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Co my wife, 
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 this booh 
 
 is affectionately inscribed. 
 
* 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter i. 
 
 Cf>6 INSPIRHCION. 
 
 ICCIN6 in the cafe of the Huditorium Hn- 
 nex in Chicago, watting for my omelet, X 
 allow my eyes to wander about the room 
 and finally realize that they are resting on a 
 painting depicting one of the geyser forma¬ 
 tions in the Yellowstone park. X had known 
 for years that it was my mission to go somewhere but not 
 until that moment did X realize that that somewhere lay in 
 the northwestern part of Wyoming and was named on the 
 map, “Che Yellowstone park”. 
 
 Hrriving home, in Detroit, X gathered up literature on 
 the subject and for months talked, thought, and dreamed of 
 a trip through the bonders of the Yellowstone. X finally 
 concluded to go in Hugust and take my daughter 6mma 
 with me, but found a like yearning existing in the mind of 
 •prank pingree who desired his son Cverett (a miner in 
 Southern Utah) to accompany him. 
 
 Che plan finally matured and on the evening of Hugust 
 31 st, 1901, the party of four left for Yellowstone park 
 Reservation. 
 
 Sept. 1st. Chicago, 284 Miles from Detroit. States 
 passed through, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. In the 
 evening at 10.30, arrived at St. Paul, 407 miles from 
 Chicago, having through the day, passed through CCIisconsin 
 and Minnesota. Hrriving at the depot, we saw looming up 
 in the distance the gigantic form of our friend Sharood, who, 
 in company with his son Roy, escorted us to the Ryan 
 Dotel, where we were hospitably received by the landlord 
 and then conducted to elegantly furnished rooms. Che hotel 
 
— 8 — 
 
 was voted the “best ever” arid X derived some satisfaction 
 from the fact that the landlord is a German. 
 
 Sept. 2nd. Barly in the morning Sharood drove to 
 beautiful Lake Cono. One of the most interesting sights 
 here were some rarely beautiful specimens of the Victoria 
 Randi, an aquatic plant, with leaves about four feet in 
 diameter, in the center of one of which leaves sat an 
 exceptionally fat frog. Caking advantage of the situation X 
 explained that the frog on his island was thriving as well 
 as did General Shafter on the island of Cuba and was no 
 doubt just as safe. 
 
 In the afternoon Sharood, who makes shoes, insisted 
 on taking us out to show us the State fair which had just 
 been opened by Vice-president Roosevelt. On getting there 
 we found that the only reason he had for taking us was to 
 show us his exhibit of shoes. Uncle frank diabolically 
 suggested that one of the shoes be cut in two and exhibited 
 in this manner so that all who passed might see what the 
 shoe was really made of, but Sharood managed to overhear 
 the proposition. H subsequent visit to bts factory and the 
 discovery of a large quantity of paste-board showed the 
 reason for his reluctance. 
 
 Ule insisted on visiting the farmer's Bxhibit, thereby 
 getting us into a great deal of trouble, for a couple of 
 enterprising salesmen who showed by their perseverance 
 that they were keen judges of human nature, followed us 
 about the place trying to sell Uncle frank a newly patented 
 churn. 
 
 Sept. 3rd. 8n route to Cinnahar. Co-day we passed 
 through JNorth Dakota and Montana, and at fargo crossed 
 the renowned Red River, the only important river in the 
 United States running north. Che Red River Valley owes 
 its fertility to the fact that Lake Ulinnepeg, in which the 
 Red River discharges its waters, remains frozen long after 
 the Ice King has released the United States from his grasp 
 and the waters of the Red River, finding no outlet, spread 
 themselves for miles over the flat valley of the river, 
 fertilizing it in the same manner as does the River Nile its 
 valley. 
 
9 “ 
 
 Ht Bis¬ 
 marck we 
 got our 
 first view 
 of the 
 Missouri 
 River* 
 Ons gave 
 dnclc 
 ■prank an 
 oppor¬ 
 tunity to 
 tell of an 
 early trip 
 
 of his on the Mississippi* On this first occasion it was 
 quite interesting to hear of the details of how he and 
 some others managed to get a square meal on what, ac¬ 
 cording to his story, must have been a veritable ship of 
 famine* Later as the days wore on and by repetition the 
 story lost its interest* 
 
 In the evening, the sun, as it usually does in that 
 country, set in the west, but what was unusual was that 
 banks of clouds had massed themselves on the western 
 horizon, and which afterwards, while our train was speeding 
 along the southern bank of the turbulent Yellowstone, 
 treated us to a most magnificent electrical display* 'Cbc 
 night was inky dark, except when flashes of lightning sprang 
 from cloud to cloud and for an instant showed the racing 
 Yellowstone, with its background of ever changing moun¬ 
 tains and valleys* 
 
 'Cbcrc had been no rain for months but when we retired 
 a slight sprinkling gave promise of a welcome rain to the 
 inhabitants of the parched earth* 
 
 Sept* 4tb. Cde should have arrived at Livingstone, 
 1007 miles from St* Paul, at eight o'clock in the morning 
 and when we arose at seven o'clock we interestedly listened 
 to a learned dissertation by the Sly Girl upon the change of 
 the rock formation we were now in from that which we 
 saw when we retired* Hccording to her story, no doubt 
 
to — 
 
 from one of the school geographies, we had originally been 
 amid hills that had been formed by a great flood of water 
 but we were now in the Obsidian formation* lust as we 
 bad all become impressed with the fact and were marvelling 
 at the wonders of civilization which enabled us to pass from 
 one or more centuries of time to another in a few hours, 
 and each and every one of us “saw the point”, the conductor 
 came through the car and told us that during the night we 
 had made exactly four miles, as at foraytbe the track had 
 been washed out by the heavy rain and it bad taken the train 
 crew all night to repair the damage* 6mma without 
 comment lead the way to the dining car* 
 
 <de arrived at Livingstone at t *20 and there changed 
 car for a further fifty-seven mile ride by rail to Cinnabar 
 and from there by team seven miles to Mammoth Springs 
 fiotel, where we arrived at five o'clock* Che altitude of 
 Livingstone is 4600 ft* 
 
Chapter 2. 
 
 INCO €56 ^6LLO«lSCOJNre. 
 
 GHTIhiG Livingstone one enters fairy¬ 
 land through an enormous gateway. 
 Ohs gateway was made by a river 
 forcing its way through a mountain and 
 it is known as “Che Gate of the 
 Mountains”. Cbrougb it pours the river, 
 fresh from the eternal snows bach in the mountains and 
 from a great lake, a vast reservoir into which the melting 
 snow banks drizzle in a million streamlets, from the 
 wondrous canyon between whose grandly sculptured and 
 colored walls it throws itself in an ecstasy of fury. 
 
 Hfter having passed through this gate of the mountains, 
 one is in paradise Talley. Che great mountains, the very 
 temples of the Gods, loom high above. Mighty Canyons, 
 ragged, forest garbed, deep, and fascinating have been gouged 
 from their very vitals. Ht this point an elderly, comfort¬ 
 able looking official, provided by the park Hssociation, 
 steps into the car and in well chosen words calls the 
 attention of the tourist to the various points of beauty. 
 Listening to bis calm, even tones, and noting bis kindly 
 countenance, one would not suspect that this man had 
 passed through an ordeal so trying that but few men have 
 ever felt the agony that must have been bis. 
 
 Hway back in the early days of the first visitors of the 
 park, this man bad remained one winter in charge of one of 
 the so-called hotels. <Hitb him was bis young wife and 
 their only child. Hlong in the winter the wife was stricken 
 with sickness and the anxious husband saw her fade away, 
 until at last inexorable death laid claim to her. <ilitb bis 
 
12 
 
 own hands he dug for her a grave out in the deep snow and 
 ice and to this day, while all know the story of his faded 
 dream, not even the roughest cowpuncher or mountaineer 
 will allude to it in his presence* 
 
 Che Talley becomes constricted, forming a small 
 rugged canyon that but paves the way for the grander 
 visions which in the days to follow are to break upon the 
 eye* Cbere stands emigrant peak, noble and of august 
 mien, thrusting itself snow crowned to a height of 10,600 
 feet* 
 
 Just before entering Cinnabar we saw Cinnabar 
 Mountain with its “Devil's Slide" which caused me to 
 wonder whether the Devil had drawn any slivers in his 
 descent* 
 
 On our train was a Raymond party and the experienced 
 traveler knows what that means* appropriation of all the 
 good seats, of all the good places, of all the food in sight, 
 and Uncle frank's one ambition was, that we in some way 
 manage to elude them* Chts was accomplished by hiring a 
 separate coach and spurring the lanky Jehu to unusual 
 effort by questioning his ability to pass the team which 
 had preceeded us* F)e succeeded but the lion once aroused 
 was difficult to soothe and he scarcely gave us time to view 
 electric peak, 11,100 feet high and the collection of low, 
 and in many cases, mud roofed houses known as the town 
 of “Gardiner"* from there on we skirted the banks of the 
 Gardiner River where spires and pinnacles formed con¬ 
 spicuous objects* the most striking of which is Cagle JVest 
 Crag, upon which the parent bird was feeding its brood of 
 young eagles, whose protruding heads could be seen and 
 whose plaintive cries were plainly heard* 
 
 Hrrivtng at Mammoth Springs F)otel we procured 
 chilly, dreary rooms in the attic and as this hotel is not 
 provided with an elevator, the climb was anything but 
 agreeable for the two heavy weights, altitude to be con¬ 
 sidered* Hfter a hasty wash we descended to the dining 
 room and were served with as poor an excuse for a meal as 
 could be found in many a day's travel* Che service, if such 
 a thing could be possible, was poorer than the meal. Che 
 
only satisfaction was derived from the fact that we were 
 ahead of the Raymond party, and that in this case their 
 meal would be no improvement on our own. H party sitting 
 at our table who had about finished his meal when we sat 
 down, telling us that his coffee had been warm when be 
 received it, ours being cool, and the deduction was that if 
 the progression continue the Raymond party would have 
 Coffee Ice by the time it got around to its meal. 
 
 Hdjourning to the broad veranda we found a gentleman, 
 surrounded by a concourse of listeners, who announced him¬ 
 self as prof, von Catzburg, travelling through the park in 
 the interest of some magazine. Che professor wore the 
 necessary spectacles, but observation revealed the fact that 
 when be wanted to see anything he looked over or under 
 them. In addition he wore a soiled collar, green plaid 
 necktie, prince Hlbert coat and trousers which either shame 
 bad caused to shrink in an unusual manner or bad been 
 intended for somebody with shorter legs than the self-styled 
 professor possessed. It was amusing to notice the interest 
 everybody took in the opening remarks of prof. Red Neck, 
 as I baptized him (on account of the unusual scarlet hue of 
 that part of bis anatomy) but bow one by one his auditors 
 managed to escape him until finally only one listener remained, 
 be being held fast by a particularly safe button of hie coat. 
 
 Hs wc bad supper early, we walked about and viewed 
 with amazement a large fence built entirely of 6lk horns. 
 Chen over to so-called Cerrace Mountain. Bvcn from the 
 piazza of the hotel the terraces present a remarkable 
 appearance and as we approach them the singularity of their 
 origin and appearance becomes more and more pronounced, 
 but as we climb the slopes and view the bowls of steaming 
 rainbow colored waters 
 
 “Like thistledown, 
 
 Che vapory clouds float down in her peaceful sky." 
 
 <He examine the terrace fronts with their wondrous 
 patterns of etchings and bead work, and stand in open-eyed 
 amazement at what seems a miracle of creation. <jQbat one 
 sees here is found upon successive terraces and is reached by 
 easy gradations and by footpaths or trails. 
 
— 14 — 
 
 Liberty Cap impressed Uncle frank (who comes of 
 revolutionary stock) as most remarkable, whereas X, who 
 am more or less of a heathen, am impressed by the terraced 
 altar of 'Jupiter and Minerva* Cupids Cave caused 6mma 
 to peer anxiously into its darker depths but what she saw 
 she did not tell and the chronicler is devoid of imagination* 
 6ven so early in the program Uncle frank, Bverett and 
 Cmma developed an inclination to take foolhardy risks in 
 getting close to the edges of precipices, which cause me to 
 stand back and tremble and only earnest entreaty on my 
 part induces the venturesome ones to desist* 
 
 Hfter such minor incidents as stepping into a hot pool, 
 getting trousers and dresses discolored, slipping down steep 
 declivities twenty and thirty feet high, which caused Uncle 
 frank to grunt at each step and me to imitate the crawfish, 
 that is, walk down backwards, we returned to the hospitable 
 tavern described above* 
 
 In the evening, our guide, fitzgerald of Gardiner, makes 
 bis appearance and the details of equipment for the trip are 
 carefully gone into and arranged for* 
 
 fitz, as be is soon styled, is worthy of more than passing 
 notice* F>e looks fifty-five years of age, but acknowledges 
 that 65 winters have passed over his head and left bis hair 
 the color of the driven snow* Call, spare, square of 
 shoulder, with eagle's nose and eyes which strike him who 
 looks into them as reflecting a soul calm and self contained* 
 Che days of closer intimacy brought out the fact that those 
 eyes were of the keenest and that nothing escaped their 
 piercing glance* FKs skin, the color of an Indian's, through 
 which the ruddy glow of health attested the benefit derived 
 from a life close to nature* ^ears of his early days were 
 spent in conducting parties over the plains and through the 
 mountain fastnesses of the Grow, ]Vez perces, and Sioux 
 Indians and with many an interesting tale of reminiscence 
 did he while away an otherwise tedious half hour of the 
 following days or evenings* 
 

 
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Chapter 3* 
 
 R6HDT CO MHRCF>, 
 
 6 PC, 5th, In the morning we are awakened 
 by the “Reveille” which sounds to us from 
 the nearby post and the bugle plainly said 
 according to army tradition: 
 
 “I can't get 'em up, X can't get 'em up, 
 
 X can't get 'em up in the morning; 
 
 X can't get 'em up, X can't get 'em up, 
 
 X can't get 'em up at all, 
 
 Che corporal's worse than the private, 
 
 F>e won't obey the call; 
 
 Che sergeant's worse than the corporal 
 Hnd the captain's worse than all,” 
 
 <Obik donning our traveling suits we look out of the 
 window and see a squad of cavalry, the men in white 
 overalls and every horse white, briskly trotting by on their 
 way to the springs to water the horses* 
 
 Hfter a hasty breakfast, we adjourned to the open air 
 where our cavalcade was awaiting us, Hn inspection 
 showed five horses in the charge of fitz and a driver with 
 a wagon which was to carry the necessary baggage and 
 equipments and had a seat reserved for such of the party as 
 might desire to take some other position than that which 
 horseback riding brings about, <Oe baptized this part of 
 the outfit “the ambulance”, 
 
 Che horses were of the usual broncho type, the accoutre¬ 
 ments common to the west; heavy curb bit and cow-boy 
 saddle, which to the inquiring touch seemed suspiciously 
 
7 ~ 
 
 bard, and a lot of strings banging from each saddle, tbc 
 uses of which were to developc later on* 
 
 Hbout this time, tbe manager of tbc hotel, a Mr. Dean, 
 sleek and wellfed, appeared and apologized for tbe poor 
 accomodations given tbe party, telling them that four rooms 
 bad been reserved for them, but that owing to tbc indistinct¬ 
 ness of my bandwriting in registering, tbe party bad been 
 unrecognized and assigned to tbe attic. It is needless to 
 say that tbe discovery of this error produced no reduction 
 in tbe bill but a promise from Mr. Dean that be would 
 advise all other stopping places along tbc road of our 
 itinerary and that tbe best of accomodation would there¬ 
 after be ours. 
 
