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- Chicago & Milwaukee RR | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone's Supporting Railroads Chicago & Milwaukee RR Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Yellowstone's Western Rail Access at Gallatin Gateway The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway The CM & SP was originally known as the Milwaukee & Waukesha RR until the name was changed in 1874. They completed their rail line across Montana to the West Coast in 1909. In 1915 the Milwaukee Road completed its first electrified section of rail line, from Harlowton to Deer Lodge, Montana, a feat that was advertised to passengers since electrification eliminated the soot normally associated with steam-powered rail travel. Extensions in the 1910s and 1920s resulted in 649 miles of electrified main line, in Montana, Idaho and over the Cascades in Washington. The 440 miles of electrified line between Harlowton, Montana and Avery, Idaho was said to be the longest continuous electrified rail line in the world at that time. By 1927, the company operated 11,000 miles of track in twelve Northwestern States and was one of the largest railroad systems in the country. Top: The Olympian open-air cars, ca1915. Because the train was electrified, passengers were not bothered by the coast dust and soot that was normal on other railroads of the time. Right: The modern Olympian Hiawatha, as shown in a 1947 brochure The Olympian and its successor the Olympian Hiawatha were passenger trains operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (the "Milwaukee Road") between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest. The Olympian operated from 1911 to 1947 and was, along with its running mate the Columbian, the first all-steel train to operate in the Pacific Northwest. The streamlined Olympian Hiawatha operated from 1947 to 1961 and was one of several Milwaukee Road trains to carry the name "Hiawatha." The Olympian Hiawatha was designed by industrial designer Brooks Stevens and included the distinctive glassed-in "Skytop" observation-sleeping cars. It later featured full-length "Super Dome" cars. The Olympian Hiawatha was never a financial success. On May 22, 1961 the train was discontinued, one of the first of the great name trains to end service. With the discontinuance of the Olympian Hiawatha in 1961, trains No. 15 and 16 continued to operate as an unnamed passenger train between Minneapolis and Deer Lodge, Montana with coaches, a Touralux open-berth sleeper and cafe car. In 1964 it was cut back to a coach-only train to Aberdeen, South Dakota, discontinued in 1969. In 1909, the Gallatin Valley Electric Railway Co., a concern from Bozeman, built an electric railway from Bozeman, south to Salesville. Zachariah Sales built a sawmill in the area in 1865 and founded the town of Salesville in 1883. A post office was established in 1880, but by 1890, it had closed. In 1910 the CM&SP took over the electric railway and linked it to their main line at Three Forks. Top Left: Downtown Salesville ca1912. [Museum of the Rockies #x80.6.453b] Top Right: The original depot at Salesville, ca1920. [Museum of the Rockies, #97.19.77] Rails to Gallatin Gateway . . . To compete with the other railroads accessing Yellowstone. The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, also known as the Milwaukee Railroad, began promoting the Gallatin Canyon as a “Gateway to Yellowstone” in 1926 The president of the Milwaukee Railroad, Henry Scandrett, knew the canyon, as his family were early guests in the early 1920s at Elkhorn Ranch along the upper West Gallatin. As part of its promotion, in 1927, the railroad constructed an arch over the highway 191 just north of present-day Rockhaven Camp and Retreat Center across the Gallatin River from Sheep Rock Mountain. In August of 1926 a second log arch was built over the road some 12 miles below Karst's Camp at the southern entrance to the canyon. Both were removed sometime in the 1950s when Hwy 191 was widened and improved. The CM&SP began passenger rail service to Gallatin Gateway on August 1, 1926 with a spur from the main line at Three Forks. They replaced the previous electric railway system of 1909, allowing standard rail cars to access the area. Buses of the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. carried visitors from Gallatin through the West entrance and transported them on tours around the park. Top Left: The 2nd arch was built at the north end of Gallatin Canyon. JC Robbins postcard, author collection Top Right: Celebration being held at the 2nd arch in he beginning of August 1927. Right: 1st arch constructed toward the south end of Gallatin Canyon. Milwaukee Road postcard Gallatin Gateway Inn & A New Gateway to Yellowstone The Great Falls Tribune announced on Jan. 6, 1927, that a new Milwaukee rail line would replace the old line from Three Forks beginning on March 1st and extend to Salesville. They also planned to build a depot, hotel and restaurant there. From that point, buses of the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. would take guests to and from Yellowstone National Park. The railroad depot was established inside of the new Inn. The Gallatin Gateway Inn, newest Gateway to Yellowstone, would officially open on June 17. The Anaconda Standard proclaimed on May 29, that, “Elaborate preparations have been made to take care of all guests. Harry Childs of the Yellowstone Hotels company will bring: down an orchestra of 50 pieces from the park to play for the biggest dance ever given in Montana. The huge Yellowstone park busses which already have made the Gallatin Gateway famous, will be on hand to accommodate passengers en route to the park.” Around the same time, Milwaukee officials convinced local folks of Salesville and the area to rename the town Gallatin Gateway. Top Left: Gallatin Gateway Inn postcard Top Right: Gallatin Gateway Inn postcard, ca1930s. Published by the Milwaukee Road. Left: Gallatin Gateway Inn, ca1928. Photo from Montana Historical Society, posted on the Gallatin Gateway Inn website. Sacajawea Inn The Sacajawea Hotel, also known as Sacajawea Inn, was constructed in 1910 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The hotel served passengers on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, which terminated in Three Forks until 1927, when the line was extended to Gallatin Gateway. The original building was the Madison Hotel, built in 1862 on the Three Forks townsite, and moved on log rollers a mile to its present location. At the time, the Milwaukee Depot was across the street. In 1910, the main lobby and 29 rooms were constructed by railroad agent John Q. Adams, who hired Bozeman architect Fred Willson to create a grand but warm and welcoming design. Top Left: Back side of the Sacajawea Hotel under construction, ca1910. Photo courtesy Sacajawea Inn website. Top Right: Front of the Sacajawea Hotel, ca19-teens. Left: Sacajawea Inn with of downtown Three Forks. Photo courtesy Sacajawea Inn website. OPEN SACAJAWEA HOTEL. Special Dispatch to the Standard. Bozeman, Dec. 15.—The formal opening of the Sacajawea hotel at Three Forks took place last evening, and a large delegation of Bozeman citizens went down on a special train over the Gallatin valley branch of the Milwaukee road. The special was arranged through the influence of the Gallatin Valley club and nearly every branch of business and Bozeman had a representative. In the party were several ladies and some young people. All had a good time and pronounced the new hotel one of the finest in the state. The proprietor, J. N. Kleber, and his wife did everything to make the visitors enjoy themselves. [From the Anaconda Standard, Dec. 16, 1910] Top Left: Three Forks railroad depot in 1911, with the Olympian in front. Top Right: The new depot at Sacajawea Inn, undated postcard.
- Shaw & Powell | Geyserbob.com
Camping in the Yellowstone Shaw & Powell Camping Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. The Shaw and Powell Camping Company were permitted to operate 'movable camps' in Yellowstone in 1898. The firm was started by Amos Shaw and J.D. Powell (John D. Powell) with headquarters in Livingston, Montana. Many members of the Shaw family were involved, including son Walter Shaw, Leo Chester, and Jesse Shaw. Shaw & Powell initially brought guests into the park from the north entrance and in 1909 officially opened the Shaw Hotel in Gardiner to serve their guests after their arrival on the Northern Pacific train and prior to their departure. They had been leasing the lot since 1907, and the Sanborn Insurance map of Gardiner in 1907 showed a "Gardiner Hotel" on the site at that time. Previously, the corner was occupied by C.B. Scott. In later years the hotel name changed to the Shaw Hotel, owned and operated by Walter Shaw and his wife. Early camping wagon, emblazoned with L.C. Shaw Camping No. 7. The "L.C." standing for Leo Chester Shaw, son of Amos Shaw. [Undated glass slide] 1903 camping wagon with guests picnicking at an unknown location. The wagon now sports the Shaw & Powell name. [Courtesy Library of Congress, #2016648961] Shaw & Powell transported guests in wagons and coaches around the park to view all of the major scenic attractions. Carrying all their camping materials with them, they setup nightly camps in various locations that featured good grass for grazing and adequate water resources, not to mention in close proximity to renowned natural features. Description of the Shaw & Powell Transportation Co. Livingston Enterprise Souvenir (Montana) in 1900 The firm of Shaw & Powell, hunting camp outfitters and Yellowstone Park guides, are prepared to take parties of any size from five to one hundred, through the National Park, or on hunting trips through Jackson Hole country, Hell Roaring region, Buffalo Fork or Suce creek - in fact to any and all points in Montana or Wyoming where there is an abundance of game, such as elk, bear, deer, mountain lion and sheep, antelope, chicken and grouse. Their pack trains are made up of good horses and plenty of them, who are well able to stand the high latitude and long trips. These outfits include cots to sleep on, which means sleeping off the ground and everybody made as comfortable as possible . . . Amos Shaw, the senior member of the firm, is one of the oldest guides in the park, having assisted in surveying its lake and rivers, laying out the roads and sounding the depths of the geysers and hot pools . . . They carry a full outfit on each trip, including the best cook and the best of food. Shaw & Powell employ only gentlemen, and succeed where others fail. Shaw & Powell Camping Co. Hotel in Gardiner, ca1913. It was located on east Park Street, near the corner of what is now 2nd St. (Hwy 89) [Courtesy Yellowstone Gateway Museum #1317] Shaw & Powell Camping Co. camping wagon with three women posing, perhaps the camp matrons. [Real-Photo postcard] Left: Shaw & Powell Mountain Wagon on the road, ca1909. [Real-Photo Postcard] Right: Shaw & Powell Camping Wagon, undated real photo. A Description of Camping Life with Shaw & Powell in 1903, Excerpts from The Oxford Mirror, Aug. 13, 1903, Oxford Junction, Iowa "It is the good fortune of myself and Harold to be with the Shaw & Powell camping company, which numbers twenty-eight tourists and fourteen helpers, or 'savages' as they are called in camp parlance. The camp is moved every day, and all the tents, cots and bedding are piled up on an immense baggage wagon, drawn by four horses. Besides this there is a traveling kitchen, containing range, sink and all sorts of receptacles for holding everything needed in a kitchen. During the travel of the camp from one point to another, the cook prepares for the next meal. There is also a wagon which carries the food supplies, which is called the 'mess wagon.' Last night a bear made a visit to our camp, and in the morning this particular wagon was a sorry looking sight. There are five coaches carrying our party . . . and Mr. Powell gives us every opportunity to see all there is to be seen in the park. He is a most accommodating and pleasant gentleman, and takes great pains for the comfort of his guests. Every trip through the park is personally conducted, either by Mr. Shaw or Mr. Powell, so that the traveler is always assured of first-class treatment in going with this company. When we reach our camping place for the night the large dining tent is at once set up, so that the cooks can begin getting the evening meal. Then one man starts out with a horse to drag in logs to make a camp fire, while several more set up the sleeping tents. These are set as closely together as possible, and in a semi-circle, with the campfire in the center. After supper we all gather around the fire and tell stories, play games or sing songs. Besides the two cooks, there are twelve young men with Mr. Powell, who help about the camp in various ways - driving the coaches and wagons, putting up tents, waiting on table, etc. I think with one exception they are all college boys who are spending their vacation in this way . . . They are all typical college boys, and with their music and college songs, add much to the pleasure of the trip." West Yellowstone The Union Pacific RR began service to what is now West Yellowstone (known at the time as just Yellowstone) in 1908, and the camping company soon started transporting guests from the west entrance. In 1912, the company bought out the Robert C. Bryant Camping Co., also known as Bryant-Spence Camping Co., which had been operating camping tours from the west entrance since 1903. The sale also included the Bryant Way hotel in West Yellowstone, which then became the Shaw & Powell Hotel. Old photos show a sign on it reading, “Inn at the Gate.” It was located on Park Street, one block east of the UPRR Depot, near the entrance to the park. One guest in August 1914, commented about the “Inn:” “The "Inn at the Gate" was not very much of a hotel. There was a large office, with a bare floor and one corner fenced in with a counter, and the room was heated with a stove. It was cold enough too so that a fire felt very comfortable . . . The food was placed upon the table and the guests simply sat down and ate what was before them, helping themselves to what they wanted. It was really a very good breakfast and I think no one complained of the service, though there was a good deal of laughing about the "style" that we put on.” "The Inn at the Gate." Former RC Bryant hotel, became the Shaw & Powell hotel in 1912. [1914 Photo, Univ of Wyo Special Collections] Permanent Camps Shaw and Powell were given permission by the Interior Dept. to build a permanent camp in 1912 at Willow Park, near the current Indian Creek campground. In 1913, permission was received to build permanent camps at all major locations. The Superintendent’s Report noted in 1913 that Shaw & Powell carried over 2400 guests that season. They operated their own stage lines to transport their customers around the park, utilizing Mountain Stages built by the Studebaker Co. Log kitchens, dining rooms, and storerooms were built at all night camps in 1913-15. By 1916 camps were located at Willow Park; Nez Perce Creek; Upper Basin (current O.F. Lodge site); Yellowstone Lake, west of the Hotel; Canyon (Uncle Tom's Trail parking lot - later Canyon Lodge); and Tower, with lunch stations near the base of Gibbon Falls and at West Thumb. Top Left: Shaw & Powell camp at Willow Park, near Apollinaris Springs, ca1912. [Real-Photo Postcard] Top Right: Shaw & Powell metal sign, found at Willow Park camp in 2007. It was left in place. Whether it is still there is unknown. In a memorandum in the Nov. copy of the Superintendents Report of the Yellowstone National Park, in 1947, it was noted that the Yellowstone Park Co. was demolishing the old camp buildings. Remnants of concrete foundations, piling etc., still remain tucked away in the woods. Bottom Left: Camp at Nez Perce Creek, undated. It was located on the north side of the creek and a half mile or so from the present road. Evidence of the site could still be seen in 2007. [Courtesy Yellowstone Gateway Museum, #20060441277] Bottom Right: Little known Shaw & Powell camp at Tower Falls in 1915. Note the elk antler stacks. The camp was located adjacent to the current campground. [Courtesy Montana Historical Society.] Left: Gibbon Lunch Station . It was located near the base of Gibbon Falls, on north side of river. [1914 Brochure Through the Yellowstone National Park] Right: Shaw & Powell camp at DeLacy Creek. It seemed to only be in operation as a permanent camp for the 1913 season, as in 1914-16 the camp was located across from Old Faithful Geyser, at the current OF Lodge site. [Stereoview No. 2094, Bob Berry Collection, Cody, Wyo.] Left: Early view of the Shaw & Powell camp on Nez Perce Creek, upstream from the mouth. The camp was later moved farther away from the stream. [Stereoview #113, unknown publisher/date. Courtesy Buffalo Bill Historic Center , Cody, #P21-1249] Left: Map of Yellowstone in 1913 showing locations of Shaw & Powell Camps. [1913 Shaw & Powell brochure] Right: Advertisement for the Shaw and Powell Way from 1916. By at least 1913, the S&P Way term was being used, copying from the Wylie Way and Bryant Way. [Ogden Standard , 20Jul1916] Click either to enlarge Top Left: Shaw & Powell Canyon camp lodge interior view. The doorway at the end led into the dining room. [Haynes PC No. 231.] Top Right: Shaw & Powell camp at Canyon, main lodge building with guests. The log tower is ready to be ignited for the nightly campfire. [Haynes PC No. 230] Bottom Left: View of Old Faithful Camp taken from the Crow's Nest atop Old Faithful Inn, ca1916. Notice the tents to the left of the main pavilion. [YNP #02784] Excellent description of a day on tour with Shaw & Powell in 1910. Geyser Region of Yellowstone Visited by Waterloo Tourists "Camp Life" The Waterloo (Iowa) Evening Reporter, August 20, 1910 “Everybody is up bright and early in the morning ready for a big day sightseeing. Jim Rainbow is our alarm clock and he surely does his part well as there is no more sleep for the party after he has his eyes open. Then comes the call for breakfast and it is not a light one, potatoes, bacon, breakfast food, pancakes and syrup, etc. While the guests are eating their breakfast the tents are being taken up. Each bed is numbered so that we all have our own bed every night. This wagon is started off to our next campground and they have everything in readiness when we arrive in the evening. “The cook wagon is a marvel. It has a range and places for provisions for the six and a half day’s trip besides all the cooking utensils and dishes. The cook wagon moves on as soon as they get their dishes washed to the place where we stop for lunch. “The tourists leave camp about seven or half past on their day’s trip. We go from 11 to 13 miles before lunch. At 12 o’clock we are all ready for another meal and when they told us the first day it was just lunch we wondered what we would have for dinner. Meat, potatoes, hot biscuit or Johnny cake, sauce, preserves, etc., but no one complains but just eats. We stop for about two hours and usually our guide has some trip planned for us somewhere near our camp. “At 2 p.m. we again proceed on our way stopping here and there and traveling about the same distance as in forenoon, coming into camp about 6 o’clock with good appetites for our dinner, which is surely a bounteous one. Several kinds of meat and vegetables, pudding or pie, besides all things that go to make up a good meal. We have been very fortunate in having Mr. and Mrs. Powell as our cooks on this trip as they are both experts. The regular cook was taken sick and had to return home. “Our camps are located on some of God’s most beautiful garden spots. One of the bright and lasting memories of our trip will be our camp fires. The pine logs are piled high and set on fire and everybody gathers around it as one large family. There is no formality here. Singing, stories and visiting are the pastime of the evening with pop corn and candy mixed in. It is often a great pleasure to just sit quiet and watch the fire and think what a great privilege it is for us to be permitted to be here. “At 10 o’clock we retire for a good night’s rest, and to be ready to rise when our alarm clock goes off. Another remarkable thing that we have noticed and that is the complete harmony among the help of the camp. We have not heard one word that is not becoming to a lady or gentleman. Their main aim seems to be to make it pleasant for the guests, and I have been told that it was the same in all of the six camps. “They start out a cook wagon and everything necessary every day but as the business of the Shaw & Powell company has become so large that they have to start a party out every day. “Every one of the helpers around the camp has a nick name and very often the tourist or dude as they are called, never finds out the name of the driver who has been with them for a whole week. The helpers are called savages. They have such names as Jumbo, Sunny Jim, Professor, Fuzzy, Happy, etc. It is our good fortune to have Happy for our driver and he has surely been rightly named. He is also the very efficient guide of our party. They have a man who stays at each camp who is called the horse wrangler, whose business it is to keep the camp clean. He is out at 3:00 a.m. every morning to round up the horses.” By Mrs. Fred C. Sage Final Days After the 1916 season changes brought about by the Interior Dept. forced the company to merge with the Wylie Camps to form the Yellowstone Park Camping Co. (See Chapter Introduction). Many of the Shaw & Powell camps were closed to eliminate duplication and concentrate business at the major locations. The transportation business was turned over to the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co., owned by Harry Child. Shaw & Powell camps at Canyon, and Old Faithful were retained for the new Camps operation, along with the Wylie Camps at Lake and West Thumb. Brothers Walter and Arthur Shaw continued on in management of the new camping company with A.W. Miles of the former Wylie Co. Left: Brass luggage tag for the Shaw & Powell Camping Co., ca1913. [Author Collection] Right: Metal pinback for Shaw & Powell, ca1913 Left: 1917 newspaper ad for the Yellowstone Park Camping Co. (1917-1919) Right: Decal for the Yellowstone Park Camps Co. (1919-1927) A.W. Miles (Wylie Camps) and Shaw & Powell, former competitors, apparently did not play well together, it has been said, and finally sold out to Howard Hays and Roe Emery early in 1919. The two men formed the Yellowstone Park Camps Co., and took over the West Yellowstone Hotel and a nearby lot that housed the barn, blacksmith shop, and roofed corrals. The property was sold in 1926 to Sam Hurless and M.K. Musser who build a cabin camp on the site. Walter Shaw and his wife Lillian operated the Shaw Hotel & Cafe in Gardiner from 1922-25. Walter opened Shaw’s Camp & Cabins in Cooke City in 1919, and later guided tours through the park to the Cooke City area where he operated Shaw’s Goose Lake Camp. Walter drowned in the Yellowstone River in 1925 and his wife and Chester Shaw continued to operate the hotel until 1944. At that time it was sold to Hugh Crossen and J.D. Winters who operated it under the name Park Hotel and Café. They sold it to Paul Spradlin a few years later. On August 9, 1950 the hotel caught fire and burned down, killing two guests who were lodged there. One woman jumped out of a window and sustained non-threatening injuries, while the remainder of the guests managed to escape somewhat safely. Hugh Crossen repurchased the property and built the Town Club & Café utilizing the original stone back and side walls. The property changed hands several times until 1969 when it passed into the hands of Don Laubach. The business was sold in the 2000s and has featured several different operations. In 2019, the building, with the historic rock wall over 100 years old, was torn down to be replaced by a new business. Left: Shaw's Hotel & Cafe, Gardiner, ca1930s Bottom: Shaw's Camp in Cooke City, ca1930s. [Sanborn Real-Photo postcard]
- Monida Yellowstone - YW | Geyserbob.com
Coaching in Yellowstone Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co. - 1898-1913 Yellowstone - Western Stage Co. - 1913-1916 Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. The Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co. This stage line was formed in 1898 by Yellowstone photographer Frank J. Haynes and Wm. W. Humphrey , who had previously been superintendent of the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. The new company received a 10-year lease from the Interior Dept. to operate a stage line into and around Yellowstone. The Monida & Yellowstone Stage Line provided service from the Utah Northern/Union Pacific RR depot at Monida to the park, using red Concord stages from the Abbot Downing Company, which became known as the 'Red Line.` The route from Monida, on the border between Montana and Idaho, passed through Centennial Valley, past Henry`s Lake, over Targhee Pass, with an overnight stop at Dwelle`s Inn. This was a part of Harry Dwelle`s Madison Fork Ranch that was located about 5 miles west of the park border. In the next morning, the stages passed through the West entrance, before there was a town there, and reached the Fountain Hotel around noon. [See my Monida and West Yellowston e pages for additional information} The Anaconda Standard of Feb. 3, 1898, reported that, "Forty thousand dollars will be expended this year in putting the line in shape. An order has been placed with the factory in New Hampshire [Abbot Downing] for 19 Concord coaches of the latest pattern as a starter for the equipment of the line. The horses, 150 head, will be purchased principally in Kentucky, some in Oregon. Everything will be in readiness for passenger business at the opening of the tourist season on the first of June. Mr. Humphrey will personally superintend the management of the new line." The Bee-Hive stagecoach, built by Abbot-Downing Co. of Concord, New Hampshire. [Courtesy of Yellowstone Historic Center at mtmemory.org] Stables, barns, and driver`s quarters were constructed at eight different park locations. A brochure from the year 1900 boasts of a 6-day tour using two, four, and six-horse Concord coaches. Relay stations were placed every 15-20 miles along the Monida route. Hotel stops included two nights at Fountain and one night each at Lake, Canyon, and Mammoth hotels before exiting via Cinnabar on the Northern Pacific RR . An article in the Gardiner Wonderland newspaper in the spring of 1905, noted that M-Y was doubling the number of stages that would be run that year, and purchasing an appropriate number of horses. A "Staged" Robbery - 1904 : The Anaconda Standard, Aug. 9, 1904 Special Dispatch to the Standard. Billings, Aug. 8. - A man who was in Billings yesterday on his return from the National park related the story of a sham holdup of one of the stages that is operated from Monida to points in the park. While the whole affair was a hoax, this fact was not known to the passengers and it required considerable daring to carry it out. The sensational feature of the affair Is that the holdup is said to have been perpetrated by two young ladles, one of them the daughter of a prominent New York newspaper man and the other a Helena young lady. The name of the New York lady was remembered by the Standard's Informant on account of the prominence of her father, but he is unable to give the name of the Helena girl. The young ladles were camping in the park with a party of friends and arranged with the driver of the stage to hold it up at a lonely point on the road. They attired themselves in regulation bandit costumes and rode out on horseback to the point agreed on, and when the stage arrived they drew down on the driver and he courteously came down from the box. The passengers, several of them being men, were compelled to line up at the side of the road and while one of the ''bandits” covered them with a rifle the other went through the party and appropriated money, jewelry and everything else of value that a diligent search revealed. After they had secured everything in sight and had all the fun they wanted at the expense of the travelers, the young ladles pulled off their false whiskers and other disguises and gave the crowd the laugh. The valuables were restored, but several of the passengers were disposed not to regard the affair in the light of a joke and said they would make the girls trouble if there was any law that would reach them. The "sore" ones later concluded when their nerves had settled that such action would redound but little to their credit and they finally came around to see the ludicrous side of the affair and joined in the laugh. In the fall of 1907 the arrival of the Union Pacific rail line to the west entrance ended the long stagecoach haul from Monida and the company began picking up passengers at the new depot in Riverside (now West Yellowstone ). The 1st passenger train arrived at the west entrance on June 11, 1908. The new passenger rail service was named the “Yellowstone Special” and a railroad car was used as depot the first year. The town was originally named Riverside, but the name was soon after changed to “Yellowstone.” Left : Sketch of the Riverside Barns layout near the West entrance. [Courtesy Montana St. Univ. Special Collections, Haynes Papers] Below : Photo of the Riverside Barns. [Courtesy Montana St. Univ. Special Collections, Haynes Papers] The stage company built new headquarters along the Madison River about 1-1/4 miles inside the park line near the Madison River. A 1908 map showed coach sheds, blacksmith and paint shops, corral, a barn and hay shed, office, lodging house, mess house, and granary. The Wylie Permanent Camping Company set up one of their stage operations and tent camp nearby the same year. In 1917 it was necessary to convert the buildings for use by the new motorized White Motor Co. auto stages of the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. When YPTCo built new facilities at Old Faithful in 1926, the Barns fell into disuse. The buildings were razed in 1957 From the Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 20, 1910, by C.E. Arney: “In splendidly painted barns a mile from Yellowstone, on the westerly bank of the Madison river, are the unique stables of this large overland transportation company. An inspection of their grounds today showed that degree of orderly system essential to the cleanly, sanitary and handy condition of affairs, all of which appeared at every turn. There was a closely built harness room, a harness cleaning room, a room for washing buggies, a blacksmith shop, a woodworking shop, a paint shop, a commissary, granaries, wagon houses and all in the very pink of cleanliness and repair. There is an office, a sleeping quarters and a dining house on the grounds. Near the river is a tank supplied bv a pumping plant and water is carried through underground pipes to all four sides of the spacious grounds. At each corner of each building is a hose attached to a nozzle and in each building an additional patent fire extinguisher. For the most part the wagons of this company are purchased from the Glen Falls carriage works of New York, though they buy also from the Concord Stage Coach company and from the Studebaker firm.” In 1912, the Monida & Yellowstone Co. established a new station near Tower Falls. One of the four standard tours in 1913 offered a trip from Canyon, over Mt. Washburn, and on to the Falls. From that point the coaches proceeded on to Mammoth Hot Springs , and Norris geyser basin. After the consolidation of 1917 when Haynes lost his transportation business, the building became a Haynes Photo Shop. [Photo from M-Y 1914 brochure] The Yellowstone-Western Stage Co. F.J. Haynes bought out his partner Humphrey late in 1913 and reorganized the Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co. into the Yellowstone-Western Stage Co. The company was co-owned by James Robert Duff, and Richard W. McTavish. Haynes continued transporting visitors into the park from the UPRR depot at Yellowstone (West). By this time, the company already had facilities located at eight locations in the park. During 1915, the peak year of operation, the “Red Line,” known for its red-colored Concord coaches, hauled 20,151 tourists into Yellowstone. Records also show, however that only 4116 passengers were carried in 1914 and 3659 in 1916. This was due to 1915 being the year of the Panama-Pacific Exposition held in San Francisco. The fair greatly increased visitation to the park. The Y-W fleet consisted of 45 eleven-passenger 4-horse coaches, 11 eight-passenger coaches, 13 three-passenger 2-horse surreys, and 61 five-passenger surreys. Two, four and five-day basic tours were available, ranging from $14.25 to $41.25. 2-horse surreys for three people could be rented with driver for $12.00/day. Left : Yellowstone-Western coaches lined up at the Canyon Hotel waiting to load passengers. [1914 Y-W brochure] Above : Cover of a 1916 Yellowstone-Western brochure. Above : The Congress stagecoach, operated by the Yellowstone - Western Stage Co., and built by Abbot-Downing Co. of Concord, New Hampshire. The MY and YW coaches all had names, while the YPTCo used a numbering system. [Courtesy of Eli Anderson] Right : A YW metal cap badge and 1915 YW Pinback. After the 1916 season all of the transportation companies were consolidated into the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co ., under the ownership of Harry Child . Haynes was forced to sell out his transportation holdings in the Yellowstone & Western and the Cody-Sylvan Pass Motor Co. and was allowed only his photo shop operations in the park. The Wylie and Shaw & Powel l camping companies were also put out of the transportation business, and were combined into the Yellowstone Park Camping Co . In 1917 the stagecoaches and horses were put out to pasture and replaced with automobiles made by the White Motor Company, forever changing the face of transportation in Wonderland. Examples of 3, 5, 8, & 11-passenger coaches of the Yellowstone - Western Stage Co. From YW 1916 Brochure Top : Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co. check. Dated 1909 & signed by F.J. Haynes. Bottom : Yellowstone-Western Stage Co. check. Dated 1915, signed by F.J. Haynes A Day in the Life of a Stage Driver in Yellowstone. The following is an excerpt of a transcription from an oral interview conducted with Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co. driver Ira. D. Stanton. His moniker was “Red” due to his red hair and hs family had resided in SE Idaho since the late 1880s. He presents a fascinating description of a typical tour around Yellowstone, beginning at the Union Pacific RR in West Union. He began driving for Monida-Yellowstone ca1911 The Interview was conducted in 1968 by Harold Forbrush under the auspices of the Upper Snake River Valley Historical Society, titled VOICES FROM THE PAST STAGE COACHES IN THE PARK, #18 Well, every night when we were in camp, we’d go in the office and look on the board. Our names would be on the board showing us what place we were to take off at the next morning. Whatever place we had, well, that was the place we kept all the way through the Park. We’d hook up the next morning and we would be in West Yellowstone loading up at 8:00. They could load up about two coaches at a time. While the people were getting in the coaches they would load their suitcases and things in the trunk. They had a great big trunk in the back and it was covered leather. They would buckle them in there so the dust wouldn’t get in. Whoever we were following, that’s what we do to watch for. We’d follow that man till we made the trip plumb around the loop. As near as I can remember, coaches and surreys, they’d be around 50-75 of us from one company. There were four companies that operated out of West Yellowstone. But the MY company, that was the Monida, Yellowstone Transportation Company, that’s what we were. The boys that drove for the MY, they had badges on with the MY and a number. That number was our number all the time through the Park. If we done anything out on the road, why they could take our number and trace it right back where we come from. . . . Maybe I could give you an idea about what our driver was each day. Our first day was from West Yellowstone to Madison Junction, which was fourteen miles. We took off from there and started for Old Faithful. We drove six miles from Madison Junction. There was a hotel there where we had noon. It was called the Fountain Hotel. It isn’t there anymore. Then from the Fountain Hotel, in the afternoon, we’d go four miles to Old Faithful. That wasn’t a very heavy drive but it made a quite a drive for the day, twenty-four miles for the day. The next forenoon we’d drive from Old Faithful to the Thumb. That was seventeen miles. In them days we followed streams of water all the time. The road doesn’t go around where it used to. It goes over some of those passes now. But one reason they were dirt roads. They had to have them sprinkled. The sprinkler had to go by ever morning unless it had rained. They had to sprinkle ahead of the coaches. . . . Well, we went to the Thumb then. That was seventeen miles from Old Faithful. From the Thumb to the Lake was twenty-one miles. So that was a thirty-eight drive that day. That was a quite a long drive for the horses with quite a load. Then the next morning we drove to the Canyon. That was only sixteen miles. We laid over that afternoon at the Canyon because there was so much sight seeing at the Canyon. They had sight seeing busses [Omnibus, horse-drawn] that would take our tours up the Canyon and show them all around. The next morning we would go from Canyon to Norris Geyser Basin. This was eleven miles. There we had another eating place. It’s not there anymore. That was the noon place. From the Norris Geyer Basin sometimes we had to go on to Mammoth. That was twenty-one miles. That was quite a drive. Then the next morning we’d come back to Norris again with those tourists. Then from there on into West Yellowstone. That made an awful drive if you had to drive from Mammoth to West Yellowstone that same day. That gave you thirty-five miles that day and that was awful hard on the horses. They did all that road from West Yellowstone pretty near up to the Madison bridge that year. When we would hit that with our horses, why it was so hard. Our horses on those long drives, why they couldn’t take it. We’d have to drive off into the barrow pits in order to keep from giving our horses right out. A lot of the horses give out right on the road between Norris and West Yellowstone. A Few Side Notes from the Interview: If you went to Mammoth it would be six days. If you just made the round loop it would be four days. Well our schedule was six miles an hour. Outside of the uphill why you were on the trot pretty near every bit of the way. If you walked them uphill you had to make it up somewhere else. Horses can’t walk six miles an hour. So you had to keep them on the tot pretty much of the time. Well, the coaches were come 11 passenger and some 8 passenger. It was 12 with the driver. We had a roof over them so them they couldn’t get wet. We had curtains. If the weather got bad we could throw these curtains down and fasten them and they were closed in. The driver and two other men had to set right up there, no matter if it was raining or what it was. We set up above. The other people were back under shade all the time. Course, as a rule, the fellow who set up by the driver, he was kind of the spokesman for the rest of the company you had with you. When they had any questions asked, why as a rule, they’d send it up to him. He’d ask the driver. The driver would tell him and he would relay it back to them
- Canyon Hotel & Lodges | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone - Canyon Hotels & Lodges Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the author. Canyon Hotel 1st Canyon Hotel This crude wooden structure was located in thick timber above Lower Falls, near the current Brink of Lower Falls parking lot. It was built in 1886 by the Yellowstone Park Association (YPA). This building housed the office, dining room, kitchen, and lobby. About 70 guests could be housed in nearby tents. It was permitted by the Army for the 1886 season only, but remained in use until a larger hotel was opened in 1890. [Photo courtesy of Montana State University, Haynes Photo Collection] 2nd Canyon Hotel This hotel was located on the hill above the Grand Canyon, near where the current Xanterra horse operation is operated. The building contained 250 guest rooms and featured steam heat. Problems with the foundation necessitated repairs in 1896 and 1901. Twenty-four rooms were added in 1901. The hotel was in operation until 1911 when it was incorporated into the construction of the new Canyon Hotel. Top Left: Front of 2nd Canyon Hotel, Haynes post card No. 144 Top Right: Close-up of front of 2nd hotel, Wyoming State Archives, Stimson Collection Bottom Left: Colorized slide of the image to the right. Bottom Right: Haynes Photo, YNP #143227 3rd Canyon Hotel This grandiose structure opened in 1911 with 375 rooms that accommodated 500 guests. It incorporated the 2nd Canyon Hotel into its floor plan, located on the left end of the hotel. The hotel was designed by Robert Reamer and construction continued through the winter of 1910-11. The cost was over $750,000 and financed by the YP Hotel Co. and Harry Child, who obtained loans from the Northern Pacific RR. Capacity was expanded to 600 guests in 1922 and a new wing was added in 1930-34 increasing total capacity to 900 guests. The perimeter was reported to be one mile long, and orchestras played nightly in the expansive lounge area. The hotel closed down after the 1958 season and guests were forced to stay in the new Canyon Village Lodge cabins. This magnificent building burned down in 1960 during demolition, the cause of which was never officially determined. Magnificent New Hotel in Yellowstone Opened Butte Miner, August 5, 1911 (Special Correspondence to the Miner.) Grand Canyon Hotel, Yellowstone Park, Wyo., Aug. 2 - The formal opening of the great lounging room of the new Canyon hotel in Yellowstone park, which marks the completion of the $700,000 structure, was celebrated tonight by a ball, in which the guests of the hotel, campers in the park, fisherman, hotel employees and everybody else within a radius of 50 miles, joined. The hotel is unique among all the resort hotels in the world, and the mammoth lounging room is the most striking feature. This room, 186 feet by 95 feet in dimensions, is finished in natural birch and furnished with large upholstered and willow pieces of original patterns designed by Mrs. H.W. Child. The floor coverings are rugs, especially made in Austria, the large middle rug being 56 feet by 25 feet. The color scheme is green and brown, with an occasional dash of red. The lighting effects are secured by a series of specially designed lanterns suspended from the great beams overhead.. . . [The hotel] was built under incredible difficulties, and every pound of material within this great structure, which stretches along the mountain side for 700 feet and is full five stories in height, was brought in by freight wagons and sleds from Gardiner, 40 miles away, and for several months through snow drifts 10 to 12 feet in depth, with the thermometer far below zero for weeks at a time. The hotel has 450 rooms, 75 bath rooms and every modern convenience, including electric elevators. Left Top: Exterior View, Detroit PC 71062 Right Top: Exterior view, Bloom Bros. PC YP60 Left Middle: Entrance ramp, Haynes PC No.220 Right Middle: Lounge from Office, Haynes PC No.10172 Left Bottom: Tea Room, Haynes PC No.217 Right Bottom: Hotel Office, Haynes PC No.10150 Canyon Camps & Canyon Lodge The Canyon Camp was built on the Shaw & Powell Camping Co. site, located near the current Uncle Tom's Parking Lot. It was operated by the Yellowstone Park Camping Co. from 1917-1919, the Yellowstone Park Camps Co. under Howard Hays from 1920-24, and taken over by Vernon Goodwin that year, who retained the same name. In 1928, Harry Child bought out all the camps operations and they began being called ‘Lodges’ with the name changing to Yellowstone Park Lodge & Camps Co. until 1936. Goodwin was retained and managed the camps operation. The hotel, transportation, boat, and camps operation’s were reorganized and the name was changed to Yellowstone Park Co. Top Left: Canyon Lodge Exterior, Haynes PC 15040 Top Right: Canyon Lodge Cafeteria, 1951. YNP #29658 Bottom Left: Canyon Lodge Lobby, YNP #133440 Bottom Right: Canyon Lodge Demolition, late 1950s. YNP #59672 New tent cabins were erected in 1923-24 and the log lodge building was greatly expanded in 1925. Twenty-four new 12’x14’ cabins and five 12’x12’ permanent lodges were constructed in 1927. The lodge and cabins were closed down in 1957 with the opening of the new Canyon Village. The area was later cleaned up and rehabilitated and only a few relics can now be found in that area. Many of the cabins were moved to the Lake area. When Canyon Lodge was closed in 1957, many of the structures were moved to other locations in park, while some were demolished, and others were sold off, as was the case of the old Lodge Lobby, which was disassembled and moved to Nevada City (Virginia City), Montana by Charlie Bovey as part of his historic restoration/recreation of a historic Montana mining town. This modern new lodge was built, and opened in 1957 under the provisions of the Mission 66 plan, mandated by the Interior department. Yellowstone Park Co financed the construction to the tune of 5 million dollars and 500 boxy, flat-roofed cabins were eventually built. The lodge building featured a lounge, coffee shop, cafeteria, gift shop, and modern decor. The lodge is still in operation and is run by Xanterra Parks & Resorts. Quite a few of the original cabins have been demolished, while many others have been remodeled. Canyon Village This modern new lodge was built, and opened in 1957 under the provisions of the Mission 66 plan, mandated by the Interior department. Yellowstone Park Co financed the construction to the tune of 5 million dollars and 500 boxy, flat-roofed cabins were eventually built. The lodge building featured a lounge, coffee shop, cafeteria, gift shop, and modern decor. The lodge is still in operation and is run by Xanterra Parks & Resorts. Quite a few of the original cabins have been demolished, while many others have been remodeled. Left Top: Canyon Village Main Lodge. Haynes PC K57157. Left Middle: Lodge Lounge. Haynes PC K57060 Left Bottom: Lodge Lounge, Haynes PC 57069 Right Top: Lodge Dining Room, Curteich PC 8C-K595 Right Middle: Lodge Cafeteria, Haynes PC K57120 To provide additional guest rooms, Cascade Lodge was built in 1992 containing 37 rooms and is located in the cabin area. Dunraven Lodge was constructed nearby six years later and features 44 rooms. Since then, three additional lodges have been added, Washburn Lodge, Moran Lodge, and Rhyolite Lodge, replacing many of the old 1957 cabins.
- Biographies | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone Biographies Introduction Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Yellowstone Biographies: Who's Who in Wonderland's Past Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the author. The following pages contain a multitude of mini-bios of the Greater Yellowstone area's early pioneers, explorers, exploiters, businessmen, businesswomen, and other folks of interest in Yellowstone' history. Please note that many entries have bracketed numbers at the end, ie: [24:25] These are footnote references. The first number is the reference work, the second number is the page in the reference. These references can be found at the end of the Bios pages, entitled Bios - Bibliographies. References denoted "LE" indicate the Livingston Enterprise (Montana) newspaper. A few common abbreviations: NPRR Northern Pacific Railroad UPRR Union Pacific Railroad YPA Yellowstone Park Association YPHCo Yellowstone Park Hotel Company YNPTCo Yellowstone National Park Transportation Company YPTCo Yellowstone Park Transportation Company YPCo Yellowstone Park Company YPCC Yellowstone Park camping Company or YP Camps Company YPLC Yellowstone Park Lodges & Camps company Comments or Questions? Email me at
- Yellowstone Bios M-N-O-P | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone Biographies M - N - O - P Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Marshall, George W. Born in Illinois in 1838 (1838 according to his tombstone in Three Forks, MT; born 1835 as noted in two of his obituaries, and 1846 as quoted by YNP historian Aubrey L. Haines and other authors), George Marshall he went west to California in 1860, working a variety of jobs, including managing a hostelry in Utah and a stage station in Nevada. He married Sarah Romrell in 1875 and in 1876 operated a stage line in Montana between Butte City and Eagle Rock. Marshall received a 1-year mail carrier contract in 1879 for the Virginia City to Mammoth route. He built a house at the Firehole River near Nez Perce Creek that became both a mail station and small hotel. He formed the Marshall & Goff Stage Co. with John Goff in 1880 that traveled the mail route. Their first passengers arrived at the unfinished Marshall's Hotel in early October of that year. That year he also erected a mail station at Norris, possibly in the meadow near the soldier station. Marshall began giving tours of the park that same year and his tours were the first known to originate from ‘within’ the park. The Marshall House was also housed the Firehole Post Office and his wife Sarah was the Postmistress. The Marshall’s had a daughter born January 31, 1881 whom they named Rose Park. She was the first white child born in Yellowstone. The post office closed down in 1882, but by 1886 was open again with John Clark as Postmaster. That service lasted until 1891. Marshall retired from the business in 1885 and moved to Bozeman. He died in 1917 and was buried in Three Forks, MT. [25g] [32] [116] Marshall, S. S. (Si). Si Marshall was born in Iowa in 1860 and came to Montana by wagon train when he was a young man. He and his brother George Marshall operated a large cattle ranch near Melville before moving to Livingston in 1882. Later they formed the Marshall Brothers Camping Company, probably in the late 1890's and operated for about 12 years, escorting tourist parties on camping trips through the park. They purchased a livery stable in Livingston in 1884. After retirement from the camping business Si worked numerous different jobs, including that as manager of the commissary at Mammoth. He became a justice of the peace in Livingston in 1941. He died in early January 1944. Chick Here for more information on my webpage on the Marshall Bros. Camping Co. Marshall, Wm. Issac. Wm. I. Marshall arrived in Montana in 1866 in search of riches from the gold fields around Virginia City. He traveled to Yellowstone with his family in 1873 and 1875. He began selling stereopticon photos taken by Joshua Crissman at least by 1876, without really giving proper credit. Crissman accompanied the Hayden Expedition of 1871 as a photographer, taking pictures alongside of Henry Jackson. Marshall is known to have conducted interpretive tours in the park in 1873, 1875, 1881 and 1882. He later conducted lectures nationwide concerning the park and other parts of the west. [119b] Mather, Stephen Tyng. Stephen Mather was business tycoon who made his money in the borax business in California. He became the first Director of the National Park Service, serving from May 16, 1917 to January 8, 1929. He was responsible for `selling’ the national parks idea to the public to encourage visitation. His visions dictated park policies for many years. Prior to that assignment, he was Assistant to the Secretary of Interior and helped to instigate and implement the idea of controlled monopolies in the park. He played a leading part in the addition of many new parks into the system, and lobbied for increased funding and appropriations for roads, improvements, and upkeep. He would use his own money if necessary, to fund favorite projects in the parks until Congress banned the practice. He passed away on January 22, 1930 after having suffered a breakdown the previous year. [25L;69] Mathews, Larry. Larry Mathews, also commonly spelled Larry Matthews, was quite a colorful Irishman who managed establishments in Yellowstone from 1888 to 1904. He began with the Trout Creek Lunch Station near Hayden Valley in 1888. That establishment served the crowd coming over the Mary Mountain road from the Lower Geyser Basin. When the new road over Craig Pass from Old Faithful to West Thumb opened in 1891, Larry moved his business to Thumb. These facilities were conducted in tents. He established ‘Larry’s Lunch Station’ at Norris Geyser Basin in 1893 after the second wooden hotel/lunch station burned down in 1892. He entertained guests at this new station until the Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) opened the second Norris Hotel in 1901. Matthews then went to work at the crude Shack Hotel at Old Faithful and managed the Old Faithful Inn during the first season in 1904. When YPA refused to increase his pay after 15 years of service, he left the park. Larry was born in Drogheda, Ireland in 1854 to parents Patrick and Elizabeth Fredigan McMahon. Larry immigrated to the United States in 1882 and it is assumed that he changed his name to Mathews at that time, to appear less 'Irish.' He moved to Minneapolis and in 1886 married Bridget Clinton. The following year he went to work in Yellowstone for Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) at Mammoth. His daughter Elizabeth, or "Lizzie," was born in 1891. By 1895 Larry was employed during the off-season as a traveling passenger agent in Canada for the Northern Pacific RR. A St. Paul newspaper article noted in January of 1897 that Larry would soon be "in charge of a party of tourists for the city of Mexico handled by the Grafton Excursion Company." By 1904 it is known that he was working the off-season as a tourist guide for the Gates Touring Company on tours of Mexico, and was probably conducting similar tours much earlier than 1904. He later purchased a farm near Rochester, Minnesota to be near his wife's family, but later removed to Crookston to be with his only daughter Lizzie. Larry passed away in 1922. [32] [25L;69] [Thanks to Elizabeth A. Watry for providing some of this material about Larry's personal life, that she obtained from the Yellowstone Park Archives] Please visit my web pages on Norris Lunch Station, Trout Creek Lunch Station, and Larry's Lunch Stations) May, D.B. D.B. May was a Billings businessman who secured the beef contract for the hotel association in the park for the 1888 and 1889 seasons. He originally had his operation near Norris Geyser Basin, but moved to Swan Lake Flats and Indian Creek due to bear problems. He was awarded a contract in 1890 to build an elevator to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It was intended to be constructed on a strip of land adjacent to Red Rock Point and carry at least ten persons. Luckily permission was revoked later in the year and nothing became of the project. [LE;5/19/1888;4/27/1889] [25g] McBride, James. Jim McBride was a scout for the army from 1890 to 1918 and became the first Chief Ranger in Yellowstone in 1919, serving in the park until 1938. A lake near Slough Creek was named after him. Born in 1864, he died May 3, 1942 and is buried in the Gardiner cemetery. [25L;69] McCartney, James C. James McCartney was born ca1835 in New York and first came to the Montana Territory in 1866, no doubt to join others in the quest for gold. It is thought he first passed through Yellowstone in 1869 and joined the Cooke City gold rush the following year. The 1870 Federal Census for Gallatin County listed him as 34 years of age and his occupation as carpenter. He became a co-owner with Harry Horr of the first lodgings available in the park. In 1871 they claimed a homestead of 160 acres at the mouth of Clematis Gulch in Mammoth on July 5 and built two cabins that year that became known as McCartney's Hotel. The cabin used as a hotel was a 1-story log building 25 by 35 feet with an earth-covered slab roof. Guests were required to provide their own blankets and slept on the floor. During a Yellowstone visit in 1874 Lord Dunraven commented that it was “the last outpost of civilization – that is, the last place whiskey is sold.” A third cabin and outbuildings were erected the following year. A crude bathhouse was also built on the nearby Hymen Terrace and five plank shacks were eventually built containing wooden bathtubs. In a legal claim to Interior in 1891, McCartney described his buildings: 1-story log dwelling with 4 rooms, 25’ x 35’; 1-story log dwelling house 30’ x 20; log barn, with squared logs, 30’ x 15’; 1-story hewn-log building 30’ x 25’; squared-log building 20’ x 16’. A 50’ x 16’ stable was also on the property. In 1873 McCartney received a 10-year lease from Interior and Horr released or sold his claim to McCartney. Horr later went on to found the Horr Coal Co. and town of Horr a few miles north of Gardiner. McCartney’s cabins were the only lodging available in the park until George Marshall built his hotel in 1880 in the Lower Geyser Basin. During the Nez Perce campaign in 1877, Indians killed Richard Dietrich, a tourist from Helena, while he was standing on the doorstep of the hotel on August 31. McCartney’s status in the park and relations with the administration were unstable at best and he was encouraged to leave the park on an involuntary basis. McCartney eventually settled outside the northern park boundary around 1879 in the area that would become the town of Gardiner. He was the town’s first postmaster in 1880 and later became unofficial ‘Mayor’. He was the man who introduced President Roosevelt at the dedication ceremonies of the new Roosevelt Arch in 1903. After McCartney’s official eviction from the park around 1881, the government used his cabins and burned some of the outbuildings. McCartney claimed to own the buildings until 1883, when Supt Conger officially took possession of them in April. George Henderson and his family moved into one of the cabins in 1882 and operated the post office and store for a few years in another. McCartney finally received $3,000 in 1901 in compensation for his park holdings that were taken away from him. Sam Toy set up a laundry in the hotel in 1902 and operated until the building burned down on December 4, 1912. By 1885 McCartney was advertised as a Lumber Dealer in Gardiner, maintained a feed stable, selling grain and hay, and rented horses and carriages. In 1887 he received a contract to provide hay to Camp Sheridan. McCartney died at age 72 on February 5, 1908 in a Livingston hospital. His estate was valued at $10,000, consisting of various properties in Gardiner and Cooke City. [108a] [LE;6/16/1887;2/08/1908] [43m] [1870 & 1880 Federal Census,YNP] [YNP Army Files Doc.1136-37] McGowen, Mrs. E . Mrs. E. McGowen was the wife of Assistant Superintendent Charles McGowan and gave Morning Glory Pool its name in 1883. She was permitted in May of 1884 to construct and maintain a telegraph line through the park to Cooke City. Some poles were erected, but the project was then abandoned and the lease forfeited. She was also employed by the Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) in various capacities. Her daughter, Coda Finch, ran the tent hotel at Old Faithful in 1883-84. [73h] [32] [114] McGuirk, Matthew. Matthew McGuirk established McGuirk’s Medicinal Springs in 1871 along the Gardiner River near the 45th Parallel. The river was originally referred to as Hot River and eventually became known as “Boiling River”. The area had been known as Chestnutville, after a small tent camp set up by Col. Chestnut the previous year. McGuirk settled into the area in Aug. 1871 and on November 11 he began construction of a house, barn, and stables. George Huston, Fenly Johnston and a man named Woody assisted in the project and completed the buildings by March of 1872. McGuirk was the first person to bring a wheeled vehicle into the park when he brought an ox-cart down from Livingston and had to dismantle it to get it through Yankee Jim Canyon. He built bathing pools in the hot spring formations and a rock dam above the pools as protection from the Gardiner River. He continued to build roads and irrigation ditches, investing a total of about $4,000. The house was built with squared timbers measuring 16' x 24'. Split rock was used for the chimney and split cedar covered the roof. McGuirk filed a claim for 160 acres on March 9, 1872, eight days after the bill creating Yellowstone National Park was signed. He applied for a lease in 1873, but was refused. Supt. Langford ordered him out of the park in 1874, and his buildings were used as government housing. In 1889 Capt. Moses Harris had men raze the buildings, although McGuirk claimed it was in 1888. McGuirk later moved to Los Angeles and petitioned Congress for reimbursement. In March of 1899 he was awarded $1,000 compensation for his efforts. [60g] [AF Doc.1149&2702] [25g] [31j] McKay, Robert. Robert McKay received permission in 1915 to operate trucks with trailers on the Gardiner-Cooke City road for the Buffalo Mining Co. of Cooke City. He was given a contract in 1917 to construct and maintain the road from Gardiner to the Northeast Entrance. [25L;71] McLaughlin, John S. John S. McLaughlin was Yellowstone Park superintendent from March 3, 1964 to Oct. 7, 1967. He held a similar position in Mesa Verde NP from 1940-42 & 1946; Grand Teton NP 1946-50; Grand Canyon NP 1955-1964; and Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP from 1967-1972. McLaughlin served as Asst. Regional Director of the NPS in the Midwest Regional Office, Omaha, Nebraska from 1950 to 1955. [25L;71] McMinn, Silas. Silas McMinn opened a small coal mine with E.C. Clark at the northern edge of Everts Ridge in 1883 to supply coal to the new National Hotel at Mammoth. The mine yielded two tons a day and cost $5.00 per ton, half of which went to the teamster hauling it to Mammoth. The grade of coal there was not too high, but operations continued on and off until 1920. The Army employed him as an extra scout from Dec. 1899 to Feb. 1900. He also had a ranch near the park boundary along Reese Creek around 1899-1901 and he was known to do some occasional poaching. Nearby McMinn Bench was named after him as early as 1897. The coal mine was rehabilitated by the NPS in 1993. [30] [25g] [114] Meldrum, John. John Meldrum (Judge Meldrum) became the 1st Judicial Commissioner in the park on June 20, 1894 under authorization of the newly passed Lacey Act. He was 92 years of age when his term ended on July 2, 1935. A stone house was built for him near the edge of the Mammoth Terraces at Clematis Creek. The house remains the residence of the park judge. [25L;71] Merry, Henry G. Henry Merry was general manager of the Montana Coal and Coke Co. at Horr (Electric) Montana from 1900 to 1905. Merry drove his auto through the north gate of Yellowstone illegally on June 14, 1902. The car was an 1897 Winton that had bicycle tires, tiller steering, and an engine under the seat. It became the first known car to enter the park. According to a letter written by his son H.M. Merry in 1951, these are the details of the incident: Henry Merry was highly allergic to horse dandruff and could not approach horses without suffering an attack. When he was invited to a military ball at Mammoth, he decided to drive his Winton to avoid an attack. As he approached the north gate, the horse of the mounted sentry panicked at the sight and sound of the noisy, smoking vehicle, and bounded off into the hills. Merry continued on his merry way to Mammoth unmolested. During the ball Maj. John Pitcher, commander of the post, received a communiqué that a 'horseless carriage' had entered the park. Merry 'fessed’ up to his 'crime' and Pitcher fined him a ride around the park in the forbidden vehicle. Pitcher reportedly regretted that he could not confiscate the auto for his own personal use. Autos continued to be banned from the park until August of 1915. [YNP Box H2 Letters Regarding History of YNP] [30] [25g] [114] Miles, Arthur Wellington. A.W. Miles was born in Westminster, Worcester Co., Mass. June 20, 1859. Miles served in the Army, and was stationed in New Mexico, Ft. Keogh and served with Gen. Miles during the Indian campaigns. He started a hardware store at Coulson after he retired. By 1882 he had a similar business in Billings and joined up with Col. Babcock in Bozeman to create the firm Babcock & Miles. During the winter of 1882-83 he opened a business in Livingston and began to prosper. By the 1890’s his operations included the A.W. Miles Lumber and Coal Co., the A.W. Miles Land and Investment Co., the Park Ice and Storage Co, a sheep ranch, and interests in other businesses around Montana. Between 1887 and 1909 Miles served two terms as the mayor of Livingston and as a Montana State Senator. He purchased a 1/3 interest in the Wylie Camping Co. in 1905 and A.L. Smith bought the other 2/3 interest for silent partner Harry Child. The company was renamed the Wylie Permanent Camping Co. with Miles as president and general manager. Miles was a 20% owner in the short-lived Cody-Sylvan Pass Motor Co. in 1916, but lost all of his transportation holdings the next year due to the consolidations of the park transportation companies. The Wylie and Shaw & Powell companies merged in 1917 to form the Yellowstone Park Camping Co. with Miles owning 51% interest. The company was sold in 1919 to Howard Hays and Roe Emery and became the Yellowstone Park Camps Co. Miles retired to Los Angeles in the late 1920’s and son Daniel took over his businesses, continuing it until 1982. In the early 1900's he served as a Montana State Senator. A.W. Miles died May 7, 1933 after spending the winter in California. He had been ill since November. His obituary noted that his body would be sent to Hollywood to be buried next to an infant son. His wife, a native of Hoillston, Mass., died at age 80 of a paralytic stroke in Pasadena, Calif. on June 10, 1941. She was survived by son Dan and daughters Mrs. Adena Wright of Detroit and Mrs. G.E. Mitchell of Los Angeles. [97s;AW Miles Records] [25g] [56m;1102] [42e;6/11/1941] [42e;5/8/1933] Miller, Adam “Horn”. Adam Horn Miller was born in Bavaria in Oct. of 1839 and moved to St. Louis when he was a child. He came up the Missouri River in 1854 from St. Louis and settled in Emigrant Gulch as early as 1864. (According to Mary Margaret Curl he came to Montana in 1849 [16u]) He prospected in Yellowstone that year with John Davis. He later prospected with Bart Henderson, Ed Hibbard, James Gourley, Sam Shively, Pike Moore, and Joe Brown. He discovered gold in the Cooke City area with Bart Henderson and others in 1869-70, naming their mine the Shoo Fly Mine. The next few years he helped Bart Henderson build the road from Bottler’s Ranch to Mammoth. He acted as guide for Supt. Norris in 1877 in the northeastern portion of the park when Norris was looking for another northern approach to the park. He again guided Norris and photographer Henry Bird Calfee in 1880 on an exploration of the Hoodoo Basin. Miller was one of the scouts under Gen. Howard during the Nez Perce War of 1877. Miller also did guiding and hunting out of Cooke City. When asked if he ever killed and Indian, he replied, "I never went to see, but I shot a good many." Later on he settled down in a cabin across the Yellowstone River from Yankee Jim. Miller Creek and Miller Mountain were named after him. He died in 1913. His obituary described him as a "man of sterling character, a man without enemies of any kind, it is said, and a citizen who always had a kind word for everyone." [16u] [113] [25g] [www.colorado-west.com/cooke; Horn Miller obit] Moore, J.H. J.H Moore, or more commonly known as "Pike" Moore, was born around 1832 in Missouri, about 50 miles from St. Louis. When in his late teens, Pike was on a hunting trip and met Adam "Horn" Miller. Together they joined an ox-wagon train to California to join the Gold Rush. Apparently they spent several years in the California goldfields and around 1865-66 headed to Montana Territory where they prospected around Bannack, Virginia City, Confederate Gulch, and Last Chance in Helena. In 1870 the two men, along with James Gourley, discovered gold in the Cooke City area. (Note: some accounts include Bart Henderson and Ed Hibbard) For the next 30+ years Pike prospected the mountains along the northern border of Yellowstone, investing his time heavily in the Shoo Fly Mine. He also worked the JH Moore claim, located along Miller Road, near Cooke City. It was located just across the road from the Horn placer claim. Reportedly Moore was offered $25,000 for his Shoo Fly Mine in the late 1800s, but turned it down, believing it was worth more. That was quite a tidy sum in those days, and would have allowed Pike to live out his days in relative comfort. Pike was also involved with Yankee Jim George in the toll road through Yankee Jim Canyon. During Pike's final days he lived in Gardiner with Charley Scott and died of dropsy (edema) on March 1, 1903, after being ill for several weeks. He is buried in the Gardiner Cemetery. [Anaconda Standard, 3/4/1903; "Old Timers" by Earnest Seton Thompson; Livingston Post, 4-16-1903; Park County News, 3/21/1957, Dick Randall article on Horn Miller; "The Toughest Man in Montana Territory," by Gay Randall, about Horn Miller] Moorman, Edward H. Ed Moorman was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on Dec. 18, 1875. He came west in 1899 and went to work for William Wylie, who operated the Wylie Camping Co. He started out helping Wylie’s son and Uncle Tom Richardson build a house and fence on Wylie’s property on Elk Creek west of Bozeman. The first of June Ed and Uncle Tom drove a herd of milk cows from Bozeman up into the park to supply the camps. Moorman held the position of ‘Camp Man’, and was in charge of keeping the camps warm, dry, clean, supplied, and occasionally chased away bears. He helped Uncle Tom in the construction of his trail to the base of the Lower Falls. Moorman became manager of the Canyon Camp in 1903 and was promoted to Supt of Transportation for the Wylie operation in 1905. Wylie sold out that summer to A.W. Miles and A.L. Smith, who was the front man for silent partner Harry Child. Moorman stayed on and managed the company that season. He soon managed the commissary in Gardiner and later became bookkeeper. He continued on with the company and became a partner and minority stockholder in 1919 and was listed as Secretary/Treasurer of the Yellowstone Parks Camps Co. by 1922. Vernon Goodwin became President of the company in 1924 and Moorman became Manager. Yellowstone Park Lodge & Camps Co. brochures from 1928 list Moorman as General Manager and he maintained that position until 1946 when he stepped down from the position and Huntley Child, Jr. took over. He retired after 1948. [62p] Moran, Thomas. Thomas Moran was a famed artist who accompanied the Hayden expedition of 1871 and created the first paintings and drawings of the park’s many wonders. His works, along with those of photographer Henry Jackson, assisted in the effort to preserve Yellowstone as a National Park. He completed his massive landscape painting of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in 1872 and Congress purchased it for $10,000. He was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England January 12, 1837 to Thomas and Mary M. Moran. The family immigrated to America in 1844 and Thomas Jr. was educated in Philadelphia. He studied art and wood engraving in the U.S., Paris, and Italy and became known as an illustrator and landscape artist. He accompanied an expedition to the Grand Canyon in Arizona in 1873 and painted landscapes that were purchased by Congress for $10,000 each and were displayed in the Capitol. The Yellowstone painting was entitled "The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone." Moran illustrated for Scribner's Magazine, Longfellow's Hiawatha, and Whittier's Mabel's Martin. Moran's brother Edward was a marine painter and brother Peter was known for his paintings and etchings of animal life. In April of 1862 Thomas married Mary Nimmo, daughter of Archibald Nimmo of Strathaven, Scotland. Their son John Leon became a figure painter. Thomas Moran died in 1926 at age 89. [The 20th Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, 1904] [Who's Who in America, 1902; Webster's Biographical Dictionary, 1948] [25L;74] Click Here for the Wikipedia page on Thomas Moran. Nauerth, Isabel. Isabel Nauerth was wife of Jack Haynes. See `Haynes, Isabel’. Nichols, Ellen Child. Ellen Dean Child was the daughter of H.W. Child and married Wm. Nichols in 1905. Three years after her husband's death in 1960 she became Chairman of the Board of Yellowstone Park Co. Two years later she was Treasurer of the firm, but still controlled a majority of the stock with her son John Q. Nichols. The company was sold in 1966 to Goldfield Enterprises. She was known as the Grand Dame of the Yellowstone Park Co. [25L;76] Nichols, John Q. John Q. Nichols, son of Wm. Nichols, became General Manager of Yellowstone Park Hotel Co. in 1935. In the 1950’s he was a vice-president of Yellowstone Park Co., along with Huntley Child Jr. In 1956 John became President, with his father as Chairman of the Board. He resigned in 1961 due to the increasing financial problems suffered by the company, but remained a major stockholder in the company. [25L;76] Nichols, William Morse. William Nichols was born in 1881 in Hartford, Conn. Familiarly known as “Billie”, he attended the US Military Academy at West Point from around 1899 to 1903. He graduated as a second lieutenant in 1903 and was assigned