Yellowstone Historic Resource Study The History of the Construction of the Road System in Yellowstone National Park, 1872-1966

V. NATIONAL REGISTER DOCUMENTATION

A. PROPERTY TYPES AND REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

NAME OF PROPERTY TYPE—ROADS

The roads, which were built for the planned system in Yellowstone National Park, were constructed over many decades with many different standards, many different techniques, many different materials, and under many administrators. While the Grand Loop Road has basically the same configuration as it was first built, many of the present day roads may be on the original alignment or in many cases, the alignment could be off several hundred yards or more. This is also true of the entrance roads. The roads began as not much more than muddy tracks, then they were widened somewhat to accommodate the wagons and carriages. By 1883, the standard for the roads were as follows

18 feet width road, well rounded up in the center, and provided with suitable side ditches and cross culverts; that all trees be removed for a width of 30 feet; that on side hill cuttings the fill be retained by a dry stone wall, and that an ample ditch be placed on the up hill side at least a rod from the road to catch the snow water and convey it to the natural water courses, and that where there are meadows or marshes that cannot be drained and must be crossed, the corduroy be replaced by a good plankroad. That all culverts be of stone or 3 inch plank, and that all bridges be well constructed of good sawed lumber.

It was during this period, 1883, that the Army Corps of Engineers officer, Dan Kingman, expressed his concern for the appearance and quality of the park as a result of man's impact.

By 1905, most of the roads had a width of from 18 to 20 feet and a recommendation was made to increase the width of the Grand Loop to "at least 25 feet," building the stone guard walls in mortar and reconstructing the existing ones in mortar, clearing the dead and down timber for 100 feet as a fire precaution and for scenic appearances.

By the 1930s most surfaced roads extended from 18 to 20 feet with a ruling grade of 5 percent, with some 6 percent, and a few 7 percent. By this time, the steep and narrow ditches flanking the roads had been substituted with broad shallow type ditches and there was an increased use of riprapped embankments. Landscape details in curbing at pullouts, stone culverts, and stone masonry head walls with pipe culverts, cement rubble masonry guard wall, were prevalent.

The curves were designed to be "long, carefully compounded curves with gradual changes in length of radii." The culverts were designed to be subordinate to the natural surroundings. The design guidelines were outlined in the 1938 National Park Service publication, Park and Recreation Structures.

The culvert proper is sometimes of local stone when this is abundant and workable, but if it must be of concrete or of galvanized iron, reasonable concealment of the fact is to be striven for. The head wall, by extending well into the culvert opening, should avoid disclosing that it is a mere veneer. Natural rock is certainly the preferred material for the head wall, laid either dry or in mortar.

By 1935, the width of the roads had been raised to 28 feet, shoulder-to-shoulder, for the Grand Loop and 26 feet, shoulder-to-shoulder, for the entrance roads and the Park was using the Standard Specification for Forest Road Construction, Form F.R.50 Revised 1932, for the wooden guardrail. In 1940, the State of Wyoming recommended that the Park abandon the standard log guardrail in favor of the post and reflector type adopted by the state. Instead, the Park began using a native stained post, 8 inches in diameter, with a reflector placed on each post, spaced 40 to 50 feet apart. Over the years, newer generations of log guard rail design have been used and many linear feet of rail existing in the Park in 1991 are a weathering steel beam, supported by wood posts. While the steel beam is not a natural material like the stone or log railing, it does weather to a rustic shade and does blend in the wooded sections of the Park.

After World War II, many of the shoulders were surfaced creating three lane road sections, which invited higher speeds and hazardous passing conditions. The Park's landscape architect reiterated the National Park Service philosophy, "The standards of roads within the parks do not necessarily need to comply with highway standards outside of the parks and moreover the parks, of necessity, should set standards of their own."

In 1956, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Public Roads agreed to a number of specific design and construction details

a minimum width of 26 feet will be used which included 22 feet of pavement and 2 feet shoulders on either side

native grass shoulders plant mix surfacing to be included on all parking areas in lieu of bituminous surface treatment

all standard AASHO regulatory signs to be installed

road striping

parking areas painted delineator strips to be used instead of minimal aggregate guide markers

bituminous gutters to be used, minimum 8-inch diameter guide posts to be substituted wherever possible for guardrail with certain hazardous locations maintaining some guardrail replacement.

12-inch diameter logs would replace the 18-inch logs or stone found in parking areas.

The standards set for the MISSION 66 program called for "the landscape architect and the highway engineer [to] exercise imagination, ingenuity, and restraint to conserve park values," however, the tremendous flexibility of application of these weaker standards produced some sections, such as the Old Faithful Interchange. The park road widths currently extend from 22 feet to 32 feet, and even up to 66 feet on bypasses.

In 1963, the Bureau of Public Roads were described in a national magazine as

rapidly converting Yellowstone's road system into a network of broad shouldered, high-speed highways, with startling cuts and fills slashing wide, leveled ways through rolling forest and meadows. A result is that the park, though dedicated as a nature sanctuary, is a meeting ground for through routes, with heavy summer traffic converging from all directions.

By 1983, when the latest standards for Park Roads were developed, the purpose of the Park Roads was defined as

A park road should be fundamentally designed to maintain an overall continuing sense of intimacy with the countryside or area through which it passes. The purpose of park roads remains in sharp contrast to that of the Federal and State highway systems. Park roads are not intended to provide fast and convenient transportation; they are intended to enhance visitor experience while providing safe and efficient accommodation of park visitors . . . . They are not, therefore, intended nor designed as continuations of the State and Federal-aid network.

The newest standards provide for a varying minimum road width, dependent on the average daily traffic. At the extreme end, with an average of 8,000 vehicles, the width could be as much as 12 feet, 4 lanes, with 4 foot shoulders, except in urban areas where the should could be 8 feet. The shoulders could be dirt, gravel, paved, turf, stabilized turf or a combination of surfaces, depending upon bicycle use, climate, land surface type, maintainability and aesthetic goals.

In addition to the Grand Loop and the Entrance Roads, there are several secondary roads in the Park which for the most part have not been improved to the latest standards. In many cases they are narrow, dirt roads which probably are more similar to the appearance of the roads during the historic period. Examples of this category are the Bunsen Peak Road and the Blacktail Deer Plateau Road. These secondary roads are used for side trips for scenic or wildlife viewing.

This general overview illustrates the evolutionary aspects of this type of resource as it responded to changing needs, materials, funds, and techniques. Included as part of this property type and considered as features of the road are the guardwalls, guardrails, culverts, embankments and pullouts.

SIGNIFICANCE

The Grand Loop Road, the five Entrance Roads, and the secondary roads are significant according to the Criteria established by the National Register of Historic Places in the following ways:

CRITERION A. — Resources that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.

NATIONAL LEVEL

At the national level of significance the planned road system in Yellowstone National Park is the first, large-scale designed planned system giving people access into the "scenic splendors" in the country. While the plans and designs for Central Park precede Yellowstone National Park by approximately 16 years, the scope of project and the size differ significantly. The first superintendent, Nathanial P. Langford envisioned this scheme long before anything of this magnitude had been executed anywhere else in the country. One of the significant considerations is the fact that the early configuration providing accessibility to the major geologic and scenic wonders is almost a mirror image of the extant system.

In addition to the significance of the concept, importance should also be given to the fact that this undertaking was in an isolated region at a time when road building across the country was in its infancy. Even after the railhead reached the park boundary, in 1883, the difficulty of transport and the logistics of building a road system covering this very large, geologically challenging region with challenging climatic conditions makes the construction effort momentous.

