HEART LAKE GEYSER BASIN. 289 



CHAPTER XI. 



HEART LAKE GEYSER BASIN. 



The Heart Lake Basin includes a number of springs at the northeast 

 base of the Red Mountains, on Witch Creek, a tributary of Heart Lake, 

 and a small group near the Lake Shore. 



History. — The earliest description of these springs that I can find is 

 in Captain Barlow's report of the trip to the mountain named by him 

 Mount Sheridan. In Lieutenant Doane's report,* Messrs. Washburn 

 and Langford are said to have visited a group of springs near this neigh- 

 borhood, but I cannot decide positively whether they were the hot 

 springs at the head, of Witch Creek or not. Lieutenant Doane says : 



Messrs. Washburn and Langford took a southerly direction [from Yellowstone Lake], 

 toward the base of Yellow Mountain, for a distance of 11 miles. They saw from the 

 divide the lake from which Snake River issues, also a small lake at an elevation of 

 800 feet above it. Beyond this divide they became entangled in an immense swampy, 

 brimstone basin, miles in extent, abounding in sulphur springs, small geysers, aud 

 steam jets. The ground was covered with tufa, or calcareous (?) deposits in a thin 

 scale, overlying hot, white mud. Mr. Langford's horse broke through several times, 

 coming back plastered with the white substance and badly scalded. They were un- 

 able to penetrate to the lake on account of the instability of the footing. 



The lake mentioned must have been one of three, viz. Heart Lake, 

 Lewis's Lake, or Shoshone Lake, and of the three I think it must have 

 been Heart Lake. If the white mud springs, near the head of Witch Creek, 

 were encountered first, they might well deter the further progress of 

 horsemen, as even on loot one is obliged to be extremely careful in his 

 movements. All the known springs of Lewis's Lake and Shoshone Lake 

 are on the western or southwestern sides of the lakes. It is possible 

 that the springs encountered by Washburn and Langford were on some 

 branch of Heart Lake other than Witch Creek. There is, however, no 

 doubt that the Witch Creek Springs are the ones mentioned by Captain 

 Barlow.t He says : 



The trail, after it was found, was not very plain, being so greatly scattered in some 

 places that it was almost impossible to trace it. It led over a low divide, separating 

 a small stream upon which we had camped, and which flows into the Yellowstone 

 Lake, from the valley, descending towards the south, and whose waters flow into the 

 Snake River. This valley eventually joins another coming in from the northwest, 

 through which flows a warm creek supplied from a large group of springs along its 

 borders. This stream is 20 feet across, 18 inches in depth, and empties into the small 

 lake [Heart Lake] at the base of the high, snow-covered mountain [afterwards named 

 Mount Sheridan] seen in the morning. 



He also speaks of the springs near the lake, and on the next page (35) 

 again speaks of the Witch Creek Springs, as follows : 



I followed the valley of the Warm Creek flowing into the lake near our camp. This 

 stream has a rapid descent for 2 miles, and is fed by hundreds of hot and boiling springs 

 of the sanie general character as those previously described. I saw some traces of 

 sulphur, aud also indications of geysers, though none were playing. 



In 1872 Professor Bradley saw the springs while ascending Mount 

 Sheridan, and mentions them thus : 



As we occasionally looked back we saw beneath us, on our left, the large cluster 

 of hot springs which occxipies the head of the valley of the longest tributary of Heart 

 Lake, and, beyond, caught glimpses of Yellowstone Lake. 



* Senate Ex. Doc, No. 51, 4l8t Congress, 3d session, p. 24. 



t Captain Barlow's Report, pp. 33, 34, and 35. Senate Ex. Doc. N«... 6 42d Congress, 

 2d session. 



19 H, PT n 