to the 11th Cavalry and sent to Yellowstone Park. He married Harry Child’s daughter, Ellen Dean Child, in 1905 and resigned his commission in the Army in September of that year. In 1907 he served as secretary to Harry Child, and two years later became Secretary of the newly formed Yellowstone Park Hotel Co. He was the second largest shareholder of the Cody-Sylvan Pass Motor Co. in 1916 with 28% of the shares. With the death of Harry Child in 1931, Nichols was elevated to president of the company. The various Child/Nichols enterprises were merged together in 1936 with Nichols as President of the new Yellowstone Park Co. During the lean war years, business was bad in the park and few facilities were open. Nichols was forced to sell his shares of the Flying D Ranch in 1944 to help pay off debts to the railroad companies. During the mid-1940’s his son John Q. gradually began to take over active management of the company. In 1956 Billie resigned as president of the company to take over as chairman of the board of directors of YPCo. He remained with the company until his death on August 6, 1957 at Mammoth, after suffering a heart attack about nine days earlier. [25g] [62k;Wm.M. Nichols Papers] Nicholls, Bill. Bill Nicholls was co-owner with Harold Young of "Snowmobiles of West Yellowstone”. They started winter tours of the park in 1955 in Bombedier snow coaches. [25L;76] Norris, Philetus W. P.W. Norris became the 2nd park superintendent in 1877, serving for 5 years. He was known for his explorations of the park and geyser basins, and wrote extensively of his findings. He established the first written rules and regulations for the park and had them published in local newspapers and posted on signs around the park. He obtained the 1st congressional appropriations in 1878 and set out to build a road from Mammoth to the Lower Geyser Basin. He followed a trail blazed by Julius Beltizer in 1874. He continued to build many other roads and trails in the park, but his detractors claimed he was more interested in the number of miles built, rather than in the quality of the roads. He was severely criticized for this after his departure, however funds were limited and he attempted to stretch them as far as he could. Through his efforts 234 miles of trails and crude roads had been constructed by 1879 and two years later he was responsible for 104 miles of the 140-mile road system. He built the first administrative building in the park on Capitol Hill at Mammoth in 1879. Due the Indian troubles of 1877-78, the building was erected more as a protective fort and became known as the Norris Blockhouse. In 1880 he circumnavigated Yellowstone Lake in a 20’ sailboat called the “Explorer” and deemed the Lake quite navigable. Norris Geyser Basin, Norris Pass, and Mount Norris were named after him. His tenure ended in February of 1882 and he died three years later in Kentucky. [25L;77-78] Norton, Harry J. Harry J. Norton has been described as a "romantic-looking fellow, dark-haired and handsome, and had a history full of incident and adventures . . . He was a man of undoubted nerve; will power was the dominant trait of his character." He fought in the Mexican War, was a government scout, hunted, mined for gold and was the sole survivor of a raid by the Apaches on the Gila River. Norton was among one of the earliest tourist groups to travel the park. He explored the park in early September of 1872, leaving from Virginia City. The following year he published a guidebook entitled “Wonderland Illustrated, or Horseback Rides Through the Yellowstone National Park”. He described the wonders to be found in the park and made note of necessary or optional supplies and equipment that would be needed for the adventure. His guidebook also accepted advertisements for Virginia City businesses. In 1874 he became local editor for the New Northwest newspaper in Deer Lodge, Montana. Norton left Montana in the winter of 1874-75 and went to Silver City, Nevada where he published what was described "as a typical mining camp journal,” the Silver City Mining Reporter. Norton seems to have been a bit hot-headed as one newspaper reported an altercation he had with “Prospecting Bill.” Bill called Norton a few choice names whereupon Norton throttled Bill, drew his gun and smashed it in his face, knocking out a tooth. As he pulled the trigger to fire, another newspaperman grabbed the gun and the hammer came down upon his hand, saving Bill from meeting his maker. While in Silver City Norton fell in love with Mary Blackburn, seventeen-year old daughter of Judge Blackburn. The Judge's beautiful young daughter was besieged with suitors that Norton vied with for her affections. His most serious competitor was a rich and daring Mexican. Feeling that he might lose the battle of suitors, Norton found a pretext to challenge the Mexican to a duel, who instantly accepted. The challenger chose Colt revolvers at 20 paces with the contest set for the following morning. Norton reportedly worked late at the newspaper office that night with a cool and level head and even wrote his own obituary, which he instructed his printers to utilize should he not survive the duel. The next morning the men, back-to-back, paced off and at the count of three, turned and fired. Norton's shot was fired with deadly aim, while his opponent's shot went over his head. He immediately rushed over to Mary's house to explain what happened and told her he must flee town immediately. She agreed to go with him and they fled to Virginia City where they wasted no time in getting married. The couple traveled around the west, living in the Black Hills for a time where they apparently had a daughter. He seems to have worked at a paper known as the Black Hills Newsletter and Mining Reporter. In 1879 he wrote a book entitled “A Bird’s-eye View of the Black Hills Gold Mining Region" and traveled to New York to work on getting it published. Late in 1879 he moved on to Leadville, Colorado but sent Mary back home so as not to expose her to the dangers and wild life of that raucous town. He became editor of The Chronicle and wrote an idealized story of his life, filled with romance and history called "On the Yellowstone." It was made into a play after his death in New York City by Salmi Morse, author of the Passion Play. Critics however, were not particularly fond of the play. In the June of 1880 Norton's reckless life caught up with him and he was taken ill with pneumonia. He summoned his wife by telegram to be by his side and she arrived in town the night he died. Brokenhearted, Mary returned to Nevada to live with her parents, who eventually moved to the Pacific Coast. When a rich relative died, Mary used her share of the inheritance to move to New York City, where she became the leading lady in the play "On the Yellowstone," which Morse produced. In 1884 Morse was found floating in a New York river and an inquest reported that it was an accidental drowning, although reports persisted of suicide. [25L;79] [14u;10/24/1876; 3/1/1884] [42e;7/19/1874] [Black Hills Pioner Newspaper, 1878-80] [Galveston Daily News; 4/7/1884] Oakes, Thomas F. Thomas Oakes was vice-president of the Northern Pacific RR when he formed the Yellowstone Transportation Co. with Charles Gibson in 1886. He also held 10% of the shares in the Yellowstone Park Association that was created that same year. Oakes succeeded Robert Harris as president of NPRR in 1888. It was Oakes that relieved E.C. Waters of his position as general manager of Yellowstone Park Association in 1890. As compensation, Waters was offered the job of managing the boat company on Lake Yellowstone. [25L;80] Omohundro , "Texas Jack". John B. “Texas Jack” Omohundro served as a scout for the Army on the western frontier beginning in 1869. He met Wild Bill Hickok that year, along with Buffalo Bill Cody, who got Jack signed on as a scout. In 1872 Cody and Omohundro served as hunting guides for the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia in Yellowstone. The men also guided for various other visiting European and English nobility, including the Earl of Dunraven, who wrote of his Yellowstone experiences in his book "The Great Divide". In the summer of 1877 Omohundro was guiding a group of English tourists through Yellowstone, during the Nez Perce uprising, but apparently avoided the violence. Texas Jack later performed with Buffalo Bill in the stage shows "Scouts of the Prairie" and "Scouts of the Plains." Jack died of pneumonia on June 28, 1880 at age 34. [10u] Parker, Jim. Jim Parker was permitted in 1918 with Jay Wilcox to raise potatoes on Turkey Pen Pass to sell to the tourists. [25L;84] Peale, Albert Charles . Albert Peale was mineralogist and geologist for F.V. Hayden's US Geology and Geographical Survey of the Territories from 1871-79. He wrote a series of letters to the Philadelphia Press during his explorations of Yellowstone in 1871 that described the many wonders of this natural wonderland. The letters were compiled into a book published in 2005 and edited by Marlene Deahl Merrill entitled "Seeing Yellowstone in 1871: Earliest Descriptions & Images from the Field." Peale was a medical doctor and also served as geologist for the US Geological Survey in 1881-98. He was a member of numerous scientific societies and authored the book "Yellowstone National Park and Mineral Springs," along with numerous other geological reports and papers. In 1898, the United States National Museum appointed Peale as aid in charge of the paleobotany section of the Department of Geology, and he held that position until his death in 1914. Peale was born April 1, 1849 in Heckscherville, Penn. [Who's Who in America, 1902] Peterson, William. Member of the Folsom-Cook-Peterson expedition of 1869, William Peterson was born December 3, 1834 on the Bornholm Islands, Denmark. He went off to sea at age 11 and sailed for 11 years before retiring that profession and joining the California and Idaho gold rushes. BY 1865 he arrived in Confederate Gulch, Montana and went to work with Charles Cook for the Boulder Ditch Co. After the Yellowstone expedition he prospected for gold at Grasshopper Creek near Bannack, Montana, and eventually wound up in Salmon, Idaho. He became mayor on two occasions and built the first power plant in the town. Married and the father of two children who never passed through the rites of adulthood, Peterson died November 28, 1919. [Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, Daniel Thrapp, Vol.III] [25L;84] Pitcher, Capt. John. Capt. Pitcher was Acting Supt. with the 1st Cavalry from May 8, 1901 to June 1, 1907. According to the Livingston Enterprise, Pitcher “…made every effort [in 1902] to exterminate the wolves and coyotes in the park, owing to the danger to the young game.” More than 200 animals were poisoned that year. Pitcher was from Texas and was appointed to the US Military academy in 1872. He became a 2nd Lt. in 1876 and served with the cavalry during the Indian uprisings in the West. He retired with the rank of Colonel and died Oct. 12, 1926 at his estate in Annapolis, Maryland. He was buried in Arlington Cemetery with his father, Brig. Gen. Thomas G. Pitcher and his brother Col. Wm. L. Pitcher. [LE;5/10/1902] [25g] [Arlington National Cemetery Website] Potts, Daniel. Daniel Potts was a member of the 1822 Ashley-Henry Expedition and he is known to have trapped in the Yellowstone area in 1926 with Jedediah Smith and William Sublette. They visited Yellowstone Lake and the Thumb Geyser Basin. A letter describing his travels in the park became the first published account of the wonders in Yellowstone. It was published in a Philadelphia newspaper on July 27, 1827. Potts Hot Spring Basin near West Thumb was named after him in 1957. [25L;85] Ponsford, John W. John W. Ponsford (J.W. Ponsford) was a miner, Bozeman businessman and occasional partner of Jack Baronett. In 1880 Baronett rebuilt his bridge over the Yellowstone River near the current Tower Junction and Ponsford assisted him in the effort. In the spring of 1882 it was reported in the newspapers that Ponsford and J.L. Sanborn purchased the bridge from Baronett for $2500 with the agreement they rebuilt the approaches to allow for six-mule team outfits to cross. I suspect this was more of a lease agreement, as in later years after the government claimed ownership of the bridge; Baronett sought redress in Congress to obtain compensation for his bridge. In 1884 Ponsford and Sanborn petitioned Interior for a lease of ten acres of ground about a mile west of the bridge as a "stopping place for travelers." The location would have been near Tower Junction. No evidence has been located to show that the request was granted. Ponsford also prospected in the Clark's Fork area with Baronett and others. He was amongst those miners who desired stock in the new town of Cooke City upon its creation in 1880. His fellow miners and potential lot-buyers included George Huston, Baronett, John Dewing, Col. P.W. Norris, Adam Miller, X. Beidler, James Gourley, and Bart Henderson. He also operated coal mines near Bozeman in the 1880's. John Ponsford, also known as James Ponsford, was born March 21, 1847 and at age 22 was a private with the 2nd Cavalry stationed at Fort Ellis. He took part in the 1870 massacre of an Indian village on the Marias River in Montana that took the lives of mostly women and children. By the mid-late 1870's Ponsford owned several billiard halls/saloons in Bozeman. By 1883 he was a deputy sheriff in Bozeman and pulled the spring that hung a man named Clark, was had been convicted of murder. It was the first legal hanging in Bozeman. In 1893-94 Ponsford was Chief of Police in Bozeman. Famed Montana lawman and dispenser of Vigilante justice John X. Beidler dictated his biography to Ponsford in the late 1880s. Ponsford died Sept. 16, 1912 and is buried in Sunset Hills Cemetery in Bozeman. May be same person as above J.W. Ponsford. [Nat'l Archives Letter Rec'd Interior, 2/5/1884; Helena Independent, 10/5/1877 & 12/28/1883; Bozeman Avant Courier 5/22/1879, 6/3/1880, 6/24/2880; Butte Daily Miner 4/5/1882; Sunset Hills Cemetery] Povah, Terry. Terry Poval was son of Trevor Povah and Eleanor Hamilton (daughter of Charles Hamilton). He took over as President of Hamilton Stores in 1979 when his father retired. [25L;85] Povah, Trevor. Trevor Povah married Charles Hamilton’s daughter, Eleanor in 1940. After his father-in-law’s death in 1957, he and his wife took over the operation of the Hamilton Stores. [25L;85] Powell, John D. John Dudley Powell was part owner of the Shaw & Powell Camping Co., formed in 1898 to operate moveable camps in Yellowstone. In 1913 they were permitted to establish permanent camps and operate stages to transport their guests from camp to camp. When the Cody-Sylvan Pass Motor Co. was formed in 1916, Powell held one share of stock. Other stockholders included Frank Haynes, A.W. Miles, William Nichols and Huntley Child. The operation only lasted one year, as the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. was granted monopoly status on transport in Yellowstone beginning in 1917. John Powell was born June 1858 in Baraboo, WI to parents John Wm Powell & Harriet Mildred Dudley Powell. He married Viola Taylor of Madison WI in 1885. She was also involved in the Shaw & Powell operation. The couple was residing in Livingston Mt at least by 1900. They had one child, Hollis Dudley Powell who died at about age 20 in 1912. In 1920 John was listed on the census as a Stockman and in 1930 as Retired. Viola passed away June 6, 1932 in that town and John followed August 18, 1938. Both are interred in The Mountain View Cemetery in Livingston. [25L;92] Pritchett, George. George Pritchett was the man who in 1870, along with Jack Baronett, located the lost Truman Everts near Crescent Hill in the northern part of the park. While Baronett cared for Everts, Pritchett rode to Fort Ellis to seek a wagon and doctor. The Army was unable to help, so he continued on to Bozeman where a civilian wagon and driver were procured. [25L;85] Pryor, Anna. Anna Pryor, nee Anna Kathren Trischman, was born July 18, 1884 in Montana to George and Margaret Gleason Trischman. She moved with her family to Ft. Yellowstone in 1899. She married George A. Pryor, accounting clerk for YPA, in 1907. Daughter Georganna was born April 18, 1908 in Helena, Mt (died Nov. 8, 1961 in Glendale, Calif). That year the couple purchased the Specimen House at Mammoth and went into the curio and deli business. A few years later, ca1910 she had another daughter named Margaret. After selling out her Yellowstone business to Charles Hamilton in 1953, she returned to her winter home in Los Angeles. Anna lived to be 89, passing away on Oct. 27, 1973 in Los Angeles. See below - "Pryor & Trischman". [25h] Pryor & Trischman. Anna and Elizabeth Trischman were daughters of Army post carpenter George Trischman, who came to work in Yellowstone in 1899. In 1908 Anna and husband George Pryor, purchased the Specimen House at Mammoth from Ole Anderson. They enlarged the house and called their business the Park Curio & Coffee Shop. They sold ice cream, curios, souvenirs, newspapers, toiletries, coffee, tea, box lunches, and operated a bakery and soda fountain. In 1912 George Pryor signed over his interests to Elizabeth Trischman and the business became known as Pryor & Trischman. In 1922 they opened a deli at the new ‘free auto camp’ at Mammoth, and five years later added a cafeteria to the operation. They established a small stand in 1924 at the Devil’s Kitchen on the Mammoth Terraces called the Devil’s Kitchenette. In 1932 they bought out all of George Whittaker’s Yellowstone Park Store holdings at Mammoth and Canyon, which included an interest in the service station businesses. The company became Pryor Stores, Inc. in 1946. After 45 years of operation in Yellowstone, the women sold their business in 1953 to Charles Hamilton for $333,000. The Canyon store and gas station were torn down in the early 1960’s and the Pryor Coffee Shop at Mammoth was razed in 1984. The Hamilton Store at Mammoth is the only remaining building from the Pryor & Trischman operation. [25h] Click Here to view the article I wrote on Pryor & Trischman for the Spring 2002 issue of Annals of Wyoming. It is 15.5mb in size and the article starts on page 47. "A Tale of Two Sisters: Pryor & Trischman in Yellowstone in the Best and Worst of Times." Pryor, George. Born in Virginia in 1881, George Pryor was employed by Yellowstone Park Association as an accountant as early as 1904. He married Anna Trischman June 5, 1907 at the Episcopal Church in Gardiner. They went into business together in 1908 when they purchased the Specimen House from Ole Anderson. In 1912 he turned over his share of the business to Anna’s sister Elizabeth and submitted an application to Supt. Brett to operate a dairy herd at Mammoth to supply milk and butter to the post and local civilians. There is conflicting evidence whether he actually put the proposal into action. A letter written by Robert Reamer in Oct. 1912 noted that “George Pryor is now the proprietor of a dairy, furnishing milk for people around the Post.” A letter from the acting superintendent in Sept. 1913 recorded that Pryor was no longer in the park and was unable to fulfill his obligations with the dairy permit. In 1912 Pryor also sought permission to establish a steam laundry at Mammoth, but it seems nothing came of the proposition. There is little mention of him in park archives after that time. The 1920 Fed. Census for Yellowstone listed Anna as a Widow. [25h] [1910 Federal Census,YNP]
- Firehole - Marshall's | Geyserbob.com
Hotels in the Yellowstone Marshall's & Fire Hole - 1880-1891 Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Marshall's Hotel - Marshall House George W. Marshall received a 1-year mail carrier contract in 1879 for the Virginia City to Fire Hole to Mammoth Hot Springs route in Yellowstone Park. He noted in his diary that “the Government discontinued [the mail route], at a great loss to me….” Way stations had to be erected or arranged through the Madison Valley, along with spare teams, tenders, etc. It would have been a sizeable investment to get started. He formed the Marshall & Goff Stage Co. with J.A. Goff in 1880 that traveled the mail route, no doubt making use of some of these same facilities. He built a 2-story log house with a 6-room extension at the Firehole River near Nez Perce Creek in 1880 that served as mail station and small hotel. Their first passengers, Robert and Carrie Strahorn, arrived at the unfinished hotel in early October. That year he also erected a mail station at Norris, possibly in the meadow near the soldier station. The Helena Weekly Herald reported on Aug 26 1880, “This week the coaches on Marshall & Goffs mail and express line to the National: Park were started. The coaches are commodious lour-horse vehicles, and the stations are at convenient distances, so that tourists can now make the journey by easy stages to Fire Hole Basin.” The following year, Marshall was operating as the Virginia City & National Park Stage Line. Left: Article about the Marshall & Goff stages. (Click to enlarge) Helena Weekly Herald, Aug 26, 1880 Marshall's First Hotel, 1884. In June 1885, Marshall began construction of a new hotel on the other side of the river, today's Nez Perce Picnic Area. 1881 Map of the Upper & Lower geyser basins. The Fire Hole Hotel (Marshall's) is the center Star. Lower Star is the Old Faithful area, and Star at left is the Riverside Mail Station. Road to left of center Star leads over Mary's Lake pass and down to Hayden Valley, providing access to Lake and the Grand Canyon. (Click to enlarge) [Dept. of Interior Map, Library of Congress] Robert A. & Carrie Adelle Strahorn were Marshall's first passengers in early October of 1880. Robert provides a brief description from his book: A DELIGHTFUL RIDE. “The stage coach, which above all others in my estimation, deserves a friendly handing down to history, was that of the G. W. Marshall Line, which was the first public conveyance to enter Yellowstone National Park. It started on its first trip into the Park from Virginia City, Montana, at daylight of October 1st, 1880, and had, besides the driver, the writer hereof and his joyous and appreciative better half as self-appointed and sole participants in such agreeable pioneering duty. The ride from Virginia to Lower Geyser Basin, now a matter of only about 16 hours, is a fitting prelude to the pleasures of the Park tour itself.” [Strahorn.RE, Montana and Yellowstone National Park, 1881] From Robert A. Strahorn, in Montana and Yellowstone National Park , 1881 PIONEER HOSTELRY. “The National Park House, Lower Geyser Basin, forty-five miles from Henry Lake, or ninety-five miles from Virginia, was reached too late at night to admit of further sight-seeing, and it was with no little reluctance that we closed our eyes in the midst of marvels of which we had heard so much without seeing some of them. We found the pioneer hotel of the National Park to be a neatly and solidly built two-story hewed log structure, then nearing completion, and designed to afford accommodation for from thirty to forty guests. It is romantically located at the foot of high cliffs of the range we had just crossed, with the Forks of Firehole River and a pretty natural lawn in the foreground and a cold rivulet dashing by the door on the right. It is the property of Mr. Marshall, the stage man, who promises a complete and homelike hostelry and good fare for future visitors.” EXPENSES IN THE PARK . "Mr. G. W. Marshall, at the National Park House in Lower Geyser Basin, will transport parties to various points or outfit them at following rates; Three-seated carriage and driver, 88 per day; single-seated rig and driver, 86 per day; saddle horses, 82.50 per d ay for 3 days or more, or $3 for single day; pack animals, 82 per day; attendant who will act as guide, packer and cook, and furnish his own animal, 84 per day. Bedding, tents and board will be furnished to parties on Park tours at very reasonable rates; board at hotel, 83 per day, and at Henry Lake House at same rates; parties of 20 or more can engage board at either hotel at 82.50 per day each. Parties who desire to outfit and board themselves while making excursions in the Park, can buy all necessary provisions, ammunition, fishing tackle and bedding of Mr. G. W. Marshall at a reasonable advance (for freightage) over prices at Virginia City, or cooking utensils, bedding, tents, etc., will be leased on favorable terms to proper parties. From these figures tourists can calculate within a few dollars what a 10 or 12 days’ tour of Wonderland will cost. Our estimate of the entire expense of the trip for one person from Omaha to the Park and return, including horse hire, board or provisions, etc., for 10 days in the Park is from $225 to $250." Thomas Henry Thomas Welshman Thomas Henry Thomas visited Yellowstone the summer of 1884 to explore and sketch and paint watercolors of nature’s Wonderland. His articles and illustrations were published in London’s The Graphic newspaper on Aug 11 and 18, 1888. Thomas (31 March 1839 – 9 July 1915) was a Welsh artist particularly active in Cardiff. He was also interested in botany, geology, history, and archaeology which were often the subjects of his art works. He was a Fellow of the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art which was established in 1881, and was a leading force behind the founding of the National Museum of Wales. He continued on to describe Marshall’s Hotel and the local clientele: (Click text box to enlarge). His painting of the exterior and interior of the hotel in 1884 is to the right. Courtesy of the National Museum of Cardiff , Wales. Thomas described the Fire Hole area: “But Henderson’s is not a house to tire of. Our illustration will give in idea of the prettiness of the position—on a narrow island, with a shallow river of slightly tepid water, being chiefly derived from the hot springs, flowing round it, and backed by rocky hills crowned by pines. Beside the house is a hot pool, the water from which is led to the bath-house and into a washing-trough in the hotel, over which sacrilege no doubt the ardent naiad of the spring weeps copiously.” Marshall's Hotel, also known as the Marshall House, Fire Hole Hotel, and National Park Hotel, was the 2nd hotel to operate in Yellowstone (McCartney's Hotel was the first). Marshall began giving tours of the park in 1880 and his tours were the first known to originate from "within the park." The Marshall House also housed the Firehole Post Office, established September 13, 1880. After receiving a 10-year lease from Interior in January 1884, Marshall built a new hotel across the river from his original hotel, near the current Nez Perce Picnic Area. Marshall assigned half the lease to G.G. Henderson in April and the following year sold out to him. The Helena Independent Record observed on June 22, 1884 that, “[Marshall] has begun the erection of his hotel on his lease at Firehole basin in the National Park. He is now accommodating tourists at his old station.” The story will continue below as the Fire Hole Hotel George Washington Marshall Born in Illinois in 1846 (1838 according to his tombstone in Three Forks, MT and 1835 according to two of his obituaries), George Washington Marshall ventured west to California in 1860, where he engaged in the blacksmith trade, operated a livery business, and bought cattle for slaughter. He moved in 1868 and managed a hostelry in Utah and stage stations in Nevada. He married Sarah Romrell in 1875 and in 1876 operated a stage line in Montana between Butte City and Eagle Rock, Idaho. Marshall retired from the Yellowstone hotel business in 1885 and moved to Bozeman. He died Dec. 16, 1917 inn Three Forks, Mont. Sarah Ann Romrell Marshall Sarah Ann Romrell was born July 1, 1859 in St. Louis, Missouri. She married George Marshall in 1874 and later moved with her husband to Yellowstone. In 1880 the Firehole Post Office was established and Sarah served as postmistress for two years. She gave birth to Rose Park Marshall on January 30, 1881, reportedly the first white child born in Yellowstone. In 1881 George left the park for Omaha on business. Expecting to be gone for a month, he stocked up their root cellar with meat and "grub." He later reported that "Soon after my departure one morning two bears came down one mountain, smelling the meat etc in the root house, approaching same and went to digging through the dirt roof. Wife saw it was either kill bears or starve. She took rifle shot one bear through the lungs, he came rolling towards her, she ran in the cabin and closed the door just in time as bear threw himself against it, shaking whole house. He found it useless, however, and left. Wife followed him up the mountain found him breathing hard, shot him through the heart." Sarah passed away Feb. 19, 1929 in Belgrade, Mt. Mattie Culver Near the site of the old hotel is the tombstone of Mattie (Shipley) Culver, wife of park businesssman E.C. Culver. He married Mattie Gillette (nee Martha Jane Shipley) on April 6, 1886. Mattie was born September 18, 1856 in Lowell Mass. They had a daughter named Theda born in Billings June 22, 1887. Culver came to the park in 1887 with E.C. Waters as ‘Master of Transportation’, holding that position until 1892. He and Mattie spent the summers of 1887-88 at the Firehole Hotel (Marshall Hotel) and Ellery became winterkeeper for the hotel during the winter of 1888-89. Mattie suffered through the winter from tuberculosis and died March 2 of that spring and was buried nearby. Her grave and headstone can still be viewed at the Nez Perce picnic area. She was 30 years old at the time. Daughter Theda was sent to Spokane, Wash. to live with relatives. Photos of Mattie Culver grave at the Nez Perce Picnic Area, former Fire Hole Hotel site. Photos by the author, 2009. Fire Hole Hotel G.W. Marshall sold out to partner George Graham Henderson in 1885 and left the park. Henry Klamer, who later married Mary Henderson, daughter of G.L. Henderson, and built a general store near Old Faithful Geyser, bought into the business that summer. They added two plainly-built 8-room, 2-story wooden cottages at either end of the hotel and made other improvements. The Livingston Enterprise on June 20, 1885, noted, “Mr. G.G. Henderson and H. Klamer have formed a partnership to conduct the hotel formerly known as Marshall's at the Forks of the Firehole. It will be henceforth known as the Firehole Hotel” A week later the newspaper reported that they were erecting six cottages of two and four rooms. G.L. Henderson related in the Enterprise on July 18th that year, "I find on the Firehole Hotel register 23 names for last evening and 38 booked for tonight. This hotel can now provide comfortably for 50 people and the proprietors are constructing cottages as fast as possible to double the capacity.” From the Salt Lake Herald, Aug. 24,1885: Bassett Brothers, of Beaver Canyon, Idaho, have increased and improved the equipment of their Tourist Stage Line, running between Beaver Canyon and Fire Hole Basin. They have also established a line of first-class spring wagons for transporting passengers from Fire Hole Basin hotel to points of interest in the Park, and have made a scale of prices for service far below anything heretofore available to tourists. Bassett Brothers’ light spring wagons will leave Beaver Canyon at 7 a.m. and proceed first day to Snake River station, (fifty miles), where passengers will lodge for the night. Leaving Snake River next morning they will reach Fire Hole Basin hotel at 6 p.m. The journey involves an expense of $4 for meals, luncheons and lodging. The return trip is made, leaving Fire Hole Basin at 7 a.m. and stopping over night at Snake River as before, arriving at Beaver Canyon at 2 p.m. of second day. One visitor in 1887 had issues with the notoriously thin walls at many of the early park hotels. He groused that, “The park suggests civilization; yet there are places where one can so quickly get out of the world and feel it too as here. This feeling was not lessened when we viewed the Fire Hole Hotel, where we were to spend two nights. It did not occur to us till afterwards that this was intended as one of the curiosities of the park. The primitiveness of candles was funny, and canvas walls were a novelty till the man in the next room BEGAN TO SNORE and kept it up faithfully all night.” The author did good-naturedly admit that one can sleep well at home, but can’t see Old Faithful except in Yellowstone. [St. Joseph Weekly Gazette, Mo., Oct. 6, 1887] James Dean, who later managed the National Hotel at Mammoth and became supervisor of the YPA hotel operation, served as clerk for the Firehole Hotel from 1885-87. John Fossum was in charge in 1888, Walter Henderson in 1889, and Benton Hatch, brother of Rufus Hatch, managed it in 1890. Sometime in 1886 the Yellowstone Park Association took over the business and operated the hotel until the new Fountain Hotel opened in 1891. The 1891 Superintendent’s Report for Yellowstone noted that the Fire Hole Hotel was vacated around the middle of June and visitors were welcomed at the new Fountain Hotel nearby. The original hotel was later burned down and the two cottages were used by the Army for their summer encampment for a few years. Some of the buildings were reported to be still standing by 1914. Left Above: F.J. Haynes Stereoview of the Firehole cottages: Gibson & Red Cottages. Left: View of the Firehole Cottage and auxiliary tents, 1890 Above: T.W. Ingersoll Stereoview, Firehole Hotel & Stages, 1194. Mrs. Finch Celinda M. Finch and her daughter Coda are somewhat of a hazy figure in Yellowstone’s early history. She is known to have had a tent hotel in the Fire Hole area in 1884, and possibly 1885. In 1885, she received a lease from the Interior Dept for hotel purposes, but she did not construct a formal hotel and eventually her lease was revoked. However, C.T. Hobart, one of the organizers of the Yellowstone Park Improvement Co. in 1883 with Henry Douglas and Rufus Hatch, received government approval for leases of 4400 acres, a monopoly on the park concessions, and almost unlimited use of park resources for their operation. He and Carpenter opened a tent and slab hotel at Firehole in 1884. It is possible that Mrs. Finch managed that operation in 1884-85. The author believes that location was across the current road that passes the Firehole Picnic Area. Mrs. Finch was put in charge of the McCartney Hotel at Mammoth in 1882 and in 1885; she was placed in charge of the Albemarle hotel in Livingston, Mont., and superintended its management under the direction of the Northern Pacific RR. Her whereabouts for 1883 are also unknown at this time. Left: Mrs. Finches Camp Hotel, Fire-Hole Basin, Sept. 1884 Right: Mrs. Finch's, Fire-Hole Basin, Sept. 1884 Both illustrations are from Thomas Henry Thomas' trip to Yellowstone in Sept. 1884. They were published in The Graphic, London, England Aug. 18, 1888. The original artwork is courtesy The National Museum of Cardiff , Wales.
- Hotels & Lodges | Geyserbob.com
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- Mammoth - McCartneys & Cottage | Geyserbob.com
Hotels in the Yellowstone McCartneys Hotel - Cottage Hotel Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. McCartney's Hotel Mammoth Hot Springs McCartney & Horr Hotel at mouth of Clematis Gulch, near the edge of the Mammoth Terraces. [YNP #10594] James C. McCartney was born ca1835 in New York and first came to the Montana Territory in 1866; no doubt to join others in the quest for gold. It is thought he first passed through Yellowstone in 1869 and joined the Cooke City gold rush the following year. The 1870 Federal Census for Gallatin County listed him as 34 years of age and his occupation as carpenter. He became a co-owner with Harry Horr of the first lodgings available in the park. In 1871 they claimed a homestead of 160 acres at the mouth of Clematis Gulch in Mammoth on July 5 and built two cabins that year. Harry R. Horr , also known as Henry Horr, he was born Sept. 20, 1842 in New York. By 1870 he was employed at Fort Ellis as a civilian employee of the post trader’s store. When Truman Everts was lost in the fall of 1870, Horr and two soldiers accompanied George Pritchett back to Yellowstone to help transport Everts to Bozeman. The cabin used as a hotel was a 1-story log building, 25 by 35 feet with an earth-covered slab roof. Guests were required to provide their own blankets and slept on the floor. During a Yellowstone visit in 1874, Lord Dunraven commented that it was “the last outpost of civilization –that is, the last place whiskey is sold.” A third cabin and outbuildings were erected the following year. A crude bathhouse was also built on the nearby Hymen Terrace and five plank shacks were eventually built containing wooden bathtubs. In 1873 McCartney received a 10-year lease from Interior and Horr released or sold his claim to McCartney. Horr later went on to found the Horr Coal Co. and town of Horr a few miles north of Gardiner. McCartney’s cabins were the only lodging available in the park until George Marshall built his hotel in 1880 in the Lower Geyser Basin. According to the Helena Weekly Herald on July 22, 1875, a Post Office was established at Mammoth with J.C. McCartney as Postmaster Ad for G.W.A. Frazier's stage service to Mammoth in 1873. They advertised to carry Invalids to soak in the reported healthful hot spring water.The following year Zack Root took over the route. [Bozeman Avant Courier, 13Jun1873] Below: View of McCartney's Hotel taken by Ole A. Anderson, who sold coated specimens nearby. Probably taken mid-to-late 1880s. {Anderson Family Collection] Right: McCartney's Hotel in Yellowstone Park , stereoview photo taken by FJ Haynes, no date. Around 1874, John Engesser, who ran a restaurant and boarding house in Bozeman, came to Mammoth to take over management of the McCartney Hotel. Jim McCartney was probably managing the bath-house and saloon. Zack Root’s Express stage line made weekly runs from Bozeman to Mammoth Hot Springs to carry passengers, mail, and freight. Old timer George Huston and Frank Grounds operated a pack train service from Mammoth into the heart of Geyserland. A Bozeman newspaper in 1874 described the hotel operation: “"The hotel, in connection with the springs, run by Mr. John Engesser, an experienced landlord, assisted by his good wife, presents as good fare as can be had at any hotel in the Territory. The bath rooms are fitted up in excellent style, and are sufficient to accommodate almost any number of visitors. A handsome club house has been put up this season, with a bar attached, which is stocked with choice liquors, cigars, etc. A billiard hall will be added next season . . . as a place of public resort for health and pleasure; the Mammoth Hot Springs have a more promising future than any other place in the country.” [Bozeman Avant-Courier, 18Sep1874] T.W. Ingersoll stereoview of the bath-houses at Mammoth Hot Springs. The sign atop to building read "HOT SULFUR BATHS." Click to enlarge. The phenomenon of “taking the cure” became widespread throughout the eastern United States in the 1800s. Claims were made about these “curative waters” that touted an array of medicinal values that would purportedly benefit a wide variety of ailments, including those of the kidney, bladder, liver, stomach, skin, and nervous diseases. By 1850 resorts such as Saratoga Springs, New York, White Sulfur Springs and Hot Springs in Virginia, and Hot Springs, Arkansas had become celebrated social and cultural “hot spots” for the affluent crowd. The waters of Mammoth Hot Springs were advertised to have these same types of benefits. McCartney and Horr capitalized on this phenomenon with building and advertising bath-houses. Newspapers often spoke of “Invalids” going to the park to help restore their ills. Note the advertisement above. Left: Description of McCartney's Hotel on May 8, 1873 in the Helena Weekly Herald. Click to enlarge. Right: Lantern slide taken of the hotel with building additions and an elk antler fence, undated. McCartney’s status in the park and his relations with the administration were unstable at best and he was encouraged to leave the park on an involuntary basis on claims he was trespassing. McCartney eventually settled along the northern park boundary and Gardner River around 1879 in the area that would become the town of Gardiner. He was the town’s first postmaster in 1880 and later became unofficial ‘Mayor’. He was the man who introduced President Roosevelt at the dedication ceremonies of the new Roosevelt Arch in 1903. After McCartney’s official eviction from the park around 1881, the government used his cabins and burned some of the outbuildings. McCartney claimed to own the buildings until 1883, when Supt Conger officially took possession of them in April. George Henderson and his family moved into one of the cabins in 1882, and operated the post office and store for a few years in another. McCartney finally received $3,000 in 1901 in compensation for his park holdings that were taken away from him. In a legal claim to Interior in 1891, McCartney described his buildings: 1-story log dwelling with 4 rooms, 25’ x 35’; 1-story log dwelling house 30’ x 20; log barn, with squared logs, 30’ x 15’; 1-story hewn-log building 30’ x 25’; squared-log building 20’ x 16’. A 50’ x 16’ stable was also on the property. A Chinese man named Sam Toy, set up a laundry in the hotel in 1902. He was well-liked in the community and operated successfully until the building burned down on December 4, 1912. Cottage Hotel Mammoth Hot Springs George Henderson , or G.L. Henderson, was born in Oct. 8, 1827 in Old Deer Scotland and immigrated to the US with his family in 1846. He was hired as an assistant superintendent to Supt. Conger in June of 1882 and moved to Yellowstone with his children. He arrived with his son Walter J., aged 20, and daughters Helen L., aged 28, Jennie A., aged 18, Barbara G., age 21, and Mary R., age 12. They moved into the Norris Blockhouse and the following year lived in one of McCartney’s old hotel buildings. G.L Henderson and his family built this large log hotel in 1885, located near the present service station at Mammoth. The original building measured 36’ x 40 in size. The 10-year lease was in the name of Helen and Walter Henderson and they opened the hotel on Christmas Day 1885. Two years later they added a 2-1/2-story addition with 75 rooms and a capacity of 150 guests. The addition was built by Wm. Doughty, David Stratton, Wm. North, and Charles Stuart. Henderson's Log Hotel in Early Days, Y.N.P. Stereoview by the Ingersoll View Co., ca1903. Photo was probably taken ca1890 Advertising cards later describe the hotel as having 55 rooms, hot sulfur baths, trained guides, and elegant Quincy carriages for touring. GL is listed as the Manager and the hotel is described as a summer and winter resort for health and pleasure seekers. “Science and experience prove that the mountain air, mineral water and sulfur baths are great remedial agents for all pulmonary, gastric and kidney disorders.” “Carriages, Saddle Horses, Camping Outfits and Competent Guides furnished to all points of interest in the park.” Rates are $2.50/day, or $10.00 per week. [YNP, Ash Collection, Cottage Hotel Advertising cards] In January 30 of 1886, the Livingston Enterprise, published an article written by G.L. Henderson describing the new hotel and its assets: "There are two hotels, the National is an immense four story structure and will, when finished, accommodate 500 tourists. This hotel having been closed several times on account of financial difficulties the Department of the Interior granted another lease to Helen L. and Walter J. Henderson on which they have erected the Cottage Hotel, containing now 20 rooms finished and in good order, all warm and cosy and somewhat in the style of the Swiss Chalet. This novel structure will, when finished, contain 75 rooms, single and double, suitable for families and individuals. It is intended for a health and pleasure, summer and winter, resort and will accommodate, when completed, one hundred and fifty guests. This hotel is sheltered by the foot hills of Temple Mountain from the north and west winds." On June 13, 1885, the Livingston Enterprise reported that, Advertisement for Coated Specimens at the Cottage Hotel Museum at Mammoth. [Yellowstone Guide and Manual, published by GL Henderson, 1885] "Henderson Town consists of seven houses and will soon have an eighth. The Misses Henderson expects to furnish cottages and board to that portion of the traveling public who intend to remain a few days or weeks in Wonderland during the hot season. They aim to make their hotel cottages and Cottage Hotel home-like and attractive both as to comfort and economy." The advertisement to the right for the Cottage Hotel Museum was published in 1885, prior to the completion of the hotel. It is probable the museum was temporarily located in one of the "hotel cottages" mentioned above. Cottage Hotel tour of the terraces next to the Liberty Cap formation. Perhaps GL Henderson leading the tour. The side of the carriage reads "Cottage Hotel." Several family members assisted GL in the new touring business, conducted out of the hotel. Helen Henderson, also known as Nellie, became the first female guide and carriage driver in the park, while other guides included her husband Charles Stuart as well as Henry Klamer, who later married Mary Henderson. [YNP #693] Yellowstone Park Association carriages preparing to head into Wonderland. The photo is dated 1898 - the YPA bought out the Cottage Hotel Association in late Spring of 1889. George henderson continued to work for the new company on a promotional basis. Unable to compete with the pressure applied by YPA, the Hendersons sold the hotel operation to the Yellowstone Park Asssociation in 1889, but George continued to manage it for a short time afterwards. Part of the sale agreement stipulated that GL Henderson and his wife, or any one of the Cottage Hotel Asso members would be able to ride any train of the NPRR for free for the rest of his life. GL also agreed not to re-enter the hotel or transportation business in the park for a period of time. He was to receive a $150/month stipend for his work in promoting the park and the hotel association. These clauses were made in order for YPA to buy the hotel at a reduced price; from $40,000 to $30,000.The hotel closed down in 1910 and was remodeled in 1921 for use as an employee dorm for Yellowstone Park Hotel Co. It was torn down in May 1964. Cottage Hotel in 1930. It was 45 years old at this point and beginning to show its age. [YNP #31100] Sketch of Cottage Hotel made by an unknown employee, who obviously was not impressed with the building's condition. Epilog: In 1896 Jennie Henderson Ash, married to transportation company man George Ash, established the first general store in Yellowstone. The current Delaware North store at Mammoth is the descendent of the store after numerous changes and ownership. Jennie retired in 1908 and her brother Walter and brother-in-law Alex Lyall took over the operation until 1913 when George Whittaker purchased the business. Mary Henderson married Henry Klamer, who had assisted with the Cottage Hotel operation and in 1897 they opened a general store at Old Faithful, which is still in business by the Delaware North Co. Mary sold the store in 1915 to Chas, Hamilton after henry died in 1914. George Henderson died in 1905 in Chula Vista, Calif - his retirement home.
- Jennie H. Ash | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone Storekeepers - Jenny Henderson Ash Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. The Henderson family moves to Yellowstone . . . George L. Henderson of Iowa was appointed Assistant Park Superintendent and moved to Yellowstone in May of 1882. He was accompanied by five children - Walter, Helen, Barbara, Jennie, and Mary. Barbara soon became Postmistress and in 1883 opened the post office in one of James McCartney's old hotel buildings. Sister Jennie soon began assisting her, and began selling 'coated specimens' and mineral specimens provided by local entrepreneurs. The business became known simply as 'The Post Office Store.' Jennie became Postmistress in April of 1884, and married John Dewing. However, she lost (or gave up) her position in the fall of that year. She again became Postmistress in the fall of 1888, taking over the Post Office Store. By 1889 she was selling photographic views, stationary, tobacco, toiletry items, fruit, and some clothing items. She married George Ash in 1893 and began construction on a new store and residence in 1895. The Post Office Store, circa 1880. The second building from the left has a sign above the door reading “Post Office.” The first building on the left may have been used as a residence. The building were located at the base of what is known as "Kite Hill" at Mammoth. The old road to gardiner passes above that area. YNP #945 The new store . . . The new store opened up in 1896 and was referred to as 'Ash & Henderson' on their business letterhead, although generally still referred to as the Post Office Store. Additions were built on the property in 1897 and 1902. Although George had been Postmaster since 1893, the business correspondence for the store was generally all in Jennie's name. The store sold a wide variety of dry goods, clothing, tourist supplies, and curios, in addition to the items previously mentioned.. Later on Indian goods, furs and game heads were added to the stock. George died in 1900 from an undisclosed illness, leaving Jennie in charge. Various family members assisted in the operation of the store over the years, particularly after the death of her husband. Alexander Lyall, who was married to Jennie's sister Barbara, became Postmaster in 1906 and also a partner in the business. Jennie began having problems with her health and spent more time in Southern California, where most of her family maintained residences. In 1908 she sold the business to Alexander and her brother Walter Henderson. Below: 1906 Advertisement for the Jennie Henderson Ash store at Mammoth. YNP #6282 Lyall & Henderson take over . . . Alexander Lyall and Walter Henderson officially took over the lease in April of 1908, changing the name to 'Lyall & Henderson'. The men soon applied to Interior for permission to build an addition to the store, but the project became mired down in red tape. The Yellowstone Park Association, who owned the nearby National Hotel, was planning on building a grand new hotel at Mammoth. The proposed building would have extended onto the lot of the general store, requiring the store to be moved. YPA eventually shelved the hotel plans due to the excessive cost, and settled on remodeling the existing hotel. The addition to the store was never completed. By 1913 the men both maintained homes in Southern California and spent much of the year away from their families. They sold out the operation to George Whittaker, former Army soldier and scout in March of 1913. Whittaker operated the store for almost 20 years, selling to Pryor & Trischman in 1932. General Store at Mammoth in 1917. The front section was expanded considerably in 1914. [Courtesy Montana Historical Society] Click here to read my article Yellowstone’s First General Store A Legacy of Jennie Henderson and Her Family Published in Yellowstone Science, Spring 2005 Next - Ole Anderson & Andy Wald
- Cooke City | Geyserbob.com
Gateways to Wonderland Cooke City Mont. - Northeast Entrance Brief History of the Early Days Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. "Cooke City, on the Red Lodge Highway to Yellowstone National Park. Insert shows Pilot and Index Peaks" [E.C. Kropp Co. postcard, #20291N] The Founding of Cooke City . . . . Cooke City is located at the northeast entrance of the park in the rugged environs of the Beartooth Mountains. Due to its remote location and being surrounded by high mountain peaks and passes, the only year-round road access is from Gardiner, Montana and through the northern tier of Yellowstone Park and the beautiful Lamar Valley. Road access from Red Lodge over Beartooth Pass and Cody over Dead Indian Pass are seasonal, opening late in the spring and closing very early in the winter Mines in the West were generally located in remote and unpopulated locations. It was mining that fueled the engines of settlement and "civilization" in the West. But even by those standards, Cooke City was remote - it was over 130 miles from Cooke to the closest settlement - Bozeman, Montana. It was not until 1883 that the Northern Pacific Railroad came through Montana and drove a spur line south to the boundary of Yellowstone Park, where the small burgs of Gardiner and Cinnabar sprang up. Even then, it was still 60 miles of rough trails from Gardiner to Cooke City. The area never experienced the huge population booms that other mining town experienced. The area was relatively unknown to white men until the late 1860's when gold miners prowled through the area prospecting for the elusive bane of Midas. Bart Henderson , Adam Miller, Ed Hibbard, and James Gourley were the first known miners to discover gold in the area in 1869-70. In 1871 the first mining claims were filed on Miller and Henderson mountains. The same year, prospector and explorer John H. “Jack” Baronett (or Baronette) built the first bridge over the Yellowstone River near the junction of the Yellowstone and Lamar River (then known as the East Fork of the Yellowstone. He charged a toll for men and animals and saved many a man from a wet and potentially dangerous river crossing. Baronett's Bridge in 1871, photo by Wm. Henry Jackson One factor that negatively influenced growth and expanded mining opportunities was the fact that the area was a part of the Crow Indian Reservation. The Crow spent little time in the area and the miners were somewhat free to conduct their mining and prospecting operations. But, they could not file any legal claims to their land or prospects. This of course, led to a certain amount of claim-jumping and the miners had to be on their watch to make sure they, or a worthy representative was physically in the area to protect their claims. Map of SW Montana showing the Crow Reservation Boundaries. The dotted lines are from the 1868 treaty, The cross-hatch lines were ceded to the whites in 1882. In 1880 Jay Cooke Jr. came to the area with the idea of investing in the rich potential of some of the mines. He and his cohorts examined the prospects carefully and believed the mines would be a grand investment. However, due to the legal ambiguity of the mining and land claims, he eventually ended up backing out of the deal. However, in the meantime, the local miners were ecstatic with the prospect of having someone with deep pockets buying their claims and filling their pockets with cold cash. In anticipation of what they thought would be their financial salvation, they decided to name their town Cooke City, in honor of who they thought would be their benefactor. Even though Jay Cooke bailed out, they kept the name, hoping perhaps when the lands came into the public trust he would return. Finally in 1882 a treaty was made with the Crow and the land on which they squatted became public land, upon which they could finally file legal claims. This they did, along with making formal surveys and creating a legal townsite with lots that could be bought and sold in a normal fashion. Jay Cooke Jr., undated. 1845-1912 [Photo courtesy Find-a-Grave] “Meanwhile, in June 1880, the miners held a meeting and Trustees were elected to be in charge of having their new town surveyed and platted. The town site was to be a 1/4 mile wide, lying along Soda Butte Creek in the narrow defile between Miller and Henderson mountains on the north and Republic Mountain on the south. Corner lots initially sold for $20 with inside lots going for $10. A letter from a resident of Cooke City to the Bozeman Avant-Courier reported that there were “about 35 men and one woman in the new town of Cooke City. Every man has staked one or two lots in town . . . Two substantial log houses have been built on Main Street and work is progressing on more houses.” Miners that intended to purchase property included George Huston , Jack Baronett , P.W. Norris , Adam Miller , X. Beidler, J.W. Ponsford, James Gourley , and Bart Henderson . When the 1882 treaty was signed, the new town lots and mining claims became legal, after properly filing claims. The stage was set - businesses were established and homes built to form a permanent Montana town.” [From "Pack Trains and Pay Dirt in Yellowstone", p148-150, by Robert V. Goss, 2007] Pack Trains and Pay Dirt in Yellowstone , book written by the author. George Huston was an important founding father of Cooke City. He maintained mining operations in the nearby mountains until his death in 1886. Copies of this booklet are still available from the author. Email for details. Early Street Views of Cooke City Top Left: Street view of Cooke in 1883 looking East. The Cosmopolitan Hotel at left w/half-round false front. [YNP #1714] Top Right : View in 1887 looking West. [YNP #8217] Bottom Left : Aerial view of Cooke City ca1887. Difficult to identify buildings, but Cooke City Store may be center left. [YNP #8221] Bottom Right : Street view ca1930s. On right: Cole Drug, Mary's Cafe, and Shell gas station. Cooke City store at left. [Sanborn postcard #Y1319] Top Left: "Main Street" Gas station on right, with White House Hotel center right. [Richardson Curios postcard] Top Right : Main Street view in 1939. [YNP #24176] Bottom Left : Main Street view in 1939. [YNP #24176c] Early Cooke City Businesses Cooke City Store The ground on which the Cooke City Store was built was originally part of the "Cache of Ore Millsite," owned by George A. Huston , the earliest known prospector in the region. By the spring of 1886, John Savage and John Elder had purchased the site and were hauling milled lumber from the lower elevations around Cooke City to begin construction of their store. By the late 1880's Savage and Elder's was providing supplies for the community and area miners, but also had competition from Bause and French's mercantile store. By the summer of 1889, Savage and Elder had sold their store to Wm. Nichols and Hiram Chittenden for $800. On Nov. 14, 1895, the court authorized the sale of the store to Sophia Wetzstein for $600. She and her husband owned other property in Cooke City and were involved in the wholesale liquor business in Livingston. George Allison, leased the Wetzstein's Cooke City Store in 1906 for $300 a year for use as a general store and began an extensive remodeling of the building. In the spring and summer of 1907, the store was enlarged to about twice its length and a basement built under that section, and sided with decorative pressed metal. Allison operated the store for two years, but encountering financial problems sold the store In July 1908, to Nels and Elizabeth Soderholm for $3,000 with $500 as a down payment, and $500 per year for five years at 6% interest. Nels was Postmaster in Cooke for many years and with his death in 1939, his wife Elizabeth was appointed to take his place. She passed away Nov. 17, 1959. Ralph and Sue Glidden purchased the store in 1979 and ran it until 2003 when they sold it to employees Troy and Beth Wilson. The Cooke City Store remains in operation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Early views of Cooke City Store. Above : Late 1800s. Below : 1920-30s Real Photo postcard Cosmopolitan Hotel The Cosmopolitan Hotel and saloon in Cooke City was built in 1883 and opened the following year by John “Jack” P. Allen. It has been said that during the boom times, up to 150 people a night stayed at the hotel. Sometimes called the Allen Hotel, he operated the hotel until around 1937-1938. Mrs. Allen fell and broke her hip in 1937, requiring an extended hospital visit and nursing home in Livingston, cared for by Jack. It forced him to lock up the hotel. He passed away Dec. 10, 1944 at age 92, and was interred in Mountain View Cemetery in Livingston, Mont. Right Top : Advertisement for the Cosmopolitan Hotel, from the Livingston Enterprise , 3Oct1885 Right Bottom: Cosmopolitan Hotel in 1923. The following is an excerpt from an interview with him from the Big Timber Pioneer, 17Jun1937. Thanks to the Cooke City Museum for posting this interview: “I am the last of the real pioneers of Cooke City,” says J.P. Allen, now in his 85th year. “I went to Cooke in 1882, soon after the country had been taken out of the Crow Indian reservation, and I have outlasted all others . . . When the Cooke stampede started in 1882 after the Indian reservation was moved, I went there and took up some claims. There was no road from Mammoth Hot Springs; only horseback trails up the Yellowstone, the Lamar and Soda Butte creek. We did have Baronette’s bridge across the Yellowstone, saving a wet crossing. At Cooke we were completely isolated, except for horseback transportation for mail and supplies. I worked out my claims that summer, and in the fall I went to Livingston and ran a restaurant. Then in 1883 I went back and built my hotel in Cooke, starting its operation in 1884. I have run the hotel ever since, except that I had it leased two years ago while Mrs. Allen and I spent a year on the Pacific coast . . . I was postmaster at Cooke during two different periods. Sometimes the mail came through from Gardiner on time, but often it was badly delayed by heavy snows. Once, for a time, the mail was carried from Columbus up the Stillwater and over the mountains to Cooke. But with plenty of groceries and lots of wood we were comfortable and happy—the little group of us who made our home in Cooke the year round." Above Left : Photos of the Cosmopolitan Hotel with inserts of Mr. & Mrs. J.P. Allen. [Livingston Enterprise , 1Jan1900] Above Right : "Allen Hotel, Cooke City, Montana." Undated real-photo postcard, perhaps ca1940s - the building to the left has been torn down. Curl House John F. Curl was born in 1853 in Pennsylvania and moved to Cooke City in 1883 to prospect for gold. He often partnered with pioneers Adam “Horn” Miller and George Huston in his various mine holdings. John married Zona Frazea, also of Cooke City, in June 1890. Together they built the Curl House that served as a combination hotel, restaurant and boardinghouse. Curl and his wife Zona sold their properties in Cooke City and moved to Gardiner around 1915 and ran the Cottage Hotel on East Main Street. The family moved after 2-3 years to Bozeman so that his children Mary Margaret (born 1898) and Thomas (born 1902) could attend college. The couple moved to Bozeman around 1918, perhaps due to health issues. John died October 1, 1924 at 71 years of age and was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Livingston. His pallbearers included W.A. Hall and Herb French. Zona Curl moved to New Haven Conn. after John’s death and passed away in Feb. 1929. Her body was shipped back to Livingston for burial. Above Right : CurL House at right. [Courtesy Cooke City Chamber of Commerce ] Left : Curl House on left, with A.O. Saloon to its right. Real Photo postcard ca1930s Right : Isabel Haynes across from the Curl House ca 1920s. [FJ Haynes photo, Mont. St. Univ. #1507-002064] Shaw's Camp & Lodge In 1919, Walter Shaw , formerly a partner of the Shaw & Powell Camping Co. in Yellowstone, established the rustic Shaw’s Camp in Cooke City in 1919. He later setup Shaw’s Goose Lake Tent Camp by Goose Lake along the trail to the famed Grasshopper Glacier near Cooke City. The trail to the glacier was twelve miles one-way and required a 10 to 12-hour round-trip on horseback. The savvy traveler could spend the night at Shaw’s Camp and be able to spend more time in the area and not be so rushed. Shaw also maintained a guide service in Cooke City with saddle and packhorses and experienced guides. The trail to the glacier was opened up in 1921 and the camps were in use at least through 1928. In 1928 the camp was honored to welcome Ernest Hemingway and his wife for a brief respite during their travels through Montana and Wyoming. They stayed in a warm cabin and were surprised at the quality of the food in so remote of an outpost. According to the Circular of General Information Regarding Yellowstone (NPS): “At Cooke City are local hotels, but the organized Glacier Service is from the Shaw Camp which maintains a good string of saddle horses, operated by competent and experienced guides. The round trip can be made in one day by hardy travelers, and occupies ten or twelve hours, the ride over good mountain trails requires between three and four hours, the distance one way being around twelve miles. It is better to use more time and to spend the night at Shaw’s Goose Lake Tent Camp. This camp brings one within a mile of the saddle summit beyond which the great glacier lies. The climb to this saddle covers about 1000 feet of elevation and for a part over rough rocks, but for the greater distance over a very fair path.” Walter died in June 1925 while crossing the Gardiner River near Gardiner. His wife Lillian continued to operate the Shaw Camp & Cabins in Cooke city until at least 1935 and perhaps later. In 1946 the Shaw Camp was taken over by Sam & Euphie Fouse, who operated the business until 1959. Around 1965, Don & Ada Ellis purchased the lodge and advertised it as the Anvil Inn. In 1974 they removed to Livingston. It is now known as the Antler’s Lodge. One traveler noted that, “I spent a day or so at the Walter C. Shaw tourist camp at Cooke City. It was opened to the public July 16 and it is certainly a credit to the country. The camp is right in Cooke City and Mr. Shaw has tents and cabins to accommodate 150 people each day. There is a large dining hall and tourists can secure pack horses and saddle horses at the camp, Mr. Shaw takes his guests to the Grasshopper glacier, making the trip up one day and returning the next.” [Billings Gazette, 21Jul1921] Above Right : Ad for Shaw's Camp, with Mrs. Walter Shaw, Prop. [Billings Gazette , 16Jun1935] Above Right : Ad for Shaw's Camp, with Sam & Euphi Fouse, Prop. [Billings Gazette , 9Jul1946] Below Left : Postcard view of the log Shaw's Camp lodge. [Sanborn Souvenir Co. #Y-1040] Below Right : Shaw's Camp late 1930s-40s, with Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. buses. It was probably a mid-day stop between Red Lodge Mt. and Mammoth Hot Springs. The route traversed the recently completed Beartooth Highway. Selected Historic P ersonages of Cooke City John F. Curl was among the earliest businessmen in the mining camp of Cooke City in 1883 where he operated the Curl House hotel. He was involved in mining and in partnership with George Huston and Adam "Horn" Miller. Curl and his wife Zona sold their properties in Cooke City and moved to Gardiner around 1915 and ran the Cottage Hotel on Main Street. John died October 1, 1924 at 71 years of age and was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Livingston. Adam “Horn” Miller discovered gold in the Cooke City area with Bart Henderson and others in 1869-70, naming their mine the Shoo Fly Mine. The next few years he helped Henderson build the road from Bottler’s Ranch to Mammoth. Miller was one of the scouts under Gen. Howard during the Nez Perce War of 1877. Later on he settled down in a cabin across the Yellowstone River from Yankee Jim. He died in 1913 and an obit described him as a "man of sterling character, a man without enemies of any kind, it is said, and a citizen who always had a kind word for everyone." George A Huston In 1864 George Huston conducted a party of 30-40 miners up the Yellowstone River into the Lamar and Clark’s Fork drainages. Later in the year he led another party up the Madison and Firehole rivers. In 1866 he guided a small group of miners through the west entrance of Yellowstone up the Madison River to the geyser basins and prospected around Yellowstone Lake, Hayden Valley, Mirror Plateau, and Lamar Valley. Huston was also heavily involved in the Cooke City gold mines and was one of the original Cooke City founders and townsite residents. One of his properties was known as the ‘Cache of Ore Millsite,’ part of which the Cooke City General Store was built after his death in 1886. Colonel George O. Eaton Was a native of the State of Maine. During the rebellion he enlisted in the army and served in the volunteer service, and after the war was appointed a cadet at West Point at the age of twenty. He later entered the cavalry service of the regular army, and in that capacity was over the whole western country, serving as member of Gen Sheridan's staff. Having become interested in mining and in stock raising, he resigned his commission in the army and gave his attention to those interests. In 1881 he came to Montana, having made large investments at Cooke the year previous. He owns personally some of the most valuable mining property at that place; he is president of the Republic Mining Co., which includes the “Great Republic,” the “Greeley,” the “Houston” and the "New World” mines; is also president of a large placer company located in Bear gulch, a tributary of the upper Yellowstone. He has disposed of his interest in stock-raising and devotes his attention to mineral interests. Col. Eaton was elected a delegate to the first constitutional convention of Montana and served as a member of that body. [Excerpts from "History of Montana 1739-1885", Michael L. Leeson, 1885] Nels E. Soderholm Nels Nels and Elizabeth Soderholm purchased the Cooke City Store in July 1908 for $3,000 with $500 as a down payment, and $500 per year for five years. Nels became Postmaster in Cooke in January 1909, and held that position for many years. With his death in 1939, his wife Elizabeth was appointed to take his place. She passed away Nov. 17, 1959. His obit read, “Death came yesterday morning to Nels E. Soderholm, for the past 39 years a resident of Cooke City, in a Butte hospital He was born in Parke. Sweden, but had lived in the United States for the past 70 years. He resided in Kansas before moving to Cooke City, where he owned a mercantile store. Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Soderholm; a son-to-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. William Bross, and two grandchildren. The body will be forwarded today from the Richards funeral home to Livingston for services and burial.” [The Montana Standard , Butte, 13Jan1939, p5] Beartooth Highway Until the mid-1930’s, Cooke City was mostly at the end of the road, blockaded by the vast Beartooth Mountains. A crude road existed from Cooke City to Cody via Sunlight Basin and over Dead Indian Pass. The road was narrow, steep and winding and hazardous in inclement weather. That situation changed when plans were made in 1933 to construct a 70-mile highway from Red Lodge, over the almost 11,000’ high Beartooth Pass and into Cooke City. With a railroad spur running from Billings to Red Lodge, visitors could enter or leave the Park via Cooke City allowing the area to become another Gateway to Yellowstone. Journalist Charles Kuralt once called it, “the most scenic drive in America.” Cooke city ceased to be the terminus of a dead-end road anymore (except in winter), and people could comfortably enjoy a drive over one of the most breath-taking roads in the country. The highway officially opened to the public June 14, 1936. The Yellowstone Park Co . ran White Motor Co. buses from Red Lodge over the pass to Yellowstone for many years. The road usually closes for the winter sometime in October and reopens in May, depending on weather conditions. It may close periodically, as snowstorms in that high elevation can occur during any month of the year. Above Left : Real-Photo postcard of a portion of the Beartooth Highway that went Red Lodge, over Beartooth Pas at an elevation of almost 11,000 feet, down to Cooke City. Above Right : "On the Red Lodge Highroad to Yellowstone National Park in June. Epilog In the 1880s, the miners and Montana businessmen fought Congress and Yellowstone Park advocates over the creation of a railroad line that would extend from Cinnabar through park lands and into Cooke City. This would be the only way the miners could really profitably exploit the riches of the area. Hauling ores from Cooke to Cinnabar by wagon or mule train was slow and costly, eating up most of any potential profits. Mining and ore processing continued in the hopes that the railroad would save their town and mines. Park proponents eventually beat down the railroad plan in the early 1890's, squashing the miner's hopes for riches. Mining continued on and off for the next century, with various new generations of investors hoping to make a buck off the mineral wealth. Attempts in the 1980-90's to begin a new round of metals mining generated intense opposition due to environmental factors and the New World Mining district plans were thwarted in 1996 by President Clinton. Realizing that mining was no longer their ticket to fame, local businessmen promoted other avenues of prosperity to enhance their economy. These included, snowmobiling, hunting, hiking, 4-wheeling and tourism, and have helped to keep the local economy alive. The introduction of wolves to the northern tier of Yellowstone, although opposed by many, has added another dimension to the economic community as thousands of wolf-watchers annually trek to the Lamar Valley to scan the valleys and hills for the elusive canine, bringing extra dollars into the Cooke community. As the old saying goes, “Gold is where you find it.” These days finding gold is perhaps more easily mined from the pockets and billfolds of the Greater Yellowstone area visitors, than it is from the earth below them. I will not attempt to explore the vast and complicated history of the Cooke mining district, as it is beyond the scope of this article. However, a link to the Montana Dept. Environmental Quality website will provide much of the basic information. For additional detailed material on the history of the Cooke City area, please viisit the Cooke City Museum website.