The system also represents the important position of the Army Corps of Engineers role in the development of the Park. Before the turn of the century, there was no national road system only road districts, within states, and a few state-built public roads. The Federal government had been responsible for the roads in Washington D.C., the roads to government posts (which in most cases were no more than trails), roads on military reservations, and for building the road system in Yellowstone National Park. Since the Park covers over 3,400 square miles, it is reasonable to suggest that the park road system was one of their most ambitious road

Capt. Dan Kingman of the Army Corps of Engineers established the first road standards for a park in 1883; he also is credited with setting the philosophy for roads in a wilderness setting. The techniques devised for building a road through a sensitive area such as a park were in many cases the collaboration between the Bureau of Public Roads engineers and the landscape architects of the National Park Service. Their techniques and philosophy were adopted not only in other parks, but in some state highway departments.

STATE LEVEL

The configuration of the road system in Yellowstone National Park was important toward the development of the surrounding towns and approach roads to the Park.

CRITERION B. — resources that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.

STATE LEVEL

U.S. Army Corps Engineering Officer Hiram Martin Chittenden is considered significant under Criterion B at a State Level for his vital and innovative role in the development of the road system in Yellowstone National Park, for his role in the very early recognition of Yellowstone's place in history in the United States, for his other important historical contributions to the literature of the American West, and for his role toward the development of the design philosophy which the National Park Service later adopted for its roads and building programs.

Hiram Chittenden, who graduated third in his West Point Class of 1884, arrived in the Park for a short period, 1891-1893, to supervise the Army Corps' construction of the road system. His most important accomplishment for that period was the completion of the Old Faithful to West Thumb route and on to the Grand Canyon via the Lake Hotel area. Poor funding scheduling and lack of funds hampered any real achievements for his first stay in the Park, but he was immediately recognized as "zealous, untiring, and remarkably efficient." When he was transferred in the spring of 1893, the Acting Superintendent Anderson expressed his unhappiness with Chittenden's transfer, "The unfortunate relief of Lieutenant Chittenden last spring has been a most serious blow to road building here. He was greatly interested in his work, tireless in his attention to it, and ably equipped for it."

For the short period that Chittenden spent in the Park during the early 1890s, he developed a sense of the importance of Yellowstone in American history. He researched the area history and while later stationed in Louisville, Kentucky and Columbus, Ohio, he wrote The History of Yellowstone Park, which was published in 1895.

Chittenden was called back to the Park in 1899, at the urgency of Sen. Thomas Carter of Montana and Mr. Huntley, one of the Park's concessioners. General Wilson of the Army Corp of Engineers asked him to return to the Park "to take full charge of the Park, including the Superintendency" to which he replied, "No Superintendency, " but "I would like to be placed in charge of the road work." It was during his second period in the Park, 1899-1906 that Chittenden heavily influenced the road program, the Park appearance, and philosophy.

Immediately upon returning to the Park, Chittenden took on the construction of the very important Mammoth Hot Springs to Golden Gate section. Chittenden selected a location and invited the Park officials, and the Cavalry officers in charge of Park administration, to take a look. "They had to go on foot because the ground was so rough and as we clambered through the mass of rocks which is now known as Silver Gate they unanimously declared that it was a fine location for scenery but impossible to build." Chittenden inquired if that was all they had to say and then he proceeded to build it to his specifications. The following year, Chittenden built the Golden Gate viaduct which replaced the rickety wooden trestle built in the 1880s. Chittenden felt that the construction of the viaduct was the "most difficult piece of work I executed while I was in the Park."

The 200 feet Golden Gate Viaduct was a series of eleven concrete arches, built into the cliff wall on the inner side. The work was carried out under extraordinary working conditions. The site was described in a Livingston, Montana newspaper

The execution of this work was one of extraordinary difficulty. This arose first from the conformation of the canyon and its influence upon the winds, which prevailed during the entire season. The canyon is practically the small end of a funnel, which gathers up the wind on the plateau above and conveys it to the lower country. The wind was high nearly every day during the work. At times, it attained the force of a gale with sufficient power to pick up stones half an inch in diameter. When it came to mixing the concrete it was found almost impossible to conduct the work during the middle of the day. The dust and cement filled the eyes and lungs of the workmen in spite of goggles and hand kerchiefs. On this account men kept constantly quitting, not withstanding increased pay for concrete work, and their places had to be filled with new and inexperienced men.

Prior to this time, and with his experience with the appropriations for construction of the roads and the inefficient distribution, Chittenden formulated a plan for the completion of the 300 mile road system. He pressed for a one time appropriation of $300,000, which he felt would be sufficient to complete the system. Chittenden envisioned the need for two types of appropriations, one for construction and one for maintenance. He pointed out in his reports to Congress that the only time real progress was made on the system was in 1891 when two appropriations for a combined total of $120,000 were used to construct 60 miles of road. While maintenance had been carried out to some extent, Chittenden should be attributed with giving maintenance a major place in the Park budget and in the daily operations of the park.

During this time, Chittenden built the first East Entrance Road, including the construction of the first Fishing Bridge, he shifted a dangerous section of the Gardiner to Mammoth Hot Springs road to the left side of the Gardner River, and he worked on the South Entrance Road into the Teton Forest Reserve. Chittenden felt that it was time to perfect and embellish the road system. He proposed to clear all dead and down timber for the distance of 100 feet and to thin the living trees to allow grass to grow among them to encourage the game that frequented the area. He planned to rebuild the retaining walls with fine masonry and position strong guard rails at the most precarious points; the slopes and cuts would be thoughtfully aligned and where possible small watercourses would be carried along the routes. Chittenden felt that "In these and other ways the roads will themselves be made one of the interesting features of this interesting region."

Other important engineering feats of Chittenden's were the construction of the North Entrance Arch, the Yellowstone River Bridge, and the Mount Washburn Road. Captain Chittenden felt that the heavily traveled, highly visible northern park entrance at Gardiner, Montana, deserved an impressive entrance gate. The Northern Pacific Railway's train station, designed by Robert Reamer, had been completed adjacent to the park boundary on the western edge of Gardiner and a new route into the park was scheduled for construction. Chittenden, who called Reamer "an architect of great originality and particularly skillful in adapting his work to natural surroundings," believed that with the completion of the train station, the time was right to further improve the North Entrance with a compatible entrance arch. Reamer had submitted a draft design which Chittenden disliked. At a conference in the United States Commissioner Judge John Meldrum's office, Chittenden proposed new suggestions for design which were accepted. The arch was dedicated in the attendance of President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1903. The monumental arch, with the definite Army Corps of Engineers detailing, stands as a fitting memorial toward their significant work in the Park.

Of the nine important bridges built in the Park during 1903, the most impressive and certainly most significant was the Melan Arch bridge over the Yellowstone River, above the Upper Falls. The steel and concrete bridge was completed with great difficulty, however, Chittenden felt that its location merited an artistic design because of its prominent location. For many years the idea of a bridge in this location had been contemplated, but lack of funds prevented its construction. Chittenden spent considerable time on site selection. Not wanting to introduce an artificial structure at the most desirable and obvious site, the brink of the Upper Falls where the gap narrows to 50 feet, Chittenden chose a 120-feet span between two jutting rocks, about 1/2 mile above the Upper Falls at the rapids, with the roadway at the center being 43 feet above the low water in the river. Despite the volcanic rhyolite rock being of inferior quality for construction, Chittenden stated, ". . .still from the fact that it has resisted for an indefinite geological period the action of the river, it must have considerable stability." Including dangerous rapids just below, Chittenden had many obstacles to overcome. One of the most serious was the construction of the framework and related framing. All of the rough material was cut locally, but the finer lumber came from the Pacific Northwest. Using a small dynamo connected to the rock-crusher engine and a temporary plant to provide artificial light, the crews were able to complete the concrete work by working around the clock. A detailed description of both the bridge and the construction of the bridge and a sketch plan of the working site, illustrating the gravel piles, the sluices for washing sand, the cement and crushed rock storage, the dynamo, the boilers and the working camp can be found in Engineering News, for January 4, 1904. The article is entitled "Reinforced Concrete Arch Bridge over the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park," by Hiram Chittenden.

