couragement and cheer. I recall as I write, an in- 
 stance where, by prompt and timely interposition, 
 the representative of the stomach saved me from a 
 death of dreadful agony. One day I came to a 
 small stream issuing from a spring of mild temper- 
 ature on the hillsido, swarming with minnows. I 
 caught some with my hands, and ate them raw. 
 To my taste they were delicious. But the stomach 
 refused them, accused me of attempting to poison 
 him, and would not be reconciled until I had emp- 
 tied my pouch of the few fish I had put there for 
 future use. Those that I ate made me very sick. 
 Poisoned by the mineral in the water, had I glut- 
 ted my appetite with them as I intended, I should 
 doubtless have died in the wilderness, in excruciat- 
 ing torment. 
 
 A gradual mental introversion grew upon me as 
 physical weakness increased. The grand and 
 massive scenery which, on the upward journey, had 
 aroused every enthusiastic impulse of my nature, 
 was now tame and spiritless. My thoughts were 
 turned in upon myself — upon the dreadful fate 
 which apparently lay just before me — and the pos- 
 
MR. EVERTS AND HIS IMAGINARY COMPANIONS. 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 237 
 
 sible happiness of the existence beyond. All doubt 
 of immortality fled in the light of present realities. 
 So vivid were my conceptions of the future that at 
 times I longed for death, not less as the beginning 
 of happiness than as a release from misery. Led 
 on by these reflections, I would recall the varied 
 incidents of my journey — my escape from the lion, 
 from fire, my return from the Madison Range — and 
 in all of them I saw how much I had been indebted 
 to that mysterious protection which comes only 
 from the throne of the Eternal. And yet, starving, 
 foot-sore, half blind, worn to a skeleton, was it 
 surprising that I lacked the faith needful to buoy 
 me above the dark waters of despair, which I now 
 felt were closing around me ? 
 
 In less serious moods, as I struggled along, my 
 thoughts would revert to the single being on whom 
 my holiest affections centred — my daughter. What 
 a tie was that to bind me to life ! Oh ! could I be 
 restored to her for a single hour, long enough for 
 parting counsel and blessing, it would be joy un- 
 speakable ! Long hours of painful travel were re- 
 lieved of physical suffering by this absorbing agony 
 of the mind, which, when from my present stand- 
 point I contrast it with the personal calamities of 
 my exile, swells into mountains. 
 
 To return from this digression. At many of the 
 
238 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 streams on my route I spent hours in endeavoring 
 to catch trout, with a hook fashioned from the rim 
 of my broken spectacles, but in no instance with 
 success. The tackle was defective. The country 
 was full of game in great variety. I saw large 
 herds of deer, elk, antelope, occasionally a bear, 
 and many smaller animals. Numerous flocks of 
 ducks, geese, swans, and pelicans inhabited the 
 lakes and rivers. But with no means of killing 
 them, their presence was a perpetual aggravation. 
 At all the camps of our company I stopped and re- 
 called many pleasant incidents associated with 
 them. 
 
 One afternoon, when approaching “ Tower Falls,” 
 I came upon a large hollow tree, which, from the 
 numerous tracks surrounding it, and the matted 
 foliage in the cavity, I recognized as the den of a 
 bear. It was a most inviting couch. Gathering a 
 needful supply of wood and brush, I lighted a circle 
 of piles around the tree, crawled into the nest, and 
 passed a night of unbroken slumber. I rose the 
 next morning to find that during the night the fires 
 had communicated with the adjacent forest, and 
 burned a large space in all directions, doubtless in- 
 timidating the rightful proprietor of the nest, and 
 saving me from another midnight adventure. 
 
