\. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW FOR THE CRA r:i1ERS OF 'rHE MOON NA'rIONAL MONUMENT OF IDAHO
by
Michael Ostrogorsky 1983 Explora tion
The duration of the a boriginal occupation of southern I daho i s a probl em s till debated by anthropologists and
.::i. rchaeol ogi s ts. Da tes of Euroarnerican pene tr ~ t ion and occupa tion o f the r egion , on t he other hand, a r e a matter o f general consensus among his torians . The ma jor que s tion of debate is the extent of this expl or a tion and occupat i on. As part of the As torian expedition of 1811, J ohn J acob As tor' s Pa cific Fur Company dispatched Wilson Price Hunt .'..lnd Don.::-.. l d H.::i.cken:.ie to pioneer an overland r oute to the
Pacific, ~nd to de t ermine the po tential f or tr ~pp ing i n the interior We s t. The ir party arrive d at the aban do ned Fo rt Henry on Hcnrys Fork of the Snake River, 8 October 1811. Attempting t o na vigat e the Snake River, the expedition s uffe r ed a nearly ca t astrophic loss of their canoes a t Caldron Linn. Splitting up , the expedition's focus t urned from explor a t ion t o survival ; they managed to de s cend the Snake River Plain on f oot. The f ollowing year, a party of r e turning As t orians l e d by Robert Stuart, ascended th ~ Snake River and pioneer ed major segments of the f uture Or egon Tra il. Settlement of the Snake River Plain required the expl or er s and fur trapper s to overcome problems of logistics, and the hostility of t he nntive Am er ican Indians already o ccupying t he r egion. A band o f Astorians led by J ohn Reed was massacr ed , J anuary 1814, while a ttempting to esta blish a post near the mouth of the Boise River. An 2
att empt by the North West Company to establish a post in the same area in 1819 resulted in the death of two Brit i sh trappers. Only the untiring efforts of Donald Ma ckenzi e
(now emp l oyed by the. North West Comp any ) norm a li ~ed r ela. tions between British fur trapper s and the Indi ans of southern Idaho . 1 Th e me r ger of the North West Company wi th the Iludson ' s B.:.t y Company ( IIBC) established a monopoly over British trade in the Snake River country. This British monopoly e ffectively forestalled penetration of the Oregon Country by unorganized American fur trappers. No netheless, permanent posts (Forts Hall and Boise) were not success f ully est a blished until 1834.
Attempts by ~n e rican and British trappers to e xpl oit the fur resources of the Oregon Coun try resulted in the rapid e xploration of the Snake River Pla in. Godin arrived on the Big Lost River in 1823 (named ten years later when 2 another party f ailed to find the valley) . The Rocky Mountain Fur Comp.::my r eest ablished an American presence in the Orcc;on Country in 1 825, when \'/illiam As hley and
J eded i~h Sm ith explored the Snake River below Lowe r Sa l mon
Falls. 3 Antoine Syl vaille trapp0d tltt: Bic; Wood River f or II BC in 1828. He found the Snake River country greatl y depl eted of beaver be cause of the increasing number of Am erican trappers. Ame rican Fur Company trappers r eturning to the Big Wo od River in 1830 found little reward f or their 3
efforts. Incidently, the ever more widely r anging search f or fur r esulted in the fir st do cumented expl or a tion of the periphery o f the Cra ters of the Moo n region, by the Ben j amin L.E. Bonneville expedition of 1833-1834.J,- By 1840 , onl y a handful of trappers r emained in the Snake River country. Forts Hall and Boise became service ccnte: rs on the newly opene d Oregon Trail, remaining active until
1855 (~hen they we r e abandoned because of Indian ho stilities). Furthermore, tens of thousands of emigrants traversed the Snake River Pl ain during the 1840s and 1850s, but cener a lly fol lo\';ccl the main r oute along the Snake River. No t until 1862 did r e currinG Indi an hostilities f orce a sic;nifico.n t tra ffic to the periphery of the Snake River Pla in ( and the Cra t ers of the J:ioon).