 Qncle frank at this time almost broke me up by laughing 
 in tbe wrong place* 
 
 On tbe porch I met a woman in black with a lean and 
 hungry look who with her husband bad previously attracted 
 my attention, she because of tbe melancholy which seemed 
 to prevade her entire being and be because I bad never ob¬ 
 served him to smile* X intended to speak and offer my 
 condolences but a look from tbe man who took himself 
 seriously caused me to retreat. 
 
 <tlitb an au revoir to Liberty Cap, tbe horses on a trot, 
 which all voted a most uncomfortable gait, we moved 
 rapidly along toward Bunsen peak* Hs we ride past tbe 
 terraces, new beauties are seen from tbe southern side and 
 tbe significance of tbe name “pulpit Ccrrace”, applied to 
 one of them, now appears in full force* Hs we ride along 
 we look upon tbe landscape with interest. On tbe left, low 
 lying, is flat topped Mt* Gverts, so named after tbe man 
 who bad been lost for almost a month and was finally 
 found, crazed, upon tbe summit* Bverett, our young friend, 
 claims that bis fame has preceded him and that tbc 
 mountain bad really been named after him. Straight ahead 
 rises Bunsen peak, honoring tbe name of tbe celebrated 
 German Chemist who has given us tbe best theory of tbe 
 geysers. H few months ago tbe government constructed a 
 new road between Mammoth Springs and tbe Golden Gate* 
 Xt is an unusually fine specimen of road building and at 
 
— i8 — 
 
 Silver Gate is in the midst of as unique a rock land as one 
 will ever see* 
 
 $Ue think of goblins, Dendrtc Budson and his nine pine 
 bowlers, and are almost prepared to see another Rip Tan 
 CCItnhle rise up* Now we are within dungeon walls and to 
 our left there is the sentry and we feel that this must be 
 the Golden Gate and a wonderful mountain gate it is* Che 
 so-called Sentry is but a column of rock about twelve feet 
 high* Che road twists about so that we obtain many an 
 interesting view of the gorge. "Co cap the climax we come 
 full upon beautiful Rustic falls at the very head of the 
 canyon. Down it glides, coming from the wide green valley 
 that opens up before us, into the rockier, gloomier shadows 
 of the gorge, where it burrows between the rocks at the 
 bottom of the ravine. Che traveler is prevented from 
 falling over the precipice by small stones piled upon one 
 another so as to form a barrier* Uncle frank leans upon 
 it and Bverett attempts to go him one better by standing 
 upon it and only the most urgent insistence from me induced 
 them to step back to safe ground* Riding on we come to 
 Swan Lake and the Mountain range back of it is the 
 Gallatins. 'Just south of Hntler peak comes Bannock peak, 
 so named because the trail of the Bannock Indians ran 
 across its foothills. 
 
 Che Indians called the entire region of the T^llowstone 
 “Ulbite Man's Dell" and scarcely entered into it. 
 
 Dere, close to the Lake, we come across our first game, 
 a flock of wild geese who are so fearless that they cannot 
 be induced to rise in flight even by riding toward them, 
 further on we come to an Hpollonaris spring where we 
 quaff a draught of this deliciously charged water* It lies 
 deep in the forest to the left of the road and seems to 
 spring from no where and immediately loses itself among 
 the stones* Riding -along we skirt the Obsidian Cliff, two 
 hundred or more feet high of natural volcanic glass which 
 was once used by the Indian of these regions as material 
 for arrow heads. Ht the base of the cliff and running 
 along the road is Beaver Lake* Cbe irregular dam of the 
 beavers is readily traced and over toward the other shore is 
 
. .COPYRIGHT, >^2, "BY 1 
 DETROIT PHOTOGRAPHIC 
 
 LOWES FALLS OF THE YELLOWSTONE 
 
20 
 
 a conical beaver bouse* passing Cwin Lakes, which though 
 twins are not of the same color, we come to the Devil's 
 frying pan, and bow it does sputter and boil. TZbis is the 
 first evidence we see of the phenomena of the geysers* ”Che 
 frying pan and some other springs of the same nature, 
 which are occasionally seen, are forerunners of what we will 
 see at the Norris Basin which we reach at two o'clock* 
 
 Wic all feel the effect of this, our first twenty mile ride 
 and one of the party at least thinks of “Gaits Hjar"* 
 
Chapter 4* 
 
 CF>6 eMeRHLD ISL6* 
 
 HT6 you ever met a chattering, hospitable 
 Irishman who had been gathering a repertoire 
 of funny things to say to the traveler, finding 
 security in the thought that none would ever 
 return? “$Qby my dear friend, you're looking 
 better than ever" and “Cdbere did I meet 
 you before ? ^our face is so very familiar" and other 
 expressions showed that Larry, the irrepressible Larry was 
 one of the fortunates who bad licked the Blarney Stone* 
 a P to this season be had been living in tents but the hotel 
 company bad built him a frame hotel and deeply did be feel 
 bis importance* 
 
 Hfter luncheon which, Larry told us, bad been prepared 
 by bis “french Chef from Cork" and a request to eat every¬ 
 thing but to leave the dishes, Larry invited us out to see 
 the “Geezers" as be pronounced it, and we set out to view 
 the curiosities of this neighborhood* Our guide at this 
 place is a Swiss, who calls himself “Sepp" which is an 
 abbreviation of 'Joseph* Hdvancing a few hundred paces 
 we can view from the elevation the entire stream baked 
 region which awaits our inspection* paint-pots, bubbling 
 springs, the Devils Ink-stand and a few minor geysers all 
 claim our attention. Che crust is in many places quite thin 
 and appears dangerous* 
 
 planks are laid upon the ground so as to make the 
 walking safe* One very large boiling caldron is called the 
 “Boiler"* Cbere arc others about spurting streams of 
 water, some of them no larger than a pencil* 
 
— 22 
 
 Sepp told us he had crossed over the spot where the 
 “Boiler” now rages about 20 minutes before the earth broke 
 down and formed the basin in which it seethes* Not far 
 from it there had been another similar geyser formation 
 called the “Growler” but immediately upon the appearance 
 of the “Boiler” the “Growler” became extinct* 
 
 fit z brings our team and wagon and we take a side trip 
 to the Virginia Cascades* <de return to Larry's hospitable 
 roof and enjoy what we afterwards agreed was the best 
 meal served us in the Vellowstone park* 
 
 6 mma decided she would take a bath and as dncle 
 frank followed suit they intrusted themselves to the 
 guidance of Larry who went ahead with the lamp, leading 
 them through a field in which the tree stumps were still 
 standing to what it called the laundry, one end of which is 
 fitted up for bath purposes* Not many people have had the 
 experience of being asked to “Look out, don't fall over the 
 tree stumps” in going to their bathrooms* But the bath¬ 
 room was clean and the water hot, and the satisfaction 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY 
 
 DETROIT PUBLISHING C 
 
— M - 
 
 derived from the soaking of the hot and fevered limbs was 
 great* 
 
 Hfterwards we spent an hour listening to Larry's 
 yarns* F>is laundryman is a Chinaman weighing 94 pounds* 
 F>is cook although called "a frenchman from Cork" is in 
 reality an Hustrian and while we cannot admit Larry's 
 claim that he has seventeen employees and everyone of them 
 of a different nationality, we must say that his retinue is a 
 fair illustration of how mixed the population of the country 
 is, over which the stars and stripes wave* 
 
 On divesting myself of my clothing preparatory to 
 retiring, an examination shows my cuticle is not sufficiently 
 hard to stand daily horse-back tours of from twenty to 
 thirty miles upwards* Bverett comes to my relief with 
 some liniment prescribed by a doctor in Windsor, the use of 
 which brought me to the conclusion that he might have 
 sought medical advice nearer home and fared better* for 
 ten minutes after the application X experienced the most 
 excruciating pain* Hn army cavalry officer whom I met 
 later on advised the use of vaseline in such cases and X want 
 to say right here to any intending equestrian, provide your¬ 
 self with a jar of vaseline even before you get a horse* 
 
 Bright and early next morning we started for our next 
 station, the fountain f)otel* Our way leads us past Monu¬ 
 ment 6eyser, through Gibbon Canyon to the Beryl Springs* 
 Hbout this time X find it important to examine the horses* 
 Somebody (and X concluded that it was right after he had 
 taken a twenty mile horseback ride on a broncho) has 
 established the fact that while the brain of a man is equal 
 to the 28th part of the weight of his body, the brain of a 
 horse is only equal to the 400th part of his body* Uncle 
 frank's mount was named Kate, probably because of her 
 lamblike steady disposition* Che day's acquaintance added 
 to her name and she was from now on known as Grunting 
 Kate* Fjer intelligence was marvelous* She would recognize 
 another horse changing its gait at a distance of two to 
 three hundred feet and immediately follow suit* Ulhen the 
 change consisted of going out of a trot into a canter or lope 
 Uncle frank's face was diffused with smiles* But when 
 
25 — 
 
 the reverse was the case and she struck a gait which fitz 
 called a trot and Uncle frank a “thump” it would first 
 assume a look of surprise, then of disappointment and 
 finally of sorrow* 
 
 Bmma's horse was flattered by the poetic name of Bird 
 and a bird be was, long rangy, steady gait and intelligent in 
 fact, the pick of the troop* Gverett's horse already showed 
 signs of fatigue and he viewed with alarm the prospect of 
 being obliged to walk or ride in the ambulance* My horse 
 was dubbed Muggins* Ulby, surpasses understanding but 
 Muggins he was and if that was any reflection on his 
 character or morality X agreed with the name, fitz rode 
 what was left* Chat he was not entirely pleased became 
 clear to us when we observed him digging bis spurs into 
 the sides of what he called a very valuable horse when 
 sitting around the camp-fire and talking about him in the 
 evening, but when astride other names and qualities were 
 charged which would not look well in print* 
 
 far ahead of us we saw a soldier on horseback driving 
 a mule down the road toward us. t 3 be soldier frantically 
 motioned to us to give him the road and knowing the 
 perversity of the burros and the likelihood of its bolting up 
 the hill at our appearance we all rode to one side excepting 
 6 mma who kept straight along on a lope* TIbe expected 
 happened, at a place when the ground was covered with 
 boulders the burro started uphill with the soldier after it* 
 
 H stream of oaths and pet epithets came from bis 
 mouth, directed at the burro of course and not at 6mma. 
 
 Ulben riding along the Gibbon River which is one of 
 the rivers “along which the travelers ride and in which the 
 trout are said to hide” we saw several rocks in the middle 
 of the stream out of which hot water welled and sputtered* 
 5 de arrived at fountain F>otcl after a twenty-two mile ride. 
 
Chapter 5. 
 
 €F)6 HRMT 
 
 ICR Bverett I bad remained behind to visit 
 Capt. Lindsay who bad charge of a camp of 
 cavalry near the hotel. Che captain's salute 
 was truly western. “<jdell, boys, I would 
 like to ask you in to take a drink but for 
 the first time in a long while I have run out 
 of whiskey and if you have such a thing as a drink of 
 whiskey about you and will share it with me you will save 
 the life of a dying man". Of course the flask was forth¬ 
 coming and good health and a pleasant trip pledged all 
 around. 
 
 Shortly after leaving the captain we forded Nez perces 
 Creek, on the further bank of which stood a rude log house 
 which fitz bad built years ago for the state of Cdyoming 
 and which was the first prison in that section, proving that 
 even twenty years ago civilization bad found its way into 
 this country of solitude. Che creek received its name be¬ 
 cause the JVez perces Indians bad come to this point and 
 turned back when pursued by the U. S. troops. 
 
 CQben nearing the fountain Rotel we saw some dark 
 objects walking around in a field and on coming closer we 
 found that they were some black bears that had strolled 
 down from the mountain and were prowling about looking 
 for something to eat. One of the bears bad in some way 
 gotton its bead and one leg through an iron hoop and was 
 unable to again remove it. It was evidently bothering him 
 some as be was perceptibly lame. Che people about told us 
 that they were expecting two Montana cowboys who were 
 going to lasso the bear and remove the hoop. 
 
— 27 — 
 
 CClhcn we arrived at the hotel we found Clncle frank 
 and 6mma seated comfortably in arm-chairs on the porch 
 and a handsome young military surgeon paying strict 
 attention to the 6ly girl. Che doctor was under the 
 weather and on a furlough and just like ordinary people 
 impressively told us that if be would take care of himself 
 be would be in bed but he did not like being in bed, etc., etc. 
 Che doctor was prescribing for himself and the post 
 surgeon said that the reason be did not recover sooner was 
 because be bad either a fool of a doctor or a fool of a 
 patient. 
 
 H poor lunch was only made bearable by the presence 
 of the lady whom X have described as “the lady in black, 
 with the hungry look”. Call, sylph-like, olive-complected, 
 with a face sadly wistful and eyes that looked appealingly, 
 my imagination explained her demeanor through the 
 appearance of her husband, one of the those cold, spbinxlikc 
 men who take themselves seriously but are really a joke to 
 all except those who are compelled to endure their presence. 
 
Ole afterward took our team and in company of the 
 doctor drove to fire-F)ole Lake, one of the greatest curios¬ 
 ities of which, is, what looks like a flame, that seems to lick 
 
 in every 
 direction 
 fully 25 
 feet below 
 the surface 
 of the lake. 
 ]Vear here 
 is the 
 fountain 
 Geyserand 
 the most 
 beautiful 
 paint-pots 
 we have 
 yet seen. 
 0>e predo¬ 
 minating 
 colors are 
 pearl gray, 
 and light 
 terra cotta 
 with many 
 very 
 delicate 
 gradings 
 
 of these shades. Chis clay is always sputtering and in a 
 state of ebullition, forming roses, tulips and other forms 
 which are wonderfully perfect and astonishing. 
 
 In the evening we saw 5 Bears that came down to the 
 back of the hotel to explore the garbage barrels. 
 
 In re-reading my notes I find that I have followed the 
 example of all other sight-seers in describing only what I 
 saw, but the description of the Yellowstone park is only 
 half a description unless due attention is paid to the odors 
 which abound there. I find three sub-divisions in them and 
 have classified them as follows: 
 
30 
 
 first: H faint recollection conies to you through the 
 surrounding rare atmosphere, a sort of sensation akin to 
 that which tells you in the morning that one of the mixed 
 drinks taken the evening before did not quite agree with 
 you. Simply a faint suspicion that something is not quite 
 right. 
 