- Old Faithful Camping Co. | Geyserbob.com
Camping in the Yellowstone Old Faithful Camping Co. Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Orlando M. Hefferlin and William N. Hefferlin of Livingston Montana began operating portable tent camps in the Yellowstone Park in 1910. This operation was known as the Old Faithful Touring and Camping Co., or more commonly, Old Faithful Camping Co. (OFCC). Copying the logos of the Wylie Way and other camping companies, they advertised themselves as the "Old Faithful Way." The company operated on yearly leases issued by the Interior Dept. with no guarantees that permits would be allowed the following season. William N. Hefferlin (left) was one of four brothers that immigrated to Livingston MT from Kansas and Missouri in the 1880s. Brothers John and Charles arrived in town in 1883 as employees of the NPRR. Five years later, convinced of a bright future, William and Orlando N. (right) joined John and with $1500 capital established Hefferlin Mercantile. They built a handsome store on the corner of Main and Callender streets in 1888 and the next year incorporated as the Hefferlin Mercantile Company. By 1899 business was booming with $100,000 a year in sales but by 1927 the store had gone out of business. William M. & Orland N. Hefferlin, ca1900. [Livingston Enterprise Souvenir, Jan 1, 1900] A newspaper article from a travel series on Yellowstone Park in 1912 related that, "The Old Faithful Camping Company wagons carry five passengers and their driver is a guide, who explains matters without end as the team moves along, making the tour a recreation and a lecture combined. There are no permanent camps, but each camp is pitched for the night at some spot of special interest either selected by the driver or the party, who are given voice in the selection. The drivers of these wagons are not scheduled, and stop quite frequently to explain more thoroughly or let the tourist dismount for a refreshing drink of spring water, or to scald the fingers of the doubting Thomas who does not believe the pool of steaming water is actually hot. Here again is comfort in every particular. All side trips are free of charge. This company operated on equipment which cost $20,000 in the past year, which included 46 horses." [The Bedford Gazette, Bedford, Pennsylvania April 12, 1912] In 1915 the Panama-Pacific International Exposition was being held in San Francisco, which would draw visitors from across the country. With railroad service to the West Coast passing near Yellowstone by the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy RRs, visitation in the park was expected to be heavy. With this in mind, the OFCC was authorized by Interior to operate four permanent camps in the park, but only for that specific year. The company also opened up an office in Salt Lake City in order to assist in handling traffic on the Union Pacific RR and to advertise their services in local newspaper. The Yellowstone Superintendent’s Report for 1915 stated that, “The Wylie Permanent Camping Co. had 158 wagons in use during the season, the Shaw & Powell Camping Co. had 85 wagons in use. W.N. and O.M. Hefferlin had 42 wagons and 4 saddle horses in use transporting tourists and supplies to their 4 permanent camps in the park.” The OFCC carried 1080 guests into the park through the North entrance and 612 via the West entrance in 1915. By contrast they only entertained 386 guests the following year. Above Left: Advertising card for the Old Faithful Way with their permanent camps. [YNP Archives, LB51] Above Right: 1915 ad for the Old Faithful Permanent Camps. [Salt Lake Herald-Republican, 3Aug1915] Bottom Right: Union Pacific RR postcard advertising the Old Faithful Inn full-size replica at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. [Postcard, author collection] After the end of the 1915 season the Hefferlins applied for a 10-year lease and permanent camps privileges for the following years. In a response to their letter from Col. L.M. Brett, Acting Superintendent of Yellowstone, he declared that, "In my opinion, the limits to handle all the tourists desiring to take their trips will not be reached by the two permanent camps companies [Wylie and Shaw & Powell] now doing business in the park . . . The tendency should be toward a higher standard of camp services and I do not think this can be obtained if the companies are increased in number and have to fight each other for tourists, because the money that should go to improvements will have to go to advertising and compensation to outside agents.” Advertisement form a 1915 brochure for the Old Faithful Camping Co. [YNP Archives] Although the company was allowed a permit for moveable camps in 1916, they were denied permanent status and a 10-year lease. A newspaper article in the Livingston Enterprise noted that the company had purchased a 2-ton REO truck to use to haul camp supplies around the park. But apparently their overall service in 1916 was none too exemplary, as a government report from that year noted that "a man had suffered from more than the normal ptomaine-laden meal and had shot at the cook, although fortunately his aim was off, no doubt by the wormy venison about which he was complaining." The report also described the Canyon Camp as consisting of ". . . old tents without walls or floors . . . Flies were abundant, and some of them reposing on a large piece of ham. In the rear of the tent two large buckets of refuse were found uncovered . . . The river was also apparently used as a latrine." Certainly this report affirmed the government’s negative position on the camps and the Old Faithful Camping Co. was dissolved after the 1916 season. Decorative dishes made expressly for the Hefferlin Mercantile Co., Tourist Outfitters, Livingston and Cinnabar, Mont. This was advertised for Cinnabar, the railroad town that disappeared after 1903 when the railroad continued on into Gardiner. Orlando Hefferlin operated the O.K. store in Cinnabar for a time. Mandated changes by the Department of Interior in 1917 brought about the consolidation of the Wylie and Shaw & Powell companies, while the other permanent camp companies, including the Old Faithful Camping Company were eliminated. With the advent of auto travel and the decreased travel times, many tent camps and lunch stations were closed down after 1916. The new camps company was known as the Yellowstone Park Camping Company (YPCC). YPCC's efforts were concentrated at the major locations in the park - Old Faithful, Canyon, Mammoth, Roosevelt, and Lake.
- Hamilton Stores | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone Storekeepers - Hamilton Stores Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Hamilton Stores, Inc. - 1915 to 2002 Charles A. Hamilton moves to Yellowstone . . . . Charles Hamilton was the founder of the Hamilton Store chain that operated in Yellowstone Park from 1915 to 2002. He was born in Winnepeg, Manitoba in 1884 and came out to Yellowstone in 1905 to work for the Yellowstone Park Association. His dedication to his work paid off when in 1915, he purchased Henry Klamer's general store at Old Faithful. The Klamer store had opened in 1897 and operated successfully until Henry's death in 1914. Child’s son Huntley had previously turned down the opportunity to buy the store. Hamilton paid slightly over $20,000 for the business, receiving financial backing from his boss Harry Child . Charles Hamilton was the founder of the Hamilton Store chain that operated in Yellowstone Park from 1915 to 2002. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1884 and came out to Yellowstone in 1905 to work for the Yellowstone Park Association. His dedication to his work paid off when in 1915, he purchased Henry Klamer's general store at Old Faithful. The Klamer store had opened in 1897 and operated successfully until Henry's death in 1914. Child’s son Huntley had previously turned down the opportunity to buy the store. Hamilton paid slightly over $20,000 for the business, receiving financial backing from his boss Harry Child. Left : The Klamer general store purchased by Chas. Hamilton in 1915. YNP #22112 Left: West Thumb lunch station that became Hamilton's general store for several years. YNP #31871 Right: Hamilton's gas station at West Thumb, 1917. Museum of the Rockies #25034 Hamilton worked hard and in 1917 went into the filling station business with Harry Child and established a single pump filling station at Old Faithful. In 1919-20 he made arrangements with the Yellowstone Park Hotel Co. to use the old Thumb Lunch Station as a general store. He opened up a filling station at Thumb and used the old lunch station until 1924 when he built a new store. In 1919, Hamilton opened up a second store at Lake in the old E.C. Waters building, in front of Lake Hotel. Construction on a new general store, filling station, and residences began in 1920 and were completed for the 1921 season. By 1924 a new, smaller store opened at Fishing Bridge. That year small stores were established in auto campgrounds at West Thumb and Fishing Bridge, which were greatly enlarged the next year. The Fishing Bridge store was replaced by a new store in 1930-31. In 1948 a new gas station was constructed at Thumb. Below: Hamilton's Lake store, as viewed in the 1923 & 1927 editions of the Haynes Guide. Note the unique log trimwork. Bottom Left: Fishing Bridge general store ca1929, built 1924. YNP #29902 Bottom Right: New Fishing Bridge store ca1940, built 1930-31. YNP #29940 More improvements at Old Faithful . . . Hamilton was not content to sit idle and was continually trying to improve and expand on his operations. He erected a huge addition to the old Klamer store in 1923-24. At the time, it was reputed to be the largest store in the National Park system, measuring 110' x 160'. The knotty wood porch was added to the former Klamer store in 1925, and a new filling station constructed nearby in 1927. A small store was erected at the Basin Auto Camp at Old Faithful in 1923 and enlarged in 1925. In 1926, Charles A. Hamilton, H.W. Child and George Whittaker formed the Yellowstone Park Service Stations, Inc., controlling all gas sales and auto repairs in the park. Upper Left: Lower Hamilton Store (former Klamer), 1925. YNP #193429-73. Upper Right: Basin Auto Camp store (BAC Store), 1929. YNP # 31199. Bottom Left: Upper Hamilton gas station, located near the new Upper Basin Store, 1952. YNP #31282. Bottom Right: Construction of the Upper Basin store, ca1929. YNP #31196-1. In 1929 Hamilton built a new store at Old Faithful - the Upper Basin Store. It was located near the Auto Camp and replaced the Basin Auto Camp store. It had 150' of frontage with a 48-person employee dorm in the upstairs. The walls were constructed of concrete made to resemble hewn logs, placed on a masonry stone foundation with stepped stone masonry pilasters and stepped stone masonry columns that support two covered entrance porches. The eaves of the wood shingled gabled roof are wood shingled with exposed log rafter ends; log rafter purlins are used in the roof structure of the two covered entrance porches. A gas station was built next door using the same construction design. Right: Upper Basin Store in 1931. Haynes #311086, Povah Collection, Museum of the Rockies #2009-4-784 Geyser water swimming pools . . . . Hamilton expanded his business in 1933 when he bought out Henry Brothers Bathhouse & Plunge at Old Faithful. It had been established in 1914 in the basin across from the Old Faithful Inn. Hot water from Solitary Geyser was piped in to fill the pools. Brothers Plunge was enlarged in 1923 and a new log building was erected. In 1927 he built a bathhouse at the Old Faithful auto camp, and three years later built facilities at the Fishing Bridge auto camp. This bathhouse included tubs, showers, laundry and irons. Hamilton razed most of the old buildings and rebuilt/remodeled the structure that year, creating a peaked roof with log beams and skylights. There were 147 dressing rooms and 'sand porches' for sun bathing. After a prolonged political battle, the structure was razed in 1951 after the government determined it was inappropriate for a National Park. Left: Brothers Bathhouse & Plunge, as pictured in the 1928 Haynes Guide. Right: Hamilton's _lunge & Bathhouse, ca1935. HABS Photo Hamilton takes over all the park general stores . . . . C.A. Hamilton had controlled all the general store business in the south end of the Park for many years, and his dream of having control over the whole park (excluding Haynes Photo Shops) would be fulfilled in 1953 when Anna Pryor and Elizabeth Trischman retired and put up the Pryor Stores operation for sale. Hamilton purchased the businesses at Mammoth and Canyon for $300,000. George Whittaker originally owned the general stores and filling stations in those two locations, but sold out to sisters Anna Pryor and Elizabeth Trischman at the end of the 1932 season. (For more information, see my Pryor & Trischman page ) The 1953 sale to Hamilton gained him the Mammoth General Store (established in 1896 by Jennie Ash), the filling station next door, the Pryor Coffee Shop, and the general store and filling station at Canyon. Mission 66 calls for great changes in the Park . . . The store operation at Canyon did not last long after that, as the new Canyon Village was mandated to be constructed for opening in 1957. Hamilton shelled out a million dollars to build a new store, gas station, and employee dorms at the new location at what is now Canyon Village. Charles Hamilton died May 28, 1957 - one and a half months before his new store was to open at Canyon. Daughter Ellie and husband Trevor Povah took over the operations of the stores. The old Canyon store and gas station, located at the current Upper Falls parking lot, were eventually razed, passing into history. Right: Modern, new Hamilton Store at Canyon Village, 1957. Haynes post card #K57157 From the Billings Gazette, May 30, 1957 . . . Hamilton Stores Founder Dies YELLOWSTONE PARK, Wyo. — Charles Ashworth Hamilton, 72, who since 1915 has operated general stores, service stations and curio shops in Yellowstone National Park, died Tuesday night of a "heart ailment. Park Supt. Lemuel A. Garrison said Hamilton was talking on the telephone about his health to his physician in Santa Monica, Calif., when he was stricken about 10 p.m. Hamilton died in his residence above the lower store at Old Faithful. He had been president and operator of Hamilton Stores, Inc., since 1915. His winter residence was at Santa Monica, in one of two apartment buildings he owned there. Hamilton first went to Yellowstone Park in 1905 at the age of 21 as assistant to the purchasing agent of the Yellowstone Park Assn., now the Yellowstone Park Co. He became a concessionaire in 1915 when he purchased a curio shop at Upper Basin. Except for two seasons, Hamilton had spent every summer since 1905 in the park. He was born Nov. 19. 1884, at St. Paul, where his father was the British vice counsel. Survivors include one daughter, Eleanor May Povah of Santa Monica. Her husband, Trevor S. Povah, is vice president of Hamilton Stores, Inc., and general manager of Yellowstone Park Service Stations. These firms jointly operate all stores and service stations in the park and all the lodge curio shops. Top Left: C.A. Hamilton letterhead, 1931, featuring the rustic Lower Store. Image from Minnesota Historical Society. Top Right: Pennant decal for Hamilton Stores, Inc, ca1940s. Author Collection
- West Yellowstone | Geyserbob.com
Gateways to Wonderland West Yellowstone & The Union Pacific RR Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. The Early Days . . . . The West Entrance of Yellowstone was used by many of the earliest tourists to Yellowstone. Gilman Sawtelle, probably the area's earliest settler, homesteaded a ranch in the Henry's Lake area in 1867. The following year he built a road from his ranch to Virginia City. Five years later he was instrumental in constructing the first road from Virginia City into Yellowstone through the West Entrance. The road was known as the Virginia City and National Park Free Wagon Road. In the 1880's travel to the park was also accomplished by the UP's line that extended from Brigham City, UT. to Butte MT. The train stopped at Beaver, near the Idaho and Montana border, and there stagecoaches made the trip through the West Entrance. The route traveled through Centennial Valley, past Henry's Lake, with an overnight stop at Dwelle's Inn. The passengers arrived at the Fountain Hotel the following day in time for lunch The jump-off point was later moved to Monida, where the Monida-Yellowstone Stage Line began service in 1898 and traveled a more direct route to the west entrance of Yellowstone. In 1905, E.H. Harriman, President of Union Pacific RR, made plans to extend their rail line to the west entrance of Yellowstone. The line was completed in Nov. of 1907 and the following June the line was open for regularly scheduled train traffic. Right Top: Dwelle's lodge, later known as the Grayling Inn. In 1884 he established Dwelle’s Stage Stop to service the Bassett Bros. stages that were running to the park from Beaver, Idaho. In 1898, Dwelle’s Inn became an overnight stop for the Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co. that transported tourists to the park from Monida until 1908. [Montana Historical Society] Right Bottom: Gilman Sawtelles cabin in 1872, when he hosted F.V Hayden Expedition Hayden standing to right and Sawtelle sitting on the right. Photo by Wm. H. Jackson. Bottom Left: The Sawtelle Ranch in 1872. Photo by Wm. H. Jackson. The Union Pacific RR Moves in . . . The UPRR incorporated the Yellowstone Park Railroad Company on September 12, 1905 to build a line from St. Anthony, Idaho to the west entrance of Yellowstone. Construction began October 3, 1905 and was completed November 12, 1907. The line was almost immediately closed by winter snows, but was ready to provide service the following June. The town at the Boundary was founded in 1908 with the name of Riverside, even though the town site was two miles from the Madison River. The UP began providing passenger rail service to the town on June 11, 1908. A road was cut through the forest in 1907, to the Madison River two miles distant, where the Wylie Permanent Camping Company and the Monida and Yellowstone Stage Company built barns and other facilities required by their stages engaged in transporting the tourists into the Park from the Union Pacific RR depot. The townsite was located on Forest Service lands and permission was needed for any homesteaders. The original settler was Joe Claus, who built a cabin in what is now the townsite during the winter of 1906-1907, probably in the hope of profiting from construction of the railway. The first residents were issued permits for stores and homes late in the fall of 1907, but did not actually own the land. They were Charles A. Arnet, Sam P. Eagle, and L.A. Murray. A Forest Service survey in June 1908 created a town site consisting of 6 blocks and the town was officially named Riverside on Oct. 23, 1908. Prior to that time the area was referred to as ‘the Boundary’, or ‘at the Boundary'. Yellowstone Hotel Hotel Yellowstone, usually referred to as the Yellowstone Hotel, or Yellowstone Inn in later days, was a 2-story hotel was built around 1907-08 by L.A. Murray. Adjacent buildings were a small pool hall and a corner barber shop run by Osh Hedgecoach in the early years. I believe it came into possession of the Bryant Way, a camping outfit that toured Yellowstone. Around 1913, Shaw & Powell Camping Co. bought the hotel for use by their guests. After reorganization of the camping companies in Yellowstone in 1917, it came into possession of the Yellowstone Park Camping Co. In 1926, the property was sold to Sam Hurless, who constructed a cabin camp on the lot. T op Left: Hotel Yellowstone, photo taken perhaps soon after construction. Top Right: Yellowstone Hotel with the pool room at right and barber shop on far right. Bottom Right: The Inn at the Gate: The Yellowstone Hotel, ca1914 when used by the Shaw & Powell Camping Co. [Photo from University of Wyoming] Eagles Store, ca1910 Samuel Peter Eagle, then in partnership with Alex Stuart, opened a general store in 1908 which operated for two years, after which the Stuart family went into business for themselves. On November 17, 1909 Sam Eagle was appointed Postmaster, taking over from Chas. Arnet. The store was enlarged in 1913. [Photo from Images of America - West Yellowstone , by Paul Shea] The Town's Beginnings . . . The name Riverside had already been applied to an area 4-5 miles east of the park entrance in the 1880’s, where a mail and stagecoach station and a soldier station were located. To avoid confusion, the name was changed to Yellowstone on Jan 31, 1910. Confusion continued for years with the town named the same as the park. The name was changed for the last time in 1920 to West Yellowstone. In 1913 and 1919 lands were removed from the Forest Service jurisdiction for use as the town site and residents were then able to actually own their land. In 1920 additional areas were surveyed and platted, enlarging the town. The original blocks were renumbered and 22 additional blocks created. Charles Arnet, one of the original founders, built the Yellowstone Store, around 1907-08. It was the first store in town and located in the middle of Park Street. It also housed the first post office. He sold out to Alex Stuart in 1910. L.A. “Dick” Murray built the Yellowstone Hotel in 1909, located across the street and west of the Eagle Store. It later became the Yellowstone Inn, and then the hotel for the Shaw & Powell Camping Co. Around the same time, Sam Eagle also operated a general store with Alex Stuart. When Stuart bought the Yellowstone Store, Eagle and his wife continued their operation. In the late 1920's they built a new 'Eagle Store'. The Eagle family continues to operate the store to this day. Early Street Views of "Yellowstone" T op Left: Real-Photo postcard with Hotel Yellowstone behind the horses, probably pulling a Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co., undated. Top Right: Park St. in 1912. Alex Stuart's General Merchandise Store. Bottom Right: Street view ca1917 showing buses of the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. Behind are the madison Hotel (left) and Madison Cafe to its right. The building on the right advertises Park Tour and Permanent Camps, no doubt an old Shaw & Powell Camping Co. building. [Yellowstone Historic Center, #2016.4] Union Pacific Depot The depot was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood and opened in 1909 by the UPRR, replacing temporary facilities. The Union Pacific RR described it as, “built of stone, very substantial, spacious, and artistic. It is electric heated by steam, and provides large waiting rooms, an individual dressing room for ladies, two large fireplaces, drinking fountains, etc. In it are the usual ticket and Pullman offices and the office of the Monida and Yellowstone Stage Co. Upon the railroad's arrival to West, the Monida-Yellowstone Stage Line moved their operations from Monida to an area a few miles inside the park's boundary called Riverside. They picked up passengers from the depot and took them on the tour around the park. In 1972, major changes were made throughout the depot to convert its use to a privately-operated museum. The building currently houses the Yellowstone Historic Center Museum Union Pacific Dining Lodge The Dining Lodge was built in 1925 by the UPRR with Gilbert Stanley Underwood as architect. The dining hall incorporated a large central eating space (the Mammoth Room) with a massive, arrowhead-shaped fireplace, a kitchen large enough to prepare over 1,000 meals per day; a large service wing containing the employee dining hall, a bakery, butcher shop, scullery, linen room, coal room, manager’s office, and walk-in refrigerators and freezers. Visitors would arrive in the morning and have breakfast prior to their journey into the park. Diners were served in the Mammoth Room, a dining room with 45' ceilings, large windows, and a fireplace large enough for a man to stand in. Several hundred people could be seated at once. Visitors returning from the park would have supper before boarding the train for their trip home. T op Left: The Beanery, built in 1911 to replace the original crude facility. [Photo from Images of America - West Yellowstone , by Paul Shea] Top Right: Mammoth Room in the new UP Dining Lodge, constructed in 1925, replacing the Beanery. [Real-Photo postcard, author collection] Middle Right: The Depot with the Yellowstone Special in front. [Postcard Bloom Bros. #4270, Author collection] Bottom Right: Early view of the Union Pacific Depot. [Real-Photo postcard] Bottom Left: Trackside view of the Union Pacific Dining Lodge (left), Baggage Bldg., and the Depot, late 1920s, Tammen Postcard #4520 Early Businesses Stuart's Garage Alex Stuart, one of towns founding pioneers, started out in business with Sam Eagle. Stuart bought Arnet's Yellowstone Store in 1910 and started a general merchandise store. They incorporated as the Stewart Mercantile Co. in 1915. According to the Butte Miner, Oct. 24, 1915, “The Stuart Mercantile company, organized to conduct a general retail merchandise business at Yellowstone, in extreme southern Gallatin county on the Park boundary, has been Incorporated by papers filed with the county clerk and recorder last Thursday. The capital stock is $25,000. The directors are Matthew A. Stewart and Emma Stewart of St. Paul. Minn., and Alex Stuart and Laura Stuart of Yellowstone. [See stereoview of the store on the "Street Views of Yellowstone above) Right: Stereoview of Stuart's General Merchandise Store, 1912. With the advent of the 'horseless carriage' in Yellowstone, he entered into an agreement with the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. to service their new White Motor Co. buses beginning in 1917. He built Stuart's Garage, selling gas, tires, oil, and other automotive supplies. He obtained the service contract in 1917 for the White Motor Co. touring buses of the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. YPTCo took over operations from the Yellowstone-Western stagecoach company when motor cars began ruling the roads in Yellowstone in 1917. Alex’s son Walt, reportedly the first baby born in West Yellowstone (1909), began working at the station in 1919, purchased it in 1936 and eventually sold it in 1977. Alex Stuart died in 1961. Top Right: Colorized postcard of Alex Stuart's Service, undated. Top Left: Walt Stuarts Texaco after rebuilding/remodeling, ca1940s. Real-Photo postcard. Madison Hotel Built by Jess Pieman in 1912, the Madison Hotel is the only remaining early hotel in West Yellowstone. This rustic log hotel was soon after purchased by Charles M. "Roxy" and Dolly (Bishop) Bartlett. It was conveniently located across from the UPRR depot. There were originally 6 rooms upstairs with a downstairs lobby. Fourteen more rooms and a card room were added in 1921 and running water a few years later. Eventually the Hadleys bought the operation in 1959, adding a large gift shop. The business is still open during the summer season. Top Right: Ad for the Hotel Madison in 1915. [Road Logs Salt Lake City to Yellowstone Park, 1915] Bottom Right: Lobby of the Madison Hotel, undated. [Real-Photo postcard, author collection] Bottom Left: Madison Hotel, located across from the UP Depot, ca1920. [Real-Photo postcard, author collection] Kennedy Bldg - Menzel’s Curio The Kennedy Building was built in 1911 on a lot owned by Madison Basin Forest Ranger Louis J. Kennedy. It originally served as a dance hall in the town that would become West Yellowstone. Equipped with a piano, the building hosted Saturday night dances for the entertainment of tourists, railroad employees, and locals. It then housed a summer restaurant from 1913 to 1916, and in 1919, local students used its lofty space as a basketball court. Sam Eagle, one of the town’s founders, acquired the building in 1933 and opened a curio shop managed by his daughter, Rose. In 1941, Rose married Herm Menzel who promptly went off to war. Upon Herm’s return in 1946, the store became Menzel’s Curio Shop. The building still stands on Yellowstone Avenue today. Top Left : Kennedy Building, that later housed Menzel's Curio Shop in 1933. Rose Eagle managed the business until 1946, when she married Herm Menzel. [Real-Photo postcard, probaby ca1933.] Top Right : Later view of Eagle's Curio Store, ca1940s Bottom Right : 1981 view of Menzel's Curio Store. It is still in business to this day. It is one of the few original businesses in town remaining from the 1910s era. [NPS Photo #284] Eagle Store Samuel Peter Eagle, then in partnership with Alex Stuart, opened a general store in 1908 which they operated for two years, after which the Stuart family went into business for themselves. On November 17, 1909 Sam Eagle was appointed Postmaster, taking over from Chas. Arnet. Eagle took over the actual operation of the post office in January of 1910, which was the beginning of his 25 years of tenure. The West Yellowstone Post Office was housed in the store from 1910 until 1935. Also, a soda fountain was added to Eagle’s Store in 1910. The store was rebuilt/enlarged in 1913. The present 3-story building was built in the years between 1927 and 1930. Sam purchased Joe Claus’ cabins in the early 1920s and used them as employee housing. Small shops to the side of the store were replaced by a store addition in 1966. The Eagle Family has continued to operate at 3 Canyon Street in its original location to this day. Top Left: 1913 view of the early Eagle Store. [Photo from Images of America - West Yellowstone , by Paul Shea] Top Right: View of the Eagle Store after it was rebuilt in 1927-30. [Schlechten Photo] Tepee Inn The Tepee Inn (also Tee Pee Inn) was built by Paul & Dorothy Strieder in 1919. It was a large two-story log structure that housed a bar, dance floor, cafe, and rooms. Paul died in the early 1920s and later Dorothy married Val Buchanan, and continued to operate the hotel. J.H. Venable sold the Tepee to A.K. Clawson in 1952. A fire caused by a burning grease trap burned the Tepee in 1965, but the exterior rock wall and interior back-bar survived the fire. The building was rebuilt as a single story structure, and Clawson added the Tepee Motel to the building. Right: Lobby of the TePee Inn, 1934. [Schlechten Photo] Bottom Left: The Tepee Inn, ca1920. Real-Photo postcard. Bottom Right: The Tepee Inn, alte 1920s after the Inn was greatly enlarged. Real-Photo postcard. Doc’s Bar - Doc’s Club Horace G. “Doc” Bartlett was the brother of Roxy Bartlett, who opened the Madison Hotel. Doc opened a grocery store called the Log Store around 1920. A few years later he opened Doc’s Bar, later called Doc’s Club. Gambling was not unknown in the bar and occasionally newspapers, somewhat unfavorably, reported on the matter. In the late 1930s, Doc was involved in the startup of the Chalet Theater. In later days the club featured the Starlite Lounge, for drinks, dinner and dancing. It was listed for sale in newspapers in 1956 and 1968. Above: Newspaper ad for Doc's Club, from the Idaho State Journal in 1959 Left: View of Yellowstone St., late-1930s. Doc's is in between the two cafes on the left. [Photo from, Images of America - West Yellowstone , by Paul Shea Smith & Chandlers Transcription of sign from the West Yellowstone Historic Walking Tour "In 1927, two pioneering entrepreneurs from Las Vegas, Nevada, Carl Smith & Ken Chandler, built a large general mercantile across the street from the Union Pacific Depot. Train passengers walked across the dirt street for their group photos. Tour bus riders bought western hats and dusters. Auto travelers picked up postcards and curios. “Smith & Chandler Indian Traders” brought Navajo, Zuni and Hopi jewelry makers and rug, blanket and basket weavers to the store for decades. Alice Chandler was quite a memorable sight, too. She dyed her hair a bright red and was dressed in the finest western dresses and boots. She graced the store with her style and presence for 50 years. By 1972, the Smiths and Chandlers had retired and sold the store to the Hamilton/ Povah family. In March of 1973, suspected static electricity and leaking propane gas sparked a tremendous fire. Without the help from modern fire hydrants to extinguish the flames, the store and adjoining coffee shop burned to the ground. The family quickly built this new store and kept the same name" Bottom Right: Postcard view of the Smith & Chandler store in West Yellowstone, ca1940s. They also produced many postcards, many of which were Real-Photo postcards of the "Yellow Buses" filled with tourists heading into Yellowstone. Top Right: Early view of Smith & Chandler [Schlechten photo, Museum of the Rockies, #x80-6-3098] The Town Grows Up . . . This area collects tremendous amounts of snow in the winter and spring and the business season here is typically very short. The railroad shut down service during the winters. Many residents left the area for the winter, and the few that stayed were generally snowed-in for the duration. It was not until 1936 that the road to Bozeman was kept open through the winter. The area’s first airport opened in 1935 on forest lands south of town, cleared by Yellowstone pioneer George Whittaker. Private-owned snowplanes entered the park through the West Entrance in 1948-49. Private snowmobiles were 1st allowed into Yellowstone in the 1963-64 seasons and the area has since developed into a very popular winter resort area for snowmobiling, snowcoach tours into Yellowstone and cross-country skiing. Snowmobile rental businesses have begun using snowmobiles with 4-stroke engines that pollute less and are quieter. Although the Park banned individual snowmobile travel in Yellowstone, there are vast areas that be explored outside of the Park. Regularly scheduled railroad passenger service ended in 1960, but a new airport was built in 1963-64, allowing for larger aircraft to bring visitors into the area. The town was incorporated in in 1966 and three years later the UPRR donated the Depot, Dining Lodge, and other service buildings to the town. Postcard Views of Motels of 1930s -1950s T op Left: The Hayward cabins and gas station, built by former Yellowstone storekeeper George Whittaker in the 1930s-40s. Top Right: The Stagecoach Inn, built in 1948. A Sanborn Real-Photo postcard. Middle Left: The Sleepy Hollow Motel. Bottom Left: Circle R Motel, ca1940s. Bottom Right: THerk's Modern Cabins, ca1940s. Street Views T op Left: View from near Park entrance looking east. From the right: Collette's Coffee Shop, Old Faithful Tavern, barber shop, drug store, cafe, Smith & Chandler's, and Madison Hotel & Gift Shop to the left. Ca1940s. YNP #185327-497. Bottom Left: Looking north, Purdy's Frontier Club and Knotty Pine Coffee Shop Click to enlarge photos Top Right: Yellowstone St., looking west from the corner with Stuart's Texaco gas station on right. A cafe is to the right of the Texaco, then the Frontier Club. A Sanborn postcard. Bottom Right: Looking north from near Yellowstone St. A Pegasus/Mobil Oil gas station on right, Peterson's on left, with the Log Store and a Tavern next to it. A Linen-Style postcard, ca1940s. Click to enlarge photos Off to Wonderland . . . Be sure to visit the highly-rated Yellowstone Historic Center Museum, now the Museum of the Yellowstone, on your next visit to West Yellowstone
- Cinnabar | Geyserbob.com
Gateways to Wonderland Cinnabar, Mont. & The Northern Pacific RR Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Valley of Cinnabar, ca1883. A Boudoir-Series Cabinet Card by photographer Carleton Watkins. The Early Days . . . . The small community of Cinnabar was located three or four miles north of Gardiner and was the temporary end-of-line station of the first railroad service to Yellowstone National Park. It was the primary gateway to the park from 1883 to 1903. The town’s name derived from nearby Cinnabar Mountain, named during the mid-1860s by miners who originally thought the ‘red streak’ on the mountain was the mercury ore cinnabar. In August 1870, the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition observed the formation and named it The Devil's Slide. . A traveler in 1874 noted that Cinnabar Mountain was, “prominent for its height and isolation from it compeers, and significant from the fact that the Devil took a slide down its Eastern slope when he was apparently red-hot, leaving in his wake a well-defined trail that can be seen for fifty miles, having the appearance of fire-clay.” [Bozeman Avant Courier, 4Sep 1874] Devil's Slide, photographed by Wm. Henry Jackson in 1871. The Bozeman Weekly Chronicle published a Song of Cinnabar Waters on April 18, 1883, based on an unfortunate drunken row, when David Kennedy shot his boon companion James Armstrong. The "Vanderbilt" was a silver watch willed to “Davie” in the event of James’ death. It may have been penned by William Davis, who was deemed "The Poet Laureate of Yellowstone." A portion of the song follows: CINNABAR. Long, long ago, one could easily see, Yellowstone Valley had been on a spree: The mountains were raised, the canyons were sunk, And old Mother Earth got terribly drunk. The devil got as drunk as a devil could be And slid to the bottom of Cln-na-bar-ee! Fill up your demijohn, fill up your can, A health to the devil, damnation to man ! Give Davie my Vanderbllt, let him go free, To slide when he pleases down Cln-na-bar-ee! Not long ago, It was Sunday, and we Sent three of our boys down for Cln-na-bar-ee Mad-day Is moon’s-day, each emptied his cup, Reason ran down, and our passions ran up. Bullets were flying, and two entered me, Perhaps I am dying, from Cln-na-bar-ee. Beginnings of Cinnabar City . . . Abel Bart Henderson, who began prospecting around Yellowstone in 1867, started building a road in 1871 from Bottler’s Ranch near Emigrant to Mammoth Hot Springs. He acquired land around Stevens Creek and he and his brothers established a ranch in 1877. Clarence Stevens, George Huston, and Joe Keeney all owned parts of the land at various times. Huston and Keeney purchased part of the Henderson Ranch at Stephens Creek Nov. 19, 1883, which totaled 116.45 acres. Apparently Keeney retained some land for himself and built a ranch, and they resold the rest later that year to Carroll T. Hobart, a Northern Pacific RR Superintendent and manager of the Yellowstone Park Improvement Co. A plat map was created and the site became the town of Cinnabar. Construction on the Northern Pacific's Park Branch Line began in April of 1883 from Livingston to Cinnabar and was open for business on September 1 of that year and in 1884 began in earnest transporting tourists to enjoy the breathtaking beauties of Wonderland. The Cinnabar Town Site Co. was later incorporated in 1895 by J.D. Finn, H.J. Hoppe, and A.J. Campbell. Reportedly, Hugo Hoppe and family moved into the Cinnabar area ca1883, where Hugo created his freighting company to haul goods from the new railhead in Cinnabar to and from the mines at Cooke City, Montana. He also engaged in other enterprises over the years. During 1884-1885 Hugo managed the new National Hotel at Mammoth Hot Springs. He managed the Cinnabar Hotel from Jan.-Jun. of the following year. More of that later. Cinnabar Townsite in 1884. The town is still quite desolate at this point. The building behind the rail car at left may have been the Wakefield-Hoffman stables. The first year or so, the NPRR used two sleeping cars and a dining car for travelers until other accommodations were available. [F. Jay Haynes photo, Montana Historical Society ] Undated photo of the H.J. Hoppe Ranch, just south of Cinnabar. The view is toward the Yellowstone River. [Billings Gazette, 7Sep1958] The Northern Pacific RR Moves in . . . . A land dispute regarding Buckskin Jim Cutler's mining claims between Cinnabar and Gardiner prevented the railroad from extending the line to Gardiner, the desired destination. A small town quickly grew up around the Cinnabar depot and provided basic visitor services. The post office opened in 1882, in anticipation of the railroad's arrival and a small depot was soon built to accommodate travelers to the park. The Butte Miner announced on Aug. 29, 1883 that, "The Yellowstone National Park branch of the Northern Pacific railroad is now completed to Cinnabar, 51 miles south of Livingston, and will be open for business on Sept. 1st, after which time parties can go directly to the park without staging." GARDINER DEFEATS CINNABAR FOR THe YELLOWSTONE LINE Gardiner, located within a few Inches of the line of the Yellowstone park, is to have a railroad within a few weeks, the Northern Pacific having decided to extend Its park branch from Cinnabar to that town at once. These two towns are only four miles apart, but ever since the park branch was built, the Cinnabars have had the best of It. There are only 250 of them when they are all at home, which is not often, but notwithstanding the small number they have been up and doing. Think of a town of 250 persons having its own electric lighting plant and water works! Gardiner has both, and in their possession the place bears the distinction of being the only one of its size in the United States that can afford such high class luxury. Heretofore Cinnibar [sic] has been the jumping-off place for Yellowstone park tourists, but hereafter it will take off its hat and with bland smile and a low courtesy exclaim, “After you, my dear Gardiner! [Butte Daily Post, 13 May1902] Beginnings of the Stagecoach Era . . . George W. Wakefield and Charles W. Hoffman of Bozeman established the Wakefield & Hoffman stage line early in 1883 and provided service from Cinnabar to Mammoth and into the park under an exclusive agreement with Yellowstone Park Association (YPA). The Helena Independent Record announced on July 2, 1884, that, “this week, the coaches, jerkies, and single and double "buckboards, numbering about forty vehicles in all, belonging to Wakefield & Hoffman, were moved from Bozeman to Cinnabar and Mammoth Hot Springs, to be in readiness for the accommodation of park tourists.” They had previously operated from Livingston to Cinnabar until NPRR’s line was open to Cinnabar. Top Right: Wakefield & Hoffman's Stage Line ad. 25Jan1884, Livingston Daily Enterprise . Bottom Right: Geo. W. Wakefield's Bozeman and National Park Stage Line letterhead from Dec. 16, 1883. Top: Northern Pacific RR train at the station in Cinnabar, 1894. The locomotive in number 418. [F.J. Haynes photo, Montana Historical Society ] Bottom: Passengers alighting from train and loading on coaches for a trip to Wonderland, ca1896. The Depot is in the background. [Burton Holmes Travelogues, 1905 version] Top: Passengers unloading from a Northern Pacific RR car Cinnabar, ca1896. [Burton Holmes Travelogues, 1905 version] Bottom: Train passengers loading on coaches for a trip to Yellowstone, ca1896. The building on far left appears to be Wakefield & Ennis office, who conducted camping excursions into Yellowstone 1896-1897. White bldg on far right is the W.A. Hall Store, with the Cinnabar Store to its left. [Burton Holmes Travelogues, 1905 version] Beginning in the 1884 Yellowstone summer season (June to mid-Sept), trains ran daily from Livingston to Cinnabar, in both directions transporting tourists in and out of Yellowstone. (During the off-season trains ran one to three days a week, depending on demand) Wakefield bought out Hoffman at the end of 1885, and was the primary stage operator until he was squeezed out late in 1891. Most visitors utilized the services of the authorized transportation carrier of the Yellowstone National Park Improvement Co. (Yellowstone Park Association in 1886 and Yellowstone Park Transportation Co in 1892). With these companies passengers would ride in Tally-Ho stagecoaches led by a team of six horses from Cinnabar to the National Hotel at Mammoth Hot Springs. From there smaller 4-horse, 8-10 passenger Abbot Downing Concord coaches would carry the guests around the park, staying at different hotels for 5-6 nights before returning to Cinnabar and the train to Livingston. Other transportation/camping companies for the traveling public were also available, including, A.W. Chadbourn in 1884, the Wylie Camping Co. by the 1890s, a number of smaller private coach companies and by the late 1890s, the Shaw & Powell Camping Co. Wylie and Shaw & Powell utilized portable tent camps with all the comforts possible, and were located at all the major points of interest, with Lunch Stations along the route. Some tourists opted to hire their own carriage and these “sage brushers” traveled the park on their own accord. These companies all operated out of Cinnabar until 1903. W.W. Wylie Camping Co . Cinnabar ad in the Helena Independent Record , 14Aug1896 A.W. Chadbourn information from the Livingston Enterprise Souvenir , 1Jan1900 Shaw & Powell Camping Co. information from the Livingston Enterprise Souvenir, 1Jan1900 With the formation of the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co (YPTCo) in 1892, and their pressure to create transportation monopoly in Yellowstone, Chadbourn and many of the other small, private transportation operators were kicked out of the park after the 1893 season, however Wylie managed to continue his operation and Chadbourn and a few others managed to regain their privileges. Freight operations also developed to service the hotels in the park, the Army at Ft. Yellowstone, and the mines at Jardine, Cooke City, and Horr. Hugo and W.M. Hoppe were operating the Cinnabar & Cooke Transportation Co. at least by 1886, hauling freight from the railhead at Cinnabar to the mines in Cooke City and stops in between. They also hauled freight for YPA. National Park Hack & Express Line Frank M. Hobbs and Lawrence Link Livingston Enterprise , 9Sep1884 Cinnabar and Cooke Transportation W.M. Hoppe Livingston Enterprise , 4Dec1886 Cooke Transportation Line A.T. French Livingston Enterprise , 30Nov1889 Geo. Eastman of Rochester, New York, together with his mother, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Scott Hubbell and Dr. E.W.. Mulligan and wife passed through town [Yakima WA] on the west bound overland Saturday morning, The party has been on the road for the past three weeks stopping at all points of interest, but remaining most of the time in Yellowstone Park. Their itinerary for the next three weeks will be via Portland, Vancouver, Bampf Springs [Banff] and St. Paul thence back to Rochester. Eastman has a national reputation derived from the great kodak which he perfected and Walter Scott Hubbell is considered one of the greatest lawyers in Western New York. [Yakima Herald, WA, 22Jul1902] Mr. George Eastman of Kodak fame is now touring the west accompanied by a party of friends. The party is traveling on the private Pullman car Pilgrim. Mr. Eastman was to have come west over the C.P.R. [Canadian Pacific RR], but owing to the recent suspension of traffic he came west from Rochester, New York, over the Northern Pacific. He returns East over the C.P.R., making stops at Banff, Field [Yoho Nat'l Park] and the various other mountain resorts ls on the line of the railway in this province. [The Province, Vancouver, 15Jul1902] Coaches on road between Cinnabar and Gardiner, July 1902. One of the few known images of stages on that section of road. [Courtesy Eastman Museum , 2006.0126.0072] Coaches on road between Cinnabar and Gardiner, July 1902. The carriage at left appears to be from one of the various camping companies. [Courtesy Eastman Museum , 2006.0126.0069 & 0070] Northern Pacific Pullman Cars at Cinnabar, July 1902. The building at right may have been a freight depot at the east end of town. [Courtesy Eastman Museum, 2006.0126.0069] Left: George Eastman and Walter Walter Hubbell along the road from Cinnabar to Gardiner. Hubbell was a close friend and vice-president of the Eastman Kodak Co. [Courtesy Eastman Museum, 2006.0126.0065] Right : Maria Eastman, George Eastman's mother, and her nurse aboard Coach 38, Yellowstone Park Transportation Co., at an undisclosed location in Yellowstone. [Courtesy Eastman Photographic Collection Y119] A Lady's Trip to the Yellowstone Park By O.S.T. Drake A Brief Description of the Cinnabar Hotel in 1887 ". . . Livingstone, on the Northern Pacific Line, is the station whence we took our departure for the National Park, by a short line 57 miles in length, which deposited us at Cinnabar, ten miles from the Mammoth Springs . . . Cinnabar, where the line terminated, consisted of a wayside saloon and a few huts. From here we drove to the Mammoth Springs" "That night [after leaving Canyon on their return] we slept in tents at Norris' Camp, breakfasted early and departed, reaching the Mammoth Springs again at noon ; then on to Cinnabar; the scenery very lovely. High on a sharp rock above the Yellowstone river we spied the eyrie of an eagle, which resembled a mass of sticks on the edge of a perfectly inaccessible rock. There sat the eagle, showing her white throat, sunning herself in her majestic solitude. The hotel at Cinnabar turned out to be a little timber house, consisting of a bar and back parlour, and two or three bed-rooms above. A married couple kept the house ; the wife said she had never had a lady under her roof before. They gave me a very clean bed-room, provided with the only jug and basin in the house. There was no door, but she nailed a sheet over the door-way and unnailed it in the morning ; the food was excellent, and the good woman waxed quite pathetic in her regrets over the fact that we were hardly likely again to meet in this world. Next morning we took the train at Livingstone, and pursued our journey to New York." From: "Every Girl’s Annual" 1887. Edited by Alicia A. Leith Reminisce from Al H. Wilkins, Yellowstone stage driver, as told to Grace Stone Coates Great Falls Tribune, 23 Feb 1933. IN 1885-86 the little town of Cinnabar was a lively place. It was the terminus of the Yellowstone park branch of the Northern Pacific railroad, where tourists transferred to horse-drawn coaches. Just across a little divide four miles away the town of Gardiner was coming into being. At Cinnabar the late Hugo Hoppe was in business. He ran stage lines in the park and on the Cooke City road on the side. Joe Keeney was keeping one of the two or three saloons In the place and running a boarding house. The late Billy Hall was running a store there, as were the Hefferlin brothers. There were a few other business houses and a few private dwellings. It was a lively place. A man could get anything from a black eye to a horse race. These were wild and wooly days, with little law and less order. Horse racing was the common Sunday amusement and sometimes the races resulted In a “drunk” being killed. But no one thought much about it. When an accident happened, the body was burled and the program went on. A man could get quick action on his money in Cinnabar, whether in a stud poker game, a foot race or a horse race, and the sky was the limit. Affairs of Business . . . A number of business operations were conducted in Cinnabar between from 1883 - 1903. Although the community got off to a slow start, businesses increased their presence as tourist crowds increased. Some of these businesses are listed below, in no particular order. Obviously not all operated at the same time, and several are the same but with different owners/managers: Hugo J. Hoppe, among the earliest gold miners at Virginia City Mt., he came to Cinnabar in the mid 1880s and received title to 160 acres of land in the area. He formed the Cinnabar and Cooke Transportation Co. and by 1885 had reportedly established the somewhat crude log Cinnabar Hotel that came under the ownership of several individuals over the years including his son Walter, who had been managing the saloon associated with the hotel. A stable and blacksmith shop was also a part of the hotel operation. Cinnabar Hotel The history of the Cinnabar Hotel(s) is confusing at best, with a multitude of owners/proprietors over the years. Joe Keeney, one of the original land owners in the area, established a hotel with related stables, barns, etc., at least by 1885, also and guided early visitors through Yellowstone. He also maintained a saloon in connection with the hotel. The Livingston Enterprise noted in June 1886 that H.J. Hoppe had been leasing the hotel for the first six months of 1886, and that Keeney was regaining proprietorship at the end of Hoppe's lease. A year later the paper again announced that Keeney was operating the hotel, when the Livingston Enterprise described him as, "the irrepressible proprietor of the Tourists’ Pleasure Resort.". He was again noted as running the hotel in 1887 in conjunction with a saloon and livery stable. In December 1888, the Enterprise disclosed that, "Joe Keeney, of Cinnabar, has sold his hotel and saloon business, at that place, to A T. French. The deal was conciliated in Livingston on Thursday, both parties being here." French later passed it on to M.T Williams in December 1889, who sold it to John F. Work in April 1890. In May 1891, Work "disposed of his interest in the Cinnabar hotel, furniture and fixtures. to William A. Hall for a consideration of $900. Mr. Hall, who has been manager of that hostelry during the past year, will make material improvements in the service to accommodate the increasing business." As noted in a photo below, the author believes Hall made substantial physical changes to the hotel/store, both interior and exterior. In June 1892, H.J Hoppe was listed as 'managing' the hotel. The article also mentioned that Joe Keeney was running a lodging house and eating house that was "liberally patronized." Confused yet?? It has been written that sometime after 1892, the Hoppe family gained control of the Cinnabar Hotel (which one?) and operated it through 1903. Some sources say it was run by the family after that point in time, perhaps to sagebrushers or other travelers not using the railroad. Lee B. Hoppe , Hugo’s son, operated the Cinnabar Store, advertised in 1892 as the only store in town. T.J. Loughlin & F.R. Brazil operated a restaurant and saloon in the mid-1880s. W.A. Hall , Golden Rule Cash Store beginning in 1892 and operated camping outfit with teams, wagons & drivers. The W.A. Hall Co. housed a general store, a beer hall and a restaurant. Hall closed the store down and moved his stock to Gardiner in 1903 He also operated a store at Aldridge. O.M. Hefferlin of Livingston operated the OK Store for time. Larry Link , later of Gardiner fame, ran a saloon and pool hall with Alfred R. Christie. He reportedly also operated the Link & George saloon. Smith & Holem Stage & Transportation , "a specialty of catering to the desires of tourists in furnishing local camps with hacks, carriages and saddle horses for their conveyances. Competent drivers and guides are provided, with headquarters at Cinnabar, Montana." 1903 M.A. Holem , "This general store has had a successful business career, first starting in August, 1897, with a small stock in a room at the corner of Main street and South avenue. By trying to please the public in honest prices and just deal ings, M. A. Holem was forced to establish herself in larger quarters, now occupying the post office building near the Park line depot. Hobbs & Link , National Park Hack & Express Line, 1884 Earley & Holmes , Livery Feed and Sale Horses, ca1883-84 W.W. Wylie , who operated the Wylie Permanent Camping Co. into and around Yellowstone, maintained a barn and livery for his equipment to transport visitors on tours of the park. Shaw & Powell arranged camping trips into the park from the Cinnabar Depot and no doubt had some transportation facilities in the area. A.T. French operated the Cooke Transportation Line in the late 1880s. A.W. Chadbourn provided passenger service to Yellowstone in 1884 and later operated a park camping company in conjunction with his business. Wilbur Williams , Daily Stage & Express, Yellowstone, Gardiner, Cinnabar Wakefield & Hoffman , Yellowstone Park stagecoach operations. Wakefield & Ennis , operated camping tours into Yellowstone for at least 1896-1897. M.T. Williams , ran the Cinnabar Hotel for a time. During 1898 the Report of the Acting Superintendent of Yellowstone listed the following parties from Cinnabar licensed to guide camping parties into the park: AW Chadbourn, CC Chadbourn, EC Sandy, CT Smith, Frank Holem, Adam Gassert, WJ Kupper, Henry George, JW Taylor, HM Gore, RH Menefee and GW Reese. 1900 Census . . . The Census of 1900 listed 94 persons living in Cinnabar. Occupations was were varied, but many falling into the category of Teamsters, Park Guides, and Day Laborers. There were, of course a smattering of bartenders/saloon keepers, store clerks, a couple of blacksmiths, a hotel keeper, carpenter, coal miner, and a barber. Many folks did not list an occupation. Cinnabar Hotel ads from the Livingston Enterprise in Jan 1886, 1889, and 1891 respectively. Left Top: Cinnabar Hotel (center left) and O.K. Store on right, ca1890. [Courtesy Autry Museum] Left Bottom: Cinnabar Hotel, ca1890. [Livingston Enterprise Souvenir , iJan1900] Right: W.A. Hall General Merchandise store, ca1895. There is a restaurant in the building and the A-B-C Saloon. The Cinnabar Store is to the right. [Livingston Enterprise , 20Jun1933] Below: Cinnabar townsite, ca1890. The taller building right center is the Cinnabar Hotel. The white building to its right may have become the O.K. Store a few years later. The image has been cropped for better visibility. [Photo courtesy of the Doris Whithorn Collection, Yellowstone Gateway Museum] Upon careful study of the windows and door of the store to the immediate left of the Hotel (above left), and the W.A. Hall store, the author believes that building later became the W.A. Hall General merchandise store (above right). It would have been added on to the left and upper floor and front remodeled. In May of 1891, the Livingston Enterprise noted, "John F. Work has disposed of his interest in the Cinnabar hotel, furniture and fixtures. to William A. Hall for a consideration of $900. Mr. Hall, who has been manager of that hostelry during the past year, will make material improvements in the service to accommodate the increasing business. Left Top: Lawrence Link Saloon and Pool Hall [Livingston Enterprise, 4Jun1892] Left Bottom: Loughlin & Brazil Saloon and Restaurant [Livingston Enterprise Souvenir , 25Apr1885] Top Left: Earley & Holmes Livery & Stables [Livingston Daily Enterprise , 24Apr1883] Top Right: Frank Holem, Blacksmithing & Horseshoeing. [Livingston Enterprise, 26Mar1903] The Coal Mines . . . Horr (named Electric after 1904) was the site of the coke ovens of the Park Coke and Coal Company. The name was bestowed upon it in honor of either Harry Horr, the discoverer of the coal mines in the vicinity, or Major Jos. L. Horr, who in 1884 opened up, the coal mines. On Oct 22, 1887, The Livingston Enterprise announced the shipment of the first three carloads of coal on the Park train to Livingston and Butte. The village itself came into existence in 1888 as a result of the commencement of operations there by the Park Coal & Coke Co. The coal was mined nearby in a community that acquired the name of Aldridge in 1896. On July 1, 1888 the Horr post office opened with Laura A. Pinkston as postmistress. During the nineties the Montana Coal & Coke company became the owners of the property and by the year 1900 quite rapid advancement was made in the little village owing to the increased activities of the company. [An Illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley, Western Historical Publishing Co., Spokane WA, 1907] Cinnabar was also an important rail station for the gold mines of Bear Gulch/Jardine and Cooke City areas. Mining supplies were carried to Cinnabar from all over the country and delivered by various freight carriers in Cinnabar for transport to these areas. Gold, silver, and other ores and bullion were likewise transported by rail from Cinnabar, as was travertine from the quarries above Gardiner. Left: Post card view of Electric, formerly Horr, with the coke oven in front. The Yellowstone River is in the far background. Cinnabar was a few miles up the valley to the right. Closing of the mines at Aldridge spelled doom for the town of Electric and by 1915 the post office closed. Right: Post card view of the town of Aldridge, located up in the mountains and situated along a lake. The town of Lake was in existence by 1894. It had also been called Little Horr and The Camp at the Lake, and was later renamed Aldridge. Labor problems closed down the mines in 1910, with the post office closing by the end of the year. The Final Days . . . . In 1902 the land dispute with Jim Cutler was finally settled and the rail line continued on to Gardiner as originally planned. This move rang the death knell of the town of Cinnabar, and the small community quickly faded away after that time and the once bustling town turned into a ghost town. Cinnabar was removed as a station stop on May 3, 1903, and the post office was closed shortly after on June 15. An effort was made by the railroad to change the name of Gardiner to Cinnabar, to maintain the existing 20-year legacy of that station name, but the proud residents of Gardiner soundly defeated that effort. Many of the Cinnabar buildings were moved into Gardiner, while others were transported to Horr. The rail depot was loaded onto a flatcar and hauled into Gardiner where it was used as the freight depot. The only remaining evidences of the site today are some depressions in the ground, a few foundation stones, and broken pieces of glass and ceramics scattered over the flats. Billings Gazette , 10Apr1903 Butte Miner , 30May1903 1920 View of Gardiner. The Cinnabar Depor can be seen at left within the circle. Cinnabar - The Western White House . . . In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt engaged on a grand western tour, taking him to Chicago, north through Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. Roosevelt and his companion, famed naturalist writer John Burroughs, arrived at Gardiner, Montana by train on April 8, 1903. The two men were greeted by their host, acting-superintendent Major John Pitcher. According to the Livingston Enterprise on Aug. 7, “President Theodore Roosevelt will arrive in Livingston tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock from Billings. He will leave Billings at 5:40 o'clock. The president and his party will remain in Livingston only fifteen minutes and will then proceed to Cinnabar, at which place he will arrive at 12:30 o’clock and vyill be met by Troop C of the Third cavalry, Major Pitcher commanding. All of the party traveling with the president, with the exception of John Burroughs and Dr. P. M. Rixey, surgeon general of the navy, will remain in the private train at Cinnabar.” While the President was making merry on his wanderings in Wonderland, the remainder of the party left stranded in Cinnabar seemed to not be particularly thrilled with their plight and the area. The Butte Daily Post commented on the 10th that, “Cinnabar, near the entrance to the Yellowstone National park, the present seat of the executive offices of the nation, isn't an attractive place. It has no public parks, no theaters, no extensive society, no charming homes, no palatial hotel. In fact, there isn’t much at Cinnabar except a depot, a few houses, a store, a livery stable, two saloons and, at present, a bunch of exceedingly bored gentlemen from Washington. The president's special train stands on a siding near the depot, and in it the aforesaid bunch lives and eats and drinks and smokes and wonders what on earth to do. All hands sit around all day and deplore in fervid language the fate which keeps them tied up at a place like Cinnabar. They look down on the river towards Horr and the Devil's Slide meets their eyes—but the devil refuses to slide for their edification. They look up the river and they see only bare hills, with some snowpeaks rising in the distance, but there no longer is anything interesting in the view. Now and again some miners come over from Horr and whoop things up a little at one of the two saloons, but they refuse to go to the length of fighting or doing anything actually exciting.” Roosevelt and his party, guided by Thomas Elwood Hofer, headed out the next morning for a tour of Yellowstone. On April 16, after a return to Fort Yellowstone, the presidential party again packed up the camp and traveled to the geyser basins in a horse-drawn sleigh, accompanied by Park concessionaire Harry Childs. The sleds eventually reached Norris Geyser Basin, where the party spent the night at the Norris Hotel. Proceeding the next day to the Fountain Hotel, they continued on to the Upper Geyser Basin where he watched the eruption of Old Faithful geyser. After viewing the famous geysers in the Upper Geyser Basin, Roosevelt returned to the Norris Hotel for another night’s stay, working their way from Norris to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone The President's Western Trip Harper's Weekly, 4Jul1903 Click to enlarge. President Roosevelt's Special Train at Cinnabar, Montana Underwood & Underwood Stereoview Click to enlarge. As the trip ended, Roosevelt returned to Mammoth Hot Springs, where he agreed to speak at the Masonic cornerstone-laying ceremony on the 24th for the future archway located at the northern entrance to Yellowstone, which would later bear his name. In his speech dedicating the arch, Roosevelt praised Yellowstone. “The geysers, the extraordinary hot springs, the lakes, the mountains, the canyons, and cataracts unite to make this region something not wholly to be paralleled elsewhere on the globe,” Roosevelt proclaimed. “It must be kept for the benefit and enjoyment of all of us.” Boarding his train after the ceremony, he headed north to Livingston and east toward Washington D.C., making a multitude of 'whistle-stops' along the route.bound east for Omaha. It had been a proud and exciting few weeks for the folks of Gardiner and Cinnabar Post Script: The Cinnabar & Clark Fork Railroad Late in 1883 efforts were made by the mining interests in Cooke City and the NPRR to extend the Park Branch line beyond Gardiner to the mines in Cooke City. This feat would have required passing through the northern border areas within Yellowstone Park. It became a volatile issue and stirred 10 years of debate in Congress. Cooke City, the greatest mining district of Montana, as described by the Livingston Enterprise , reported on Jan 5, 1884, “... It is believed that Congress will grant the right of way through the park with little opposition, as the road will run along the ... border of the park and interfere with no point of interest. This would be a great boon to Cooke City and would increase the value of her mineral discoveries to an incalculable extent. ... Cinnabar would also have a great accession of prosperity ... even without the ore reduction works the township proprietors propose to erect.” Two weeks later the Enterprise noted incorporation of the line, “The company is to build and operate a railroad from Cinnabar to Cooke City ... and it also has for an incidental object the erection of ore reduction works at Livingston. The names of the incorporators as they appear in the certificate are Col. Geo. O. Eaton and Geo. A. Huston, of Cooke City, D.E. Fogarty and Major F.D. Pease, of Livingston, and George Haldorn, of Billings, and beside those a glittering array of Eastern capitalists, some of them of national fame, are connected with the company.” The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported on the situation on 23Jan1884, “It was known as the “Bullion Railroad Company” with Capital Stock of $1,000,000 and Articles of Incorporation were filed in Jan 1884 at Helena. By February 1885 a bill was working its way through Congress that is to segregate the northern tier of Yellowstone Park into private lands so that the railroad from Cinnabar to Cooke City could build along that section of land. Many miners, speculators and profiteers in Gardiner were awaiting news that the bill passed so that they could file claims on the most valuable pieces of property for themselves; either as homesteads, mining claims or for speculative purposes to resell to the railroad or other potential businesses. Although the bill had merely passed the House and had not yet been considered by the Senate, through some communication error, word was put out that the bill had passed and rapidly spread through the local community. Dozens rushed out to file location notices, including, George Huston, Joe Keeney, A.L. Love, C.T. Hobart, Hugo Hoppe, Park Supt. R.E. Carpenter and assistant park superintendent S.M. Fitzgerald. Needless to say, none of the property claims were valid as the bill never did pass the hallowed halls of Congress.” Various controversial efforts to build the railroad that were hotly debated continued until 1892. Finally, Thomas F. Oakes, president of the NPRR, finally declared at the end of that year, “his company had thoroughly examined the mines at Cooke City and the various routes to them, and that under no circumstances would his company build a road to them.” Case closed – much to the relief of Yellowstone enthusiasts.
