YOSEMITE VALLEY. 



vigorous displays of subterranean energy to be seen 

 in the Park. Between this and the Firehole basin 

 is the Gibbon Paint Pot basin, with 5UU springs of 

 boiling mud, of every shade of color, aud the Gib- 



" Old Faithful" Gcyccr. ' 



bon CaBon and Falls, the latter a beautiful cascade 

 of 100 feet height. 



Tin: curiosities hero named are by no means all 

 the marvels of the Park ; there are hot springs 



Crater of Giant Geyser. 



falls, and other attractions in several other locali- 

 ties, and tlifre is scarcely a portion of the Park 

 without its objects of interest. It is doubtful if 

 there in any locality on the face of the globe that 

 contains so much of the attractive and wonderful, 

 while it is said to surpass in the number of its hot 

 springs nnd geysers all the remainder of the earth. 

 The I'.irk \v:i formerly difficult of access, but the 

 nil road exien-ion of recent, years has overcome this 

 diffi'-ulty, there beiut: n Yellowstone' I';irl< branch of 

 the .Northern Pacific Railroad which lands passen- 



gers within the northern boundary of the Park. 

 Hotels have been built, and several others are to be 

 erected, so that ere long the whole Park promises to 

 be well provided with accommodation for travellers. 

 Then, too, excursion arrangements are so 

 shaped, that tourists can enjoy the pleasures 

 of the Park in complete safety and at greatly 

 reduced cost. The way to see the wonders 

 of the Park to best advantage, is, nt present, 

 by camping out, while all its important locali- 

 ties can be readily visited on horseback. In 

 addition to the marvels of scenery there is 

 excellent hunting and fishing, the Park being 

 full of large and small game, while the rivers 

 and lakes afford excellent sport to the angler. 

 The Act of Congress forming the Park, how- 

 ever, provides that the Secretary of the Inte- 

 rior shall take steps to prevent a wanton de- 

 struction offish and game within its bounda- 

 ries, and against their capture or destruction 

 for merchandise or profit. 



This provision is destined to prove of great 

 advantage in the preservation of the herbi- 

 vora of the West, the bison, elk, antelope, 

 Rocky Mountain sheep, etc., which have of 

 late years bein so m klefsly slaughtered, nnd 

 which are threatened with f needy extinction. 

 It is reported that of those animals a fiw 

 hundred bisons, and several thousand elk, 

 deer, antelopes, and mountain sheep ha\e 

 found a place of refuge within the limits of 

 the Park, and with proper protection, which 

 will no doubt be accorded, there need be no 

 need of tluse interesting species becoming 

 extinct. Their presence here, if they become 

 extinct elsewhere, will in the future add another to 

 the many attractive features of the Yellowstone Na- 

 tional Park. (c. M.) 



YOSKMITK VALLEY. The remarkable and 

 famous mountain cleft or valley known under this 

 title (which is of Indian origin and signifies "large 

 grizzly bear'') is situated on the course of the Mer- 

 ced Jtiver, in Mariposa County, California, on the 

 western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and 

 nearly midway between the northern and southern 

 extremities of the State. It is distant 140 miles 

 from San Francisco, in a line nearly due east, but 

 over 1M miles by the usually travelled routes. The 

 valley through which Hows the Merced is nearly 

 level, its length being about miles, its width vary- 

 ing from mile to nearly 2 miles, but in that small 

 space is found some of the most magnificent natu- 

 ral scenery in the world. The valley, in fact, is in- 

 closed between loft}" granite walls, which rise almost 

 vertically, and are from 3000 to 6000 feet in height ; 

 this height being rendered more impressive by the 

 absence of a talus, or sloping heap of debris, at their 

 feet. At several points over these precipitous walls 

 flow streams, which in the season of rains and melt- 

 ing snows form cataracts of unrivalled beauty and 

 magnificence. In the early spring, indeed, to the 

 larger waterfalls are added numerous cascades, us 

 the minor streams and rivulets made by the rains 

 How over the edge of the mountain walls, and dart 

 downward in lines of glancing light to the valley 

 below. At this season the combined effects of cas- 

 cades and cataracts give an indescribable beauty and 

 grandeur to the scene. The nearly vertical walls of 

 the valley and their great height, both absolutely 

 and as compared with the width of the space be- 

 tween them, with the added charms of the water- 

 falls, form features of unusual attractiveness, to 

 which may be added the fact that during the proper 

 season the valley is one vast dower bed, the ground 

 being carpeted thickly with plants of great variety, 

 whicji bear flowers of every hue nnd of great bril- 

 liancy of color, while the air is filled with their fra- 

 grance. Trees also in great variety adorn the val- 