 Second: Six deep invigorating inhalations of pure 
 ozone, producing an exhilaration that enables even the heavy 
 weights and mossy members of the party to feel as though 
 they would like to climb a tree. Suddenly a whiff from 
 somewhere that almost takes you off your feet and makes 
 you wonder whether there is a menagerie with its cages of 
 confined animals or a slaughter house in mid-summer hidden 
 from your view by the sparsely growing scrub pine, ^ou 
 investigate, which in this case means follow your nose and 
 you come across a little or large (as the case may be) pool 
 of water which exhales the mephitic breath. 
 
 Chird: Do you know what a stink is ? Here it is; 
 something that lies heavily on your chest taking away your 
 breath and producing in you the wild desire to stampede 
 which is only checked by the beauties which your eyes are 
 feasting on. Dave you ever entered Detroit by the Ulabash 
 Railroad and passed a great collection of massive buildings 
 that bear the sign, “Michigan Carbon Uiorks"? Ulell if you 
 multiply your experience there by four you have the odor of 
 the “Devil's frying pan" for instance. But there is one 
 virtue in the odors and that is they make a Christian human 
 being better. Ulben entering the park you will find notices 
 on most of the stationery telling people who suspect that 
 they have weak hearts that they had better consult the 
 doctor at the Mammoth Springs Hotel. 
 
 Che irreverent suspect that this is an “ad" of the 
 doctor for the purpose of bringing trade to him in this 
 land of health but it has the effect of making the said 
 “C. D. B." think of his latter end. Ulhen standing near a 
 fetid pool good resolutions could be plainly read in the 
 square set jaw and supplicating eyes of the Congregation- 
 alist of our party. 
 
 <de ride to the Upper 6eyscr where a long, rambling 
 
31 
 
 building indicates a resting place. On getting nearer we 
 find it is constructed from unhewn logs and is picturesquely 
 located, nestling in a grove of pines and tamarack. H 
 babbling brook coming out of the hill, loses itself in the 
 valley at our feet, and, finally find its way into ftre-F>olc 
 River. 
 
 <lle ask for rooms for the night and are shown a long 
 tent ostentatiously marked No. i. H hallway down the 
 center formed of canvas divides it. Ht the end of the hall 
 a small wood stove looks pitifully inconspicuous when 
 compared with the size of the tent. Che rooms are canvas 
 formed, with a flap, for a door. H deal bed, small table, 
 and a wash-bowl, with a four by six looking glass furnish 
 the accomodations. Scrupulous cleanliness prevails and 
 later on at Yancey's we have occasion to think back to this 
 primitive abode with loving memory. 
 
 H lunch is served by a squat figured black-eyed “Bossy 
 Brander” of Montana and spoiled by an officious landlord 
 with great whiskers, hollow chest, and hollower cough who 
 takes the first opportunity to tell us that four years ago 
 he was dying of consumption but now thanks to the 
 climate etc. etc. 
 
 Our ambulance being ready we visit prismatic Lake and 
 Curquoise Spring. Che latter, a beautiful pool of blue 
 water about one hundred feet in diameter entrances us. 
 
 Sapphire pool, a large spring, also hot, some 250 by 300 
 feet in size fairly astonishes us. Che vapors that arise make 
 it difficult at all times to obtain a satisfactory view. 
 
 In order to get this, it is necessary to walk out to the 
 very edge and peer out through the vapor. Che winds shift 
 them more or less, so that glimpses may be obtained of the 
 pool whose loveliness is not matched elsewhere. It \q how¬ 
 ever necessary to be careful. Che walls around the pool 
 are eaten out underneath and shelve back under the surface, 
 leaving but a thin shell to walk on. It is the largest of the 
 springs and is a rare jewel in this land of jewels, from it 
 descends a perfect network of rivulets and ribbons of many 
 and beautiful colors, all flowing into the fire-F)olc River. 
 Che pictured colorings of the waters form a delightful color 
 
32 — 
 
 fantasy and with Curquotse Springs near by, and similar 
 in character, this seems like an ideal fairy spot* 
 
 from there we drive to Bxcelsior Geyser which is one 
 of the independent chaps and reaches a state of activity only 
 at rare times and we are told that when it does come it is 
 worth a trip across the continent to see it* 
 
 Perhaps this is a proper place to remark that the word 
 Geyser-Geiser or Gesiris is a word of Icelandic origin and 
 means gusher or rager* In its native use it is the proper 
 name of the Great Geyser in Iceland and is not an 
 appellative* 
 
 Che history of the Great Geyser of Iceland begins in 
 the early part of the fifteenth century* Its eruptions occur 
 once in thirty hours and it throws seventy to eighty feet 
 with perhaps two small eruptions between of from thirty 
 to fifty feet high* 
 
 Geysers exist at the present time in many volcanic 
 regions, as in the Bastern Hrchipelago, Japan and South 
 Hmerica; but they are best developed in Iceland, New Zea¬ 
 land and the Yellowstone National park* Che Geysers of 
 Iceland are within a circuit of two miles and more than one 
 hundred hot springs can be counted in that limit. Che Ice¬ 
 land Geysers are fifty miles north of ]Mt* f)ecla, at the foot 
 of a range of hills three or four hundred feet in height in a 
 broad valley of alluvial formation* Che Geysers of New 
 Zealand are in the south of Huckland, near the upper basin 
 of the (SQaikato river* 
 
 Che Geysers of the National park exceed both in 
 quantity and grandeur all others in the known world* If 
 all the other Geysers were to assemble in their might they 
 would sink into insignificance when put beside our National 
 exhibit* 
 
> * Ti-jJ 
 
 : ' 
 
 
 
 
 ft M 
 
 l * 
 
Chapter 6. 
 
 €F>6 CHPCHXN* 
 
 6 drive to the Old Riverside which when we 
 passed in the morning gave promise of per¬ 
 forming for our benefit, Ctle settled our¬ 
 selves comfortably in our seats and the 
 “children” who did not seem to know what 
 physical tiredness meant improved the 
 opportunity by climbing up a steep hillside where they finally 
 appear in the open, seated on a rock and are very frequently 
 rested on by the fond eyes of Uncle frank and myself, 
 
 Che park at this place abounded with what are called 
 “Prairie Schooners” driven in by dwellers in the long 
 stretches of plain of both Montana and Wyoming, Che 
 old seem to separate from the young like chaff from the 
 wheat and we find interest only in the antics of the 
 generation that lives in the present. Brown, with the 
 healthy rich blood, produced by the prairie, mounting 
 through their cheeks; clad in the picturesque non-descript 
 clothing of the <Ucst, they are found everywhere usually 
 with the male arm encircling the sturdy female waist and 
 the laughter of the healthy, unconventional is heard on all 
 sides. Che stepping on a dry branch, causing it to break 
 and an end to fly up and strike one of the young women on 
 the arm, with a force that would cause a city damsel to 
 consult the family physician, gives rise to laughter, ringing 
 laughter that carries them over a period of at least ten 
 minutes. Of the older members of this peculiar western 
 race only one appeals to our fancy. H sawed-off stout, 
 grey little fellow with a happy rotundity and a sparkling 
 eye that has retained the interest of youth. F>c rides about 
 
35 — 
 
 from place to place on a frisky bay broncho, Hny increased 
 rising of vapor in the distance is sufficient reason for the 
 old man to set out on a neck breaking gallop to ascertain 
 the cause, 
 
 Che comb of Riverside Geyser stands immediately on 
 the edge of Spring Creek, in fact, almost seems to rise 
 out of it. Little jets of steaming hot water flow down 
 the edge of the comb and two little maidens come out of 
 the green forest in the back ground carrying between them 
 their laundry and start to wash a big brown sheet in the 
 over running water of old Riverside. <£lith many a little 
 shriek probably caused by the heat of the water coming 
 from their natural laundry tub, they finish their task and 
 after rinsing in the cool fresh waters of Spring Creek, 
 retire, and just in time, for the warning shout from fitz 
 has startled them away and Old Riverside with a roar and 
 a grumble shoots up a jet of water ten to fifteen feet high, 
 then recedes and with a mightier roar breaks forth a column 
 at least one hundred feet high and probably three feet thick 
 at the base. 
 
 Row shall X describe it? Hddcd to the awesome sight, 
 old father Sol, the painter of bright colors has come out 
 from his hiding and enlivens the picture. H rainbow 
 finding its beginning at the apex of the geyser throws a 
 stately arch, the lower end of which is lost in the deep blue 
 verdure of the pines beyond. (Xiords fail and we all feel 
 that it is good to be alive and good to be together to enjoy 
 this rare picture. It brings back the adage that “shared 
 trouble is divided trouble and shared joys are doubled 
 joys." 
 
 Surfeited with all we have seen, passing fan Geyser 
 which gives what now seems to us an ineffectual spurt but 
 which at other times would seem a grand sight, we drive 
 back to the plateau on which are geysers that are extinct and 
 threatening geysers innumerable, among them the Bee-Rive, 
 Cascades, Giantess and the Grotto. 
 
 $Qe return to our supper and then as our curiosity has 
 again awakened wander to “Old faithful" the never disap¬ 
 pointing chap. Re reminds you of the old watchman that 
 
— 36 
 
 you have seen parsing your door daily with bis lunch basket* 
 going to his nightly vigil. Old faithful spouts about once 
 every sixty minutes. Ulitb watch in band we awaited the 
 upward rush of water and were rewarded in seeing a great 
 volume thrown up fifty to sixty feet high into the air. 
 
 <Has it that we were surfeited or was it that the 
 gloaming had arrived and the glorious sun, which had added 
 to the beauty of the Riverside, bad sunk behind the Uiestcrn 
 foot-hills ? It is a fact that the impression gained at the 
 Riverside was not renewed by Old faithful, staunch and 
 true as he is. Co us Riverside is and will remain the 
 Captain. 
 
 (Ue get back to our tent and start a crackling fire in 
 the little stove which by this time is appreciated as a dear 
 and warm friend, scat ourselves on chairs, and the remainder 
 of the party, when the supply of chairs is exhausted, on 
 boxes, and drawing close spend the evening in reminis¬ 
 cencing. 
 
 Che impressions arc varied but out of all that is said 
 speaks a love of nature that draws all together as would a 
 bond. 
 
 73 t last sleep is sought for but is delayed for some 
 minutes by the snoring of Uncle frank, which was finally 
 interrupted by one of the many cakes of soap and other 
 loose articles which are hurled at him over the partition, 
 successfully striking him, Ulitb a grunt he turns over and 
 soon silence covers all and one after the other drops off into 
 the land of JNk>d. 
 
 In the morning X was awakened by bearing somebody 
 whittling kindling and bustling around our old friend, the 
 little stove. X knew that only Uncle frank had farm 
 training and X attributed this early energy to him as X lay 
 snuggled up in the army blankets. Xn my doze X could see 
 Uncle frank, the red-checked farm boy up in old ]Mainc at 
 the dawn of day getting out of his bed, starting the kitchen 
 fire and then going out to the old oaken bucket next to the 
 well for his morning ablution, and X in a hazy sort of a 
 way determined that X would speak some words of com¬ 
 mendation to him for his thoughtfulness for the comfort of 
 
RIVERSIDE GEYSER, YELLOWSTONE PARK 
 
— 38 — 
 
 our party, when my train of half-conscious thought was 
 suddenly interrupted by a strange harsh male voice calling 
 out, “Hnybody wants any hot water put their bowl in the 
 hair and thus my dream was shattered. 
 
 Passing my bowl into the hall it was soon filled from 
 a pail by the “hall-steward” who stalked defiantly out of 
 the tent as though some indignity had been inflicted upon 
 him. Later I met him before the tent and a picturesque 
 figure he was, dark and swarthy of face, a slouch hat, blue 
 shirt and trousers tucked into cow-hide boots completed bis 
 attire. 
 
 Co my regret Bossy Brander did not wait on us at 
 breakfast and although X looked about for her my quest 
 was unrewarded. 
 
 It suddenly occured to Uncle frank that this was Sun¬ 
 day, Sept. 8th and following the old maxim that “the better 
 the day the better the deed” we on this day rode twenty-one 
 miles on horseback and made nineteen miles in a boat. It 
 was a beautiful crisp morning and the best of humor 
 pervaded the entire party. 
 
 Bvcrett, whose original mount had played out, perhaps 
 because a willing youth sat upon a willing horse, had been 
 provided by fitz with a white broncho who clearly showed 
 that the years usually allotted to the equine race had passed 
 over kim but bad left him, if somewhat the worse for wear 
 and tear, still gamy enough to make you avoid the proximity 
 of bis heels. f)i& former owner bad told fitz that be had 
 never worn shoes on bis hind feet because be had resisted 
 all efforts to shoe him behind and in consequence his hind feet 
 bad been stepped flat and were the size and shape of fair 
 sized plates. 
 
 Bverett's horse being fresh and my Muggins frisky (as 
 be usually was in the morning) we started out at a brisk 
 pace and soon left our party behind. Ule wound our way up 
 through the forests to Kepler's Cascade where we stopped, 
 waiting for our party and watched the water as it comes 
 leaping, tumbling, falling madly, with froth and foam down 
 the lava slope. It is a wild spot and so different from the 
 geyser country that we had left nearby that we have forced 
 
“ 39 — 
 
 upon us once more the contrasting character of much of the 
 park scenery* Stic follow the fire-F>ole River in its 
 charmingly winding course to where Spring Creek joins it 
 and there we bid farewell to it. SQe have seen so much of 
 this clean, sparkling stream that we feel loth to say good-by 
 and turn up the narrow mountain defile of the little creek* 
 Hfter proceeding for half an hour fit z informs us that up 
 a valley at the entrance of which we are standing there is a 
 geyser of peculiar formation. SCle determined to visit it 
 and canter into the valley over the greenest sward that we 
 have yet seen, so velvet like is its character that all the 
 caution that is necessary is to watch out for gopher holes* 
 H brisk half hour's ride brings us into the center of 
 this valley* perfectly flat, the mountains having receded a 
 full mile on each side of us and right in the center, with not 
 
 a stone near it, stands the geyser, a column of rock fifteen 
 to twenty feet high, emitting a slight vapor and because of 
 its isolated position, most appropriately named the Lone 
 8 tar, but, would not the Lost Star have been more poetical 
 a name? 
 
 UCLc ride back to the main road and now begins our 
 climb of the Continental Divide* <He reach it at a narrow 
 
40 — 
 
 spot in the mountains, retired, silent, hemmed in by cl if fed 
 walls, known as Craig pass* Ht one side of the roadway 
 is a small pond and altogether it makes a very effective bit 
 of landscape* FVere we are 8240 feet above the sea. On one 
 side of us a brook hurries, as though startled by the 
 appearance of our party, to bury itself in the bosom of the 
 waters of the Grand pacific. On our left the overflow of 
 the pond finds its way through thousands of miles through 
 the Yellowstone, Missouri, and Mississippi, and finally be¬ 
 comes lost in the warm embrace of the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 ? 0 c cross the Continental Divide twice this day. < 0 c 
 now ascend Corkscrew Dill, then cross Deron Creek, ascend 
 another mountain and suddenly stop at Shoshone point. 
 Che mountains, black with heavy timber, rise ail about us 
 and away down at the northern end of the view is beautiful 
 Shoshone Lake. Hnd see l far in the distance, clear and 
 martial like, the three Cetons rise. Chat highest one, whose 
 peak looks like an index finger is 13,700 feet high. 
 