- Yellowstone Bios R-S-T | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone Biographies R-S-T Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Randall, Dick. Dick Randall came to Miles City, Montana from Birmingham, Iowa in 1884 at age 17. He was a cowboy for some years prior to buying a small herd of horses and settling in Gardiner. He drove stagecoach for Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. during that time and was known as “Pretty Dick.” He also guided hunting parties outside the park. Dick married Dora Roseborough, who was from Kansas. In 1887 they settled on land located about 12 miles north of Gardiner that would later become the OTO Ranch in. In 1898 the OTO Ranch was established and became the 1st dude ranch in Montana. Twelve cabins and a 12-room lodge were built, along with a 2-story saddle room, shower house, laundry area, and powerhouse with a water-powered turbine. The ranch eventually consisted of 7,000 acres. He once led 368 members of the Sierra Club on a horseback pack trip around the park. Their son Gay Randall helped with the operation and wrote an interesting book about life on the ranch and the surrounding wilderness entitled "Footprints Along the Yellowstone." Activities included cattle ranching, horseback riding, big game hunting, and hiking. The heyday of the dude ranch spanned the years 1912 to 1934. The great Depression and the poor economy caused Dick and his wife Dora to sell the ranch in 1932 after 34 years of operation. The buildings went untended and fell into disrepair until 1997 when the Forest Service and volunteer workers began rehabilitation of the buildings and site in general. Randall died in 1957 at age 91. [78] [71c] [www.amizade.org –OTO Ranch] Raymond, Rossiter W. Rossiter Raymond was a member of the Raymond-Clawson tourist party of 1871. He was accompanied by Calvin C. Clawson, A.F. Thrasher, and others, and was guided by Gilman Sawtelle of Henry’s Lake. The group has been recognized as the 1st commercial tourist party to enter Yellowstone. [25L;87] Raynolds, William F. William Raynolds led a military expedition to Yellowstone that became known as the Raynolds Expedition. The party attempted an expedition into the heart of the Yellowstone area in May of 1859. The party included Jim Bridger, Ferdinand Hayden, and others. They traveled down the east side of the Wind River Mountains, but were unable to cross over them. They continued down over Union Pass and attempts to enter Yellowstone from the south also failed due to deep snows. The party ended up going up the west side of the park and down the Madison River to Three Forks. [25L;87] Reamer, Robert. Robert Reamer was born in Oberlin, OH in 1873. After working several different architectural jobs, he wound up near San Diego, CA., where he met Harry W. Child. Child hired Reamer, now age 29, to design the new hotel at Old Faithful. Reamer became a close friend of the Child family for many years. He was responsible for the design of many of the park’s greatest buildings, including the Old Faithful Inn (1903), Northern Pacific Ry Depot at Gardiner (1903), Lake Hotel renovations (1904-1924), Lake Lodge (1920’s), Canyon Hotel (1910-11), and the Mammoth Hotel renovations in 1936-38. Other buildings to his credit include the Child residence at Mammoth, the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. residences in Gardiner, Thumb Lunch Station (1903), Fishing Bridge Hut (1935), North Entrance Ranger Station (1924), Chinese Gardens Cottage (1909), the Bunkhouse and mess house in Gardiner, (1906), YPTCo barn/garage at Mammoth (1903), the Upper Hamilton Store at Old Faithful, and the famous US map in the Map Room of Mammoth Hotel. He continued to design projects for Yellowstone until his death January 7, 1938 at the age of 64. [25L;87] [75] Reeb, George ‘Morphine Charley ’. He was convicted of the stage coach robbery that occurred Aug. 14, 1897 about four miles from Canyon Hotel along the Norris road. He was aided in the robbery by Gus ‘Little Gus’ Smitzer. Famed poacher Ed Howell was hired to track down the perpetrators of the robbery and later received reward money for his actions. Both men were convicted in District Court in Cheyenne, Wyoming the following May and sentenced to 2-1/2 years in the federal pen. George Reeb was indeed addicted to morphine and the jail time cured him of his habit, of which he was grateful. Smitzer was later hired as an irrigator at the Rose Creek Ranch, and served faithfully for a number of years. Smitzer is buried in the Gardiner cemetery and his headstone notes he was born in 1849 and died in 1931. [31] Reese, George W. George Reese was born Oct. 10, 1837 in Piqua, Miami Co., Ohio, and moved later with his family to Illinois and in 1856 relocated to Kansas. He and two of his brothers left Kansas and headed west to the gold country of California, the Black Hills and Montana. George returned to Kansas in 1861 and volunteered for service in the Civil War, serving until its conclusion. After his discharge in 1865 he hauled freight by wagon from Kansas to Montana. He eventually stayed in Montana and was in the Yellowstone gold country as early as 1867 with Lou Anderson, Hubble, Caldwell and another man. They discovered gold in the first stream above Bear Creek and named it Crevice Creek. He returned to Kansas periodically and married Arvilla Disney in November of 1870 in Topeka. However, she died shortly after in August of 1871. He returned to Montana and was living along the northern border of the park at least by 1877 and was present at the gunfight at the Henderson Ranch with the Nez Perce on Aug. 31, 1877. He then guided for Gen. Howard in his pursuit of the Nez Perce and was known as the “Old Guide of the Mountains.” Reese reportedly was involved in numerous Indian fights during his life. His first cabin south of Reese Creek was burned by the Nez Perce in 1877, and he built a house on upper Reese Creek by 1883, but was unable to obtain title to the land. He built a third home and ranch on lower Reese Creek, which was named after him. George Reese married a woman named Arminda Vice on July 5, 1885 in Missouri. George was 47 years old and Arminda was only 16, and they were divorced about the time their youngest child, Ira Jay, was 6 years old. George raised Ira and his other sons Bertrand Samuel and James George. George and Mr. Hoppe established a school in Cinnabar by 1884, and George served on the school board for several years. He was mail carrier from Horr to Aldridge for four years and served as Sunday school superintendent. He was a religious man, taught bible study classes, led the congregation in singing hymns, and played the violin and organ. He was a big game hunter and had many specimens mounted for exhibition. He took one of his displays to the St. Louis Exhibition in 1904. He died May 21, 1913 at an age of 75 years, and was buried in Mountain View Cemetery at Livingston. His son James and wife (Margaret Curdy) took over the ranch and lived on it until 1922, when they moved to Hiawatha, Utah. [113] [106d] [32] [YNP Vert. File, Biography, Geo. Wash. Reese, by Helen Frandsen Reese, 1986] [56m;1154] Richardson, James. James Richardson published the 1st park guidebook in 1873 that was entitled “Wonders of the Yellowstone Region”. Much of the information was taken from reports of the Washburn and Hayden expeditions. [25L;88] Richardson, Herbert F. ‘Uncle Tom’ Richardson started out as a Wylie Camp employee until receiving permission in 1896 to build a trail down into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone below Lower Falls. The trail originally consisted of ropes and wooden ladders and required a good dose of fortitude. He rowed visitors across the Yellowstone River just above the current Chittenden bridge site and led them down his trail, at a cost of $1.00 per person. He cooked them all a hearty meal before rowing them back across the river. Uncle Tom had his guide permit revoked in 1903, and construction of the new bridge over the Yellowstone River that year began taking away his business. However, it appears he continued to guide, with permission granted in 1904-06. 1147 people were noted as taking the trip with Uncle Tom in 1905 and he was allowed to erect a tent for his use near the trailhead in both 1904 and 1905. In 1905 the army built wooden stairs down a portion of Tom’s Trail and improved other sections. The following year Richardson was allowed to charge people 50¢ for his guide service, but not for use of his trail, which they could now use on their own. Concrete walks and steel stairways replaced the old wooden stairs in 1965. "Uncle Tom" died at his home in Bozeman on April 22, 1913 due to heart problems. Born in 1854, he was survived by his second wife, a married daughter in Nebraska, and two daughters in Bozeman. [25g] [YNP Army Files Doc.5753-54] [YNP Archives Box 42;20] [32] [Anaconda Standard, 4-23-1913] Rockefeller, Laura Spelman. A foundation was set up in her name in 1918 using funds donated by John D. Rockefeller, and was absorbed into the Rockefeller Foundation in 1929. The foundation donated $118,000 in 1928 to be used by the American Association of Museums for the National Parks. The museums at Old Faithful, Madison, Fishing Bridge, and Norris were built using this money. [25L;88] Rogers, Edmund B. Edmund Rogers was Park Superintendent from 1936 to 1956. [25L;88] Roosevelt, Theodore. Teddy Roosevelt first came west on a hunting trip in 1883 and soon afterwards purchased ranch land in North Dakota. In 1886 he ventured into the northwest corner of the park while on another hunting trip. He met George Bird Grinnell in 1885 and together with other influential sportsmen, created the Boone & Crockett Club in 1888. The organization was formed for the “…preservation of the large game in this country, and…to further legislation for that purpose, and to assist in enforcing the existing laws.” Yellowstone was one of their primary concerns. He visited Yellowstone again in 1890 and for a period of time favored the railroad’s desire to lay their tracks of steel inside the park to Cooke City. He was soon dissuaded from this opinion by his friends in Boone & Crockett. Roosevelt made several other trips to Yellowstone in the early 1890s, but soon the pressures of his political life made those journeys impossible. He became President in 1901 with the assassination of William McKinley. Roosevelt made his most famous trip to the park in 1903 with naturalist friend John Burroughs and was guided by Uncle Billy Hofer. Together they explored the park and saw first hand the condition of the wildlife and the declining buffalo herd. One of their campsites was near Calcite Springs, close to Tower Falls. A legend later sprung up that the group camped under the large tree at what became Roosevelt Camp and lodge. This was however, a promotional scheme devised by the early supporters of the Roosevelt Camp in order to draw business to the location, which was located off the main tour route. Before Roosevelt left the park, he stopped in Gardiner on April 24 and dedicated the new stone arch that was being built at the North Entrance. It was later named after him. The US Forest Service was created during his administration in 1905 and he installed forestry expert Gifford Pinchot as the head of the new U.S. Forest Service. Roosevelt adopted Pinchot’s principle of multiple-use, the nation’s first formal natural-resource policy. The multiple-use policy advocated scientific management of public lands for a variety of uses, including commercial development. Using his presidential powers, Roosevelt set aside a total of 235 million acres of public lands to protect them from exploitation by private interests. [84c] [62i] [25g] Russell, Osborne. Osborne Russell, one of the Rocky Mountain fur trappers in the early 1800s, first trapped in Yellowstone in 1835 and continued until 1939. In 1836 he described the “parting of the waters” at Two Ocean Pass, where water from one lake flowed both east and west of the continental divide. Blackfoot Indians wounded him and a companion near the mouth of Pelican Creek in 1839 and they narrowly escaped capture or death. He later wrote a book describing life in Yellowstone and the Rocky Mountains. The book “Journal of a Trapper” is still being published and is widely read. [25g;10] Salisbury, O.J. O.J. Salisbury was born on the shore of Lake Erie, a few miles from Buffalo, New York. He went west at an early age and became a contractor for the Union Pacific on the construction of their new rail line. In the early 1870's he teamed up with his brother Monroe and J.T. Gilmer to purchase the assets of the Utah, Idaho, and Montana branches of Wells, Fargo & Co. In 1873 this transportation firm was running stages from Fort Benton, Montana to Helena. Gilmer & Salisbury bought out the Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage, Mail and Express Line in 1876, operating the Deadwood line between Cheyenne and the Black Hills. They began running stagecoaches into the park from the Union Pacific rail line at Spencer Idaho beginning in 1879 and built a stage station at Henry’s Lake in 1881. The route passed through Virginia City, Ennis, Henry’s Lake and Targhee Pass before arriving at Marshall’s Hotel. They became one of the most powerful corporations in the Northwest in the late 1800’s and amassed a nice fortune. In their final days lines ran from the Canadian border to southern Utah and from the Great Plains to California and Washington. O.J. bought a home in Salt Lake City in the 1880's and spent the rest of his life there. He engaged in politics, as well as real estate, mining, and a farm mortgage loan business. [C.C. Goodwin, "As I Remember Them"] [18t] [25g] [79o;470-71] [25L;91] Sawtell, Gilman. Gilman Sawtell (sometimes Gilman Sawtelle) was the son of Ebenezer and Sally Sawtell, born Dec. 10, 1836 in Groton, Mass. He served with the 8th Illinois artillery in 1861-62 under Col. Farnsworth during the Civil War. He married Carrie Livermore (date unknown) and had a son Eben R. Sawtell in 1866 while living in Jackson County, Iowa. By 1867 the family was living in the west and homesteaded a ranch in the Henrys Lake area in 1867-68 after prospecting in the Nevada City area. In 1868 he built a rough road from his ranch to Virginia City, and five years later was instrumental in completing the road into Yellowstone via Targhee Pass to the Madison River and through the west entrance to the Lower Geyser Basin. The road was known as the Virginia City and National Park Free Wagon Road and conveniently passed by his lodge. It was the first road built into Yellowstone Park. Sawtell conducted the 1st commercial tour in the park in August of 1871, guiding the Raymond-Clawson party. They encountered part of the Hayden Expedition at Canyon. In a newspaper article the following year Rossiter W. Raymond described Sawtell as: "A stalwart, blonde, blue-eyed, jovial woodsman is he, who for years has kept a solitary ranch on the bank of Henry's lake, some sixty miles from the settlement. Half a dozen well built log houses constitute his establishment. There is a comfortable dwelling, a stable, a workshop, a storehouse for skins and game, and an ice house. Mr. Sawtelle's [sic] principal business has been spearing trout, packing them in ice, hauling them in wagons to Virginia City, and even as far as Helena, and disposing of them at handsome prices to the busy population, who haven't time to fish for themselves. A farm supplies him with vegetables and grain, the valleys afford him excellent hay, and land and water all about him swarms with game of every kind." In the 1870-80’s Sawtell caught and sold tens of thousands of pounds of fish from Henry’s Lake and shipped them by rail to markets as far away as Butte and Salt Lake City. The ranch suffered damage in 1877 when the Nez Perce passed through and again in 1878 by the Bannock. The ranch became a stage stop in 1880 when George Marshall began stage service into Yellowstone. Mrs. Sawtell died Dec. 13, 1884 and in 1890 Sawtell transferred his properties to son Eben and lived out his life as a prospector. Eben sold the ranch to Edwin Staley on June 18, 1896 and the area became known as Staley Springs. A nearby mountain was named after him. [25g] [18t] [65e; 5/25/1872, p.4] [YNP H2 History File, Letters] Lt. Schwatka. Lt. Frederick Schwatka was born in Galena, Illinois Sept. 29, 1849, graduated from the US military academy in 1871, and was appointed 2nd lieutenant in the 3rd cavalry. He studied law and medicine and was admitted to the bar in 1875 and received a medical degree in 1876. He took a leave of absence from the military in 1878 and spent most of the next six years exploring the Arctic and the wilds of Alaska. He made a 3,251 mile journey by sled during his travels. He resigned from the military in 1884 and in 1886 lead another exploring expedition to Alaska under the auspices of the New York Times. In 1887 he attempted to become the first person to circumnavigate Yellowstone Park during the wintertime. The New York World newspaper financed the expedition and hired Frank Haynes to document the journey with photos. They were accompanied by scout Ed Wilson and several other men. Winter travel in Yellowstone proved to be much different than in the Arctic, and Schwatka was not prepared for the conditions he encountered. He only made it as far as Norris Geyser Basin when health problems forced an early end to his attempt and he returned to Mammoth. Frank Haynes, Wilson, David Stratton and C.A. Stoddard continued on with the venture, taking the first winter pictures in the park. The men narrowly escaped death in a blizzard while attempting to cross Dunraven Pass. Schwatka wrote several books in the mid-1880’s about his adventures in the Arctic and Alaska. He died in 1892. [25g] [97e] [1p] Scott, Charlie B. C.B. Scott came to Park Co., Montana in 1882 and engaged in the freighting and contracting business near Cooke City for a time. He was one of the five assistant superintendents for Yellowstone National Park in the early 1880’s. He later developed the Scott Water Co. and participated in several other businesses in Gardiner. By 1892 he operated a “billiard and sample room located on Main street and enjoys a liberal patronage from his legion of friends and acquaintances.” He married Adelaide Bigelow in 1904 raised purebred Hereford cattle on a ranch in Tom Miner Basin until his death in 1934. They had a stone house on East Main St. in Gardiner, next to the old Cottage Hotel (west side). In 1904-05 he was active in the fundraising and construction of the community Union Church on West Main St. During the 1914-16 seasons he was a stockholder in the Shaw & Powell Camping Co. In 1924 he became one of the directors of the new Gardiner Light & Water Co. [LE;6/4/1892] [L.Link bio, YNP Vert. Files, Biography] [YNP Archives - Shaw & Powell Financial Records.] Scott, M.D. M.D. Scott was killed in 1885 by lightning while sailing on Yellowstone Lake in the Explorer. [25L;92] Scoyen, Clarence “Pop”. “Pop” Scoyen was born in the Norris Blockhouse on March 4, 1895. He brother Eivind was born there also in 1896 (Eivind was at one time assistant director of the NPS, and Supt. of Glacier and Zion). Pop was a long-standing member of the Gardiner Eagles and American Legion. In his early days he worked as truck driver, dog team chauffeur, ice cutter, winter keeper at the Canyon Ranger Station, and worked for the NPS from 1919-23. In 1923 he went to work for George Whittaker’s general store at MHS until April of 1925. He was then employed by the W.A. Hall store for the next 14 years. He also worked at the Gardiner post office from 1939-43. He then returned to the NPS where he retired in March of 1965. In May of 1923 he married Linnea Britton, and the couple had one daughter named Connie Lee. Mrs. Scoyen died on May 25, 1961. Pop died in 1981. [Conversations with Anne Mitchell] [Park County News; 7/25/1971] Seller, K.R. K.R. Seller was a visitor from Minnesota who was the driver of the first vehicle allowed into the park on July 31, 1915, driving a Model-T Ford. [25L;92] Sevitz, Robert J. Robert Sevitz became a member of the Yellowstone Park Co. Board of Directors in 1959. He was with the Security Bank of Los Angeles, which was providing financing for the company. [25L;92] Shaw, Amos A. Amos Shaw was born June 1, 1848 on the Atlantic Ocean, three days out from Gibraltar, while enroute to Canada. His birthplace was considered legally to be in Michigan, the residence of his parents. He was the son of Amos Shaw (ca1806-1866), a British naval officer and Mary (Cassady) Shaw (ca1809-1871). At 9 years of age Amos began working on the steamer "Globe," plying the waters between Saginaw and Buffalo NY. He was a cabin boy for 4 years and then sailed on the Great Lakes in the summer as a captain of some of the largest vessels, and worked in the lumber woods during the winters until he came to Livingston, Mt. on Dec. 8, 1890. In 1891 he superintended the assembly of the steamboat Zillah for E.C. Waters and the Yellowstone Lake Boat Co. and became the Zillah’s first pilot. He held that position from 1891 through 1893. Captain Shaw married Eunice Conway (1855-1934) on April 20, 1876. He later became part owner of the Shaw & Powell Camping Company . He made his home in Livingston and had a ranch in the Shields River valley. He was married 38 years to Eunice Conway and was survived by their five children. Shaw died Sept. 24, 1913 of heart disease after a year's illness. Prior to his death he traveled to Washington DC where he finally obtained permission to install “permanent camps” in the park, to compete on an equal footing with the Wylie Permanent Camping Company. His sons Arthur and Walter continued on in the camping business after Amos’ death. He and Eunice are buried in the Mountain View Cemetery at Livingston. [25L;92] [83c] [68] [5n] Check my Shaw & Powell Camping Co. page for more info! Shaw, Chester. Leo Chester Shaw, son of Amos Shaw, was born in Burnham, Michigan and moved with his parents to Livingston, Montana in 1890. He served as assistant manager of the Shaw & Powell Company for about 21 years. He took over management of the Shaw Camps in Cooke City following the unfortunate death of his brother Walter in 1925, retiring in 1940. During WW1 he served as a transportation expert with a company working on war-related projects in Alaska. He died in a Portland Oregon hospital in early July, 1944. Chester was survived by his wife Margaret and their two sons William Amos and Richard Chester Shaw. [42e;7/5/1944] Shaw, Walter. Walter Shaw, son of Amos Shaw, assisted in the operation of the Shaw & Powell Camping Co. and became known nationwide as a lecturer and exhibitor of slides and films depicting the Yellowstone region. Walter setup Shaw’s Goose Lake Tent Camp by Goose Lake along the trail to the famed Grasshopper Glacier near Cooke City. The trail to the glacier was twelve miles one-way and required a 10 to 12-hour round-trip on horseback. The savvy traveler could spend the night at Shaw’s Camp and be able to spend more time in the area and not be so rushed. Shaw also maintained a guide service in Cooke City with saddle and packhorses and experienced guides. The trail to the glacier was opened up in 1921 and the camps were in use at least through 1928. The Northern Pacific RR employed Walter during the winters as a promoter and he traveled through the East giving lectures on the beauties of the Rocky Mountain region. Walter and Lillian Shaw ran the Shaw Hotel in Gardiner from 1922 to 1925, when on June 19 he drowned while trying to ford the swollen Gardiner River near town. Friends equipped with spotlights patrolled the river at night hoping to spot his body. Three months later his remains were found ¾ mile south of the Emigrant Bridge. Lillian and her children continued to operate the hotel until it was sold in 1944 to Hugh Crossen and J.D. Winters. His brother Chester took over management of the Cooke City operations. [24d] [39-24] [42e;7/5/1944] [42e;6/25/1925] For additional information on the Shaw family, visit my Shaw & Powell Camping Co. web page. Sheridan, Phillip. Gen. Sheridan was an army general who visited the park in 1882 with a force of 150 men. He cut a primitive trail from Jackson’s Hole to West Thumb, and later recommended military protection of the park. [25L;93] Shively, John S. An important personage in the 1877 Nez Perce foray through Yellowstone in 1877, John Shively, described as an "altogether honest and reliable man," helped guide, albeit under force, the Nez Perce through the wilds of Yellowstone. Chased by the army from their homeland in Oregon, the Nez Perce always seemed to keep a few steps ahead of General Howard in their quest for safety in Canada. Shively and members of the Radersburg tourist party were captured by the Nez Perce in August and held captive for over a week while the Indians negotiated their way through Yellowstone. Eventually he escaped his captors and made his way back to Bozeman to tell of the exciting adventures in Wonderland. Born around 1833 in Pennsylvania, Shively headed west in 1852 to follow the gold rush and eventually landed in Montana Territory. He died February 15, 1889 in Phillipsburg, Montana. [Thrapp, Dan, Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, Vol.III] Simmons, Glen. Glen Simmons was a government employee who in 1942 was the 1st to use a snowplane in to West Yellowstone in 7-3/4 hours. A snowplane was a propeller-driven cab on skis. [25L;93] Simpson, Gov. Governor of Wyoming who proposed in 1955 that the state of Wyoming buy out the YPCo operation and assets and run the concession. The proposal was later defeated. [25L;94] Skinner, Milton Milton Skinner first came to Yellowstone in 1896 as an employee of the Yellowstone Park Association. He later went on to work for the Corps of Engineers overseeing roadwork. He became the 1st Chief Naturalist in 1920. [25L;94] Smith, A.L A.W. Miles purchased a 1/3 interest in the Wylie Camping Co. in 1905 and A.L. Smith bought the other 2/3 interest for silent partner Harry Child. The company was renamed the Wylie Permanent Camping Co. with Miles as president and general manager. [25L;72] Smitzer, “Little Gus”. Gus Smitzer aided in the stagecoach robbery with George Reeb that occurred Aug. 14, 1897 about four miles from Canyon Hotel along the Norris road. Famed poacher Ed Howell was hired to track down the perpetrators of the robbery and later received reward money for his actions. Both men were convicted in District Court in Cheyenne, Wyoming the following May and sentenced to 2-1/2 years in the federal pen. Reeb was indeed addicted to morphine and the jail time cured him of his habit, of which he was grateful. Smitzer was later hired as an irrigator at the Rose Creek Ranch, and served faithfully for a number of years. Smitzer is buried in the Gardiner cemetery and his headstone notes he was born in 1849 and died in 1931. [31] Snyder, Lily. Lily Snyder married Frank J. Haynes in 1878 and began helping with the photography business almost immediately at his studio in Moorhead Minnesota. [25L;94] Sowash, Z.R. ‘Red’. Red Sowash, sometimes spelled Red Siwash, built a saloon in 1884 in the Round Prairie Meadow of Yellowstone, northeast of the present Pebble Creek Campground. He catered to the gold miners enroute to and from the mining fields of Cooke City. He applied for a lease for the ground he occupied in January of 1887 through House Representative J.K. Toole. However, Interior denied the request stating that visitor accommodations were not necessary in that portion of the park and the army removed him in 1887. Red Sowash arrived in Montana around 1875 and engaged in numerous pursuits in Miles City and the area east of Billings, Montana. He made his way to Park County, Montana and Yellowstone where he mined in the mountains of Cooke City, Aldridge, and the Bear Gulch area above Gardiner. "Red" passed away March 5, 1901 at his home in Horr after a short bout of pneumonia. [Anaconda Standard, 3-12-1901] [YNP Army Files Doc.123] [25g] Spence, May. Born circa 1899, May Spence married Charles Hamilton in 1920. Daughter Eleanor "Ellie" May Hamilton was born the following year. Ellie later married Trevor Povah. May Spence Hamilton passed away September 8, 1955. [25L;95] Spiker, John. By 1892 John Spiker was operating a hotel in Gardiner, which included a bar room that was “…well stocked with liquors and cigars.” He completed construction of a water wheel on the Yellowstone River in April 1895 to force water up to the town of Gardiner. Most water was hauled in barrels prior to that time. The following year he began construction of a 75-light Jenny Dynamo at the water wheel. By April of 1897 the electric plant was working and supplied electricity to light up his hotel. [LE:6/4/1892] 4/13/1895; 5/9/1896; 4/24/1897] Stephens, Clarence. Clarence Stephens was one of the assistant superintendents under Supt. Norris from 1879-82 and was briefly superintendent between the administrations of Norris and Conger. Upon Supt. Conger’s arrival, Stephens was replaced by G.L. Henderson as assistant superintendent. On Mar. 2, 1880 Stephens was appointed the 1st postmaster in the park and served at Mammoth, probably in the Norris Blockhouse. He purchased the James Henderson Ranch at Stephens Creek in the early 1880’s, but sold out to George Stephens and Joe Keeney in 1883 and returned east. Stephens Creek was named after him. [25L;96] Stuart, Alex. Alex Stuart was one of the first few residents of the new town of Riverside (now West Yellowstone) located at the west entrance to Yellowstone and built a general store with Sam Eagle. Alex and his wife sold out in 1910 and purchased Charles Arnet’s “The Yellowstone Store.” They incorporated as the Stewart Mercantile Co. in 1915. Stuart also built Stuart’s Garage, selling Texaco gas, oil, tires, and other automotive supplies. He gained the contract to service the buses of YPTCo in 1917. The yellow buses picked up visitors from the Union Pacific rail depot for tours into the park. Mr. Stuart was born Feb. 17, 1880 in Canada and relocated to Montana in 1894, and then in the area that became Riverside in 1901. Alex and his wife Laura (nee Larsen) had a son Walter in 1909, who in 1936, purchased his father's Texaco service station operation. Laura Steward, a native of Norway, died in the fall of 1939. Alex died Feb. 27, 1961 in Ashton, Idaho and was buried next to his wife in the Sunset Hills Cemetery. Stuart, Charles. Born in 1849, Charles Stuart was a member of the US Geological Survey under Arnold Hague for several years in the late 1880’s. He married Helen Henderson, daughter of G.L. Henderson, on Nov. 15, 1887. He had also served as a tourist guide and outfitter for the Cottage Hotel and assisted with construction of the addition to the hotel in 1887. He died in 1929. [LE;11/15/1887;5/28/1887] [1899 YNP Supt’s Report] Thrall, Nelson C. Nelson C. Thrall was a Philadelphia businessman who was one of the founders of the Yellowstone Park Association in 1886 and served as secretary. [25L;97] Thrasher, Augustus F. A.F. Thrasher was a photographer that accompanied the Raymond-Clawson party in 1871 and took a considerable number of pictures in the park around the same time that Henry Jackson did. Unfortunately, the location of his photos or negatives has yet to be located. He operated in Idaho Territory around 1866 and arrived in Montana Territory the following year or so. He operated in both areas over the next few years and visited some of the mining camps in Montana in 1871. After 1872 he reportedly was active in the eastern United States and died sometime in the mid1870's. [25L;97] [Biographies of Western Photographers, Carl Mautz] Toll, Roger W. Roger Toll was Yellowstone Park superintendent from Feb. 1, 1929 to February 1936. He was killed in an unfortunate auto accident near Deming, New Mexico on Feb. 25, 1936. He left a wife and three children. Toll was born October 17, 1883 in Denver, Colorado and earned a degree in civil engineering at Denver and Columbia Universities. He started work in Washington DC in 1908 with the Coast and Geodetic Survey, working the coast of Alaska for a time. He served in the army during WWI, attained the rank of major, and moved to Hawaii after the war. Toll joined the Park Service in 1919 with service as superintendent at Mount Rainier National Park, followed by superintendence at Rocky Mountain NP. From there he moved on to Yellowstone. [25L;97] [National Park Service: The First 75 Years - Biographical Vignettes] Topping, Eugene S. E.S. Topping, operator of the first commercial boat on Yellowstone Lake, was born on Long Island May 15, 1844. He went to sea at age 12 in the ocean merchant service and headed west in 1868 working as prospector, miner, and stock trader. By 1871 he was working the Clark Fork mines and the following year guided Mr. & Mrs. H.H. Stone through the park. Mrs. Stone was reported to be the 1st known woman to visit the geyser basins. Topping and Dwight Woodruff spotted steam from the top of Bunsen Peak in 1872, and upon investigating its source, discovered the Norris Geyser Basin, and in the process, a shorter route to the Lower Geyser Basin. The following year Topping and Nelson Yarnell prospected on the Stinking Water River east of Yellowstone. Topping and Frank Williams were permitted to operate boats on Yellowstone Lake in 1874. They built a small boat and named it the ‘Sallie’, after the 1st two female passengers they carried on the Lake – Sarah Tracy and Sarah Graham. On Aug. 7, 1874 a Bozeman newspaper noted that Topping ". . . has his little craft successfully launched upon the Yellowstone Lake, and intends to accord the privilege of naming it to the first lady passenger." In 1875 Topping built a cabin and boat dock at Topping Point, west of the Lake Outlet. He operated on the lake for two years. He spent much of his time between 1876 and 1880 in the Black Hills mining and sheep trading. He moved to Mandan and for two years had a wood contract with the Northern Pacific Railroad. Back in Yellowstone in 1882, Eugene Topping supervised a road crew that was charged by Supt. Conger with building a new road from McCartney's Hotel to Swan Lake Flats. They continued the road work on to Firehole and built a bridge over the Gardiner River enroute. In 1885 he published a very interesting book entitled “The Chronicles of the Yellowstone – An Accurate, Comprehensive History.” The book contains a lot of early park history, along with information about mining and Indian conflicts in the greater Yellowstone region during the late 1800’s. [97p] [113] [1882 Supt's Report, p4-5] [Bozeman Avant-Courier, 8/7/1874] [56m;1171] See also my Boat History page for additional information. Townsley, John. John Townsley was appointed Park Superintendent in 1975. Toy, Sam Sam Toy, also referred to as Sam Toi, started up a hand laundry business in the old McCartney Hotel in 1902. The business lasted until the winter of 1912 when the building burned down. [30] Train, Edgar H. Edgar H. Train (E.H. Train) was a Helena photographer who has become known for his early Yellowstone stereoviews of scenes of the early 1870's. Whether he actually took photos himself, or purchased photos from other photographers is unknown. He apparently bought Joshua Crissman's print of E.S. Topping's boat the Sallie, taken on Yellowstone Lake in 1874. He went into partnership with Helena photographer Oliver C. Bundy in 1876, who later that year bought out Train. He was born in 1831 in Stockholm, NY and died in 1899. [www.yellowstonestereoviews.com ] Trischman, Anna. Anna Trischman - See ‘Pryor, Anna’ See also my Pryor Store page. Trischman, Elizabeth "Belle". Elizabeth Trischman was born Dec. 22, 1886 at Fort Custer, Montana Territory. She apparently was the twin sister of Harry Trischman, who worked as a ranger in Yellowstone for about 30 years. They moved with the family to Ft. Yellowstone in 1899. In 1912 she joined her sister Anna Pryor in the curio business at Mammoth, after George Pryor left the concern. The two sisters operated the Pryor & Trischman curio/coffee shop for about 45 years. In 1933 they purchased the general stores of George Whittaker located at Mammoth and Canyon. They retired in 1953, sold the operation to Charles Hamilton and returned to their winter home in Los Angeles. Elizabeth never married and passed away in a Glendale hospital on Nov. 20, 1984 at age 98. See also Pryor Stores page. [25h] Turnbull, Charles Smith. Dr. Charles S. Turnbull was the physician with Hayden's US Geological Survey of Yellowstone and the surrounding areas in 1871-73. Born Nov. 10, 1847 to Dr. & Mrs. Laurence Turnbull, he received his Ph.D in 1869 and studied in Vienna a few years later. He served as a surgeon in the Civil War, the Pennsylvania National Guard, and numerous medical facilities in New York and Pennsylvania. [Who's Who in America, 1902]
- Yellowstone Bios U-V-W-X-Y-Z | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone Biographies U-V-W-X-Y-Z Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Underwood, Gilbert Stanley. Architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood became associated with the National Park Service, the Union Pacific RR, and other park concessionaires in the early 1920’s. Trained in the California Arts & Crafts movement in 1910-11, he used those concepts to design buildings that utilized natural and native materials, such as rock and logs, to blend the buildings in with their environment. He designed a multitude of buildings in the western United States including: the Dining Lodge at West Yellowstone; Old Faithful Lodge; lodges at Zion, Bryce, and Cedar Breaks; the Grand Canyon Lodge; Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite; Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood, Oregon; Sun Valley Lodge in Idaho; and the Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton. He also designed many railroad depots for UPRR, 20 post offices, two major federal buildings, and the US State Dept. Building. [66m] [25g] Villard, Henry . Henry Villard became president of the Northern Pacific RR in 1881 and presided over the “Last Spike” ceremonies at Gold Creek in 1883. The ceremonies celebrated the completion of NP’s line from Minnesota to the West Coast. [25L;100] Wakefield, George W. G.W. Wakefield was born in Bangor Maine on Oct. 15, 1833. He married Margaret Brotton in 1854. Venturing west in 1859, he worked and prospected in many areas, including Colorado, California, Mexico, Nevada, British Columbia, Oregon and Idaho. In 1872 he settled in Bozeman, operating a hotel and livery barn. Wakefield and Charles W. Hoffman of Bozeman established the Wakefield & Hoffman stage line in 1883 and provided service from Cinnabar to Mammoth and into the park under an exclusive agreement with Yellowstone Park Association (YPA).They operated from Livingston to Cinnabar until NPRR’s rail line was open to Cinnabar. They also received the mail contract for the Livingston to Cooke City route and provided daily mail service (during the summer season) to Mammoth beginning in July 1883. The company built a mail station near Soda Butte as the trip from Cinnabar to Cooke City took more than one day. Wakefield bought out Charles Hoffman in December of 1885 and teamed up with Frank Haynes to form Wakefield & Haynes. The company was short-lived and Haynes sold out in June of 1886 for $2400. The concern then became known as Wakefield Stage Lines. In 1887 the line began tri-weekly stage service from Livingston to the mining city of Castle. In 1889 the business incorporated as the National Park Transportation Co. with members Charles Gibson, E.C. Waters, Wakefield, and Thomas Oakes. George Wakefield lost the YPA contract in late 1891, and the operation was purchased by the Yellowstone National Park Transportation Co. in 1892. By 1894 the firm of Wakefield & Ennis was delivering mail by stage from Livingston to Cinnabar. D.I. Donovan took over the route in 1895. The following year George Wakefield received permission to transport visitors from the Union Pacific rail line at Monida. In 1895 he began operating the Albermarle Hotel in Livingston and held ranch properties in the Livingston area. He used 10-passenger Concord coaches and began operation of a camping company in the park that year. In 1901 he began conducting 10-day camping tours after he traded his ranch in Shields Valley to A.W. Chadborne for his camping company. The tours cost $40 and all the visitors camping needs were provided for. [25g] [LE;6/8/1889;6/1/1895] [Daily Enterprise (Liv.MT); 7/6/1883; 7/19/1883; 1/5/1895] [39-49] [43j] [3m] Wald, Andrew. Andy Wald (Andrew Wald) was the pioneer sand artist who in 1888 originated the idea of filling bottles with multi-colored sand to create images of animals, geysers, and various park scenes. He received permission in 1893 to erect a tent at Mammoth in which to sell his crafts. He also supplied Ole Anderson with sand art for his Specimen House curio business. It is known that Wald worked with Ole in the curio business, but to what extent is unknown. The Federal Census of 1900 showed Wald as a boarder at the Anderson household, and no doubt he was a close friend of the family. After Ole sold out his business to Pryor & Trischman in 1908, they employed Wald at their curio shop in Mammoth. He received permission from various acting superintendents to collect his sand from Norris, Canyon and other areas. He was cautioned “… not to disturb or mar the natural formations or other objects of interest.” He also served as winter keeper at the Lower Basin Hotel for at least the winter of 1889-90. An interesting account in the Livingston Enterprise noted a 1908 beer baseball game in Gardiner between the ‘Fats’ and the ‘Leans’. Wald was the ‘bartender’ and manned the keg of beer located at first base. A single merited one beer and a triple three beers. The game was umpired by famous stagecoach driver and storyteller Geyser Bob (Robert Edgar). The article described Wald as “… the famous old-timer who lives any old place where he hangs up his hat, and is noted for his ability for pounding sand in bottles in the Yellowstone Park.” He was born in 1853 in Sweden and was commonly known to friends and visitors as "Sandy" or "the Sand Man." According to an article written in the Spokane Chronicle, August 20, 1897, Wald would spend the long winter months creating his bottled sand artwork and then enjoy the fruits of his labor during the summer season. It was reportedly not uncommon for him to earn $3000 during the four summer months in Yellowstone. But, the article continued, "he was not a provident man and spent his money almost as fast as he got it in playing poker, shooting craps and drinking. When he would lose a large sum of money he would almost invariably drink heavily for a week or ten days. During such sprees he neglected his business and let many dollars slip through his fingers in that way." Despite those problems, the reporter claimed "he sold his bottles of sand to many of the royal families of Europe when they visited the park, besides the thousands of people of lesser rank and distinction the world over." He passed away on September 22, 1933 in Livingston, Montana at age 82, and was buried the next day in the Gardiner cemetery. His headstone can still be viewed there and reads “Pioneer Sand Artist of Yellowstone Park 1853 - 1933". [1912 Haynes Official Guide] [LE;5/9/1908] [Park County Death Records,Livingston Library] [YNP Army Files Doc.618 &1985] [YNP Archives,Box 68;10] [Anaconda Standard, Aug 18, 1897] [YNP Annual Supt's Report, 1933] Washburn, Henry. Henry Washburn was appointed Surveyor-General of the Montana Territory in 1869. He became the leader of the Washburn expedition of 1870, which produced the 1st official report on the Yellowstone area. There were 15 members of the expedition that included Nathaniel Langford, Lt. Gustavus Doane, Truman Everts, and Cornelius Hedges. Washburn died the following January from a cold caught on the expedition. [25L;102] Wasson, Isabel Bassett . Isabel Deming Bassett was born in Brooklyn, NY on January 11, 1897. Daughter of urban planner Edward Murray Bassett and Annie Preston Bassett, she married geologist Theron Wasson in June 1920 and became Yellowstone’s 1st woman ranger that same year. Isabel earned a master's degree in geology, specializing in petroleum geology, at Columbia University. One of the country's few female geologists in the 1920s, Mrs. Wasson took part in explorations in remote areas of South America. In 1928, she embarked on a career of more than 50 years of teaching, lecturing and public service from her base in River Forest, Illinois. She passed away February 21, 1994 at age 97.For more information on Ms Wasson, check out "Women in Wonderland", by Elizabeth A. Watry. Waters, E.C. Ela Collins Waters (E.C. Waters) was born at Martinsburg, Lewis Co., NY on May 5, 1849 and moved to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin shortly afterwards. He served as a drummer during the Civil War with the Wisconsin 38th Infantry, after being refused by the regular army. He married Martha Bustus Amory March 4, 1878 and had one son and two daughters, the younger of which died in 1905 and the elder in 1913. In 1882 he opened the Merrill (Morrell) House hotel in Glendive, Montana with a Mr. Klaus and operated it until it burned down in 1885. That same year Waters opened the Headquarters Hotel in Billings. He came to work in Yellowstone in 1887 with E. C. Culver. Waters became general manager of the Yellowstone Park Association hotels in 1887, serving until 1890 when he was removed from that position. During that time he became involved in several different mining ventures in the Cooke City area. In 1889 he was one of the incorporators of the National Park Transportation Co. that purchased the Wakefield operation in the park. He became head of the Yellowstone Lake Boat Co. from 1891 to 1907 and built a house and boathouse in front of Lake Hotel that first year. He also brought in the 40-ton steamship “The Zillah ”, which was assembled on site by Amos Shaw (Shaw & Powell). The boat made its first run on June 22, 1891 with a crew of government road workers. Amos Shaw was in charge of the boat for the 1891-92 seasons. The craft served as a ferry from West Thumb to Lake Hotel until 1917. In 1896 he was given permission to establish a wild game show on Dot Island in an attempt to increase business for his ferry from West Thumb to Lake Hotel. He hauled four buffalo in cages on wagons from the Cinnabar depot to the Lake for his ‘show’. He bought out the boat company from YPA in 1897, and obtained a 10-year lease from Interior. In 1905 he bought a second boat and named it the “E.C. Waters.” It was 125’ long with a 26’ beam width and capable of carrying 300-400 passengers. It was used part of the 1905 season, but authorities refused to license the vessel, and it ended up anchored off the east side of Stevenson Island. Waters was not a particularly well respected person or businessman and his wild animal show was a disgrace and a health hazard for the animals. He was ‘encouraged’ to leave the park in 1907 by the army. According to Bartlett’s “Yellowstone – A Wilderness Besieged”, a notice was posted by Supt. Gen. Young stating that “…E.C. Waters, President of the Yellowstone Lake Boat Company, having rendered himself obnoxious during the 1907 season, is…debarred from the park and will not be allowed to return without permission.” It seems though; he did not leave the park completely until 1910. Tom Hofer bought out his boat business with a loan from Harry Child and called it the T.E. Hofer Boat Co. Mrs. Waters died Aug. 6, 1909 and Ela Waters passed away Aug. 25, 1926. He had been in an Old Soldiers Home near Fond du Lac, and his mind was reportedly "entirely gone," and had no recollections of his service in Yellowstone. [56m;918-922] [LE;6/27/1891;10/27/1888;6/8/1889;11/9/1889;6/6/1891;10/15/1892;7/25/1896] [15b] [25g] [YNP H-2, History File] Wear, David W. David Wear was the last civilian Superintendent to serve prior to the takeover by the army in 1886. His administration began July 1885 and only lasted about one year. He was a nephew of Uncle John Yancy. [25L;103] Weed, Walter Harvey. Walter Weed served as a geologist for the US Geological Survey beginning in 1883 and studied Yellowstone from 1883-1889. He discovered that the colors in the hot springs and geyser deposits were due to algae living in the hot waters, and that the deposits were formed by algae life. He also discovered Death Gulch, where wildlife died due to the intense carbon dioxide gas emitted from the ground. He engaged in the geological examination of Montana from 1889-98, primarily from an economic viewpoint, i.e. mining. He authored "Formation of Hot Springs Deposits," "Glaciation of Yellowstone," and was co-author of "Geology of Yellowstone Park," and wrote numerous other papers. Weed was born May 1, 1862 in St. Louis to Samuel R. and Nellie S. (Jones) Weed. He was educated in public schools and graduated from the Columbia School of Mines in 1883. [Who's Who in America, 1902] Welcome, George W. George Welcome was among the earlier residents and businessmen of Gardiner. He was born June 17, 1853 in Ogdensburg, New York and came out West at an unknown date. By 1883 he was running a sawmill above the railroad tunnel on Bozeman Pass, probably supplying railroad ties, tunnel timbers, and trestle material for the Northern Pacific RR. In 1884 Welcome, Al. Coffin, and Alex. Moore built a cabin in Gardiner in the area between the Gardiner River and James McCartney's place. Apparently it was considered to be inside the park boundaries at the time. By 1886 he was operating The City Hotel in Gardiner with his wife as proprietor. He ran the saloon end of the business and advertised Milwaukee Keg Beer on draught. The 1889 Horr Voting Registry listed him as a Saloon Keeper in Horr. By 1894 he maintained a residence in Aldridge near the Lake and owned Welcome Hall, a building that was used for a variety of community events and also sported a saloon. The Livingston Enterprise reported in 1892 that George ran a resort in Horr “where a man can procure anything from a drink to a sufficient quantity to float a steamer. Mr. Welcome carries a mammoth stock of liquors and cigars, employs two mixologists . . . and does a larger business than any saloon in Livingston . . . he also conducts a gambling room.” In 1899 it was reported that he sold the Keats mine in Jardine to local mining magnate Harry Bush for $40,000. He also operated a hotel in Jardine and maintained a residence there, probably around that same time. A Polk Directory for 1904 showed he shared interest in 160 acres of land around Jardine with a man named Double. He had three sons (Harry, George, & ??) and one daughter. George Welcome died of heart failure in his home at Jardine on September 10, 1905 after being in poor health the previous year. His obituary in the Gardiner Wonderland newspaper of Sept. 14, 1905 said he was 56 years of age; although according to the 1889 voting registry he would have been about 52. He was buried in the Jardine cemetery and his large tombstone "Welcomes" all who enter. [Sources: Helena Independent 3/16/1883; 2/27/1884; 6/12/1886. Livingston Enterprise 6/4/1892. Doris Whithorn books on Gardiner and Aldridge] Werks, John. (Also John Works) In 1873 John Werks, George Huston, and Frank Grounds operated a primitive pack and saddle transportation business at Mammoth. Werks began stagecoach service in 1873 from Bozeman with weekly service, or as required. In 1874 “Zack Root's Express” took over the weekly service, leaving Mondays from Bozeman and arriving on Tuesday at Mammoth, carrying both freight and passengers. In 1877 Werks was present at the Henderson Ranch outside of Gardiner when it was attacked my marauding Nez Perce. Much of the ranch was burned, but Werks, Sterling Henderson, and others escaped across the Yellowstone River after a gun battle with the Indians. [25L] [Bozeman Avant-Courier, 7/3/1874] Visit my George Huston web page for additional information. Whittaker, George. Born in Wheeling, West Virginia ca1870, George Whittaker enlisted in the Army for five years in 1889. He was sent to South Dakota in 1890 and participated in the Wounded Knee Sioux Campaign. He was assigned to Ft. Yellowstone the following year, serving until 1896. He was appointed Scout that year and performed those duties until 1898. Around 1897 he conducted hunting and tourist parties in and around the park with Wm. Van Buskirk, a sergeant-major at Ft. Yellowstone. George Whittaker served in the Spanish American War until 1902, with assignments at the Jefferson Barracks in Missouri and in the Philippines as Chief Packer. Whittaker returned to Yellowstone in 1902 as Scout and Packer during the winters until 1910. During the summers Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. employed him as a transportation agent at Canyon until 1913. In February of that year he bought out the Lyall-Henderson post office and store at Mammoth and became Postmaster. The enterprise was known as the Yellowstone Park Store (currently the Yellowstone General Store, operated by Delaware North Parks Services). He began selling gas and automotive supplies at the Mammoth store in 1915 and built the nearby gas station in the fall of 1919. He established a general store and gas station at Canyon in 1917 in an old Holm Transportation building. He built a new store and filling station at Canyon in 1920 that was located next to the ranger station along the rim of the Grand Canyon (current Upper Falls parking lot). By 1923 he was operating a small branch store at the Mammoth auto campground and the following year a deli was added at the camp. He sold the Mammoth camp operation to Pryor & Trischman in 1925, and in 1932 sold the rest of his operation at Mammoth and Canyon to the ladies for $75,000. That sale included his interest in the service station business with YPTCo. He settled in at West Yellowstone where he was part owner of the Hayward Cabin Co., which included tourist cabins, general store, service station, and a beauty/barber shop. Whittaker was also responsible for construction of the first airstrip at West Yellowstone in the mid-1930’s. He continued in business at West until at least the late 1940’s and died in the Old Soldiers Home at Sawtelle, California in 1961 at age 91. [25i] For additional information please visit my Whittaker General Store page. White, Walter. Walter White headed the White Motor Company that manufactured automobiles and trucks. They provided 117 touring buses to the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. (YPTCo) for the 1917 season to replace the stagecoaches. That first season there were 100 10-passenger ¾-ton TEB buses and 17 7-passenger buses. A fire at the YPTCo garage at Mammoth in March of 1925 destroyed about 92 White buses. The White Company rushed to produce 90 new White Model 15/45 10-passenger buses in time for the park opening in June. In 1931 eight 14-passenger buses (614 series) were tried out, and in 1936-39 YPTCo bought 98 14-passenger buses of a different design (Model 706). The autos all featured open tops for unobstructed viewing by the passengers. White Co. provided touring cars to many of the other western national parks during that period of time. In 1914 White teamed up with Roe Emery to operate the Glacier Park Transportation Co., with the White Co. providing $60,000 worth of vehicles for the park that season. Two years later White and Emery setup a similar arrange at Rocky Mountain National Park. Walter White was a silent partner in the 1919 purchase of YP Camping Co. with Howard Hays and Roe Emery. [25L;105] [2r] For additional information, please visit my Yellowstone White Buses web page. Wilcox, Jay. Jay Wilcox was permitted with Jim Parker in 1918 to raise potatoes on Turkey Pen Pass to sell to the tourists. [25L;106] Wilder, Capt. W.E . Capt. Wilder was Acting Supt. with the 4th Cavalry for three months in the spring of 1899. [25L;26] Williams, Frank. E.S. Topping and Frank Williams were permitted to operate boats on Yellowstone Lake in 1874. They built a small boat and named it the ‘Sallie’, after the 1st two female passengers they carried on the Lake – Sarah Tracy and Sarah Graham. A Bozeman newspaper of Aug. 7, 1874 noted that Topping ". . . has his little craft successfully launched upon the Yellowstone Lake, and intends to accord the privilege of naming it to the first lady passenger." Williams drowned May 22, 1875 at the Yellowstone Crossing, near the future site of Livingston Montana. He and three others were crossing the river when the wire crossing cable broke and the boat sank. The others survived the ordeal. [Bozeman Avant-Courier 8/7/1874; 5/28/1875] Wilson, Edward. Ed Wilson served as an assistant superintendent in 1885-86 and was selected as a scout for the Army in 1887, serving admirably for several years. He joined Frank Haynes on the winter expedition of 1887 after Lt. Schwatka became ill and returned to Mammoth. He later fell in love with Mary Henderson, daughter of G.L. Henderson, but she spurned his advances. Disconsolate, he took his life on July 20, 1891 after drinking morphine on the hill above the National Hotel. His remains were not discovered until a year later when a daughter of Henry Wyatt found them in early June of 1892. He is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Livingston, Mt. [113] [31] [LE;6/8/1892] Wingate, George Wood . George Wingate was the author of "On Horseback Through the Yellowstone." The book describes the travels of Wingate, a wealthy and prominent New Yorker, with his wife and 17-year old daughter on a 26-day journey through Yellowstone on horseback in the summer of 1885. Upon his return he noted that "If I had gone to Africa instead of to the Yellowstone, I could scarcely have had more trouble in obtaining reliable information in regard to the journey." So, he wrote his book as an aid and guidebook for others who were to follow in his footprints. He was born in New York July 1, 1840 to Charles and Mary P. (Robinson) Wood. He was a lawyer and was involved in politics and the railroad and insurance industries. As an officer of the NY National Guard, he was instrumental in formulating rules for systematic rifle practice. He obtained the charter for the New York National Rifle Association in 1871 and served as its president for 25 years. He authored numerous books and articles, many on the subject of military matters. [Who's Who in America, 1902; Webster's Biographical Dictionary, 1948] Wirth, Conrad L . Conrad Wirth served as NPS Director from Dec. 9, 1951 to Jan. 7, 1964. He was responsible for the Mission 66 plan, a 10-year, billion-dollar program to upgrade park facilities and services in time for the 50th anniversary of the NPS in 1966. [25L;106] Wo, Sam. Sam Wo was gardener at Chinaman’s Gardens along the Gardiner River near the 45th Parallel from 1909-1922. Robert Reamer designed a house for him in 1917. [25L;106] Wylie, William. William Wallace Wylie (W.W. Wylie) was born June 8, 1848 in Concord, Ohio. He later moved with his parents to Washington, Ohio. He attended college at Hopkinton, Iowa, graduating in 1872. He became a teacher and principal in the Delhi, Iowa school system for two years, was principal at Hinsdale, Ill. for one year, and superintendent at Lyons, Iowa for three years. On April 2, 1874 he married Mary A. Wilson of Independence, Iowa. Wylie moved to Montana in 1878 to be a Bozeman school principal. He later became principal of the Bozeman Academy and served as superintendent of public education for the territory of Montana during 1886-87. He brought his first paid visitors into Yellowstone for a tour in 1880. He published his guide “The Yellowstone National Park, or the Great American Wonderland” in 1882. Wylie started 10-day park tours in 1883 using moveable camps. He created the Wylie Camping Company in 1893 and was licensed to operate a transportation business to serve his customers. The Wylie Way was a less expensive way for tourists to be able to tour the park without the necessity of having to ‘dress up’, as was considered proper in the hotels. A 7-day Wylie tour cost $35.00 while a 6-day tour at the hotels was $50.00. The company was given permission in 1896 to establish permanent camps, and two years later camps were located at Apollinaris Springs, Upper Geyser Basin, Lake Outlet, and Canyon, with lunch stations at Gibbon Falls and West Thumb. He operated the business until 1905 when he sold out to Arthur W. Miles and A.L. Smith (fronting for H.W. Child). Sometime after that Wylie and his wife moved from Bozeman, Montana to Pasadena, California. The Wylie Permanent Camping Co. continued to operate in all major areas of the park until after 1916, when the Wylie and Shaw & Powell camping companies were merged and monopolized into the Yellowstone Park Camping Company under joint ownership. In 1917 WW Wylie and wife Mary started a Wylie Way Camp in Zion National Monument (it became a national park in 1919) and his daughter Elizabeth and her husband Thomas H. McKee opened a Wylie Way Camp at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Monument. The Zion camp lasted until 1925 when the Utah Parks Co. (under the auspices of the Union Pacific RR) unveiled the new Zion Lodge (the Wylie camp had been under UPCo management since 1923). The North Rim camp lasted through 1927 under the McKees and the following season UPCo opened the new Grand Canyon Lodge. Mary Wylie passed on in 1928 and William Wylie died February 7, 1930 in Pasadena at age 82 after a major cancer operation. [25L;107] [56m;1171] [42e;1930] Please visit my Wylie Camping Co. page for more info! Yancey, John F. John Yancey (“Uncle John” Yancey) was a colorful character born in Barren County, Kentucky in 1826 and moved with his family to Missouri while he was still a boy. He fought in the Civil War and was in California in 1849, no doubt following the Gold Rush. He built a cabin and mail station at Pleasant Valley in 1882 to accommodate teamsters and mail stages enroute to Cooke City. He opened the “Pleasant Valley Hotel ” in 1884 and served the ‘undiscriminating’ tourist until his death. The hotel was 1-1/2 stories and measured 30’ by 50’. It could accommodate twenty guests in the upstairs bedrooms at $2.00/day, or $10.00/week. The area was located off of the standard tour route offered by the transportation companies, and his main business catered to fisherman, hunters, miners, freighters, and prospectors to and from the Cooke City gold mines. He knew all the good ‘fishing holes’ and had plenty of tall tales to amuse his guests. Supposedly his whiskey glasses were undefiled by the touch of water. A 1-1/2 story saloon was erected some time between 1887-93, measuring about 20’ x 20’. His nephew Dan took over the business when Uncle John died on May 7, 1903 at 77 years of age. Dan conducted the business until a fire destroyed the hotel on April 16, 1906. The saloon survived the fire, along with a stable and two other log structures. In 1907 Dan applied for permission to lease a site closer to the new road that was being constructed. He was turned down since the Wylie Camping Co. and the Yellowstone Park Association were already in possession of building permits in the area. His lease for the original site was revoked in November of that year. Dan finally received $1000 in compensation for loss of his property in 1935. The saloon was razed in the 1960’s. John Yancey is buried in the Gardiner cemetery at Tinker’s Hill and his tombstone and plot can still be visited. [108a] [25g] [60g] [119o;5/7/1903 & 5/14/1903] Yankee Jim . Like many other Yellowstone pioneers, Yankee Jim (James George, born ca1835 in Penn) came west in 1863 to search for gold in the Bannack, Montana area. He eventually became a meat hunter for the Crow Indian Agency located east of present day Livingston. Actually named James George, this colorful character squatted in the Yellowstone River Canyon about 16 miles north of Gardiner. He came into possession of the primitive road from Bottler’s Ranch to Mammoth in 1873 when Bart Henderson and ‘Horn’ Miller gave up their road building enterprise. In July Yankee Jim declared the road open to within two miles of Mammoth. He set up a cabin and tollbooth in Yankee Jim Canyon 16 miles north of Gardiner and all traffic to the park from the north had to go through his property. Like Uncle John Yancy, Yankee Jim loved to fish, hunt, and tell ‘whoppers’ to folks passing through his ‘Canyon’. The Northern Pacific RR appropriated his roadbed through the Canyon in 1883 against his bitter protestations. The railroad did however; construct a crude bypass for him over the steep hill near the rail line. Jim spent several years attempting to seek justice through the courts, but it did no good. He gradually allowed maintenance of the road to degrade and in 1887 Park County took away his rights to eleven miles of the road north from the Wyoming line. In 1893, his road maintenance continued to decline, along with his sobriety. Park County Commissioners convinced him to give up his road that year in exchange for $1,000. Jim spent most of the rest of his life on his ranch, but deeded it to his brother John early in 1920. A few months later, unable to care for himself, John went to live with his brother in Fresno, California. Yankee Jim died in 1924, at about age 94. [107] [Click Here for Find-a-Grave page on Yankee Jim] Young, Col. S.B.M. Born on January 9, 1840 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Samuel Baldwin Marks Young was the son of Captain John, Jr. and Hahhan Scot Young. He was educated at Jefferson College, Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania. He enlisted as a Private in the 12th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in April 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War. After the expiration of his term he was commissioned Captain, 4th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in September. He served with distinction in the Army of Potomac throughout the Civil War, receiving promotion to Major in September 1862, to Lieutenant Colonel in October 1864 and to Colonel in December 1864. He was breveted Brigadier General of Volunteers in April 1865 for services during the final campaign from Petersburg to Appomattox. Col. S.B.M. Young served two terms in Yellowstone as Acting Supt. with the 4th Cavalry. He served 5 months in 1897 and from May 14, 1907 to November 28, 1908 with the rank of General. In 1908 he married Annie Dean Huntley, widow of Silas Huntley and sister of Adelaide Dean Child (wife of Harry Child). S.B.M. Young died in Montana on September 1, 1924 at age 85. He rose through the army ranks from a private in the Civil War to the rank of Lt. General and head of the US Army. [LE;3/7/1908] [25g] [NY Times, 9-3-1924] [Arlington National Cemetery Website] Young, Harold. Harold Young founded ‘Snowmobiles of West Yellowstone’ in 1955. His company operated Bombedier snowcoach tours through the park. [25L;117] Yount, Harry. Harry Yount was born in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1847. He enlisted in the Union Army at the age of 14 and served until the end of the American Civil War, after which he traveled west to the present-day state of Wyoming. Beginning in 1873, Yount spent a number of years exploring Wyoming's mountain country, including the Grand Tetons, as a member of the geological surveys led by Dr. Ferdinand Hayden. Yount was hired in 1880 to be the 1st Gamekeeper in the park. A cabin was built for him near Soda Butte, but he resigned in September 1881 in frustration over his lack of authority and the absence of enforceable laws. The cabin was located on the western foot of Mt. Norris, east of the old Lamar River ford. Younts Peak, located at the head of the Yellowstone River, was named in his honor. After leaving the park, Yount started his own animal trapping and hunting business and did some prospecting for gold. He was well-known as a bear killer and is reputed to have occasionally engaged in “hand-to-paw” combat with one of these dangerous beasts. He also acquired a rather substantial amount of mining property in later years, including a marble quarry.[25g] [66m] [Wikipedia] Zack Root’s Express. Zack Root began hauling freight and passengers to Mammoth from Bozeman on a weekly basis, leaving on Monday and arriving on Tuesday, beginning in July of 1874. George Huston and John Werks, who operated of a string of pack and saddle horses in Mammoth, hooked up with Zack Root’s Express to provide horse and guide service to the geyser basins. An ad in the Bozeman Avant-Courier read "Ho! For The Mammoth Hot Springs and Geyser-Land! The public and pleasure seekers generally are respectfully informed that I will after this date run a Line of Conveyances between Bozeman and the Mammoth Hot Springs for their accommodation during the season. . . " In 1875 Root advertised stops at Hayden, Emigrant, Chico, Henderson and Bear Gulch. He also carried the US Mail to Mammoth that year. The Bozeman paper revealed no ads for his services in the summer of 1876. [30;195-96] [Bozeman Avant Courier, 7/3/1874; 5/14/1875] For additional information, please visit my George Huston web page
