YELLOWSTONE Early History of Yellowstone National Park and Its Relation to National Park Policies

The party left Bozeman on the 22d of August, reaching the Yellowstone on the 24th, and traveling up that river until the 27th, when they reached the Lower Fall Creek, where they remained in camp one day. On this creek is the Lower Fall, a beautiful cascade 115 feet high. The Indian trail crosses the Yellowstone at this point to the east side, but the party kept upon the west side of the river, near the base of Mount Washburn, a peak 10,570 feet in height, passing the Hell-broth Springs on the 29th, and on the 30th camping opposite the Great Falls of the Yellowstone, on Cascade Creek. Nearly two days were spent in examining the falls and their surroundings. Mr. Langford suspended a weight perpendicularly from the rock adjoining the falls, 491 feet to the bottom of the canyon, and deducting from this the distance from the top of the rock to the surface of the water above the fall, found it to be 350 feet in height. The Upper Fall, half a mile further up the stream, is 115 feet high. A day and a half more brought the party to the Hot Sulphur and Mud Springs, 60 to 75 in number, of diameters varying from 2 to 70 feet. From scores of craters on the side of the mountain adjoining these springs issue hot vapors, the edges of the craters being incrusted with pure sulphur. Six miles further on is the first geyser, which throws a column of water 20 feet in diameter to the height of 30 to 35 feet. Near by is a volcano, which throws up mud from the bottom of its crater to the height of 30 feet or more, with explosions resembling distant discharges of cannon, the pulsations occurring at intervals of five seconds, and the explosions shaking the ground for a long distance. This volcano has evidently been in existence but a short time—a few months—as the newly grown grass was covered for nearly 200 feet with the clayey mud that was thrown out at the first outbreak. The crater of this volcano is about 30 feet in diameter at its mouth and is narrowed down to a diameter of 15 feet at a depth of 20 feet from the top, and the surface of the mud down in the crater appeared, when for a few seconds it was in a quiescent state, to be about 60 feet below the mouth of the crater.

At this point the party forded the river and traveled along the east bank 12 miles to the Yellowstone Lake, a beautiful sheet of water of very irregular shape, but of an average length of 22 miles and width of 15 miles. An accurate map of the lake was made from observations taken by Messrs. Hauser and Langford, from the tops of three mountains on different sides of the lake. One of these mountains was 11,200 feet high, as measured by the barometer.

The journey around the lake was rendered very difficult by the fallen timber, the party sometimes halting at night not more than 6 or 7 miles from their morning camp.

From the lake the party struck off to the Fire Hole River, on which, in the Geyser Basin, they found a most remarkable collection of springs and craters, in the basin, which extends about 2 miles down the river and is a mile in width, are between 700 and 800 springs and craters of all diameters, from 2 to 100 feet. The party found here 12 geysers, 5 of which threw columns of water to heights varying from 90 to 150 feet, the columns being from 3 to 20 feet in diameter. The column of water from the sixth was discharged from the apex of a conical-shaped mound, through a nozzle 2 feet by 3, and rose to the height of 219 feet. Messrs. Hauser and Langford carefully measuring the column by triangulation.

We learn the following concerning the loss of Mr. Everts: He was with the rest of the party at noon on September 9, all slowly working their way through the fallen timber, in making search for a passage through it, one or another of the members of the party would, for a brief time, become separated from the main body, but would readily find his way back again. At 2 o clock p. m., the company camped for the night, all being present but Mr. Everts. In camp it was found that Mr. Hedges's pack horse, which had that day rolled down a steep hill, 30 or 40 feet, with his pack on his back, was missing, and Mr. Langford, with the two packers, went in search of him, finding him about 2 miles from camp and returning about 5 o'clock but discovering no sign of Mr. Everts.

The objective point of the party at this time was the southwest arm of the lake, and anyone lost or separated from the train would have pushed on to that point. On the morning of the 11th Lieutenant Doan, Langford, and Hauser leaving the train, pushed on with provisions to this arm of the lake, confidently expecting to find Mr. Everts, but no trace of him could be discovered. The rest of the party reached the lake at night and all remained at that point five days longer. Messrs. Gillette and Hauser the following day returned on the trail four days' march, or near to the camp occupied by the party two days before Mr. Everts was lost, but could discover no trace of him—the trail made by the 37 horses belonging to the party being in many places entirely obliterated. Messrs. Trumbull and Smith followed the shore of the lake, and General Washburne and Mr. Langford traveled south to the headwaters of Snake River, but neither party could find any trace of the lost man. While in camp on the lake snow fell to the depth of 2 feet. An inventory of provisions was then taken, and on the 17th, eight days after the loss of Mr. Everts, most of the party started for the Madison with sufficient supplies to carry them home, leaving Mr. Gillette and Messrs. More and Williamson, of the Second Cavalry, with the balance of the provisions to prosecute the search.

It was the opinion of all the members of the party when Mr. Langford left them on the Madison that if Mr. Everts had not then been heard from in Virginia or Helena he had been shot by Indians. The only route that he could have taken that would not have brought him to Virginia or Helena a week since is that leading by the "Three Tetons" to Eagle Rock Bridge, which point he could have reached several days ago; and had he done so would undoubtedly have telegraphed his friends here.

It is the intention of Mr. Langford to prepare for publication, as soon as practicable, a detailed report of the journey to and from this most interesting portion of our country, where, in a space so circumscribed, are presented at once the wonders of Iceland, Italy, and South America.—(Helena (Mont.) Daily Herald, September 26, 1870.)