File:Wonders of the Yellowstone region in the Rocky Mountains - being a description of its geysers, hot-springs, Grand Canon, waterfalls, lake, and surrounding scenery, explored in 1870-71 (1874) (14762560414).jpg

Identifier: wondersofyellows1874rich (find matches)
Title: Wonders of the Yellowstone region in the Rocky Mountains : being a description of its geysers, hot-springs, Grand Canon, waterfalls, lake, and surrounding scenery, explored in 1870-71
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Richardson, James
Subjects:
Publisher: London Glascow Edinburgh : Blackie & Son
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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. Hunt, that gentleman met with the firstserious obstacle to his progress at the base of thisrange. After numerous efforts to scale it, heturned away and followed the valley of the Snake,encountering the most discouraging disasters untilhe arrived at Astoria. Later, in 1833, the indomitable Captain Bonne-ville was lost in this mountain labyrinth, and, afterdevising various modes of escape, finally deter-mined to ascend the range, which tremendous taskhe succeeded in accomplishing, in company withone of his men. It was this same line of snow-clad, craggy peaks that turned back Captain Kay-nolds in 1859. Near its mouth the Upper Yellowstone is abouthalf the size of the main stream as it leaves thelake. Its valley is about three miles wide and verymarshy; all the little streams flowing down fromthe wooded hill-slopes being obstructed by beavor-dams, so as to form continuous chains of ponds.The sides of the valley are dark, sombre walls ofvolcanic rock, which weathers into curious and im-
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BREAKING THROUGH THE CRUST. AROUND YELLOWSTONE LAKE. 123 posing forms. Looking up the valley from somehigh point, one almost imagines himself in thepresence of the ruins of some gigantic city, somuch like ancient castles and cathedrals do theserocks appear—a deception that is not a littleheightened by the singular vertical furrows cutdeep into the cliffs. At the base of the walls im-mense masses of breccia have fallen from themountain tops, in many instances cutting longswaths through the pine forests. In the upperpart of the valley, which in midsummer is lushwith vegetation, five streams flow down from themountains to swell the waters of the Yellowstone.These streams Colonel Barlow calls, in honor ofhis commanders greatest victory, the Five Forks.Here the valley terminates abruptly, the mountainsrising like walls and shutting off the country be-yond. Just at the head of the valley is a littlelake, a hundred yards or so in width ; the largelake which has been placed on maps as Bridg

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