The Goodale ' s Cu toff
By 1862 , the threat of Indian ho s tilities forced many
c migr ~:. nt s to l eave the Snake River near Fort lla ll, and skirt the northernmost edge o f the Snake River Pl ain, returning to the regulc:1r Oregon Tra il in the vicinity of the Boise valley. Named fo r Tim Goodale, a half-breed guide who pioneer ed the r oute,5 the cutoff literally skirts the l ava fields of the Cra ters of the Moon. Trail remnants can still be seen a long the perimeters of the lava fields . Fortuna t ely, the emigr ant s ' r e corded impressions o f their 4
travels survive to a much grea ter extent than those of the fur trappers before them. The Goodale t r ain of 1862 included se veral hundred wagons, more than on.e thousand men, women and childr en , and a l ar ge herd of stock.6 Constantly on alert for Indi ans, O.B. Sla ter, one of the emigrants , recorded: There were fifty armed men on horses who went ahead as guards and fifty more brought up the r ecir. The t eams were driven by \'/ome n and boys mostly. The men marched in squa.ds of h1ent y e.:i.ch t o guard the train.7
'rhe tr:::i. in r eached Lost River (named bcc.:rn se 11 It hc:i.s no outlet e xc ept by l osi ng itself in the sand or J. a va . by July , r:here Sl a ter ' s fa ther died from "mountain fvve:r 11
:::i. nd \'/D. S buried in a wagon box. 9 Slat er observed that the r o:i.d 11 \'!.:.:...s very dim .::t nd rocky, 11 not tra vel ed since 185~ . lO
Ne llie .S l a t er r eportedly 11 Sa\'1 some nnmes cut in trees and r ocks, \'lhich ha d been done in 1854. 11 Furthermore , .she recorded that 11 Somc of the boys found in the rocks a trunk which ha d been los t or hid in 1853. It was full.of c l oth in~ , 1 1 dishes and other small articles . 11 Nellie Sla t er r e corded :
~e are traveling now through a vo l canic country. Ther e 's mountains a l l torn up and it i s a ve r y r ouGh deser t of a lookinc place . i2 Gcorce Goodha rt, an old fur trapper, report ed t hat as early as 1862, "old man ftouiq7 Arco 11 est ablished a ranch and trading post on Goodale's Cu toff. 13 Two years later, Goodhart found Arco 1 s _r anch crowded with I ndians. 5
He reported that 11 The river was lined with lodges for about a mile up and dovm on both sides. 111 4 Goodha rt a lso madi:· refert,,nc2 to "Dead Man's Flat," which may be a segment of the l a va fields. 1_5 Julius Ca esar Me rrill, a member of the 1864 emigration, penned a vivid descript ion of the Craters of the Moon: As far as the eye can reach there i s nothing but this bl ack volcanic rock. This region mu s t have r eceived some t errible scorchincs and shakings year s ago . Th ese r ocks are thrown up in every conceivabl e shape . Some are l ike columns fifteen or t wenty feet in height and I of t en wonder ed how it b c c ~me so well balanced as t o stand ~itho ut pr oping. Acain it would be thr o ~n up like tho r oo f of a house with the top edccs a few feet ap:..i. rt l eaving a. chasm many f eet in depth bc t\'1een. It appear ed t o be a crus t and when coole d from t 1·10 to four fe et in de pth \'/as thus r ent i..lsunder by some pent up gasses. I saw it in many pl a c~ s wher e it had the appearance of running wh en quite thick. Upon the outer edge of the stream it vould seem to cool an d tha t more hot would s till press fo rward l eaving it wrinkled. Sometimes it v1ould overflo\'/ and form a ne\'t cru s t which might easily be r emoved. I can give no jus t descrip- 16 tion of it. It mu s t be seen to be appreciated. Me rrill de scribed the roa d as " ve ry rough." The road was a ll rocks in sever a l places. Some so l a r ge as t o scarcely pass under the wacon. At one place we ~ e r e oblicetl t o drive over a huge roe~ jus t a li ttlc \'1ider tlw.n the v12,gon. lL:.cl \'te gone .:_,;_ foot t o the right or t o the l eft t he wago n would ha ve r ol l ed over. The r oad was very crooked as it followed alone the edge of the hills most of tho time it beinG the only route possible on account of this black r ock. It was like following along a rough beach. As some steep point or bluff would run out into this rock then did we expect to see our wngons smashed. Such roads and sur rounding country beggars description. The man whom Aesop described a s being cha ined in a pool 6
of water with an apple dangling above his head and being unable to quench either thirst or hunger wa s in a Paradise in comparison to him who drives a 11 Bull t eam11 a cross such places.17
Merrill r ecorded his 11 r elief to see the distance Vlideninc bet\'/een us and tha t volcanic strata. 11 He concluded:
It \'Jas a desolate, dismal s cenery. Up or do \'m the valley as far as the eye could r each or a cross the mountains and into t he dim distance the same unvarying mass of bla ck r ock. Not a shrub, bird, nor insect s eemed to live near it. Great must have been the r elief o f the volcano, powerful the eme tic, that poured forth such a mass of 11 Black Vomit. 11 18 The Woo lverton fam ily also i)articipated in the 186 4 emigration. They dc3cribed the Craters of t he Moon as a
11 bla ck valley of de<.:i. th. 11 Th e trail was visible only because of 11 the rocks and l ava being crushed by the m.o.ny t eams passing over it. 11 They observed 11 pie ces of broken wagons " scattered all along the trail. The \Vo olvertons described this section of the trail 11 to be f ar the ha rdest part of our travel •••• Every man, woman and child must \'ta lk in or der to l essen the weight of our axle trees to prevent breaking. 111 9 Forty year s l a ter, Annie Jane Foster ' s frnnily trekked c.lonc; Coodetl c ' s Cuto ff (no\'/ a s t age r oad). J\nnie Jane
Fost er described the r oad as 11 the crookedest r oo.d any one: ever travel ed. 1 1 Foster observed : All the valley was l avy rock so black looked like \'/her e a str awstack had been burnc: d. The r ocks we re bla ck and full of holes but heavy as l ead the rocks l ooked like honey comb so many holes. Surely wonderful. They call this pl ace 7
the Cra t ers of the Moon. The mountain had cr ass on not many r ocks the soil was sort of r ed and sandy. It jus t looked like there had been a place l e ft f or a r oad •••• Not very pretty place. Mo unt a ins on one side and l a vy rock on the other.20 Fo r the t wenty yea r period before Foster' s trek along Goodale ' s Cutoff, a Lost River r esident, Judge D.J. Martin, remem ber ed seeing " thousands" o f emigr ants utilizing the r oad; many travel ed west, but many also ha d ~ban do n od the c o.::ts t ctnd r.re re r oturninr; to the East. 21
Settlement
The emigr ation to Idaho was heavily augmented a fter 1860 by the gold and silver strikes t hroughout the t erritory (particularly the 1862 strikes in Boise Basin and the Owyhees). With the exception of isolated r anches and s t age s tations (such us Arco), the emigration bypassed the Cr a ter ~ o f the Moon in its rush t oward the ~o ld fields . The Vood River District was pr ospect ed by 1883, whe n t he !Jartin fumily homesteaded the Martin r anch on Co odul e ' s
Cuto ff. 'l1lrn follo \'ling year, Frank and Setmuel l·l artin di ::::- covcrc:d hornsilver on t he north fork of Champagne Creek.
'l1he Horn .S ilver !-line \':as l oca t ed, June 1884, and a tent city i n Poison Gulch developed into the boom t ovm of Er .:J. (named fo r Samuel and Ma ttie D. Martin' s son--Tom Marti n ' s father). A post office \'Ja.s established at the Martin r anch . 8
By 1885, the town of Era boasted 11 s ix saloons, a drug store , the Pacific Express Office , three general stores, one har dvare store, one mining equipment concern, one barber shop •.• one blacksmith shop, one opera house , a r ambling boarding house and an unrecorded number of ' houses of ill r epute. 111 22 A number of tents and private dwellings surrounded this business district sufficient to 2 house a ~orkin g popul ation of about 3 , 00o . 3 Addition&lly,
Frank l'-I l~ rtin diroc tc cl the construe ti on of a 11 huc;c dry crusher mill. 11 2 4 In an election in 1886 , the tonn of Br a muster ed 140 vot es. 25 This mining a ctivity encour aged homesteading and prospecting thr oughout the Lava Mining District. Towns s uch as Arco , Houston, Gem , Cliff City, C.::trbona.te , '.'/hitc Knob , 1Uder Creek, Custer and Bonanza ·:1erc ncr1ly establ i shed, or prospered because of mining developments. By 1890, the Ho rn Silver Mine alone is
' ),.. estimated to have pr oduced one million dollars in silver. {__u But lov- gr ado or e and a crash of the silver mar ket killed the town of Era by the end of the century. 27
A stage line w~s est abl ished on Go odal e :s Cutoff in
1879 by Alexander Toponce to connect Bl ackfoot and Challic. 28
Stage s t ations were constructed along the line , includin~ at Arco . A to\'m developed around the station, and chanc:•-'d its l oca tion twice. Only after the Mackay Short Line Railroad was completed in 1901 was the tovm situate d in 9
2 its modern location. 9 Local r esidents wer e familiar \'Ji th the Craters of the Moon, and called it "' big craters ' or some such nam e . 1130 Wood River rustl ers even utilized the lava fields as refuges and \'lay s t a t i ons for stol en stock.
