318 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



I May 5, 1887- 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Pub. Co. 



WINTER IN WONDERLAND. 



THROUGH THE YELLOWSTONE PARK ON SNOWSHOES. 

 V. 



IN the evening I made inquiries about the whereabouts 

 of the game around there. I was told of some being 

 on the ridges near by, and then of the rescue of eight elk 

 ou of the canon. 



On the morning of Feb. 18. the Major and Mr. Thorn, 

 while on a sight-seeing expedition, found eight cows and 

 two heifers in the canon between the two falls. There 

 were no calves with the band. The Major thinks the 

 lions killed them. If the Hons did not there are lynxes 

 around enough to do it. The river here is all frozen over 

 and the snow at least 9ft. deep in the canon. From all 

 indications they had been in here a long time, probably 

 over two weeks. They had traveled around all over the 

 river and up on the sides of the canon in their efforts to 

 escape, but the deep snow on the steep hillside was more 

 than they could get through. 



There being no food for them in the cafion they had 

 eaten the small limbs and boughs of the spruce and bal- 

 Bam fir trees as high up as they could reach, even eating 

 the wood of limbs over half an inch through. The bark 

 off dry trees and large limbs of a "quaking asp" (aspen) 

 tree was almost devoured. Limbs over an inch in diame- 

 ter were chewed off close to the body of the tree and the 

 bark off that. The Major and Mr. Thorne hunted for the 

 trail by which they entered the canon; not finding this 

 or any 'sign of it they decided to tramp a trail for them. 

 The men returned to the hotel leaving their snowshoes: 

 they tramped a trail from the little foot bridge crossing 

 the gulch just above the hotel, down past that, through 

 the gorge, between walls of rock, following the gulch on 

 to Cascade Creek and out to the river. The Major was 

 accompanied by his two dogs, Sue and Shep, who kept 

 close to heel. 



Keeping to one side they went below the elk and started 

 them up. Two— a cow and heifer— broke past them. The 

 cow, a very large one. went to the south side of the falls, 

 ran up a very steep ridge forming the brink of a preci- 

 pice overhanging the falls, got up to where the ice was 

 almost perpendicular-, paused a moment, looking back, 

 when her feet slipped on the hard ice. she fell over back- 

 ward, slid down on the comb of the ridge, then over the 

 falls, and down, over 300ft., disappearing through a cloud 

 of mist, into a round hole between an ice bridge and the 

 falls. Thorne. ran tc the edge and looked over. Nothing 

 of her was to be seen. "When the two elk went below the 

 men stopped, expecting them to return and join the band. 

 After the" death of the cow, they started to drive the heifer 

 back. She ran to the. platform on the south side, from 

 which tourists view the falls and canon. When the men 

 attempted to go near her, she would stamp and back up, 

 until she was outside the railing and standing on ice that 

 overhung the chasm below. Thorne went to the brink of 

 the falls and threw boughs up at her, in hopes of driving 

 her to the others. The Major was afraid to let the dogs 

 go, fearing that both dogs and elk might fall over into 

 the abyss. Finding they could not make the animal 

 move, they left it. After much hard work running around 

 on the elk trails, they got the eight elK started up Cas- 

 cade Creek, but they missed the trail made for their 

 escape up the gulch and went on up to Crystal Falls. 

