RECREATION 



Volume XII, 



JANUARY, 1900, 



Number J, 



G. 0. SHIELDS (COQUINA , Editor and Manager. 



BEAR IN YELLOWSTONE PARK. 



FRANK A. JOHNSON. 



The arrival of another number of 

 Recreation, containing, as it always 

 does, so much of interest to me, sug- 

 gests a brief account of a recent trip, 

 with one of my sons, through Yellow- 

 stone Park, past Jackson's lake and 

 thf- Tetons, and to the head waters of 

 Pilgrim, Pacific and Buffalo creeks, 

 near the Southeast corner of the Tim- 

 ber Reserve and Two-Ocean Pass. 



Al. Pfohl, of Fridley, Mont., who 

 owns a ranch 19 miles North of Cin- 

 nabar, was employed with 3 saddle 

 horses and 3 pack horses. We took 

 our own sleeping bags, saddles, etc., 

 and have learned to make such trips 

 with one pack horse for each man. 

 Camping consisted of taking off the 

 packs, and if raining, stretching a 

 small fly over a rope between two 

 trees. Our .30-40's were 01 course 

 sealed at Mammoth Springs and re- 

 mained so until we reached the Snake 

 river station, where they were again 

 sealed on our return trip. The fore 

 part of September necessarily consti- 

 tuted our hunting season, and 2 5 -point 

 bull elk satisfied all our wants, and 

 furnished meat to give away to others 

 less fortunate. We did not see with 

 our glasses a single bull with more 

 than 5 points and concluded they are 

 becoming rare, but had fine opportu- 

 nities to observe the habits of this 

 noble animal. 



The country South of the Timber 

 Reserve is superb in rugged, rocky 



chains and peaks, large and small 

 open parks, and dense patches of 

 pine, spruce and aspen. With a little 

 care in selecting places of ascent and 

 descent, one may abandon all trails 

 and creek valleys, and roam over the 

 country at will on the cat-like na- 

 tive horses. A large part of the 

 pleasure of our trip was found in 

 photographing. I send you a picture 

 of the Keppler Cascades, on the Fire 

 Hole river, a few miles above Old 

 Faithful geyser, and one of the lower 

 Yellowstone falls. 



My main purpose in writing this 

 letter is to suggest to those who con- 

 template a trip through the park, to go 

 with saddle and pack horses, instead 

 of stages or wagons, coming out by 

 way of the Yancey trail. The traveler 

 confined to the road sees little of the 

 wild scenic beauty of the country. 



Another purpose is to urge my read- 

 ers to take with their camera the flash- 

 light apparatus, as the opportunities 

 for flashlight pictures of wild game 

 are abundant. The want of such 

 apparatus prevents photographic proof 

 of the truth of my story of our experi- 

 ence with bear in the park. A recent 

 report of the Park Superintendent 

 states that bear have become too nu- 

 merous. We can testify to that, and 

 would be willing to assist in reducing 

 the number, but cite this statement as 

 tending to support our story. The 

 daily press has recently published 