Cra t ers o f .tJle. J1o.o.n. pa t~on a l Monum ent
rrh e expansion o f settlement in the r egion surrounding Craters of the Mo on r esulted in increased interest in the l ava fiel ds . As early as 1879, local r esidents such as
Arthur Ferris and J.~. Powe ll explored the lava fie lds for wa t er sources to supply cattle herds. Powell r eputedly ·-· 1 e r ected et s tone marker a t a wa ter hol e in Ve rm ilion Ch a~..: 1:1 • ..1
Furthe rmor e , a c ow ' s shoulder bone r eporte dly \'JLl.S discovc.:n:cl i n Buffa lo Ca ve i n 1926 , with names and the date of 1885
11 written " on it • .32 The initia l s cientific exploration of the Cra t ers of the Moon was sponsored by the United States Geological Survey. I . C. Ru ssell surveyed the norther n r egiQn in 1901 and 1903 . He called the l a va fields the "Cinde r 13u ttes 11 region. 33 Russell concluded that the fiel ds were .:Ac tive as r e cently as 100- 150 years. 34 Samuel A. Paisley, who became the monument's first custodian, expl ored the l avu fields beginning in 1910.35 In 1921 , the U. S.G.S. dispatched Harold T. Stearns to survey the Craters of the Moon. Stearns was accompanie d 10
by O.E. Meinzer, another U.S.G.S. geologist; and by Fred E. Wri ght, a Carnegie Institute geologist. On the basis of this field work, Stearns in 1923 r ecommended to the Na tiona l Park Service the creation of a na tional monument a t the Cr a t er s o f the Moon. In Stear ns ' opinion , a monu- ment "i'/oul d pr eser ve for the people of the United St a t es the mos t r e cent example of a fissure eruption i n thi s
coun t r y . 11 36 I n an a ttempt to est a blis h the da t e of the most recent e ruptions a t Cr a t er s of t he Moo n, Stear ns vi s ited Mr. Powell i n 1926 and was surprised by his rema rkable memory o f the principal fe a tures in t he a r ea. Mr. Po well stat e d t ha t in 1879 he int erviewed Ma j or Jim, a Bannock Indian scout, who spoke Engl i sh well, r egar ding the time of the last eruption i n the a r ea . Maj or Jim r e plied tha t hi s gr ea t - gr eat-gr eat-gr andfa ther sa w fire in the r egion. On the basi s of this stat ement the l a s t er upt i on occurred in the early pa rt o f the eighteenth cen tury. I t i s no t i mpossible t ha t an er up tion occur r ed in the area a t tha t time , but i t i s as likel y t ha t u fuma r ole or steam vent could have been con s i d er ed f i r e by the Indi an. 37 St ear ns concluded : It i s probable tha t the ancestors of the modern Indian witnccs 0d e rupt ions i n the ar ea as Indians fr e quented the r egi on f or hun t ing or took r efuge from enemies i n the numer ous ca ves and crater s . However , t o a ttemp t t o fix the dat e of an erup tion on the bDsis of I ndia n tra dition may lead t o s erious error. 38 I nci dent ly, St ear ns a t tributed t he name , Cra t er s of t he Moon , t o "The similar ity of the dark crater s an d the cold 11
l ava, nearly destitute of veget ati on, to the surface of the moon as seen through a telescope ••• "39 Stearns
r eceived a pr es i dcn ti al c omme nda tion f or his eff orts towc:~ rd preserving the Cra t er s of the Moon . 4° On 2 May 1924,
Pr esi dent Calvin Coolidge proclaimed thirt y- nine s~ u D r e mi l es of the lava fields to be the Cra ters of the Mo on
Na tion ~ l Monum ent. Stco. rns r e turned to the region i n 1926, to complete
his survey in cooper a tion with the Idaho Bureau of Mine~ and Geo l ogy. The se efforts resul ted in an increase in
the s i ze of the monum ent , from thirty-nine to eighty - thr~c squa r e miles. 4 1 Although a feder a l r eserva tion by 1924 , i mp r ovementG a nd maintenance depende d initially on loca l initiative . Road i mprovements ( including construction of the loop drive) began in 1 9~2 , et nd r1as "ca rried on by t he loc ~1.l citizenry seemingly in self- preserva tion measures . 1 1 ~- 2 St:tmue l A. Paisl ey, :-1.ppo inte d first custodian , de veloped Cinderhurs t Camp <:tt Hcgistr a tion \'/ater hol es as a head c1ua rters , 192L~- 19.-:'.? . ~ · 3 But sei smic a ctivity, July 1927, appar ently c&used the waterholes to dry up. The monum ent h oadq u ~ rt c rs was moved to the sit e of Crater Inn , then un d~ r cons truction . 44 12
Robert Winfield Limbe rt
Harold T. Stearns r eturned to Washingt on, D.C ., after his 1921 expedition, to produce his r eport to the Nati onal Park Service. Meamirhile , a Boise taxidermist, naturali st, and fledgling writer conducted his o\m explora tions of the Cra ters o f the Moon .
11 rr\'/o - gun" Bob Limbert was born is southern lhnncsot.::.. , 24 April 1885. Soon a fter his birth, he was adopted by Jesse and Ida ( Smith) Limber; t he famil y moved to Omaha , Nebraska. Sometime before moving to I daho , Bo b changed his adopt ed name , wi th the additi on of a final letter 11 t 11 .45 Growing up in Om aha , Limbert be came an amateur wrestler, and entered the business of t axidermy . With taxide rmy came an unbounded l ove o f wildlife and tho outdoor s , and an inter est in l c~ rn ing about e very f ~ c e t of outdoor life , from I n di~ n lifeways to motion picture making.