 Che ride from this portion of the park is most 
 exhilarating. Che rare scenery, the rarer atmosphere, the 
 frequent changes of view! Now creeping along the mountain 
 side and now sweeping around the bold mountain headlands 
 makes one feel that he is indeed clear of the turmoil of the 
 world and is breathing the pure air of the hills and 
 mountains, untainted by the gases and odors of the cities. 
 
 <Qe ride for several hours, rising higher and higher 
 until the climax is reached. Over and through a fringe of 
 trees, the turquoise colored Lake breaks 
 
 suddenly upon the sight. Our labored breathing tells us 
 that we are at a high altitude and consulting our map 
 we learn that this lake ts 7,721 feet above the level of 
 the sea. 
 
 Che growth of timber grows heavier until it ends in a 
 fringe at the shore of the lake. F)erc is found a lunch station, 
 that is, large tents, are pitched. <SUe enter the first one 
 which is a sort of a reception room. On inquiring for a 
 drink the gentlemen of the party are motioned to the rear 
 where a canvas flap is lifted and on stepping through we 
 find ourselves in a smaller tent where eight whisky bottles 
 
“ 42 — 
 
 arc set on a shelf in a row, and to our delight each is labeled 
 “Canadian Club”. 
 
 <Ohilc waiting around for the lunch to be set on the 
 table a coach party arrives and as soon as they have shaken 
 themselves free of dust we are ushered into the dining room 
 which contains a long deal table with benches along the 
 sides. Hfter all are seated bountiful platters of good, 
 substantial food are set out before us. 
 
 Capt. Walters, a striking figure introduces himself and 
 arrangements are made with him to cross the lake on his 
 little steamer “Zillah”. Che “Ztllah” is a small steamer 
 that was transported piece-meal over the mountains to this 
 lake. 
 
 Hs it is yet some time before the boat starts we stroll 
 around in the neighborhood and view some quite pretty 
 paint-pots. <Oe have arranged with fttz that he and the 
 driver take our horses along the Northwestern shore of the 
 
 lake, a long 
 tedious 19 
 mile ride. 
 Only a few 
 of the people 
 availed them¬ 
 selves of the 
 opportunity 
 to ride on a 
 steamboat 
 on fellow- 
 stone Lake 
 which lies at 
 the highest 
 altitude of 
 any lake in 
 the world 
 that is nav¬ 
 igable. 
 
 Bmma and 
 Bvcrett go 
 to the upper 
 
_ 43 — 
 
 deck, and Gnrma is soon invited to steer the boat which she 
 does for the entire twenty miles of the trip. 
 
 Hbout half way across the lake is Dot Island. On this 
 Island Capt. (Halters has a few buffalo and elk in captivity, 
 from here we cross to the Gastern shore and on the way 
 through a gap in the mountains we get a most beautiful 
 view of the Cetons in the (Hest, and of ]Mt. Sheridan in the 
 South, while in the Cast are the so-called Signal Dills, being 
 the foot-hills to such giants as Hvalanche peak, Reservation 
 Peak, Cagle peak and others, all over ten thousand feet 
 high. 
 
 Capt. (Halters joins us in the stern of the boat and we 
 arrange with him that on our arrival at the Lake Dotel at 
 Yellowstone River, out-let of the lake, we go a-fishing, as he 
 highly recommends the sport at this place. 
 
 (He arrive at 3.30 and as the lake has turned quite rough 
 we drive to the river while two guides row the boats. (He 
 fish for two hours. 6 mma was successful in catching a 
 two-pound trout and Sverett caught two smaller onces, 
 while Uncle frank and myself caught none. 
 
 Going back to the hotel we arc presented by Capt. 
 (Halters with his bill for the row-boats, amounting to $12, 
 a piece of high-way robbery, and the only satisfaction I had 
 was in telling him that I now knew why Christ walked on 
 the water, that in the face of such charges anybody else 
 would walk that was able to. 
 
 On seeing all the guests out in their Sunday finery, we 
 recollected that it was Sunday. Bmma dressed herself in 
 her best and we had an elegant dinner topped off with a cold 
 bottle, ordered by Uncle frank, who then disclosed that this 
 was his birthday. 
 
 In the evening we adjourned to the hotel lobby and 
 here we learn that president McKinley is much worse and 
 will probably die. H man named prof. Moore who is at 
 the head of some part of the U. S. (Heather Bureau makes 
 himself ridiculous and obnoxious by expressing in loud 
 trumpet tones that he hoped the people would now go 
 cn masse to Paterson, ]^. and hang every man, woman 
 and child that called themselves anarchists or socialists. 
 
44 — 
 
 More anarchistic talk could not be beard anywhere and it 
 plainly showed the bad results which arise from our method 
 of appointing people to high offices because of political 
 “pull” and no other consideration* 
 
Chapter 7. 
 
 CB6 GRAND CANYON- 
 
 6 arise early and set out to ride along the 
 Yellowstone River having for our objective 
 point the Grand Canyon. Che Yellowstone 
 River sweeps majestically between deep cut 
 banks. 
 
 Che first sights of interest are the Ochre 
 Springs, paint-pots of a yellow color. Chen we come to a 
 most curious phenomenon, a so-called Mud Volcano. A 
 slimy-looking, slippery hill about thirty feet high which we 
 ascend with considerable trouble. Before us opens what 
 appears to be a crater in the bottom of which a mass of 
 liquid mud surges violently back and forth. Che odor is 
 truly mephitic. It seems as though there were two streams 
 of mud from opposite sides of the basin. CClhile one is 
 discharging the other subsides, and I presume no one has 
 looked with admiration at this spectacle. 
 
 <Uc now enter Bayden Valley, a beautiful valley which 
 looks as though cultivation would render it most fertile. 
 Bcre some years ago the government fenced in a large tract 
 of land, storing in it great quantities of hay and feed, and 
 then drove into the enclosure the remnants of buffalo herds 
 which were still to be found roaming about the park. It 
 was feared that the severe winters were the cause of their 
 decimation, but in this case, to change an old saw, “Man 
 proposes and buffalo disposes.” SQbcn spring came on and 
 the buffalo camp was visited it was found that they bad 
 all escaped in some mysterious manner as the fifteen fcct- 
 high stockade was entirely intact. Che puzzle was solved 
 by an old scout and hunter who explained that the deep 
 
“ 46 — 
 
 snow was drifted against one side of the stockade and that 
 when it froze solid the buffaloes simply walked out. Chis 
 was the last attempt at confining them in the park. 
 
 * Hnotber half hour's ride brings us to the wonderful 
 mountain called “Sulphur Mountain" which at least on the 
 surface is fully fifty per cent pure sulphur. Ctlc ride on and 
 down into a valley where we scare up a herd of hundreds of 
 antelope, the captain of the herd taking up the point of 
 danger, the rear of the column. Ole follow these graceful 
 animals for some distance before they scampered over a hill 
 and were lost to sight. 
 
 $Qe ride on and reach the upper falls of the Yellowstone 
 Canyon. F)erc this mighty river throws itself one hundred 
 and nine feet over the rocks down into the gorge. H very 
 steep climb brings us out on a rock where a most magnificent 
 view of these falls can be obtained. 
 
 <Qe arrive at the Canyon f)otel at 12.30. 
 
 Ht this hotel we are given fine rooms fronting on the 
 canyon andas, we are all tired we remain in them for a rest. 
 Uncle -frank and myself repair to one of the rooms for a 
 little chat leaving the hall door open when, who should walk 
 up to it and peer in but prof. Redneck who has been the 
 bane of my life ever since we struck the park, but a scowl 
 sends him off retreating into the distance. Bmma was 
 allowed to sleep for half an hour and then we set out in our 
 wagon to view the canyon. 
 
 <£ie first stop at the lower fall, three hundred eight feet 
 high. Uie have seen the Niagara and have stood stricken 
 with awe on its brink, but here we are entranced, not be¬ 
 cause the fall here is so much higher but because of the 
 magnificent view which from this point spreads itself out 
 before us for miles into the canyon. Che dazzling chaos of 
 color, the predominating splashes of yellow brown, running 
 off into almost a black and then again a pure white. Ulc 
 travel by a steep path down close to the fall and there we 
 sit and gaze in rapture at the panorama before us, and again 
 we feel that it is good to be alive and good to be together 
 and all agree it is one of the sights of our lives, perhaps the 
 grandest. One could remain for days gazing into this 
 

- 4 8 - 
 
 grand chasm of color and find some new point of interest 
 with every look* 
 
 <Cic finally tear ourselves away and mount again to the 
 top of the canyon and as we reach the plateau above a cow¬ 
 boy comes down a steep hill driving a herd of sight horses 
 
 before 
 him. Some 
 are laden 
 heavily 
 and others 
 arc free of 
 any 
 
 burden. 
 «Utb 
 dextrous 
 circular 
 move¬ 
 ments of 
 bis horse 
 be rides 
 around the 
 herd and 
 gradually 
 
 turns them closer together with all heads to one central 
 point. H little further urging, the heads meet and the 
 horses of necessity stand still almost wedged together and 
 we have seen a genuine “round-up” as it is called in the 
 Western vernacular, most skillfully carried out. 
 
 On inquiry we learn that the cowboy and his pack belong 
 to a party who arc going bunting south of the Yellowstone 
 park in the so-called “Jackson F>ole Country”. 
 
 CClc ride along the edge of the canyon and at times so 
 close that it is apparently dangerous until we get to point 
 Lookout. H narrow path protected by a long rail leads to 
 the point projecting into the canyon. F)crc a most beautiful 
 view westward toward the lower falls is obtained. Hn 
 old gentleman at this point volunteers the information that 
 the canyon at this place is over two miles wide and as be 
 had two grown up daughters with him I admitted that he 
 
— 49 ~ 
 
 was right 
 although I 
 had the im¬ 
 pression 
 that it was 
 not over 
 two thou¬ 
 sand feet 
 wide. SClc 
 rode on to 
 Inspiration 
 point which 
 affords a 
 grander 
 view than 
 any other 
 point at the 
 canyon (if 
 such a thing 
 is possible). 
 
 I 
 
 various 
 descriptions 
 of the 
 
 Yellowstone Canyon and probably those of Kipling, Hrchi- 
 bald Geike, the Snglish geologist, and Upson are the best, 
 but to me the description of the Japanese who looked at 
 this Joseph's coat of the canyon walls is most expressive. 
 F)c said, “Chey say my land is the land of the rising sun. 
 for a million years this has been the land of the setting sun. 
 Sunsets of the past are dissolved on these walls ; they arc 
 the colors of all the Yesterdays.” 
 
 <ile raise our hats for a final salute to the majestic 
 scene and just then the tip of the loftiest pine which had 
 been gilded with a level bar of fire lost it's light and we 
 knew that this day also was swallowed in the mist with 
 all the Yesterdays, but in our souls it has dissolved into 
 undying glory that renders the walls of memory forever 
 luminous. 
 
— 50 — 
 
 In the gloaming we drive bach to the hotel where we 
 arrange our baggage so that the bulk of it can return to the 
 Mammoth f)ot Springs F)otel as from this point we intend 
 leaving the traveled paths and strike Northeastward toward 
 the so-called Buffalo plateau* It is quickly settled that 
 each of us will carry his own baggage on the back of bis 
 horse and we conclude to reduce this baggage to the 
 minimum and it finally results in each taking along a night¬ 
 shirt, tooth-brush and comb and brush* 
 
 CObilc walking into the dining room we perceive the 
 waiter at the table we were approaching turning the chairs 
 around in bis hand* It struck me as being a peculiar 
 operation and after being seated I asked the waiter what 
 the meaning of it was* 
 
 Hfter some hesitation he said that he was trying to 
 break the hoodoo as four parties had sat at that table and 
 none of them bad given him a tip* H promise that the 
 chasm had worked and the hoodoo broken brought about 
 most careful attention* 
 
 I arranged with the beadwaiter, a portly colored 
 gentleman to provide us with a lunch for our next day's ride 
 as we will find no stopping place until night-fall* ^dishing 
 to surprise the party with a liberal lunch my written order 
 
 was as follows: 
 
 i large loaf of bread 
 12 hard-boiled eggs 
 1 2 slices of bam 
 12 slices of beef tongue 
 3 boxes of sardines 
 i cup filled with butter 
 i jar of pickles and a package 
 each of pepper and salt* 
 
 Co insure proper attention an extra two-dollar bill was 
 pressed in the band of the gentleman of color* 
 
 talking out into the ball I meet my “Lady in Black" 
 face to face, and wishing to say something clever to her 
 I recited to her the first verse of Schiller's “Maedcben aus 
 der fremde"* She first listened with a surprised expres¬ 
 sion which gradually changed to a look which I interpreted 
 
— 52 — 
 
 as one of recognition and then she stammered blushingly 
 and with pretty hesitation “It is so many years since I 
 have studied french that X have forgotten most of it”, and 
 another prospective romance had passed into the gray and 
 distant beyond. 
 
Chapter 8* 
 
 mc. mn&maRK 
 
 Dunraven 
 Peak, pas¬ 
 sing over 
 the Conti¬ 
 nental 
 Divide 
 between 
 that peak 
 and Mt* 
 CCIashburn* 
 Some of our 
 party see 
 their first 
 herd of elk* 
 It then fol¬ 
 lows down 
 the northern 
 slope for 
 about two 
 miles and 
 attaining 
 the ridge 
 turns south 
 
 Rl6f)C and early next morning we make our 
 start to ascend Mt. (flashburn, ten thousand 
 feet high* Che summit can be reached on 
 horseback* 
 
 Che trail runs at first almost directly 
 north and then over the southern slope of 
 
— 54 — 
 
 and gradually ascends to the summit which is in plain sight 
 after the ridge is reached* It is a steep climb and when we 
 get to the top we find a strong wind blowing but the day 
 is beautiful and clear* Che Cower Creek country lies before 
 us to tke north* In the Cast stretches the region about 
 the Canyon and to the south the mountains about the 
 Yellowstone Lake loom in the distance* 
 
 XOe find a monument built of loose stones at the very 
 apex and in a cleft discover a box 
 which contains a number of cards 
 on which the visitors have written 
 then* names and the state of the 
 weather on the date of their pre¬ 
 sence* One of them recorded that 
 in July that year this party was 
 drinking water made from melted 
 snow on the summit* 
 
 Leaving ]Mt* Washburn we 
 lead our horses as we take a short 
 cut which is very steep to reach 
 Hntelope Creek where we intend 
 to water our horses and refresh 
 ourselves. 
 