- Old Faithful Inn - Shack Hotel | Geyserbob.com
Hotels in the Upper Geyser Basin Shack Hotels - Old Faithful Inn Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Tent Hotel - Hobart Hotel - Shack Hotel 1883-1903 The Tent Hotel The first formal lodging at the Upper Geyser Basin was a tent hotel established in 1883 by the Yellowstone Park Association (YPA). It was located in the same general area as the current Old Faithful Inn. Not a lot is known about that operation. but one visitor from Manchester England in 1883, was not terribly impressed with the way the, “free-born citizens of the Great Republic” ruled the tent hotels in the park. In an article from his local home newspaper, he lamented, "At the 'Upper geyser basin' the 'hotel' luxuries are varied. Sheets and pillow cases are provided, and each tent has a washstand of the kind that they turn out in Michigan furniture mills at the rate of 6s apiece. The mirror and candlestick are still missing, however, and there is even more economy enforced in the use of towels, the average being one towel to four persons every two days. The beer bottle still does duty in holding the candle, and when you get tired of standing you may sit down on the bed, which feels very much as if an elephant had stepped on it . . . if time is of any value to you in the Yellowstone Park it always pays to wait on yourself, especially in the 'dining tent.' One waiter performs the whole service for 70 or 80 clamorous, hungry people, and not a few of the guests find their best plan to pick up plate, cup, and saucer, and go into the kitchen and negotiate directly with the cook for supplies. Sometimes the lady is tractable and you get them; usually, however, the hungry fellow gets thrust out." [Manchester Weekly Times and Examiner, England, 29 Sep 1883] Hobart Hotel, built in 1885 by Caroll Hobart & Robert Carpenter. FJ Haynes view in 1887. [YNP #127883] Hobart Hotel, built in 1885 by Caroll Hobart & Robert Carpenter. FJ Haynes view, probably taken at same time photo to the left in 1887. [YNP #147587] Hobart Hotel - 1885 to 1894 In the next twenty years there were two hotels at Old Faithful that preceded the Old Faithful Inn. Both stood on the same site and have been referred to in latter days as the Shack Hotel, although the first was originally known as the Hobart Hotel. They were more commonly referred to as the Upper Basin Hotel, or Upper Geyser Basin Hotel. The first was built in 1885 by Carroll Hobart and former park Supt. Robert Carpenter. Hobart's brother Charles, was in charge of the construction. However, financial squabbles between the owners caused Carpenter to leave the park the following year and YPA took over the operation around that time. The 2-story hotel was a somewhat crude affair that accommodated 70 guests. The rooms were painted different colors with pigments taken from the Alabastine Basin and 17 rooms were named according to their color. The hotel was situated so that guests sitting upon the veranda would have a grand view of the geyser basin, sometimes viewing several geysers erupting at the same time. The structure burned down on Nov. 17, 1894. According to The Missoulian in Missoula, Montana, " The Association hotel at Upper Geyser basin in the National park, caught fire from a defective flue in the ladies’ parlor last Sunday evening and was burned to the ground. The hotel was a large two-story structure and the loss will be considerable. The amount of insurance could not be learned." [The Missoulian, 24Nov1894] Hobart Hotel, as viewed from Bee Hive geyser, undated. [YNP #114948] Hobart Hotel in 1890. [YNP #122304] A San Francisco newspaper described one patron’s experience in 1886, a year after the hotel was built: “But mine host promised us a siesta, and that we thoroughly enjoyed in smallish rooms, roughly boarded, and having cracks between the boards that reminded one of a chicken-coop. The beds were good and the sleep excellent, in spite of constant interruptions. The house is a kind of whispering gallery; a fellow sneezes at one end of it and wakens a baby at the other. Domestic confabs, certainly never meant to be overheard, are like stage asides, audible to the last Involuntary listener on the premises, and but for the general, character of the conversation, which makes the hotel as noisy as a beehive, a sensitive soul would find the situation quite painful. People were In and out of doors every moment; the halls were full of baggage; ominous rolls of blankets end bolsters were heaped in one comer of the office—no doubt some pilgrim would thank his stars that he had been fortunate enough to secure this much of comfort in the cold night that was coming on.” [San Francisco Chronicle, 2Dec1887] Office & Dining Room of Hotel Camp in Upper Geyser Basin. [Undated photo, courtesy David Monteith] "Shack Hotel" - 1894 to 1903 An equally crude building replaced it the next year that served as dining room, kitchen, and managers quarters. Guests were put up in nearby tents. The tents had 6-8 divisions that only extended about 3/4 the way to the ceiling and created 96 so-called "rooms." Larry Mathews managed the operation in 1902-03. The old hotel was torn down late 1903, as the OF Inn was being constructed for a 1904 opening. In 1901 Carl E. Schmidt, daughter Emma, “Uncle Frank,” and his son Everett made a journey to Yellowstone for a tour on their own dime, stopping at the various hotels and lunch station. He described the Upper Basin Tent Hotel: “We ask for rooms for the night and are shown a long tent ostentatiously marked No. 1. A hallway down the center formed of canvas divides it. At the end of the hall a small wood stove looks pitifully inconspicuous when compared with the size of the tent. The rooms are canvas formed, with a flap, for a door, a deal bed, small table, and a wash-bowl, with a four by six looking glass furnish the accommodations. Scrupulous cleanliness prevails and later on at Yancey's we have occasion to think back to this primitive abode with loving memory. A lunch is served by a squat figured black-eyed "Bossy Brander" of Montana and spoiled by an officious landlord with great whiskers, hollow chest, and hollower cough who takes the first opportunity to tell us that four years ago he was dying of consumption but now thanks to the climate etc. etc." [Sept1901, Carl E. Schmidt, A Western Trip] Old Faithful Tent Hotel, 1903, managed Larry Mathews. [Library of Congress, #90715246] Upper Basin Lunch House [Undated, courtesy Bob Berry, Cody, Wyo] IN A TENTED FIELD. One of the promises of the tour was that we should sleep in tents one night, and at noon on Tuesday we espied in the distance a snowy line of tents adjoining "Larry's" lunch station. Larry is a garrulous Hibernlan noted in the guide-books, whose jokes have delighted tourists for some ten years. Our party took three meals with Larry and found a great similarity between his jokes and his meals; but he is one of the features of the trip. Our tents were almost convenient enough to be ridiculous for tents. They had all the necessities and were actually supplied with stoves. Each tent has six rooms and a hall. In the morning a voice shouted, "All who want hot water put out their small pitchers," and where should this luxury come from but from the "Old Faithful" geyser, a stone's throw away. They have a barrel set on wheels and all they do Is to ladle out the boiling water and bring it to the tents. We are cautioned not to drink it, however. [THE INDIANAPOLIS Journal, SUNDAY. Sept. 7. 1902] Old Faithful Inn 1904 - Present Old Faithful Inn In 1898 architect A.W. Spalding was selected by the Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) to desgn a new hotel at Old Faithful. He came up with a Queen Anne style design that was approved by Interior, but was eventually turned down by the financial backers of the Northern Pacific RR. Harry W. Child (H.W. Child) made the decision in 1901 to select architect Robert Reamer to design the new hotel. Reamer's original drawings of the hotel called it the Old Faithful Tavern. Reau Campbell, who published his "Campbell's Complete Guide to Yellowstone" in 1909 claimed to have been the original designer for the basic plan of the building and alleged he sent the first sketch to Harry Child. Regardless of the author of the original design, construction began June 12, 1903 on what became known as the "Old Faithful Inn." The Old Faithful Inn opened in June 1904, after a year of construction under the direction of architect Robert Reamer. The design reflected the philosophy of the Arts & Crafts movement, which called for simplicity, the use of natural materials, and a blending of the building with the environment. The immense log structure had 140 rooms, accommodating 316 guests. The walls in the guestrooms were rustic with rough pine boards. The lobby featured massive open ceilings three stories high, embellished with twisted and gnarled pine limbs, and encircled with two balconies. The huge stone fireplace graced the lobby with eight separate fireboxes. A massive wrought-iron and brass clock, designed by Reamer, decorates the north side of the fireplace. Rustic wood candelabra enlighten the first three stories of log columns. Climbing up from the second balcony is a staircase leading to the "Crow's Nest" - a separate small landing near the roof where musicians played for the entertainment of guests far below during the inn's early days. Old Faithful Tavern, May 1903 drawing by Robert C. Reamer. [Courtesy Xanterra Engineering Drawing Archives] Upper Left: Old Faithful Tavern 1903. Stereoview depicting Old Faithful Inn under construction. Click to enlarge. [Photo courtesy Bob Berry, Cody, Wyo.] Upper Right: Old Faithful Inn. Sepia postcard by F.J. Haynes. Upper Left: Old Faithful Inn in ca1904, shortly after completion. [Haynes-Photo PC, Undivided Back] Upper Right: Old Faithful Inn with Dining Room addition at rear of building. [Photo courtesy Milwaukee Public Museum #41719] Located just 1/8 mile from Old Faithful Geyser, the inn is nearly 700 feet in length and its massive gable roof rises seven stories. The imposing quality of the building is offset by unique details, such as irregularly spaced dormers with gnarled log framing, braces and brackets made of irregularly curved tree limbs, a widow’s walk with eight flagpoles, casement windows with various multi-light patterns of diamonds, circles, squares, and rectangles. The first floor is load-bearing log construction that rests on a stone foundation. Upper stories are log and timber framed, with the exterior covered in decoratively patterned wood shingles. Old Faithful Inn Sepia Postcard by F.J. Haynes. Man in front is standing next to Bee Hive Geyser. Old Faithful Geyser is to the left, out of view. Miss Bettye Adler of Ottumwa, Iowa, wrote a fascinating account of her visit to the “Inn” in 1905, and spoke quite eloquently of her stay there. The last paragraph is quite amusing. “Old Faithful Inn is truly a rustic poem, perfect in its harmony. Catch your first glimpse of it with me as we drive up to the picturesque Swiss veranda; its quaint gabled windows mellowing the sunlight in their many diamond shaped panes; the massive porches upheld by heavy pillars of piled logs, yet every line exquisite in harmony and symmetry despite its bold and rugged outline. Enter with me the heavy doors with their great iron bolts and mammoth key and stand in the spacious office or reception hall and I am sure you will, as I did, receive another and very strong jostle of wonder. An enormous chimney, that would be a positive joy for a Santa Claus visit, is the central figure here. It is constructed of huge lava blocks and there are eight fireplaces, in one of which a picturesque fire roared and danced us a welcome, This chimney is 14 feet square and at each side is a huge fireplace with a small one at every corner. A massive corn popper hung close by and in the evening corn was popped in this and passed among the guests. Anxious to know something about the man whose genius could design such a unique place as this, I inquired of the clerk at the office. I learned that the hotel was designed; by a man named Reamer, who built the most of it while drunk, so they tell. He is 27 years of age and at present in San Diego, Cal. If this was a drunken dream, I could not but wonder what he might accomplish if: he were sober.” [Ottumwa Tri-Weekly Courier (Iowa), 22Aug1905, p6] Upper Left: Lobby, Old Faithful Inn 1903. F.J Haynes postcard No. 135, ca1910. Upper Right: Great Timbered Interior Of Old Faithful Inn, Most Unique Of Hotels, Yellowstone Park, U.S.A ., H.C, White stereoview 12066, ca1904. Click to enlarge. A powerful “battleship searchlight was installed on the Widow's Walk in 1904 so that Old Faithful Geyser and oter geysers could be lit up at night, along with occasional "rotten loggers" (romantically-inclined couples). However, they were removed in 1948 as being inappropriate in a national park. Around 1927 the number of flagpoles on the Widow’s Walk was reduced from eight to six in number. One visitor from 1904 who seemed greatly entertained by the searchlight commented, “From the tower a searchlight is operated. I saw Old Faithful by searchlight, and the sight was magnificent. One of the features of the trip was to see the searchlight man chase the bears with the powerful beam of light. The bears are afraid of the electric glare, and ran like scared sheep whenever the rays were turned on them. On a dark night the searchlight develops many odd and interesting sights." Upper Left: Searchlight Now Reveals the Geysers, [St. Paul Globe, 1Jun1904] Upper Right: 'Widow's Walk' and searchlight atop the Inn. [Cropped from YNP photo #7687] Several additions were made to the original Inn over the years. The East Wing (towards the current Visitor Center) was built in 1913 with 100 rooms. The West Wing was added in 1927-28 with 150 rooms. All of these rooms featured plaster walls instead of pine boards. During the last renovation, the lobby was enlarged and the Porte-cochere extended out with an open veranda on top. The Yellowstone Park Hotel Co. developed housing and operational facilities between 1913 and 1929 in proximity to the Inn. These included employee dorms, laundry facilities, caretaker and engineers’ quarters, a carpenter and paint shop, pipe shop, tailor shop, boiler house/room and power plant, and hose house. View of OF Inn showing the West Wing (right), added 1927. Haynes postcard # 27361 Old Faithful Inn dining room, 1928 after renovations in 1927. Note the illustrated post & beams, using wildlife and nature illustrations. Robert Reamer used a special sandblasting process to etch the wood. [Haynes PC#28461] OF Inn "Bear Pit," 1936. Black & white version. The panel along the back were the etched wood bear murals, described in detail below. [Haynes PC #36417] The Bear Pit The Bear Pit Lounge was added to the Old Faithful Inn in 1936, and was located between the kitchen and the west wing (current Snack Shop). The walls featured twelve fir-veneer wood panels depicting humanized bears that were busy bartending, drinking, card playing, and playing piano. The scenes were etched into the wood by sandblasting. Walter Oehrle drew the original sketches, and Robert Reamer and his assistant W.H. Fey worked out the details of having the scenes etched on the panels. It has been said the panels were commissioned in 1933 to celebrate the end of prohibition. The Bear Pit was moved to its current location in 1962.The wood panels were put into storage for many years, and some of them are now on display in the Inn. In 1988 Great Panes Glassworks reproduced many of the original scenes onto etched glass panels, which now separate the Bear Pit from the dining room. The Bear Pit images were originally painted in the 1920s and 1930s by artist Walter Oehrle and were published in a small pamphlet by the Yellowstone Park Company. They were rendered into woodcuts, which graced the inside of the Bear Pit Lounge at Old Faithful Inn for many years. A couple of these woodcuts are still on the walls of the Old Faithful Inn Snack Shop. [Click on each set of four to enlarge] THE BEGUILING BEAR PIT COCKTAIL LOUNGE The Idea Behind the Bear Pit Murals It would be difficult to find a more fitting medium for decorating the Bear Pit than to use the materials at hand, and in some pleasing way to introduce the bruin population in the general scheme of decoration. This perplexing problem was happily solved by the genius of the architect, the late Robert C. Reamer, who originally designed the entire building, and by his assistant, Mr. W. H. Fey of Seattle, Washington. Mr. Walter Oehrle was commissioned to execute the original sketches, and under the leadership of Mr. Reamer the work was carried on to a successful conclusion. How the Bear Pit Panels Were Made The panels used are of carefully selected vertical grain Douglas Fir. The entire surface is treated with an acid Stain (ferro chloride, natr.chloride, and alcohol), and when dry, overlaid with a thin film of lacquer glaze for protection and permanency. In order faithfully to preserve every detail of the original drawings as the work goes on, these drawings — approximately 8x16 inches—are by photography reduced in size to about 2x4 inches. In a darkened room the photos are projected on heavy manila paper to the full size desired—in this case 4x8 feet, and a crayon tracing is made directly on the paper. The tracing is then carefully cut by hand into what is termed a reverse Stencil; that is, the background is eliminated, leaving the actual design or picture to be formed by the remaining paper. At this point, and in order to obtain the two-tone effect as indicated on the original, the completed stencil is copied on a second sheet of paper. Here we segregate the parts of the design holding the halftones and cut them out as a direct Stencil this time, which means the actual design is cut away, leaving the background minus the halftones on the paper. The first, or reverse, stencil is now fastened to the wood and subjected to a stream of carborundum dust or sharp sand blown against the entire surface by means of compressed air at a pressure of from 40 to about 70 pounds pressure per square inch. This process first cleans all exposed parts of the wood free from stain and then cuts away and etches in to the soft veins in the wood and so produces the delicate, combed-like background for the design. The panel is then well cleaned and the second, or direct, stencil must be very carefully fitted over the first design on the panel, whereupon the proper shade of stain is applied wherever the half-tones are indicated on the original drawing. Finally, after a thorough washing a soft natural wax is applied over the entire surface and vigorously rubbed into the wood and hand polished. [From a publication published by the Yellowstone Park Co. ca1936, The Beguiling Bear Pit Cocktail Lounge .] Click images to magnify Top: Lobby & Stone Fountain. Detroit Publishing #12539 Bottom: Lobby Fireplace & Stairs Detroit Publishing #12538 Top: Lobby, Fireplace, Great Clock. Haynes PC No. 135 Bottom: Dining Room & Fireplace. Haynes Sepia PC No. 517 Top: Lobby & Stone Fountain Detroit Publishing #12546 Bottom: Inn Bedroom Haynes PC #10165 Two of the bedrooms at the OF Inn, ca1910. Postcards by the American Import Co., Nos. G512 & G513 The earthquake of 1959 damaged the lobby fireplace chimney structure, parts of which had to be rebuilt. The upper balconies and Widow's Walk were also closed to the public due to safety concerns. The Inn and other nearby structures were threatened by the great fires in 1988, but was saved by valiant efforts of firefighters and volunteers. In 2004-2009 and 2012-2013, the building underwent a major restoration including structural stabilization, electrical, plumbing, and fire suppression upgrades, repair and replacement of damaged exterior and interior materials, and restoration of all windows, the widow’s walk, original light fixtures, the main lobby fireplaces, and the exterior log cribbing on the main chimney that had been destroyed in the 1959 earthquake. The Inn was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. Top: Undated photo of some lively times at Old Faithful Inn. [YNP #133433] Bottom: "Yellow buses" lined up at the Inn, ca1919. [Haynes Photo #19025] Top: Dance at OF Inn, note band in right corner, 1951. Real-Photo postcard. Bottom: White Motor Co. 706 bus leaving OFI with tourists. [Haynes 38432-C Real-Photo] Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. Auto-Stage, White Motor Co. TEB model. [Letterhead courtesy YNP Archives] Yellowstone Park & Old Faithful Inn: Panama-Pacific International Exhibition, San Francisco, 1915 The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was held in San Francisco in 1915 to celebrate the construction and opening of the Panama Canal, the 400th anniversary of Balboa’s discovery of the Pacific Ocean, and to showcase the recovery of San Francisco after the disastrous earthquake and fire of 1906. Three years were spent upon construction of the various exposition halls, and display with over 50 million dollars in expenditures. The 635-acre fair was built along the ocean towards the northern section of the city in the location currently known as the Marina, located between Van Ness and the Presidio. [Aerial photo postcard of the Yellowstone Park Exhibit] The Yellowstone Park exhibit was located in The Zone, the primary amusement area of the fair. The Zone was filled with amusement rides, concessions, exotic foods, games of skill and chance, performers and live shows. Other monumental exhibits included the Grand Canyon of Arizona, an 1849 gold miner’s camp, a western ranch (101 Ranch) Japanese, Chinese, and Samoan villages, and a five-acre working replica of the Panama Canal. The Union Pacific RR (UPRR) contributed a full-size replica of the Old Faithful Inn, lobby, and dining room, along with a working model of Old Faithful Geyser and a huge relief map of the park. The Inn lobby housed a restaurant which seated 200 guests who were entertained by an 80-pieceorchestra. The display was reported to be the largest ever at a world’s fair at a cost of $500,000. Two million board feet of lumber was used for the Yellowstone display. Visitors entered this pavilion through a portal designed to represent the Eagle’s Nest rock along the Gardiner River and the Golden Gate pass south of Mammoth Hot Springs. [Union Pacific RR Postcard, 1915] Deseret Evening News , Utah - October 29, 1914 THE UNION PACIFIC EXHIBIT At the Panama-Pacific international exhibition at San Francisco, undoubtedly the most elaborate concession is the great Yellowstone park exhibit of the Union Pacific system, involving a reproduction of Old Faithful Inn, a bird's eye profile miniature of Yellowstone park, Old Faithful geyser in action, vista of various Yellowstone park scenes reproduced in all their beauty of coloring, exactly as they meet the eye in the park. Some idea may be obtained of the scope of this wonderful spectacle when it is known that the sum of $400,000 has been spent in reproducing upon an elaborate scale the glories of the great national playground. Neither money nor effect was spared to make the reproduction worthy of the original down to the most minute detail. With this spirit dominating the work it was decided that the great scenic effects of rocky crags and cliffs should not be mere haphazard combinations of wood framework and plaster and paint. Instead, forms were made over real rocks, which were first dipped in plaster of paris and spread over the rocks, being fitted to every crack and crevice. This was allowed to dry and at the proper time an extra half-inch of plaster was applied to the surface. GIANT RELIEF MAP Before Old Faithful Inn is the largest relief map in the world, showing every feature of the Yellowstone National Park on a measured scale. The map is 230 feet across and the relief shows every peak, river, and geyser, the latter steaming and throwing up columns of water. The whole is encircled by the buttressed walk upon which the visitors move about. Through the mountains runs a trail more a milelong, flanked with ferns and wild growth. Waterfalls, dropping from a height of more than 80 feet add to the beauties of the scenic effect and great caves can be explored . . . Old Faithful geyser, the most wonderful of all the natural phenomena of the park, will be reproduced with life-like reality, throwing into the air a large volume of water and steam. This scene will be repeated every 65 minutes, reflecting eruptions by moonlight, at sunrise, at sunset, in a storm, or with clear sunshine, with all their varied effects, produced with water, steam and marvelous light devices. When the whole was entirely dry, the mountain surface were raised to the desired position, the perfect outlines of the rocks being preserved. Those pieces were placed in a range of mountains that rises more than 100 feet in the air and the whole painted and tinted to nature’s colors. Shrubs, plants and moss are added to complete the picture. Through clever adaptation of the laws of perspective the illusion of vast mountain ranges, miles in the distance is impressed upon the visitor. Two hundred tons of plaster of Paris, 600,000 yards of burlap, eight tons of paint and 30 barrels of waterproofing were used in the construction of the ranges. The cost of the labor for applying the plaster alone amounted to $25,000.Entrance to the Yellowstone concession is through a canyon with Eagle Nest rock on one side and the Golden gate viaduct on the other. The striking feature after passing through the canyon portal is the absolutely accurate reproduction in every feature of the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone park. The statement applies not only to the architecture but to the exact size, while the banquet hall was necessarily made three times larger than the original. HUGE EXPOSITION ORCHESTRA Another feature will be the official exposition orchestra of 80 master musicians under the leadership of one of the world’s most noted directors. Concerts will begiven in Old Faithful Inn every afternoon and evening, constituting a decided feature of the great exposition. One thing should not be overlooked and that is that the international fair will be ready when the gates are opened on February 20, 1915. For additional information on the PPIE - Click the Link Below. http://www.sanfranciscomemories.com/ppie/history.html
- Sylvan Pass Lunch Station | Geyserbob.com
Hotels in the Yellowstone Sylvan Pass Lodge - Sylvan Pass Lunch Station 1924 - 1934 Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the author. Sylvan Pass Lodge & Lunch Station This rustic Sylvan Pass Lodge was the last of the lodge operations to be built in the park. It was designed to serve tourists traveling the 50-mile journey on the Cody Road from the rail depot at Cody to the Lake Hotel . Situated on the eastern border of Yellowstone National Park, the lodge was designed primarily as a lunch station, although tents facilities were available for overnight guests. The site had previously been used by the Wylie Camping Company, who established the Cody Camp there in 1913. The camp closed after the 1916 season, along with several other Camps and Lunch Stations in Yellowstone. Sylvan Pass Lodge - Cody Road. [Haynes PC #24071 The history of the site is unknown between 1917-1923, but the NPS built a free auto camp nearby by the early 1920s. The Yellowstone Park Lodge & Camps Co . began construction of a log lodge on the site in 1923, which opened in 1924, on the former Wylie camp site. The structure was rustic in nature and similar to other log lodges in the park. It was designed by Fred F. Willson of Bozeman, who was also architect for the Old Faithful Rec Hall and Lake Lodge. The first year the lodge was referred to as the Cody Camp, derived from the Wylie days. The name “Sylvan Pass Lodge” became official in 1925. Sylvan Pass Lodge during final construction in Spring of 1924. [YNP Scrapbook, 14a-0131] Sylvan Pass Lodge probably around Spring opening in 1924. [YNP #32187] The Billings Weekly Gazette reported in Sept. 1923 that Howard Hays, head of the YP Camps Company, “Came to Billings for the purpose of conferring with material men on business connected with the latest expansion plan of the Camps company, which is the construction of a lunch station near the east entrance of the park, on the Cody road, 55 miles from that city. The new building is to be 150 feet long by 110 feet deep, and the dining room will have a space of 135x52 feet, wherein 400 guests can be seated at one time. Hauling of material for this new work has been in progress for 10 days, and construction work is to begin at once, the plan being to have the station complete and ready to serve the public entering the eastern gateway the first day of the 1924 season.” Construction was completed for spring opening in 1924. The building was 150’x100’ in size, with a dining room 135’x52’. It served mostly as a lunch stop for travelers coming to the park on the YPTCo. ’s buses from the railroad station in Cody. Sometimes 500 people would have their lunches there. One group of buses would arrive at noon from Cody; and another, coming from the park would arrive at 1 p.m. Oft-times fifty park buses capable of carrying 11 people each would be parked outside the lunch stop. It also served all other travelers in the area for meals and overnight tent facilities. According to Howard Hays at the close of the 1923 season, there were times during the season when 1,000 people were camped at the public auto camp nearby. Mrs. Adelaide Underwood, a long time park employee who managed the Old Faithful Inn for many years, was in charge of Sylvan Pass Lodge. The operation only lasted about 10 years and was torn down in 1940. Left Top : Sylvan Pass Lodge with bus loads of tourists in front. [Real-Photo Postcard, undated] Left Bottom : View of Sylvan Pass lunch Station. [Tamman Postcard #4541, circa mid-1920s] Bottom Photos : Interior views of Sylvan Pass Lodge. The design is very similar to those of Lake, Canyon, and Mammoth lodges. [1926 & 1928 Yellowstone Park Camps Co. brochures ] Yellowstone Yule Carols Fill Park YELLOWSTONE PARK — Christmas carols will fill the crisp mountain air, presents wil] he exchanged and workers will sit down to special dinners today as Yellowstone National Park continues a traditional celebration. The first Christmas in August observance was held during the 1920s at Sylvan Pass Lodge. Since the lodge was small, the number of employes was small and the party begun by the manager was very close. The occasion now is celebrated also in such cities near the park as West Yellowstone, Gardiner and Cooke City as a farewell to park and seasonal employes. New trees are decorated throughout the park, the nation's first, sand the entire crew of park workers and concessionaires — not to mention tourists — join in the celebration. Art Bazata, president of Yellowstone Park Co., will hold a special open house today as part of the observance. Sylvan Pass Lodge was the first overnight stop from Cody, Wyo, The lodge no longer exists. Celebrants opened the festivities Saturday night with a dance. [25Aug1968 Billings Gazette] Couple skiing at Sylvan Lodge in the 1930s. Although the lodge was not open in winter, they may have stayed at Pahaska Tepee or another lodge in Wapiti Valley.
- Jardine | Geyserbob.com
Gateways to Wonderland Jardine, Mont. Gold Mining on the Edge of Yellowstone Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Undated photo of the Bear Gulch Mining District - Jardine, Montana. Note the row of houses along Bear Creek at far right. Mineral Hill is center, with the main mill below . The quaint small village of Jardine, Montana, was never considered a Gateway to Yellowstone National Park by any means. However, it was an important part of local history, and an economic boom for Gardiner , Cinnabar , and the Northern Pacific RR .The mining history is quite complicated and involved, so only the basics are discussed in this narrative. More extensive information may be obtained from the sources at the bottom of the page. "and finding also a hairless cub, called the gulch Bear.” Eugene S. Topping , in his Chronicles of the Yellowstone, a classic and important history of the greater Yellowstone Valley written in 1885, claimed that in 1863 a group of thirty miners lead by George Huston prospected their way up the Yellowstone River from the mining community of Emigrant Gulch and continued past Soda Butte toward what later became the New World mining district. Attacked by Indians who ran off all their horses, the prospectors cached their excess supplies and continued afoot toward Clark’s Fork with one lone jackass. Finding a few prospects, but no pay, they returned back along the Yellowstone. Topping related that, “On the way they found fair prospects in a creek on the east side of the Yellowstone, and finding also a hairless cub, called the gulch Bear.” Even though today the creek goes by the name Bear Creek, the name Bear Gulch, also referred to as the Sheepeater District, still identifies the classic mining areas around the town of Jardine, Montana. Left : Eugene S. Topping, author of "Chronicles of the Yellowstone." Center : Joe Brown , one of the discoverers and developers of gold in Bear Gulch. Right : George A. Huston, one of the discoverers of gold in Bear Gulch, and a founding Father of Cooke City. Sporadic prospecting around Bear Gulch continued uneventfully the next few years after Huston’s journey until Joe Brown and partners John Zimmerer, Dan Royer, and an unknown man struck rich, gold-bearing gravel in 1866 on a bar at the mouth of Bear Gulch, as it empties into the Yellowstone River. They staked a claim and reportedly took out $8,000 in gold. News traveled quickly in the mining communities and in 1867, Lou Anderson, A.H. Hubble, George W. Reese, Caldwell, and another man discovered gold in a crevice at the mouth of the first stream above Bear Gulch, and named it Crevice Gulch. That same year George Huston returned to the area and built a cabin on Turkey Pen Flats across the Yellowstone River from Bear Gulch. Living on land that later became part of Yellowstone National Park, Huston’s cabin is believed to be the first white residence in Yellowstone. Historic illustrations of early gold mining. At top is a rocker that separated the gold flakes from the gravel, which was afterward panned out. At bottom is an arrastra that used a mule to drag a heavy stone over the ore to crush it, which could then be panned or separated from the host rocks. Meanwhile, placer mining was conducted on gravel bars along the creek, or in ancient channel deposits accessed by tunnels or drifts into the hillsides. During the years 1875-77, Joe Brown and other miners built over 3000 feet of ditch to carry water to the various gravel bars they were working. In either 1870 or 1874, depending on sources, Joe Brown and James Graham discovered quartz gold deposits in upper Bear Gulch on a hill later known as Mineral Hill. Although not developed for several years, the Bozeman Times reported in July 1877 that Wm. Heffner, Joe Brown, and James Graham were successfully crushing ore with a crudely-built, mule-drawn device known as an arrastra, based on a primitive design from the early Spanish and Mexican miners. The paper also noted that George Huston and Stoker Henderson would have their arrastra operating by October. Hard rock mining digs in . . . Hard rock mining escalated in 1878 when Z.H. “Zed” Daniels and three other men began working a quartz lead on Bear Gulch and built an arrastra to process their ore. In July the Bozeman Times reported that George Huston, Jimmy Dewings, and Joe Brown discovered a “fine gold lead . . . [that] panned out one dollar to the pound of rock.” A later article described a 9-foot vein with free gold running through it; a 4-ton run through the arrastra yielded $50 per ton. In 1879 the following mines were recorded at Bear Gulch: Legal Tender (Joe Brown); The Wonder of the World (Beattie, Anderson, and Lovely); The James Graham Lode; Joe Brown & Graham; The Monitor; The Mountain Bride; The Coan & McCauley Lode; The Mountain Chief (Geo. Huston); The Champion Lode; The Summit Lode; The Great Western; Mountain Chief (Brown, Huston, & Graham); and the Home Stake. Various newspapers touted the richness and auspicious future of both Bear Gulch and Crevice Gulch, where similar successes and operations were occuring. The Bismarck Tribune in May of 1879 claimed, “The belief is that erelong Bear Gulch is destined to become one of the richest camps in the Territory.” In April of that year a new town site was being laid out with corner lots going up, a harbinger of anticipated stability and prosperity. Outside investors were now beginning to see the potential of Bear Gulch and as a sign of things to come, George Huston and Dewings sold a third of one of their claims for $3500. Huston went on to concentrate his efforts in the New World Mining District, amassed dozens of claims, and became one of the original founders of Cooke City . Article from the Bozeman Avant-Courier, 22May1879, touting the wonders of the riches of the Bear and Crevice Gulches Major Eaton and the Bear Gulch Placer Co. In 1882 Major George O. Eaton and a man named Sturgess formed the Bear Gulch Placer Co. and filed articles of incorporation in Gallatin County with capital of $40,000. Eaton bought out Brown’s Legal Tender mine and over the next few years purchased other mining properties. His crews tunneled into the canyon walls following old river channels in search for placer gold. Eaton also began hydraulic mining in 1884 on Joe Brown’s 40-acre placer claim on Bear Creek; about three miles below what would later become the town of Jardine. Installing equipment served by 1200 feet of 12-inch pipe with a vertical drop of 400 feet through a six-inch nozzle, it was reported to be the most powerful hydraulic placer operation in the world. Blasting away huge sections of the canyon walls in the quest for auriferous bounty, Eaton realized few riches from his efforts and left a scarred landscape, still visible to this day. Hydraulic mining is a form of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment. In the placer mining of gold or tin, the resulting water-sediment slurry is directed through sluice boxes to remove the gold. Hydraulic mining developed from ancient Roman techniques that used water to excavate soft underground deposits. Its modern form, using pressurized water jets produced by a nozzle called a "monitor", came about in the 1850s during the California Gold Rush in the United States. Though successful in extracting gold-rich minerals, the widespread use of the process resulted in extensive environmental damage, such as increased flooding and erosion, and sediment blocking waterways and covering farm fields. "Placer Mining in Bear Gulch, Montana. Scenery Along the Northern Pacific Railroad F. Jay Haynes , Publisher, Fargo, D.T." The inscription reads: "Compliments Eaton His Mines(?) The little Giant engine My Father and I visited the scene" (Author unknown) To watch a fascinating video about hydraulic mining, click on this YouTube link. View of Bear Gulch in 1884. The town grew up along both sides of Bear Creek. [Courtesy Montana Memory] Changing direction, Eaton built the first quartz mill in Bear Gulch, a five-stamp combination mill to process the oxidized ores from the various lode claims. The mill operated successfully for about two years, but shut down around 1886 due to internal company dissention and the difficulty in hauling ore to the Cinnabar railhead. Minimal organized mining efforts occurred until 1890 when the firm of E.D. Edgerton and W.E. Jewell of Helena took over the operation and added five stamps to the mill. Operating successfully for three years, the operation was shutdown during the Panic of 1893 and the resulting economic depression. Changing direction, Eaton built the first quartz mill in Bear Gulch, a five-stamp combination mill to process the oxidized ores from the various lode claims. The mill operated successfully for about two years, but shut down around 1886 due to internal company dissention and the difficulty in hauling ore to the Cinnabar railhead. Minimal organized mining efforts occurred until 1890 when the firm of E.D. Edgerton and W.E. Jewell of Helena took over the operation and added five stamps to the mill. Operating successfully for three years, the operation was shutdown during the Panic of 1893 and the resulting economic depression. A new town takes shape . . . By 1895 a few businesses had been established, including a hotel, sample room, general store, and four log cabin residences belonging to George Welcome and two other men. In 1895 a new post office was been established at Crevasse with Mrs. M.E. Cowell as postmistress and on Dec. 9, 1898 the community of Bear Gulch became known as Jardine, when the post office was established with J. B. McCarthy as postmaster. This gentleman also had a general store, while other businesses in town included a hotel, saloon and barber shop. Additional business enterprises followed later in the summer. The hotel in Bear Gulch went into bankruptcy in 1896 and was purchased by Cinnabar businessman W.A. Hall . It came into the possession of John Jervis at some point and was known as the Jervis Hotel. The Anaconda Standard reported on Oct. 31, 1898 that, “John Jervis, a recent arrival from Victoria, B. C. secured a license, Tuesday, to open a saloon at Bear Gulch. Mr. Jervis is interested with Helena parties in mining property in that district.” Walter Hoppe leased the Bear Gulch Hotel from Jervis in September 1899, and operated the hotel until about 1905, whereupon it reverted back to Jarvis. Top Right : Ad for the Bear Gulch Hotel in Jardine ca1900. [R.L. Polk Directory] Bottom Right : "Hotel of Walter M. Hoppe, Bear Gulch," ca1899. [Livingston Enterprise Souvenir, 1Jan1900] Left : Bear Gulch Hotel in Jardine ca1903. [Keystone-Mast Collection, UCR] Right : Bear Gulch Hotel, ca1903. [Underwood & Underwood stereoview] A correspondent writing from the town about the middle of October 1907, stated that 100 buildings were then in existence or in course of construction, and that the mining company contemplated the erection of thirty more cottages. At its peak the town boasted of a population of 500-600 souls. A Cultural Resource Survey of the area conducted in 1982 claimed that, “Within a year [1898-99] there were 130 new buildings, including two hotels, three mercantile establishments, office buildings, a mine company office, a guest house, a school and work started on a new mill. A water system and telephone service soon followed.” A hydroelectric dam was built on Bear Creek in 1903 near the mouth of the creek that produced electricity to the mines, businesses and residents of the Jardine area until 1948. A correspondent writing from the town about the middle of October 1907, stated that 100 buildings were then in existence or in course of construction, and that the mining company contemplated the erection of thirty more cottages. At its peak the town boasted of a population of 500-600 souls. A Cultural Resource Survey of the area conducted in 1982 claimed that, “Within a year [1898-99] there were 130 new buildings, including two hotels, three mercantile establishments, office buildings, a mine company office, a guest house, a school and work started on a new mill. A water system and telephone service soon followed.” A hydroelectric dam was built on Bear Creek in 1903 near the mouth of the creek that produced electricity to the mines, businesses and residents of the Jardine area until 1948. F. Jay Dean Bear Gulch Lodge No. 76, A.O.U.W. Jardine, Mont., 1901 [Author's Collection] Left : Ad for George Welcome, with stores in H orr, Aldridge, & Jardine. [Gardiner Wonderland , 21Aug1902] Right : Ad for the F.J. Dean general merchandise store in Jardine [Gardiner Wonderland , 17Jul1902] A New Mining Era Begins - 1899-1948 . . . By 1895 a few mines and two stamp mills were again in operation. In the midst of the mining operations, despite promising discoveries by Uncle Joe Brown and others, the community remained relatively quiet until 1898, when the arrival of Harry Bush, a native of England and active in the South African mines, arrived and inaugurated a new era in Bear Gulch. Backed in part by Canadian capitalists, he secured a lease on the Legal Tender mine and the Edgerton & Jewell properties on Mineral Hill. Bush organized the Bear Gulch Mining Company in August, 1898, and began buying additional claims that included the Sowash mine on the same vein as the Legal Tender, the Revenue from George Phelps, and five mines from George Welcome. Bush enlarged the Eaton mill to twenty stamps, attracted additional investors, and laid out the townsite of Jardine. New businesses developed and the mining district boomed. With the beginning of the 20th Century close in sight, a new epoch was emerging that would experience the cyclic triumphs and failures, joys and sorrows, so typical of the mining industry. "In March of 1899, Bush laid the foundation for his Revenue (Red) stamp mill, with a ground area of 93 x 120 feet and a height of 103 feet. The foundation of this building contained six hundred perch (perch = 1 cu.yd.) of stone and required 400,000 feet of lumber . . . a five hundred foot tramway ran from the mine to the mill and discharged into a Cammett crusher which pushed it into a 500-ton pocket. The ore was then fed into eight batteries of five stamps each by eight automatic feeders. Eight plates then caught the free gold. This mill was finished in December of 1899 and Bush celebrated with a Christmas party at which 700 guests were entertained by a twelve piece orchestra and fed roasted buffalo.” [Cultural Resource Inventory and Evaluation Project – Jardine, 1982] “[Bush] resolved to give Jardine a Christmas which would linger in the minds of those who attended for years. Accordingly, arrangements were made for a grand banquet in the Revenue Mill on Christmas Day. Mrs. Bush was given charge of the arrangements, and the success which attended the affair is a splendid commentary upon the ability of Mrs. Bush as an entertainer and is a fact showing that Hurry Bush is not the only person in Bear Gulch who makes no mistakes in laying plans.The scene of the banquet was the machine shop of the Revenue Mill, the room being vacant on account of the machinery not yet having arrived. The room was decorated in a manner that rendered it a perfect bower of loveliness. The roof was a solid bank of evergreens, dotted hene and there with electric lights of various hues. Bunting of national colors swung in graceful folds around the room, and the most exquisite cut flowers lent their delightful perfume and beauty to the scene. Harry & Ada Bush [Livingston Enterprise Souvenir , 1Jan1900] The tables were laid for 100 persons and were profusely decorated. At 6 o'clock the banquet began, and it was 10 o'clock before the guests who had assembled to enjoy the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Bush … The menu abounded in delicacies, and every luxury in the line of edibles that could be found in the market graced the tables. As a reminder of early days in Montana, a buffalo had been purchased by Mr. Bush. The juicy steaks and tender roasts of the monarch of the plains in days gone by contributed a share of the feast. Elk and deer, fowl of every description, and products of the salt seas and of the clear waters of the Yellowstone River w ere there in generous abundance. The best of everything was none too good for the guest assembled at the banquet, and it is safe to say that no greater enjoyment was ever had by any crowd than was furnished Christmas Day to the assemblage at Jardine. After the banquet was over, an orchestra of eleven pieces furnished music for the promenade and, as the first strains of the grand march swelled forth, the entire machinery of the Revenue Mill was set in gentle motion. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Bush led the march and, to the dropping of the stamps, the host of guests were conducted through every floor of the vast structure, winding the various rooms until the starting point was again reached: then a quadrille was formed. The remainder of the evening was most pleasantly spent and the breaking up of the assembly marked the close of the greatest social event ever held in Montana.” [Anaconda Standard, 31Dec1899] “However, during this period, Harry Bush struggled with problems obtaining ore with sufficient value to run since his most productive mines were tied up in litigation. He continued to process low-grade ore in his mill and problems with other members of the Bear Gulch Mining Company developed. A split in the Bear Gulch Mining Company developed and Bush broke away and formed the Revenue Mining Company, incorporated in Helena on June 21, 1899 . . . By the summer of 1899, Bear Gulch, now renamed Jardine, had two distinct mining groups operating in opposition to each other. These were the old Bear Gulch Mining Company, still under the direction of A. C. Jardine, and the new Bush Company.” [Cultural Resource Inventory and Evaluation Project – Jardine, 1982] In early 1900 creditors began to press Bush for payments on his huge debt load. After much wheeling and dealing, and many negotiations Bush was forced into bankruptcy. On August 18, 1900, Bush's properties including the Revenue Mill, 72,000 shares of Bear Gulch Mining Company stock, 275,000 shares of King Solomon Quartz and Placer Company stock, electric light plant, water plant, guest house and mine office buildings, were sold at auction in Livingston, with the First National Bank of Butte the new owner. The short reign of 'King Harry' rapidly came to an end. In the fall, new directors of the Bear Gulch Mining Company were elected with A.C. Jardine, B.C. VanHouten, and Andrew J. Davis representing Montana, while Alfred C. Blair, W.H. Barnaby, and W.G. Merritt from St. John, New Brunswick and mining and milling resumed. Top Left & Right : Construction of the Revenue stamp mill in Jardine. Bottom Left : Construction of the Revenue Mine Tramway. Bottom Right : Completed construction of the Revenue Stamp Mill [All photos ca1899, from Livingston Enterprise Souvenir , 1Jan1900]] Meanwhile, a collection of local Bear Gulch mining people created a new mining company, as per the Anaconda Standard, Jan. 26, 1903. “NEW COMPANY IN BEAR GULCH Will Carry On a General Mining and Milling Business, Says Articles of Incorporation. The Livingston Post says that a new mining company has been organized for the purpose of operating in the Sheepeater district of Park county. It is known as the Bear Gulch company , the incorporators being Alex Livingston of Livingston and George Welcome, John Jervis, Frank Ackelmire and H D. Andrews of Jardine. These gentlemen are also the directors. The company has a capital stock of $500,000, divided Into 500,000 shares at a par value of $1 each. Of this stock only a small number of shares has so far been subscribed for, the present holders being Messrs. Livingston, Ackelmlre, Welcome, Andrews, Jervis, A.J. Campbell of Butte, and S.H. Crookes of Livingston. The stock is non-assessable.” By March, the new operation was bought out by the Kimberly-Montana Gold Mining Company, operated by a syndicate from Chicago. It was reported that a new 40-stamp mill was being constructed in concert with the soon-to-be completed cyanide plant operation, bringing a total of 80 stamps under the company’s direction. The new management consisted of: P. L. Kimberly, William H. Barnaby, John H. Thompson, Moise Dreyfus, H. M. Ryan, Samuel Deutsch and Miles Finlen. Cyanide Mill in Jardine, 1908 [University of Montana, Missoula] Scene in Bear Gulch, 1899 [Montana Memory Project] Jardine Cyanide Mill Burns [Billings Gazette ,14May1948] The Jardine Gold Mining & Milling Co. takes over . . . In 1914 the Jardine Gold Mining & Milling Co. was formed to take control of the Jardine gold mines and was renamed the Jardine Mining Co. in 1921. By 1906 tungsten was being mined and milled by the various mining properties. The mineral was found in scheelite, a combination of tungsten and lime, occurring mostly in pockets. Wolframite is tungsten and iron, occurring in regular veins. Tungsten ore ran between $1000 to $1200 per ton, making it more valuable than silver. Mining activity was interrupted by an extended period of litigation from 1909 to 1916 and the mines operated continuously from 1923-26 and 1932-36 producing gold, arsenic and tungsten, but tended to operate off and on until 1948. Operations were temporarily suspended in 1942 because of the Federal restrictions on gold mining, but increasing war demands for arsenic led to the reopening of the mines in 1944, which operated until May 8, 1948, when fire destroyed the cyanide plant and the mines closed down in July. High shipping costs of arsenic ore were claimed as a reason for the mining shutdown. About 90 men were abruptly thrown out of work. Production figures from 1899 -1942 indicate that over 155,000 ounces of gold, 27,000+ ounces of silver, 4,000+ ounces of copper, 765,000+ pounds of tungsten and 12,615,000 tons of arsenic were produced. Perhaps an additional 40,000 ounces of gold were produced 1944-48. News article about the closing of the Jardine Mine. [Butte Montana Standard , 5Aug1948] Downtown Jardine, ca1930s [Montana Memory Project] The Mine Office in Jardine, ca1940s. The building still stands and was used as the mine office during the Mineral Hill Mine era in the 1980-90s. [Library of Congress] Entering the modern age of gold mining . . . In 1988 a new era in gold production began when TVX Gold, Inc. of Canada began mining efforts with tunnel/adit development, mill and crusher construction and pre-production activities such as erection of administrative and lab facilities. After much controversy regarding potential environment hazards of a mine so close to Yellowstone and potential pollution of the Yellowstone River fromm Bear Creek, permitting was finally approved and gold production officially began in September of 1889 at the 556-acre Mineral Hill site. The mine operated successfully until early Sept. 1996, when problems of access to new ore bodies dwindling ore supplies from existing workings caused the facility to close and about 130 workers were permanently laid off. Since closure, TVX has removed surface buildings and attempted to restore the area to a natural condition. Treatment of water draining through the tailings pile and from the tunnels continues to be processed to this day. The mine was located two miles from Yellowstone's boundary, five miles by road from Gardiner and produced about 40,000 ounces of gold a year for an approximate total of 260,000 ounces. Today the community supports a small population of about 50 souls and and a few businesses such as outfitting, fishing & hunting guides, and vacation rentals. It is a popular area for hiking, biking, horse riding, skiing, and snowmobiling enthusiasts. Commemorative belt buckle given to employees to celebrate the opening of Mineral Hill Mine on September 26, 1989 [From the author's collection] Left : Article discussing the opening of Mineral Hill Mine in September 1989. [Great Falls Tribune , 23Sep1989] Top : The closing down of TVX Mineral Hill Mine in September 1996, after only about 7 years of operation. [The Missoulian , 5Sep1996] Below : Current view of Bear Gulch and Jardine looking toward Yellowstone Park.