The bridge held a special place in Yellowstone history and it was not without a fight that the bridge was removed in 1961. In 1947, A.W. Burney, the Assistant Chief of Development for the National Park Service called it one of "significant interest because it is one of the first reinforced concrete arch bridges of this type (Melan Arch) constructed in this country. It was designed by and erected under the supervision of Capt. Hiram M. Chittenden, Engineer Corps, U.S. Army." Burney recalled that an The Railway and Engineering Review article, dated September 5,1903, also described it's design and construction.

By 1959, the now-called Chittenden Bridge had been condemned, but a movement arose to have the bridge retained. Gen. J. A. Code, who was a first assistant to the head of the Signal Corps during World War II stated "That bridge should be retained as a memorial to early bridge building in America. It should be closed to vehicular and foot traffic. There isn't a bridge in the world that can compete with it in beauty and unique setting."

For the next two years efforts were made to preserve the bridge and build its replacement in a different location. However, the final decision was made to replace the 1903 bridge with a new bridge on the same site. In a letter to General Chittenden's family, Lemuel Garrison, superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, wrote:

. . . there have been further developments concerning construction of the Chittenden Memorial Bridge. These developments demand additional respect of General Chittenden's engineering prowess. The site he selected for his bridge is not only the best, but is also the most logical site for a bridge across the Yellowstone River. As Mr. Scoyen wrote you, a site upstream was selected for the Chittenden Memorial Bridge, but as engineering data accumulated it became increasingly clear that costs for a bridge there would be staggering. The more the problem was studied, the more Bureau of Public Roads engineers and our own experts realized that the site selected by General Chittenden is the only logical site to construct the new bridge. Accordingly, we will remove the old bridge this summer and immediately start construction on the new. A plan has not yet been approved for the new bridge, but I can tell you what we will try to do. We will erect a reinforced concrete arch which we hope will be as fine a contribution to contemporary bridge design as the original was to earlier concepts of bridge design. This is a high standard of achievement, but we will do our best. We will not attempt a slavish copy of Chittenden Bridge. It is unique and any copy would detract from the value of the original by not measuring up to its beauty and grace. I know General Chittenden would use the results of modern engineering research in designing the bridge if he were to tackle the job today, and, somehow I don't think he would approve of copying a previous design. . . . I think, however, that a new bridge of clean design similar to that General Chittenden built, on the site he selected, and named Chittenden Memorial Bridge will be a most fitting tribute to that fine engineer. We will place there a memorial tablet whereon all may read of General Chittenden and why we honor him.

Another major engineering feat was the construction of the road over Mount Washburn, where Chittenden found that the presence of solid rock on most sections of the road made construction very difficult and slow. Ten years after its completion, Franklin Lane, the secretary of the interior, wired the retired General Chittenden to announce that in an August 2, 1913 ceremony, the road over Mount Washburn had been dedicated and christened the Chittenden Road. An immediate response came from the Chief Geographer, R. M. Marshall, who was responsible for changing the name on the newly published maps. In a letter to General Chittenden, he stated "There can not be too much Chittenden for me in this world, geographically."

Finally in 1959, General Chittenden's contributions were honored by the Park changing the road signs from "Mt. Washburn Road" to read "Chittenden Road to Mt. Washburn."

Chittenden's accomplishments toward the history of the American West did not only include the publication of the first comprehensive book on the history of the Park and still one of the classic of Yellowstone literature, but he wrote several other major works.

In regard to The History of Yellowstone National Park, which was Chittenden's first book, the author had the privilege to be able to explore the region, examine its history, and perceive its place in the country's history. After its 1895 publication, Chittenden continued to revise it, with other editions being published.

The other classics of Western American history that he authored were the American Fur Trade of the Far West, the History of Early Steamboat Navigation on the Missouri River, and the collaborative work with Alfred T. Richardson, The Life, Letters, and Travels of Father Pierre Jean de Smet. In addition to these works, he also authored War or Peace, Flood Control, and Letters to an Ultra-Pacifist. Chittenden's writings have been praised by his contemporaries and later historians:

Frederick Jackson Turner
characterized the American Fur Trade of the Far West as "excellent" and admitted that the book's map showing the western fur trade posts "furnished the basis for the map of western posts and trails in (Turner's) Rise of the New West.

Grace Lee Nute
characterized the fur trade history as "remains the best general account available."

Ray Billington
found the fur trade history "the most useful work on the fur trade."

Chittenden's accomplishments did not only relate to Yellowstone National Park and his literary efforts, but after leaving Yellowstone for the Pacific Northwest, he continued with engineering projects. Besides serving as the President of the Port Commission of Seattle, he supervised the construction of the docking and terminal facilities, he was active in many other water or flood projects on the West Coast, and most importantly he was responsible for the design and construction of the locks which raised the seagoing vessels 19 feet from Puget Sound to Lake Washington. At the time of their construction, they were the fourth largest locks in the world. In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill in which the locks were named the "Hiram Chittenden Locks." The locks were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 14, 1978.

Hiram Chittenden is listed in both the Dictionary of American Biography and A Biographical Dictionary of American Civil Engineers, Vol. II. At the dedication of the Chittenden Memorial Bridge in Yellowstone National Park on August 9, 1963, Chittenden was described as

at least a triple threat to man. He had three distinguished careers with national and lasting recognition in each—engineering, history, and conservation. As if these weren't enough to keep him busy, he became a student of international affairs, writing one book and a number of articles in this field. There was a book of poetry along the way, and the design of two monuments to attest to his artistic nature. As an engineer, he left his major marks here in Yellowstone, and in Seattle where the Chittenden Locks identify his contribution to the Port of Seattle. But it was here in Yellowstone that his greatest engineering accomplishments were made in a national sense. Thus he sensed when summing up his career he said: 'My work in the Yellowstone Park will stand out as perhaps most important in the construction line of anything which I have accomplished . . . . It was in the fullest sense a labor of love. . . . In every important respect the Yellowstone Park has so far fulfilled the expectation of its founders and has justified the wisdom of its creation.'

CRITERION C. — resources that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction.

STATE LEVEL

Under Criterion C the road system in Yellowstone National Park represents the continuing design philosophy first recognized by the Army Corps of Engineers and then later expounded upon by the landscape architects of the National Park Service. The use of the road has remained the same, however some changes have been made to meet the needs of visitors, to improve with advancing technology, and to meet weather, natural and geologic concerns. What one sees today does not exist exactly as it was first constructed. The road alignments, width of roads, surfacing materials, guardwalls and guardrail, culverts and traffic patterns have changed and been altered many times. Despite the fact that the road has had many changes and certainly does not look like it did during the historic period, it is the continuation of the philosophy of design that is most important. It is not the road alignment, width of the road, surfacing material or traffic patterns that are significant. The designed features such as the guardrails or guardwalls, the culverts, embankments, and designed pullouts are considered as part of the system and impart to the visitor a feeling of "blending with nature." The continuation of the earlier design philosophy in most cases has produced a modern road system with a high degree of feeling. Many historic components of the earlier system are extant, i.e. bridges, culverts, guardwalls and guardrails.