 While the Major with the two dogs stopped below, 

 Thorne went up to and among them as he would domes- 

 tic cows. At one time some of them broke past, almost 

 stepping on him. All started down but one; she was 

 wedged in between the snow and rocks. Thorne tramped 

 a trail, and by pushing and twisting her got her out of 

 this place into another where, by helping her, lie thought 

 he could get her out. Having about 6ft. of fin. rope with 

 him, which he used to carry his web snowshoes, he tied 

 this around her neck and started to lead her out, but she 

 would not come. When he pulled on the rope she would 

 brace herself and pull back. He said: "When I would 

 go to leave her she would bawl for me. I went back sev- 

 eral times, but every time I tried to lead her she'd pull 

 back, not knowing what I wanted of her, yet would make 

 that same noise, calling for me, when I left her." Find- 

 ing he could not get her out of her trouble he left her, 

 with the intention of taking some hay to her in the morn- 

 ing, as there was part of a bale at the hotel. The seven 

 elk Thorne had turned back had gone on down the creek 

 to the gulch, and had then there turned up the trail 

 tramped for them, passing within 8ft. of Major Lyman 

 and the two dogs. The Major says they were very poor 

 and weak. As they passed they paid no attention to him 

 or the dogs, as by this time they had learned that they 

 were not going to be hurt. The elk followed the trail, 

 crossed the bridge and passed within 10ft. of the hotel, 

 going on out in the open country. The men were worn 

 out with their day's work tramping around in the snow. 



In the morning they started clown to get the others out. 

 They found the one with the rope on had gone out in the 

 night following, the others, or one could say, following 

 Mr. Thorne out, as he was last over the trail. The heifer 

 was still in the canon. Every time they attempted to get 

 between her and the Lower Fall or go near her, she would 

 run to the platform and stay there. Knowing that she 

 would soon starve if left in the cafion, they determined 

 to make an effort to drive her away from the platform and 

 out to the other elk. Thorne would go out on the ice 

 where it projects over the falls and throw things at her, 

 but she would not start away from there. He then 

 climbed above, trying to get at her from that side, but 

 could not. Out on the platform the elk showed fight, 

 stamping and grinding her teeth. She had backed so far 

 toward the edge that she had to stamp her hind feet to get 

 a foothold on the ice. At last, as she stood there, her feet 

 slipped and over the precipice she went. Whirling over and 

 over for 300ft. distance, she struck on one end of the bridge 

 of ice, near the hole where the other fell. The poor thing 

 must have been killed instantly. It is possible that this 

 elk would have found her way out, but this is not probable, 

 as snow was falling most every day. There was not 

 enough hay at the hotel to keep her alive more than a little 

 while. Better sudden death than starvation. 



On the 28th, a bright clear day, in company with Major 

 Lyman and Mr. Thorne, we visited the two falls. Leav- 



ing the hotel we descended directly into the gulch up 

 which the rescued elk came ten days before. We could 

 see their trail although partially hidden by new snow. 

 We followed this gulch down between walls of rock and 

 overhanging snowdrifts to Cascade Creek, then on out to 

 the river. This was frozen and covered with snow. De- 

 ciding to see the Lower Falls first we turned down 

 stream. We soon saw signs of the elk where they had 

 been eating off the limbs of trees. I broke off several of 

 these, which I send to show the point of starvation which 

 the elk had reached. We saw the trails on the side of 

 the cafion where they had tried to force their way up 

 through the snow, the hoof-marks on the rough ice where 

 the cow went over, and the tracks of the heifer where 

 she was when she plunged to instant death, and I even 

 saw some of the boughs and sticks Thorne had thrown 

 at her lodged on the ice. 



The ice on the river projected 15ft. out over the falls, 

 curving down on the outer edge until out of sight. Going 

 near the brink the most beautiful frost work in the whole 

 park was to be seen. Words could never describe this 

 grand sight. On the south side the whole precipice from 

 the river up and away around for hundreds of feet was 

 one mass of ice and* frost work. Up for about 200ft. 

 from the river, the ice was in the form of gigantic icicles 

 from 1ft. to 200ft. long. Above this the ice was more 

 like a great bed of flowers, on edge masses of flowers, 

 clusters, bunches and bouquets, projecting out from the 

 rest: globular-shaped pendant clusters of ice, the surface 

 covered with pearly frost-work like frozen dew drops, or 

 the iridescent formation of the geysers, for 100 and 200ft. 

 more. All this was not without color. The flowers were 

 delicately shaded from a dark straw color to white, the 

 icicles a faint blue, green and yellow. The whole of the 

 cliff was overhung with a fringe of icicles from the top 

 almost pure white. The top of the cliff and timber back of 

 it was coated with fine ice that glittered as the sun shone 

 on it from over the edge of the cafion above. Two dead 

 trees, whose ice-coated tops were in the sunshine, looked 

 like electric lights, they were so bright. The sun striking 

 the other side of the highly colored cafion cast a golden 

 glow over the whole scene impossible to describe. 



