YELLOWSTONE
Canyon Automobile Camp
Yellowstone National Park

RECREATION, STORE, AND OTHER FACILITIES

On the main road about 200 feet from the camp is a log ranger station and community house combined in one building. The community house side of the building is large and commodious and is furnished with a fireplace, toilets, and wash rooms. Mail for campers may be left at the ranger station, but a mail box is provided in the camp. There is a daily mail service throughout the park season. General information regarding the park is furnished at the station.

Within a few hundred yards of the ranger station are a general merchandise and grocery store, a photograph supply store, a gasoline filling station, and an automobile supply store. A small fruit and grocery store is located at one corner of the camp.

Good fishing streams are within one-quarter of a mile of the camp. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River is within the same distance. The Canyon Hotel and the Canyon Permanent Camp are about one-half mile from the automobile camp. These provide additional entertainment and comforts. Horses are available at these places for interesting scenic rides in the vicinity.

For the convenience of the campers, 30 wooden tables and benches are provided. The tables are 9 feet long by 30 inches wide by 30 inches high, with benches 10 inches wide on each side, fastened to the table. The bill of material for a table with benches is as follows:

45 linear feet 2 by 10 inch planks, surfaced one side.
24 linear feet 2 by 6 inch planks, surfaced one side.
12 linear feet 4-inch log.
6 6-inch loge 6 feet long.
3 pounds 16-penny nails.
1 pint boiled linseed oil for table coating.

Logs 6 inches in diameter set 3 feet in the ground are used for table legs. The 4-inch logs are fastened to the end logs under the ground to prevent the uprooting of the tables by the campers. This type of table is illustrated in the accompanying photograph.

Wood for camp fires is supplied by the Government from fallen trees or from waste boxes from the hotel and the permanent camp. It is cut to convenient lengths and placed in several piles about the camp.

Everywhere throughout the camp signs have been placed to bring important facilities and regulations to the attention of the tourist. These are of wood or metal, painted white, with green letters, and are attached to trees or posts. The signs read as follows: "Dump Refuse Here;" "Water;" "Clean Your Camp;" "Carefully Extinguish Your Camp Fire." At the reservoir is the following sign:

DRINKING WATER
HELP KEEP IT
PURE
FOR OTHERS

There are other signs, such as those directing to toilets and those giving directions to various places in the park. Also the most important regulations are posted.

PLATE II.—One of the wooden tables with benches


POLICING OF THE CAMP

The camp is policed by the park rangers. Every day toward evening one of the rangers from the near-by station visits the camp to see that the camp fires are cared for so as to prevent forest fires, to note the cleanliness of the camp, to instruct the campers regarding camp clean-up before departure, and to count the number of cars in the camp.

In addition to the foregoing, each car is checked upon entering and leaving the park at the four exits. Upon entrance, a permit is issued, the charge for which is $7.50 per car. The permit is as follows:

permit

This permit system affords a close check on the automobiles and has time and again resulted in the apprehension and punishment of some motorist who has committed a misdemeanor in the park.

The camp was opened on July 26, 1924, and closed on September 15. The number of automobiles in the camp daily is given in the following table:

Number of automobiles daily in Canyon automobile camp, 1924

DateNumber DateNumber
July26125 Aug.2199

27130
2286

28123
2382

29143
2471

30160
2556

31120
2660
Aug.1110
2750

2115
2855

388
2950

4135
3065

5142
3160

6148 Sep.152

7149
254

8158
350

9149
445

1099
523

11123
632

12153
739

13161
818

14120
926

15115
1020

16130
1123

17122
1217

1890
1316

1998
1415

20115
1510

The table shows a total of 4,495 cars on 52 days, or a daily average of over 86 automobiles. The number of cars actually staying at the camp is greater, owing to the arrival of cars at night, after the count. Records in Yellowstone show that each car contains on the average 3.32 people. This would indicate a total attendance of 14,923 people for the above period, or a daily average of 287 people.



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canyon_auto_camp/sec3.htm
Last Updated: 09-Nov-2009