Lco. ving Omaha , Limbert Pra cticed t a xidermy in Minn u :.:~ po l i:.:: - St. Paul , Denver, and Ogden , befor e arriving in Boise in 1911 . Managing another bus iness for two years, 46 Limbert went into bus iness fo r himself by 1914 (initially in partner s hips ; wi th A. A. Austin , 191 4; and E. C. Eckart, beginninc 1915) . His a rrival in Boise also r esulted in marriage , t o Ma r gar et \Viggs of Omaha , 14 December 191 1. An indic activities promoting the \Vest , wildlife , and 11 T1·1 0- gun 11 Bob Limbert. His activities on behalf of the West , and na tural history, included work with the United States Biol ogical Survey, the I daho State Game Department, the Idaho State Historical Society, the Univer sity of Nebraska, and the I zaak V/al ton League . He became a deputy commis- s ioner of the Boy Scouts. He eventually a cquired a pr o- fcss i on ~ l rn 3nager ~ n d entered the na tional l ecture and performa nce circuit. LiB Limbert performed as .::i. quick-dr.:n1 a rtist , shooting demonstrat or and instructor, and forensics specia lis t . He consulted with po lice departm..:n ts c:tnd s heriff ' s ~sso ci a ti o ns . 49 J\nd if all else fc:i.il cd, he r;o.ve bird ancl animal imito. tions . Examples of hi s cxp9rtisu with a weapon included shooting ~hile standing on hi s h c~d ; or s t anding upright, splitting a bullet on an axe blade , '(J a nd br eaking targe t s positioned on both sides of the bl 3Jc . ~ A Chico.go newspaper r eporte d that Limbert once challenged Al Capone to a pistol duel at t en paces. 5 1 Capone evidently declined. Limbert once explained to a newspaper mon \'thy \'/cs t crncr~ have such .:t pr ofi ciency l't ith e;uns : " t o pr o t .::ct 2 th eir· 1 1v· e s an d s h oo t gr ass h oppers for ba1· t. • • 11 5 A somewhat apocryphal story suggests the breath of Limbert's sho\'mianship and brnvado : Back in the days when the r egion was l a r gely peopled by Indians, a l one ~bite man was cooking his s upper over a camp fire beside o. little strcain on the Fo rt Hashakie Indian Reservation in 1:.'yotning . A party of Indians rode up and, disrnoun ting, said: "You hun tum money rock" (me.:rn ing "prospecting"). "Me no like." Relying on his a bility to awe the red men throu~h their superstitious natures, the rrh ite m~m r etorted, "Me no huntum money rock, me huntum ~..Y.," and r1ith clever slei ght- of hcnd maneuvers he palmed several coins from his pockets. 11 Ho, look, ko tchum money o.11 around!" he exclaimed, as, r1i th sleeves rolled up, he began pickine; .:i.ctual money out of the a ir. The braves watched every move with keen est interest and finally the leader concluded, 11 Huh, heap big medicine man!" and they sat a round the camp fire , delighted while Bob Limbert went through his whole repertoire of tri cks and macic. 55 But a lthough a compulsive practical joker, Limbert ap- paren tly fa iled to c:i.pprecia te jokes at his e xpen::;c . lL::t r ,) ld T. Stearns had developed a friendship with Limbert while \'1 orking at the Craters of the Moon. In his memoirs , Stc:i.r-n:: rccnlls: The topogra~hic map of the monument made by the [u.s.G.SJ at my request was completed in 1926. I named all the features that my good friend Bob Limbert had not named in his early National Geographic articl e •••• He wus a compulsive practical joker but never liked jokes to be pl ayed on him. When he sent me my bear rug, made from a hide I had sent him for curing, he. enclosed a check for 15 one million dollars, written on a defunct Bo i se b~nk , al ong with other useless obj ects used in packing. I took a ll the heavy rock specimens from the Crater s of the Moon. • • and sent t hem to Bob via express collect with a brief letter stating that thi s uas the l oad off my heart after r eceiving his ~if ts. I never heard from him a gain. 54 · Of ultimately greater historical importance than his l ectures and perforrnunces, Limber t r e