Superintendent Tomlinson tells of an interesting meeting which harked back to the "good old days" of the Park Service when that organization was in its swaddling clothes. Long before the Service became an actuality, as we know it now, T. E. Hofer roamed the plains and mountains in and about Yellowstone as park guide. That region was as famous for its game then as now and as no regulations were in effect regarding hunting in that area "Billy" Hofer had many opportunities to serve as guide for individuals who have since become famous or well known Americans. President Roosevelt was a member of several of these parties and the old Yellowstone Guide has many photos, letters and other keepsakes which give intimate glimpses of that famous man.

Superintendent Tomlinson visited "Uncle Billy" at his present home at Sunlight Beach on Whidby Island in Puget Sound, talked with him concerning the time when the Service itself was as much of a pioneer as the men who composed its meager force. Needles to say much that was interesting was unlocked from the old timer's memory and this information was in turn transferred to Park officials in Washington and in Yellowstone National Park. Thus another link was forged between the Park Service of the past and the Park Service of the present.