Seeing the West: Suggestions for the Westbound TravellerDumbell, K. E. M. (Kate Ethel Mary)
History
Seeing the West: Suggestions for the Westbound Traveller
Dumbell, K. E. M. (Kate Ethel Mary)
West (U.S.) -- Description and travel
Mr. Muir used his pen as a great artist uses his brush, his descriptions
are the most exquisite of pictures.
“The Fossil Forests of the Yellowstone National Park cover an extensive
area in the northern portion of the park, being especially abundant
along the west side of Lamar River for about 20 miles above its junction
with the Yellowstone. Here the land rises rather abruptly to a height of
approximately 2,000 feet above the valley floor. It is known as Specimen
Ridge, and forms an approach to Amethyst Mountain. There is also a small
fossil forest containing a number of standing trunks near Tower Falls,
and near the eastern border of the park along Lamar River in the
vicinity of Cache, Calfee, and Miller creeks, there are many more or
less isolated trunks and stumps of fossil trees, but so far as known
none of these is equal in interest to the fossil forest on the slopes of
Specimen Ridge.”
The fossil forests are easily reached over the wagon roads from the
Mammoth Hot Springs, or from the Wylie Camp at Tower Falls.
Those who really wish to see these petrified trees must make a special
point of it, or else they may be told, as I was, that the two small
stumps seen in passing are all that are there.
In addition to a large redwood stump which stands 12 feet high, there
are two trunks which stand 25 feet high and are two feet in diameter;
another, three feet in diameter and 30 feet high, etc.
In addition to these standing trees many trunks lie prone upon the
ground.
Ten species of trees have been found in the fossil forests of this park
as well as some 150 fossil plants.
For further information on this, or any other of the national parks or
monuments, apply to “The Department of the Interior,” Washington, D. C.
JACKSON LAKE
The Jackson Lake region is reached by automobile, from Old Faithful Inn,
at which place arrangements can be made for the trip.
The lake lies just north of the very beautiful Teton Range, across the
southern boundary of the park and about 70 miles from Old Faithful; this
trip makes a most delightfully worth-while addition to a visit to the
Yellowstone Park; the drive down is very fine, following the Yellowstone
Lake for a time, crossing the Continental Divide, with views of the
Absoroka Range to the east, where we see such great peaks as Mount
Langford with an altitude of 10,600 feet; Mount Shurz, 10,600 feet;
Colton Peak, 10,500 feet, and Table Mountain, 10,800 feet, standing,
snow clad, in the distance.
From Lewis Lake to the border of the park the drive follows the Snake
River, and shortly after leaving the park the river is crossed and
Jackson Lake comes clearly into view; the road leads down the east side
of the lake to Moran and here there is a small hotel where we are taken
care of.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account