BOTTLERS' RANCH TO GARDINER'S RIVER.
At Bottlers' Ranch the wagon road terminates. For the first ten miles
beyond, the trail runs along the west bank of the river through the
wildest imaginable scenery of rock, river and mountain. The path is
narrow, rocky and uneven, frequently leading over steep hills of
considerable height. From the top of one of these, a bold mountain spur
coming down to the water's edge, the view up the valley is very fine,
embracing the river fringed with cottonwoods, the foot hills covered
with luxuriant, many-tinted herbage, and over all the snow-crowned
summits of the distant mountains. Above this point the valley opens
out to a "bottom" of large extent and great beauty. Across the river
the steep lava mountains come close to the stream, their lofty fronts
covered with stunted timber. A large portion of the bottom land is
subject to overflow by the numerous mountain streams that come in from
the right, and bears an abundance of grass, in many places waist high.
The river is skirted with shrubbery and cedars, the latter having thick
trunks, too short for ordinary lumber, yet of beautiful grain for small
cabinet work, and susceptible of exquisite finish.
At the head of this valley is the second cañon of the Yellowstone,
granite walls rising on either side to the height of a thousand feet
or more, and the river dashing through the narrow gorge with great
velocity. Seen from the lofty mountain spur over which the trail is
forced to pass, the bright green color of the water, and the numerous
ripples, capped with white foam, as the roaring torrent rushes around
and over the multitude of rocks that have fallen from above into the
channel, present a most picturesque appearance. Above the cañon, which
is about a mile in length, the valley widens slightly, then narrows
so as to compel the traveller to cross a ridge, on whose summit lies
a beautiful lake. Descending to the valley again the road traverses a
tract of level bottom land, a mile or two wide, covered with a heavy
growth of sage-brush. Throughout all this portion of its course, the
Yellowstone is abundantly stocked with trout of the largest variety
known this side the Rocky Mountains.
Some ten miles above the second cañon on the edge of the river valley
is Cinnabar Mountain, whose weather-beaten side presents one of the
most singular freaks of nature in the world. Two parallel vertical
walls of rock, fifty feet wide, traverse the mountain from base to
summit, and project to the height of three hundred feet for a distance
of fifteen hundred feet. The sides are as even as if wrought by line
and plumb. The rock between the walls and on either side has been
completely worn away. Speaking of this curious formation, Mr. Langford
says:
"We had seen many of the capricious works wrought by erosion upon the
friable rocks of Montana, but never before upon so majestic a scale.
Here an entire mountain-side, by wind and water, had been removed,
leaving as the evidences of their protracted toil these vertical
projections, which, but for their immensity, might as readily be
mistaken for works of art as of nature. Their smooth sides, uniform
width and height, and great length, considered in connection with
the causes which had wrought their insulation, excited our wonder
and admiration. They were all the more curious because of their
dissimilarity to any other striking objects in natural scenery that we
had ever seen or heard of. In future years, when the wonders of the
Yellowstone are incorporated into the family of fashionable resorts,
there will be few of its attractions surpassing in interest this
marvellous freak of the elements."
According to the observations of Dr. Hayden, the mountain is formed of
alternate beds of sandstone, limestone, and quartzites, elevated to a
nearly vertical position by those internal forces which acted in ages
past to lift the mountain ranges to their present heights. Standing
at the base and looking up the sides of the mountain, the geologist
could not but be filled with wonder at the convulsions which threw
such immense masses of rocks into their present position. Ridge after
ridge extends down the steep sides of the mountain like lofty walls,
the intervening softer portions having been washed away, leaving the
harder layers projecting far above. In one place the rocks incline
in every possible direction, and are crushed together in the utmost
confusion. Between the walls at one point is a band of bright brick-red
clay, which has been mistaken for cinnabar, and hence the name Cinnabar
Mountain. The most conspicuous ridge is composed of basalt, which
must have been poured out on the surface when all the rocks were in
a horizontal position. For reasons best known to himself, one of the
first explorers of this region gave these parallel ridges the title of
"Devil's Slide."
"The suggestion was unfortunate," writes the historian of the
Expedition, "as, with more reason perhaps, but with no better taste, we
frequently had occasion to appropriate other portions of the person of
his Satanic Majesty, or of his dominion, in signification of the varied
marvels we met with. Some little excuse may be found for this in the
fact that the old mountaineers and trappers who preceded us had been
peculiarly lavish in the use of the infernal vocabulary. Every river
and glen and mountain had suggested to their imaginations some fancied
resemblance to portions of a region which their pious grandmothers had
warned them to avoid. It is common for them, when speaking of this
region, to designate portions of its physical features, as "Firehole
Prairie,"--the "Devil's Den,"--"Hell Roaring River," etc.--and these
names, from a remarkable fitness of things, are not likely to be
speedily superseded by others less impressive."
These "impressive" titles stand in curious contrast with the fanciful
names bestowed in this region by Capts. Lewis and Clarke,--Wisdom
River, Philosophy River, Philanthropy Creek, and the like.
From the Devil's Slide to the mouth of Gardiner's River, twelve miles,
the ground rises rapidly, passing from a dead level alkali plain, to a
succession of plateaus covered slightly with a sterile soil. Evidences
of volcanic action begin to be frequent: old craters converted into
small lakes appear here and there, prettily fringed with vegetation,
and covered with waterfowl. Scattered over the hills and through the
valleys are numerous beautiful specimens of chalcedony and chips of
obsidian. Many of the chalcedonies are geodes, in which are crystals of
quartz; others contain opal in the centre and agate on the exterior;
and still others have on the outside attached crystals of calcite.
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