As the first designed road system for a national park or other reservation, it served as a model for other park areas. The consistent concern from Capt. Dan Kingman in 1883, through the work of the landscape architects of the National Park Service demonstrates the National Park Service's role as a leader in the landscape architecture field. The use of native materials compatible with the landscape and the concern for scarring or excavation has been a model for state park systems, moreover techniques used by the National Park Service were adopted by some state highway departments. In an article entitled, "America's Park Highways," the Deputy Chief Engineer of the Bureau of Public Roads L.I. Hewes, cites the importance of the philosophy of the National Park Service and its influence across the country:

In all the work in the National Parks, the Bureau of Public Roads has been guided in its design by the Landscape Division of the National Park Service.... The influence of the park landscaping methods has been felt by the bureau's entire organization and has resulted in better looking roads outside the parks. The highway departments of the Western states have been influenced by the results achieved on the park roads, and there has been a noticeable improvement during the last few years in the appearance of the roads constructed by the states themselves.

In addition to Dan Kingman's setting the first park road standards in 1883, he also instilled a philosophy of wilderness road construction. Chittenden followed Kingman's thoughts showing his concern for man's imprint on the park. In addition to his concern for the siting and the artistic development of the Yellowstone Bridge, Chittenden wrote:

As a general policy, the extension of the system should be restricted to actual necessities. The Park should be preserved in its natural state to the fullest degree possible. While it is true that highways are the least objectionable of all forms of artificial change in natural conditions, still they should not be unnecessarily extended, and the great body of the Park should be kept inaccessible except on foot or horseback. But a road once found necessary should be made as perfect as possible. So far as it may detract from scenery, it is far less objectionable as a well-built work than if left in a rough and incomplete state. The true policy of the government in dealing with this problem should therefore be to make the roads limited in extent as will meet actual necessities, but to make such as are found necessary perfect examples of their class.

Soon after the National Park Service resumed the responsibility for the construction of the roads in Yellowstone, a national landscape engineering office was created and the earlier philosophy was continued. As part of the cooperative agreements with the Bureau of Public Roads, the National Park Service landscape architects controlled the appearance of the road system and all landscaping details. By the 1930s, standardized plans for guardrails, guardwalls, and culverts were on the shelf. Another standard that marked a park road was the flattening and rounding of the slopes and cuts. In 1935 and 1938, the design philosophy was expressed in the publication of two books by Albert Good, Park Structures and Facilities and Park and Recreation Structures.

One other area of significance for the Yellowstone roads was the association with the nationwide Roadside Improvement Program under the leadership of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller. It would be difficult to pinpoint any particular resource in the park to that association, but the work done in the park as a result of that program was very important to the park's appearance and to the moral of the park employees, who gained more pride from their work.

CRITERION D. — This criteria does not apply to this property type. See the registration requirements for explanation.The registration requirements for the Property Type - Roads, will be for roads that are Historic Districts and those that will be submitted as an individual resource. The Grand Loop is considered one Historic District. Each Entrance Road is a Historic District and each secondary road will be submitted as a Historic District.

Under Criterion A, the following Registration Requirements are listed:

1. the road must have been built as part of the designed, planned system.

2. Locational integrity is not absolutely required, as the road's configuration (connecting the most important scenic and wonders of the Park) changed many times over the last 119 years. The important point is that any variation adheres to the original purpose or function of the road. Often the road alignment was moved to another route because of geology, natural features, settlement, habitat, etc.

3. Design integrity is more important under Criterion C and will be discussed in that section.

4. Workmanship integrity will be discussed under Criterion C.

5. Feeling is important for Criterion A and it is closely related to the integrity of design because a visitor must be able to recognize that the road is "different" from those outside of the Park boundary. The road must possess enough physical attributes of the National Park Service design philosophy to convey that feeling to the visitor. Since the road is an evolutionary resource, the question of well-executed reconstruction of a guardwall or a compatibly designed culvert, or other feature, should not detract from its eligibility.

6. Portions of an old road should not be considered eligible, as any visible evidence actually represents a failure of the landscape architect's program of total road obliteration. As a new or better route was constructed, in most cases, the landscape architects called for the road to be revegetated in order to eliminate a scar on the natural environment. The exception to this requirement would be the older roads that became some of the Park's secondary roads, such as the Mammoth Hot Springs to Gardiner or the Blacktail Deer Plateau Road. Another exception would be the roads that were built for other purposes, such as the Old Marysville Road in the Southwest part of the Park.

7. Only designed pullouts will be considered for eligibility. Throughout the Park, there are many pullouts or expanded shoulders for cars to use for viewing or for overtaking by the traffic. These should not be considered eligible or as a contributing feature.

Under Criterion B, the Registration Requirement for Criterion A and C are sufficient. Under Criterion C, the Registration Requirements are the following:

1. The road and its features should retain sufficient evidence of the design philosophy harmonizing with the environment as expressed and executed during the historic period. The elements of the philosophy are:

a. the introduction of certain elements of grace in alignment—the road lies gently on the landscape

b. the use of architecturally pleasing structures—manmade features such as culverts, walls, curbing etc. were constructed of natural materials and their scale was compatible with the natural environment

c. the protection of trees, shrubs, and other natural growths from destruction and damage—this provided undisturbed vegetation along the road, which offered a feeling of a natural setting

d. diminution of scars—large cuts and fills were avoided.

2. The road must evoke a feeling that it is a park road and an image that it is distinctive from those found outside the boundary of the park.

NAME OF PROPERTY TYPE—BRIDGES

DESCRIPTION

The bridges in Yellowstone National Park have ranged from the first bridge to cross the Yellowstone River, crudely built log spans, Army truss and steel girder bridges, log causeways, log trestle viaducts, important Melan Arch Bridge, a concrete viaduct, single to multiple reinforced concrete slab bridges, concrete arch bridges with stone veneer facings, timber trestle, concrete girder bridges with masonry piers, a 8-span timber and log bridge to a 962 foot steel deck truss bridge.

The first bridge to cross the Yellowstone River, the Baronett Bridge, was a log structure built one year before the Park was established. After it's destruction by fire set by the Nez Perce on their exit from the Park in 1877, the bridge was replaced. By that time the second Park superintendent, Philetus Norris, found bridging the Yellowstone River at that point was not as much of a problem as bridging the Gibbon, Firehole and Madison rivers where unusual geologic conditions existed. He found it easier to cut slopes through the grassy turf for fording or placing long, limber poles or foot logs. These covered the placid, water-flow from the geyser or hot spring formations. However, bridge building did progress with 12 bridges being built in 1881.

When the Army Corps of Engineers arrived in the Park in 1883 to assume the responsibility for road construction, Lt. Dan Kingman described the bridges as "covered with small poles, and then even long stretches of corduroy to weary and vex the people who were obliged to travel over them." When he developed the first park road standards, he called for the bridges to be "constructed of good sawed lumber." By 1885, Kingman had constructed the first wooden trestle through the Golden Gate Canyon. By 1889, 21 more bridges had been built in the park of which 4 were considered substantial, but the new engineering officer in charge felt that as appropriations warranted, they should all be replaced with iron or stone structures.

By 1896, there was an awareness that the crossing near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone should be a structure of an attractive design, preferably an iron bridge. Seven years later, Chittenden would design and construct the Melan Arch bridge. In 1901, Chittenden began replacing many of the wooden bridges with rock-filled wooden abutments and piers with steel constructed bridges either solid concrete abutments or tubular piers. One year later, the old wooden trestle through the Golden Gate was rebuilt with a concrete viaduct.

In addition to the construction of the Melan Arch bridge in 1903, 8 other important bridges were built continuing the replacement of the older wooden bridges with steel or concrete bridges. An inspection of the Park bridges conducted in 1909 by Capt. Wildurr Willing called for the replacement of more of the 19th century bridges with steel structures.