- R.C. Bryant | Geyserbob.com
Camping in the Yellowstone R.C. Bryant Camping Co. Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. The Bryant Camping Company was formed by Rev. Robert Collins Bryant in 1903 and first operated as the Bryant-Spence Tours, with offices in the Monadnock Building, Chicago Illinois. By 1903 there were a number of other companies operating camping tours in Yellowstone National Park that successfully competed with the more expensive hotel tours. These including the Wylie Camping Co ., Shaw & Powell , Tex Holm , the Lycan Company, Blankenship Co., Marshall Bros, and others. Most of these others used the North entrance at Gardiner due to the easy railroad access by the Northern Pacific RR. The Sylvan Pass road from Cody, WY to Yellowstone Lake opened in 1903 allowing easier access from that direction and rail service by the Chicago, Burlington, Quincy & RR . His summer headquarters were moved to the town of Yellowstone at the West Entrance in 1908, later renamed West Yellowstone . He conducted the camping tours with moveable nightly camps and continued yearly through 1912. Downtown Chicago in 1898. The Monadnock Bldg is in the upper right. Robert C. Bryant was born in Brooklyn, NY Feb. 13, 1870. He attended Lafayette College in Easton PA in 1891 and in 1891-95 attended Union Theological Seminary and Auburn Seminary in NYC, a Presbyterian school. He was ordained as a Pastor at the Binghamton Presbyterian church June 4, 1895. Apparently having made himself a career and perhaps feeling more financially responsible, he married Margaret “Maggie” Tims on July 3 of that year. She was a native of Binghamton NY born ca1869. About two years later their son Robert Alfred was born. In 1901 the family moved to Rockford Illinois where Rev. Robert C. Bryant, began his duties as Pastor of the Church of the Christian Union, a Unitarian Universalist church built in 1888. In 1908 the family moved to Chicago, where by at least 1918 he was the pastor of the Green Olive Grove Baptist Church. No doubt many of his early customers on his camping ventures came from within the congregations of the churches at which he served. He passed away 1959 in Southern California, and was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery. The West entrance area of Yellowstone prior to 1908 was called Riverside and was accessed by stagecoach from Monida or Beaver Canyon on the Union Pacific RR’s main line from Brigham City, UT to Butte, MT. It required about a day and a half stage ride from Monida, located on the Idaho-Montana border, to get to the west entrance. It would not be until 1908 that the UP extended a branch line to the fledgling town that was christened Yellowstone, eliminating the long coach ride from Monida. At that time business seemed to pick up considerably for Bryant and advertisements for his services in national newspapers and periodicals become more prominent. Union Pacific Depot at Yellowstone in 1908. [J. Clum Glass Slide] In 1908 Bryant produced a brochure that advertised “The Bryant Way,” an obvious takeoff on his successful competitor the “Wylie Way.” Even though he was widely advertising his services by this time, he apparently neglected to obtain camping permits from the Interior Department during several previous seasons. When he tried to apply in July 1908 he was turned down, probably for this very reason. During those years a number of complaints were filed against his operation and it is said that he sometimes sold tour tickets and then pawned the unsuspecting tourist off on other operators. Nonetheless, Bryant was somehow able to obtain a permit for the 1909 season to resume his business. By this time he now operated a hotel on Park Street in [West] Yellowstone along with a stagecoach line. The hotel was located on Park St., about a block east of the UPRR depot, directly along the route of travelers going into or from Yellowstone Park. Left: "The Inn at the Gate"in 1914. [1914 traveler's account, Univ of Wyo] Right: Main street of Yellowstone ca1916. The Inn at the Gate, behind the horses, became the Shaw & Powell Hotel after 1912. [Real-Photo Postcard] Campbell Guide "The Bryant-Spence Yellowstone Camping Company has an established reputation, gained through six years' service, for the completeness and excellence of camp equipment, the good quality of the table and service, the thoroughness of the sightseeing. The Bryant-Spence Company has its offices in the Monadnock Building, Chicago, with camp headquarters at Yellowstone, Montana, where all tours start. Special arrangements may be made to start from Gardiner, North Gate. The camps are movable, not permanent; each day, as the party travels, camp is broken in the morning and made at another point in the afternoon. Comfortable coaches and saddle horses are provided for the members of the parties. Special wagons carry provisions, baggage, tents, cots, blankets, tables, chairs, stoves, everything to make camp life comfortable. A professional cook accompanies each party, and abundant help to do all the camp work." [Campbell's New Revised Complete Guide and Descriptive Book of the Yellowstone Park, 1909 by Reau Campbell] From the 1909 Bryant "Delightful Camping Trip" brochure: PERSONALLY CONDUCTED TOURS Two circuit tours from Chicago and the East, via Yellowstone, the new western entrance to the Park, and Lander, and through the Yellowstone National Park, are being arranged under the auspices of the Bryant Yellowstone Camping Company. Each of these tours provides for twenty days' camp life in one of the most beautiful regions of high plateaus and ranges of splendid mountain peaks in America. In this region the Wind River, the Gros Ventre and the beautiful Teton Mountains form, day after day, a background for extensive plains, brilliant hued buttes, and a dry air that carries with it tonic properties of untold worth. . . One of these personally conducted parties will leave Chicago via the Chicago, Union Pacific & North Western Line, Monday, July 5th, via the electric-lighted Los Angeles Limited to Salt Lake City, and the Yellowstone Special to Yellowstone, the new western entrance to the Park. Arriving at Yellowstone, the party will make a camping tour of the Park, stopping each day at Bryant camps, and returning leave the Park via the Thumb, thence down the Snake River. ITINERARY OF PERSONALLY CONDUCTED TOURS [1909] The first personally conducted party will arrive at Yellowstone, the new western entrance to the Park, via the Yellowstone Special at 7.00 A. M., July 8th, and at 9.00 A. M. the twenty days' camping trip will begin: First Day . Drive through Christmas Tree Park and along the Madison River to the Lower Geyser Basin. Visit Mammoth Paint Pots, Fountain Geyser, Excelsior Geyser, Firehole Lake, Prismatic Lake, etc. Second Day. Drive to Upper Geyser Basin and spend the day there, visit Old Faithful, Giant Castle, Riverside, Grotto and many others. Return to Lower Basin Camp. Third Day. Drive through Gibbon Canyon to Norris Basin, then north to Apollinaris Spring, passing the Devil's Frying Pan, Beaver Lake, Obsidian Cliff, etc. Fourth Day. Drive through Golden Gate and Silver Gate to Mammoth Hot Springs Fifth Day. Drive twenty miles east to Tower Falls, visiting Yancey's, the Petrified Trees the Lower Canyon, etc. Sixth Day. Drive to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The entire party with carriages and horses will climb to the top of Mount Washburn, 10,300 feet above the sea. Seventh and Eighth Days. Spend visiting the Grand Canyon, the most wonderful, gorgeous natural spectacle in the world. Artist's Point Lookout, Inspiration Point, Falls of the Yellowstone, etc. Ninth Day. Drive to the Lake Hotel, passing Sulphur Mountain, Mud Volcano, etc. Tenth Day. Drive along the shore of the lake [Yellowstone] to the West Thumb, visit the Fishing Cone and the Paint Pots. The road here leaves the stage route, turning south. Camp on Lewis Lake. . . [From that point the tour went into the Jackson Hole country for 10 days before arriving at Lander WY for the rail trip home.] The Bryant Permanent Camp on Jackson Lake A permanent camp has been established on the east shore of Jackson's Lake under the management of Mr. Robert C. Bryant, of the Bryant Yellowstone Camping Company. This camp is ideally located. Directly across the lake are the Teton Mountains. There is a medicinal hot spring on the shore of the lake not far from the camp. The fishing on Jackson’s Lake is unsurpassed and mountain trout are often taken that weigh from five to ten pounds each. Good boats may be had at the camp and a naptha launch will be available. Carriages and saddle horses may be had at reasonable prices and guides for mountain trips or other excursions. The camp will provide a good table and comfortable rooms with every possible convenience. Rates $2.50 per day. Jackson’s Lake is twenty miles south of the Yellowstone National Park. It is reached either from Yellowstone Station at the western boundary of the Park or from Lander, the terminus of the North Western Line. Arrangements may be made for carriages from either of these points by addressing Bryant Tours, 457 Monadnock Block, Chicago, previous to July 1st, and after this date either the above address or Mr. Robert C. Bryant, Yellowstone, Mont., via Ashton, Idaho. [Delightful Camping Trip, 1909 Brochure] Incorporation The business was incorporated as the R.C. Bryant Company on March 2, 1911 in Salt Lake City, Utah with $50,000 capital and they maintained an office in Salt Lake City. The transaction was reported in the March 3, 1911 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune. Officers listed were: R.C. Bryant, president & director; Rodney T Badger, vice-president and director, along with Bryant’s wife M.T. (Margaret Tims) Bryant as a director. According to the 1911 National Park Conference Proceedings held in Sept in Yellowstone, Bryant claimed he had taken 800-900 tourists on his tours through the park that season. The Final Days Sometime in 1912, Robert Bryant sold out his “Bryant Way” camp and hotel operations to the Shaw & Powell Co. Perhaps he was no longer able to effectively compete with Shaw & Powell or Wylie, who by this time had established permanent camps throughout the park. The hotel became the Shaw & Powell hotel, which now gave them lodging facilities at both West Yellowstone and the north entrance at Gardiner. This enabled them to better provide for tours that came in one entrance and departed through another. According to US Federal Census figures, Robert and his wife and son were still living in Chicago in 1920. By 1930 Robert was boarding in San Diego, CA, and although he was listed as “Married,” Margaret was not living with him at the time of the census. Whether by death, divorce, or some other reason is unknown at this time. But in 1934 Robert Bryant, age 64, married Martha Wood Blake, age 49, in Los Angeles. The 1940 census shows the pair living together in Los Angeles. On Oct 26, 1959, Robert Collins Bryant passed away in the Los Angeles area at about age 89. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
- Pryor & Trischman | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone Storekeepers - Pryor & Trischman - Pryor Stores Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. The Pryor & Trischman Stores - 1908 to 1953 In the Beginning . . . Anna and Elizabeth Trischman were daughters of Ft. Yellowstone post carpenter George Trischman, who came to work in the park in 1899. Upon Ole Anderson’s retirement in 1908, Anna and husband George Pryor purchased the Specimen House at Mammoth that had opened up in 1896. They continued to employ Andrew Wald , who created beautiful sand bottles, until around 1920 or so. In 1912 George Pryor, husband of Anna Trischman, signed over his interests in the store to Elizabeth Trischman and the business became known as Pryor & Trischman. They soon enlarged the business and called their operation the Park Curio & Coffee Shop. They sold ice cream, curios, souvenirs, newspapers, toiletries, coffee, tea, box lunches, and operated a bakery and soda fountain. Left : Specimen House, as purchased by Anna & George Trischman. Leroy Anderson Collection. Right: Pryor & Trischman store in 1917. The addition on the left was basically a mirror image of the original store. YNP #199718-78 Around 1923, they jointly operated a delicatessen with George Whittaker at the new "free auto camp" at lower Mammoth. In 1925 they purchased Whittaker's share on the auto camp operation and added a cafeteria to the operation a few years later. The business was expanded again in 1924 when the women established a small lunch stand at the Devil's Kitchen on the Mammoth Terraces, calling it the Devil's Kitchenette. The Devil’s Kitchen was the deep and narrow cavern of an extinct hot spring. Ladders were built into the vertical cave as early as 1881, and may have been explored with ropes even earlier. It has been said that entering it made one feel as if descending into the depths of the underworld. It was a very popular tourist attraction until closed by the NPS in 1939 Left : The Devil's Kitchen, undated stereoview. Right : Devil's Kitchenette, operated from 1924-1937 Above Left: Park Curio Shop, ca1940, Kropp postcard 13978N Above Right: Cafeteria at the Mammoth Auto Camp, 1939. YNP #185327-414 The Business Expands . . . In 1932 the women branched out and purchased all of George Whittaker's Yellowstone Park Store operations at Mammoth and Canyon. His holdings included an interest in the service station business and general stores at both locations. They now held a monopoly on the store business in the northern portion of the park, with the exception of the Haynes Photo Shops. Charles Hamilton remained in control of the stores in the southern portion of the park. The Pryor & Trischman stores incorporated in 1946 and became known as Pryor Stores, Inc. Anna Pryor held a 2/3 interest in the business, while her sister owned the other third. Formed on October 1, Pryor was President and Trischman Secretary. Above Left : Canyon General Store, 1940s. YNP #47-84 Above Right : Canyon Service Station, 1940s. YNP #47-834 Time for retirement . . . Six years later, after 45 years in business, the women decided to retire and sold out to Charles Hamilton in 1953 for $333,000. According to an insurance audit in September 1950, the Pryor Stores’ property at Mammoth consisted of the Park Curio Shop itself, with a single-story garage and warehouse located behind it, and the general store, service station and single-story employee dormitory located at the rear. Also at Mammoth were the general store, gas station, cafeteria, and dormitory facilities at the Mammoth Auto Camp. The Canyon properties consisted of the single-story general store and gas station, which housed the post office, soda fountain, residence, storage, and a two-story dormitory building located nearby. The women ended up with a profit of just over $100,000 and retired to their home in Los Angeles. Elizabeth Trishman (left) & Anna Pryor (right) at their home in Los Angeles, 1950s, YNP #122107 Anna Pryor died in Los Angeles in 1973 at age 89, and Elizabeth Trischman followed in 1984 at age 98. The Canyon store and gas station were torn down in the early '60s as part of the Mission 66 plan to create a new Canyon Village. The Pryor Coffee Shop at Mammoth was razed in 1984, supposedly due to potential health and safety concerns. The General Store at Mammoth was run by Hamilton Stores until the end of 2002,when Delaware North won the competitive bid process and took over operation of the park stores. The current Mammoth store is the only remaining building in the park from the Pryor & Trischman operation.
- Yellowstone Bios A-B | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone Biographies A-B Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Albright, Horace. Horace Albright served as YNP Superintendent from 1919 to 1929, when he became Director of the National Park Service. His term lasted from Jan 12, 1929 to Aug. 9, 1933. He played a huge part in the development of the park under the newly created NPS, including the road improvement program, concession development, and general park protection programs. He resigned in 1933 to become vice-president of US Potash Co. [39-49] Alvarez, Manuel. Manuel Alvarez was born in 1794 in Albegas, Spain and traveled to Mexico in 1818. He went to New York and then down to Missouri, where he crossed the plains to Santa Fe in 1824 where he engaged in trade for several years. He became a free trapper and was associated with Andrew Dripps and the American Fur Co. He led a group of trappers in 1833 through Yellowstone and discovered the geysers along the Firehole River. He left trapping in the Rockies in 1834 and moved back to Santa Fe where he became a trader and politician. He died in July of 1856. [30;46] [Dan Thrapp, Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography] [30;46] Anceney, Charles. Charles Anceney and his son developed the Flying D Ranch in 1865 in the Spanish Creek area of the Gallatin Mountains. They began with a half-section squatter’s claim. In 1911 H.W. Child became a partner in the ranch. By the 1920’s it was considered one of the West’s great livestock enterprises, controlling a half million acres and supporting up to 20,000 head of cattle at times. Child's son-in-law Wm. Nichols sold off his share of the ranch in 1944 to help pay off YPCo debts to the railroads. Businessman Ted Turner now owns the ranch which is sized at over 113,000 acres. [25L;39] Anderson, Lou . Lou Anderson was a member of a prospecting party in 1867 that discovered gold along the Yellowstone River above Bear Creek. They named the area Crevice Gulch (now Crevice Creek). The party also named Slough Creek and Hell-Roaring Creek. They continued up the river to Pelican Creek and down to Yellowstone Lake. They passed through the geyser basins and exited the park along the Madison River. In 1849-50 Anderson prospected Yellowstone with Kit Carson and Jim Bridger. [97p;16,62-63] Anderson, Louis. Louis Anderson was a member of a trapping party of 40 men in 1839 that was attacked by Piegan Indians near Indian Pond. Five trappers were killed. [30;52] Anderson, Jack Kenneth Jack Anderson was Yellowstone park superintendent from 1967 to 1975. He was born May 24, 1917 in San Luis Obispo, California. He entered the Navy in 1941 and was at Pearl Harbor during the attack on December 7. In 1946 Anderson gave up the Navy and went back to college while working the summers for the Park Service in Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP. He received a permanent position there as park ranger in 1950 and transferred to Glacier NP in 1957. He later served as superintendents of George Washington Carver Birthplace NM and Grand Teton NP prior to his assignment to Yellowstone. [25L;14][31;463] Anderson, Capt. George Smith. George Anderson became Acting Supt. of Yellowstone on February 15, 1891 and served with the 6th Cavalry in that position until June 23, 1897. Aubrey Haines described him as one of the most capable officers ever to manage Yellowstone’s affairs during the Army years. Anderson graduated from West Point in 1871 and was assigned to the 6th Cavalry as a second lieutenant. He was sent out to the western frontier to aid in the Indian wars being fought all over the west. Until 1877 he was in the saddle most of that time, participating in campaigns in Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. In 1877 he was assigned to be assistant professor of natural and experimental philosophy at West Point. This he did until 1881 when he was again called to assist in uprisings in Arizona and Colorado. He was promoted to captain in 1885 and served in Yellowstone beginning in 1891. Around 1900 Anderson, now a colonel, commanded the 13th US Volunteer Infantry and fought in the war in the Philippines. In the ensuing years Anderson commanded numerous regiments. He became a member of the General Staff of the Army. Anderson retired from the Army as general in 1912 after over 40 years of service to his country. He died of heart disease on March 7, 1915 while reading a paper at the University Club. His health had been declining for the past two years. [25L;14] [New York Times; 3/8/1915] Anderson, Ole . Olof Adolf Andersson (Ole Anderson) was born in Ostergotland, Sweden on May 18, 1857. He migrated to the United States in 1880 and Americanized his name to Ole A. Anderson. By 1883 he had settled in Yellowstone and began a business at Mammoth Hot Springs where the Commissioner's House now stands at the base of the Terraces. He began selling what became known as "coated specimens". They were common objects that had been placed in the flowing waters of the Mammoth Terraces and became coated with white, alabaster-like deposits of travertine. Coated specimens included bottles, pine cones, horseshoes, combs, small statues, vases, crosses and other such items. He also sold bottled sand art that was created by Andrew Wald, using colorful sands from various places in the park. Wald also worked with Ole in some capacity during the 1890's and possibly later. In 1891 Ole married Christine Granlund, who had also migrated from Sweden. The couple had two children born at Fort Yellowstone; Arthur in 1892 and Karl in 1895. A third son Roy was born in Helena in 1899. After several years of futile attempts to erect a permanent building at Mammoth to house his enterprise, Ole finally received permission in 1894 to build a store and residence at Mammoth. Ole's new 2-story wooden frame store opened in 1896 and became known as the "Specimen Shop" and was located just to the right of the Commissioner’s House. In April of 1896 Ole received a 10-year lease to operate the business and was permitted to sell ". . . coated specimens, wares, and other curiosities, [including bottled sands] for the accommodation of the tourists and others in the park." Ole's lease was renewed in 1906 and he was allowed the privilege of selling post cards, spoons and other curios, but not general wares. By 1908 Ole had been in business in the park for 25 years and was 51 years old. He decided to sell out his business to George and Anna Pryor, who turned the operation into a coffee and curio shop. Anderson and his family moved to Helena year-round after the sale and he continued in life as a carpenter until his death in 1915. The Specimen House was torn down in 1984. [25m] See my web page on the Specimen House for additional information. Armstrong, James. Shot twice by A drunken David Kennedy on St. Patrick's Day in 1883. The shooting occurred in the old McCartney hotel. James Armstrong survived his wounds with the bullets remaining in his body. [30;270-71] Arnet, Charles A. Charles Arnet was one of the first three residents to receive a permit in 1907 to build a house and business on the land that would eventually become West Yellowstone. He built The Yellowstone Store, the first store in town. It was located in the middle of Park Street and also housed the first post office. At that time (1908), the town consisted of only 6 blocks. Arnet sold the store to Alex Stuart in May of 1910. [18t] Arnold, A. J. A.J. Arnold was a Helena man who became a member of the Radersburg party that visited Yellowstone in 1877. The party was attacked by Nez Perce in August of that year. Ash, George. George Ash was Supt. of the Wakefield Stagecoach Co. in the late 1880’s. By 1892 he was in charge of the YNP Transportation Co. properties at Mammoth. In that year he became the Postmaster at Mammoth. He married Jennie Henderson Dewing in 1893 and together they operated the Post Office Store. In 1896 they built a new general store at Mammoth. After being ill for some time, George passed away in June of 1900 in a Salt Lake hospital. (See also Ash, Jennie H.) [25j] Ash, Jennie H. Jennie Henderson Ash was one of four daughters of famed park interpreter George L. Henderson, born Mar. 13, 1864 as Jeanette Ann Henderson. She began helping her sister Barbara with the Post Office Store in Mammoth at least by 1883 and became Postmistress in 1884. She was also the proprietor of the Cottage Hotel Museum, which mostly functioned as a store. She married John Dewing in 1886, but they later divorced and she married George Ash in 1893, with whom she had two children. In 1895 she obtained a 10-year lease to build and operate a new post office and store at Mammoth, which became the first permanent general store in Yellowstone. Her brother-in-law Alexander Lyall assisted in the construction of the new store. The store was located between the National Hotel and the Cottage Hotel and is currently operated by Delaware North Parks Services. It is the oldest store in the park. Jennie again became Postmistress in 1900 when her husband George became ill and later died. She and her family operated the business until 1908 when she retired and Jennie returned to Southern California, where she had spent many of the previous winters. Her brother Walter Henderson and Alexander Lyall bought the business in 1908 and sold out to former scout George Whittaker in 1913. Jennie lived to be 83 years of age. (See also ‘Henderson, Jennie’) [25j] See my web page on the Mammoth General Store for additional information. Bach, Edmund. Edmund Bach was co-founder of the Yellowstone National Park Transportation Co. with Silas Huntley and Harry Child in May of 1892. (Bach's brother Thomas was married to Child's sister Katherine.) Bach was in business with Child in Helena prior to coming to Yellowstone. They, along with others, formed the Helena, Hot Springs, and Smelter Railroad Co. in 1889. The company was forced into receivership and sold at auction in September of 1891. In 1901 the three men bought the YPA from the NW Improvement Co., but Bach sold his shares back to the railroad the following year. [25L-17] [Email conversation with Harry Child, 2004] Bacon, George Harvey. George Bacon was the only known gold prospector to explore the Yellowstone area in 1865. Gold strikes in other parts of Montana left the Yellowstone area somewhat uninhabited that year. [30;73] Baker, Jim & John. Brothers who were members of a trapping party of 40 men in 1839 that was attacked by Piegan Indians near Indian Pond. The group included Louis Anderson, Joe Power, Baptiste Ducharme and L'Humphrie. Five trappers were killed. [30;52] James Baker was born Dec. 19, 1818 in Belleville, Illinois. He went up the Missouri River in 1838 with the American Fur Co., returning to his home state in 1840. He returned to Green River in 1840, accompanying a group of emigrants. He guided various parties over the years and moved to Denver in 1859 and then to Dixon, Wyoming in 1873. He died May 15. 1898. [Dan Thrapp, Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography] Barlow, Capt. John W . Capt. Barlow was an officer of the Corps of Engineers who conducted an exploration of Yellowstone in the summer of 1871. He was accompanied by David P. Heap and the expedition became known as the Barlow-Heap Expedition. They conducted extensive explorations, many times alongside of the Hayden Expedition that summer. Photographer Thomas J. Hine, draftsman W. H. Wood and topographer H.G. Prout added their services, along with some packers, laborers, and a cook. The party was in the park about six weeks. Upon their return to Chicago, the great Chicago Fire destroyed almost all their photographs, meteorological records and specimens. [30;142-50] Barlow was born June 26, 1838 in Wyoming County, New York and graduated from West Point in 1861. He served in the Civil War as artilleryman and engineer. He was assigned to the Military Division of the Missouri in 1869 and surveyed for the Northern Pacific RR in 1872, and fought off a heavy Sioux attack at one point. Barlow served on the International Boundary Commission along the Mexican border from 1874 to 1891, retiring as a brigadier-general. He died in Jerusalem, Palestine Feb. 21, 1914. [A.L. Haines, Yellowstone National Park: It's Exploration and Establishment] Baronett, Collins Jack (John H.) Jack Baronett was born in Glencoe, Scotland ca1829-31 (the June 1880 Fed. Census listed him as age 49), he was also known as Yellowstone Jack and followed several different occupations, including soldier, miner, guide and sailor. As a sailor he jumped ship in China in order to make his way to the goldfields of California and later searched for gold in Colorado, Montana, Alaska, Australia, and Africa. He also served as 2nd mate on a whaling ship to the Arctic Ocean before returning to California in 1855. Baronett participated in the Civil War with the First Texas Cavalry, but left disenchanted to serve briefly with the French under Maximilian in Mexico. He began prospecting for gold in the park and greater Yellowstone area in 1864 and participated in the Yellowstone Expedition in 1866. He was considered for the park superintendent position in 1884 and when the Army took over in 1866, he was the only member of the civilian police force to be retained. He served with Gen. Custer in his expedition to the Black Hills in 1869. He was the builder of first bridge across the Yellowstone River in 1871, near the junction of the Yellowstone and Lamar rivers. A toll was charged to cross, and the bridge was used until about 1903, when a new bridge was built upstream at the current location. Baronett and George Pritchett found the lost Truman Everts, who had wandered for 37 days after being separated from the Washburn Expedition in 1870. Baronett guided the detachment from Ft. Ellis that found Richard Dietrich’s dead body on the doorstep of McCartney’s Hotel during the Nez Perce War of 1877. When the Army took control of the Yellowstone in 1886, Baronett hired on as an assistant superintendent and later became a scout for the Army. In the late 1890s he voyaged to Alaska on a gold prospecting expedition where his schooner capsized. He survived the wreck and returned to Seattle for some time before traveling to Idaho to continue his prospecting career. Frail and suffering from ill-health, Baronett died on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 1906 at the Park County hospital in Livingston, Montana. He is buried in Mountain View Cemetery at Livingston, Mt. [31] [108a] [113] [31d] [1880 Fed Census Records, YNP] (Variously spelled: Jack Baronette, Jack Barronett, Jack Barronette, Jack Baronnett, Jack Baronnette, etc.) Baronett, Marion (Nee Marion A. Scott) Marion Scott had been living in Emigrant Gulch and married Jack Baronett on Mar. 14, 1884. Marion Baronett became Postmistress at Mammoth on October 25, 1886 and in 1888 she was permitted to sell photos, stationary, and curios at her office. The store was located on the north side of Capitol Hill near the site of the future Haynes Photo Shop. In October of 1888 Jennie Henderson Dewing took over the Postmistress position. [25j] [YNP Army Files Doc 173] Bassett Brothers. In the first decade of Yellowstone National Park’s young existence, there were few methods of commercial transportation services available. Roads were crude at best, and lodging facilities were few and rustic. The Bassett brothers of southeastern Idaho were one of the early outfits that stepped in to fill this void. There were six brothers who began providing outfitting and transportation services in the park that included furnishing wagons, horses, tents, tools, food, supplies, and guides. In 1881 they began running stagecoaches into the park from the Utah & Northern Railroad (U&NRR) line at Beaver Canyon, Idaho, near the current town of Spencer along Interstate I-15, a few miles south of the Montana border. It was about 110 miles from Beaver Canyon to the Lower Geyser Basin, requiring three nights camping to get there, but they advertised the route as being 150 miles shorter than the Virginia City route. An 1881 newspaper ad touting the Bassett Brother’s service proclaimed that Yellowstone was the "The Eden of America!" and that "Light Spring Wagons, Good Teams, Experienced Drivers” were utilized with “Good Hunting and Fishing anywhere along the road." The round-trip cost was $25 to Marshall's Hotel on the Firehole River. William Henry Bassett (W.H. Bassett) and Charles Julius Bassett (C.J. Bassett) seem to have been the prime movers of the operation. Other brothers involved were Charles Henry Bassett II, Fred C. Bassett, Frank A. Bassett, and Ernest Bassett. The Bassett family was headed by father Charles Henry Bassett of New York. It is said that by the late 1870’s they dominated the outfitting business in Yellowstone. The business became known as the Yellowstone National Park Stage Line in 1888, and operated out of Lago, Idaho. Sometime after 1897 their operation moved north along the rail line to Monida when the Beaver rail facilities closed. During the mid-1890’s the concern was called the Union Pacific Stage Lines, with C.J. Bassett as proprietor. [25g] [Email conversation with Thornton Waite, June 2002] [http://geyserbob.org/trans-bassett.html] For more info, check out my page on the Bassett Bros. camping operation. Bazata, Art. Art Bazata, who had been Property Manager of Yellowstone Park Co., became the new Executive VP and General Manager of the company in 1965. George Beall, president of YPCo, retired from active management to work with a restaurant business in Cleveland, while retaining his positions of president, consultant and director of the park company. Bazata had been with the company for three years prior to his promotion. Earlier he was in the public relations business Denver and was manager of the Cosmopolitan Hotel. He was replaced by company vice-president and treasurer John Amerman in 1967. [25L;18] [Billings Gazette, 23Apr1965] Beall, George . George Beall was hired in 1962 as Executive VP and General Manager of YPCo. The following year he notified the NPS of the company’s refusal to comply with any more Mission 66 objectives. He resigned from active management in 1965 to work with a restaurant business in Cleveland while retaining his positions of president, consultant and director of the park company. Beall had been manager of the hotel division of the Del Webb Corp. in Phoenix before joining Yellowstone Park Co. [25L;18] [Billings Gazette, 23Apr1965] Beaman, John Warren . Beaman (2Dec1845 - 13Dec1903) was the meteorologist for the 1871 Hayden Yellowstone Expedition. He was born December 2, 1845 in North Hadley, Mass. After serving in the Civil War, he studied civil engineering at Renselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. After graduation he went to Yellowstone with Hayden for two years. In 1874 he went to Seal Islands in Alaska with his wife Elizabeth and was the government Seal Agent, in charge of tabulating and verifying seal kills for bounty purposes. His wife was reportedly the first white women on the islands. Beaman later made surveys in the Indian Territory and areas north of that area. He moved to Missouri around 1886 and was in charge of government work on the Gasconade and Osage Rivers. Beaman moved to Washington DC in 1895 and at the time of his death in 1903 he was supervising the construction of a government building for the Treasury Dept. [30;142] [Biographies from Cole County Missouri, http://www.colecohistsoc.org/bios/bio_b.html] Beatee, M.J. He was permitted in 1878 to pasture 300 cattle on Blacktail Deer Cr. by Supt. Norris. [25L;19] Beau, Louis. French trapper Louis Beau may have made a raft trip to Stevenson Island in 1830. [25L;19] Belknap, William W . Secretary of War William W. Belknap conducted an 'investigation' of Yellowstone in 1875. He was accompanied by several other generals, Lt. Gustavus Doane and 24 men of the Second Cavalry. It seems most of the “investigation” consisted of fishing and hunting activities. [30;207] Beltizer, Julius. Julius Beltizer had been guiding in the park since at least 1873 and blazed a trail from the Lower Geyser Basin north to Mammoth in 1874. The Bozeman newspaper noted that he ". . . discovered a trail leading from the Mammoth Hot Springs to the Upper Geyser Basin, by which forty miles in distance is saved, as compared with the old traveled route." Supt. Norris rebuilt this trail into a road in 1878 and called it the `Norris Road.' In 1875 Beltizer operated out of Mammoth as park guide, providing pack outfits for visitors and their luggage. [25L;19] [Bozeman Avant-Courier, 8/7/1874; 8/20/1875] Benson, Amos. Amos Benson built a log saloon and store in 1873 with Dan Naileigh near the ferry-boat landing on the Yellowstone River (near current Livingston, Mt.) The area became known as Benson's Landing and was a popular meeting place for fur trappers, traders, miners, and hunters. The ferry site was near Mission Creek and had been originally put into service by Buckskin Williams opposite the Crow Indian agency. Later on it became a stage station and post office. Another entrepreneur in the area was Hugo Hoppe, was also involved in the saloon and hotel business. [97p;98] [An Illustrated History of the Yellowstone Valley, Western Historical Publishing Co., Spokane, Wash., 1907.] Benson, Maj. H.C. Maj. Benson was Acting Supt. with the Army from November 28, 1908 to September 30, 1910. Benson was born Dec. 8, 1857 in Ohio and graduated from West Point. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1882. He was involved in the Geronimo campaign in 1885-86 and served as superintendent of Sequoia National Park from 1895-97. Benson superintended Yosemite from 1895-97 and served in the Spanish American War. He became a lt. colonel in 1914 and a full colonel in 1915 when he retired from the military. He was recalled during WWI and died in San Francisco September 21, 1924. [Dan Thrapp, Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography] [25L;19] Berry, William Sanford (W.S) & Aurinda Sophronia Ferris Berry (A.F.) The Berry family moved into Gardiner in 1902 and established a photo studio in a tent at the north end of town. According to Ruth Quinn, the couple purchased two lots on Main St. in 1911 and had a new building constructed called the Gardiner Studio.. The husband and wife team produced at least 60 known postcards of the Yellowstone area. Many of them featured beautiful fauna and flora depictions, while stagecoaches were featured in several others. Documentary-type photos were also taken in nearby communities. Larger format photos were vailable, 4x5", 5x7" & 8x10", in either glossy or dull finishes. During the sixteen years they spent in Gardiner, one or both of them established temporary studios in other Montana towns to supplement their income. A son was born in 1912 - Ferris Milton Berry, who spent most of his career in the Air Force. The family moved out of Gardiner in 1918 and according to Find-a-Grave.com, W.S. served as "warden of Sully's Hill Game Preserve at Fort Totten ND; the preserve being established by President Teddy Roosevelt to help rebuild the herds of elk, deer, and bison which had been over hunted nearly to extinction. After several Dakota winters, William decided there was too much pioneering at Fort Totten for a man his age and in 1920 moved his family to sunny Long Beach CA; and in 1926 relocated to Pomona." They passed away in 1948 & 1950 respectively and were buried in the local cemetery. Unfortunately no photos have yet been located of their studio or of themselves. Biddle, Nicolas . Publisher of Captain William Clark's map from the Lewis & Clark Expedition of 1804-06. The map was published in 1814. Clark named the large lake at the base of the Grand Tetons Biddle Lake in his honor. The lake is now known as Jackson Lake. [30;5] [16a;331] Billings, Frederick . Frederick Billings became president of the Northern Pacific RR in 1879, the same time rail construction commenced after the 6-year hiatus resulting from the “Panic of 1873”. The city of Billings MT was named after him. Henry Villard replaced him two years later. In 1886 he became one of the organizers of the Yellowstone Park Asso., along with Charles Gibson, Nelson Thrall, and John Bullitt. [25L;19] Binkley, William. Wm. Binkley was believed to have been responsible for the stagecoach holdup on Aug. 24, 1908, on the road between Old Faithful and West Thumb. Almost $1400 in cash and over $700 in jewelry and watches were taken from the tourists. Binkley had previously escaped from the guardhouse at Ft. Yellowstone, where he was being held on a poaching charge. [10;65] [31;153] Black, Leander M. Leander Black was a member of the partnership formed by A. Bart Henderson around 1874 to construct a road from Bozeman to Yellowstone Park and appropriate accommodations. The concern was called the "Bozeman City & Yellowstone National Park Wagon Road and Hotel Company." Attempts to receive a Federal charter and monies failed, along with their grand plans. [30;189] Blackmore, William . William Blackmore, or Lord Blackmore, accompanied the Hayden Expedition of 1872 as an anthropologist. During the trip his wife died in Bozeman. Upon his return he purchased five acres of land in town and deeded it to the city for a cemetery. [30;185] Blanding, James. James Blanding was one of three road crew leaders working on the park roads under Lt. Kingman in 1885-86. He pioneered a new road from Norris to the Grand Canyon, which was completed in 1886. A steep grade on the road became known as 'Blanding Hill.' [31;215] Blankenship, Edwin V. E.V. Blankenship operated a camping company in Yellowstone that was based out of Bozeman. . Records indicate he was in business for at least the years 1897 to 1912. It was originally known as Blankenship & Morgan and later became Blankenship & Co. The company petitioned to leave equipment and supplies at designated campsites in 1909, but the request was denied. Later requests to built log cabins at their sites were also denied. Check out my Smaller Camps webpage for more info!! Bogart, J.V. J.V. Bogart was a member of a partnership formed by A. Bart Henderson around 1874 to construct a road from Bozeman to Yellowstone Park and appropriate accommodations. The concern was called the "Bozeman City & Yellowstone National Park Wagon Road and Hotel Company." Attempts to receive a Federal charter and monies failed, along with their grand plans. [30;189] Bottler Bros. [Boteler] Three brothers, Frederick, Henry and Phillip Bottler, settled near the future site of Emigrant in 1868. Phillip was born Dec. 25, 1837 in Summit County, near Cleveland, Ohio and Fred was born April 10, 1843. Their parents were Catharine and Ernest Bottler. They family later lived in Indiana and Iowa. Phillip enlisted in the Civil War in 1862, but was discharged a few months later due to an injury. He and Frederick headed west in 1865 and established a small ranch in the Gallatin Valley. They sold the ranch a few years later and moved to Emigrant in December of 1867. Their ranch served as a stopping point for early travelers for many years, and also provided guide and hunting services. Frederick was in the geyser basins as early as 1866. Frederick Bottler joined Philetus Norris on a climb to the top of Electric Peak in 1870. Two years later Bottler accompanied the 2nd Hayden Expedition. In 1875 it was reported the brothers killed as many as 2000 elk near Mammoth for the hides and tongues only. The men raised wheat, potatoes, cattle and sheep on their ranch. An 1874 Bozeman newspaper ad proclaimed "Travelers to National Park, Attention! House of Entertainment. Boteler & Bro's Ranch, situated midway between Bozeman and the Mammoth Hot Springs, has been fitted up to accommodate the traveling public to and from the National Park with excellent fare for both man and beast. Good meals, comfortable beds and the best of pasturage for stock can always be had by the traveler. BOTELER & BRO." Fred married Josie Shorthill, a native of Pennsylvania, in 1881. [25g] [2] [3m] [Bozeman Avant-Courier 7/3/1874] [56m;1104] Boutelle, Capt. Frazier . Capt. Boutelle was Acting Park Supt. with the 1st Cavalry from June 1, 1889 to Feb. 15, 1891. [25L;20] He was born Sept. 12, 1840 at Troy, New York to parents James Augustus Boutelle and Emeline Lamb Boutelle. James Boutelle relocated to northern California with a daughter in the 1850s and by 1871 Emeline had married E.F. Gordon and moved to Ontario, Canada. Frazier volunteered in June of 1861 with the 5th New York Cavalry in the Civil War and emerged in 1865 commissioned as a captain. Frazier served at Antietam, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Wilderness, Gettysburg, and the second battle of Bull Run. He re-enlisted in 1866 for the Indian campaign in the West and was an active participant in the Modoc War of 1872-73 in California. In 1873 he married Mary Adolphine Augusto Hayden at Vancouver, Washington and they had one son named Henry Moss Boutelle, born June 17, 1875. Henry was killed in the Philippines during the war in 1899. He again gained rank of captain in 1886. He retired in 1895 and moved to Seattle around 1906. He died there Feb. 12, 1924. [Dan Thrapp, Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography] [Univ. of Oregon Libraries, Hist. Photo. Collection] Bozeman, John. John Bozeman pioneered the short-lived Bozeman’s Trail, which was a short-cut passing through Indian lands east of the Big Horn Mountains from the Oregon Trail to Bozeman. He was killed in 1867 east of Livingston, reportedly by Indians. However, there has been some speculation the murder was committed by whites in an attempt to stir up military action against the Indians. The city of Bozeman, located about 75 miles northwest of the park was established in 1864 and named after John Bozeman. [25L;20] He was born 1835 in Georgia and left his wife and two children to venture west to Cripple Creek, Colorado in 1861. He joined the gold rush to Virginia City in June of 1862. Seeking a shorter route to the mines of Montana, he and John Jacobs were attacked by Sioux that winter east of the Big Horn Mountains, and robbed of all they owned. He led a wagon train along that route in 1863 to the goldfields of Montana and led several parties along "his" route the following year. The Army built forts along the way to help protect the road, but was eventually forced to abandon them due to constant Indian attacks. [Grace R. Hebard, "The Bozeman Trail"] Bracey, Capt. Capt. Bracey was a member of Bart Henderson's Yellowstone prospecting expedition of 1867. [30;77] Bradley, Frank H . Frank H. Bradley was a professor from Knoxville Tennessee and a member of Hayden's Geological Survey of the Territories. He renamed deLacy's Lake to Shoshone Lake. Breck, George. George Breck took over as manager of transportation for YPTCo when W.W. Humphrey left to form the Monida & Yellowstone stage line in 1898 with Franks Haynes. Breck had been prominent in stage transportation in the northwest and continued with YPTCo until his death on March 25, 1914. He had apparently gone into his cabin seemingly perfectly well and when a friend walked into 10 minutes later, Breck was dead. A.W. Miles called him one of the most valued and honored employees in the park. [15b] [1n;3/26/1914] Brett, Col. L.M. Col. Brett was Acting Supt. for the Army from September 30, 1910 to October 15, 1916. In June of 1915 he made a tour around the park in an automobile, to confirm the feasibility of auto travel on park roads. In August he oversaw the entry of motorized vehicles into Yellowstone. He died in Washington DC September 23, 1928 at age 71 as a brigadier-general in the Army. [10;86] [25L;20] Bridger, Jim. Jim Bridger was a famed mountain man, explorer, trapper, guide, and teller of tall tales in the Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone regions in the early to mid- 1800’s. He was born March 1804 in Richmond VA and was hunting and scouting by age 14. He went into the Indian country at age 18 and became one of the founders of the Rocky Mountain Fur Co. in 1822, along with Wm. Ashley, Andrew Henry, Jedediah Smith, and Milton Sublette. Bridger is known to have begun trapping in the Upper Yellowstone area by 1829, and was in and out of the country up until 1860. He established a trading post known as Ft. Bridger in 1843 on Black’s Fork of the Green River. In the spring of 1860 he accompanied the Raynolds Expedition to Yellowstone, but they were unable to enter the southern portion of Yellowstone Park due to the deep snows. He liked to tell a ‘yarn’ and there are dozens of ‘tall tales’ attributed to him, many of which though, originated from other sources. People of his time referred to him as “The Old Man of the Mountains.” He died in Washington, Missouri on July 7, 1881. He was originally buried on his farm near Dallas, south of Kansas City, but in 1906 his bones were moved to Mount Washington Cemetery and a 8-ton stone monument was erected. In addition to his other exploits, the marker claims he discovered the Great Salt Lake in 1824 and the South Pass in Wyoming in 1827. [25g] [2] [Breckinridge Bulletin, CO., 1/7/1907 Brisben, Gen. James S. James Brisben was Lt. Doane's commanding officer during Doane's ill-fated winter exploration of the Snake River in 1876-77. He stationed his troops at Mammoth in 1878 during the Bannock Indian scare. The troop was armed with a Gatling gun. In 1882 Brisben was authorized to operate boats on the Yellowstone Lake, but refused to do so after finding out YPIC also had the same privilege. Brisben was born May 23, 1837 at Boalsburg, Pennsylvania and entered the Civil War as a private in 1861. By the end of the war he attained the rank of colonel, but upon re-enlistment after the war he became a captain. He was commander of Ft. Ellis at Bozeman in 1876 and went to the relief of the beleaguered trappers and hunters at Ft. Pease along the Yellowstone River. E.S. Topping was among the men at Ft. Pease. Brisben later maintained a ranch in Paradise Valley south of Livingston. He died January 14, 1892. [Dan Thrapp, Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography] [25L;21] [30;212] [10;28] Brothers, Henry J . In 1914 Henry Brothers established the Brothers Bathhouse & Plunge in the Old Faithful Geyser Basin across the river from Beehive Geyser. He used hot water from Solitary Geyser to supply the swimming pool and the five smaller hot pools. Brothers Plunge was enlarged in 1923 and a new log building was erected. In 1927 he built a bathhouse at the Old Faithful auto camp, and three years later built facilities at the Fishing Bridge auto camp. This bathhouse included tubs, showers, laundry and irons. He sold out to Charles Hamilton in 1933, who remodeled and enlarged the Bathhouse & Plunge, essentially rebuilding the entire structure. [25;21] Brown, Capt. Oscar J. Capt. Brown was Acting Supt. with the 1st Cavalry from June 23, 1899 to July 23, 1900. [25L;21] Brown, Joe . Joe Brown discovered gold in Bear Gulch, near the park’s northern border east of Gardiner in 1866. It was reported that he took out $8,000 in gold that year. He discovered gold ore on Crevasse Mountain in the 1870’s and sold out to George Eaton in 1885, who built the first quartz mill in the district. A trail up Dome Mountain, near Yankee Jim Canyon, is named after Brown. [25L;21] Bryant, Robert C. Robert Bryant formed a company that was originally known as the Bryant-Spence Yellowstone Camping Co. It began operating out of (West) Yellowstone in 1903, with main offices in Chicago. This camping company conducted tours of the park from the west entrance and Gardiner. Bryant applied for a camping permit in July 1908, but was turned down by Interior. Apparently he had been operating in the park during 1908 and previous seasons without a license and oft-times sold tours and pawned the people off on other operators in the park. A 1908 brochure advertised “The Bryant Way”, an obvious take-off on “The Wylie Way” phrase coined many years earlier. Bryant somehow resumed his camping operation ca1909-10 and also operated hotel and stagecoach operations in (West) Yellowstone. The business was incorporated as the R.C. Bryant Company on May 31, 1910 in Utah. Special wagons accompanied the tours, carrying provisions, baggage, tents, cots, tables, chairs, bedding, and stoves, etc. A professional cook accompanied the trips. The hotel was located on the main street coming out of the park, about a block east of the UP depot. Bryant sold out his camp and hotel operation to the Shaw & Powell Co. in 1912. [25g] [15b] [YNP Army Files Doc. #8021;8022;8506;8510;8516] Check out my Robert Bryant Camping Co. page for more info!! Buffalo Jones, C.J. Buffalo Jones was hired in 1902 to manage the dwindling buffalo herd. At that time the herd numbered less than 50, and only 21-22 by some accounts. 18 buffalo cows were brought in from the Allard Ranch in Montana and 3 bulls imported from the Goodnight Ranch in Texas. A house and corrals were built for Jones just south of Capitol Hill in Mammoth. C.J hired his brother as “buffalo keeper”, but he was later fired for incompetence. Buffalo Jones position was abolished in 1905 and he resigned shortly thereafter. [25L;22] Buffington, Leroy. Leroy Buffington was a St. Paul architect who designed the new National Hotel at Mammoth in 1883. He designed numerous St. Paul mansions and was considered the 'father of the skyscraper.' [10;130] Bullitt, John C. John Bullitt was a Philadelphia businessman who was one of the original organizers of the YPA in 1886. Bundy, Oliver C. Oliver C. Bundy was a Helena photographer who has become known for his early stereoviews of Yellowstone scenes in the early 1870's. Whether he took photos himself, or purchased photos from other photographers is unknown. Bundy arrived in Montana Territory in 1866 and opened a photo gallery in Virginia City in 1872. He went into partnership with Helena photographer E. H. Train in 1876 and later that year Bundy bought out Train. Bundy was born in 1827 and died in 1891. [www.yellowstonestereoviews.com ] Burgess, Felix Felix Burgess was a government scout who was appointed a deputy marshall in 1891, although lack of adequate enforceable laws made his job difficult. Early in that year he assisted in the search for missing scout Ed Wilson. In Feb. of 1894, Burgess and Private Troike, arrested poacher Edgar Howell on Pelican Creek. Howell had at least six buffalo capes hanging near his camp. [31;63-65,445] Buttrey, Frank A . Frank Buttrey started his first store in Aldridge and he later established Buttrey's Stores all through Montana. [25g;144]
- YP Camps Companies | Geyserbob.com
Camping in the Yellowstone Yellowstone Park Camping Company - 1917-1919 Yellowstone Park Camps Company - 1919-1927 Yellowstone Park Lodge & Camps Company - 1927-1936 Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Yellowstone Park Camping Company - 1917-1919 Huge changes were enacted in Yellowstone beginning with the 1917 season when the new National Park Service mandated a concessions consolidation plan. All of the stagecoaches were retired, and replaced with automobiles stages manufactured by the White Motor Co. All transportation would be run by H.W. Child and his Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. The various smaller camping companies were shut down, and the largest - the Shaw & Powell Camping Co . and the Wylie Permanent Camping Co . were combined into one company. This was known as the Yellowstone Park Camping Co. The hotels were mostly unaffected, except that the Fountain and Norris hotels were shut down as unnecessary due to faster travel time in the new auto stages. The general stores were untouched, but Frank Haynes was forced to sell his transportation operation and former stock in the Wylie Co., leaving him in control of the picture shops in Yellowstone. Left: Possibly the 1st newspaper ad for the new Yellowstone Park Camping Co., 22Jun1917, Salt Lake Tribune . Right: Newspaper ads with the new, "The Camp Way" logo showed up early in the summer of 1917. 3Aug1917, Salt Lake Tribune . A.W. Miles gained 51% of stock in the new camping company, while various Shaw and Powell family members shared the remainder. Many of the former camps were abandoned to avoid duplication of services and a new camp at Mammoth was established. Camps located at Canyon, Lake, Riverside, Tower and Upper Geyser basin were retained, while camps at West Thumb, Willow Park, Gibbon Falls, Nez Perce, and the east entrance (Cody Camp) were abandoned. Riverside Camp closed in 1918 due to WWI and never reopened. The company immediately began using the slogan "The Camp Way," a take-off of the Wylie Way motto. The logo itself was reminiscent of the Shaw & Powell logo. The term Camp Way continued to be used in advertising up into the early 1930s. By 1927-28, most of the permanent camps were beginning to be called lodges instead of camps. The “Wylie Way” slogan was no longer used in Yellowstone, but went into use in 1917 at Zion national Park, where Wm. W. Wylie opened up a new camp - the first lodgings in Zion. Photo of a Yellowstone Park Camping Co. truck hauling employees to a camp in Yellowstone for the summer season. A blurb in one of the company’s brochure boasted, "A hostess at each camp look after the comfort and convenience of women guests. The camp atmosphere is clean, informal and pleasurable. There is nothing rough or coarse. There is no “dressing up.” The employees are young folk from private homes—many of them students and teachers. All sleeping tents are framed, floored, wainscoted and heated. The furnishings, while simple, are absolutely comfortable The beds are of the best quality, full sized. A special nightly feature at each camp is the "Camp Fire" and entertainment and dancing in the recreation pavilion. “Camp Roosevelt” is an extra “stop-over" camp for guests who desire to prolong the standard “four and one-half day tour." The government urges prospective visitors to plan if possible, to stay several extra days in the Park. The weekly .rate, American plan, is $30.00." From The Yellowstone News, Spring 1918, published by the Yellowstone Park Camping Co., New method to revitalize your weary bones: “Are you a member of that annual band of tired business men and women, fagged-out teachers and weary hosts and hostesses, worn by the strainn of a hard social season who are looking, during the summer time, for the road which leads to the three “R’s”—Rest. Recreation, and Recreation? . . . You have "nerves?” Can't sleep nights? Then why hesitate longer? Pack your suitcase with a few warm, rough clothes and some stout shoes, wire the Yellowstone Park Camping Company to reserve accommodations for you. and take the first train to Yellowstone National Park, I wager the first morning’sride will smooth the wrinkles from your brow and soothe your tortured nerves; and after your first night’s rest you will awaken feeling reborn and ready for anything.” Yellowstone Park Camps Company - 1919-1927 Howard Hays and Roe Emery purchased the YP Camping Co. in 1919. Walter White of the White Motor Co. was a silent partner and Hays became president of the company. Harry Child, wanting to buy the company very badly, after having to give up his share of the Wylie Co. after 1916, was hoping to get a good deal. While he was waiting for the $150,000 price to come down, Hays unexpectedly came up with the money, with backing by White. Walter White hid his involvement in the business, as he did not want to antagonize Child, who was one of his large customers for White buses. The new owners expanded operations of the camps by building rustic log lodges and recreation halls at all existing locations except Riverside, which closed in 1918 due to WWI and never reopened. A swimming pool was built at Mammoth Lodge around 1920 and a Boys Forest & Trail Camp was established at Roosevelt in 1921 that included a swimming pool, council house, and eight tent cabins. The camp taught boys the fine arts of fishing, mountain climbing, and studying the flora and fauna. For additional information and photos of these camps & lodges, check my "Hotels" web pages: Mammoth ; Roosevelt ; Canyon ; Lake ; Old Faithful . Above: Camp photos from the YP Camps Co. 1922 brochure.. Right: Description of the five camps, from a 1920 YP Camps Co. brochure. From the Director of the NPS, Stephen T. Mather, in his 1924 annual report Vernon Goodwin takes over the helm of the YP Camps Co. The company was sold in 1924 to Vernon Goodwin of Los Angeles, when Howard Hays retired and sold out due to poor health. The Salt Lake Tribune of May 9, 1924 explains: “The Yellowstone Park Camps Company, controlling the camp system in the national playground, has been sold to Vernon Goodwin, wealthy Los Angeles hotel man, according to an announcement received yesterday 'by Daniel S. Spencer, general passenger agent for the Oregon Short Line railroad, from Horace M. Albright, superintendent of Yellowstone park. The consideration was not made public. The property has been controlled by Howard H. Hays, formerly of Salt Lake, and the sale has the approval of S.T. Mather, director of the national parks service, who recently joined with Mr. Albrlght, Mr. Hays and the purchaser in a discussion of the deal in Los Angeles. All officers of the company, with the exception of Mr. Hays, will remain with the organization, it is understood. The sale of the properties was prompted by the ill health of Mr. Hays, who is preparing, on the advice of a physician, for a rest of about six months.” Harry Child kept his involvement in the new company quiet, much as White had done five years earlier. The purchase now cost Child four times what it would cost him in 1919. Goodwin became company President and A.L. Smith served as Secretary/Treasurer. Ed Moorman, who had previously served as Secretary/Treasurer was brought into the deal and became Manager. The company opened the Sylvan Pass Lodge in 1924, located near the East Entrance. The lodge, along the route from Cody to Lake Hotel, provided meals in a log lodge and guests could stay overnight in tent facilities. The lodge operated for ten years. Vernon Goodwin , who had been manager of the Alexandria and Ambassador hotels in Los Angeles, purchased the YP Camps Co. in 1924 for $660,000 with financing by Harry Child. Although it technically became known as the Vernon Goodwin Co. the company continued to be referred to as the YP Camps Co. According to "Greater Los Angeles & Southern California Portraits & Personal Memoranda," Lewis Publishing Company, 1910. Goodwin was "born in Santa Rosa, Cal., Dec. 13, 1871. Chiefly educated in public and high schools. Assistant postmaster of Santa Rosa for three years; resigned to take a law course, and admitted to practice in California Supreme Court, 1894. Principal of grammar school for three years, and later took a special English course at Stanford University. Served as Deputy County Auditor for four years and resigned to accept position with California Gas & Electric Corporation. Came to Los Angeles, 1895; now Secretary of the Bilicke-Rowan Fireproof Building Co., Bilicke-Rowan Annex Co., Alexandria Hotel Co. and Hollenbeck Hotel Co." [Rotarian Magazine, March 1926] The Yellowstone Park Lodge & Camps Co. This company came into existence sometime in 1927 when Vernon Goodwin Co. changed the name. When Goodwin’s wife died in January 1927, her obit mention Vernon being President of the Yellowstone Park Lodge & Camps Co. The company continued the operation of lodges and camps at Old Faithful, Lake, Canyon, Fishing Bridge, West Thumb, Mammoth, and Roosevelt. Although the name changed, Goodwin remained in management with the Child enterprises and was listed as president of the YPLC Co while Ed Moorman was retained as general manager. This new company (just in name) invested $300,000 on new buildings at Canyon, Lake and Old Faithful. Cafeterias were also built at the public auto camps at Old Faithful and West Thumb. The trend now was to focus on a lodge operation as opposed to tent facilities. Gradually the historic striped canvas sides and tops were replaced with more conventional wood structures. When Harry Child died in 1931, his son-in-law Wm. Nichols took over the operation and Goodwin became vice president of the YP Hotel Co. The company struggled during the Depression, as did the hotel andother park businesses. Some camps closed for a year or more, but that the camps were less expensive than the hotels was a distinct advantage. For additional information and photos of these camps & lodges, check my "Hotels" web pages: Mammoth ; Roosevelt ; Canyon ; Lake ; Old Faithful . Advertising from the company's 1930 brochure: "From many years' experience, the Yellowstone Park Lodge and Camps Company has developed a truly remarkable system and service. The Lodges are located at the main centers of scenic interest. In each lodge, guests come first to a great central building, which house lobbies, dining halls, social assembly rooms, business headquarters, curio shops and many of the usual facilities of hotels and clubs. Surrounding the main buildings are the small lodges—of one-room, two-room and four-room capacity. They are of two types - (1.) log, (2.) rustic clap board - all substantially built, comfortable and well furnished. Each lodge is heated by a rustic wood-burning stove (for nights and mornings are cool in the mountains), the beds are full size and of high quality, the furniture plain but adequate. Lodges are electric lighted, of course. The dining rooms serve wholesome, well-cooked food." Yellowstone Park Company - 1936-1979 In 1936 the Yellowstone Park Lodges & Camps Co. merged together with the other Child-Nichols interests into the Yellowstone Park Company. These interests included the Yellowstone Park Hotel Co., Yellowstone Park Transportation Co., and the Yellowstone Park Boat Co. Wm Nichols was president, Vernon Goodwin vice-president, and Mrs. Harry Child remained a principle stockholder. The company embarked on an ambitious renovation plan which including the razing of the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel (Old National Hotel). The North Wing was retained and a new lobby/office complex constructed at the end of the wing. A separate restaurant, recreation hall, and cabins were also erected. Many of the tent cabins at Mammoth Lodge were moved to Roosevelt Lodge and the MHS Lodge was shut down in 1940. It was the beginning of a new era for the company in Yellowstone, but the earlier vision of the tent camp operation became a lost relic of history. The National Park Service's Mission 66 plan in the 1950s closed down the beautifully rustic camp at Canyon, and new facilities were constructed at Canyon Village, a mile or two away. Sylvan Closed around 1934, but Roosevelt Lodge, Lake Lodge, and Old Faithful Lodge remain successful operations to this day, under the auspices of Xanterra Parks & Lodges. Top Left: Mammoth Lodge , 1923. Haynes Postcard #23295 Center: Old Faithful Lodge , 1928, Haynes Postcard #28029 Bottom Left: Lake Lodge , 1922. Haynes Postcard #22032 Top Right: Roosevelt Lodge , 1927. Haynes Postcard #27468 Bottom Right: Canyon Lodge , 1922. Haynes Postcard #22032 Of these five lodges, only Roosevelt, Lake & Old Faithful remain.
