YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 



459 



profuse use of the English superlative. In addition to 

 the almost innumerable wonders of the Park, the locality 

 is pervaded with an atmosphere of bigness. Everything 

 is on a giant scale. Distances are great, canyons are of a 

 terrifying depth, mountain peaks raise their lofty crests 

 to inconceivable heights, and even the length of the Gov- 

 ernment roads is made inconceivably long by the intoler- 

 able dust which Congress refuses to lay for the tourist. 

 It is not surprising, therefore, that exaggeration creeps 

 into a discussion of the Park, and that descriptive writers 

 take liberties with truth. 



ern entrances, which are tapped by the Northern Pacific 

 Railroad and the Union Pacific, respectively. In the early 

 history of the Park, most of the travel came in by the 

 northern entrance, which is but a few miles from Fort 

 Yellowstone, where, at one time, was stationed a very 

 considerable force of cavalry. Since that time, however, 

 this force has been reduced and the interest in the old fort 

 is now secondary to the greater number of imposing 

 spectacles that may be witnessed from the main circuit, 

 which is considerably closer to the western entrance. As 

 a result, the tourist whose time is limited will generally 



Photo by Cifford for Northern Pacific Railroad 



CARELESS TOURISTS ARE INJURED HERE 



While the Grotto Geyser does not present such a spectacular performance as Old Faithful, it is still one of the most interesting in the Basin. In addition, 

 it permits of a closer inspection while in operation, a privilege that seems to be held at a premium by the tourists, who are often injured through succumbing 

 to curiosity. 



As Yellowstone is the oldest of our National Parks, 

 it is to be expected that it is opened up with roads and 

 trails to a much greater extent than any other Park in 

 the system. Fortunately, a certain degree of intelligent 

 forethought seems to have been exercised in the planning 

 of the roads in the Park. There are four entrances, 

 each about in the middle of a boundary line of the Park, 

 which lead to a central circuit on which are located most 

 of the interesting features to be visited. There is also 

 another circuit in the northern portion of the Park, a por- 

 tion of which is contiguous to the main circuit, so that 

 the encircling roads form a figure eight. One may enter 

 the Park, therefore, from any one of its four sides and 

 strike the circuits, thus giving a choice of several different 

 routes of travel. 



The entrances most used are the northern and west- 



choose the Union Pacific line, entering at Yellowstone on 

 the western entrance, and make only the main circuit. 



From Yellowstone the road follows the Madison River 

 to its junction with the Firehole River, where it branches. 

 One road follows the Gibbon River to the north, while 

 the other follows up the Valley of the Firehole. The 

 road along the Firehole is particularly beautiful, as it 

 clings for miles to the very edge of the river until it 

 reaches what is known as the Lower Geyser Basin. In 

 this Basin are the famous Mammoth Paint Pots, which 

 are really nothing but mud geysers, the contents of which 

 look and act like nothing so much as vividly colored mush 

 that is being boiled and tossed by escaping steam. In 

 this Basin, also, are the Fountain Geyser, Emerald Lake 

 and the Fountain Hotel. To some tourists the latter is 

 quite the most curious freak to be found in the Basin, 