 SOhen we reach the Creek we 
 find it entirely dried up and fitz 
 informs us that the nearest water 
 that we can now reach is three 
 hours ride distant. Cbis is the 
 first time in our experience that 
 we miss that refreshing fluid. It 
 cast a spell over the entire party 
 and no words were exchanged. 
 Che horses, although all were sore from the hard ride 
 up the mountain, were put into a brisk canter. Xde only 
 stop a few minutes to observe a so-called Grouse fool ben 
 that is sitting in the middle of the trail. 
 
 <Cle continue for several hours until we reach Cower 
 falls, everybody rushes to the creek and takes a deep 
 draught of the cold water out of an empty tomato can 
 
— 55 — 
 
 which Uncle frank has carried tied to hie saddle. Che 
 horses are unsaddled and allowed to drink their fill and 
 wander in the deep grass. 
 
 I, who had been carrying the bag that contained the 
 lunch, opened it with a great deal of satisfaction. Che first 
 thing brought out was a large loaf of bread soaked in 
 vinegar, next a lot of dust which on close examination 
 proved to be the shells and contents of the dozen eggs, 
 which had been powdered to a dust. Nothing else was 
 found, no ham, no tongue, no sardines. Only a few more 
 pickles, the vinegar from which had ruined the bread. Gle 
 looked at one and another in despair and X expected that 
 Gncle frank would bring out bis bottle of painkiller, to 
 soothe me but be did not understand my look and X went 
 back of a fallen tree and laid down, figuratively speaking, 
 kicking myself and wishing that the time before the war 
 would return and X had an opportunity for a ten minutes 
 seance with the negro beadwaitcr who had taken my two 
 dollars. X dub the lunch a I'Hfrtcaine. 
 
 Hfter returning to the party fitz tried to sooth my 
 ruffled spirits by telling me that X could not tell by the 
 looks of the bag what it contained, adding, “\ou can't tell 
 by the look of a package if its Baking powder or 
 Dynamite." 
 
 Glc use our saddles for pillows and all lie down for 
 a rest when we suddenly hear a shout of exultation from 
 Bvcrctt who has found a can of syrup in a cache. <Oitb 
 this in our possesion we again look for our soaked bread 
 and dipping it into the opened can we now have a real feast. 
 Some claim that it is maple syrup but X assert that it is 
 strained honey. Xt is difficult to tell which it is for it had 
 been in the cache for some time and bad turned slightly sour. 
 X was proven correct the next day by having the hives. 
 
 feeling rested, we climb up to look at Cower falls and 
 the Needles nearby. Cbis point is the northern end of the 
 Grand Canyon which is twenty miles long. 
 
 Cower falls, about one hundred fifty feet in height, 
 are guarded by stately sentinels of volcanic fragments re¬ 
 sembling church spires. Borne of these stand pillar-like and 
 
— 56 
 
 are only accessible to the foolhardy climber, frothing 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 a distance 
 of a hundred yards, thousands might pass within a half 
 mile and not dream of its existence; but once seen, it passes 
 to the list of most pleasant memories. 
 
 On the opposite bank of the Yellowstone from the 
 mouth of Cower Creek is an exposure of basaltic colums 
 similar to the Giant's Causeway and fingals Cave. Cbeir 
 appearance make it easy for fit z to hoodwink some of the 
 party by telling us that it was another buffalo fence. 
 
 Ole saddle our horses and ford Cower Creek and then 
 make a very steep ascent, by far the steepest of the entire 
 trip, and then ride for a mile along a precipice. 
 
 ^Ihen we struck the smooth road we startled a herd of 
 antelope which playfully kept from five hundred to one 
 thousand feet ahead of us. It was interesting to observe 
 bow the captain of the herd would remain behind so as to 
 apparently court the danger with which we threatened bis 
 protegees. F)e would stop perhaps a hundred feet this side 
 of the herd and it would only resume its flight after 
 receiving a signal from him. finally with a defiant flirt of 
 their tails they disappeared over a ridge. 
 
 During the entire day, since leaving Cower falls we had 
 been finding elk horns lying on the hillsides where they bad 
 been dropped the season before by the monarchs of these 
 hills. Che temptation was great to carry some back with 
 us but a ten minutes carrying of one by Bverett proved the 
 burden to be too awkward and it was again thrown to the 
 ground, there, to return to dust. 
 
 In the distance we notice a black bill which f itz tells 
 us is the “Yancey Butte". Hn inquiry as to the meaning of 
 the word “Butte" brought the Yankee answer in the form 
 of another question “Isn't it a beaut ?" 
 
 Shortly after passing the Butte a fertile valley opens 
 before us and the fences surrounding fields of a coarse green 
 grass tell us that we are approaching human habitations 
 and finally the collection of low log houses known as 
 
” “ 
 
 “Yanceys” breaks upon the view. UHtb a dash I think 
 that every member of the party will admit that the dash 
 was assumed as all were fatigued from the long laborious 
 ride) we gallop up to the door of Yancey's office and dis¬ 
 mount and arc greeted by old man Yancey, “Colonel Yancey” 
 
 as he is called by the settlers 
 in that section and Uncle 
 'jfohn as he is addressed by 
 bis immediate friends and 
 subordinates* H visit to the 
 Yellowstone would be in¬ 
 complete unless Yancey's was 
 included in the route* Origi¬ 
 nally from Kentucky he has 
 been living in this section for 
 many years and the most 
 careful pumping fails to elicit 
 dates from this typical Ken¬ 
 tuckian* Small in stature, 
 very lean, hollow chested, 
 stoop shouldered, wearing 
 bis hair down on bis 
 shoulders, his face adorned 
 with a drooping southern 
 mustache and imperial whis¬ 
 kers, clothing anything but 
 neat, but the hair at all times 
 well oiled and carefully 
 brushed* from bis intimates 
 we learn that be is over eighty years old and had come to 
 this section as an Indian trader and finally located at this 
 spot which the government later reserved as a park* Because 
 of bis right of priority he is the only man who is allowed 
 to have his cattle roam about the park and keep dogs, all 
 canines being rigidly excluded from the park excepting the 
 two non-descript mongrels which own Uncle John as their 
 master. 
 
 Ulc arc invited into his office which turns out to be 
 the bar-room of bis group of log houses* Che bar itself is 
 
- 59 
 
 of the moat primitive nature, two barrels with a board top 
 and on it stand a tin measure and three glasses which bore 
 evidence that they bad not been washed since the day they 
 bad left the shelves of the crockery store. But the whisky 
 was good perhaps because of Yancey's assurance that be 
 received it direct from “Old Kaintuck”. CCHtb a “ftere's 
 bow” the liquor is tossed off and then X call for another 
 round insisting that an on-looker with a game leg who 
 carries a dilapidated toothpick stuck in the band of his 
 felt bat and who is addressed as “Bob” should partake with 
 the party. Che Colonel requests that the remaining water 
 be emptied into the wash basin probably to save himself 
 the trouble of getting a fresh supply from the spring. 
 
 Che introduction is now supposed to be over and all 
 the forms of Sflcstcrn politeness conformed with. Che 
 momentous question “Can we have something to eat” is 
 put to the Colonel, “^dall, X Dunno ! JVIcbbe you'd better 
 go in yerself an ask the cook.” CCIitb beating heart and a 
 silver dollar held out before me as a peace offering X venture 
 to invade the precinct of the queen of the kitchen. Covertly 
 taking the profferred coin she agreed to hurriedly provide 
 us with the best the bouse afforded and to improve the 
 time we ask to be shown to our rooms. H pink cheeked 
 little maid leads the way up a stairway of creaking, rough 
 boards and when we reach the top announces that the lady 
 and her husband, meaning me and my daughter can take 
 Room JVo. i. Che little hallway in which we are standing 
 is formed by undressed boards and the doors leading from 
 it have large numbers marked upon them in chalk from one 
 to five. 
 
 Hn inspection of the bed-rooms prove them to be large 
 enough for a single bedstead with a box on which are wash¬ 
 bowl, pitcher and part of a crash towel. Of the four window 
 lights at least one was broken in every room. Che cracks in 
 the wall are pasted up with strips of newspaper. No. t 
 being the bridal chamber was distinguished from the others 
 by a four by six looking glass. Che beds showed they were 
 changed at least twice, once in the spring and once in the 
 fall of each year. H little bribe on the side and a promise 
 
6 0 — 
 
 to keep the act of criminality a secret from Uncle "John 
 induces the maid to provide us with clean sheets, Che 
 small looking glass in room No. i positively startled me 
 for on looking into it X discovered that my left cheek was 
 very much swollen. Upon feeling of it X made the discovery 
 that the supposed swelling was caused by waves in the 
 glass so X next day varied the monotony by turning the 
 glass upside down which had the effect of reducing the 
 swelling of the left cheek and instead transferred it to the 
 right, much to my comfort of mind. 
 
 Ulc are called down to our supper. Bacon and eggs 
 were the main course. H taste of the eggs convinced all 
 that they were of the kind known in the Ulest as “pickled” 
 so we turned to our bread and butter and after a taste we 
 decided to dispense with the butter and dipped our bread 
 into the honey, leaving the large Bermuda onions untouched 
 on the table, promising ourselves a better breakfast when 
 the cook would have bad the time to prepare for us. Xt 
 was astonishing to watch fitz consume the immense 
 quantities of bacon and “aigs” urging the party to “pitch 
 in and help themselves”. 
 
 Hftcr supper we wandered out before the group of 
 bouses and then discovered that the fence around one of 
 them was composed entirely of elk horns, which bad 
 been picked up in the mountains and plains in the neighbor¬ 
 hood. 
 
 H search for a cigar brought me back to the office where 
 Col. ^ancey produced a box of cigars reserved for such of 
 his visitors as came from the effete Bast. Hn inspection 
 of the box showed that at least the name was intended for 
 the <Hcst: “Red Rooster” made by fee of Detroit. 
 
 H call for another drink around developed a character¬ 
 istic of Uncle 3 obn, which was, that be never gave back any 
 change. Xf a quarter was given him for a ten cent drink the 
 customer had the privilege of taking two more drinks or go 
 without the drinks or bis change just as he chose. 
 
 Old Unde John threw a horse-blanket next to the 
 crackling stove, lighted a cigar and then stretched himself 
 on his blanket. Before the stove on the only chair in the 
 
6 j — 
 
 room X sat puffing my Red Rooster and in the background 
 seated on saddles were the dim figures of fitz and Bob* 
 Che entire room derived it's light from a lantern standing 
 upon the bar. 
 
 On being told by Uncle 'John that Bob was quite a 
 singer he was finally coaxed to give us a song. It must 
 have consisted of at least twenty verses but X have been able 
 to retain the first only and it ran about as follows; 
 
 "My name is "Joe Bower, 
 
 I've got a brother Ike, 
 
 X come from old Missouri, 
 
 Yes, all the way from pike. 
 
 I'll tell you why X left there 
 Hnd how X came to roam 
 Hnd leave my poor old Mammy 
 Bo far away from home." 
 
 Che song was so pleasing that Bob was asked several 
 times to “Licker up" which he did with rapidly diminishing 
 backwardness and as the evening wore along without even 
 an invitation, fit z had advised me that Uncle John was 
 full of old border talcs but could rarely be brought to spin 
 his yams. Uihether it was because he was more commun¬ 
 icative than usual or because the conversation bad been 
 adroitly led into the right direction, at any rate, be began by 
 telling of the battle of the Rosebud and the massacre of 
 Custer and his forces by Bitting Bull and bis braves. 
 
 F>e bad personally warned Custer of the danger be was 
 recklessly rushing into, fte himself and a party of twenty- 
 five scouts, trappers and traders bad been for weeks in the 
 same section continually surrounded by these same Indians 
 but were not attacked because they guarded against occupy¬ 
 ing such a position as would give the Indians an advantage 
 and according to bis version they attacked only if such was 
 the case. 
 
 from bis positive assertions it was plain that be re¬ 
 garded Reno as a miserable coward who could have come to 
 Custer's rescue at any time. 
 
 f)e then drifted off into tales of the Crow Indians 
 with whom he had traded for many years and described 
 
 * 
 
— 62 — 
 
 encounters of white men with parties of Indians. HU his 
 stories bore the stamp of truth. 
 
 physical tiredness cn my part made it necessary to 
 break off the most interesting evening's entertainment and 
 I retired to room number two. 
 
 Che Chill of the night air which wafted in through 
 the broken pane of glass caused me to forget that the bed 
 covering was black with use and I drew it tightly around 
 myself and dozed off but was suddenly awakened by the 
 weird howl of a coyote. 
 
 Dropping off again I slept soundly until morning, when 
 we were called for breakfast at about six* 
 
Chapter 9. 
 
 H fISf>IN6 CRIP, 
 
 RBHKfHSC was a repetition of the supper 
 P 1 **™ 0119 night but we had the honor 
 of the company of Col. Yancey and the only 
 Tfc difference to be observed in his appearance 
 JjF from the evening before being that his hair 
 was still oilier if such a thing was possible. 
 
 Cvcrett had brought along the can of syrup that he had 
 found in the cache at Cower falls and we ate freely of the 
 bread dipped in the syrup. Uncle ?obn urged us to eat 
 some of the raw Bermuda onions as according to bis theory 
 they were particularly healthful at breakfast “Bein good for 
 the narvs”. 
 
 Breakfast finished we made our selection of fish poles 
 and started out and saw the rising sun. 
 
 Ule watched the rosy fingered Cos-daughter of the morn 
 gild the towers and spires of stone, and leap from dome to 
 dome and cliff to cliff. 
 
 Ule were doubly anxious to make a catch of fish so that 
 we might have something palatable to cat. Hfter we bad 
 ridden perhaps half a mile we saw standing in the centre of 
 the road a herd of cattle, the bull being foremost. <Qc told 
 one another how mankind dominated over the animal king¬ 
 dom by force of intellect, etc., etc., and with a perfect burst 
 of speed waving our fish-poles in the air, we charged the 
 herd of cattle but noticed that the bull, handsome fellow 
 that be was, did not move from bis tracks but lowered bis 
 head and defiantly waved bis narrative in the air as if 
 getting ready to charge. Ulc suddenly stopped and gave 
 him and his followers a wide berth. Ule all admitted his 
 
— 64 — 
 
 courage but questioned bis judgment. Shortly after we ran 
 across a herd of antelope which quickly scampered away on 
 our appearance, <Xlc strike the Lamar River and in fording 
 it found that the entire bottom consisted of stones and 
 boulders. 
 
 Bmma and Bverett rode ahead of us and suddenly a 
 bunch of soldiers passed us on a gallop, Che advance riders 
 of our party hearing the rapid boofbeats supposed that wc 
 were trying to pass them and let out their horses. Bmma, 
 whose Bird touched the road in high spots only soon left 
 Bverett behind and it was only after a long ride that she 
 pulled up her horse and the soldiers caught up to her. 
 