- Yellowstone Bios H | Geyserbob.com
Yellowstone Biographies H Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Hague, Arnold . Arnold Hague was born December 3, 1840 to Rev. Dr. William and Mary B. (Moriarty) Hague in Boston, Massachusetts. He served as a geologist with the US Geological Survey from 1879 until his death in 1917. Hague graduated from Yale and studied at several universities in Germany. He specialized in the geology of Yellowstone beginning in 1883 and continued his surveys of the park through two decades. He and his staff were responsible for naming many of the park features. He was a member of Clarence King's US Geological exploration of the 40th Parallel from 1867-77 and investigated mining and mining processes in Nevada, China, and Guatemala. Hague was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and other professional societies, and authored numerous scientific books and professional papers on the geology of the West. In 1899 he co-authored "Geology of the Yellowstone National Park" and wrote numerous other treatises on geology. [Who's Who in America, 1902; Webster's Biographical Dictionary, 1948; The 20th Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, 1904] [25L;46] Hall, William A. W.A. Hall, familiarly known as 'Billy', was born April 30, 1861 and came to Montana from Humansville, Missouri as a foster child of the C.D. Fisher family. He married Lulu F. Brown in 1886 and they had four sons: Arthur W., Earl H., Warren E., and James Raymond. Hall built the W.A. Hall store in Gardiner near the Arch and rail depot in 1903 and provided all of the basic necessities of life for the tourist, hunter, and resident. The large upstairs was home to many community dances in its heyday. The store was a Golden Rule store, the forerunner of the J.C. Penny franchise. Hall originally ran a store in Aldridge, but built a new and larger store in Gardiner with the opening of the railroad to that town. He left Aldridge completely after the coal strike of 1904-05. Hall also operated a Golden Rule store at Cinnabar in the 1890's. The W.A. Hall Company at Cinnabar housed a general store, a beer hall and a restaurant. Hall closed the store down in 1903 when the railroad continued on into Gardiner and the town of Cinnabar was abandoned. Hall later moved to Bozeman and his sons operated the Gardiner store until 1955. Lulu Hall passed away in 1931. The W.A. Hall building was sold in 1961 to Cecil Paris. Reportedly architect Robert Reamer designed the building for Hall. However, there is some doubt about whether the building that was erected actually used the plans drawn up by Reamer. Reamer's blueprints of the store show many design characteristics that were not included in actual construction, perhaps as a means to save both time and money. [25L;101] [71c] [56o;Hall, Warren] [1m;Hall, W.A.] Hamilton, Charles A. Charles Hamilton was founder of the Hamilton Stores business that operated general stores in the park from 1915 to 2002. He was born in 1884 in Winnepeg, Manitoba and went to work for the YPA in 1905. In 1915 he purchased the Klamer store at Old Faithful from Mary Klamer with financial backing by H.W. Child. The following year, with an increasing amount of autos in the park, he went into the service station business with Child. Hamilton opened up his second store and filling station in 1917 at Lake in the old E. C. Waters building in front of the Lake Hotel. Construction on a new store at Lake began in 1919 and was ready for opening in 1922. Hamilton married May Spence in 1920 at the Fort Yellowstone chapel. By the mid-1920’s he had campground stores and filling stations at West Thumb, Fishing Bridge, and Old Faithful. In 1926 he helped form the Yellowstone Park Service Stations (YPSS) with Child and Anna Pryor. The Upper Hamilton store was erected at Old Faithful in 1929-30 using a design by Robert Reamer. He bought out the Brothers Geyser Bath operation at Old Faithful in 1933. His daughter Eleanor May and husband Trevor Povah took over much of the day-to-day management of the business in 1940. In 1953 Hamilton purchased the Pryor & Trischman stores at Mammoth and Canyon, giving him a monopoly on the general store business. He died in 1957 and his family controlled the business through 2002. [25g] [25k] For addition information on the Hamilton Stores, please visit my web page. Hamilton, Eleanor . Eleanor Hamilton was the daughter of Charles Hamilton, she married Trevor Povah in 1940. After her father’s death in 1957, Eleanor (Ellie) and her husband took over the Hamilton Stores operation. [25L;47] Harriman, E.H. E.H. Harriman was president of Union Pacific RR and decided in ca1905 to build a branch line to the western entrance of Yellowstone. The line was opened in 1908 at what would eventually become the town of West Yellowstone. The family donated 14,750 acres of their ranch to the state of Idaho in 1977 for use as a state park. The park was named after the Harriman family. [25L;46] Harris, Capt. Moses . Capt. Harris was the 1st military superintendent of the park. He took charge on August 20, 1886 with the 1st Cavalry, Troop M. The troop consisted of two officers and 50 enlisted men. He hired Jack Baronett as a guide, and James McBride as scout. He served until May 31, 1889. [25L;47] Hartzog, George B. George Hartzog was appointed NPS Director in 1964. He canceled all of the Mission 66 objectives that year. The following year he notified YPCo that the government was going to terminate their contract. [25L;47] Harvat, John . John Harvet was a Livingston area businessman who received the beef contract for the park hotels for the 1890 season. D.B. May held the contract for the two previous seasons. Harvat contracted with Henry Klamer to manage the operation. Klamer himself received the contract the following year and maintained it for the rest of the decade. [25k] Hatch, Benton . Benton Hatch was in charge of the Firehole Hotel in 1890 and became manager of the new Fountain Hotel when it opened in 1891. However, he had differences of opinion on management of the hotel with the Yellowstone Park Association (YPA), and retired from the position in September. He was well-liked by his employees, and 20 of them left with him in a show of support. [LE;10/18/1890;9/12/1891] Hatch, Rufus . Rufus Hatch was one of the original investors and partners in the YP Improvement Co. in 1883, along with Carroll T. Hobart and Henry Douglas. Hatch was born in Wells, York County, Maine in 1832 and later became a grocery clerk in Rockford Illinois. He entered the grain commission business in Chicago in 1854 and amassed a fortune. In 1862 he went to New York to establish a stock brokerage on Wall Street. YPIC went bankrupt and into receivership in 1885. He died in 1893. [25g] [2] Hayden, Ferdinand V . Born in Westfield, Mass. on September 7, 1829, Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1850. He studied medicine at the medical college in Albany, New York before heading west in 1863 to explore the Badlands of Dakota and other areas of the Upper Missouri. F.V. Hayden began the Hayden Survey in 1867 and conducted a geological survey of the new state of Nebraska. The government assumed control of his survey in 1869 and it became known as the U.S. Geological Survey of the Territories. He obtained $40,000 from Congress and became the leader of the 1st government-sponsored expedition to Yellowstone in 1871 that explored, named, mapped, and later published accounts of this historic trip. His efforts were of great assistance in the campaign to protect Yellowstone as a National Park. Artist Thomas Moran, photographer Henry Jackson, and other scientists accompanied him on the expedition. Hayden also conducted Yellowstone expeditions in 1872 and 1878. The author of numerous scientific papers and government publications, he retired from government service in 1886 due to health issues and died two years later in Philadelphia. [Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, 1-7-1888] [25L;47] Haynes, Bessie. Bessie Haynes was Frank Haynes' oldest daughter, who married Lt. Frederick T. Arnold. She was born around 1880 in Minnesota and passed away 100 years later in Arizona. [25L;46] Haynes, Frank J. Frank J. Haynes (F.J. Haynes, F. Jay Haynes,) was known as the ‘Official Park Photographer’ and was originally employed by the Northern Pacific RR in 1875 to take pictures along their route from Minnesota to the West Coast for advertising and promotional purposes. Frank Haynes was born Oct. 28, 1853 in Saline Michigan and married Lily Verna Synder in 1878. Haynes established a photo studio in Moorhead, Minnesota in 1876 and moved it to Fargo, North Dakota in 1879. Ten years later he moved the studio to St. Paul, Minnesota where it was maintained for many years. In 1884 he obtained leases for 4 acres at both Old Faithful and Mammoth, where he opened his first photo shop in 1884. His son Jack was also born that year. Frank eventually operated Haynes Photo Shops at all major locations in the park. In December of 1885, he joined up with George Wakefield to form the Wakefield & Haynes Stage Co. The concern was short-lived and Haynes sold out in June 1886, but Wakefield continued the operation for several more years in the park as Wakefield Stage Lines. Haynes was a part of the Schwatka winter expedition in 1887 and took the 1st winter pictures of the interior of the park. He and two others finished the trek after Schwatka got sick and turned back. The Haynes Guidebook was first published in 1890 and continued almost yearly until 1966. In 1900 he produced his first set of ‘picture post cards’, and went on over the years producing tens of thousands of these cards and stereoviews, many of which are now collector’s items. Haynes and W.W. Humphrey formed the Monida-Yellowstone Stage Co. in 1898 that operated from the Union Pacific rail line at Monida into the park. It began operating out of Yellowstone (West Yellowstone) in 1908 and became known as the Yellowstone & Western Stage Co. in 1913. In 1909 Haynes made an attempt to break into the hotel business in Yellowstone, but Harry Child offered Haynes one-half of his interest in the Wylie Permanent Camping Co. to keep Haynes from building a hotel. By 1913 Haynes was a stockholder in the Madison Fork Ranch Corp. located near the Madison Basin west of the park. Haynes owned the Cody-Sylvan Pass Co. in 1913 and became president and largest shareholder of the first motorized bus fleet in the park in 1916. That venture was known as the Cody-Sylvan Pass Motor Co. and was co-owned by William Nichols, Wylie and Shaw & Powell. That business was taken over by the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. (YPTCo) in 1917. He lost all of his transportation businesses in 1917 when YPTCo was awarded the contract for the transportation franchise in the park. Haynes was also forced to sell off his Wylie shares when the camping companies were reorganized. F.J. retired from the transportation and camping businesses after the 1916 season and turned over the photo shops to his son Jack in the beginning of 1916. Frank passed away on March 10, 1921 at age 68. Supt. Albright renamed Mt. Burley to Mt. Haynes in his honor. [43j] [25g] [18t] [YNP Archives, Box C17] [31] For additional information, please visit my Haynes Photo Shops page. Haynes, Isabel. Isabel Haynes, nee Isabel Nauerth, was manager of Roosevelt Lodge in 1927and married Jack Haynes in 1931. Their only child was a daughter born in November of that year named Lida Marie. She skied competitively in high school and learned to fly while attending college. She had been expected to take over the family business, but unfortunately died in a tragic traffic accident at age 20. Upon Jack’s death in 1962, Isabel operated the Haynes Photo Shops until 1967, when she sold out to Hamilton Stores. In 1970 she donated the company pictures, negatives, and papers to the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Personal and non-business papers were donated to Montana State University at Bozeman. She passed away in 1993 and the estate auction was held that year in Bozeman. [25L;49] Haynes, Jack Ellis . Jack Haynes was son of Frank J. Haynes and born Sept. 27, 1884 at Fargo, Dakota Territory. Jack received his college degree at the Univ. of Minnesota, graduating in 1908 and took over the Haynes photo business in 1916 when his father retired. Jack was commissioned in the US Army Reserve as a 2nd Lt. in 1918. He was an integral part of the Place Names Committee in 1927, and three years later he obtained exclusive rights to sell images of Yellowstone in the park. He was a member of the Masons, Elks, and Rotary clubs. Haynes married Isabel May Nauerth June 11, 1930 and they made their home in Bozeman. Their daughter Lida was born in 1931, but died in a tragic accident in 1952. He was known to many as ‘Mr. Yellowstone’ and successfully operated the Haynes Photos Shops until his death in 1962. Isabel ran the business until 1967 when it was sold to Hamilton Stores. There were 13 photo shops in the park at the time of sale. [25L;49] [56o; Haynes, Jack Ellis] Hays, Howard . Howard Hays was born on November 23, 1883 in Metropolis, Cook Co., Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago Law prior to coming out to Yellowstone in 1905 to begin work for the Wylie Permanent Camping Co. as a surrey driver. He served as the traveling passenger agent for the company from 1906-16. In 1915 he married Margaret Mauger of Salt Lake City. Early in 1917 he became employed by the Union Pacific RR, and later the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Tourist Bureau, and the National Parks Bureau of the US Railroad Administration. In 1919 he purchased the Yellowstone Park Camping Co. with Roe Emery, changing the name to Yellowstone Park Camps Co. After becoming ill with tuberculosis, he sold the company in 1924 to H.W. Child and Vernon Goodwin for $660,000. He later went on to become President of the Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP Co. In 1927 Hays purchased the Glacier Park Transportation Co. and ran the company until 1955. During this time hays purchased an interest in the Riverside Press newspaper, in California. He eventually moved up through the ranks to become president of the company, a position he held until his death in early January of 1969. [25L;49] Heap, David Porter . David P. Heap was part of the Barlow-Heap expedition of the Army Corps of Engineering in 1971. They had orders from General Sheridan to make an exploration of Yellowstone Park. They traveled with the Hayden Expedition for a portion of the journey. Beaver Dick Leigh served as a guide while photographer Thomas J. Hine took the first pictures of Old Faithful in eruption. Unfortunately the Great Chicago Fire of 1889 destroyed almost all of Hines' negatives from the expedition and only about 16 are known to have survived. Heap was born March 24, 1843 in Stephano, Turkey. He immigrated to the United States and attended Georgetown College in Washington DC. He graduated from the US military academy in 1864 and served out the remainder of the Civil War on the side of the North. He was promoted to Captain, later to major of engineers in 1882, and lieutenant colonel in 1895. In 1899 he became in charge of the 3rd lighthouse district and depot at Tompkinsville, NY. He authored several treatises on electric lighting and lighthouses. [The 20th Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable American; Chronology of Wonderland, Goss] Hedges, Cornelius. Cornelius Hedges first came to Montana in 1864 in search of gold and established a law office in Helena the following year. He was also an editorial writer for the Helena Herald and a member of the Washburn Expedition of 1870. Following the expedition he wrote a series of articles that were published in the Helena Herald describing the wonders of Yellowstone and proposed the appropriation of Yellowstone for public use. [25L;50] Henderson, Barbara Gazelle (Lillie) . Barbara Henderson was born in 1861, she was the daughter of G.L Henderson. She became the park Postmistress on July 5, 1882, shortly after the family’s move to Yellowstone. Together with her sister Jennie, who became Postmistress in 1884, they began the Post Office Store at Mammoth in one of James McCartney’s old buildings. The postal position remained mostly in the family for 35 years. She married Alexander Lyall in 1898, who was the construction contractor for the new general store at Mammoth in 1895-96. Barbara later moved to Southern California to live. [1900 Federal Census, YNP] [25j] Henderson, Abel Bartlett. Bart Henderson was born in Tennessee in 1832 to Gideon B. and Jane Ritchey Henderson. He is believed to have prospected for gold in California and the far west at least by the 1860s. He began prospecting around the Yellowstone Park in 1867, coming up from Jackson’s Hole over Two Ocean Pass, around the east shore of Yellowstone Lake, and downriver into Montana. He discovered gold in the Cooke City area in 1869-70 with Adam ‘Horn’ Miller, Ed Hibbard, and James Gourley. He named Soda Butte and Soda Butte Creek during that trip. With help from James Gourley and Adam ‘Horn’ Miller, he began building a road in 1871 from Bottler’s Ranch near Emigrant to Mammoth. The road later passed into the hands of ‘Yankee Jim' James George. Henderson became the 1st known user of skis in the park when he skied from Stephens Creek to Bozeman in 1871. Bart and his brother Stokely D. (and perhaps a brother named James??), owned a ranch near Stephens Creek, just north of the northern Park border, that came under attack by Nez Perce on August 31, 1877. The ranch was burned and after a short battle, Sterling Henderson (son of Stokely), Joe Brown, George Reese, John Werks, and one other man escaped across the Yellowstone River in a small boat. No relation to George Legg Henderson, Bart died August 4, 1889 at Nelson, BC. [LE;10/5/1889] [32] [25g] Henderson, David Bremmer . David Henderson was the younger brother of George Henderson, he became an Iowa Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives. It was his influence that no doubt gained George’s appointment as Asst Supt of Yellowstone in 1882. [25L;50] Henderson, George L . George Henderson, or G.L. Henderson, was born in Oct. 8, 1827 in Old Deer Scotland and immigrated to the US with his family in 1846. The family later settled in Fayette County, Iowa. George and his wife Jeanette Thomas divorced in 1879 after having 10 children. However, five of them died by 1875 due to various causes. He was hired as an assistant superintendent to Supt. Conger in June of 1882 and moved to Yellowstone with his children. He arrived with his son Walter J., aged 20, and daughters Helen L., aged 28, Jennie A., aged 18, Barbara G., age 21, and Mary R., age 12. They moved into the Norris Blockhouse and the following year lived in one of McCartney’s old hotel buildings. The family built the Cottage Hotel at Mammoth in 1885 and Walter and Barbara were listed as the owners on the lease paperwork. He produced a newspaper-style guide to the park called Henderson's Park Manual. Editions were published in 1885 and 1888. George was an avid supporter of the park, conducted tours, and named numerous features in the park. He became known as the 1st Park Interpreter. The Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) bought out the Cottage Hotel in 1889, but George continued to work for his former nemesis until the early 1900’s as a promoter of his beloved Yellowstone. He married Hannah Horton in 1889, but the marriage contract was dissolved twice, the final time in 1898. George died in November 14, 1905 in Chula Vista, CA. [111] [Family Records of James Dean Henderson] Henderson, Helen Lucretia (Nellie) . Born April 25, 1854 in Henderson Prairie, Iowa, Helen Henderson was the daughter of G.L Henderson and became the 1st female stagecoach driver in the park in the mid-1880’s. In her duties she also acted as tour guide and interpreter. She married Charles Stuart Nov. 15, 1887. Helen, also known as ‘Nellie’, worked for the family business at the Cottage Hotel and probably at the general store. The lease for the Henderson business was in her and Walter’s name. [25L;52] [LE;11/19/1887] Henderson, James. James Henderson, brother of Bart Henderson, established a small ranch on Stephens Creek, near the northern border of the park, with his brothers in 1871. In 1877 the Nez Perce Indians burned some of the ranch buildings during their raids through the park. His son Sterling, John Werks, Joseph Brown, George Reese, and Wm. Davis were under attack from the Indians at the ranch for two hours, but managed to finally escape across the Yellowstone River in a small boat. Shortly afterwards Lt. Doane and a detachment from Ft. Ellis arrived and chased the Nez Perce back into the park. The ranch lands became the site of the town of Cinnabar in 1882. The ranch was purchased by Clarence Stephens in the early 1880’s, and was eventually owned by George Huston, C.T. Hobart, and finally the Hoppe family. The lands were transferred to the government in the mid-1920’s. [113] [28g] Henderson, Jennie . Daughter of G.L. Henderson, Jennie Henderson was born March 13, 1864 and took over the Postmistress job at Mammoth from 1884 to 1886. She operated a post office store with her sister Barbara beginning in 1882, in one of James McCartney’s old buildings and became the founder of the first permanent general store in Yellowstone. They sold curios, crystals, agates, petrified wood and ‘coated specimens’. The business later began selling general tourist supplies, clothing, boots, camping gear and supplies, and other tourist necessities. In 1886 Jennie married John Dewing and had two children, George L. and Jessie M., but the marriage later ended in divorce. Marion Baronett took over the Postmistress job and store from 1886 to 1888. In October of that year Jennie was again appointed Postmistress and served until Oct. 1893, when George Ash became Postmaster. George and Jennie were married in June of 1893. In 1895-96 the couple built a new store and post office at Mammoth and lived in the upstairs apartment. Brother-in-law Alex Lyall was in charge of construction of the building. She again became Postmistress early in 1900 after her husband became ill. Several months later George died in a Salt Lake hospital. Jennie received a new 10-year lease for the business in 1905. She retired in 1908 and transferred the lease to Walter Henderson and Alex Lyall. They operated the business until 1913 when George Whittaker purchased it. The business operated under a variety of names: Post Office Store , ca 1883-89; YNP Post Office, ca1889-93; Ash & Henderson, ca1896; Yellowstone Park Tourist Supplies, ca1902; J.H. Ash & Company, ca1907, Yellowstone Park Tourist Supply Co., ca1908; Lyall & Henderson, 1908-1912. Jennie died in 1947 at the age of 83. The store is currently operated by Delaware North Parks Co. [25j] [1900 Federal Census, YNP] Click Here to read the article I wrote on Jennie Henderson Ash and her General Store for the Spring 2005 issue of Yellowstone Science. Henderson, Mary Rosetta . Mary Henderson, born July 15, 1870 in Iowa, was the youngest daughter of G.L. Henderson and was known to have been teaching music in Iowa for part of the year in 1887. She helped her sisters with the Post Office Store at Mammoth and married Henry Klamer in June of 1892. They built and operated the Klamer general store at Old Faithful in 1897. Henry died in 1914 and Mary Klamer sold the store to Charles Hamilton in 1916 and returned to Southern California to live. She died around 1951 at age 81. The Henderson family records note her birth in 1867. (See ‘Klamer, Henry E.’) [LE; 4/2/1892] [25j] [25k] [1900 Federal Census Records, YNP] For additional information on the Klamer family and store please visit my Klamer Store web page. Henderson, Sterling D . Sterling Henderson was son of James Henderson (see above). In 1875 he served as a Stock Herder at Mammoth. He advertised in the Bozeman newspaper that he would be prepared to ". . . take charge of, and herd, the stock of visitors at the Springs. Stock will be called for and delivered at the Springs whenever desired." He was at the Henderson ranch in 1877 when the Nez Perce attacked and burned some of the buildings. [Bozeman Avant-Courier 6/11/1875] Henderson, Walter James . Walter Henderson, born Oct. 5, 1862, was the only surviving son of George Henderson. Walter and his sister Helen were the official leaseholders of the Cottage Hotel that opened in 1885. Early in 1889 he married Eva S. Fitzgerald, daughter of S.M. Fitzgerald. After the hotel was sold in 1889, YPA hired him for the summer to manage the Firehole Hotel. He used his proceeds from the hotel sale to buy an orchard grove and house in Southern California, California. He lived there on a seasonal basis it seems, for a time, and also had a home in Seattle. In 1908 he and his brother-in-law Alexander Lyall purchased the Mammoth store from his sister Jennie. The two men operated the business until 1913 when they sold out to former scout George Whittaker. After Henry Klamer died in 1914, Walter returned to Yellowstone to help Mary manage the Old Faithful general store. [25j] [25k] Herschfield, Aaron & L.H . Aaron Hershfield and L.H. Hershfield were partners with Harry W. Child and Edmund Bach. Together they formed the Yellowstone National Park Transportation Co. that was incorporated May 20, 1892 with capital stock of $250,000. The YNPTC actually started operations in March 1891 when George Wakefield lost his Yellowstone Park Association contract. YPA then leased all of their transportation equipment and facilities to YNPTC, who appointed Wakefield as President. They bought out the Yellowstone Transportation Co. (YTC) and Wakefield & Hoffman operations for $70,000 in 1892 and were granted exclusive transport of NPRR passengers. The following February they received leases for six parcels of land to erect barns and other facilities. The company was taken over by the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. in 1898, under Child, Huntley, and Bach. [25g] [LE; 5/28/1892] Hibbard, Alfred T. Alfred Hibbard became one of the first non-family members (with Hugh Galusha) to become a member of the Board of Directors of YPCo in 1956. [25L;52] Hine, Thomas J. Thomas Hine was a Chicago photographer who accompanied the Barlow-Heap Expedition of 1871. He took about 200 photos on glass plates during the trip, including the 1st picture of Old Faithful in eruption. He returned to Chicago after the trip, but the disastrous Chicago fire on October 8-9, 1871 destroyed all but 16 of his prints. They were lost until 1998 when author James Brust accidentally discovered seven of them in a collection at the New York Historical Society. Hine was apparently in business with Thomas Copelin and his stereographs had been produced under the name Copelin & Sons. The same fire also destroyed many of the reports and specimens collected by Capt. Barlow. [14m] [119b] [79u] Hobart, Carroll T . C.T. Hobart was one of the organizers of the Yellowstone Park Improvement Co. in 1883 with Henry Douglas and Rufus Hatch. The company originally received government approval for leases of 4400 acres, a monopoly on the park concessions, and almost unlimited use of park resources for their operation. Hobart was the general manager and his group built the National Hotel at Mammoth on credit. Financial problems caused the company to go bankrupt in 1885, whereupon Hobart opened up crude hotels at the Lower and Upper Geyser Basins with former Park Superintendent Robert Carpenter. [25L;53] Hobart Charles F . Charles Hobart was the contractor brother of Carroll Hobart, he built the ‘Shack Hotel’ at Old Faithful in 1885 with former Supt. Robert Carpenter, who managed the operation. Feuding over financial matters between the Hobart brothers caused Carpenter to leave the scene after 1885. [25L;53] Hofer, Thomas Elwood. T.E.Hofer (Thomas Hofer) came out West in 1872 to Colorado where he mined and carried mail on skis during the winter of 1875-76. He left Colorado in the spring of 1877 and mined a bit in the Black Hills. Finding little promise he headed for Montana where he visited the Custer Battlefield and ran into P.W. Norris on the Yellowstone River. After reading Nathaniel Langford's Yellowstone account and talking to Norris, he was determined to visit Wonderland, but with the Nez Perce on the prowl, he stayed in Bozeman until things calmed down. While there he became friends with N.P. Langford and did odd jobs until 1878 when he finally got to Mammoth Hot Springs in the company of a freight outfit. He made the rounds of park, meeting a variety of trappers, hunters, scouts, and military men. Having some experience with sailboats on Long Island Sound, he decided to build a boat and during the winter of 1879-80 gathered up tools and materials. During the summer of 1880 he stayed in E.S. Topping's old cabin and began construction of his “Sharpie," whip-sawing his lumber in the same pit that Topping had used. He ended up with a 20’ sailboat called the Explorer which he used for a few years to transport tourists around the lake. After leaving the boat unattended for awhile one summer, some campers 'borrowed' it and left it unmoored. The poor craft floated into the Yellowstone River where it eventually went over the falls. Hofer then began guiding and outfitting tourist and hunting parties and was still listed as a registered guide as late as 1889. A newspaper article from 1882 proclaimed "Complete packing out-fit, will make trips to Clark's Fork and Yellowstone Park. Freights transported at reasonable rates. Will be located for the season at Mammoth Hot Springs." Also known as “Uncle Billy”, Hofer was a scout for the army in the early days and assisted with the attempts to increase the size of the buffalo herd. During the winter of 1887 he conducted the first wildlife survey in the park. He traveled 225 miles through most of the major areas of the park, chronicling all the wildlife he encountered along the way. He included large and small game, fish, birds and predators, and his reports were published in Forest and Stream magazine that year. He began trapping a wide variety of park wildlife in 1891 for shipment to the National Zoological Park in Washington DC. He also learned the art of photography while in the park. Hofer eventually applied for a lease to maintain a stable and corral at Mammoth in order to conduct his guiding business. He guided Theodore Roosevelt on several occasions, along other many other notable parties. In 1907 Hofer received a 10-year lease to operate up to 10 power launches and 50 rowboats and dories on Yellowstone Lake. He formed the T.E. Hofer Boat Co. the following year, buying out the E.C. Waters operation. Articles of incorporation were filed in March of 1908, and included three directors: Hofer, W.A. Hall, and C.N. Sargent. His company operated the ferry service with the ‘Zillah’ from West Thumb to Lake Hotel, provided fishing boats to hire for visitors, and operated a small store that sold or rented fishing tackle and appliances, grain, hay, and other basic tourist supplies. Financing for the buyout of the E.C. Waters' business and operation of the company was obtained from H.W. Child and the railroad companies. Hofer apparently was not a great businessman, and by 1910 the company was failing. Child used his financial interests to squeeze Hofer out of the business, and Child created the YP Boat Co. the following year. That was probably a benefit to Hofer as in a short autobiography he admitted that he did not particularly relish dealing with the public and much preferred small and close-knit guiding parties. A newspaper ad in the Gardiner Wonderland newspaper of April 30, 1903 lists an ad by Hofer offering to sell his Gardiner properties. They consisted of two houses on 100’ x150’ lots, containing corrals and sheds. They were listed as “cheapest property in Gardiner.” Hofer later moved to Clinton, Washington where he settled on Sunlight Beach. [15b] [25g] [73h] [1889 YNP Supt’s Report] [84c] [YNP History Files; H2 Hofer Biography] Hoffman, Charles. Charles Hoffman and Charles Wakefield of Bozeman established the Wakefield & Hoffman stage line in 1883 and provided service from Cinnabar to Mammoth and into the park under an exclusive agreement with YPA. They operated from Livingston to Cinnabar until the Northern Pacific RR’s line was open to Cinnabar. They also received the mail contract for the Livingston to Cooke City route and provided daily mail service (during the summer season) to Mammoth beginning in July 1883. The company built a mail station near Soda Butte as the trip from Cinnabar to Cooke City took more than one day. Wakefield bought out Charles Hoffman in Dec. of 1885 and teamed up with Frank Haynes to form the Wakefield & Haynes stagecoach company. [25g] [LE;6/8/1889;6/1/1895] [Daily Enterprise, Liv. Mt;7/6/1883;7/19/1883] [39-49] [43j] Holem, Frank. A prominent and popular businessman in Gardiner, Frank Holem rose up from the depths of the streets of Chicago. Going to work at an early age to help support his family, Frank hawked newspapers, shined shoes, and eventually acquired some blacksmith skills. At the age of 20 left the rough and tumble city streets and landed in Deadwood, SD around 1886 and found work horseshoeing. He moved to Montana in 1892 and Gardiner the following year to become an itinerant blacksmith. Around 1915 he established an automotive repair business and later added a gas station. By 1925 Holem and Henry J. Pilger were operating the Gardiner Garage on the corner of Second and Main streets in Gardiner. Frank's first wife, Margaret A. Williams died in 1918 and Frank married widow Minnie (Ball) Francis. Mr. Holem died January 2, 1940 and was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Livingston. Holm, Aron "Tex" . Aron Holm, Tex Holm - See "Camps History." Holmes, Elias Burton. Burton Holmes was a traveler and lecturer who published the classic 15-volume series “Burton Holmes Travelogues," first published in 1912. The books describe interesting and varied lands from around the world. Volume 12 is devoted to Yellowstone Park, along with the Grand Canyon and Moki Lands of Arizona. His Yellowstone travelogue describes life in Yellowstone in the early part of the twentieth century and contains pictures found in few, if any other published books on the park. He was born January 8, 1870 in Chicago to Ira and Virginia (Burton) Holmes and was educated at the Harvard School in Chicago. He traveled to Japan, Algeria, Morocco, Greece, Thessaly, Europe, Hawaii, the Philippines, China, and other countries. [Who's Who in America, 1902] Holmes, William Henry . W.H. Holmes was an anthropologist who was appointed artist for the 1872 Hayden Expedition and studied and illustrated various geologic phenomena in Yellowstone. He also assisted F.V. Hayden with geologic surveys in Colorado from 1872-74. From 1875-79 he continued his studies in Colorado and the southwest, including many of the cliff ruins of ancient Native Americans. He became curator for the aboriginal pottery department in the National Museum from 1882-93, while exploring artifacts of the southwest. He was later curator at the Columbian Museum of Chicago and was head curator of anthropology at the National Museum in 1897. [The 20th Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, 1902] Hoppe, Hugo J. Hugo Hoppe served as a scout for the Cavalry, became the first sheriff at Miles City, and established some of the first breweries in Montana. He ranched in Gallatin Valley and eventually moved to Cinnabar. He was permitted to operate a dairy herd near the mouth of the Gardiner River in 1883 to supply the government and the hotels. He received title to a plot of 160 acres in the Cinnabar area in 1886, and again in 1889. By 1886 he was hauling freight for the Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) and engaged in freighting from Cinnabar to Cooke City. The government purchased his ranch in 1925 (some say forcibly) that was located on the south side of the Yellowstone River. It became part of the Game Ranch addition to Yellowstone in 1932. Hoppe Creek, near Electric Peak, was named after him. By 1891 he was a Park County Commissioner. His wife Mary died in November of 1894 and Hugo died in 1895. Both are buried in the Soldier's Plot in Livingston. [YNP Archives, Box A9] [25g] [LE;7/24/1886] [71c] Hoppe, Walter M . Walter Hoppe was born Aug. 6, 1864 in Virginia City to Hugo J. and Mary Gee Hoppe. He is known as the first white male born in Montana. He came to the Upper Yellowstone area in 1883. Walter and Ella E. Fitzgerald were married on May 4, 1896 and had four children; Paul, Pearl, Mildred and Harold. Walter purchased the Fitzgerald Hotel in Gardiner in 1902 and re-fitted and refurnished it for opening in June, operating it for fours years. Around 1989-99, he built the Bear Gulch Hotel in Jardine and operated it for 6 years. He sold the hotel to John Jervis about 1906 and the building burned down in 1942. Walter was engaged in the freighting business at least by 1891, when he received a government contract to haul freight between the rail depot at Cinnabar and Camp Sheridan at Mammoth. He served the mining and business interests in Jardine and his freighting outfit was one of the largest in Montana. The Hoppe family owned a large part of what was the Cinnabar township. The ranch was eventually appropriated by the government and became part of the Game Ranch addition to Yellowstone in 1932. Walter passed away in 1940 and Ella lived until 1968. [LE;3/14/1891; 4/9/1892; 6/14/1902] [71c] [106;41] Horr, Harry Riddle. Harry Horr, also known as Henry Horr, he was born Sept. 20, 1842 in New York. By 1870 he was employed at Fort Ellis as a civilian employee of the post trader’s store. When Truman Everts was lost in the fall of 1870, Horr and two soldiers accompanied George Pritchett back to Yellowstone to help transport Everts to Bozeman. The next year Horr became co-owner of McCartney’s hotel at Mammoth when he and James McCartney filed claims on July 5 at the Gallatin County Courthouse. They also filed claims a month later in Evanston, Uinta County, Wyoming Territory. The claims were later ruled invalid as the territory had never been officially opened to homesteading. He sold or gave up the business to McCartney in 1873. He claimed “I gave the Springs [MHS] the name they now bear.” He married Aurilla Davis in 1880 in Bozeman. Horr later went on to start the Horr Coal Co. with his brother Joseph and uncle, Dr. Asa Horr, in 1883 at an area north of Gardiner. They were unable to actually develop the mines and Harry sold out his interest in 1889. The town of Horr, which later became known as Electric, was named after him. He died in Feb. 1912 in Seattle, WA. [32] [25g] [106d] Howard, Oliver Otis . Gen. O. O. Howard (Nov 8, 1830 – Oct 26, 1909) was the Army general who helped to pursue the Nez Perce during the 1877 wars. His troops blazed a trail over Mary Mountain during the pursuit. That route was used for tourist travel until 1892 when the road over Craig Pass from Old Faithful to West Thumb was completed. The general's son committed suicide in late August of 1885 while visiting the park with his father. Reportedly he was despondent over a breakup with his betrothed. [25L;55] [13r - 9/1/1885] Howell, Bill. Bill Howell began the 1st snowmobile rental business in West Yellowstone in 1968-69 called Yellowstone Tour & Travel. [25L;55] Howell, Ed. Ed Howell was a poacher and resident of Cooke City who was caught in the act of poaching buffalo on Feb. 13, 1894 on Pelican Creek by Scout Felix Burgess and Sgt. Troike. F.J. Haynes and Emerson Hough of Field & Stream magazine documented his capture. The publicity surrounding this event spurred passage of the Lacey Act, which finally provided legal protection to the park’s resources. However, due to the lack of adequate laws at his time of capture, he was released from his confinement at Ft. Yellowstone on April 24 by order of the Secretary of Interior. Supt. S.B.M. Young temporarily hired Howell in 1897 to track down the perpetrators of the robbery of fifteen stagecoaches on the road 4 miles west of Canyon. Howell eventually tracked down George “Morphine Charley” Reeb, who was convicted of the crime, along with Gus Smitzer. Howell moved to Manila, Philippine Islands to start a restaurant business and was mailed $150 as his reward money. [25g] [LE;5/5/1894] Humphrey, Wm. W. W.W. Humphrey helped to found the Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co. in 1898 with F.J. Haynes. They were also known under the name Humphrey & Haynes. Haynes bought out his partner in 1913. Humphrey had been manager of Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. (YPTCo) prior to his association with Haynes. George Breck took over his job at YPTCo. [25L;55] Huntley, Silas S. Silas Huntley was born in 1831 in New York and served in the Civil War for three years in the 37th New York Volunteers. He came up the Missouri R. in 1867 to the Montana Territory and went into the stage line business, organizing the 1st stage line between Helena & Ft. Benton. With his cousin Bradley Barlow they controlled almost all the stage lines in Montana. He also operated stage lines in Utah, Idaho, Oregon and California. He retired from the business in 1878 and began raising standard-bred horses. He married Annie Dean, sister of Adelaide Dean (HW Child’s wife). Silas received the transportation contract in Yellowstone in 1891, and the next year he, along with his brother-in-laws Edmund Bach and Harry W. Child, and Aaron and L.H. Hershfield, formed the Yellowstone National Park Transportation Co., taking over the operation of the Yellowstone Transportation Co. They were granted exclusive transport of Northern Pacific RR passengers in the park. In 1898 he founded the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. with Harry Child, and Edmund Bach. Three years later he purchased the Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) with Harry Child and Edward Bach. The NW Improvement Co. (NWIC), subsidiary of NPRY, loaned money for the venture. Huntley died in at his home in Mammoth on Sept. 1, 1901 and his shares in YPA reverted to NWIC. His wife later married former park supt. Gen. S.B.M. Young. [25g] [YNP Archives, Box YPC153] [98 - Ogden Standard Examiner, 9/12/1901] Huston, George . George Huston was a gold prospector who is known to have prospected in park areas as early as 1864 when he led a party of 30-40 miners up the Yellowstone River into the Lamar and Clark’s Fork drainages. Later in the year he led another party up the Madison and Firehole rivers. Two years later he led another small group of miners up the Madison River to the geyser basins and prospected around Yellowstone Lake, Hayden Valley, Mirror Plateau, Lamar Valley, and returned to Emigrant via the Yellowstone River. He built a cabin in the fall of 1867 near Turkey Pen Creek along the present Rescue Creek Trail, before the trail rises up into the hills, becoming the first permanent white resident in the park. When Truman Everts was lost on the Washburn Expedition of 1870, it was Huston who carried Everts on his horse to the north side of Yankee Jim Canyon where a wagon could then transport Everts to Bozeman. It was probably his cabin that Jack Baronett and George Pritchett brought Everts to so he could recuperate. In Nov. 1871 Huston assisted Matthew McGuirk in the construction of a house and barns at McGuirk’s Springs on Boiling River. In 1873 Huston assisted John Werks in the rental operation of a string of pack and saddle horses in Mammoth. They later hooked up with Zack Root’s Express from Bozeman to Mammoth, and provided horse and guide service to the geyser basins. Huston operated in the park at least through 1877 and guided the Radersburg party through the geyser basins. He assisted in the search for George Cowen, who was wounded by the Nez Perce and joined Gen. Howard at the Clark’s Fork Mines as a scout for the remainder of the expedition. He was probably with the command at the surrender of Chief Joseph in the Bear Paw Mountains in early October. Huston and Joe Keeney purchased part of the Henderson Ranch at Stephens Creek Nov. 19, 1883, which totaled 116.45 acres. They resold the land later that year to the NPRR and the site became the town of Cinnabar. He was also involved in the Cooke City mining business and in 1884 was one of the incorporators of the proposed rail line from Cinnabar to the mines of Cooke City. His property was known as the ‘Cache of Ore Millsite’, on part of which the Cooke City General Store was built after his death. He died July 4, 1886 in Livingston of typhoid pneumonia and other complications. He was 42 years old and unmarried. An 1877 article in Harper’s Weekly described Huston as “…a man of sterling integrity and indomitable pluck . . . the hero of many a thrilling bear or Indian fight, but told so modestly that you do not suspect him of being the principle actor."
- Thumb Lunch Station | Geyserbob.com
Hotels in the Yellowstone West Thumb Hotel - Lunch Station Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Thumb Lunch Station - 1892-1903 Located along the shores of Yellowstone Lake at West Thumb, a tent camp was established to serve as a lunch station for stagecoaches traveling the route from Old Faithful over Craig Pass to the Lake Hotel . The business opened in 1892 by the Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) and replaced the lunch station that had existed at Trout Creek , located along the previous route to the Lake that traversed the Mary Mountain Road from Fountain Flats. The famous Larry Mathews managed the lunch station that first season, but moved to Norris the following year. YPA was granted a lease to operate boats on the Yellowstone Lake in 1891 and allowed Ela C. Waters to manage the new boat/ferry operation. The ferry service would eliminate the tedious and dusty ride from the Thumb Lunch Station to the Lake Hotel and the "The Zillah" was put into service for that purpose. The steel-hulled, 40-ton steamer was 81’ with a 14’ beam, and could carry 120 passengers and crew. The Zillah’ was assembled on site by Amos Shaw, of the Shaw & Powell Camping Co ., to provide ferry service from West Thumb to Lake Hotel. E.C. Waters would pay the stagecoach drivers fifty cents for each passenger the driver convinced to take the ferry, and then charged passengers $3.00 for the boat ride. Above: The steamship Zillah docked at West Thumb in 1906. [Glass slide F.H. Maude Photographic Co.] Top Left : View of the Thumb Lunch Station tents, ca1890s, as viewed from the boat dock on Yellowstone Lake. [High Grade Original Views stereoview, #1300] Top Right : "Hotel Camp, Thumb of Lake." View of Thumb Lunch Station tents from the edge of the hot springs basin. [Detroit Photographic Co., 86-200-2504, Colorado History Museum, Denver] The 1896 Haynes Guide noted, “There are no less than seven hot-spring areas surrounding Yellowstone Lake; those of the west arm, or Thumb Bay, are by far the most interesting. They comprise over sixty springs and paint pots and several geyser cones; one of which rises above the lake surface just a few feet from shore, standing upon which one may catch trout, and, dropping them into the hot water in the crater of the cone, cook them without removal from the hook.” The Thumb Lunch Station was located near the Thumb Paint Pots, and was short walk from the boat dock up a wooden walkway to the station at the top of the rise. Although primarily serving as a lunch station, a few sleeping tents were available for guests that wished to spend the night. Traveler Chas. Maus Taylor noted in1900, “The tents at Thumb Lunch Station appear plain and unpretentious, but the tourist receives a hospitable welcome, and the food is abundant, wholesome and well served.” Note: the Boardwalk can be viewed at left and above left.] Left : "Hot Spring Basin at the "Thumb" of Yellowstone Lake." In the distance can be seen people walking the boardwalk in front of Thumb Station ca1903. [HC White Stereoview, #12077] Top Right : The boat dock & boardwalk as viewed from near the Thumb Lunch Station. [From the Philadelphia Free Library, #PCDE00495] Carrie Belle Spencer , a young school teacher from Nebraska, Yellowstone National Park in July and August, 1892. She was in the company of her older brother Alvah and his wife Adaline. They were “traveling on their own dime,” as they say, and not with the transportation company. She had this to say about Larry’s: “. . . we were soon on the beautiful waters of the Yellowstone sailing smoothly along toward the Thumb. After a delightful ride of 1 1/2 hr. we landed at the dock on a beautiful beach and saw on a slope not far distant five tents in a row, this is what is known as the Lake Side Lunch station; as we were about ready for lunch and desirous of finding some place to leave our luggage we started in that direction. When not more than half way up the slope a gentleman, with skull cap, white apron, towel etc. started toward us saying "Good morning ladies, good morning", & before we had time to reply he had our luggage in his hands saying "Right this way to the waiting room." & entering this tent, he took me by the arm & pointing out of the tent in an opposite direction he says "Ladies toilet just ahead. . . The waiting room was a tent about 20 ft. sq., dirt floor & contained a few chairs, stove, cigar case & slat benches around the room. The "toilet" was out doors & too cute for particulars, ta ta. After arranging our "twilight" and entering the waiting room this man "Larry" Mathews as he proved to be began asking questions & entertained us in a royal manner until we heard the rattle of approaching hacks, which were of course the expected tourists. "Larry" no longer had time for entertaining individuals as each new comer was greeted in the same manner. It was not long until we heard the call "All register" & "Right this way to hash". Soon 40 ladies & gentlemen were seated on slab benches at long home made tables, and the bill of fare was soon commenced; it was not very extensive but every thing was enjoyed, being season with Larry's Irish wit. "Run in the hens." "Let 'er go pie." It was not long after lunch until the tourists were on the steamer & we were left in our glory with "Larry, wife and baby Lizzie.” Two pieces of souvenir china sold by E.C. Waters at his boat store, who ran the boat & ferry company until around 1907. These pieces were "Made in Germany for M.B. Waters." M.B. being Martha Bustus, EC Waters' wife. Detroit Industrialist Carl E. Schmidt traveled the Yellowstone and other western areas in 1901, and describes the lunch station in his book, A Western Trip : “The growth of timber grows heavier until it ends in a fringe at the shore of the lake. There is found a lunch station, that is, large tents, are pitched. We enter the first one which is a sort of a reception room. On inquiring for a drink the gentlemen of the party are motioned to the rear where a canvas flap is lifted and on stepping through we find ourselves in a smaller tent where eight whisky bottles are set on a shelf in a row, and to our delight each is labeled "Canadian Club”. While waiting around for the lunch to be set on the table a coach party arrives and as soon as they have shaken themselves free of dust we are ushered into the dining room which contains a long deal table with benches along the sides. After all are seated bountiful platters of good, substantial food are set out before us. Capt. Waters, a striking figure introduces himself and arrangements are made with him to cross the lake on his little steamer “Zillah." The "Zillah” is a small steamer that was transported piece-meal over the mountains to this lake.” Tourists gathered around the Fishing Cone at Thumb Bay. Included is chef Larry Mathews, manager of Thumb Lunch Station in 1892. [Keystone View Co. Stereoview #26498] Thumb Hotel - 1903-1916 Construction began on a new wooden hotel and lunch station at West Thumb the end of May 1903. It was a simple frame building designed by Robert Reamer , architech for the Old Faithful Inn, without his usual rustic embellishments. Work proceeded quickly on the $3,000 building and the station was open for much of the 1903 season. The hotel sported 20 simple guest rooms for those who chose to spend the night. When the park transportation system was motorized in 1917, the trip to Lake Hotel from Old Faithful became much shorter and more comfortable in the new White Motor Co . auto-stages. The ferry service from Thumb to Lake became obsolete, and the boats were mostly used for pleasure cruises from the hotel. The hotel and lunch station also became unnecessary and closed down at the end of the 1916 season. The building sat empty until 1919 when Chas. Hamilton gained use of it for a general store. Top Right : Colorized postcard view of the Thumb Lunch Station ca1912. [Haynes Photo No. 208] Bottom Left Thumb Lunch Station, ca1905. [Yellowstone Park Asso. brochure, 1905] Bottom Right : Approach to Thumb Hotel. Notice large tent at left. Not dated. [YNP 1875] The Yellowstone Park Association brochure in 1905 described some of the basics of the lunch station and area: “At the Thumb Lunch Station you will find everything neat and clean, and an appetizing lunch served, notwithstanding the fact that you are more than a thousand miles from a market of any considerable size, and that everything provided for you has been hauled by freight teams nearly seventy-five miles over mountains rising more than 8400 feet above sea level. On the lake you will find an excursion boat which makes regular trips between the Thumb and the Lake Hotel. This is not a part of the regular transportation trip, the steamer being owned and operated by an independent company, and parties desiring to make this trip are required to pay an additional charge.” There is good cheer at this lunch place and much to see in the hour-and-a-half stop. The drive-whetted appetites will find no disappointment here; these good people of the Thumb Lunch Station have one duty to perform, the preparation of the noonday meal, and they do it well; they know just how many are coming; there is never any shortage and the last have just as much and just as good food as the first to arrive, and the Thumb lunch is not the least of the pleasant surprises of this every-way surprising drive. There is an hour-and-a-half wait while the horses feed and rest, so there is time to visit the Paint Pots, and the Cone in the lake where you may catch a fish in the cold water of the lake and cook it in the hot water of the Cone without taking it off your hook. Top Right : View of Thumb Hotel from near the lake. [YNP #82] Middle Right : Thumb Hotel from one of the approaches, nd. [Author Digital Collection] Bottom Right Stagecoach with passengers at loading porch of hotel in 1906. [Wyoming State Archives] Bottom Left : Thumb Paint Pots near the hotel. Tent at left may be the photographer's tent. A building in trees at right, perhaps part of the hotel complex, 1905. [HC White Stereoview, #12078] Hamilton Store at the Old Thumb Hotel - 1919-1923 In 1919 Chas. A. Hamilton made arrangements with the Yellowstone Park Hotel Co . to use the old Thumb Lunch Station as a general store. He was owner of the general store at Old Faithful, and desired to expand his business. He remodeled the interior of this lunch station to establish his first store at the Thumb in 1919. According to Park Superintendent Horace Albright, “He is now engaged in building a fine new store at the Lake which will take the place of the boat company’s store . . . Mr. Hamilton expects to arrange for the maintenance of a store next year in the old lunch station of the Yellowstone Park Hotel Company at the Thumb of Lake Yellowstone where the south approach road joins the belt line system” In 1924, Hamilton built a new log store and abandoned the old Lunch Station, which was torn down three years later. Map of the Lake area showing the Thumb Lunch Station. The Wylie Camp & ranger station were nearby. A Shaw & Powell camp was just north of the hotel along the road to lake. Route of the Zillah are also shown. [Oregon Short Line Brochure, 1899] For additional information on the West Thumb area after the closure of the Thumb Hotel, please check out the Thumb page on my old website, geyserbob.org. Info on the Hamilton & Haynes Stores, Thumb Camp/Cabins; Ranger Station and more. Click Here Right : West Thumb map from the 1936 Haynes Guide
- Monida & Beaver Canyon | Geyserbob.com
Gateways to Wonderland Monida & Beaver Canyon Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Geyser Bob Presents: Beaver Canyon and Monida: Early Stage Access Through the Western Entrance of Yellowstone Beaver Canyon, Idaho The discovery of gold on Grasshopper Creek in the mountains of western Montana in 1862 created the need for a transportation avenue to the mines. The Salt Lake Valley presented the best opportunity as a supply center, and a Montana road north to the mines through Beaver Canyon soon developed. Provisions first reached the mines by pack train, but that method eventually proved inadequate and as the region grew a freighting industry evolved. Toll roads and bridges were built to accommodate the heavy wagons. The Utah and Northern Railway reached the area on September 1, 1879. Until the railway reached the Montana border on March 9, 1880, Beaver Canyon acted as the terminus and business flourished. Stages, freighters, and a large crew of railway workers turned the area into a temporary boomtown. Sawmills sprang up in the area to provide lumber for buildings and ties for the rail tracks. An article in the Blackfoot Register in the summer of 1880 described the route: "Leaving Red Rock at 1 p.m., on our return, a ride of two hours brought us to the foot of Beaver Canyon, and to the station of the same name. The scenery down this canyon, a distance of about ten miles, is grand. The tall pine trees, the huge rocks rising on either side, with first on one side and then on the other, a sparkling stream of water, wending its way down over the rocks and falls, make it picturesque and beautiful." The town was originally named Beaver Canon, but was changed to Beaver Canyon in 1884. Click on maps to enlarge Top Map: 1885 map showing the Union Pacific and Utah-Northern routes in Utah, Idaho and Montana Above Map: Modern map showing routes to the west entrance of Yellowstone in the 1880s-90s. the green is the Monida route and red the Beaver Canyon route. Excerpt From Camping Out in the Yellowstone - 1882 By Mary Bradshaw Richards "At noon of the 31st [July 1882] we reached Beaver Canyon, where our camp life commenced. The village consists of a dozen log houses, two saloons and a big water tank. Its citizens are bound to other parts of the world by railroad and a telegraph office. Here are located some half a dozen of the Bassett brothers, fine enterprising fellows of the true pioneer stamp, who undertake to prepare and carry you in and through the National park in good form . . . Our hotel at Beaver Canyon was a little log house, who door opened almost into the village well . . . We slept under the logs one night, leaving at noon August first for the park, whose western boundary is one hundred miles distant from Beaver Canyon." Bassett Brothers The Bassett Brothers operated a saloon and made preparations to start a line of spring wagons to Yellowstone National Park. They began this operation in the spring of 1881 and charged $25.00 for the round trip. Tourist travel to Yellowstone and the good railway connections greatly bolstered the local economy. A Bassett Brothers’ newspaper ad in the Salt Lake Tribune of July 30, 1882 proclaimed the Beaver Canyon route as “The Shortest and Best Route from the Railroad to the Eden of America.” A newspaper article from the Salt Lake Tribune in August of 1881 noted that, “Travelers can take the comfortable cars of the Utah & Northern in Ogden for Beaver Canyon, where connection can be made with Bassett Bros. through line to the Yellowstone. This line is composed of covered light spring wagons with the best of teams, and passes over one of the best roads in the country. This route is 150 miles shorter than by way of Virginia [Virginia City, Mt.] and the fare is $28 less than by that place. Experienced drivers are furnished and passengers are put through in quick time.” Ad for Basset Bros. Beaver Canyon to Yellowstone camping tour. Salt Lake Daily Tribune, July 30, 1882 "Beaver Was Once A Lively Center" By William Stibal Pettite Excerpts from The Post-Register , Idaho Falls, March 18, 1970 "Beaver was once dominated in a business sense by the Bassett family. The Bassett Brothers operated a noted stage line, being headquarters for trips to Yellowstone and Fire Hole Basin, plus a branch line to Camas. They had a large hotel and saloon as well. . . . Frank Bassett, agent for the Utah and Northern Railroad, had the post office. Jules Bassett [C.J. Bassett], a polital associate of Senator Dubois, later formed the Idaho Sheep and Land Co. with Martin Patrie at Market Lake [now Roberts]. In the 1880's he served in the legislature from what was then Oneida County and later replaced partner Patrie as Idaho's Secretery of State. Brother C.H. Bassett noted that in 1880 a special - offer could be had from Bassett Brothers Stage. This special was a round trip ticket to Yellowstone for only $25.00 in gold. C.H. later lived in Pocatello and served as the first Bannock County Assessor Due to competition in Yellowstone with the new hotel company, the Bassett Bros. decided to get out of the camping business in 1886 and seeing the hotel crowd as more lucrative, concentrated their efforts on stage transportation of tourists to the various park hotels. In the early 1890’s the company moved the head of their operations from Beaver to Monida and in 1895 began operating as the Union Pacific Stage Lines with C.J. Bassett as proprietor. They were the only transportation company to operate through the west entrance from 1881 until 1898, when they were refused a permit to operate in the park. A new company, the Monida & Yellowstone Stage Company, was granted the sole concession to transport visitors through the west entrance into Yellowstone. Excerpt From: A Ride Through Wonderland By Georgina M. Synge "Beaver Canyon is the funniest little place. As we had to wait there three days to collect our outfit (and scour the country for a side-saddle, an article which we foolishly omitted to bring), we had plenty of time for observations. It stands between two low ridges of hills which form the entrance to the canyon, and consists of several rows of little wooden houses and a few rather larger ones "dumped" here and there on its brown treeless level. Enormous signboards announced that a large percentage of these mansions were "restaurants" and "beer saloons." The hotel is decidedly primitive, [probably Bassett's] and as the air does not seem to suit either cows or hens, the luxuries produced by these useful species come from a distance, and are rather scarce. The railway runs through the middle of town, and, as there is no road (and only one or two trains in the day), forms the fashionable resort of the inhabitants on Sundays and fine evenings. One great drawback to enjoying this, however, is that one's eyes have to be more or less glued to one's footsteps, as the sleepers are raised rather high above the ground, and a glance upwards may land one upon one's nose. . . We got all our outfit together at last, Messrs. Bassett Bros., who run the stages through the Park Reservation, supplying us at about seventeen dollars per day. This included the hire and forage of the horses, a guide, a lad to drive the wagons, a tent, and cooking utensils, etc." [Sampson Low, Marston & Company , 1892] Top: 1891 letterhead for the Beaver Canyon Saloon & Restaurant. Above: Utah & Northern train crossing the High Bridge enroute to Beaver Canyon. Below: Sign at site of Beaver Canyon, 2008 by author. (Click to expand) Clark County town, Once rail and timber center, recalls memories By William Stibal Pettite Excerpts from The Post Register newspaper, Idaho Falls, Feb. 11, 1976 "Only foundation rubble and an old graveyard mark the location of the boomtown of Beaver, once a large lumber and railroad center of 90 years ago. The many lumber firms in that region supplied a vast majority of the wood used for construction in Idaho Falls . . . When the Utah and Northern Railroad came through in the fall of 1879, the small center began to grow. Five large lumber firms were in operation, employing several hundred men. The railroad also used the center as a train center, as Beaver Canyon was a treacherous pass . . . Some of the pioneer Beaver Canyon families included David Stoddard, Peter Lawson, Joe Davidson, Abraham Redford, Sam Lee, Peter Barney, Charles and Jules Bassett, and ranchers Sam Hancock, W.H. Murray, and P.J. Owen . . . At one time the many Davidson graves at the large Beaver cemetery were the only ones cared for. Now even they are forgotten and the grounds are in sagebrush, with the many old fences in decay." Beaver Canyon closes its doors . . . After 1887 the town began to decline. The harsh weather and winters at Beaver Canyon made life untenable and the residents and businessmen felt Spencer would be a more optimal location. The area was somewhat lower in elevation with less snow and was wide enough to allow more land for expansion of the railroad facilities and other businesses. The town was moved in 1897, six miles south to a new town of Spencer, named after Hyrum H. Spencer, a businessman in Beaver. Many of the buildings were moved south on flat cars, including the depot after the railroad eliminated Beaver Canyon as a stop. The Beaver post office closed in 1898. Monida, Montana Monida was the first point in Montana that the Utah and Northern RR, a branch of the Union Pacific RR, reached around 1880. The line, originating at Brigham City, Utah was planned to extend north to Butte and the mines in Montana. Construction began in 1871 and by 1874 had only reached Franklin, Idaho. The "Panic of 1873" caused all rail construction in the United States to halt and progress on the line was not resumed until 1878. The narrow gauge line reached Monida in 1880 and was completed to Butte in December of 1881. The narrow gauge track was converted to standard gauge between 1887 - 1890. A series of mergers resulted in the railroad becoming known as the Oregon Short Line in 1897. Top Right: Logo of "The Monida Line" advertising travel to Yellowstone from Monida. 1902 Oregon Short Line brochure, author collection. Bottom Right: Lantern slide of the Monida Depot, undated. Bottom Left: Monida townsite ca1898. the Summit Hotel is prominent in the center. [F.J. Haynes photo, Montana Historical Society] Monida was reportedly known as Spring Hill in its early stagecoach days, but the name Monida was in use at least by 1881. Mr. B.H. Paul purchased a small general store in the town and in early 1898 opened the Summit Hotel to serve rail and stage travelers. the Butte Miner noted April 1902, that Paul owned the whole town, which consisted of a rail station, section house, general store, saloon and a hotel. In May 1903, it was announced that Paul was constructing a large addition to the hotel and refurbishing the old section. Tragically, a fire in October of 1905 destroyed the Summit hotel and other nearby buildings. The hotel was later rebuilt of logs, opening by January of 1906. Another file destroyed the railroad depot in May of 1906. Right: View of the RR depot, showing the main street of Monida. The hotel is to the right. Undated photo, ca1903 Hotel Opening ---------- The Summit Hotel at Monida Opened Friday Night - A Fine Time The opening of the Summit Hotel at Monida Friday night was a complete success, and the proprietors, Messrs. Burnside & Paul, certainly should feel gratified by the numerous expressions by their guests of the pleasure and satisfaction they experienced. The Summit Hotel is built on n rise of ground east of the railroad track, at Monida station, and is intended principally for the entertainment of tourists, who take the Monida and Yellowstone stage line from that point to the National Park. The hotel is a large two-story frame building containing 22 rooms. It has large and airy office, parlor, dining room and kitchen and store rooms on the first floor, and sleeping rooms on the second floor. All the appointments are first-class and an excellent table is set. Mrs. Burnside looks after the comfort of the guests with close attention, and no one is allowed to leave the place dissatisfied. Over 130 guests assembled at the opening of the new hotel. There were people from Lima, Redrock, Dillon, Beaver Canyon and the surrounding country. By far the larger number were from Lima, 51 tickets being sold at that station. Soon after the arrival of the train the ball opened and dancing was kept up almost continuously until 6 o’clock next morning. Soon after midnight a fine supper was served, all the delicacies of the season being found on the table. After breakfast the hosts took all who cared to go out for a drive in the fine new 12-passenger canopy-top Concord coaches. This was a feature of the occasion that was greatly appreciated by those accepting the invitation. [Dillon Tribune, 29Jan1898] Right Top: The Summit Hotel, probably ca1898. Right Bottom: The Summit Hotel between 1903-1905. Note the addition on the right and to the rear. Disastrous Fire at Monida - Oct 1905 A most disastrous fire occurred last Thursday at Monida when the Summit hotel, the hotel annex and a cottage, all the property of B. H. Paul, were burned to the ground and practically a total loss sustained. The tire must have been burning some time before it was discovered and the upper part of the inside of the hotel proper was all in flames before it was noticed . . . All three of the buildings were razed to the ground and the only things saved were a few of the household goods from the cottage. [4Oct1905 Dillon Examiner] A New Hotel in 1912 “One of the largest business buildings constructed In the county thls year is the mammoth hotel at Monida, built by the genial J. J. Smith, the pioneer hotel man of that city. The hotel is constructed of red brick and, situated on the very summit of the continental divide, it commands a wonderful outlook. The name, "The Summit,’* is most appropriate. Although Monlda cannot boast of electric lights, city water or a central heating plant, this hotel has all of them, and they are superior in many ways to similar systems In most large cities.” [15Dec1912, Anaconda Standard] Monida is located on the crest of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of around 7,000 feet. The town became a large railhead for the shipment of sheep and livestock raised in the vast Centennial Valley. As many as 48,000 head of cattle and 100,000 head of sheep were shipped out annually. The town reached a population of 75-100 people at its prime. The departure of the M-Y stage line traffic in 1908 and the increased use of large truck and trailers for livestock shipping caused the rail traffic to decline, along with the population. A few buildings still exist in the town, including at least one of the original Monida-Yellowstone stage barns. Monida & Yellowstone Stage Company Monida became significant in Yellowstone's history in 1898 when the Monida and Yellowstone Stage Co. was organized by F.J. Haynes and W. W. Humphrey and began stage service through the west entrance of Yellowstone. The route to the park skirted along the edge of the beautiful Centennial Valley, past Red Rock lakes, through Alaska Basin, over the divide to Henrys Lake and over Targhee Pass to the west entrance. Stagecoach travelers would stay at the Grayling Inn, as known as Dwelles, for the first night, prior to entering the park. (See map at top of page) The company conducted tours of the park from Monida until the summer of 1908, when the Oregon Short Line completed a branch line from Idaho Falls to the west entrance of the park. The company moved its operation to Riverside, a location a few miles inside of the west entrance f Yellowstone. A small town soon sprung up at the end of the rail line and west entrance of the park. The town was originally known as Riverside, but changed to Yellowstone in 1909. It did not become West Yellowstone until 1920. For additional information, check out my Monida & Yellowstone web page. Top Left: One of the barns used by the Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co., 1957. YNP #33409 Top Right: Same barn about 50 years later. Photo by author 2008 Left: Logo of the Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co. The name later changed in 1913 to Yellowstone & Western Stage Co.