After the admission of the automobile and the creation of the National Park Service, an important policy statement regarding the national parks was made by the Secretary of the Interior. The portion of which pertained to roads and bridges in the parks called for:

In the construction of roads, trails, and buildings, and other improvements, particular attention must be devoted always to the harmonizing of these improvements with the landscape. This is a most important item in our program of development and requires the employment of trained engineers who either possess a knowledge of landscape architecture or have a proper appreciation of the aesthetic value of park lands.

From that time until the National Park Service and the Bureau of Public Roads began their collaborative working relationship, most of the bridges in the Park were merely repaired. The next extensive bridge program would be in the 1930s, however, the Cub Creek Bridge on the East Entrance Road would be the first bridge project for the two agencies. (1926)

With the new working agreement of the National Park Service landscape architects responsible for the architectural details of construction, the appearance and types of bridges changed from steel constructed to concrete arched bridges faced with stone veneer, timber and log, or concrete girder bridges with stone abutments. The National Park Service admitted that "a bridge will always look like a bridge no matter what attempts are made to blend it into the surroundings or how much money is expended on it." However, the landscape architects did promote the use of masonry arch bridges that blended with the landscape, as the most desirable type, particularly where "ruggedness of the landscape is the rule."

During the first two decades many of the remaining steel bridges were moved to other locations in the Park to satisfy a need. Some of the steel Army bridges were relocated in the adjoining national forests.

Between 1926 and 1939, 30 major bridges were built in the park. With the exception of two of the remaining Army bridges and one bridge designed but not built during this time, the bridges being nominated as part of this documentation come from this period.

Minimal work was done during the World War II years and as a part of the MISSION 66 program initiated in 1956, 14 of the older bridges were scheduled for replacement. By 1966, fourteen new bridges had been built and for the most part, these new bridges blended with the environment, despite the fact that their design moved away from the obvious rustic design of the pre-World War II era. During the 1970s, four more bridges were constructed.

Tracing the different types of bridges used in Yellowstone and the approximate periods of their use supports the fact that this road system is an evolutionary resource. Over the years, most if not all of the log railings and posts have been replaced most of the decks have been replaced. These changes are mostly due to the climatic conditions or the type of materials used. In some cases, concrete spalling etc. has called for the reconstruction of some portions.

SIGNIFICANCE

The bridges in Yellowstone National Park are significant according to the Criteria established by the National Register of Historic Places in the following ways:

CRITERION A. — Resources that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.

NATIONAL LEVEL

Although segregated as a separate Property Type for documentation purposes the bridges in the park are a part of the road system, thus the significance found under Property Type—Roads, also applies to the bridges.

CRITERION B. — Resources associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.

While two of Chittenden's major achievements were bridges, neither exists today. The reconstructed Golden Gate Viaduct does not have enough integrity from the Chittenden era to have the association.

CRITERION C. — Resources that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction.

STATE LEVEL

Under Criterion C, the bridges can represent the National Park Service's design philosophy of harmonizing the manmade features with the surroundings. The bridges are the resources on the road system which maintain the best integrity and clearly represent the works of the landscape architects of the National Park Service.

CRITERION D. — Resources that have yielded, or may likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

STATE LEVEL

Under Criterion D, the Baronett Bridge Site is significant at the State Level for its position as the first bridge to cross the Yellowstone River. The bridge, which predated the creation of the Park by one year, gave access to the Cooke City mines from the Yellowstone Valley. As one of the first of two private parties doing business in the Park at the time of its establishment, the site is also important for Concessions History which will be developed later. The site's cultural deposits can contribute to our understanding of the late nineteenth century transportation frontier and the settlement and development.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

The Registration Requirements for the Property Type—Bridges are the following:

CRITERION A. — Resources that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.

NATIONAL LEVEL

Under Criterion A, the following Registration Requirements is listed:

1. the bridge must have been constructed as part of the planned road system in the Park.

2. the bridge must meet the National Register of Historic Places criteria for the 50-year consideration, however, Criteria Consideration G should be used on any bridge which was designed during the historic period (1872-1941), but not constructed until later as a result of the U.S. entry into World War II.

3. the bridge should meet the integrity of Location, however, Criteria Consideration B is applicable to the two remaining Army-built bridges. As the movement turned from the construction of steel bridges to more modern types, many the Army built were relocated within the Park and into the surrounding national forests. The two extant army bridges, the North Entrance Arch are the most visible reminders of the Army Corps presence in the Park. While there are two buildings associated with the Army Corps, they are not an obvious association.

Criterion B is not applicable for the bridges in Yellowstone.

Under Criterion C, the Registration Requirements are the following:

1. the bridge must have sufficient integrity to express the design philosophy of the National Park Service—harmonizing any manmade features with the environment.

2. the bridge is eligible for listing if any replacements or reconstructed portions have adhered to the original design.

Under Criterion D, the Registration Requirements are the following:

1. the bridge site must have significant importance in the history of the Park or of the region.

2. bridge sites of nonextant bridges should not be considered eligible unless the bridge were known to have been a significant engineering example and the cultural remains could potentially yield important information about its construction or design.

NAME OF PROPERTY TYPE—BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ROAD SYSTEM IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

DESCRIPTION

The types of buildings and structures associated with the construction of the road system in Yellowstone National Park are entrance stations or entrance arches, buildings constructed in the Mammoth Hot Springs area for offices, equipment, and residences, road camp buildings and sites, and the site of the Baronett Bridge Complex.

The interpretive kiosks in pullouts were not built as part of the road program and thus will be addressed in a future Historic Context for History of the Administration of the Park-Subcontext—Interpretation/Education.

The first buildings associated with the road were those found at the Baronett Bridge Site. The toll cabin is addressed under Criterion D in the Property Type—Bridge portion.

There are two extant historic entrance structures, the Northeast Entrance Station and the North Entrance Arch (Gardiner Arch). The North Entrance Arch was built in 1903 to the design of Hiram Chittenden to be compatible with the recently completed Gardiner train station designed by Robert Reamer. The columnar basalt stone arch has two battered towers, fifty feet in height, with an arch curtain five feet thick and is built to the same height as the towers. The structure is capped with a concrete roof and shingled with chippings from the cut stone used in the arches construction. The style reflects the Army Corps of Engineers and the use of the stone was compatible with the train station that was long ago removed. In 1921, a compatibly designed stone building which housed a ranger and was used as a checking station, was built near the arch. This new building replaced "an unsightly tent arrangement." Over the years the building was altered by the enclosure of the porch. In 1937, the building was destroyed by fire and until 1991 temporary buildings have been used on the North Entrance, several hundred yards from the arch, inside the park. During the summer of 1991, a compatibly designed stone and log building was built.

The historic context discusses the entrance stations on the other entrance roads and photographs illustrate their design. For the most part, the historic entrances were rustic log structures.

The one extant rustic log example is the Northeast Entrance Station, which was designated a National Historic Landmark under the Architecture in the Parks theme in 1987. The nomination called the entrance station "a classic in terms of its rustic design." Its pristine, nearly original condition makes it outstanding in the National Park system, and perhaps unique, for its architectural integrity.

The buildings that were constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for housing, offices, and equipment storage were primarily constructed during the 1902-1903 period at the Mammoth Hot Springs/Fort Yellowstone area. Prior to that time, the Army Corps personnel were authorized to use some of the buildings the Cavalry had built at Camp Sheridan, the forerunner of the nearby Fort Yellowstone. The Camp Sheridan buildings that the engineering group used were the warehouse, guard house, quartermaster stable, and office. None of these buildings exist.