 At “ Tower Falls ” I spent the first half of a 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 239 
 
 day in capturing a grasshopper, and the remainder 
 in a fruitless effort to catch a mess of trout. In 
 the agony of disappointment, I resolved to fish no 
 more. A spirit of rebellion seized me. I deter- 
 mined that thistles should thenceforth be my only 
 sustenance. “ Why is it,” I asked of myself, “ that 
 in the midst of abundance, every hour meeting with 
 objects which would restore strength and vigor and 
 energy, every moment contriving some device to 
 procure the nourishment my wasting frame required, 
 I should meet with these repeated and discourag- 
 ing failures ?” Thoughts of the early teaching of 
 a pious mother suppressed these feelings. Oh ! 
 how often have the recollections of a loved New 
 England home, and the memories of a happy child- 
 hood, cheered my sinking spirits, and dissipated 
 the gathering gloom of despair ! There were 
 thoughts and feelings and mental anguishes with- 
 out number, that visited me during my period of 
 trial, that never can be known to any but my God 
 and myself. Bitter as was my experience, it was 
 not unrelieved by some of the most precious mo- 
 ments I have ever known. 
 
 Soon after leaving “ Tower Falls,” I entered the 
 open country. Pine forests and windfalls were 
 changed for sage brush and desolation, with occa- 
 sional tracts of stunted verdure, barren hillsides, 
 
240 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 exhibiting here and there an isolated clump of 
 dwarf trees, and ravines filled with the rocky debris 
 of adjacent mountains. My first camp on this part 
 of the route, for the convenience of getting wood, 
 was made near the summit of a range of towering 
 foot-hills. Towards morning a storm of wind and 
 snow nearly extinguished my fire. I became very 
 cold ; the storm was still raging when I arose, and 
 the ground white with snow. I was perfectly be- 
 wildered, and had lost my course of travel. No 
 visible object, seen through the almost blinding 
 storm, reassured me, and there was no alternative 
 but to find the river and take my direction from its 
 current. Fortunately, after a few hours of stum- 
 bling and scrambling among rocks and over crests, 
 I came to the precipitous side of the canon through 
 which it ran, and with much labor, both of hands 
 and feet, descended it to the margin. I drank co- 
 piously of its pure waters, and sat beside it for a 
 long time, waiting for the storm to abate, so that I 
 could procure fire. The day wore on, without any 
 prospect of a termination to the storm. Chilled 
 through, my tattered clothing saturated, I saw be- 
 fore me a night of horrors unless I returned to my 
 fire. The scramble up the side of the rocky canon, 
 in many places nearly perpendicular, was the hard- 
 est work of my journey. Often, while clinging to 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 241 
 
 the jutting rocks with hands and feet, to reach a 
 shelving projection, my grasp would unclose and I 
 would slide many feet down the sharp declivity. It 
 was night when, sore from the bruises I had re- 
 ceived, I reached my fire ; the storm, still raging, 
 had nearly extinguished it. I found a few embers 
 in the ashes, and w T ith much difficulty kindled a 
 flame. Here, on this bleak mountain side, as well 
 as I now remember, I must have passed two nights 
 beside the fire, in the storm. Many times during 
 each night I crawled to the little clump of trees to 
 gather wood, and brush, and the broken limbs ol 
 fallen tree-tops. All the sleep I obtained was 
 snatched from the intervals which divided these 
 labors. It was so harassed with frightful dreams 
 as to afford little rest. I remember, before I left 
 this camp, stripping up my sleeves to look at my 
 shrunken arms. Flesh and blood had apparently 
 left them. The skin clung to the bones like wet 
 parchment. A child’s hand could have clasped 
 them from wrist to shoulder. “ Yet,” thought I, 
 ‘‘it is death to remain; I cannot perish in this 
 wilderness.” 
 
 Taking counsel of this early formed resolution, I 
 hobbled on my course through the snow, which was 
 rapidly disappearing before the rays of the warm 
 sun. Well knowing that I should find no thistles 
 
242 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 in the open country, I had filled my pouches with 
 them before leaving the forest. My supply was 
 running low, and there were yet several days of 
 heavy mountain travel between me and Botelers’ 
 Ranch. With the most careful economy, it could 
 last but two or three days longer. I saw the ne- 
 cessity of placing myself and imaginary compan- 
 ions upon allowance. The conflict which ensued 
 with the stomach, when I announced this resolution, 
 required great firmness to carry through. I tried 
 wheedling and coaxing and promising ; failing in 
 these, I threatened to part company with a com- 
 rade so unreasonable, and he made no further com- 
 plaint. 
 