- Yellow Buses | Geyserbob.com
Auto Stages in Yellowstone Yellow Buses & the White Motor Co. Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. Automobiles take over the Roads Before the Auto Stages - The Early Days . . . Prior to the founding of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, travel in the park was limited to small horse parties and mule pack outfits. Up until 1883 these folks were generally on their own in this wilderness, perhaps guided by or having taken the advice of an acquaintance that had traveled there previously. The earliest commercial transportation venture in the Park seems to be the log toll bridge built by Jack Baronett in 1871 just upstream of the confluence of the Yellowstone and Lamar (East Fork of the Yellowstone) rivers, near what is today known as Tower Junction. He had hoped to seize upon traffic to the gold mines near the northeast entrance of the park and the occasional explorers and hunters in Yellowstone. Following along the shores of the Yellowstone River was the easiest route of travel in those early days. Baronett's Bridge in 1871, photo by Wm. Henry Jackson In 1873, John Werks, George Huston , and Frank Grounds embarked on the operation of a primitive pack and saddle business from Mammoth Hot Springs into the depths of the park. A year later stagecoach service to Mammoth from Bozeman, Montana commenced on a weekly basis by Zack Roots Express . Park Supt. Philetus Norris and his crew began construction of a primitive road in 1878 from Mammoth to Lower Geyser Basin. In a couple of years sections of the interior of Yellowstone opened to wagon travel and allowed Marshall & Goff to initiate a stagecoach business in 1880 to the Geyser Basins and Marshall’s Hotel. Continued expansion and improvement of the road system over the years enabled a variety of transportation operations to improve and diversify. Above : Ad for Frank Grounds and George Huston's pack train that trekked into Yellowstone from Mammoth Hot Springs. [Bozeman Avant-Courier , 11Jun1875] Right : Ad for George Marshall's Stage Line for travel between Virginia City, Mont. and the Fire Hole Basin, 1881. [Robert Strahorn, Montana and Yellowstone Park , 1881] During the next 36 years numerous companies operated stagecoach lines, including Wakefield & Hoffman in 1883, Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co . in 1898, Yellowstone & Western in 1913, and Holm Transportation Co . in 1912. In 1886 the Yellowstone Transportation Co. (YTC) became the first of the successive companies that led to the current transportation operation in the park. It was followed by the Yellowstone National Park Transportation Co. (YNPTCo) in 1891, which was taken over in 1898 by the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company (YPTCo) under the ownership of H.W. Child , Silas Huntley and Edward Bach. By 1902 Huntley had passed away and Bach sold out, leaving Harry Child as the sole owner of the company, although heavily backed financially by the Northern Pacific Railroad . A variety of camping companies also operated their own stage and wagon operations for their customers, including the Wylie Camping Co. , Shaw & Powell Camping Co ., Bassett Brothers and many others. (See my Stagecoach & Camping pages for detailed info on these various operations) This plethora of transportation options came to an abrupt termination with the close of the 1916 season. In an effort to streamline and standardize the concession operations in the park, the new National Park Service consolidated the various transportation, hotel, and camping entities. The big winner in the transportation arena was Harry Child, who became sole provider of transportation within the park’s boundaries. And as owner of the Yellowstone Park Hotel Co . he also obtained monopoly status on all hotel ventures. Of even greater significance in this huge upheaval was the requirement to eliminate the stagecoaches and replace them with automobiles. Gone were the mighty steeds of yore, unceremoniously turned out to pasture and replaced with the noisy, smoking, gas-guzzling, although admittedly faster and more efficient auto stages. A new era was launched in Yellowstone. Cody-Sylvan Pass Motor Company . . . Prior to this shakeup, private automobiles had been allowed into the park in August of 1915 and they had shared the roads with the stagecoaches. The mixture of the two foreign modes of travel proved incompatible and provoked the eventual transition to automobiles. By the end of the 1915 season the Holm Transportation Company had gone bankrupt, leaving no service provider from Cody and the east entrance into Yellowstone. To alleviate this situation, the Park Service authorized the creation of the Cody-Sylvan Pass Motor Co. for the 1916 season. This company became the first commercial motorized transportation concern allowed into the park and it journeyed from the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad depot in Cody to Lake Hotel where passengers were loaded onto YPTCo stagecoaches for travel into the interior of the park. Left: 1916 Letterhead from the Cody-Sylvan Pass Motor Co. Courtesy Bruce Austin, it lists the officers involved in the company. Above : Kid Wilson in from of the Irma Hotel in Cody, driving a 1916 White TEB for the Cody-Sylvan Pass Motor Co.. This was a cooperative venture with Frank Haynes of the Yellowstone & Western Stage Co . owning 40% of the shares and Harry Child and Billy Nichols of YPTCo controlling 35%. A.W. Miles of the Wylie Permanent Camping Co . and J.D. Powell and Leo C. Shaw of the Shaw & Powell Camping Co . shared 25%. This new company was incorporated April 4, 1916 in West Virginia to avoid higher taxes in Wyoming and a lease was received on June 16 for the period January 1, 1916 to December 31, 1916. Daily service began on July 1, a late start in the season to allow the snow to melt on lofty Sylvan Pass. Seven 3-4 ton White Motor Co. buses with open bodies and five Buicks were brought into service. After the end of the season, the vehicles and assets were sold to YPTCo on January 29, 1917 for $25,000. Click Here to read New York Times article about the passing of the stagecoach, from April 29, 1917. White Motor Company Buses in Yellowstone . . . In 1916 Harry Child began negotiations with Walter C. White of the White Motor Co. in Cleveland OH for the purchase of motorized vehicles to supplant the stagecoaches for the 1917 season. After negotiating a new 20-year contract with the Park Service, Child obtained a mortgage for $427,104.67 from the railroad companies serving Yellowstone and purchased one hundred ¾-ton 10-passenger White TEB open-sided buses and seventeen White 7-passenger touring cars. He also contracted for seven ¾-ton service trucks and one 4-5 ton truck. The TEBs featured acetylene gas headlights powered by a canister mounted on the running board, front and rear kerosene running lights, a canvas top with detachable bows at each seat, along with side curtains and celluloid windows for use during inclement weather. General practice specified the open top when practical. Above : Model TEB bus filled with Yellowstone tourists in 1917. 108 of these models were puchased between 1907 and 1923. The windshields were two piece, top & bottom. [YNP #115013] Above : News article from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 15, 1917. It discussed the White Motor Co. buses and the replacement of stagecoach era that had lasted 30 years. Above : White 7-Passenger Touring Cars at Mammoth Hot Springs, undated photo. [YNP #129342-1] The new vehicles were stored at Mammoth Hot Springs (current Xanterra Aspen dorm site) in an elaborate barn built in 1903-04 that was designed by Old Faithful Inn architect Robert Reamer and originally used for the stagecoaches. For his transportation superintendent, Child hired Fred E. Kammermeyer, a native of Iowa and military transport officer during WWI. Kammermeyer proved to be an excellent choice and remained in that position until his retirement in 1948. Left : "Tires in use two seasons. Average mileage so far 8000. Blowouts to date 6. No wonder they use Goodyears only on Yellowstone Park busses." View of the transportation facilities at Mammoth Hot Springs. [Goodyear Tires post card ca1924] According to the Anaconda Standard on March 9, 1917, the new auto-stage would be: “Leaving the factory at Cleveland May 10, 100 motorcars for use in the transportation of tourists in the Yellowstone park will travel west by special train, and after being- exhibited fn Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis and the Twin cities, will arrive here in time for the opening of the park on June 20, The equipment is being purchased by the Yellowstone Park Transportation company of this city, recently formed through a merger of the principal camping companies which have been operating in the park, and will replace the horses and stage coaches heretofore used.” Between 1918 and 1924, Child purchased forty-seven additional White 7-passenger touring cars, two 8-passenger cars, 104 ten-passenger buses, along with a few Lincoln touring cars. Beginning in 1920 YPTCo began purchasing White Model 15/45 tour buses. These 10-passenger units sported a split windshield right and left, with twin openings top and bottom – a key distinguishing feature from the TEBs, which had a full windshield, split top and bottom. The 15/45s also had a slightly longer wheelbase and improved chassis and motor. Twenty-four units arrived in 1920, twenty each in 1921 and 1922, and sixty in 1924. Right : White model 15/45 buses in front of the Mammoth Hotel ca1920. Note the split windshield top-bottom and right-left White Model 50 bus in front of the Mammoth Hotel ca1923. [YNP Archives] In 1923 the YPTCo purchased two White Model 50 buses that were used to transfer passengers from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful. There were six side doors opening onto seven benches to seat 25 passengers plus the driver. The Bender body had a 198” wheelbase with a 4-cylinder GN motor. The roof was solid and luggage could be stored on the roof rack. They had electric lights and utilized 36” x 6” tires all around, with duals on the rear and 198" wheelbase. Previous modelsutilized acetylene gas lights. Disaster Strikes the Yellow Buses in 1925 . . . All seemed to running smoothly and life was good, when suddenly – an unspeakable disaster occurred: On March 30, 1925, around 2:15 in the afternoon, fire broke out in the Mammoth main bus barn. Apparently an oil furnace exploded sending fiery debris all over the shop. With a swift breeze from the south, the fire spread quickly and furiously - within an hour, the entire Reamer-designed barn was a total loss. Included in the damage were the carpenter and paint shops, the top shop, oil house, new storage shed and the residences of Fred Kammermeyer and J.C. Drew, the master painter. Fortunately another garage containing 215 vehicles was saved. However, inside of the main storage barn lay the smoldering ruins of about 93 vehicles, including 22 7-passenger White touring cars, 53 10-passenger White buses, 6 White trucks, 4 Ford roadsters, and 8 other vehicles, 4 of which belonged to the YP Camps Co. Luckily there were no fatalities or serious injuries. Damages were estimated to be close to a half million dollars. Left : 1925 Fire at Mammoth [Courtesy Bill Chapman] Right : 1925 Fire at Mammoth [Courtesy Bill Chapman] Bottom Left : Aftermath of 1925 fire at Mammoth [YNP #36487] Bottom Right : Aftermath of 1925 fire at Mammoth [YNP #36488] But now – what to do? The opening of the summer season would arrive in a mere 2-1/2 months – the vehicles had to be replaced! Harry Child quickly got in touch with Walter White of the White Motor Company. Negotiations were soon finalized for the purchase of ninety model 15/45 buses, along with five 2-1/2-ton trucks and two 4-5 ton trucks. Because of the tremendous business potential involved, the White company scrambled together all their resources and focused their production on Yellowstone Park. They were successful and the new vehicles arrived in time for the opening of the 1925 season. Coincidently, YPTCo had been constructing larger and more modern garage facilities in Gardiner. Although originally scheduled to open in the fall, this project too was rushed to completion in time for the June opening. This new facility included modern mechanics stalls, body and upholstery shops, carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, tire and battery shop, paint shop, and a coal-fired heating plant. The building is still in use and accommodates Xanterra Parks & Resorts Transportation and Human Resource divisions. Above : Magazine ad from 1924 showing a new White Model 15-45 in front of Old Faithful geyser. At right are Harry Child and Walter White. After the fire the following year, Walter White came to the rescue with 90 replacement buses. Above : View of the bus garage in Gardiner with White Motor Co. buses in front, undated. The building is still used by Xanterra Parks & Resorts for the vehicle repair shop & human resources. Above : View of the bus storage barn in Gardiner, located where the former horse & carriage barns stood. This was built around 1926. It is still in use by Xanterra Parks & Resorts. [YNP #32072, 1951 photo] A New Era is launched . . . Visitors entering and leaving Yellowstone via the Cody Road through Wapiti Valley and Sylvan Pass gained significant touring comfort in 1931 when YPTCo introduced eight new White Model 614 buses. These 14-passenger units featured permanent tops, glass side windows, and an opening roof cover so that guests could stand up to enjoy the heights of scenery offered on this scenic thoroughfare. They also provided better protection from the frequent storms and inclement weather. The buses had a more powerful 75hp engine to facilitate climbing the pass and hydraulic brakes provided increased safety. Left : Photo of Harry W. Child, undated Right : Obit for Harry Child [Billings Gazette, 5Feb1931] Left : White Motor Co. Model 614 bus at the Upper Geyser Basin, undated. There were 8 of these models purchased in 1931. [YNP #114503] Right : White Model 614 bus in Yellowstone, undated. [YNP #114504] Yellowstone Bus Draws Attention The Missoulian , Sept. 17, 1930 The new bus Is designed to replace those now in use which are constructed after the pattern of touring cars with seating space for 11 passengers. The more modern design gives the bus the stability and comfort of a sedan while retaining visibility by eliminating the permanent covering customary in the construction of a sedan. The sides of the sedan top are supported by especially designed and upholstered beams made of light and strong metal. With six of these stays across the top join the sides. Another departure from the usual design is the omission of the ceiling. In case of storm the bus can be covered from an automatic roll which is made a part of the baggage section. The covering can be placed in less than three minutes. By the mid-1930s, the Yellowstone buses were aging and it was decided that modernizing the fleet with buses utilizing more powerful engines and greater passenger capacity was necessary. Transportation operations in the other western national parks were facing the same problems and coming to the same conclusion. In response, representatives of those parks got together and began searching for a bus that would meet the needs of the rigors of travel in the mountainous west. Negotiations began with the major auto makers in 1935 and trials were conducted in Yosemite of various models. Participants included Ford, REO, GM, and White. The model that best seemed to meet their current needs was White Motor Company’s Model 706. The proposed 14-passenger bus featured two squared-glass windshields, lantern-style rear running lights, 13A engine, and measured about 26 feet long. A canvas cover on the roof could be pulled back to allow for an open top and unobstructed views. Yellowstone acquired twenty-seven of these models for the 1936 season. Similar models became the norm in other western parks, including Yosemite, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Zion, Mt. Rainier, and Rocky Mountain national parks. Content with the 706’s performance, YPCo purchased forty-one more in 1937 and twenty in 1938 which included improved 318 cubic inch 6-cylinder engines. A final purchase of ten more was made in 1939, bringing the total to ninety-eight Model 706 buses – more than any other national park. This is one of the new busses to be used In Yellowstone park, designed by the White company and park officials especially for use In Yellowstone. The new busses carry 14 passengers and the driver, and have an exceptionally large baggage compartment in the rear. Yellowstone's new busses ride more comfortably than any of those previously used, and a particular feature of them is that they have roll tops which, under ordinary weather conditions, are rolled back Into a compartment In the top of each bus. This gives passengers an unlimited view, and many times during a trip, they may stand up and look out over the top of the bus, particularly when passing through the numerous park canyons. During inclement weather this top Is rolled forward and makes the bus as tight and warm as an ordinary commercial unit. The new park busses perform equally well In all altitudes, officials say. They have to operate In altitudes of 5,300 foot at Gardiner, 10;200 feet over Mount Washburn and 11,000 over the summit of the road between Red Lodge and Cooke City. [Helena Daily Independent, June 17, 1937. Note: the paper was a year late in announcing this, as 27 buses had already been purchased in 1936. White Model 706, No. 386, purchased in 1936. This is a Real-Photo postcard. After guests unloaded from the train at West Yellowstone, a photo was taken of their bus that could be purchased upon their return. There are many thousands of the these type of cards available on internet auction sites. White Model 706 buses parked at Tower Falls in 1939. [YNP #185327-290] White Model 706, No. 457, purchased in 1939. This was the 4th to the last 706 bus purchased in Yellowstone. Park Superintendent Garrison is standing at right of the bus filled with Park Service and concessionaire officials. [YNP Archives] White Model 706 buses parked at the Gorham Chalet in Silver Gate, a few miles from Cooke City, Mont. They would been traveling the route over the Beartooth Pass and Red Lodge, south of Billings Mont. [YNP #185-327490] End of an Era . . . Sales of the older White buses began in earnest in 1936 and by 1940 seventy-eight 10-passenger buses and fourteen 15/45 models were sold. In the spring of 1938, a document from the Yellowstone Park Co. files indicated that the company had 200 White open-top autos that would be available for sale, plus two 25-passenger buses and ten 7-passenger Lincoln touring cars. The company was focusing on using the newer White 706 models. A $20,000 inventory of spare parts would accompany a mass purchase from a buyer. Times were a’changin’ in the world and in the park. WWII and the attendant gas rationing and tire shortages had put a huge dent in travel to the national parks, while the military became a prime user of rail services throughout the country. After the war the American public rapidly became infatuated with the idea of personalized travel in private vehicles, a trend that had been building for a number of years. Rail travel, once the primary source for Yellowstone’s bus tours, was rapidly fading into obscurity. Park bus tours, originally 5-1/2 days in the stagecoach days, had dropped to 4-1/2 days with the advent of auto tours and by 1940 had been reduced to 2-1/2 days. The days of quaint, leisurely tours through the park were becoming a thing of the past. The demise of passenger rail service to the park started around 1948 and ended completely by 1960. Although Amtrak reinstituted some rail service in 1971, it was never became a significant travel factor in Yellowstone. With all these changes the fleet of hundreds of historic vehicles to cart visitors around the park was no longer needed. Changes in travel of a magnitude similar to that of the transition from horse-drawn stagecoaches to autos would assault the park late in the 1950s. Private vehicles became king of the road and the future for guided tours in park buses dimmed rapidly. The prospect of large, modern-looking and seriously unaesthetic buses for the remaining traffic loomed on the horizon. Roads and parking area filled to the brim with automobiles tourists, eventually helping to put the railroad passenger lines mostly out of business. Left to Right: Cars lined up to see Giant Geyser, 1952 YNP #38969; Canyon Village, ca1957 postcard; Bear jam at unknown location, NPS photo. These were difficult times for YPCo and the economic strain of the economy, added to park facility renovations demanded by the Park Service, heavily affected the company’s transportation options. Leasing school buses was apparently seen as the most cost effective plan to upgrade the fleet. The quaint ambiance and serenity of group travel in small buses would be no more. The beginning of a new era occurred in 1958, when YPCo signed a 5-year contract to lease six 41-passenger school buses from the Charter Bus Transportation System in Los Angeles. School buses for the L.A. City School System would spend their formerly idle summers now idling and smoking along the mountain roads of Yellowstone. These were Crown model A-779-11S with a 232” wheelbase and powered with a Hall-Scott 779 cubic inch engine. Fifteen more units were leased in 1959 while more of the classic old White buses unceremoniously hit the auction blocks. Crown Model A-779-11, bus No.506, ca1959. It had returned from the LA School District and the "school bus" lettering was being covered over for summer use in Yellowstone. [Photo Motor Coach Today, Apr-Jun 2000] Motor Coach Industries bus Model MC-5B, ca1990. It is parked in front of the Gardiner Service Center. This trend toward larger and modern vehicles persisted with GM Model 5302 buses hitting the roads in 1965 and Crown diesel Model AD-743-11’s entering the scene soon after. In 1975 YPCo settled on fifteen MC-5B buses from Motor Coach Industries (MCI) with 8V-71 diesel engines. Eight of these carried forty-one passengers and featured a restroom. The remaining buses could hold about forty-five passengers. The following year ten more buses were acquired. A mere ten years or so later, TW Recreational Services (TWRS) ended the somewhat profitable out-of-park charter runs under pressure from the park service, thus reducing the need for much of the MC-5B bus fleet. Sales of the buses commenced and by 1999 only nine of the original twenty-five remained, and in 2019 more of the buses were sold off.. According to transportation manager Kelly McAdams, in 2020 only one MC-5B was left in the fleet. But three newer MCI buses were purchased around 2017, made by MCI, Model No. D4005, 47-passenger Engine: Cummins X12 w/engine brake, 410hp, 1,450 lb-ft torque Transmission: Allison B500 Gen V Front Axle: Meritor® 16,000 lb (7,257 kg) with conventional bearings Drive Axle: Meritor® 22,500 lb (10,206 kg) with pre-set wheel bearings Tag Axle: D4505: Meritor® 14,000 lb (6,350 kg) with conventional bearings D4005: Meritor® 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) with conventional bearings Seating w/lav: D4505: 55-passengers D4005: 47-passengers Wheels: Hub-mounted steel, 22.5 x 9.0 Tires: Firestone FS400 315/80 R22.5 9.00" L-rated Photo courtesy Kevinsbusrail.com, 7/2017 Above L-R : Nickel plated drivers badge, ca1930s; YPTCo luggage Tag, unk date; YPCo uniform patch, ca1970s. Below - Metal Pinbacks, L-R : Pin with twp bears, probably YPTCo; YPTCo pin; YPCo pin, Transportation Division; YPCo pin, could be hotel, transportation or both, ca1960-70s Return of the Yellows Buses - 2007 While all of these changes were going on, Steve & Gayla Hites, of the Skagway Street Car Company in Alaska, had managed to acquire eight of Yellowstone’s 1936-38 Model 706 White buses from various collectors across the country. He put them back to work as tour buses in the quaint panhandle town of Skagway, located about 90 miles northwest of Juneau. In 2001 Hite decided to modernize his fleet and offered his old Yellowstone buses for sale. He contacted Xanterra Parks & Resorts (latest in the lineage of names changes from YPTCo to YPCo to TWRS to Amfac) and current operator of the hotels and transportation system in Yellowstone. The original bus numbers with the current Xanterra bus numbers, and their Skagway names are: 1936 Models: 372 (516) Cripple Creek 377 (510) Yellowstone 1937 Models: 404 (514) Little Rocky 408 (511) Hollywood 413 (512) Great Falls 419 (517) Monty (Full Monty when loaded) 434 (513) Big Rocky 1938 Model: 450 (515) Mason City Some of the Skagway Street Car Co.White buses upon their return to Gardiner Spring 2007. They were awaiting renovations. [Photo by the author] Looking to capitalize on an opportunity to restore the yellow buses to Yellowstone and score a historical, political and hopefully economic coup, Xanterra decided to purchase the eight buses. Sometime after their arrival in late September 2001, the buses were contracted to Transglobal Design and Manufacturing (TDM) in Livonia, Michigan for complete renovations. Each bus was carefully removed from their original chassis and placed on a Ford E-450 chassis with a Ford 5.4 liter gas engine. TDM refurbished the interior seats and oak trim throughout the vehicle. They replaced the old canvas tops with more modern materials and installed a public address system for guides to narrate the tour. Other upgrades included heaters under the seats and boxes with warm lap blankets, so that even on brisk Yellowstone days, passengers could comfortably see the beauty of the park through the open top. Rotten wood in the body was replaced and wood floors were replaced with aluminum for better insulation. Years worth of paint were stripped to reveal the original yellow paint and find its match using modern paint-mixing techniques. The eight buses cost a total of $1.9 million to purchase and refurbish. Return of the Yellow buses. A parade was held June 2, 2007, that passed through Gardiner, the Arch, and on to Mammoth Hot Springs. they ply the roads every summer now, thrilling crowds of excited tourists yearning for the old days. [Photos by the author] Below: Refurbished 706 bus at Castle geyser, ca2000s. Courtesy Xanterra Parks & Resorts For more detailed information on Yellowstone's White busses, refer to: "Buses in Yellowstone National Park", Motor Coach Today , Apr-Jun 2000, by Bruce Austin, Robert Goss, & Jerry Pesman. Reprints available from the Motor Coach Society website. Also, please visit these other fine Yellowstone Yellow Bus organizations: Buses of Yellowstone Preservation Trust Jammer Trust
- Mammoth Hotel & Lodge | Geyserbob.com
Hotels in the Yellowstone Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel The National Hotel was built Mammoth Hot Springs by the Yellowstone Park Improvement Co. It partially opened for business in August 1883 with 141 rooms and was designed by architect L.F. Buffington. This was the first high-class hotel built in the park and was the first stop for visitors coming to the park via the Northern Pacific RR. Six-horse stages brought guests from the Northern Pacific RR rail depot in Cinnabar (Gardiner in 1903 and after) to the hotel. Top Right: Coaches Coming into Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel from Gardiner. From 1903 Wonderland, NPRR. Left: Construction of interior of hotel 1883. FJ Haynes stereoview. Bottom: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel , 1883. T.W. Ingersoll stereoview #1119 Button Top Left: National Hotel at Mammoth under construction, Spring 1883. F.J. Haynes Stereoview Top Right: Final construction of exterior of National Hotel, Spring 1883. C.E. Watkins Cabinet Photo #D221. A carpenter’s strike in 1884 delayed the completion of the hotel until 1886.The hotel company suffered financial problems in 1884 and went into receivership and was taken over by the new Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) in 1886. The building was 414' long and 54' wide, with four stories, and painted green with a red roof. Electric lights were installed at the end of the 1887 season, but by the end of 1888, they had not been actually hooked up. Top Left: Hotel National Park, LJ Buffington, Archt, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minn. 1888, Architect's drawing, FJ Haynes card. Top Right: Mammoth Hotel Lobby, 1923. Haynes postcard #23310. Left: Haynes photo stand inside of the National Hotel (Mammoth Hotel). Haynes photo, undated. The old National Hotel underwent major reconstruction in 1913 when most of the 4th floor was removed and the roof flattened. The four-story North Wing was added with 124 rooms (right of building) with 28 private baths, and 8 public baths. By this time the Mammoth Hotel could entertain 600 guests. According to the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel Historic Structures Report, put together by A&E Architects, “The hotel company built the new wing for the Mammoth hotel with day labor and without the benefit of construction drawings. According to W. M. Nichols, President of the YPHC, “Reamer does much better to build as he goes along rather than to draw up a set of specifications and be tied down to them.” No construction drawings for the remodel of the old Mammoth Hotel have been found, indicating that Reamer may have followed the same procedure for that part of the 1913 work." Top Left: Newspaper article about the proposed renovations of the Mammoth Hotel. The room & bathroom count was slightly exaggerated . [Yellowstone Monitor , 3Apr1913] Right: View of the "Boy's Dorm," 1917. Later known as Juniper Dorm, it remains in use. Many sources date it 1936, but that would be incorrect. It looks much the same as it did over 100 years ago. YNP Archive records date its construction in 1914. [Haynes Photo, 1917 NPS Bldg Survey] Bottom Left: View of the newly-remodel Mammoth Hotel and the new North Wing at right. [YNP #50780] Bottom Right: Postcard view of the remodeled Mammoth Hotel, 1923. [Haynes postcard #23298] The New Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cottages Good-Bye to the old National Hotel . . . The old hotel was torn down in 1936 and a new complex of buildings was constructed under the direction of Robert Reamer, architect for the Old Faithful Inn. Lumber and other materials from the old hotel were saved and reused as much as possible to save on construction costs. The North Wing (left of structure) was retained and is currently the only existing remnant of the original hotel. A two-story building was built in front of the old wing that would house the lobby, lounge, hotel offices, telegraph and telephone divisions, news and cigar stands, and other public services. Right: News article regarding the razing og the old Mammoth Hotel. [Indianapolis Star, Ind., Aug. 30, 1936] Bottom Left: Demolition of the old Mammoth Hotel, Sept. 1936. [YNP #185333-361] Bottom Right: Demolition of the old Mammoth Hotel, Oct. 1936. [YNP #20772] Bottom Left: View of the Mammoth Hotel complex prior to razing in 1936. The North Wing (1913) at upper left, was retained, while the rest of the hotel was demolished. Juniper Dorm (1914) was retained (center left), while the dorm on lower right also remained. Both are currently in service. [YNP #185333-358] Bottom Right: View of the hotel commissary , located directly behind the North Wing. It was also demo'ed in 1936. [YNP #30500] A separate two-story building was erected across the road from the hotel wing and utilized some of the original hotel foundations. A restaurant and coffee shop occupied the 1st floor, while the 2nd floor was made into small apartments for office staff housing. Numerous service buildings behind the original hotel, including warehouses, print shop, laundry, tailor shop, and garages were either completely razed or remodeled to fit into the overall design Right: The new restaurant and coffee shop at Mammoth, located upon the foundations of the old hotel in 1939. The top floor rooms housed hotel office staff. [YNP #1546] Top Left: 1939 postcard view of the newly-remodel Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel (right), restaurant (left center), Rec Hall complex (center behind hotel portico), and the cabin area (rear at base of hills). [Haynes #39036] Top Right: Late 1950s postcard view of the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. The North Wing can be seen abovethe lobby building. [West Yellowstone Postcard Co. #73143] In 1937 Robert Reamer designed and assembled a giant map of the United States, made with 15 different types of wood, with 2500 individual pieces. It was fabricated from January 2 to June 1 in Seattle and assembled on site on the south wall of the hotel lounge. It is just over 10' tall and over 17' long. In 1963, the hotel lounge was converted to a meeting room and lobby and became known as the Map Room. A new entry was cut between the lobby and lounge. The map was moved to the west wall. Top Left: 1953 postcard view of the lounge area of the hotel, now called the Map Room. The wood map designed by Robert Reamer was later moved to the right wall when a new doorway was installed on the left side of the map. [Haynes #53K353] Right: Article about the Reamer map from the Billings Gazette, 3Jul1937. ( Click to enlarge) Bottom Left : the famous wooden map designed by Robert Reamer. It was removed in 1917 for conservation work and returned to service. (Click to enlarge) In 1936-38, a complex of 97 cabins was erected along the edge of the hill for the ever-growing number of auto tourists, consisting of single and double units with a capacity of 200 guests.The individual cabins are simple wood-framed, gable-roofed structures with front porches; they have a less rustic design than their counterparts in other park locations in order to integrate with the appearance of the hotel. Top Left: New cabin area directly behind the recreation hall and fountain bldg, Aug. 1939. [YNP #185327-425] Bottom Left: View of the back cluster of guest cabins, Aug. 1939. [YNP #185327-426] Top Right: Fountain, Cocktail Lounge, Gift Shop, Beauty & Barber Shop, and Rec Hall, fall 1939. [YNP #185327-402] Also constructed behind the hotel was a recreation hall that had café with fountain services available at the opposite end of the building. Recreational features included an octagonal sunken dance floor — on wood joists, cocktail lounge/soda fountain, and a stage with dressing room. Additional facilities included a Gift Shop, Beauty Shop, Barber Shop, restrooms, print shop, laundry, linen room, dispensary, and nursing room. Despite the number and variety of public spaces, a single door provided entry to the recreation hall, thus preventing draughts that would be "a source of annoyance to those seated at tables." In later years the café and fountain were converted into office space for the accounting department and another doorway was installed that led from the lobby to the cabin area. The new Mammoth recreation hall was officially dedicated on June 25, 1937. The recreation room in connection with the Mammoth Hotel was completed during July of 1937 and opened to the public, while some: of the cabins in the new Mammoth group were ready for occupancy when the Mammoth Hotel opened about the middle of June. Around 1950 the hotel became known as the Mammoth Motor Inn and the Terrace Grill was renamed the Terrace Coffee Shop. Mammoth Motor Inn opened for the winter season in 1966, but it lasted only through the 1969 season. In the winter of 1981-82, the hotel again opened for the winter season to serve snowmobilers, snowcoach tours, and cross-country skiers. Snowmobiles were rented at Mammoth and the snowcoaches provided transit to the Grand Canyon and Old Faithful. Guests were housed in the Aspen Lodge that was used as an employee dorm during the summer season. Around that time the old telegraph room in the corner of the Hotel lobby was converted to a gift shop. A new lounge/bar is built in the former kitchen storeroom, to the right of the entry of the restaurant. The hotel and cabins are currently operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts Mammoth Lodge - 1917-1940 Mammoth Lodge was built on the flats south of Capitol Hill in 1917 by the Yellowstone Park Camping Co. It replaced the camps previously located at Swan Lake Flats and Willow Flats that were closed after the 1916 season. It was often referred to as Mammoth Camp in the early years. A swimming pool was built in 1920 and the main lodge building was built in 1922-23, along with a laundry, kitchen, dining room, dance hall, recreation hall, and offices. A dedication service for the new $100,000 lodge was held in July, 1923. Additional cabins were added in 1927. Undated Real-Photo postcard of Mammoth Camp, located across from the Mammoth Terraces. (Click photo to see enlarged version) Upper Left: The new Mammoth Lodge, undated photo. [YNP #185327-424] Upper Right: Real-Photo of entrance to Mammoth Lodge, undated. Lower Left: The Great Hall dining room at the Lodge in 1923. It was a popular venue for conventions. [Haynes PC #23307] Lower Right: The 'Plunge.' It was always a popular feature at the Lodge. [YNP #9550] Mrs. J.B. parks of Nebraska toured Yellowstone in 1927 and comment about Mammoth Lodge . . . “we stayed [at the lodge] our first night in the park. There they have hundreds of little cabins equipped with stove, bed and bedding; neat and sanitary as a home, for tourists, who don’t care to stay at the Mammoth Hotel, a more elaborate place. Mammoth Lodge is a real rustic building, built of the natural pine logs, and has a bureau of information, office, curio shop, and checking room, a large reception and rest room with easy chairs, and writing tables, and large fireplace, where pine logs were burning. They have large dining rooms and kitchens; the meals are all served American style, and the work is done by student girls and boys.” [1Sep1927 Ashland Gazette, Neb] Upper Left: Tourist Cabin Office, undated. [YNP #47117] Upper Right: Interior view of one of the wooden cabins, 1923. [Haynes PC #23405] Lower Left: The early cabins were 'tent cabins', with wood floors and half-walls. [Real-Photo PC] Lower Right: One of wooden cabins at the Lodge in 1923. [Haynes PC #23404] The original cabins featured wood floors and partial wood walls. The rest was covered with tent canvas. Later on they were converted to hard-top wood cabins. A large complex of cabins was erected between the main lodge and the swimming pool. Seventy of the cabins were moved to Roosevelt Lodge in 1937-1938. Mammoth Lodge and other facilities in the park closed in 1940 due to WWII. Many reopened after 1945, but Mammoth Lodge did not. Close to 100 cabins had been built at Mammoth Hotel 1937-1939, and apparently the lodge facilities were not needed. The main lodge and other buildings were razed in 1949-50. The 1950 Annual Superintendent’s report noted the following: MAMMOTH LODGE RAZED On November 17, 1949, a crew for the Yellowstone Park Company started tearing down the Mammoth Lodge, which was constructed in 1922. The dismantling of the interior of the lodge had been in progress for several weeks prior to that date. The laundry in this building will be allowed to remain until the new laundry in connection with the Mammoth Hotel is constructed.
- Yellowstone Park Transportation C. | Geyserbob.com
Coaching in the Yellowstone Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. Copyright 2020 by Robert V. Goss. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from th e author. Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. YNPTCo Stagecoach Operations 1892 - 1897 YPTCo Stagecoach Operations 1898 - 1916 YNPTCo Stagecoach Operations 1892 - 1897 Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) transportation privileges were revoked Nov. 1, 1891 after Silas Huntley of Helena received the 10-year transportation franchise on March 29, 1891. He was allowed 14 months to begin operations by the Interior Dept. He brought in his brother-in-law Harry W. Child and Edmund Bach , Child’s brother-in-law. Together they formed the Yellowstone National Park Transportation Co. (YNPTCo) which was incorporated May 20, 1892 with capital of $250,000. Aaron and L.H.Hersfield were also partners in the operation, and Huntley became general manager.Yellowstone Park Association (YPA) transportation privileges were revoked Nov. 1, 1891 after Silas Huntley of Helena received the 10-year transportation franchise on March 29, 1891. He was allowed 14 months to begin operations by the Interior Dept. He brought in his brother-in-law Harry W. Child and Edmund Bach, Child’s brother-in-law. Together they formed the Yellowstone National Park Transportation Co. (YNPTCo) which was incorporated May 21, 1892 with capital of $250,000. Aaron and L.H.Hersfield were also partners in the operation, and Huntley became general manager. Left : YNPTCo coach at Mammoth Hot Springs, ca1896 [Stoddards Yellowstone Park Travelogue] Right : YNPTCo coach No.46, courtesy Yellowstone Gateway Museum. In reality, YNPTCo actually began stage operations in March 1891 when George W. Wakefield lost his YPA contract. YPA then leased all of their transportation equipment and facilities to YNPTCo, who appointed Wakefield as President. A year later, the new company purchased the old Yellowstone Transportation Company and the Wakefield & Hoffman operations for $70,000 and was granted exclusive transport of NPRR passengers in Yellowstone National Park. The following February (1893), YNPTCo received leases for six parcels of land in Yellowstone to erect barns, corrals and other facilities. The company began with some 500 horses and 75-100 coaches of various types. In Yellowstone Park How to Travel Through Wonderland Pall Mall Gazette, London, England, July 10, 1897 “The company is divided into departments, and each is presided over by a most competent man. The head stables are at the Mammoth Hot Springs. They consist of several large buildings containing the 550 horses, excepting those which arc going through the park and a number of saddle horses at the various hotels, on which the tourists make short trips. Then there are the long rows of wagon sheds, blacksmith shop, harness shop, saddle shop, repair shop, washing stand, a dozen houses for the drivers, and a hospital for the sick horses. The company employs over 100 men. These include a veterinary surgeon, three blacksmiths, harness maker, wheelwright, washers, painters, stablemen and drivers. The stables and other buildings owned by the company form quite a little settlement of their own, and are always a source of interest to the tourists, who are surprised to see such a plant away up in the mountains. The park season lasts but a little over four months in the year, and the expenses of maintaining such a plant are large. It costs 5.000 dols. a year to paint the coaches, and an equal sum is expended in incidentals, including new tyres, harness, axle grease, horseshoes, etc. The board bill for help alone is 10,000 dols. for the four months and a few days. In that time the horses eat 1,000,000 lb. of oats and the same amount of hay. As the plant now stands, it represents an investment of over 200,000 dols., and with only about a third of the year in which to do business.” YPTCo Stagecoach Operations 1898 - 1916 Harry Child, Huntley, and Bach formed a new company called the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. (YPTCo) in 1898 that took over the operation of the YNPTCo. They received a 10-year lease on March 31. Silas Huntley passed away three years later and his shares reverted to the NPRR’s North West Improvement Company (NWIC). Bach sold his shares to NWIC in 1902 due to health concerns and died of Bright’s Disease in the spring of 1904, leaving Harry Child as the prime operator of the company. Above : YNPTCo coaches ca1903. [Yellowstone Park Association brochure, 1904 Above : YNPTCo Tally-Ho coach #12 loaded with tourists leaving Gardiner and headed to Mammoth Hotel Springs. [W.S. Berry Photo, undated, Montana Historical Society] CHANGED HANDS A New Company Will Handle the Yellowstone Business. St. Paul, April 5.—The Yellowstone Park association this afternoon sold out Its entire belongings and interests in the National park to the Yellowstone Park Transportation company, which consists or S. S. Huntley and E.W. Bach of Helena, Mont., and H.W. Childs of St. Paul, the consideration being close to $1,000,000. Among the items transferred were the Mammoth Hot Springs hotel recently built for $200,000; the Fountain hotel, $100,000; Grand Canyon hotel, $100,000, and the Lake hotel, $75,000, besides four lunch stations and other property. J.H. Dean, president of the old company, will be manager of the new and the transportation company is now purchaser of all the property in the great national park. [The Anaconda Standard, April 6, 1901] With the purchase of the YPA hotel system in 1901 and the deaths of S.S. Huntley in 1901 and E.W. Bach in 1904, Harry Child gained control of all the park lodging and transportation concessions, save the various camping company operations. Between 1903 and 1907, four Concord Tally-Ho coaches were purchased for use on the Gardiner to Mammoth route. Previously, two Tally-Ho had been acquired between 1886 and 1889. In 1901, a Northern Pacific brochure printed a schedule for park tours using the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. coaches. Throughout the stagecoach era standard tours were generally 5-6 days duration, beginning and ending at the north entrance. In later years shorter tours were available, and travelers could eventually enter or exit the park at West Yellowstone and Cody, Wyo. The following is a typical tour schedule for 1901 and similar in later years. TIME SCHEDULE IN THE PARK The following approximate time schedule will give a comprehensive idea of the park itinerary: First Day —Leave Livingston at 8.30 a.m., arrive Cinnabar 10.45 a.m.; leave Cinnabar at 11.00 a.m.; arrive Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel 1.00 p.m., taking lunch, dinner and lodging. Second Day —Breakfast. Leave Mammoth Hot Springs at 8.00 a.m., arriving at Norris at noon for lunch; leave at 1.30 p.m., and arrive at Fountain Hotel, Lower Geyser Basin, at 5.50 p.m. for dinner and lodging. Third Day —Breakfast at Fountain. Leave for Midway and Upper Geyser Basins at 8.00 a. m. Lunch at Upper Geyser Basin. Return from Upper Geyser Basin to Fountain Hotel at 4.30 p. m. Dinner and lodging at Fountain Hotel. Fourth Day —Breakfast at Fountain. Leave for West Arm of Yellowstone Lake at 7.00 a.m. Lunch at lake and leave the lake after lunch for Yellowstone Lake Hotel at lake outlet. Dinner and lodging at Lake Hotel. Fifth Day —Breakfast at Yellowstone Lake. Leave for Grand Caiion at 9.30 a.m. via Sulphur Mountain; arrive Grand Canon at 12.30 p.m. Lunch, dinner and lodging. Sixth Day —Breakfast. Leave Grand Caiion at 10.00 a.m., arrive Norris at 12.30 p.m. Lunch. Leave Norris at 1.30 p.m., arrive Mammoth Hot Springs at 4.30 pm. Dinner. Leave Mammoth Hot Springs at 6.30 p.m., arriving at Cinnabar at 8.00 p.m.; leave Cinnabar at 8.15 p.m., arrive Livingston at 10.30 p.m. Left : The new horse and coach barn at Mammoth, 1903 [YNP Black Scrapbook] Right : Gardiner Wonderland article about the barn dance, 4Jun1903 edition. In 1903 the company built a new coach and horse barn and related buildings at Mammoth, near the current Aspen Lodge site. The barn was a beautiful structure designed by Robert Reamer. Construction began in February and on May 7 the Gardiner Wonderland announced that, “The new transportation barn is nearing completion.” By the end of the month it was announced the building was complete and ready for occupation. A barn-warming dance was held the following week. The Tally-Ho coaches were housed in Gardiner to meet the trains, but most of the other coaches were stored at Mammoth and various locations throughout the park. That same year the Northern Pacific RR opened up passenger service at the depot in Gardiner. Now the Tally-Ho coaches would have a shorter drive to Mammoth. A new Reamer-designed depot was built on the edge of town to host the tourist crowds. Above : YPTCo coaches in front of the Northern Pacific RR depot in Gardiner, 1905. [YNP 22954] In 1906 YPTCo constructed a new horse barn and carriage house, along with a bunkhouse/mess hall for the drivers and workers in Gardiner . They were located where some of the current Xanterra Parks and Resorts facilities are located above the Gardiner River. They were designed by Robert Reamer, using local stone and wood construction. The bunkhouse/mess was originally two separate buildings, but later joined by a breezeway. It still stands and is still used as employee housing by Xanterra. Sadly, the unique barns were torn down in 1926 to make way for the new concrete bus storage barn. The Butte Daily Post announced on May 6, 1906, “The Transportation company anticipates a large business. The company is erecting a mammoth barn at Gardiner. There are sixty men now employed on the structure, which will house many of the horses used by the company. The company has a great barn at Mammoth Hot Springs, from where all its passengers make the start throughout the park, but it was found desirable to have stables at Gardiner, where stages meet the trains.” Left : The new horse and coach barn at Gardiner under construction, 1906. [Author's digital collection] Right : YPTCo Tally-Ho barn in foreground, with horse barn to the rear. [1914 NPRR brochure] Left : YPTCo barn on left, carriage barn in center, and bunkhouse & mess hall on right. [Original negative, Copyright: Goss Collection] Left Top : 9-Passenger Abbot-Downing coach. [1905 YPA Brochure] Left Bottom : 11-Passenger Abbot-Downing coach. [1905 YPA Brochure] Right : Map of Yellowstone Park and the hotels and road system. The stages typically travelled in a clockwise direction, usually beginning at Mammoth for the YPTCo coaches. [1904 YPA brochure] In 1915, an event occurred that held huge ramifications for Yellowstone and the country. The Panama-Pacific Exposition was being held in San Francisco from February to November. Visitors flocked to the West Coast to view this stupendous fair. Most travelers relied on railroad travel, yet many folks chose to travel cross-country by automobile, many planning on visiting Yellowstone enroute. Anticipating a heavy travel season, all the stage transportation companies purchased additional coaches and horses to meet the demand. Records show that visitation in 1915 reached almost 52,000 tourists, significantly more than the 20,000 of the previous year. Unfortunately, the investment by the companies would last a mere two years, as in 1917 the stagecoaches and horse wagons were banned from the park roads. Above : Real-Photo postcards of the true-to-size replica Old Faithful Inn built by the Union Pacific RR. The rustic interior was used for fine dining at lunch & dinner, and also for twice-daily orchestra concerts with plenty of room for dancing. [Real-Photo poscards, author's collection] Pressure had been building for many years to open the park to autos, but efforts had been unsuccessful. Mid-season 1915, Yellowstone and the Interior Dept. relented and on August 1, the first auto officially entered Yellowstone National Park. Over the previous year the roads and bridges had been improved to allow for motorized traffic. However, autos shared the roads with stagecoaches during 1915 and 1916. It became quite apparent that such a system would not be successful in the long run. The government mandated the conversion to motorized vehicles of all concession vehicles. Late in the fall of 1916, all of the transportation operations were to be consolidated into one company operating under a monopoly lease. These companies, which included Frank Haynes Yellowstone & Western Stage Co ., Cody-Sylvan Pass Motor Co., and the Wylie and Shaw & Powell camping company coaches, came under the control of YPTCo and Harry Child. Child arranged with the White Motor Company to purchase 117 10-passenger auto stages to be used in the park beginning in 1917. The Yellowstone Park Transportation Co. kept it same name until 1936, when all the Child and Wm. Nichols' enterprises were combined into the Yellowstone Park Company. Left : Stagecoach passing through the Roosevelt arch in Gardiner, ca1910. [Bloom Bros. postcard #A-6865] Right : YPTCo White Motor Co. auto-stage passing through the Roosevelt Arch in Gardiner, ca1923. [Bloom Bros. postcard YP62] Stagecoach Robberies in Yellowstone: (1) 7/4/1887 - Near Split Rock in Gardiner Canyon - 1 stagecoach. (2) 8/14/1897 - 3 miles west of Canyon Hotel - 6 coaches and 1 military wagon robbed. (3) 8/24/1908 - Near Turtle Rock in Spring Creek Canyon on Craig Pass - 17 stagecoaches and 8 wagons. (4) 7/29/1914 - Shoshone Point on Craig Pass - 15 coaches. (5) 7/9/1915 - 1 mile south of Madison Jct. - 5 coaches. Perhaps the greatest stagecoach hold-up in Yellowstone occurred on Aug 24, 1908, near Turtle Rock, enroute from Old Faithful Inn to Lone Star Geyser and Lake Hotel A single bandit held up 17 coaches and wagons. Upon completetion of his dastardly deed, the hold-up man escaped and was never captured. In an excerpt from the 1908 Yellowstone National Park annual report, the Park Superintendent briefly describes the robbery: "The unfortunate event, the hold-up of seventeen coaches, surreys, and spring wagons on August 24, and the robbery by one man or many of the passengers therein at a point on the main road between Old Faithful Inn and the Thumb of Lake Yellowstone, and about 4 1/4 miles distant from the former, took place about 9 a. m. on August 24 . . . Four of the looted coaches belonged to the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company, five to the Monida and Yellowstone Stage Company, and eight to the Wylie Permanent Camping Company. As near as can be learned by the separate memoranda handed in by the passengers the losses sustained by them in the robbery aggregated $1,363.95 cash and $730.25 in watches and jewelry. Upon being liberated the first coach of those robbed drove rapidly to the camp of the road sprinkling crew, located about 2 miles east of the hold-up point, where notice was given and a messenger dispatched to Old Faithful Inn—distant 6 miles—with news of the robbery." Upon safe arrival at the Lake Camp, members of the Wylie Camping Company involved in the robbery reflected on their escapade as what would no doubt be the most exciting adventure of their lives. Mr. H.B. Mitchell of Great Falls describes their meeting that evening: “That evening [24Aug1908] we had a meeting of the sufferers ait the lakeside hotel, and adopted resolutions which have already been published . . . “The American people have the faculty of seeing the humorous side of even a serious matter, and this case was no exception. The holdup man was hardly out of sight before we were laughing at each other, and the various incidents that had not seemed so funny while the man had his gun upon us. Besides the association mentioned above, the Wiley [Wylie] tourists organized the "Lone Star Involuntary Benevolent association" in memory of the occasion, and for the fun we could get out of it. I was elected president and the ‘Not on Your Life’ girl, as she was called for the rest of the trip, secretary. We had our inaugural meeting around the camp fire with toasts by various members of the suffering party, songs written for the occasion and general jolity." [Great Falls Tribune, 29Aug1908, p5] Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell reached Butte yesterday. He had the honor of being elected president of the “Lone Star Involuntary Benevolent association," a society to which only those traveling with the Wylie company and who were in the hold-up are entitled to membership. This organization celebrated the event with speeches and much merry-making the evening of the affair at the Lake Hotel camp and still look back upon the hold-up as the real event of their trip. Mr. Mitchell said those In the holdup look back upon it as something not to have been missed—the real event of the trip, and one never to be forgotten. The "Not on Your Life" girl mentioned previously is explained by Mr. Mitchell: "In the last coach were five ladies besides the driver. The first one was Miss Stasia Riley, of Austin, Minn. He demanded her money. *Not on your life,” replied Miss Rilev. 'Here’s a dollar,. and that’s all you set from me." Evidently he admired the nerve for he passed to the next without further demands." [Great Falls Tribune, 29Aug1908, p5] Stage Robbery 9Jul1887 Yellowstone Journal Stage Robbery 15Aug1897 Los Angeles Heraldl Stage Robbery 25Aug1908 Billings Daily Gazette Stage Robbery 30Jul1914 Daily Ardmorite, OK Stage Robbery 16Jul1915 Glascow Courier, MT