corded his perceptions and observ~ tion s of I daho for posterity. In ~ddi tion t o writing articles ~ nd columns f or num erous rn uguzines and newspapers, Limbert became an avid s till and motion picture photoi:;rapher. Ile r e corded in photographs areas of I daho , includinG the Gruters of the Moon , pri or to their discovery by the general public , and subsequent devel opment. Robert ·1. Limbert di ed unexpectedly) 15 July 19).3 \'Jhile on tour in the East , he r eceived word th.:i. t his mother had fallen ill. Dtiving back to Boise, he was f~t~lly stricken at Cheyenne with a brain hemorrhage e Hi.s mo thl: l' died the following day, and they were buried in Boise in adjoining graves. Among the Craters of the Mo on Robert Limbert r ecounted in a 1924 Na tional Geogra phic c::i. rticle ( \'Jhich to,'.::;o th"'r \Ii U i Harold T. Stearn~; ' fa vora blo r eport gener a ted the publicity necessary to pr od President Calvin Coolidge to designate the Craters of the Moon as ~ 1 6 nationa l monument): For sever al years I had listened to stories t old by fur trappers of the strange t hings they bud s een \'/hile ranging in this region ~ Somo of these accounts seemed beyond beli e f. 5~ His curiosity aroused, Limbert retraced the explor a tions of I.C. Russell. On his second hike into the lava fiel d::.: he vms accompanied by \'/es \'/atson and Era Martin, r c,nchcrs ~hose homesteads adj oined the Cra ters of the Moon . Vat::.:on and Martin provided invaluable logistica l s upport and orientation for Limbert. Finally, May 1923 , Limbert (together with W. I . Cole , ~nd ~n Aireda le terrier) tr e ldc ~d e,1.c r oss the Craters of the Moon, hikin~ north from J.1 i nidol:a to Martin 1 s r anch. 'l1he tr10 men packed "bedding , an aluminum cook outfit, a 5 x 7 comera and tripod, binocular s , ~ nd supplies, sufficient f or h:o \'/eeks ••• 11 56 rrhey quickly discover ed their mi s t a.ke in bringing the dog, " for after three dD.ys ' travel his feet v1ere worn raw and bleeding. In some places it ~as necessary to carry him or s it and \'!Cl.it \'/hilc he picl\e:cl his rtay across. 1157 Limbert claimed tho. t he ~ nd Cole r1 c r c the 11 first \'/hi tc per sons to cross t his platc.::iu from south to north. 11 58 Relying on \'/~tcr found in ca ves and crevices, the men n.::ivig;atc:d "old Indian" trails . Limbert claimed to ha ve tra ced one 11 well-\01orn 11 Indian trail acr oss the lava fields , entering the Craters of the Moon 1 7 &bo ut six miles west of Martin, near the sinks of a l ost stream lrnovm as Little CottomJOod. It is i s tinct for about 11 miles, and then f~dcs; y et ve found traces of it all t he vay a cross . I t i s sparingly marked with small r ock piles a nd pieces o f sagebrush, with r ocks to vei ght them • •l fcv flint or obsidian a rrov-po ints can be picked up al onlt it~ ·~'/he r e these trails c;o and \':hy , no one lmo r1s • .:J9 Along the journey, Limbe rt and Cole discovered evidence r. 0 11 11 of bear s di gging for r oo t s z...nd rolling rocks for ants. ' ) During their trek, Limbert and Cole named many of the na tural features encountered, including Vermilion Canyon and Sheep Trail Mount ( Butte) . On a subsequent visit in Aur,-us t, Limbert named sevcr et l other fcc,turc:s , ::.; uch .'.:lS Ye llO\'/ J <..'LCl~c t 1:Ja t er Hole ' 13rid;;e 0 f 1l1cors ' .:i.ncl Trench Mo rtar Fl a t. Limbert concluded t hnt, a lthough the fla ns 11 sccrn as if they had happcncJ only yest erday, 11 they probably occurred 61 as r e cently as h io hundred year s before. Limbert con- curred with his friend Stearns • r ecommenda tion that part of the L t vc~ f i el d::> be pr e se rvcd as the- Cra t er s of the M o 0 11 Jla tion.J.l J.lonume n t . 'rhis o. c tio n \'JOUl d insure pr e ~c rv o. tion o f 11 s urfo. ce phenomena \'/hich ar e p0n · ~~ l le le d only by tho s<.: in Icel .:md. 11 6 2 .l{obe rt \'./. Limbert de vot ed the remainde r of his life to the preservation and promotion of this monument. FOOTNOTES 1 De Jong, p. 64 . 