TO IMPROVE THE SERVICE IN YELLOWSTONE PARK. 37 



of the larger rivers in the Park, and these 

 valleys, including the famous Hayden val- 

 ley, serve as the winter range for the big 

 game which remains in the Park during 

 the year. The protection of game in the 

 Park requires that all this grass be 

 left standing in order to furnish winter 

 range for the game. It would naturally 

 be expected that such would be the 

 case. On the contrary, however, one 

 can not help noticing throughout the Park 

 that in all the meadows along river val- 

 leys the grass is cut for hay. Haying 

 operations were in progress during the 

 season of 1901 along the Yellowstone and 

 a number of its tributaries, in Madison 

 valley, Hayden valley, and a number of 

 other localities. It was stated that this 

 hay was being cut for the horses of the 

 soldiers and of the Transportation Com- 

 pany. With regard to the soldiers' horses 

 and the Government mules located in the 

 Park, it seems almost ridiculous that an 

 attempt should be made to practice econ- 

 omy by destroying the winter range of the 

 game. The small quantity of hay which is 

 required by the domestic animals belong- 

 ing to the Government in the Park could 

 easily be fed with hay bought in the open 

 market and shipped to Cinnabar. From 

 that point it could readily be freighted to 

 the different stations where it might be re- 

 quired. The labor involved in cutting the 

 hay and hauling it out of the valleys in the 

 Park from which it is cut is great, 

 and the quality of the hay is by no means 

 so good as that which would be obtained 

 in any market. It is not likely that any- 

 thing is really saved, from a financial 

 standpoint, by cutting the grass in the 

 Park and depriving the game of their 

 natural winter range. Why the Transpor- 

 tation Company should be given the priv- 

 ilege of cutting hay in the Park it is im- 

 possible to understand. This company has 

 the most valuable franchise within the Yel- 

 lowstone Park, and they can afford to pay 

 for hay. The Yellowstone Park should be 

 maintained for the pleasure of the citizens 

 of the United States, not for the profit of 

 the Transportation Company. 



No mountain scenery, however great its 

 original beauty, can fail to give an im- 

 pression of desolation and barrenness when 

 the timber is burned off. It is unfortunate- 

 ly true that the present arrangement for 

 protection from fires in the Yellowstone 

 Park is utterly inadequate. Fires occur 

 within the Park as extensive and as disas 

 trous as any of those which devastate the 



forests outside of the boundaries. These 

 fires occur every year, and their results are 

 in evidence in every part of the Park. 

 Around Mammoth Hot Springs nearly all 

 the good timber has been destroyed, and 

 the result is an indescribable appearance 

 of barrenness in this naturally beautiful 

 locality. During the past season 3 forest 

 fires occurred in the Park, 2 of which were 

 the direct result of unextinguished camp 

 fires. The other was from lightning, and 

 was of only slight importance. One fire 

 burned for a month, and destroyed enor- 

 mous quantities of standing timber ; while 

 the other, which took rise in a camp fire, 

 burned several square miles of good timber 

 in the neighborhood of the Upper Geyer 

 basin. It is evidently impossible for the sol- 

 diers to patrol the camping grounds in such 

 a manner as to prevent these costly acci- 

 dents. In fact, it may be doubted whether 

 the duties of fire wardens should be im- 

 posed on the soldiers. This is not sup- 

 posed to be a part of the work of soldiers, 

 and they are not required to be especially 

 fitted for this duty. Their patrol duties 

 simply require them to ride from one sta- 

 tion half way to the next station, where 

 they meet the other patrol. They start out 

 on their patrol in the morning, but not 

 sufficiently early to inspect the camp 

 grounds before the camping parties have 

 moved on. These parties usually move 

 very early in the morning, and of course 

 travel in different directions. When the 

 soldiers arrive on a camping ground and 

 ftnd a camp fire not properly extinguished, 

 it is usually impossible to fix the responsi- 

 bility in the case, for the reason that there 

 is no evidence for identifying the offending 

 party. If regular fire wardens were main- 

 tained in connection with the Park service 

 it should be the duty of these men to visit 

 camping grounds before the camping 

 parties have left and see that camp fires 

 are properly extinguished. In the even- 

 ing they should visit the camping grounds 

 and prevent fires being built too near stand- 

 ing timber or in connection with large dry 

 logs. It would not require any large force 

 to patrol the camping grounds in a thor- 

 oughly satisfactory and effective manner 

 and thus avoid the tremendous destruction 

 of timber which annually occurs within the 

 Park. It thus appears that slight additions 

 to the force of scouts and the establishment 

 of a small force of fire wardens would, at a 

 small cost, protect the Yellowstone Park 

 against the greatest dangers to which it is 

 at present subjected. 



Why not present several of your friends 

 each a year's subscription to Recreation ? 

 They would thank you for it 12 times. 