 Our horses although perspiring freely from the sharp 
 ride to this point were allowed to drink of the icy cold 
 water of a creek to their hearts content, it being a curious 
 fact that these mountain horses seemed to feel no ill effects 
 from such indulgence while their better favored brethren in 
 the Bast would be ruined for life if allowed to indulge 
 similarly. 
 
 Che road now slopes gradually until we reach Slough 
 Creek (Slue Creek as it is pronounced by fitz). 
 
 Coming to a finely wooded spot of scrub poplar and 
 aspens wc dismount and stripping our horses of saddles 
 and bridles allow them to forage for themselves in the deep 
 buffalo grass which is very luxuriant in this valley. 
 
 Bach of the party is given a hook : fitz carrying the 
 book of hooks and flies in bis pocket and we all set out to 
 catch grasshoppers which we are told are the best bait for 
 the trout in this stream, fortunately the grasshoppers 
 were plentiful and each of the party selects what appears to 
 him a most desirable spot for fishing. 
 
 One of my friends (David Cilt, of Chicago) bad made 
 me a handsome pair of knee boots and X felt that X was 
 perfectly safe and waded into the rapid running stream. H 
 careless step and the water-proof boots were filled by the 
 icy water running in at the top. 
 
 Casting for full half an hour by this method convinces 
 me that some other plan would have to be followed or the 
 fishing would be fruitless. Pandering up the creek X espied 
 
— 65 — 
 
 Uncle frank who had come in this direction looking for a 
 favored spot and for some time one blamed the other for 
 frightening away the fish* 
 
 X finally saw a magnificent salmon trout leisurely 
 approaching my grasshopper and with a rush he took the 
 bait. Playing him for a few minutes X gradually worked 
 him toward the shore, falling down the steep embankment 
 during the excitement and landing on bands and feet in the 
 water but on recovering myself find my prey still tugging 
 at the book. <Uitb a great deal of caution X again work 
 him toward the shore but when attempting to land him be 
 slipped off the hook and disappeared. 
 
 Very much chagrined X again baited the hook and 
 scarcely credited my senses on seeing my old time victim 
 beading for bis second meal. F>c again took the book with 
 a rush and the same maneuver was repeated, only excepting 
 the fall from the embankment. Che second attempt to 
 land him met with the same result as before, he simply 
 seemed to drop off the book. Drawing tn the line and 
 examining the book X find that the barb bad in some way 
 been broken off. Searching through all my pockets X dis¬ 
 covered that it was the only hook that X bad with me and 
 instead of Sheridan it was fitz with the books who was 
 two miles away. X sat down on the bank, cussed just a bit 
 and then enjoyed the rippling of the stream hurrying on its 
 way to the Yellowstone River. 
 
 Uncle frank at this time hove in sight and while telling 
 him just bow it had happened and where it bad happened X 
 suddenly again caught sight of Mr. Speckled Beauty who 
 bad done so much to bring discomfiture upon me. 
 
 Che water was as clear as crystal and every motion of 
 this prince could be observed. (He both ran for the prairie 
 in quest of more grasshoppers which fortunately were soon 
 gotten and hurrying back to our observation point there be 
 still stood, scarcely moving a fin and looking around for 
 food. Uncle frank dropped in bis luscious locust and it 
 was tantalizing to see with what disdain the previous 
 greedy chap looked at the book. f)e would rise and snap at 
 twigs and dry leaves floating down the current but seemed 
 
- 66 — 
 
 to pay no attention to the bait which was dangled before 
 him in the most alluring manner, finally it occured to 
 Uncle frank to skip the grasshopper over the surface of the 
 water and the ruse was successful; with a rush he took the 
 grasshopper and Uncle frank who does not believe in 
 wasting time even playing a trout, jerked him out of his 
 watery element, throwing him at least ten feet into the 
 brush. 
 
 Ule spent much time in admiring what X advisedly 
 call “our catch”, from that time on good fortune seemed 
 to follow Uncle frank and he soon added five more equally 
 large salmon trout to his string. 
 
 (He rejoined our party and found that Bverett had 
 caught one small trout and 6mma none. 
 
 Hfter luncheon I again adopted my wading tactics: X 
 caught no fish when X waded; caught none when X stood 
 on the bank and so yielded to the pleasure of feeling the 
 ineffectual efforts of the creek to sweep me off my feet, 
 finally rejoining the party on the shore X dangled my hook 
 in the water and was awakened from a revery by a tug at 
 the end of the line. Xterking the line “sans ceremonie“ X 
 landed a little four inch trout which becoming disengaged 
 from my barbless hook, fell on the sand and Uncle frank 
 wishing to give him a little longer lease of life pushed him 
 into a puddle of water. 
 
 It growing dark we decided to return, and hunted for 
 my fish. Ule found it almost impossible to capture him in 
 the puddle and it took all the perseverance of Uncle frank 
 and myself to finally secure a slimy looking little fish. 
 
 Catching our horses which had found good pasturage 
 close by we saddled them and in the exuberance of my 
 spirits riding behind Uncle frank X prodded “Kate” with 
 my fishpole. She having had a good night and day rest 
 made strenuous efforts to get out of my reach. Uncle 
 frank congratulated himself that his kind treatment of his 
 mount had so encouraged her that she was rapidly develop¬ 
 ing into a free going saddle-horse. 
 
 Caking a different route from the one we had come we 
 passed what is known as the “fossil forest”. Ule were 
 
- 67 — 
 
 much tempted to make the steep climb up to it but fit z 
 informed us that we would the next day see the best 
 specimens of petrified trees in the park. 
 
 On Gmma's asking what the fossil forest really was 
 be told her that it consisted of petrified trees on the 
 branches of which sat petrified birds, tip to this point 
 she had listened most credulously but when he added that 
 they were singing petrified songs she turned her back on 
 him with a sniff which caused him, the hearty soulcd old 
 fellow, to give vent to a boyish, prolonged roar. 
 
 Hrriving at Yancey's we hurriedly deposited our fish 
 with the cook. Uncle f rank gave strict instructions that 
 they be fried, as according to him, only fried fish are fit to 
 eat. tdhen the meal was cooked we all went in to supper 
 but a disappointed look appeared on every face after tasting 
 the handsome brown fried fish. Cbey had been fried in the 
 wagon grease butter and the flavor of that article was sub¬ 
 stituted for that of freshly caught trout, fortunately not 
 all our catch bad been fried and the cook was requested to 
 fry the balance with bacon next morning for breakfast. 
 
 X bad told the party of the interesting evening spent 
 with Uncle John in his office and so all adjourned to it after 
 supper. Che Kentucky Red Bye was set out on the bar and 
 the box of Red Roosters next to it and we settled down for 
 our evening's entertainment. 
 
 I bad discovered a handsome pair of antlers lying in a 
 corner of “Yancey's enclosure and tried to persuade him to sell 
 them to me but as they belonged to an engineer, who be 
 expected would return, he did not feel at liberty to do so. 
 
 Quite a strong wind bad blown up in the meantime and 
 we beard it howling about the log bouse. 
 
 “Yancey's entire settlement consisted of three log bouses 
 and a log barn some distance away. Only one of the log 
 bouses was two-storied and not one of them was over 
 twenty feet long by fifteen feet wide. 
 
 Upon Uncle ^obn telling us of the visitors he occasion¬ 
 ally bad, he was asked how many be could take care of; he 
 replied that on a pinch be could accomodate one hundred and 
 fifty, although be had never been called on to provide for 
 
- 68 - 
 
 that many. F)e not being a provident man, no great im¬ 
 posing bay-stacks were visible and the question still remains, 
 where would be put them ? 
 
 X bad taken off my boots and was bolding them in all 
 sorts of positions before the crackling stove, in my attempt 
 to dry them, and bad just gotten ^ancey started telling 
 about when be first began trading with the Crow Indians 
 when suddenly the door opened and followed by a gust of 
 wind a man stumbled into the room, fitz gave the door a 
 kick, when it flew shut and was just as suddenly burst 
 open again and in stumbled another man. Both of them 
 instinctively beaded for our saddles which were lying in 
 heaps on the floor and squattet down on them. Ulitb 
 many a course about the weather, the wind, the road and 
 themselves and the rest of creation they opened the con¬ 
 versation. 
 
 fitz quietly motioned to 6mma and they departed 
 followed by Uncle frank and Bverett. I was hindered from 
 doing likewise by not being able to get on my wet boots. 
 X sat quietly when X was suddenly accosted and asked 
 to join the party in flickering up". Uncle 'John and Bob 
 accepted the invitation to flicker up" but X politely refused. 
 ]^ext, with diverse oaths came a request from the partner 
 to take a smoke then. Bavtng a freshly lighted cigar in my 
 mouth X refused but instantly regretted having refused both 
 invitations, as at that minute, X re-called that it was one 
 of the playful pastimes of these gentle sons of the Uloolly 
 COest to make tenderfeet who bad refused invitations to 
 drink or bad otherwise made themselves disliked, dance, by 
 shooting at thetr feet. 
 
 UHtb a significant intonation of the voice they in 
 unison asked one another, 44 Ulbats the matter with that 
 fellow?", when Bob who evidently knew what was coming, 
 walked up to one and jabbing an out-stretched finger into 
 his chest said, 44 Bay! F)ide Bound Bannigan, the gent don't 
 want to drink, see! and when the gent don't want to drink 
 be don't have to, see" and then turning to the other and 
 with the same jab in the ribs continued, “Say, pie-Moutbed 
 pete, the gent don't want to smoke, see! and if the gent 
 
69 - 
 
 don't want to smoke He don't Have to, see, and no fellow can 
 make him drink while I am around, see!" 
 
 By this time X had managed to get my boots on and 
 arose and with a very polite good-night stepped out of the 
 door closely followed by Bob who invited me to visit him 
 at his shanty which was only a few rods distant. SQitb 
 gratitude toward him in my heart X willingly accepted and 
 followed his lead along the pitch dark path. 
 
 Hrriving at his shanty he lighted his candle which was 
 set in the top of a bottle and pushing off some articles of 
 clothing from the only chair for me he squatted himself on 
 the top of the bed. 
 
 X asked him what he was doing in this part of the 
 country and how he had come to locate here. Suddenly 
 dropping his rough language he from then on spoke in correct 
 Bnglish telling me that he was the son of a minister. 
 (Later on X learnt that a majority of the no-accounts in the 
 3Qcst claim to be either sons or relatives of ministers, 
 they evidently feeling that such a relationship gives them 
 distinction and entitles them to some respect for their 
 relationship at least.) Continuing he related that he had 
 taken up gambling for a living. F>e bad gradually become 
 addicted to drink and in the hopes of breaking off bad hired 
 out to the Q. S. government for one year to take care of 
 some horses which were herded at this point. f)e had only 
 five more months to serve and he felt well satisfied with 
 the mastery he bad obtained over bis desire for drink, 
 •prom bis exhibition at Yancey's office X would not have 
 concluded that be bad made any progress but be thought be 
 bad and be ought to have known. f)c ended by saying that 
 when bis year was over be would lead a respectable life. X 
 asked him what be intended to take up for his livelihood, be 
 answered, “Gambling, of course, but X will give up 
 drinking". Bringing out a box be banded me a pair of new 
 socks. On my thanking him and drawing my wallet for 
 the purpose of paying him he insisted that X should accept 
 them as a gift; and added that he bad beard me ask \anccy 
 for his pair of elk horns and that he had decided to give me 
 a pair, suiting his actions to his words he climbed up a 
 
— 70 — 
 
 ladder into the attic of his log-house and passed down a 
 pair of handsome antlers, as fine a pair as I had ever seen* 
 X told him that X would willingly pay him for them but 
 he insisted that X should receive them as a gift, adding 
 further that he would take them to Gardiner for me (which 
 was at least thirty miles distant) the next time he rode 
 there. 
 
 X asked him why he was so exeedingly generous with 
 me and he told me that it was because of my insisting that 
 he join our party in taking a drink when we first arrived at 
 Yancey's. “Generally”, said he, “City people pay no 
 attention to a’ low down cuss like me and X tell you X 
 appreciated your invitation”. X thanked him but am frank 
 to say that X little expected to receive the horns, but weeks 
 after arriving home in Detroit the horns arrived carefully 
 crated and X value them for the memory of my stop at 
 Xanceys. 
 
 X incidentally asked Bob what he thought the reason 
 for Yancey's longevity. F)e replied that he supposed they 
 had not got hell hot enough for the old man yet. 
 
 Che next morning after a breakfast, which was simply 
 a repetition of the other meals had at Yancey's, we made an 
 early start. H steep climb starting in directly back of 
 Yancey's brings us to two petrified trees which stand all 
 alone on the side of the hill. Che larger one is three feet in 
 diameter and the trunk about twenty feet high. 
 
 Che entire tree to the core has turned into a many hued 
 stone. Both below and on both sides some little distance 
 away a young growth of trees is springing up, showing that 
 the soil at least on the top is still capable of growing trees 
 and my explanation is that these older trees in sending their 
 roots down sufficiently far struck a vein of water which 
 is strongly impregnated with calcium and that this water 
 after the trees had died off had continued to mount up into 
 the tree, because of capillary attraction, and the water 
 evaporating left a deposit of stone. 
 
 “Xn ages gone these olden trees 
 Perchance overlooked some inland seas 
 CCihose rippling waves 
 
Bore on their flood some unknown race. 
 Ulho had their season, time and place 
 Now in their graves — 
 
 \ct still they cast their shadows down 
 Like ancient warriors grim and brown”. 
 Che horses 
 
 had exerted 
 themselves 
 so severely 
 in reaching 
 this point 
 that 
 Bmma's 
 horse 
 
 “Bird” lay 
 down with 
 her on his 
 back. <flc 
 all dis¬ 
 mounted 
 and lead our 
 horses back 
 to the road¬ 
 way which 
 ascends 
 steadily^ 
 until we 
 reach the 
 “Undine 
 falls”, to 
 
 obtain a view of which wc climbed out upon a projecting 
 crag. 
 
 Beyond here the road steadily descends and this 
 continuous descent is more tiresome for both rider and 
 horse than are the climbs. 
 
 UIc reached the Mammoth f>ot Springs at 1.30 p. M« 
 and this ends our ride. Our baggage had gone before us 
 and all went in for a hot bath and then exchanged our 
 corduroy suits for the regulation traveling clothes. 
 
_ 72 __ 
 
 <Hc are all anxious to get away from this hotel and 
 make arrangements to have ourselves and baggage conveyed 
 to Cinnabar. Hfter a hasty supper wie depart... Our 
 driver being a lanky, sour-faced looking individual, who, as 
 we soon discover, is under the influence of liquor which in 
 him took the persecution form, everybody was down on 
 him and “some day they would wake up and find he had 
 done them up/' F)is horses were worth their weight in gold 
 but they were tired and the stage company in their desire to 
 persecute him had forced him to take them out again after 
 having gone twenty miles that day. Che evening was dark 
 and we all felt relieved when we struck Gardiner as from 
 this on the road was level and there was less fear of our 
 meeting with an accident. 
 