2 Rutledge , p . 1· • 3De Jong, p . 115 . 4r r ving, p . 203. 5Ne llie Sl ater , p . 4. 6Ibi d. O. B. Sl ater , p . 3. 7o. B. Sl at er , p . 3. 8I bi d. 9Ibid. 1 Oib_ lU. , • 1 1 1'I c 11 i c S 1 a t t: r , 9 . 4. 12 I bid . 1 :· J~ nd orso n , p . 2 14. 1 4Ibid., pp . j19- 320 . 15 rb- -i -·1 0 llte' P• .) V o 161.J errill Ms . 1 7 I bid. 18 Ibi d. 1 9\'/ool verton Ms . 2 °Fost e r Ms . 2 1 I-Ia gen Ms . ")"') .:...'- -Cl e~ i c , p . 21+ . 2.3 I bid. 19 2 4c1e~ie , p . 24. 2 5Hc:tgen Ms . 26c1ezi e , p . 25. 27Ibid. 28Rutl edge , p . 2. 29Ibid., pp. 2-3. 30nacen Ms • ..., 1 ) Stearns 1977, p . 27 • ..., ? ) '-- Ibid . 1 _3.)l'\l,,l '.._)..,,JI,,..:' ..~ ., 11 • 71 ~~~t c~ rns 1977 , pp. 26- 27 • .35ncynolds Ms . 6 ,.. 1 -=', 3 ....)" t l..;J, ·· i~n ~ 9 L-') _... " 37sto~rns 1977 , p . 27 . 3Slbici. , p • .)1 . 39Ibid. , p . 1 . L1-0l bid. , p . ii. 1 4 Ibid., p . 1 . 2 ~- z· in- i \: , p . 35 • 43Ibid., p . 61. 44Ib'd. l • ' pp. 6~c_ - 63 • 45nawley , p . 653. Larrrence , Perso n c.l Communico. tion. 6 4 n.:.::..•:r l ay, p . G511. • 47 rbid. 48Ho\'/ell Ms . 20 4 9 Ho\'/(:~ ll Ms. 50ibid. 51Limbert Family Ms . 52Ibid. 53Fordyce. 54stc2rns 1983, p . 41 . 55Li u b~ rt 1 9 2 11 , p . 30 3. 56Ibid . 57Ibid. 58Ibid. 59rbict. , p . 328 . GOibid., p . 306 . 61 Ibid., p . 32e . 6-i :_') Ibi cl . BIBL IOGRAPHY Anonymou s . 11 Cr a t c rs of the Mo on , 11 Scienc e ( 1 3 June 1 92L1) , Supp .: XII , p . 59 . • r " Craters of the Moo n 11 Enla rge d,_ ' ,~mo ri can ----=F-o_r _e-sts a nd Fo r est Life ( Septembe r l 92b), Vo l ume 34, p . 562. 11 11 -----· Cra ters o f the Moo n Nationa l Monument , American Sce nic and Historic Preserva tion Socie ty, )0th t~ nnual Reno rt ( 1925), pp. 1L ~9 - 150 . -----· £crater s of the Moon National Monument!, In A Pre limin a r v Re po rt on the Parks , Park woys a n d Rocr a ~tio n al Areas of I da ho , pp. 19- 21 . Berke l e y : N.:. tional ParL .Sorvicc , 1939. ---..,,----.-• Robert \'/ . Limbert. Ms . on file with Cr .:.i t er ~: 0 f the Moo n Nationa l Monument. V I I Adams , \'/illard, e t al. " Exploring Ida ho ' s Clinker 13o ' S ee in ~ Idah o (October 1937) . -· AlbriGht, Horace M., a nd Frank J . Ta ylor,. 11 Crater s o f the Mo on , 11 Oh , Ranger,_ p .. 166 . Stanford : Stan fo r d Unive rsity Press, 1920 . Ander son , Abraham c . Tra j_J. s of Ea r l y Idaho : 'rhe Pioneer Life o f George W, Go odha r t , a n d His Assoc i a tion with the Hu dson ' s B ~r c a Ad ve rtiser . Arco , I daho . Refe r ences to Articl es i n the :\rco :.d v c~ rti se r Abo ut Cr<:lt e r s of the Moon N.:..t tion Asmu s , Edn E1 I. 11 Cr a t e rs of the Mo o n N.:l tionol J.lo nurncnt , 11 rpr ,'.:i vel ( J u ly 19.37) , Volume 69 , pp. 1+0 - 42 , 119- 50. 130.::t l , l·l12rrill, a n d Merle 1.~/ c ll s . Thstory of Id:..tho . Neri Yor k : Le \'/i.s Hist o rica l Pu blishinG Comp o.ny , Inc ., 1959. 'rhe Bl.::i. cld'oot Ne\'/s. Bl a ck f oot, Ida ho . 8 June 1973 11 11 11 ( Hiddon Va lley, Limbe rt ' s Diary"). 22 The Blue Book of ~or l d Cel ebrities, • , for 1 9~? - ~ 3 . Boston: Alber and \'/ickes, Inc. , n. d , 11 Eo b Limbert , " p. 33. Boise Capital Ne '.: s . Boise , Idaho . 20 December 19 28. Boise City and Ada County !Idaho! Directory, Volumes VIII- XX (1 91 2- }935). Bottolfsen, Clarence A. 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A. The s i s , Brigham Young University (Provo) , 1957. Enjoy Na[;o.z ine , I da ho St.::i. t c Journa l , Pocatel lo , I daho . 17 l'-1.::i.y 1974 (.Se ction C) . "Crater s of the l'ioon , 50 t h Anni vor sary. 11 Fenneman , Nevin M. 1 1Snake River Pl ai n, 11 In Phy sio·~ rtrn hy of \'/e s t ern United Sta tes , pp. 238- 24L~ . Neri Yorl-: : McGra~ - Hi ll , 1931 , 23 Fordyce , Clau de P . 