ANOTHER SUMMER
THE
YELLOWSTONE PARK
and
ALASKA
BY
CHARLES J. GILLIS
Printed for
Private Distribution
COPYRIGHT, 1893, BY
CHARLES J. GILLIS.
Press of J. J. Little & Co.
Astor Place, New York
The more I think of it, the more I find this conclusion
impressed upon me, that the greatest thing a human soul ever
does in this world is to _see_ something and tell what it saw in
a plain way.--RUSKIN.
With the Compliments
of the Author.
PREFACE.
In the spring of 1892, a party was made up for a trip to Alaska. The
different members thereof were to cross the continent by such routes
as they pleased, and meet at Portland, Oregon, on the second of July.
This plan was followed, and all the party boarded the steamer _Queen_
at Tacoma, prepared for the journey of a thousand miles up the coast
of Alaska.
Some account of this, and also of an excursion to the Yellowstone
Park, made on the way westward, is given in the following pages.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
I.--THE START FOR ALASKA,
II.--ON THE WAY TO THE YELLOWSTONE,
III.--YELLOWSTONE PARK,
IV.--THE GEYSERS AND PAINT POT,
V.--THE UPPER GEYSER BASIN,
VI.--THE GRAND CANYON, AND THE FALLS OF THE YELLOWSTONE,
VII.--DOWN THE COLUMBIA RIVER TO PORTLAND,
VIII.--TACOMA AND SEATTLE,
IX.--ON BOARD THE "QUEEN" FROM TACOMA TO VICTORIA,
X.--ALASKA,
XI.--THE MUIR GLACIER,
XII.--SITKA,
XIII.--AN ACCIDENT TO THE "QUEEN,"
XIV.--ICY BAY, TREADWELL, AND JUNEAU,
XV.--THE RETURN VOYAGE, AND SOME STORIES TOLD ON THE WAY,
XVI.--ON THE CANADIAN PACIFIC,
XVII.--BANFF SPRINGS,
XVIII.--CONCLUSION,
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK AND ALASKA.
CHAPTER I.
THE START FOR ALASKA.
Our long trip to Alaska and return, nine thousand miles in all,
commenced on June 17, 1892, at the Grand Central Station, New York.
Arriving at Chicago the next afternoon, we obtained a good view of the
great exposition buildings from our car windows as we passed along the
lake front. Shortly afterward we were dumped down at the wretched
sheds of the Michigan Central Railroad. It rained very heavily, and
ourselves and hand baggage were somewhat wet passing a short distance
to a carriage. We soon crossed the Chicago River to the Northwestern
Depot, boarded the train, which left at 11 P.M., and arrived at the
beautiful modern city of St. Paul at 1 P.M. the next day. The Hotel
Ryan was found to be very comfortable, and everything in and around
the city is bright and cheerful. Great business activity, and immense
and costly buildings are especially noticeable.
Running along the streets are great numbers of spacious and elegant
cars drawn by cables. We hailed a passing one, got in, and went slowly
and carefully through the crowded streets, up and down hills, with
great speed and ease, into the country for some miles, passing many
elegant private residences, as costly and fine as any to be seen in
any city in the world--notably one built and occupied by Mr. Hill,
president of the Great Northern Railroad, now about completed to the
Pacific Ocean, whose name you hear mentioned often as one of the great
railroad magnates of the West. The streets are clean, the sidewalks
wide, the front yards of the houses crowded with beautiful plants and
flowers, and in all respects we concluded that St. Paul is a most
delightful city.