THE WEST SHORE.
201
m
k i
i
t
h
f.
f
r
YELLOWSTONE LAKE.
One of the scenes that charm the tourist's eye in the National park is
Yellowstone lake, a portion of the great Yellowstone fork of the Missouri.
It is the largest of the lakes in the Rocky mountain region and the largest
lake at so great an elevation in North America. Yellowstone river proper
rises in Bridger lake, a small body of water lying in the high mountains to
the southeast of the park, and with tributaries from other sources, flows gen
erally northward until it empties into the southeast arm of the lake. This
portion of the stream is called the " Upper Yellowstone." Other streams,
such as Beaverdam creek, Turbid creek, Pelican creek, Milky creek and Elk
creek, as well as many of smaller size, flow into the lake and swell its volume
so that the single outlet, the Yellowstone river, flows from the northern end as
a large stream.
The length of the lake from the head of the southeast arm to the foot, a
direction nearly northwest, is twenty miles, and its breadth, from the eastern
shore westerly to the head of the west arm, is fifteen miles. Its area is 1 50
square miles. In form it resembles the human hand somewhat battered out
of shape, each one of the arms of the lake representing a sadly-dilapidated
finger. The shores are nearly everywhere densely wooded with a fine growth
of large conifers. These add much to the beauty of the scene, the huge
peaks of the Rockies rising up in the background. The hike itself is 7,427
feet above sea level, and the summit peaks to the southwest, among which
the Upper Yellowstone takes its rise,
pierce the sky at a height of 1 1,000 feet.
One feature of the lake renders it
unique in the world, and that is the hot
springs existing within the lake itself and
yet separated from it. Long wells or
chimneys in the rock, similar to those
that form the orifices through which the
geysers spout, sometimes called geyser
tubes, extend indefinitely downward, so
that the water they contain is kept at a
boiling heat constantly. They differ in
no respect from the hot springs found in
other portions of the park, except that
they come to the surface through the
water of the lake instead of through the
dry ground. The surrounding wall, or
cone, is thick enough to protect them
from the modifying influence of the cold
water of the Like, while their rounded
tops project far enough above the sur
face to constitute little islands, upon
which fishermen may stand and angle for
the trout that abound in the clear waters
of the lake. It is possible for one to
catch a fish and without removing it from
the hook or stepping from his position, to
drop it into one of the hot springs and cook it. It is believed that nowhere
else in the world can this feat be accomplished. These are nyt the only ones,
however, for scattered along the shore of the lake, and on the mountain
slopes that overlook it, are many other hot springs, salfataras, fumarolcs and
small geysers. As some of these hot springs overflow into the lake, one may
take a warm or cold bath as he may choose. At one point the temperature
to a depth of eighteen inches is 1 10 degrees Fahrenheit, immediately below
that eighty degrees, and a few rods to one side but forty-five degrees.
The lake contains several beautiful islands of small site, such as Steven
son, Dot, Frank, Mollie, Pearle, Carrington, Pelican Roost and several oth
ers. These islands, the placid water, which shines with the rich blue of the
open sea, and the irregular form of the lake, with its bald blurts and stretches
of pebbly beach, all surrounded by the grandest mountains in America, com
bine to make a picture of unsurpassed beauty and grandeur. The lake,
whose waters are cool and pure, is in places 300 feet deep, and swarms with
trout, while in the summer time it is the home of countless swans, white peli
cans, geese, brant, ducks, cranes, sniie and other water fowl, w hile its grassy
and wooded shores furnish food and coverts for numberless elk, antelupe,
black and white-tailed deer, bears and mountain sheep, which are protected
by law from the hunter's rifle.
A special object of interest is found on Bridge creek, which is a small
stream flowing into the Like from the west some four miles south of the out
let. A short distance from the lake this creek is sjianned by a natural bridge,
thirty feet long, five feet wide and eighty feet above the bottom of the chasm
it spans, down which the waters leap in a roaring cascade. From this point
the view is extremely enticing, A good hotel now stands on the bank of the
Like for the accommodation of tourists, and is reached by stage from the ter
minus of the Northern Pacific's park branch.
ANOTHER MYSTERY SOLVED.
Everywhere throughout the mining regions of the west are to be found
traditions of fabulously rich mines whose whereabouts are now a mystery,
some of them having a good foundation to stand upon and others being of a
decidedly ethereal nature. Among these are the Hrcyfogle mine, the Emi
grant, Pegleg, Gunsight and other ledges, the Blue Bucket diggings, Gold
lake and the various "lost cabins" scattered all over the west. Diligent
search from time to time has proved the elusive nature of all these mysterious
repositories of wealth, but at List it is claimed that at least one of them has
been discovered, either it or its counterpart, which is just as satisfactory to the
lucky discoverer. Early in the fifties, so the story goes, one Breyfogle was a
member of an emigrant train going to California by the Southern Utah
route, and while the train was encamped in Pahrump valley, on the border
line between California arid Nevada, and near the famous Death valley, he
prospected near by and discovered a large ledge of decomposed quarts, from
' . lit 1 ' I
1 i
YELLOWSTONE LAKE.-From I'lioto. by M. M. Hiurlline, linker I'lly, Orciun.
which he pried many small nuggets with his knife. Here follows the usual
story about the Indians and Lick of provisions forcing the emigrants to leave
their prize and leek safety in the settlements, Breyfogle sent the remainder
of his life in vain search for the lost ledge, many others following his example,
of whom not a few perished in that desert region. Now comes the sequel.
Two months ago George Montgomery, while prosecting to the southeast
ward of Death valley, discovered, so he asserts, just such a ledge as Breyfo
gle claimed to have found. He traced it 9,000 feet on the surface, picked out
a yeast powder can full of nuggets of various sizes, which were to be seen in
the decomx)sed quartz " like plums in a pudding," made several locations and
then went to San Francisco for tools, supplies, etc., taking with him as many
rich specimens as he could pack across the desert to the railroad, 160 miles
away. As soon as he made the fact known adventurous spirits hastened to
the wonderful ledge, Likl off claims and went to work. A meeting to organize
a mining district will lie held the first of April, and it is to be hoied the tradi
tions of that day will have no effect Uxm the new camp, which hits been
named " Montgomery" in honor of the lucky prosiector. Veins of silver,
lead and copier exist in the vicinity, but the miners are devoting their sole at
tention to the free gold ledges, the size and richness of which make this a
" poor man's camp."
It you want fro trip to tho Yollowatono Park, read the oondU
tlonson Pago a 13.