COPYRIGHT 1924 BY W.H. f URRAY GENERAL PASSENGER AGENT UNION P ACIFIC SYSTEM OMAHA, NEB. Printed in U. S. A. I ssuE D BY THE UNION PACIFIC SYSTEM Old Faithfui Ge ys er 1 Geyserland ORMED by fire and finished by masterpiece of the primitive set aside in ice, wind, and water, is perhaps a the fastnesses of the Rockv Mountains. Fsummary of the geologic story of It has lofty peaks, immen.se lakes, ma­ Yellowstone Park. Great volcanoes, for­ jestic rivers, wild flowers in profusion, gotten by all except the scientists, forests living and fossil, glaciers at its fashioned the foundations of the land­ borders- all, in fact, that other parks scape visible today; immense glaciers contain-and in addition, the matchl ess carved and polished canyon and moun­ canyon and the amazing geysers. tain slope; wind and water perfected the You start one cool bright morning infinitely varied sculpture of gorge, peak, along a smooth road through the fra­ and precipice. grant pine forests. Steam rises ahead and Then the softer moods of Nature pre­ a turn discloses a small geyser spouting vailed. She provided majestic rivers and - the first you have ever seen. But at far-reaching lakes, spread vast evergreen the same moment a mother bear, fol­ forests over her original handiwork, pat­ lowed by her cubs, walks through a glade terned the open spaces with lovely wild and when you have lost sight of them fl ower gardens. She gave this domain to the geyser is quiet. Now the automobile bear, buffalo, and beaver, elk and ante­ has stopped beside a weird group of lope, moose and deer; to eagle, waterfowl, "paint pots" or has paused at a beauti­ lark, thrush, and warbler; and to the ful hot spring. Another geyser gushes finny tribes of lake and stream. unexpectedly from the riverside, a boil­ ing spring emits a cavernous rumble, What distinguishes Yellowstone is the existing evidence of those original mys­ steam vents puff and hiss. The white terious and magnificent processes of the crest of a distant peak appears, you Park's creation. The visitor walks glimpse a lacy waterfall, or the rippled ultramarine of a half hidden lake; a deer through the looking glass into a wonder­ land where incredible things happen. bounds across the highway. On another day you are motoring along the rim of Astonishment becomes a constant emo­ tion. the most gorgeous of all gorges, lost in delighted wonder. Then the automobile, Although there is no sign of life about passing acres of rich wild flower gardens, the ancient volcanoes, the earth hisses climbs to the crest of Mt. Washburn, from a thousand vents, stretching, per­ whence noble panoramas of the Rockies haps, from the subterranean fire. Great stretch away in every direction and the fountains of water and steam soar grace­ Park becomes a titanic relief map. fully into the air, some regularly, others These are random features of the at unforeseen times. Tumberless pools wonders that a tour of Yellowstone Park murmur and boil; the minute hot-water unfolds-scenes that intrepid ~plorers inhabitants of some have painted their not so long ago faced hardship and bowls with the exquisite colors of sap­ danger to behold. You may see them in phire, emerald, and morning-glory; others complete comfort, unspoil ed, unchanged. have erected terraces and enameled basins of surpassing richness or have thrust their steaming cones through the icy waters of a lake. Here a mass of plastic clay, pink and cream, pouts and sputters; there stands a cliff of glass, a mountain of sulphur. On yonder moun­ tain side are the petrified remains of a prehistoric forest now composed of agate, carnelian, jasper, chrysoprase, and ame­ thyst. A great river plunges with thunder and mist hundreds of feet into a stu­ pendous canyon cut through twelve hun­ dred feet of prismatic pigments, glowing with a harmony of color that no man has successfully described. Yellowstone is vast, wild, unspoiled, a One of the Park 's permanent' residents [ 51 Kepler Cascade of fire hole River is a series of lovely fall s whose entire descent is nearly 1 50 feet [ 6] Yellowstone National Park General Description Yellowstone is the largest and prob­ The setting of these wonders is a land ably the most famous of our national of vast evergreen forests, immense lakes, parks. There is no other region like it. noble rivers, and majestic peaks. The In the variety and power of its geysers, rugged Absaroka Range stands upon in the diversity of its wonders, it has no the eastern boundary and the stately rival. The Park, second in historical Galla tins guard the northwest. The drive rank, was created by act of Congress, in over the summit ofMt. Washburn is one 1872, for the perpetual enjoyment of