 Two or three days before I was found, while as- 
 cending a steep hill, I fell from exhaustion into the 
 sage brush, without the power to rise. Unbuck- 
 ling my belt, as was my custom, I soon fell asleep. 
 I have no idea of the time I slept, but upon awak- 
 ing I fastened my belt, scrambled to my feet, and 
 pursued my journey. As night drew on I selected 
 a camping-place, gathered wood into a heap, and 
 felt for my lens to procure fire. It was gone. If 
 the earth had yawned to swallow me I would not 
 have been more terrified. The only chance for life 
 was lost. The last hope had fled. I seemed to feel 
 the grim messenger who had been so long pursuing 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 243 
 
 me knocking at the portals of my heart as I lay 
 down by the side of the wood-pile, and covered 
 myself with limbs and sage brush, with the dread- 
 ful conviction that my struggle for life was over, 
 and that I should rise no more. The floodgates of 
 misery seemed now to be opened, and it rushed in 
 a living tide upon my soul. With the rapidity of 
 lightning, I ran over every event of my life. 
 Thoughts doubled and trebled upon me, until I saw, 
 as if in vision, the entire past of my existence. It 
 was all before me, as if painted with a sunbeam, 
 and all seemingly faded like the phantoms of a 
 vivid dream. 
 
 As calmness returned, reason resumed her empire. 
 Fortunately, the weather was comfortable. I sum- 
 moned all the powers of my memory, thought over 
 every foot of the day’s travel, and concluded that 
 the glass must have become detached from my belt 
 while sleeping. Five long miles over the hills must 
 be retraced to regain it. There was no alternative, 
 and before daylight I had staggered over half the 
 distance. I found the lens on the spot where I 
 had slept. No incident of my journey brought 
 with it more of joy and relief. 
 
 Returning to the camp of the previous night, I 
 lighted the pile 1 had prepared, and lay down for 
 a night to rest. It was very cold, and towards 
 
244 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 morning commenced snowing. With difficulty I 
 kept the fire alive. Sleep was impossible. When 
 daylight came, I was impressed with the idea that 
 I must go on despite the storm. A flash — momen- 
 tary but vivid — came over me, that I should be 
 saved. Snatching a lighted brand, I started 
 through the storm. In the afternoon the storm 
 abated and the sun shone at intervals. Coming to 
 a small clump of trees, I set to work to prepare a 
 camp. I laid the brand down which I had pre- 
 served with so much care, to pick up a few dry 
 sticks with which to feed it, until I could collect 
 wood for a camp-fire, and in the few minutes thus 
 employed it expired. I sought to revive it, but 
 every spark was gone. Clouds obscured the sun, 
 now near the horizon, and the prospect of another 
 night of exposure without fire became fearfully 
 imminent. 1 sat down with my lens and the last 
 remaining piece of touchwood I possessed to catch 
 a gleam of sunshine, feeling that my life depended 
 on it. In a few moments the cloud passed, and 
 with trembling hands I presented the little disk to 
 the face of the glowing luminary. Quivering with 
 excitement lest a sudden cloud should interpose, a 
 moment passed before I could hold the lens steadily 
 enough to concentrate a burning focus. At length 
 it came. The little thread of smoke curled grace- 
 
THIRTY- SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 245 
 
 fully upwards from the Heaven- lighted spark, which, 
 a few moments afterwards, diffused with warmth 
 and comfort my desolate lodgings. 
 
 I resumed my journey the next morning, with the 
 belief that I should make no more fires with my 
 lens. I must save a brand, or perish. The day 
 was raw and gusty ; an east wind, charged with 
 storm, penetrated my nerves with irritating keen- 
 ness. After walking a few miles the storm came 
 on, and a coldness unlike any other I had ever felt 
 seized me. It entered all my bones. I attempted 
 to build a fire, but could not make it burn. Seizing 
 a brand, I stumbled blindly on, stopping within the 
 shadow of every rock and clump to renew energy 
 for a final conflict for life. A solemn conviction 
 that death was near, that at each pause I made my 
 limbs would refuse further service, and that I should 
 sink helpless and dying in my path, overwhelmed 
 me with terror. Amid all this tumult of the mind, 
 I felt that I had done all that man could do. I 
 knew that in two or three days more I could effect 
 my deliverance, and I derived no little satisfaction 
 from the thought that, as I was now in the broad 
 trail, my remains would be found, and my friends 
 relieved of doubt as to my fate. Once only the 
 thought flashed across my mind that I should be 
 saved, and I seemed to hear a whispered command 
 
246 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 to “ struggle on.” Groping along the side of a 
 hill, I became suddenly sensible of a sharp reflec- 
 tion, as of burnished steel. Looking up, through 
 half-closed eyes, two rough but kindly faces met 
 my gaze. 
 
