FIRST EXPLORATIONS.
In their exploration of the headwaters of the Missouri in the summer
of 1805, the heroic Captains Lewis and Clarke discovered and named the
three terminal branches of that river--the Jefferson, the Madison, and
the Gallatin; then ascending the first named to its springs among the
Rocky Mountains, they crossed the lofty ridge of the divide and pursued
their investigations along the Columbia to the sea. The following
summer they returned, separately exploring the two main branches of
the Great River of the Northwest, each perpetuating the name and fame
of his brother explorer by calling a river after him. Ascending the
southern, or Lewis Fork, Captain Clarke recrossed the mountains to
Wisdom River, (a branch of the Jefferson,) then traversed the country
of the Jefferson, the Madison and the Gallatin to the Rochejaune, or
Yellowstone, which he followed to its junction with the Missouri, where
he rejoined Captain Lewis. The map of the country explored by these
brave men, makes the source of the Yellowstone a large lake, doubtless
from information received from the Indians, but they seem to have heard
nothing of the marvels along the upper reaches of the river and around
the lake from which it flows.
In later years--especially after the discovery of the Montana
gold-mines had drawn to the upper valleys of the Missouri an
adventurous, gold-seeking population, who scoured the mountains in
all directions--rumors of burning plains, spouting springs, great
lakes and other natural wonders, came down from the unknown regions
up the Yellowstone. And not content with these, the imagination was
freely drawn on, and the treasure valleys of the Arabian Nights were
rivalled, if not reproduced. Our over-venturous party, hotly pursued
by Indians, escaped, report said, by travelling night after night by
the brilliant light of a huge diamond providentially exposed on a
mountain. A lost trapper turned up after protracted wandering in this
mysterious region, his pockets stuffed with nuggets of gold gathered in
a stream which he could never find again. More astounding still was
a valley which instantly petrified whatever entered it. Rabbits and
sage-hens, even Indians were standing about there, like statuary, among
thickets of petrified sage-brush, whose stony branches bore diamonds,
rubies, sapphires, emeralds and other gems by the thousand, as large
as walnuts. "I tell you, sir," said one who had been there, to Colonel
Raynolds, "it is true, for I gathered a quart myself and sent them down
the country."
The first earnest attempt to explore the valley of the upper
Yellowstone was made in 1859, by Colonel Raynolds, of the Corps of
Engineers. His expedition passed entirely around the Yellowstone basin,
but could not penetrate it. In his report to the War Department, he
says:
"It was my original desire to go from the head of Wind River to the
head of the Yellowstone, keeping on the Atlantic slope, thence down
the Yellowstone, passing the lake, and across by the Gallatin to the
three forks of the Missouri. Bridger said at the outset that this
would be impossible, and that it would be necessary to cross over to
the headwaters of the Columbia and back again to the Yellowstone.
I had not previously believed that crossing the main crest twice
would be more easily accomplished than the transit over what was
in effect only a spur; but the view from our first camp settled the
question adversely to my opinion at once. Directly across our route
lies a basaltic ridge, rising not less than 5,000 feet above us, its
walls apparently vertical, with no visible pass or even cañon. On the
opposite side of this are the headwaters of the Yellowstone. Bridger
remarked triumphantly and forcibly on reaching this spot, 'I told you
you could not go through. A bird can't fly over that without taking a
supply of grub along.' I had no reply to offer, and mentally conceded
the accuracy of the information of 'the old man of the mountains.' * *
* * *
"After this obstacle had thus forced us over on the western slope
of the Rocky Mountains, an effort was made to recross and reach the
district in question, but although it was June, the immense body of
snow baffled all our exertions, and we were compelled to content
ourselves with listening to marvellous tales of burning plains,
immense lakes, and boiling springs, without being able to verify these
wonders. I know of but two white men who claim to ever have visited
this part of the Yellowstone Valley--James Bridger and Robert Meldrum.
The narratives of both these men are very remarkable, and Bridger, in
one of his recitals, described an immense boiling spring, that is a
perfect counterpart of the Geysers of Iceland. As he is uneducated,
and had probably never heard of the existence of such natural marvels
elsewhere, I have little doubt that he spoke of that which he had
actually seen. The burning plains described by these men may be
volcanic, or, more probably, burning beds of lignite similar to those
on Powder River, which are known to be in a state of ignition.... Had
our attempt to enter this district been made a month later in the
season, the snow would have mainly disappeared, and there would have
been no insurmountable obstacles to overcome.
"I cannot doubt, therefore, that at no very distant day the mysteries
of this region will be fully revealed, and though small in extent, I
regard the valley of the upper Yellowstone as the most interesting
unexplored district of our widely expanded country."
Ten years after Colonel Raynolds's unsuccessful attempt to solve the
problem of the Yellowstone, a small party under Messrs. Cook and Folsom
ascended the river to the lake, and crossed over the divide into the
Geyser Basin of the Madison. No report, we believe, was published of
their discoveries. At any rate, the general public were indebted for
their first knowledge of the marvels of this region to an expedition
organized in the summer of 1870 by some of the officials and leading
citizens of Montana. This company, led by General Washburn, the
Surveyor-General of the Territory, and accompanied by a small escort
of United States cavalry under Lieutenant G. C. Doane, left Fort Ellis
toward the latter part of August, and entered the valley of Yellowstone
River on the 23d. During the next thirty days they explored the cañons
of the Yellowstone and the shores of Yellowstone Lake; then crossing
the mountains to the headwaters of the Madison, they visited the geyser
region of Firehole River, and ascended that stream to its junction
with the Madison, along whose valley they returned to civilization,
confident, as their historian wrote, that they had seen "the greatest
wonders on the Continent," and "convinced that there was not on the
globe another region where, within the same limits, nature had crowded
so much of grandeur and majesty, with so much of novelty and wonder."
Mr. Langford's account of this expedition, published in the second
volume of _Scribner's Monthly_, and the report of Lieutenant Doane,
printed some time after by the United States Government, (Ex. Doc. No.
51, 41st Congress,) gave to the world the first authentic information
of the marvels of this wonderful region. Though their route lay
through a terrible wilderness, and most of the party were but amateur
explorers at best, only one (Mr. Everts) met with a serious mishap.
This gentleman's story of his separation from the company, and his
thirty-seven days of suffering and perilous wandering, is one of the
most thrilling chapters of adventure ever written.
The path fairly broken, and the romance of the Yellowstone shown to
have a substantial basis in reality, it was not long before others were
ready to explore more fully the magnificent scenery and the strange and
peculiar phenomena described by the adventurers of 1870. As soon as the
following season was sufficiently advanced to admit of explorations
among the mountains, the Chief Engineer of the Military Department of
the Missouri, Brevet Colonel John W. Barlow, set out for a two months'
survey of the Yellowstone Basin, under special orders from General
Sheridan. His route lay along the river to the lake; thence along the
northern shore of the lake to the hot springs on its western bank;
thence across the mountains westward to the Geyser Basins of Firehole
River, which he ascended to its source in Madison Lake; thence to
Heart Lake, the source of Snake River; thence across the mountains to
Bridger's Lake, in the valley of the Upper Yellowstone. Descending
this stream to where it enters Yellowstone Lake, he returned by the
east shore of the lake to Pelican Creek; thence across the country to
the Falls of the Yellowstone; thence over the mountains to the East
Fork of the Yellowstone, which he followed to its junction with the
main stream.
In the meantime, a large and thoroughly-organized scientific party,
under Dr. F. V. Hayden, U. S. geologist, were making a systematic
survey of the region traversed by Colonel Barlow. The work done by this
party is briefly summarized by Dr. Hayden as follows:
"From Fort Ellis, we passed eastward over the divide, between the
drainage of the Missouri and Yellowstone, to Bottlers' Ranch. Here we
established a permanent camp, leaving all our wagons and a portion of
the party. A careful system of meteorological observations was kept
at this locality for six weeks. From Bottlers' Ranch we proceeded up
the valley of the Yellowstone, surveyed the remarkable hot springs on
Gardiner's River, The Grand Cañon, Tower Falls, Upper and Lower Falls
of the Yellowstone, thence into the basin proper, prepared charts of
all the Hot Spring groups, which were very numerous, and continued up
the river to the lake. We then commenced a systematic survey of the
lake and its surroundings. Mr. Schönborn, with his assistant, made
a careful survey of the lake and the mountains from the shore, and
Messrs. Elliott and Carrington surveyed and sketched its shore-lines
from the water in a boat. Careful soundings were also made, and the
greatest depth was found to be three hundred feet. From the lake I
proceeded, with Messrs. Schönborn, Peale, and Elliott to the Firehole
Valley, by way of East Fork of the Madison; then ascended the Firehole
Valley. We made careful charts of the Lower and Upper Geyser Basin,
locating all the principal springs, and determining their temperatures.
We then returned over the mountains by way of the head of Firehole
River, explored Madison Lake, Heart Lake, etc. After having completed
our survey of the lake, we crossed over to the headwaters of the East
Fork by way of the valley of Pelican Creek, explored the East Fork to
its junction with the main Yellowstone, and thence to Bottlers' Ranch,
which we reached on the 28th of August. From this place we passed down
the Yellowstone, through the lower cañon, to the mouth of Shield's
River, to connect our work with that of Colonel Wm. F. Raynolds, in
1860. From there we returned to Fort Ellis."
It is safe to say that no exploring expedition on this continent ever
had a more interesting field of investigation, or ever studied so many
grand, curious and wonderful aspects of nature in so short a time.