66 EEPORT UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



trappers, who had heard of it from him, but had never been there. As 

 far back as 1844, James Bridger, one of the best and most noted of Eocky 

 Mountain guides, is said to have described some of the wonderful springs 

 and geysers, but his stories were supposed to be made out of the whole 

 cloth, and although it is said he endeavored to get some of the western 

 newspaper men to publish some of his tales, they were so marvelous 

 that no one would do it. 



In Capt. John MuUan's report on the construction of a military road 

 from Fort Walla Walla to Fort Benton occurs the following mention of 

 geysers. He says: 



As early as the winter of 1853, wliicli I spent in these mountains, my attention was 

 called to the mild open region lying between the Deer Lodge Valley and Fort Laramie. 

 * ^ * Uponinvestigatiug the peculiarities of the country I learned from the Indians, 

 and afterwards confirmed by my own explorations, the fact of the existence of an in- 

 finite number of hot springs at the headwaters of the Missouri, Columbia, and Yellow- 

 stone Rivers, and that hot geysers, similar to those of California, existed at the head 

 of the Yellowstone ; that this line of hot springs was traced to the Big Horn, &c. 



On page 10 of Captain Eaynolds's report on the exi3loration of the 

 Yellowstone Eiver* is the following paragraph : 



Beyond these [referring to Pryor's River, Clark's Fork, Big Rosebud, and Beaver 

 River] is the valley of the Upper Yellowstone, which is as yet a terra incof/nita. My 

 expedition passed entirely around, but could not penetrate it. My intention was to 

 enter it from the head of Wind River, but the basaltic ridge previously spoken of in- 

 tercepted our route and prohibited the attempt. After this obstacle had thus forced 

 us over on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, an effort was made to recross 

 and reach the district in question ; but although it was June, the immense body of 

 snow baffled all our exertions, and we were compelled to content ourselves with listen- 

 ing to marvelous tales of burning plains, immense lakes, and boiling springs, without 

 being able oo verify these wonders. I know of but two white men who claim to have 

 ever visited this part of the Yellowstone Valley — James Bridger and Robert Meldrum. 

 The narratives of both these men are very remarkable, and I3ridger, in one of his re- 

 citals, described an immense boiling spring that is a perfect counterpart of the geysers 

 of Iceland. As he is uneducated, and had probably never heard of the existence of 

 such natural marvels elsewhere, I have little doubt that he spoke of that which he had 

 actually seen. 



This is probably the first printed reference to the springs and geysers 

 of the Park, although there were floating traditions among the early 

 trappers and hunters. 



In 1863 a party of prospectors, of which Capt. Walter W. De Lacey 

 was' one, ascended the Snake Eiver, and from Shoshone Lake (which 

 was named De Lacey's Lake afterwards by General Meredith, surveyor- 

 general of Montana) crossed to the Lower Geyser Basin, one branch of 

 the party having visited the springs and geysers of the Shoshone Gey- 

 ser Basin. IsTo description of the Shoshone Geysers was published by 

 them. Captain De Lacey, writing of the Lower Geyser Basin in the paper 

 by him published in the "Contributions to the Historical Society of 

 Montana," says they i cached the valley on the 9th of September, 1863 

 (see page 132). He does not give any description of the various springs, 

 in the following years many prospectors visited portions of the Park, 

 the Botteler Brothers, C. J. Barronette, and Bart Henderson being among 

 them. In 1869 Messrs. Cook and David E. Folsom visited the region, 

 and the account of their trip, published in tlie Lakeside Monthly, of 

 Chicago, is probably the first authentic description ever published of 

 these springs and geysers outside of brief accounts in the local papers 



* Senate Executive Document No. 77, Fortieth Congress, first session. Report of 

 the Secretary of War, communicating, &c., * * * the report of Bvt. Brig. Gen. 

 W. F. Raynolds, &c. 