 “ Are you Mr. Everts ?” 
 
 “ Yes. All that is left of him.” 
 
 “ We have come for you.” 
 
 “ Who sent you ?” 
 
 “ Judge Lawrence and other friends.” 
 
 “ God bless him, and them, and you ! I am 
 saved !” and with these words, powerless of further 
 effort, I fell forward into the arms of my preservers, 
 in a state of unconsciousness. I was saved. On 
 the very brink of the river which divides the known 
 from the unknown, strong arms snatched me from 
 the final plunge, and kind ministrations wooed me 
 back to life. 
 
 Baronet and Prichette, my two preservers, by the 
 usual appliances, soon restored me to conscious- 
 ness, made a camp upon the spot, and while one 
 went to Fort Ellis, a distance of seventy miles, to 
 return with remedies to restore digestion and an 
 ambulance to convey me to that post, the other sat 
 by my side, and with all the care, sympathy, and 
 solicitude of a brother, ministered to my frequent 
 necessities. In two days I was sufficiently recov- 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 247 
 
 ered in strength to be moved twenty miles down 
 the trail to the cabin of some miners who were 
 prospecting in that vicinity. From these men I 
 received every possible attention which their hu- 
 mane and generous natures could devise. A good 
 bed was provided, game was killed to make broth, 
 and the best stores of their larder placed at my 
 command. For four days, at a time when every 
 day’s labor was invaluable in their pursuit, they 
 abandoned their work to aid in my restoration. 
 Owing to the protracted inaction of the system, and 
 the long period which must transpire before Pricli- 
 ette’s return with remedies, my friends had serious 
 doubts of my recovery. 
 
 The night after my arrival at the cabin, while suf- 
 fering the most excruciating agony, and thinking 
 that I had only been saved to die among friends, a 
 loud knock was heard at the cabin door. An old 
 man in mountain costume entered — a hunter, whose 
 life was spent among the mountains. He was on 
 his way to find a brother. He listened to the story 
 of my sufferings, and tears rapidly coursed each 
 other down his rough, weather-beaten face. But 
 when he was told of my present necessity, brighten- 
 ing in a moment, he exclaimed : 
 
 “ Why, Lord bless you, if that is all, I have the 
 
248 
 
 WONDERS OF T1IE YELLOWSTONE 
 
 very remedy you need. In two hours’ time all 
 shall be well with you.” 
 
 He left the cabin, returning in a moment with a 
 sack filled with the fat of a bear which he had killed 
 a few hours before. From this he rendered out a 
 pint measure of oil. I drank the whole of it. It 
 proved to be the needed remedy, and the next day, 
 freed from pain, with appetite and digestion re- 
 established, I felt that good food and plenty of it 
 were only necessary for an early recovery. 
 
 In a day or two I took leave of my kind friends, 
 with a feeling of regret at parting, and of gratitude 
 for their kindness as enduring as life. 
 
 Meeting the carriage on my way, I proceded to 
 Boseman, where I remained among old friends, 
 who gave me every attention until my health was 
 sufficiently restored to allow me to return to my 
 home at Helena. 
 
 My heartfelt thanks are due to the members of 
 the expedition, all of whom devoted seven, and some 
 of them twelve days to the search for me before 
 they left Yellowstone Lake ; and to Judge Lawrence, 
 of Helena, and the friends who co-operated with 
 him in the offer of reward which sent Baronet and 
 Pricliette to my rescue. 
 
 My narrative is finished. In the course of events 
 the time is not far distant when the wonders of the 
 
THIRTY-SEVEN DAYS OF PERIL. 
 
