THE STORY OF A STRANGE LAND. 



45! 



of the survey, and he won the first of his many laurels on this 

 ex]3edition. In 1873, acting on Hayden's report. Congress took 

 the matter in hand and set apart this whole region as a "■ public 

 park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the 

 people," and such it remains to this day. 



But, while only of late this region has had a public history, the 

 long-forgotten years between the Glacial period and the expedi- 

 tion of Lewis and Clarke were not without interest in the history 

 of the trout. For all these years the fishes have been trying to 

 mount the waterfalls in order to ascend to the plateau above. 



Beavek Lake ; showing Reaver Dams. 



Year after year, as the spawning-time came on, they leaped against 

 the falls of the Gardiner, the Gibbon, and the Firehole Rivers, 

 but only to fall back impotent in the pools at their bases. But 

 the mightiest cataract of all. the great falls of the Yellowstone, 

 they finally conquered, and in this way it was done : not by the 

 trout of the Yellowstone River, but by "their brothers on the other 

 side of the Divide. These followed up the Columbia to the head- 

 waters of the Snake River, its great tributary, past the beautiful 

 Heart Lake, and then on to the stream now called Pacific Creek, 

 which rises on the very crest of the Divide. In the space between 

 this stream^ which flows west to help form the Snake River, and 

 a smaller stream now called Atlantic Creek, flowing down the 