Going to the platform and venturing out as far as one 

 dared, I looked down to see the ice bridge formed across 

 the river. This reached up at least one-third of the height 

 of the falls, and was crescent-shaped, leaving an immense 

 hole, into which the water poured; below this bridge the 

 river was open. The water was a deep green color, although 

 less in volume than in October, when I was last here. 



Recrossing the river we ventured out as far as it was 

 safe, to see the precipice on the north side, but could not 

 unless we risked our lives on the comb of the ridge, over 

 which the first elk fell. 



Going to the Upper Falls we found great ice mounds 

 and domes at its base reaching more than half way up its 

 face. We climbed all over the bridges and mounds. 

 Froni the top of one we saw that the main volume of 

 water ran over the left edge as we looked at it in a solid 

 stream. The rest of the falls were now but a cascade as 

 far down as the level of the mound; the river below these 

 falls is very wide, forming a .circular basin, half of this 

 was filled with the mounds, their bases reaching half- 

 way across. From both Maj. Lyman and Mr. Thorne I 

 learned that one mound of ice, at least 45ft. high, had 

 formed in the last ten days. 



At these falls were more ice flowers, some a dark yellow, 

 some clinging to the rock over winch the cascade ran. 

 Some of the ice was a light straw color, shaded down to 

 white. Part of the falls were covered with a lattice work 

 of ice, through which the water and ice under it could 

 be seen. Above dark rocks, covered with caps of snow, 

 the edges of the canon, fringed with timber, made a grand 

 and imposing sight. We spent the day here in this 

 canon, going home when the sun was getting low. We 

 climbed back up the gulch and turned aside to see some 

 of the snow-covered buildings. In returning to the en- 

 trance I made a cut off by going over one end of the hotel 

 to the front porch on my snowshoes. 



The next day, March 1, we started for the saw T mill, 

 some two miles distant, in company with the Major, and 

 his dogs harnessed to a sled. Two hundred yards from 

 the hotel we came to the fresh trail of two elk going 

 toward Cascade Creek. This I followed a short distance 

 in order to learn how old it was. The elk had passed not 

 over two hours before we started out. Expecting to get 

 a shot at a mountain lion at the mill, or have a crack at a 

 lynx, we took a .40-90 Sharps along and a small revolver. 

 We had learned of five mountain lions said to have taken 

 possession of the sawmill, barn, tent and other build- 

 ings out there. If the sign was favorable we intended to 

 stay all night at the mill to get a shot at the lions. We 

 soon got there and were disgusted, for Ave found nothing 

 but a few lynx tracks. Not a lion or a sign of one could 

 be seen. The barn was crushed in. A tent just showed 

 from under the snow. The mill was standing, but the 

 timbers with which it was strengthened were bent and 

 twisted and some broken. A few more inches of snow, 

 and this too would go down. The mill is situated on a 

 spring creek, in the northwest corner of a large meadow. 



We saw several old elk trails and places where they had 

 been feeding. Coyote, fox, martin, rabbit and lynx tracks 

 ran in every direction. There were many small birds. 

 An osprey was noticed, and a few woodpeckers were 

 seen hammering away for then- dinner. A gull and a few 

 ravens flying over the canon made up the most bird life 

 noticed. We were going toward Lookout Point and the 

 Grand Canon. Before we got there I saw several piles of 

 lumber, and asking the Major about it, he said "it was 

 the new hotel site." This is not the one selected back of 

 Lookout Point, but one much nearer the canon and con- 

 siderably less than a quarter of a mile from it. 



At Lookout Point we had a view of the Lower Falls, 

 with its icy surroundings. Noticing a dark object on the 

 , end of the ice bridge, directly beneath the platform from 

 which the elk fell, I called the others' attention to it. 

 We concluded it was the body of the heifer. The long 

 distance we were from the falls spoiled the effect of the 

 frost work. Every point, tower, pinnacle, buttress, tree 

 and projection in the canon was crowned with snow. As 

 the different additions were made to the cap it would 

 settle out over the edges tmtil now the cap of snow was 

 more of a hood, covering the points and hanging down 

 on the sides half their depth. This hid the darker por- 

 tions of the rock in the canon, giving it a much lighter 

 appearance. The steam jets in the bottom and on the 

 sides were sending up little columns of steam, like smoke 

 from chimneys, looking as if people were living below. 



The canon was not as attractive as in summer. Now 

 there is too much white. In returning we crossed Cas- 

 cade Creek where the Howard wagon train did in 1877 on 

 its way over Mt. Washburne. Here the fresh trail of the 

 morning came down and passed up the creek. We had 

 gone entirely around the elk. 



On the 2d and 3d it snowed some: these two days we 

 devoted to resting and looking at the canon. 



y On the 4th it was snowing, but cleared a little by 8 

 o'clock. At 8:30, with two days' provisions, we started 

 for our trip over Mt. Washburne. Soon after crossing 

 Cascade Creek we crossed the trail of the two elk whose 

 trail we had seen on the 1st. In due time we were climb- 

 ing a spur of Dunraven Peak; from here, on a clear day, 

 one can see the Grand Tetons. Now the clouds hid them. 

 Mts. Hancock and Sheridan were in sight; All the 

 mountains on the east of Yellowstone Lake were in view. 

 Leaving this ridge and keeping up, we soon came to the 

 pass which takes us on to the water* of Carnelian Creek. 

 Looking back we could see some of the country and 

 timber in which Mr. Haynes and his party had wandered 

 while lost. From the top of the pass we had a grand run 

 down bill for some 500ft. following the water course; 

 then turning aside to the right we commenced to climb 

 the ridge which the trail follows up to the top of Mt. 

 Washburne. Soon we crossed an elk trail made going 

 down hill through snow 8ft. depp. Further on were the 

 trails and beds of a large band of elk. Above on the 

 ridge I saw the elk, twenty -three of them. Getting out 

 of the timber, we found the western slopes of the hillsides 

 almost bare, with good and sufficient grass on them to 

 have wintered a large band of horses. Above was a band 

 of eleven elk, six cows, two yearlings and three spikes 

 (two year old bulls). I could not tell if this was a new 

 band or part of the first twenty-three seen. I could see 

 elk further up on the ridge. All had " winded us " and 

 were moving. The eleven tried to come down and pass 

 us on the ridge, but when within 200yds. of us they 

 turned back. When I reached the summit of this ridge, 

 1 was a long distance ahead of Jack, and taking off my 

 pack I walked out on to an immense snow driit on the 

 east side that followed the ridge for miles. Here I sat 

 down to rest and lock for game. I could see Specimen 

 Ridge, but not plainly, for a strong wind blowing filled 

 the air with fine snowclouds. On all the bare ridges on 

 this side of Washburne I could see elk scattered in bands, 

 three, four and ten in a place. I could not see game 

 across the river. While waiting for Jack I heard a 

 "whining sound'' to my left, and looking up, a spike 

 bull was passing within 50ft. I could see shreds of old 

 velvet still sticking to Ms horns; he was poor and drawn 

 up. He passed out of sight over the edge of the drift. 

 Snowclouds hid all the mountain tops, one resting on 

 the summit above. My intention had been to go there 

 for a view of the country and to look for game, but the 

 clouds rendered such a trip useless. 



Running down the mountain from here, we entered a 

 grove to camp, flushing as we did so several dark grouse. 

 Some call them blue, others dusky grouse. We selected 

 a camp in thisi grove and passed a very comfortable night. 

 By daylight we were on the march. As we left the 

 grove I heard the song of a small bird, a wren. As the 

 sun rose over the mountains to the east I came in sight of 

 game. I saw thirty dark objects across the Yellowstone 

 about one-third the distance from Tower Creek to oppo- 

 site Washburne. These I took to be bison. As we were 

 traveling toward them for some distance I constantly 

 watched them for some movement. I could see elk on 

 the other side opposite the mouth of Tower Creek. Soon 

 we crossed a sag and on to the high ground looking into 

 Antelope Creek. All around us the snow was pawed over 

 bv elk. My dark objects had turned to "sure enough" 

 bison, yet were too far off to tell anything about them. 

 A mile north of where the bison were was a band of 

 fifty-four elk. Going on I saw other bands, fifteen in 

 one, tw r elve in another, seven and twenty in others. 

 Running on down hill, the longest runs we had on the 

 whole trip, brought us to the hill overlooking Tower 

 Creek. On the other side of that was a band of twelve 

 elk and one old bull off to one side. The bulls had just 

 commenced to drop then- horns. I saw one fresh one on 

 the ridge as we came down. Here too the snow wa3 

 pawed over by the elk with trails leading through the 

 deep drifts from one feeding place to another. The snow 

 down here was about 5ft. deep. Following a ridge I went 

 on alone to a butte directly over Tower Falls. Across 

 the canon and close to the edge, was a band of tliirteen 

 elk. There were four spikes in this bunch. Across Ante- 

 lope Creek, between it and the Yellowstone, in the edge 

 of the timber, were more elk, over twenty in the band. 

 I followed down the ridge to where I had a view of the 

 falls. These are the prettiest in the Park.' Now they are 

 almost hidden by ice up to within 25ft. of the top; masses 

 of icicles are on each side and the brink covered by a 

 hood of ice under a bed of snow. In the space behind the 

 falling water could be seen icicles like stalagmites reach- 

 ing up to within 10ft. of the top. The snow had fallen 

 off most of the towers around the falls, filling the canon 

 below for 25ft. Returning to my shoes I crossed the 

 creek above. Here there were open places. The volume 

 of water is the same in this creek now as in August. 

 Shouldering our shoes Ave climbed the steep hill, follow- 

 ing an elk trail to the open bench on top. From this we 

 could see elk in every direction. I soon gave up trying to 

 count them. I could make out distant bands on the East 

 Fork of the Yellowstone (Lamar River) bottoms and 

 mountain sides. We crossed elk trails all the way to Lost 

 Creek. Here we saw the first willoAvs on our trip. The 

 others were under snow. We soon came out to the Cooke 

 City road, and half a mile further on Ave came to Yancy's 

 Station. 



We were kindly received. Mr. Yancy was looking for 

 us, having learned Ave Avere coming out that way. 



Here we learned people were discussing our trip, some 

 going so far as to say they never expected to see us again. 

 We spent the evening talking of the game in the Park, 

 and inspected Mr. Yancy's new Winchester, a single shot, 

 .40-caliber. This he thinks one of the best rifles he ever 

 owned; is delighted with its fine shooting. Mr. Y. is an 

 old hunter, and one of the best fishermen in the country. 

 As the first mentioned sport is prohibited in the Park, he 

 devotes some of his time to target shooting. Not far 



■ from his station is some of the best fishing in the Park. 

 By 8 o'clock in the morning Ave left Mr. Yancy's for the 



! long 1,300-foot climb up Elk Creek to the high, open 

 country above. In a quarter of an hour after leaving 



j "Pleasant Valley" we saAv elk. Nine were feeding on an 