 <Kihtle passing through this place we were hailed by our 
 old fitz who had preceded us and with a hearty handshake 
 we parted from our efficient guide. 
 
 Our train left Cinnabar at nine o'clock and we bade 
 good-bye to the Yellowstone park, a description of which 
 would fill a book and every page would have bis picture, 
 since no written words can describe the wonders of this 
 land of wonders. Cbey are not just here and there, but 
 every where. In all of the more than one hundred miles of 
 ride there is not a weary mile among them; not a monoton¬ 
 ous minute; of the geysers there is not one that is like the 
 others, of the translucent pools their waters are many-bued 
 and each seeming more prismatic in its beauty than the 
 others. Che scenic splendor of mountain and valley views 
 is unsurpassed in all this broad land and like a picture of 
 almost sublime grandeur it opens to another in that grandest 
 of all, the Grand Canyon, the spreading waters of the lake 
 hemmed in by giant mountains finds one outlet only in the 
 rushing waters that go on forever. 
 
 Che park is our National Museum of Natural ftistory 
 and is filled with volcanic foot-prints of the pliocene period. 
 “Co the open ear it sings 
 Sweet the genesis of things 
 Of chemic matter, force and form, 
 
 Of poles and powers, cold, wet and warm." 
 
Chapter 10* 
 
 IJVCO MOJNTCHNH. 
 
 r>6 train had been lying at a siding at Logan 
 until 8:30 In the morning when we changed 
 care for Butte, Montana, as we have a desire 
 to see what Is known as the toughest city In 
 the United States* <He arrive there at eleven 
 o'clock on frlday, the i3tb of September* 
 6n route we pass through some of the wildest boulder 
 country that we have yet seen* 
 
 Between Logan and Butte we ride along the Missouri 
 River and one Involuntarily asks himself how such a clean 
 river can during Its life time get so dirty as It Is at St* 
 Louis for Instance, and If one has any talent for moralizing 
 he will probably Immediately draw a comparison between 
 this son of the hills and many sons of human beings* 
 
 Ht last the hills open and we are In a wide plateau 
 entirely surrounded by cone shaped hills, no tree, no shrub, 
 neither garden, nor field, nor meadow In this plain* Chrough 
 the sand the dirty water of the copper mines slckers, which 
 are up the walls of these hills, the city starting at the foot 
 of them and over the whole a cloud of smoke and sulphur 
 fumes hovers* 
 
 If the surface of the earth docs not afford humanity a 
 means for life It gets It out of the ground and here 
 thousands go down Into the mines and cut of hundreds of 
 shafts copper, sliver and gold ore Is brought up and carried 
 to the smelting works* 
 
 Che city of Butte has four smelters and still over five 
 thousand tons of ore arc sent dally to the thirty mile 
 distant Hnaccnda where one of the greatest copper smelters 
 
— 75 — 
 
 of the world Is located belonging to the Hmalgamated 
 Company, at the head of which Is Senator Clark. 
 
 Cde take a carriage and drive to a first class restaurant 
 where an exceptionally good meal Is served and then drive 
 through the city. It makes a most peculiar Impression. 
 Che main street has on It some very fine business edifices 
 and right adjoining them some tumble down frame 
 buildings. Che best built up business block In the city has 
 eight saloons so that at least every third building Is occupied 
 by a "Cheer Dispensary.” One of them bore the following 
 Inviting sign In the window, "No rubbernecks wanted In 
 here.” 
 
 (He then drove to the so-called F>elnzc Smelter; at the 
 office we obtained permission to go through It, which was 
 quite Interesting but the odor of Chlorine was positively 
 suffocating and affected Bmma's throat so badly that we 
 hurried to get out of the neighborhood. 3 de think back to 
 the visit with especial Interest as It was this man Relnzc 
 who broke the price of the Hmalgamated Copper Mines Co., 
 the stock decline of which had such a disastrous effect on 
 one of our Detroit banks. 
 
 Sde are driven along the residence street. On one of the 
 finest corners Is built the palace of Sen. Clark, one of the 
 very wealthiest men In the Northwest. Nearby Is the only 
 tree In the city of Butte and although dead, that tree Is so 
 great a curiosity that pictures of It are sold at the news¬ 
 stands. 
 
 Ht four p. M. we took the Oregon Short line for Salt 
 Lake City which Is four hundred eight miles directly south 
 of Butte and takes us through the entire state of Idaho. 
 Ht Lima we pass through the Rocky Mountains and arrive 
 at Salt Lake City at seven In the morning. 
 
 Ht the depot we were met by Messrs. Bfflnger and 
 7 effs, friends of the plngrees, who took us In carriages to 
 a restaurant which was conducted by Mormons. Bfflnger's 
 order was for "two clucke and a grunt”, and It was with a 
 great deal of curiosity that we awaited the result of this 
 odd CQestern order. Che explanation was plain when the 
 waiter brought two fried eggs and a rasher of bacon. 
 
— 7 e — 
 
 QXe were driven to the Kenyon hotel which is also con- 
 ducted by Mormons. <£ie later walked around the Cemple 
 and Cabernacle, admired the wide streets, the house which 
 Brigham built for Bliza and were particularly struck by the 
 odd position of the statue of him which stands at the inter¬ 
 section of the corners which are graced respectively, by the 
 temple and the Bank of Zion. Brigham faces the Bank 
 holding out his hand and has his back turned to the temple 
 with his face slightly turned toward what was once the 
 home of Bliza and a superficial observation of life among 
 the Mormons seems to present a peculiar admixture of 
 commercialism, love and religion. 
 
 Q 3 e learn that the church of Zion has competition by 
 the Methodists and Bpiscopalians. 
 
 Chere is one lodge of free Masons and X was proud to 
 learn that the Masons had done one of those real things by 
 founding and keeping up a public library. 
 
 Che first domestic manufacture introduced into the 
 Mormon settlement was the tanning of leather; and to this 
 leather was given the distinctive title of “Talley “Can" it 
 being tanned in the valley. Hs other articles were made by 
 the isolated people, each was called “Talley Can” to 
 distinguish it from the imported article and perhaps 
 naturally even the first newspaper was called the “Talley 
 Can”. 
 
 Hs on this day the grand organ in the tabernacle was 
 to play in memory of the dead president McKinlay we hur¬ 
 ried in so as to secure good seats which we did in the 
 gallery. Che description of the tabernacle has often been 
 written and I will only take time to say that it was built 
 in the early days of mormonism in what was then a desert, 
 under the greatest difficulties. It is roughly egg-shaped 
 and the acoustic is truly wonderful. 
 
 Music was rendered by a choir accompanied by the 
 organ and was truly inspiring. Che organ had notes such 
 as I had never heard before, for instance, a clear baritone 
 and a very sweet soprano and it was most difficult to 
 distinguish at times whether the volume of sound came 
 from the choir or the organ. 
 
— 77 — 
 
 In the afternoon we took a railroad ride to the 
 celebrated Salt Lake. Qpon its shore has been built a very 
 large frame structure which is entirely devoted to amuse¬ 
 ments. Che second floor is one vast expanse and is the 
 dancing floor, probably the largest area in the Onited States 
 devoted to this form of amusement. 
 
 CQc sat on the veranda overlooking the beautiful lake 
 out of the center of which rises a magnificent rocky island. 
 Che lake is surrounded by towering mountains except to 
 the westward of “Saltair” (the name of the place of 
 amusement) and here the view loses itself in the Great Salt 
 Lake desert. 
 
 It is interesting to observe women going into the water 
 where it is only a few feet deep, lying flat upon it and 
 remain floating without any effort. Che effort becomes 
 necessary however when they wish to regain their feet which 
 can only be done with the greatest difficulty. 
 
 Returning it was our intention to visit a mine called 
 “Che Ophir” which is located in southern Utah on the 
 border of Nevada. 
 
 Mr. Lathrop of the mine speculating firm of Lathrop 
 and Bffingcr accompanied us. Stic took the train in the 
 evening for Modena which is two hundred eighty six miles 
 south of Salt Lake City and arrived there early next 
 morning. 
 
 In the evening on the train we played a game of pedro 
 with Lathrop and a brother-in-law of Bffinger, who is a 
 Lake Superior miner. Che luck of the Detroit contingent 
 was simply phenomenal. Co this must be added the poor 
 playing of the others. Che stakes of the game were for one 
 dollar a corner and as payment was made in cartwheel 
 dollars our pockets soon bulged. Our host and his partner 
 grew suspicious of our luck and it was amusing to observe 
 how closely they watched our every move. It was absolutely 
 necessary for us to intentionally lose some games and at 
 one point when a dispute arose I decided against Chicle frank 
 and this seemed to effectually disarm their suspicion. Ht 
 no time during the days that followed did any of that 
 contingent suggest another game. 
 
- 78 - 
 
 Cbcrc were no accomodations for eating on the train 
 and on our arrival at Modena in the gray of the morning 
 we looked around for some hospitable caravansary. Lest 
 Modena be given an importance that it does not deserve let 
 me tell you that it consists of a water-tank, a low rambling 
 freight shed and three or four typical Western frame-houses, 
 of course innocent of paint. One of them we were directed 
 to, as being the “ 6 ating-bouse”. 
 
 Uncle frank took the lead and with a bland and would- 
 be persuasive smile addressed the barearmed landlady who 
 presided over the kitchen stove with a small child in her 
 arm. Co his question whether we might have breakfast she 
 replied in an indifferent she “reckoned we might”. 
 
 Off the dining room was a room which showed two or 
 three beds in the greatest possible disorder and the odor that 
 pervaded the house can only be produced in a section where 
 bathtubs are unknown, water scarce and the people obliged 
 to herd together. 
 
 Ulc were all glad to get out into the fresh air again and 
 took our seats in a covered democrat wagon. By this time 
 the sun had risen and it had turned quite warm, so when 
 the driver began to fasten up a heavy leather apron, we 
 protested but be assured us that we would soon see the 
 usefulness of the apron and before fifteen minutes bad 
 passed we bad entered upon one of those desolate Ulestern 
 deserts. Che sand rolled up in bucketfuls and in spite of the 
 leather apron it entered the vehicle through every crevice and 
 we were soon covered with it. 
 
 Ulbat makes this sand more unpleasant than ordinary 
 is the alkali which it contains and which causes the eyes to 
 smart and the lips to chap. 
 
 Hbout ten miles from Modena we came upon a lone 
 house backed against the foothills of a chain of bills fairly 
 well covered with timber. CQe were told that this bad been 
 the habitation of one of those <Uestern heroes of romance 
 that had in former days exacted toll from the unwilling 
 traveler. f)is house stood alongside of the only trail and 
 the woods and hills behind it offered a refuge in case of 
 pursuit. Ule where much interested in the story of this 
 
— 79 — 
 
 western Dick Curpin. Che hills are the foothills of the 
 Ulahsatcb mountains, Ulater is nowhere to be seen and 
 the railroad company was forced to lay a pipe fifteen miles 
 through the desert for the purpose of supplying the water- 
 tank at Modena. 
 
 <Obcn first one looks upon the desert it is most deso¬ 
 late and forbidding but even as it is railroads are being built 
 across this as well as the other Hmerican deserts, and none 
 can bar human activity. Mines are being opened and land is 
 being reclaimed by irrigation. In all the Ulest, look as you 
 will, you will find no desert more pitifully forlorn, more 
 deserted, more irreclaimable, and more worthless than the 
 man-made deserts of Northern Michigan, where fire has 
 followed the heedless lumberman and spread a black and 
 littered waste hundreds of square miles in extent, where 
 once grew a splendid green forest of pine. 
 
 One is beautiful with the perfected grandeur into which 
 nature molds even the most unpromising material; the other 
 is hideous, grotesque, pitiful, a reminder of the reckless 
 wastefulness of man. 
 
 Che natural desert, indeed, abounds in a strange and 
 beguiling beauty of its own, that lays bold upon a man's 
 spirit, perhaps rudely at first, yet with a growing fasci¬ 
 nation that, once deeply felt, forever calls and calls the 
 wanderer home again. In the spells that it weaves over a 
 man it is like the sea: the love of the sailor for bis life is 
 not more faithful than that of those bronzed silent riders 
 of the desert for the long, hot stretches of their open land. 
 
 from a car-window the desert seems a monotone, in 
 gray or red-brown, without character, without passion or 
 purpose, and it suggests an endless continuation of mono¬ 
 tony with dust forever blowing, and glaring white sunshine, 
 its scant vegetation curious and repellant, its animal life 
 fierce or repulsive; but seen closely, seen with the heart, a 
 whole new world will open to you, the desert will take you 
 to itself and teach you great, calm, wonderful things, and 
 you will never again be free from its thrall. Underneath 
 what seems a monotone in gray or brown lies splendid 
 coloring and action; what at first suggests poverty, proves 
 
— So — 
 
 a wealth of life, which 19 forever disclosing new wonders* 
 Hnd, note the pioneers, find miners delving in the earth for 
 gold, see herders setting up their windmills; engineers 
 making water levels, and railroad contractors spinning their 
 threads of steel where no man dreamed of living, and you 
 will feel as you have never felt before, and your heart will 
 throb with the pride of it, this splendid human energy and 
 patience and determination* F)ere men separate themselves 
 from their homes, from the society of women, they suffer 
 thirst and hardship and the crying wonder of it all is that 
 these are ordinary men, good and evil, weak and strong, who 
 have no idea that they are heroic, who would laugh at the 
 suggestion that they are more than earning a living, making 
 a little money for themselves, and hoping to make more in 
 the future* ^es! the time has come when humanity will 
 not tolerate deserts* 
 
Chapter 1 1 . 
 
 DOOIJV IJNTCO H MIN 6 * 
 
 f >6 road starts winding up a narrow valley 
 through the center of which runs the bed of 
 a creek that in the spring of the year or after 
 rain storms deserves the name although at 
 present not a drop of water can be found 
 _ in it* 
 
 Now we come to our first bouse, a miner's but and 
 finally a number of one-story buildings huddled together 
 and we are at Statelme. H few general stores seem to be 
 the center of attraction for each has Its group of men in 
 overalls and cowhide boots lounging before it. No matter 
 bow indolent they may appear each is busy chewing bis quid 
 of tobacco and somebody suggested that it was probably 
 the cud of reflection* 
 
 $Qc continue through the village and at the extreme end 
 a fkbrew has just opened a small clothing store, not larger 
 than 20 by 30 feet but X presume that two years after he 
 will occupy one of the two stores in the center of the village 
 and will have added a general line of merchandise to bis 
 original stock of goods* 
 
 Clattering down the roadway come two horses and as 
 they draw near they pull off to one side of the road to let 
 us pass by and we discover that the riders arc two Indian 
 children, a boy and a girl* Cbey have blankets drawn around 
 their forms and over their heads and the black, sparkling 
 eyes look furtively at us. 
 