 249 
 
 Yellowstone will be made accessible to all lovers 
 of sublimity, grandeur, and novelty in natural 
 scenery, and its majestic waters become the abode 
 of civilization and refinement; and when that ar- 
 rives, I hope, in happier mood and under more 
 auspicious circumstances, to revisit scenes fraught 
 for me with such thrilling interest ; to ramble along 
 the glowing beach of Bessie Lake ; to sit dowm 
 amid the hot springs under the shadow of Mount 
 Everts ; to thread unscared the mazy forests, retrace 
 the dreary journey to the Madison Range, and with 
 enraptured fancy gaze upon the mingled glories 
 and terrors of the great falls and marvellous canon, 
 and to enjoy, in happy contrast with the trials they 
 recall, their power to delight, elevate, and over- 
 whelm the mind with wondrous and majestic 
 beauty. 
 
CHAPTEK XVI. 
 
 THE YELLOWSTONE PARK. 
 
 A S soon as Dr. Hayden could make known of- 
 ficially the results of his exploration of the 
 Yellowstone Basin, action was begun to secure the 
 reservation of a portion at least of the marvellous 
 scenes which it embraces, for the undivided benefit, 
 enjoyment and instruction of the country at large. 
 
 A bill to this effect was introduced into the Senate 
 of the United States, on the 18th of December, 1871, 
 by Hon. S. C. Pomeroy of Kansas. About the 
 same time a similar bill was offered in the House of 
 Eepresentatives by Hon. William H. Claggett, dele- 
 gate from Montana. The bill was referred to the 
 Committees on Public Lands in both houses, who 
 after due consideration returned with approbation 
 the following report prepared by Dr. Hayden : 
 
 “ The bill now before Congress has for its object 
 the withdrawal from settlement, occupancy, or sale, 
 under the laws of the United States, a tract of land 
 fifty-five by sixty-five miles, about the sources of the 
 
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK. 
 
 251 
 
 Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, and dedicates 
 and sets it apart as a great national park or pleas- 
 ure-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the 
 people. The entire area comprised within the li- 
 mits of the reservation contemplated in this bill is 
 not susceptible of cultivation with any degree of cer- 
 tainty, and the winters would be too severe for 
 stock-raising. Whenever the altitude of the moun- 
 tain districts exceeds 6,000 feet above tide-water, 
 their settlement becomes problematical unless there 
 are valuable mines to attract people. The entire 
 area within the limits of the proposed reservation is 
 over 6,000 feet in altitude, and the Yellowstone 
 Lake, which occupies an area fifteen by twenty-two 
 miles, or three hundred and thirty square miles, is 
 7,427 feet. The ranges of mountains that hem the 
 valleys in on every side rise to the height of 10,000 
 and 12,000 feet and are covered with snow all the 
 year. These mountains are all of volcanic origin, 
 and it is not probable that any mines or minerals of 
 value will ever be found there. During the months 
 of June, July, and August the climate is pure and 
 most invigorating, with scarcely any rain or storms 
 of any kind, but the thermometer frequently sinks as 
 low as 26°. There is frost every month of the year. 
 This whole region was, in comparatively modern 
 
 geological times, the scene of the most wonderful 
 
 18 
 
252 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 volcanic activity of any portion of our country. The 
 hot springs and the geysers represent the last stages 
 — the vents or escape-pipes — of these remarkable 
 volcanic manifestations of the internal forces. All 
 these springs are adorned with decorations more 
 beautiful than human art ever conceived, and which 
 have required thousands of years for the cunning 
 hand of nature to form. Persons are now waiting 
 for the spring to open to enter in and take posses- 
 sion of these remarkable curiosities, to make mer- 
 chandise of these beautiful specimens, to fence in 
 these rare wonders, so as to charge visitors a fee, as 
 is now done at Niagara Palls, for the sight of that 
 which ought to be as free as the air or water. 
 