During the 1902-1903 period, most of the buildings for the engineering group were built adjacent to the very finely constructed and attractive Fort Yellowstone. Chittenden first built a reservoir at the base of the Mammoth Terraces in 1901 and the following year the reservoir provided the source of power for the hydroelectric plant. These resources will not be addressed during Part I, but will be addressed when the overall evaluation of the Mammoth Hot Springs area is completed.

The first year of construction, 1902, Chittenden completed the following buildings:

1 commissary and storehouse, 100' x 24', one story
1 shop, 80'x 24', 2 stories, the upper used as quarters
1 shed, 100' x 20'
1 shed, 200'x 20'
1 stable, 30' x 40'
1 bunkhouse, 30' x 40'

The following year, Chittenden completed the U.S. Engineers Office, which was the second building constructed of stone since the U.S. Commissioner's house was completed in 1891, and an attractive cottage-style residence for himself to the rear of the Engineer's Office. Upon completion of the various buildings at Mammoth Hot Springs, Chittenden felt that:

This is the only point in the Park where an extensive transformation of natural conditions by the work of man has been permitted. Yet it was unavoidable here, and in yielding to this necessity, the effort has been made to provide a substitute that would be in harmony with the natural surroundings, and would itself be a feature of interest.

The Engineer's Office was a contrast in style to the other Army engineer buildings, which were simple, wooden frame buildings with wood shingle roofs. The photographs found in the Historic Context, Chapter III, illustrate the style of the buildings.

In 1908 the engineers built a storage barn, adding a chimney in 1913 and another cottage on Avenue E. During June, 1915, the engineers built a wagon shed. Upon the departure of the cavalry troops in 1916, the engineers took over several of the buildings of Fort Yellowstone. They used the double set of stone officers quarters, 2 sets of wooden officers quarters, 2 sets of NCO quarters 1/2 of the double stone barracks, the stone blacksmith shop, and a stone stable.

The only extant buildings constructed by and for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are the Engineer's Office and the Chittenden House.

The other type of resource associated with this property type is the road camp (or site of road camp).

The first reference of a road camp established by the military was Kingman's 1885 road camp near the Norris Geyser Basin, but Kingman's reports give very good detailed information on the number of laborers, the type of work and their pay. An 1883 report lists the daily ration for the construction crews.

Upon Chittenden's return to the park in 1899, he began to consider the supplying and positioning of the necessary number of men in the appropriate locations for work. By 1901, the government provided housing and subsistence for which the workers paid forty cents a day. All of the working parties lived in a camp. Then in 1902-1903, additional quarters were built at Mammoth Hot Springs.

Prior to leaving Yellowstone, Chittenden made a long list of recommendations for the road projects in the Park. Among those was his proposal for road camps for crews of 13 to 15 men including a cook. Besides bunkhouses and messhalls, the camps should have buildings in which to store forage to avoid damaging the roads by hauling forage during the spring when the roads were soft. His idea was for two crews to work from one camp, with each crew responsible for about five miles of road. The road camps would be situated approximately 8 to 10 miles apart. This scheme would provide a systematic method for general maintenance, sprinkling, and development of the road system.

Following Chittenden's suggestion, Lt. Ernest Peek established a number of camps during 1907, including a permanent camp with floor and framed tents near Obsidian Cliff and Canyon Junction. A permanent camp was started on the Lake to Canyon Road and one at Beryl Springs. Three very rough houses were finished on the Continental Divide between West Thumb and the Upper Geyser Basin. Barns were built at two of the houses and the timber cut for the third house.

In 1908, Peek expanded the number of road camps to include ones at Excelsior Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, West Thumb, Lake and Trout Creek. The third barn, which was started in 1907, was completed at Spring Creek on the Continental Divide Road. Peek found that having these accommodations greatly increased the productivity, as before the road camps were built, the crews had to sleep on the ground. Before the summer of 1908, Peek planned to build a barn at Beaver Lake and at Trout Creek. Peek saved money by having mangers built at Beaver Lake, Beryl Springs, Excelsior Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, West Thumb, Lake, Trout Creek, Canyon, and two other places on the Lake to Canyon Road. These mangers prevented the needless waste caused by feeding on the ground. In 1909 another barn and a warehouse were built at Beaver Lake.

In 1910, permission was given to the contractors, Moore and Moore of Eldgridge, Montana, to build a small log cabin within the park boundary. The contractor had to build the cabin on a site selected by the noncommissioned officer stationed at the Gallatin Station, out of view of the road. The contractor did have permission, under certain restrictions to cut logs in the Park for its construction. About 1913, a 26' x 34' barn was built at Trout Creek road camp, a log storehouse was built at the East Entrance, a log cabin/storehouse was built at the Lake sprinkler camp, and a 25' x 130' wagon shed with storage loft was built at Mammoth Hot Springs. The following year, barns were built at the Gibbon Meadow and Grand Canyon camps and cabins were built at Beaver Lake and Grand Canyon camps. In 1915, telephones were installed at most of the camps.

In 1915, the year automobiles were permitted to enter the Park, Maj. Amos Fries, who was known for running a "tight ship," decided that the practice of building bunkhouses and barns was not practical. He felt that for them to be effective required placing them in locations that would offset the long commutes the crews had to make which was too costly. He preferred the use of 15' x 24' tents.

In 1919, most of the road work was routine maintenance and many of the road crews were pulled off road work to fight fires, however, some of the camps, corrals, and equipment were moved around to other locations in the Park. In 1921, wooden messhalls were built for the road camps at Tower Junction, Madison Junction, Excelsior Geyser, and at Gibbon Meadows. Most of the building material came from the razed Yellowstone Western Stage Company buildings at West Yellowstone. Each of the 16' x 22' buildings contained a kitchen, dining room, and cook's bedroom. The roof extended six feet beyond the front wall to form a porch, which was enclosed by screening. The doors and windows were also screened. A 16' x 26' log mess house and a 16' x 30' log stable were built at the Lewis River road camp.

After the Bureau of Public Roads began supervising the road work in Yellowstone, the prospects of a greatly expanded roadwork program lasting many years was evident. The road camp facilities for the road crews were examined and tentative proposals offered an improved housing situation.

By 1926, twenty road camps within the boundaries of the Park had log and/or frame constructed buildings. The status of the road camps in 1926 is listed:

Mammoth Hot Springs	1 building with 7 private rooms and a dormitory provided with iron bunks sufficient for 30 men. The building was described as "nothing more than a shell and not suited for winter use. " There are 14 small rooms above the old carpenter shop which housed the truck drivers, barn men, commissary employees and other semi-permanent employees. Three men lived on the north side of McFarland's shop, which had no toilet, or bathing facilities.
Recommended: That the old carpenter shop be partitioned off to construct 4 or 5 private rooms and a bathroom for the permanent mechanics. Additional quarters for single permanent employees such as blacksmiths, carpenters, mechanics, and head barnmen should be provided.
Beaver Lake	has a log mess-house and frame stable.
Recommended: A frame bunkhouse for 10 men, repairs to present stable, repairs to messhouse new fir floor, and a large range with hot water tank.
Norris	has a log and frame stable, frame messhouse, frame bunkhouse with log trim, frame house for foremen, and another frame building.
Recommended: The present frame messhouse, which was described as "too large and unsightly, " should be razed and a new one built. The stable and bunkhouse need painting or staining and the two small frame buildings should be moved to a "less conspicuous " location.
Gibbon Meadow	has log stable and frame messhouse; nothing was recommended for additions, but it was recommended that when the road through the Gibbon Canyon was completed, the road crew should be located at Norris.
Madison Junction	has a frame messhouse, log storehouse with the horses being stabled in one end of the storehouse.
Recommended: A log bunkhouse for 12 men. It was felt that a stable was not needed in this location because motor equipment will probably be used on this section after its completion.
Excelsior Geyser	has frame messhouse and log stable.
Recommended: Frame bunkhouse.
Old Faithful	has frame messhouse and frame officer's house.
Recommended: Frame bunkhouse for camp cleaners, sprinkler man and truck driver, frame stable for camp cleaner's teams, sprinkler team, and ranger's horses.
Spring Creek	has frame bunkhouse, small frame house for cook and frame stable. Nothing required.
Delacy Creek	has frame messhouse and bunkhouse and frame stable. Nothing required.
Dry Creek	has frame messhouse and bunkhouse and frame stable. Nothing required.
West Thumb	has frame messhouse, frame bunkhouse, frame granary and log and slab shed for stable.
Recommended: The present messhouse and bunkhouse located in the new auto campground should be razed and an entire unit, messhouse, bunkhouse and stable built on the hill south of the auto campground.
Lake	has a log messhouse, several old sheds, and log building used for bunkhouse.
Recommended: New log or frame stable, raze all old sheds, build additional room on messhouse for cook's quarters. Either remodel the old bunkhouse or build new one.
Trout Creek	has log mess building and frame stable.
Recommended: Frame bunkhouse, small stable should be built back of messhouse — the old stable should be razed.
Canyon	has log messhouse and log stable.
Recommended: New bunkhouse for 15 men and build additional room on messhouse for cook's quarters.
Dunraven Pass	has frame messhouse, frame stable with log trim, and frame bunkhouse with log trim. Nothing required.
Tower Junction	has frame messhouse and old log stable.
Recommended: Log or frame bunkhouse and a new stable built behind the messhouse; the old stable should be razed.
Blacktail Deer Creek	has log messhouse and log stable.
Recommended: Messhouse, bunkhouse, and stable. An entire new layout should be built in a new location nearer the road.
Virginia Meadows	has log messhouse.
Recommended: Small log or frame bunkhouse and small log or frame stable.
West Gallatin	has nothing.
Recommended: Log messhouse, log bunkhouse.
Cook City Road	has nothing.
Recommended: There should be two units on this section, one about Lamar Canyon and the other at Devil's Well, and a messhouse bunkhouse, and stable built at each place.
Turbid Lake	has nothing.
Recommended: An entire unit—bunkhouse, messhouse, and stable. Cub Creek has log messhouse, log bunkhouse, log stable, and log bathhouse. Nothing is required.
East Entrance	has nothing.
Recommended: An entire unit—either log or frame messhouse, bunkhouse, and stable.
Lewis River	has log messhouse and log stable.
Recommended: Log bunkhouse.

In 1927, the Park sent bunkhouse and mess house blueprints to Thomas Vint, chief of the landscape architecture division, in the National Park Service Field Headquarters in San Francisco for approval. Generally, these utilitarian type buildings were constructed from standard designs found in the files in the park. The older bunkhouse design had a "bull-pen" arrangement for sleeping and the revised drawings offered separate sleeping rooms and a separate room and office for the foreman. The rationale for the changes in design was that the foreman needed privacy to prepare the cost reports and time sheets and that in many cases the foremen were required to do paper work at night. The move for separate sleeping areas would provide more comfort and privacy and thus less friction for crews whose ages varied from eighteen year olds to men in their fifties. Tidiness and cleanliness of the building was also an issue. Each sleeping room was designed for two men using double-tier bunks. The new designs for the mess house included a separate sleeping room for the cook on the first floor and framing the building 2-1/2 or 3 feet above the ceiling to provide two additional rooms for extra men or transients if necessary.

The plans called for three team stables with the possibility of lengthening it an additional nine feet if space were needed for more stock. The resident engineer in Yellowstone preferred a rough lumber exterior on the frame building using the standard stain, however, cost estimates for the addition of log trim fell within the allotment from the appropriation. One year later in 1927, the road camp building program changed "because of conditions that could not have been foreseen."

In 1929, the National Park Service's Washington Office requested the closing and dismantling of the camps due to lack of construction funds, however, a new road camp was built at Lake consisting of a messhouse, a 20-man bunkhouse, a 3-stall stable, and a stable each at Canyon and West Thumb.

The following year, restored funding enabled some camps to be reestablished on a more permanent basis using the revised plans for bunkhouses and messhouses. A typical completed road camp included the messhouse costing $1,424.00, the bunkhouse costing $1,140.00, and the stable costing $855.00.

In 1930, two groups of road camps were built according to the standard plans, the Bacon Rind Creek camp and the camp 3-1/2 miles west of the East Entrance which served the crew stationed for work between the East Entrance and Sylvan Pass. The two camps were identical in construction. The messhouse was a 1-1/2 story frame building, 18' x 32', with vertical siding and battens, consisting of a kitchen, pantry, and a mess hall on the first floor and three partitioned sleeping rooms and bath in the alcove upstairs. The bunkhouses, 18' x 30', were of the same construction, but partitioned into 5 sleeping rooms and a common room with a built-on shower. Each sleeping room accommodated two men. The bunkhouse was framed two feet lower than the messhouse and the upper portion floored and had a ceiling which provided space for tools and equipment for winter storage. The stables were of frame construction, 16' x 28'. The building was divided into double stalls to house three teams. The upper floor contained the hay loft and grainery which had a tin lined rodent proof oat bin.

During 1931, the landscape architecture division of the National Park Service took a strong stand on appearance not only of the recently built structures, but also the conditions of the abandoned road camps, with the results that they were left in better condition than before. A few years later the C.C.C. assisted in the cleanup of old sites, removal of old buildings and the cleanup of old dump grounds.

Many of the road camps later housed road maintenance crews and over the years, many of the buildings have been relocated throughout the park or removed.

During the extensive road projects work of 1930s and into the 1940s, many of the contracts obligated the contractors to return the road camps to their natural conditions upon completion of the work. Sometimes buildings were left under certain conditions, such as:

With regards to the matter of removal of buildings and cleanup at the camp occupied by Strong and Company, contractors at Canyon, we are agreeable to leaving the N.P.S. mess hall, bunk house and barn. The remainder of the buildings are of such flimsy construction that to retain them pending their further use in subsequent contracts would not be practical. These shacks would require maintenance and protection which is not warranted by their value.

Toward the end of the 1940s, the Park tended to encourage the contractors to use space within the Park's utility areas. In reference to the use of an old camp at Riverside Geyser, Superintendent Rogers believed that "The scenic value of the Riverside Geyser outweighs any economic value the campsite might have. In fact there is not much consequence in making a comparison. Furthermore the use of the road and campsite detracts materially from the enjoyment of the views of the geyser."

There are a few isolated road camp buildings throughout the Park, however, the last most intact road camp at West Thumb, burned during the fires of 1988.

SIGNIFICANCE

NATIONAL LEVEL

One building and one structure associated with the construction of the road system in Yellowstone National Park are significant at the National Level under Criterion A and Criterion C. The Northeast Entrance Station was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1988. The nomination called it "a classic in terms of its rustic design. Its pristine, nearly original condition makes it outstanding in the National Park system, and perhaps unique, for its architectural integrity."

The other nationally significant structure is the North Entrance Arch. It is significant for both Criterion A, and Criterion C. Under Criterion A, the arch is significant for the following reasons:

1. it is an integral part of the road system

2. it is associated with the role of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' significant contribution toward the development of the road system and its standards

3. it is the earliest attempt in recognizing the importance of an entrance at a park it serves as the transition from the rest of the country into "a special place."

4. for nearly 90 years it has served as a symbol of Yellowstone National Park.

