FORT ELLIS TO BOTTLERS' RANCH.
The Yellowstone tourist leaves the confines of civilization at Fort
Ellis. This frontier military post, situated near the head of the
beautiful and fertile valley of the East Gallatin, commands the valleys
of the Yellowstone and the three forks of the Missouri--the finest and
most productive portion of Montana. On the east and north are ranges
of hills and mountains which form the divide between the waters of the
Yellowstone and the Missouri. On the south and west, the beautiful
Valley of the Gallatin. Abundant vegetation, beautiful scenery, streams
of pure water flowing down the mountain-sides and across the plains on
every hand, and a climate that can hardly be surpassed in any country,
combine to make this pleasant station one of the most charming places
on the continent.
For the first six miles the road from Fort Ellis to the wonder-land of
the Yellowstone Valley follows the general course of the East Gallatin,
up steep acclivities and through the defiles of a hilly country to the
crest of the divide. The road here takes advantage of a natural pass
between hills that rise from six hundred to twelve hundred feet above
the road, itself considerably more elevated than the summit of the
White Mountains. From the tops of the hills on either side the view
is wonderfully fine in every direction. To the west lies the Gallatin
Valley, with its cordon of snow-capped peaks, its finely-timbered water
courses, and its long, grassy declivities, dotted with the habitations
of pioneers, and blooming with the fruits of industry. To the eastward
lies the beautiful Valley of the Yellowstone, not yet laid under
tribute to man. On the further side of this valley--the bed of an
ancient lake--the eye takes in at a glance one of the most symmetrical
and remarkable ranges of mountains in all the West. Indeed, Dr. Hayden
says, in describing them:
"Several of my party who had visited Europe regarded this range as in
no way inferior in beauty to any in that far-famed country. A series of
cone-shaped peaks, looking like gigantic pyramids, are grouped along
the east side of the valley for thirty or forty miles, with their bald,
dark summits covered with perpetual snow, the vegetation growing
thinner and smaller as we ascend the almost vertical sides, until, long
before reaching the summits, it has entirely disappeared. On all sides
deep gorges have been gashed out by aqueous forces cutting through the
very core of the mountains, and forming those wonderful gulches which
only the hardy and daring miner has ventured to explore. This range,
which is called on the maps Snowy Mountains, forms the great water-shed
between two portions of the Yellowstone River, above and below the
first cañon, and gives origin to some of the most important branches
of that river. From the summit of Emigrant Peak, one of the highest
of these volcanic cones, one great mass of these basaltic peaks can
be seen as far as the eye can reach, rising to the height of 10,000
to 11,000 feet above the sea. Emigrant Peak, the base of which is cut
by the Yellowstone River, is 10,629 feet above tide-water, while the
valley plain near Bottlers' Ranch, on the opposite side of the river,
was found to be 5,925 feet. This splendid group of peaks rises 5,000
feet and upward above the valley of the Yellowstone."
About three miles from the divide the road strikes the valley of Trail
Creek, a small-sized trout-stream of great clearness and purity,
flowing southeastward to the Yellowstone, between high hills wooded
at the summits. Approaching the river, the country becomes more and
more volcanic in appearance, masses of basaltic lava cropping out
from the high ridges on the right and left. Many of these masses
show a perpendicular front of several hundred feet, with projections
resembling towers, castles and the like. Several miles away on the
right, is Pyramid Mountain, a snow-capped peak. Farther to the south is
a long range of mountains, also covered with snow, even in midsummer.
On the left of the valley the foot hills bear abundant verdure, the
highest summits being covered with a vigorous growth of pines. Trail
Creek enters the Yellowstone about thirty miles from Fort Ellis. Ten
miles further up the Yellowstone is Bottlers' Ranch, the last abode of
civilized man in this direction.
The Bottler brothers, who have established themselves here, belong
to that numerous class of pioneers who are satisfied only when their
field of operation is a little in advance of civilization, exposed to
privation and danger, yet possessing advantages for hunting, trapping
and fishing not enjoyed by men content to dwell in safety. These,
however are not their only occupations. They have under cultivation
large fields of wheat, potatoes and other crops, possess extensive
herds of cattle, and make large quantities of butter, for which they
find a ready market in the mining camps of Emigrant Gulch across the
river, which at this point is a very rapid stream, about three hundred
feet wide and four feet deep on the riffles at low water.
Of this part of the valley Dr. Hayden says: "It is about fifteen miles
long, and will average three miles in width; it is well watered, soil
fertile, and in every respect one of the most desirable portions of
Montana. We may not look for any districts favorable for agriculture
in the Yellowstone Valley above the second cañon; but this entire lake
basin seems admirably adapted for grazing and for the cultivation
of the usual crops of the country. The cereals and the roots have
already been produced in abundance, especially wheat and potatoes.
The mountains on either side are covered with snow, to a greater or
less extent, all the year, which in melting feeds the numerous little
streams that flow down the mountain-sides in the Yellowstone. Hundreds
of springs flow out of the terraces. One terrace near Bottlers' Ranch
gives origin to fifty springs within a mile, and then, all aggregating
together in the river bottom, form a large stream. Thus there is the
greatest abundance of water for irrigation, or for any of the purposes
of settlement. The elevation of the valley at this ranch is 4,925
feet, and this may be regarded as the average in altitude. But a small
portion of it is occupied as yet, but the time is not far distant when
the valley will be covered with fine farms and the hills with stock. It
will always be a region of interest, from the fact that it is probably
the upper limit of agricultural effort in the Yellowstone Valley."