 In a few years this region will be a place of resort 
 for all classes of people from all portions of the 
 world. The geysers of Iceland, which have been 
 objects of interest for the scientific men and travel- 
 lers of the entire world, sink into insignificance 
 in comparison with the hot springs of the Yel- 
 lowstone and Firehole Basins. As a place of 
 resort for invalids, it will not be excelled by any 
 portion of the world. If this bill fails to become 
 a law this session, the vandals who are now wait- 
 ing to enter into this wonder-land will, in a sin- 
 gle season, despoil, beyond recovery, these re- 
 markable curiosities, which have required all the 
 
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK. 
 
 253 
 
 cunning skill of nature thousands of years to pre- 
 pare. 
 
 We have already shown that no portion of this 
 tract can ever be made available for agricultural or 
 mining purposes. Even if the altitude and the cli- 
 mate would permit the country to be made available, 
 not over fifty square miles of the entire area could 
 ever be settled. The valleys are all narrow, hem- 
 med in by high volcanic mountains like gigantic 
 walls. 
 
 The withdrawal of this tract, therefore, from sale 
 or settlement takes nothing from the value of the 
 public domain, and is no pecuniary loss to the Go- 
 vernment, but will be regarded by the entire civil- 
 ized world as a step of progress and an honor to 
 Congress and the nation.” 
 
 In the Senate the bill was ably advocated by 
 Messrs. Pomeroy, Edmunds, Trumbull, Anthony 
 and others. In the House the favorable remarks of 
 Hon. H. L. Dawes were so clear and forcible that 
 the bill was passed without opposition. 
 
 The text of the Act is as follows : 
 
 “ Be it emcted by the Senate and House of Represent- 
 atives of the United States of America in Congress as- 
 sembled , That the tract of land in the Territories of 
 Montana and Wyoming, lying near the head-waters 
 
254 
 
 WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE. 
 
 of the Yellowstone River, and described as follows, 
 to wit, commencing at the junction of Gardiner’s 
 River with the Yellowstone River, and running east 
 to the meridian passing ten miles to the eastward 
 of the most eastern point of Yellowstone Lake ; 
 thence south along said meridian to the parallel 
 of latitude passing ten miles south of the most 
 southern point of Yellowstone Lake ; thence west 
 along said parallel to the meridian passing fifteen 
 miles west of the most western point of Madison 
 Lake ; thence north along said meridian to the lati- 
 tude of the junction of the Yellowstone and Gardi- 
 ner’s River ; thence east to the place of beginning, is 
 hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, 
 occupancy, or sale under the laws of the United 
 States, and dedicated and set apart as a public 
 park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and en- 
 joyment of the people ; and all persons who shall 
 locate or settle upon or occupy the same, or any 
 part thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall 
 be considered trespassers and removed there- 
 from. 
 
 “ Sec. 2. That said public park shall be under the 
 exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior, 
 whose duty it shall be, as soon as practicable, to 
 make and publish such rules and regulations as he 
 may deem necessary or proper for the care and 
 
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK. 
 
 255 
 
 management of the same. Such regulations shall 
 provide for the preservation, from injury or spoli- 
 ation, of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curi- 
 osities or wonders within said park, and their re- 
 tention in their natural condition. The Secretary 
 may, in his discretion, grant leases for building 
 purposes fo v terms not exceeding ten years, of small 
 parcels of ground, at such places in said park as 
 shall require the erection of buildings for the accom- 
 modation of visitors ; all of the proceeds of said 
 leases, and all other revenues that may be derived 
 from any source connected with said park, to be ex- 
 pended under his direction in the management of 
 the same, and the construction of roads and bridle- 
 paths therein. He shall provide against the wan- 
 ton destruction of the fish and game found within 
 said, park, and against their capture or destruction 
 for the purposes of merchandise or profit. He 
 shall also cause all persons trespassing upon the 
 same after the passage of this act to be removed 
 therefrom, and generally shall be authorized to 
 take all such measures as shall be necessary or 
 proper to fully carry out the objects and purposes 
 of this act. ” 
 
 This Act was approved March 1, 1872 ; and shortly 
 after the Hon. N. P. Langford, whose graphic 
 
256 
 
 WONDERS OF TEE YELLOWS TONE. 
 
 descriptions of the Wonders of the Yellowstone 
 first called public attention thereto, was appointed 
 Superintendent of the Park. 
 
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