400 



WIKRICAN FORESTRY 



although any antipathy which one may feel for its bastard 

 architecture is soon forgotten in the delights of the well- 

 cooked food that is served inside. 



On the regular trips, the Fountain Hotel, which is only 

 a lunch station, and the next stop, the real Mecca of 

 Park tourists, is reached about four o'clock in the after- 

 noon. Here are the famous Old Faithful Geyser and 

 Old Faithful Inn at the upper levels of the Upper Geyser 

 Basin. The two places at which most tourists spend the 

 majority of 

 their time are 

 in the Upper 

 Geyser Basin 

 and at the 

 Canyon Hotel 

 on the brink of 

 the Grand Can- 

 yon of the 

 Yellowstone. 



Speaking of 

 architecture, it 

 is difficult to 

 place the Old 

 Faithful Inn in 

 any category, 

 but despite its 

 curious and 

 rather unattrac- 

 tive massing, 

 the hostelry is 

 pervaded with 

 an unusual 

 amount of 

 charm and an 

 atmosphere of 

 real comfort. 

 From the win- 

 dows of many 

 of the rooms of 

 the hotel, and 

 from the ver- 

 and a , Old 

 Faithful Gey- 

 ser may be seen 

 to spout, with 

 its never interrupted regularity, at intervals of one hour 

 and five minutes. From the veranda may also be seen many 

 of the geysers across the road on the eastern border of the 

 Basin, and the entire surrounding has the appearance of a 

 manufacturing town with the innumerable jets of steam 

 rising from unseen escapes. It has the desirable feature, 

 however, of lacking the roar that frequently becomes 

 nerve racking in the vicinity of the Fountain Hotel. 



There arc a great number of intensely interesting 

 points of interest in the I *i>[kt Basin, prominent amongst 

 which are the Grotto Geyser, Punch Bowl, Sunset Lake 

 and the Rainbow Pool. However, unless the tourist is 

 prepared to remain in the locality for twenty-four hours 

 or so, it is quite possible that few of the geysers will be 



Photo iy Gilford for Northern Pacific Railroad 



THE YELLOWSTONE FALLS 



These falls arc not to high at many others. Compared in height with the Yosemite falls, it is equal to any. Over 

 ita precipice leapt a mighty river and, as an illustration of bounding energy, it is unexcelled. The proportions are 

 jutt about right to come within the scope of human intelligence, thus making its beauty more readily grasped. 



seen in action, with the exception of Old Faithful. But 

 the brilliant colors of the pools and hot basins alone would 

 justify the trip if the tourist is forced, by shortness of 

 time, to continue on schedule. 



The next link in the circuit is from Old Faithful to 

 Thumb Station on the western shore of Yellowstone 

 Lake. The road between these two stations crosses the 

 Great Divide twice in the journey and extends little more 

 than this fact in extenuation of the disagreeable circum- 

 stances of the 

 trip. It follows 

 along Spring 

 Creek and 

 crosses the Di- 

 vide in both 

 places so easily 

 that it is diffi- 

 cult to realize 

 that there is 

 any Divide 

 lurking in the 

 vicinity, par- 

 ticularly as the 

 dust might 

 make it prac- 

 tically impos- 

 sible to see 

 such a thing if 

 one were still 

 interested. 



From Thumb 

 Station, there is 

 a choice of two 

 routes, one by 

 wagon road 

 and one by 

 launch on the 

 Lake, to the 

 Lake Hotel at 

 the upper end 

 of Yellowstone 

 Lake. It is diffi- 

 cult to imagine 

 anyone choos- 

 ing the road 

 after the ride 

 to Thumb Station, and, in addition, the boat ride is one of 

 the most beautiful that can be had on any lake in this coun- 

 try. The route traversed by the launch is about fifteen 

 miles in length, half of which is spent in the western ex- 

 tension of the Lake, known as the West Thumb. After 

 passing Dot Island, the boat swings close to Stevenson 

 Island and lands at the wharf in front of the Lake Hotel. 

 Here is another excellent example of the work that 

 has been left undone by the Board of United States 

 ' ieographic Names. Some of the most prominent points 

 and features in and on this most wonderful of lakes have 

 been named West Thumb, Rock Point, Steamboat Point, 

 Bridge Bay, Frank Island, and, wonder of wonders, Dot 

 Island. The latter is only exceeded in the absolute idiocy 



