Grand Teton National Park (Wyo.); Jackson Hole (Wyo.)
A careful study of the journal reveals statements that can be questioned
in the light of later knowledge. The mellifluous descriptions, the
references to “hundreds of otter,” and some other observations, together
with the general tone of the document, may to some readers appear
overdrawn. It must be borne in mind, however, that the journal was
obviously written some time after Doane’s return to Fort Ellis, and from
Server’s notes, since the Lieutenant’s records had been lost when the
boat capsized on December 12. Server’s notes were probably sketchy at
best, much of the writing then was done from memory. That the account is
colored by some imagination and a desire to make a “good yarn” of it is
probably true, but forgivable, particularly when one considers the usual
tenor adopted by writers of that day.
However critical the reader’s opinion may be, it cannot be denied that
here is an odyssey which defies comparison with any other record of
winter exploration of the region. It was fortunate, beyond any
reasonable doubt, that Doane’s expedition did not continue. That his
party could have survived ultimate disaster in the Hell’s Canyon of the
Snake is incomprehensible. That Doane, stubborn and fearless as he was,
would have been turned back by any terrors the river threw at him is
equally so. Doane was an explorer in every sense of the word, he was
determined to overcome all obstacles, he was, in truth, a man “to ride
the river with.”
Bibliography
Chittenden, Hiram Martin: _The Yellowstone National Park_, J. E. Haynes,
Saint Paul, 1927.
Doane, G. C.: _Expedition of 1876-1877_, 44 pp. typed from original
manuscript, Library, Grand Teton National Park.
[Illustration: Panning for gold]
THE STORY OF DEADMAN’S BAR[5]
By Fritiof Fryxell
Jackson Hole, widely reputed to have been the favored retreat and
rendezvous of cattle thieves, outlaws, and “bad men” in the early days,
has long enjoyed the glamour which goes with a dark and sinful past, and
this reputation has by no means been lost sight of by those who have
been active in advertising the assets of this fascinating region. But
when the dispassionate historian critically investigates the basis for
this reputation he is surprised to find so little evidence wherewith to
justify it, or to indicate that pioneer times in Jackson Hole were much
different from those in other nearby frontier communities; and he is
forced to conclude that the notoriety of Jackson Hole, like the rumor of
Mark Twain’s death, has been slightly exaggerated. Doubtless the
geographic features of the valley have encouraged the popular belief,
for from the standpoint of isolation and inaccessibility Jackson Hole
might well have been a paradise for the fugitive and lawless.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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