 Hcross the withers of their horses they bad vessels 
 suspended that attract our attention* Cbey arc well, almost 
 artistically shaped and made of withes and are covered in- 
 
~ 82. — 
 
 side and out with resin. 'Cbc handles arc braided from the 
 long tailbairs of horses. (Oe try to buy a couple of these 
 primitive but ingenious water receptacles but cannot induce 
 tbe children to part with them* 
 
 Che children belong to tbe jNawjo tribe and have ridden 
 miles to come thus far for water which is said to remain 
 cool and palatable for a long time in vessels of this de¬ 
 scription. 
 
 Sleeks afterward we were delighted to receive two of 
 the vessels from 6 verett who succeeded in buying them from 
 some of the grown-up Indians, 
 
 Shortly after we came across several vaquerros, the 
 Spanish name for cattle drivers or cowboys, Che people in 
 this section have changed this Spanish name to suit their 
 tongues and call them “Buckeroos”. 
 
 Sle finally made a steep ascent which taxed tbe strength 
 of our horses and pulled up at a new building which wc are 
 told is the office and here we arc to sleep, Uncle frank and 
 X occupying a bed together, 
 
 Hfter a thorough wasbup which removes the dust from 
 eyes and ears we wander up among the tents that constitute 
 
83 - 
 
 the Opbir Mining Camp to the eating bouse and Uncle frank 
 and X sit down to view the beauty of the scenic panorama, 
 stretched out before us* Up the center of the valley a 
 tortuous road loses itself among the bills and at our right 
 rises Government peak, one of the highest peaks in these 
 mountains. 
 
 presently Gmma und Bverett appear on the road 
 mounted on two bronchos, Gmma sitting astride as usual. 
 Instead of taking the path which leads zigzag up the 
 mountain they ride straight at it and up it and finally reach 
 the top, so high up 
 that we can scarcely 
 distinguish them. Cbey 
 come straight down as 
 they went up and arrive 
 in time to join us as 
 we enter the eating 
 house which in clean¬ 
 liness and perfect ap¬ 
 pointments surpasses 
 anything we might 
 have expected in this 
 out of the way place. 
 
 Long tables covered 
 with clean, white wax 
 cloth are set with clean, 
 solid dishes, and bright 
 looking, comely young 
 women place before us 
 good, wholesome, 
 palatable food and we 
 thoroughly enjoy our 
 meal, particularly as 
 we contrast it with the 
 breakfast bad at Modena. 
 
 (He clambered up a bill, the sides of which showed it 
 to consist largely of small broken pieces of rock, a white 
 gray in color which we were told contained the metal be¬ 
 cause of which this mine had been dug and a mill built. 
 
pieces of a dark gray hue were pointed out as being most 
 valuable for silver. 
 
 Nearby in a shed stands the engine looking weak and 
 particularly loose and out of joint. H wire which on its 
 appearance would have been condemned by an elevator 
 inspector, led to a hole in the ground called “shaft”. H 
 whistle from someone set the engine in motion and with 
 creak and groan there appears at the surface what I would 
 call an iron bucket with a lid to it, but which the bystanding 
 miners pronounce a “skip”. 
 
 Going down a mine is a serious and solemn business, 
 something like getting married. X thought of explosions, 
 cave-ins, skip rope breaking, etc., and sat down to think it 
 out and will admit my enthusiasm diminished rapidly. CT>e 
 sarcastic urging of Qnclc frank and 6 mma finally got me 
 into a mental condition of beautiful indifference and when 
 Schwarz, the big fat engineer of a Lake Superior coppermine 
 who was also a visitor clinched their argument by pronounc¬ 
 ing the wire cable strong enough to hold a half dozen men, 
 X gave my hat a vicious cock over the left eye, pointed my 
 
— 85 
 
 cigar to the northwest and called for a box which was put 
 in the skip for me to sit upon, and clambered in and then 
 recollected that this was like a trip to purgatory — tickets 
 sold only one way — and felt like crawling out and braving 
 the ridicule and chaff, but a look from Uncle frank caused 
 me to duck and beg the onlookers to close down the cover 
 on me, which was done and then came the most severe shock 
 of all when X ascertained that three passengers were going 
 to stand on the cover, among them the obese and jolly 
 Schwarz* H whistle, and down we go with a whirr and I 
 feel that in a world where men go down into mines there is 
 no time for resentment* Straight down three hundred feet 
 and through the crack of my cage X see lights flitting by 
 until we stop with a sudden thump and X breathe a sigh of 
 relief as X know we have reached the bottom* X crawl out 
 and would not have been surprised to see the River Styx 
 roll by* 
 
 Ulc are in a square room say 20 by 20 with a miniature 
 railroad track running off to one side* <dhile waiting for 
 the rest of the party X observe that the air is like JMay and 
 as my eyes grow accustomed to the dim light that little 
 narrow streets branch off the room and down one X see 
 distant dancing lights* 
 
 Bcre comes our party and with them the mine boss, 
 Capt. Sammie. F>c looks like a highwayman but we find 
 out later be is a Baptist deacon and plays the organ up at 
 the big camp tent* Ulc follow the lead of the Captain and 
 wisely inspect ceilings and walls until we come to a group 
 of men who are loading a small truck, the wheels of which 
 run on the rails X bad seen in the shaft room* 
 
 Che Captain introduces some of these miners and one of 
 them, bis face diffused with smiles, extends bis hands to 
 Uncle frank with a would-be familiar or perhaps better, 
 family air. Che matter later appears simple when we learn 
 that this is the father of Katy. Katy ? well, Katy is the 
 Belle of the JVKne and our young friend Cvcrett is accused of 
 having been suggestively friendly with Katy, so much so 
 that her father felt himself as one of our family circle when 
 with us. Che young scamp hesitatingly and blusbingly 
 
— 86 - 
 
 dentes the soft impeachment and bis father turns on him a 
 sad, reproachful loch but after we had seen Katy, smiling 
 and happy and pretty enough to be remarked in any company, 
 the papa, who is a connoisseur, admitted the son's good 
 taste, although still questioning his judgment. 
 
 <He keep on walking into one stope and then another, 
 lose all sense of direction and fairly bewildered finally find 
 ourselves back in the shaft room. 
 
 X again step into my cage, the cover shuts with a 
 "bang” and up we go, slowly, then faster and stop with a 
 jerk. X step out on the ground and gaze around, the sun 
 shines brightly and X walk over to the engine house and 
 greet the engineer as X would a long lost brother. 
 
 me now decide to visit the mill which is placed on the 
 other side of the valley with a tramway leading to it and 
 
 arranged 
 for the 
 convenient 
 transport¬ 
 ation of 
 the ore 
 from the 
 mine to 
 the mill. 
 
 0 >c mill 
 is almost 
 completed 
 and looks 
 like a large 
 plant 
 compared 
 with the 
 small 
 mine. 
 Since then 
 it has 
 developed 
 that be¬ 
 cause of 
 
- 87 - 
 
 lack of water the mill can only be operated for a abort time 
 during each year and it would now seem as though the 
 owners of the mine bad built a boat before being certain 
 that they had a navigable stream to float it on. 
 
 We wander back to the eating-house and then to the 
 office where we sit out on the porch and in the early part of 
 the evening amuse ourselves by firing with a Winchester 
 rifle at bottles and other tempting marks. It grows too 
 dark for further sport in this direction and we continue 
 sitting out in the cool of the evening and observe the 
 myriads of stars that seem to twinkle within reach above 
 us. During such starlight nights one best observes the 
 clearness of this western atmosphere, the heavens appear to 
 be fairly studded with jewels. 
 
 JVext morning, Sunday, we go up to the eating-house 
 for break¬ 
 fast just in 
 time to sit 
 down with 
 a shift of 
 the miners 
 who have 
 concluded 
 their work. 
 
 Hfter a 
 little we 
 wander up 
 among the 
 tents where 
 the miners 
 live and on 
 looking into 
 the largest 
 one we find 
 that it is a 
 sort of an 
 assembly 
 room. Hn 
 organ 
 
~ 88 — 
 
 stands on one side but like many other things at the Ophir 
 mine it is out of whack* 
 
 <ftc urge one of the miners who is said to have a good 
 voice to give us a song which he does and sings for us a 
 spirited Cornish air, “Com pierce”* 6 mma sings her 
 favorite Lullaby song for them and as an encore sings 
 “Baby's boat, the Silver JMoon”* Che applause she gets is 
 probably as enthusiastic and honest as she has ever received 
 and X am proud of the democratic spirit which she evinced. 
 
 $He had heard of a shooting affray which had taken 
 place shortly before at the village and got the story from 
 the boys at the mine who were spectators of the drama. 
 
 Some years before a western tough had drifted into 
 Stateline who gave his name as Com Bedges and shortly 
 proved himself one of those western terrors by being handy 
 with his gun when under the influence of liquor and on days 
 when it became known that Com Bedges was on a spree the 
 sole street of Stateline was deserted, men talked in whispers 
 and women hushed their crying children by threatening that 
 Com Bedges would come and on such days he held undis¬ 
 puted sway through the village. 
 
 During the late months of this summer a stranger had 
 drifted into town, applied for work at the mine and received 
 it. H quiet, unassuming soft spoken man, who called him¬ 
 self Jim 6 lendcnning. 
 
 On a previous Sunday the boys had gathered and taken 
 up one of their customary Sunday sports, which was that 
 of shooting at marks with their revolvers. Ht this play 
 Com Bedges had until now been master. 
 
 Glendenning was urged to take part but declined with 
 the remark that shooting at a stationary target was a 
 waste of ammunition. On being further pressed he offered 
 to shoot with anyone of the crowd at a moving mark as 
 for instance a can thrown into the air. Com Bedges 
 challenged him and the sport began. H can was thrown 
 into the air and Bedges struck it before it fell to the ground. 
 Hnother can was thrown up and Glendenning struck it 
 twice before it came to earth. Bedges viciously insisted 
 upon another trial which he essayed but failed tntirely. 
 
- 89 - 
 
 Cbis seemed to enrage him and he muttered that he would 
 get even and if it was gun play that Glendenning wanted he 
 should get it. 
 
 Che miners crowded around Glendenntng and urged him 
 to disappear for the day and that over night Com hedges' 
 wrath would subside. F)e refused to retreat and suddenly 
 from the edge of the crowd a shot was fired which 9truck 
 Glcndcnning's arm. Che crowd parted and there stood 
 Hedges, his face inflamed and distorted with passion. 
 Glendenning instantly fired and before Hedges struck the 
 ground three more shots sounded and Com Hedges rolled 
 lifeless down the incline. 
 
 Glendenning cooly put up his gun and took his depart¬ 
 ure for the county scat where he gave himself up to the 
 sheriff. 
 
 Che doctors held an autopsy on Com Hedges and all 
 four bullets were found to have entered bis heart. 
 
 Jim Glendenning was still at jail awaiting bis trial 
 which was to take place the following week. Che miners 
 who told us the story were the witnesses and from what 
 we had beard of western justice the outcome of the trial 
 was not veiled in mystery. H few weeks later we learnt 
 that 'Jim Glendenning bad been promptly acquitted amid 
 the acclaim of the populace. 
 
 Hs we wish to reach Balt Lake City the next morning 
 we soon take to our democrat wagon and follow the road 
 back that we bad come over. Cde bad well laden baskets 
 filled with lunch and when the shadows grew long, stopped 
 alongside of our dried up creek, put our satchels upon the 
 ground for tables, used the seats of the wagon for chairs 
 and drew out our lunch which we were told was to consist 
 of two baked chickens but every dive into the lunch basket 
 brought forth another leg and a fair count at the end showed 
 that our two chickens had been blessed with the unusual 
 number of nine legs, but some good sweet bread and liberal 
 slices of cocoanut cake washed down with fairly cool, amber 
 colored liquid made us a most satisfactory meal. 
 
 JuQt as we bad about finished, a short bowl attracted 
 our attention and there stood a lean, gaunt looking coyote 
 
- 90 — 
 
 watting for uq to depart so that he might voraciously gulp 
 down the bones and crumbs that we had left, but as soon 
 as he perceived that we had noticed his presence he slunk off 
 into the sage brush and one is certainly reminded that this 
 is the Xshmaelite among animals* 
 
 Che sun is gone down and darkness falls over the land¬ 
 scape* H sharp turn brings a fire-lit camp into full view* 
 !>ere are the workmen, resting for the night, who have been 
 working on the water pipe for the railroad tank at Modena. 
 Uleird figures they are, and it would not take much of a 
 stretch of imagination to transform this into a camp of 
 gypsies, as the canvas covers of the outfit are drawn up at 
 one side. 
 
 me continue on and as we come into the plains there 
 low down on the horizon is a most beautiful new moor. 
 Never have X seen the crescent so sharply outlined as on this 
 occasion* 
 
 me arrive at Modena and shortly afterward our train 
 comes thundering along and we are soon in our berths sound 
 asleep while the “iron horse” sweeps us along to our goal, 
 Salt Lake City* 
 
 <He are met at the depot by Cfftnger and Jeffs, the 
 latter a young graduate of the Michigan University* Chcy 
 take us out for a drive through the residence streets of Salt 
 Lake City and during the ride X have an opportunity to 
 closely scan our friend Bffinger who had been a clerk in the 
 Lake Superior mining region and bad drifted to Salt Lake 
 City where for some time be bad been trying his hand and 
 luck at various pursuits but had at last succeeded in getting 
 afloat by promoting mince. 
 
 Fjis fingers were covered with rings, sparkling with 
 diamonds, bis necktie was embellished by a large gold 
 nugget and a regular cable watch chain adorned bis vest and 
 when be finally stopped where some children were playing 
 and called a little boy to the side of the carriage and intro¬ 
 duced him to us as his son every member of our party had 
 difficulty in repressing a smile, for the little chap still wore 
 the pants of two weeks ago, which was just about the time 
 that papa 6 ffinger bad struck it rich* Both seat and knees 
 
9 t — 
 
 were adorned with carefully put on patches and when 
 Bffmgcr with a wave of his hand pointed to a large stately 
 looking house with a great portico, with the remark, "Chis 
 is the home that X have just bought” X could no longer 
 repress my merriment. It was too good an example of a 
 <Qcstern miners life to allow it to pass unnoticed. 
 
 Bffinger now took us to a swell cafe where a most 
 elaborate luncheon was served us. fie presented 6 mma 
 with a large bouquet of Hmerican Beauties and when, 
 during the meal, he was told that she had ridden up Govern¬ 
 ment peak on the black horse at the mine, he was most 
 astonished at her temerity and asserted that few men would 
 dare to mount his horse "Danger” and to give expression to 
 his admiration, he drew his gold nugget pin from his scarf 
 and presented it to her as a token of his appreciation of her 
 equestrianship. 
 
 Che day passed and in the afternoon we go to the depot 
 escorted by our Salt Lake City friends. 
 
 Uncle frank and Bverett bid one another a fond adieu, 
 for while we are hurrying back over Colorado Springs, 
 Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, to Detroit, Sverctt is going: 
 
 "Back to the mines”. 
 
/ 
 
 ----- 
 
 HEROLD PRESS 
 .DETROIT. 
 
 

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