11 Bob Limbe rt ' s Fee t~ Ca rried Hirn Into Str ange Pla ces , " Americon Ma ga~ ine (January 1 929 ) . Foster, An~ i e J a ne Bigge rs El liott . Annie Jane 1 s J ourn:::J /1904/, Ma r ilyn R. Ho..rbo rd, e d . Chico: Gl en :s . Bigger s , 1 971-h Hagen, Olaf T. Notes on Inte rvie u with Judge D.J. Ma rtin, Arco , I daho, June 19 , 1940. Ms . on f i le with Craters of the Moon Nati onal Monument . Ha \·1ley, J ames . Hist orv of I daho : The Gem of tlH; ! · i o unt ~ ~ns , Volume I II, p~j . 65.5- 654. Chica. t;o : The .S . J . C.:L.~ rJ:..:: Publi s hing Co r:i!j& ny , 1920 . 11.::i.ync , Coe Smith . l~ocl <: an d L"1vn : Mi ssiona ry D;.y :.:: of '.'lilliam How.:i r rl Po 1·1l qx .. J11. .I.d.a ho . 1' 1 ·~ \ ·1 Yorl1. : n . p ., 191+?. . Howe ll , A . C. 11 Tr:o - Cun 11 Bob Limbert. Boise: Str avm a nd Co ., Inc. , Priiltcr s , n.d. Publicity brochure on file with the Craters of the Moon Nationa l Monument. FidahQ Stat e Ga :' o t teer a nd Business Di rec tor' , Volume VI I I 1 91 • Ida ho .S t .::i. t c Historica l Society. "Fou r teenth Biennia l Rc11 " rt of tl1t) Poar d o r 'P.ru::ltc e s (Jf tr1e s t ,1. t e I-T].:·: l. (Jt"'jC;.:tl ,c:;(H.:·i t · t't o r Ici.:: ho For the Yc ~ 1r .s 1 Idaho Sta t e sma n . Bo ise , I daho . Irving, \"/ashington. '11hc Adven t ure s of Ca ota in Bonneville . Portland: Binfords & Mort , Publis he rs , n . d . Jones, E. l·'f . " Some '.'/enders of Idaho ," Historical .Socie ty of Southern C~ lif o rni a Publications , Volume I , pp. 23- ;~9 ( j 688 ). Lawrance , Mar gar et. Personal I nterviews ; December 1982 , M~y 19s3. Daise . Limbert, Na r garet. Le tte r to Robert c. Zink, Mnrch ;~ 9 , 1956 ; Le tte r to Daniel Davis, May 19 , 1963. Copie~ of c orrespon denc e on fil e with Cr aters of tho Moo n Nat ional Monument. Limbe r t , Robert w. Fa mily M~in the possession of Margare t ( Limber t ) Lawrence . Boise . 2L~ Limber t , Ro bert\'/. " .Among the ' Crat ers of the Mo on ' : An Account of the First Expeditions Through the .Remarkabl e Vo l canic Lava Beds of Sou the rn I dc,ho , 11 Na tional Geofira phic Magazj_ne (Ma rch 1924) , Volume !15 , PP . .30 .3-328 . -----· " Among t he Cr ater s of t he Moon ," Lite rary Di gest (1 2 April 1924), Vo l ume 81 , pp. 40- 44 . ___...,....._,_. "A Tr ip t o t he Moo n," I daho Sunday Statesman . 10 .Apri l 1 921 • Martin, Tom . Personal I nterview, May 1983. Caldwell , Ida ho . 1-1.J..y , Luke .S . "Seeldng a Sla ye r in the Cr c:t tcrs of the Moon, 11 True Detective . l'.Jc Lcod, Gcorc;c A. !Ii stor y of /1 1 tur.:i. c; .-:ind Bl:::"Lne: Counti.es , I daho . Ha iley : Huiley Times, 1950 . Me rri ll, Julius Caesar. Goo dale ' s Cutoff Ms . ( 18611) on file with the Idaho State His torica l Socie ty. Bois~ . 1-luttko r.rski , .R . M. " Valley of the Moon , 11 In Nnturr1J ist ' s Guide to the ~me ricas , p . 253 . Baltimore : Villi~m2 a n J ~ilk in s , 192G. Ne:, t ionetl Pa.rk Service . 11 Cra ters of the Moon National Monume nt," In J\ Bi.blio D:ranhy of Na t iona l Parks a.nd lfonum ents \Ve s t o,f t he Mi.ssissinpi River, Volume I , pp . 1- j (1 9J.i.1 ) . ------· " Cra t ers of the Hoon National Mo numen t , 11 In Glimpses of our lfational Mo numents, pp. 1 6- 1 8 .. ~ets hin g ton , D. C.: United Stat es Go vernment .Printing Office , 1 930. Re yno l ds, Bob . Craters of the Moo n Explor ed in 1879. Ms . on file with the Craters of the Moon Nati o n~l Nonument . Rhodcnb~uch , Ed~orti Sl·:etchcs of I daho GeoloL1·y . Boise : n . p ., 1961. Husscll, I s r ael c. Geol ogy and \'/a ter .Resources of the Snake River Pl.::t.ins of I dahoo UoS , G2 S . Bullet·in 1990 Washington, D. C.: U. S . G.P . 0 0 , 1902 0 Rutledge , Gene P . Lost Ihver Days : Introduc tory Remarks ( 6 July 1973) . Ms . on file with the Craters o f t he Moon Na tiona l Monument. 25 Sl a ter, Ne llie. Travels on the Plains in 1862. Hs . on file with the Crate r s of the Mo on Na tiona l Monument. Slater, O. B. Trip Ac r oss the Plains i n 1862 . Ms . on file ~ith the Cra ters of the Moo n Nationa l Mo nument.