the of the most inspiring mountain trips that people. Uncle Sam has made it con­ can be made by automobile. The great venient and comfortable for all who wish tributaries of the Missouri River and the to come. Snake have their sources within or near Yellowstone National Park is situated the Park. Yellowstone Lake, nearly 8,ooo in northwestern Wyoming and extends feet in elevation, and its largest body of slightly into Idaho and Montana. It is water, has an area of 139 square miles. about 62 miles long and 54 miles wide, This primeval wilderness is the largest and has an area of 3,348 square miles. Its and most successful wild animal refuge general physical character is that of a on earth. As an easily accessible field for broad, volcanic plateau with an average varied nature study it has no equal. elevation of 8,ooo feet, and surrounded Bear, deer, elk, antelope, and many by mountain ranges rising from 2,000 to lesser animals may be seen with little 4,000 feet higher. effort, and those who travel the trails In Yellowstone Park there are ap­ may see moose, bison, and mountain proximately 100 geysers, more than in sheep. There are 200 species of birds in all the rest of the world. The very earth the Park; eagles nest upon the crags. puffs, steams and hisses in the geyser Most of the streams and lakes abound in basins as if a thousand underground fac­ tories were at work. There are some 4,000 hot and boiling springs, and many cold springs, some of them flowing Apollinaris and other mineral waters. There are prismatic pools with the exquisite beauty of flawless gems and flowers. Multi-col­ ored "paint-pots" of plastic clay bubble and seethe. Gruesome mud volcanoes churn and roar harmlessly. There are tin ted, fretted terraces resembling the fancied architecture of fairyland. But Yellowstone must not be asso­ ciated only with geysers and other hot water phenomena. Without the geysers, Yellowstone would remain a region of transcendent beauty. The gorgeous can­ yon, painted more gloriously than any other gorge on earth, is a spectacle so sublime that it alone would draw thou­ sands of visitors. At its head a waterfall of great height and wonderful symmetry leaps from the evergreen hills and is lost in its own cloud of swirling spray. Castel­ lated crags and lofty spires rise from slopes presenting all the-tones of yellow, orange, red, and white. There are petri­ fied forests, the trunks standing where they grew; there is a cliff of obsidian (volcanic glass) and a natural bridge. Friendly, but timid-a familiar ' sight in the Park Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone fr om Tn spiration P oint trout and the Madison River open meadows, and particularly upon the slopes also contains grayling. of Mt. Washburn, are lovely gardens of wild Through the forests, in the flowers. There are four great resort hotels in the Park, distinctive in architecture, and with the best metropolitan standards of luxurious service. There are five permanent camps, composed of com for table tent cottages, together with central dining rooms and social halls. Both hotels and permanent camps are situated adjacent to the principal places of interest and are regulated by the Federal Government. Unquestionably the best way to see Yellow­ stone National Park is by Union Pacific System trains to West Yellowstone, and thence by the automobiles of the Yellowstone Park Transpor­ tation Company which operate over the 300 miles of excellent government highways which traverse the Park. These cars make a complete circuit of the chief attractions and are driven by chauffeurs who are experienced in mountain roads and well qualified to point out and explain the phenomena of the Park. Visitors driving their own cars through the Park have been known Yellowstone bears have a well developed taste for dainty morsels to miss some of its grandest spectacles. Is I What to Do On a brief trip to Yellowstone, the as Grand T eton, to the south, requiring visitor will probably be full y occupied first rate mountaineering skill. with observing and admiring the scenic In the beautiful fairyland of Yellow­ wonders and the wi ld animals. But the stone you may live and travel in com­ Park is a place to linger for a month or a plete comfort. You may res t, accomplish summer. It is impossible to know it your sightseeing from the cushions of an automobile, ride horseback, or follow intimately on a brief visit and many the alluring trails on foot. You may pro­ return year after year to e nj oy its cure a guide and camp equipment and variety. For those who linger, there are explore the rarely visi ted regions where several hundred miles of trails leading tQ there is neither road nor trail.