Under Criterion C, the arch is important for its design. Long before there was a National Park Service directive for compatible design, Chittenden designed this arch to be compatible with the well-known architect, Robert Reamer's design of the train station at Gardiner, Montana and its surroundings. In addition, the actual design of the arch is significant. The use of the columnar basalt to achieve a certain effect is significant. Despite maintenance and some restoration, the arch maintains a high degree of integrity.

STATE SIGNIFICANCE

The Engineer's Office and the Chittenden House are significant at the State Level under Criterion A, Criterion B and Criterion C.

Under Criterion A, the two buildings are and were significant buildings associated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers association with the development of the road system in Yellowstone National Park. These were the most permanent buildings and the only ones that required design. The others, which have all been demolished, were typical, functional buildings, similar in style to those found in the park and other parks, such as Glacier National Park.

The interior of the Chittenden House has lost its integrity, but the first floor of the Chittenden House retains much of its integrity. Specific details will be found on the individual nomination form.

The buildings at Fort Yellowstone that the Army Corps of Engineers used after the Cavalry's withdrawal in 1916, are not significant under this context. While the engineers used them for two years, their importance is drawn from their association with the Cavalry's administration of Yellowstone National Park.

LOCAL SIGNIFICANCE

The road camp buildings and the road camp sites were evaluated for local significance under Criterion A, Criterion C, and Criterion D.

Under Criterion A, the existing remanents are isolated, or they have been relocated without their component structures thus losing the feeling of setting and association. They fail to represent a road camp. Their integration into another functional complex such as housing diminishes their significance as examples of "road camp."

Under Criterion C, the individual buildings have lost their design integrity by the modification of the building to meet new functional requirements. The buildings do not qualify for the Criteria Consideration B.

In 1988, the Bacon Rind Dorm from the old Bacon Rind Road Camp on the Gallatin Highway was determined not eligible by the Montana Historic Preservation Office. The dorm has been altered and moved to the West Entrance of Yellowstone National Park.

The only resources that might have applied under Criterion D are the road camp sites, sites of old entrance stations, or miscellaneous buildings constructed at Mammoth Hot Springs. It is doubtful that significant information could be yielded from the entrances, stations, sites, road camp sites, or the miscellaneous buildings that could not be discerned from historic photographs, documentation, or historic site plans. In the case of the miscellaneous buildings at Mammoth Hot Springs, the site of the engineers old buildings have been reused for building sites for other functions. Photographs of the buildings can be found in the Historic Context.

As part of the Historic Context, an effort was made to include information about the crews who built the roads, their camps, the equipment, their employment, and other details. This information can be found in different places in the Historic Context. Sometimes it is included within the text and/or endnotes, or it could be visual in a photograph. The road camps within Yellowstone National Park are probably no different than the hundreds of road camps used for the construction of state roads. If road camps sites are thought to be significant, ones outside Yellowstone National Park would probably retain more integrity than those within the boundary as one of the usual contract stipulations was that the camp be returned to as near natural condition as possible. An effort would have been made to obliterate the site and revegetate. The dumps that may have had an association with the road camps should not be considered as eligible also. One such dump was examined by archeologists during the summer of 1990. Their conclusion was "It is unlikely that any additional mitigation of this site would contribute to the history of the Park. Therefore, no further work is recommended."

Several of the contractors who built the roads have records, photographs, movie film, and other details which could be of interest to any one interested in road camps. Among the contractors who have maintained their records are Lowerdmilk and Sons of Denver, Colorado and Morrison-Knudsen of Boise, Idaho. The sites of the crews from the earlier period were housed in tents and the camps would have been of a very temporary nature. It would be difficult to differentiate those camp sites from any other camp sites of visitors, etc.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

The Registration Requirements for the Property Type—Buildings and structures associated with the construction of the road system in Yellowstone National Park will address the resources as included in an Historic District, such as the Entrance Station and the North Entrance Arch or as individual buildings such as the Engineer's Office, the Chittenden House, and the road camp buildings or sites.

Under Criterion A, the following Registration Requirements are listed:

1. the entrance structure and entrance stations must have integrity of Setting and Location

2. the Engineer's Office and the Chittenden House must have integrity of Location. These two buildings will be nominated individually at this time, however, they will be placed within the Fort Yellowstone Historic District at a later date. The other buildings within the proposed Fort Yellowstone Historic District are associated with the Calvary and the management of the Park. The Calvary buildings that the Army Corps Engineers used after 1916, will be part of the Fort Yellowstone Historic District for their association with the management of the Park, but mention will be made of the engineers use. The Setting is not as important for the individual listing of the buildings as buildings are to be listed for their association with the road construction and their setting within Fort Yellowstone has changed considerably prior to and after their construction.

3. the road camp must have integrity of Setting and Location. The planned road camps of the 1920s and 1930s had standardized designs and prescribed functional buildings or structures, such as a messhouse, bunkhouse, and stable. All three buildings should be present to be eligible.

4. the road camps must have integrity of Feeling and evoke a sense of "road camp"

Under Criterion C, the following Registration Requirements are listed:

1. The interiors of the Engineer's Office and the Chittenden House must possess significant design integrity to reflect the historic function; the floor plans, materials and workmanship must have sufficient integrity to reflect the feeling of the historic period. The exterior of the buildings must possess significant integrity of design, workmanship and materials to evoke their period of construction.

2. The entrance building and arch must possess significant integrity of design, workmanship and materials to evoke their period of construction.

3. If an individual road camp building is found to be within another use area and it retains the highest level of integrity of location, design, workmanship, and materials to evoke it as a good example of a road camp building, it could be eligible. It is important that the building not have extensive modifications. In order for the building's interior to be eligible, it must possess significant design integrity to reflect the historic function; the floor plans, materials and workmanship must have sufficient integrity to reflect the feeling of historic period.

Criterion D does not apply to these resources. See the Significance Statement.

B. LIST OF PROPERTIES ELIGIBLE FOR LISTING ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

1. Grand Loop Historic District

a. Seven Mile Bridge
b. Obsidian Creek Bridge
c. Gibbon River Bridge (4.9 miles from Norris Junction)
d. Gibbon River Bridge (6.1 miles from Norris Junction)
e. Nez Perce Creek Bridge
f. Firehole River Bridge near Morning Glory Pool
g. Army Bridge at end of Fountain Freight Road
h. Isa Lake Bridge
i. Otter Creek Bridge
j. Tower Creek Bridge
k. Lava Creek Bridge
l. Gardner River Bridge
m. road

2. North Entrance Road Historic District

a. North Entrance Arch
b. road

3. Northeast Entrance Road Historic District

a. Lamar River Bridge
b. FHWA Creek Bridge
c. RWC Creek Bridge
d. Pebble Creek Bridge
e. Soda Butte Creek Bridge (6.4 miles from entrance)
f. Soda Butte Creek Bridge (3.3 miles from entrance)
g. TLF Creek Bridge
h. Northeast Entrance Station National Historic Landmark
i. road

4. East Entrance Road Historic District

a. Fishing Bridge
b. Sedge Creek Bridge
c. Pelican Creek Bridge
d. Cub Creek Bridge
e. road

5. South Entrance Road Historic District

a. Crawfish Creek Bridge
b. road

6. West Entrance Road Historic District

a. road

7. Chittenden House (Mammoth Hot Springs)

8. Engineers Office (Mammoth Hot Springs)

9. Baronett Bridge Site

10. Bunsen Peak Road

11. Mammoth to Gardiner Road (old road)

12. Mount Washburn Road

13. Blacktail Deer Plateau Road

14. Fountain Freight Roada

C. LIST OF PROPERTIES NOT RECOMMENDED FOR LISTING ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES