THE THERMAL SPRINGS OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. 



By A. C. Peale, M. D. 



Schuylkill Haven, Pa., August 1, 1881. 



Sir : I have the honor herewith to submit my report ou the Thermal 

 Springs of the Yellowstone National Park. It is based mainly upon 

 the observations made in 1878. We reached the Shoshone Geyser Basin, 

 our first working point, on August 15, 1878, and spent ten days mapping 

 and describing the springs of this interesting area. Our next stopping 

 point was the Upper Geyser Basin of Fire Hole Eiver. Here we had 

 in all eight days between the 26th of August and the 11th of Septem- 

 ber, having in this time also visited the Heart Lake Springs and those 

 of Lewis Lake. We next mapped the Gibbon Geyser Basin in a little 

 over a day and a half. We then worked up the Mammoth Hot Springs 

 of Gardiner's River, leaving them about September 21 to follow up the 

 Yellowstone Eiver and examine the various spring localities along its 

 course. 



On October 1 we began work in the Lower Geyser Basin of the Fire 

 Hole River, and finished October 10. We were therefore in the Park 

 within a few days of two months. A considerable portion of this time 

 was spent in traveling from point to point, the spring areas being sep- 

 arated by distances which will be appreciated by a reference to the map 

 of the Park. A large portion of the writer's time was necessarily de- 

 voted to topographical work in assisting Mr. J. E. Mushback, to whose 

 fidelity and zeal is due the fact that the accompanying maps of the 

 various Geyser Basins are presented. The writer's thanks are also due 

 to Mr. H. Gannett, Mr. W. H. Holmes, and Mr. F. E. Owen for the prep- 

 aration of maps and illustrations. 



The accompanying report is divided into three parts. 



Part I is devoted to the description of the spring areas according to 

 their location on the systems of drainage that lie within the Park. 



In Part II I have given short descriptions of the principal geyser 

 regions of the world for the sake of comparison with our own, and also 

 because the remarks in the portions of the report following are partly 

 based on observations made in other geyser regions than our own. I 

 have also added brief chapters on the Thermal Springs of the United 

 States and other parts of the world, incorporating catalogues of the 

 same, which are as complete as the time at our command permitted us 

 to make them. 



In Part III, as a reference to the table of contents will show, I have 

 considered briefly the points of a more general nature in relation to hot 

 springs and geysers. I have been obliged to present them in a some- 

 what incomplete state, owing to the fact that our organization was dis- 

 banded before even this portion of the report was begun. This fact, 

 with the removal from a general office and from as free access to the 

 libraries as is desirable, with the cares of business since the breaking 



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