Leaving Yellowstone

At long last on the early afternoon of June 12, after having seen all the sights the Mammoth Hot Springs area had to offer, my wife and I finally prepared to leave Yellowstone National Park.  The drive north was bittersweet.  I'd greatly enjoyed our time in the park and didn't want it to end, but I was also looking forward to the sights we'd see in the days to come.  Of course, this trip north also meant that we really were heading home, even if we had plenty more to see.

We'd entered the park via the West Entrance (twice actually since we'd left the park one day to see the IMAX in West Yellowstone), but I wanted to leave via the Northwest entrance because I wanted to see the Roosevelt arch.  Before that though we passed an unexpected sign.  I actually stopped the car and turned around so that we could get a picture with it.  Later this year on another trip I saw a similar sign in Michigan--but that time there was no place to stop and take a picture.

The landscape certainly was different than the rest of the park, but that was one of the fun things about driving to virtually every corner of the park--we got to see many different environments.

What is different about the northern range soils?

While most of Yellowstone is a high volcanic plateau composed of rhyolite, the northern portion of the park is more complex geologically.  Here you find landslides, erodible shales and sandstones, and glacial till deposits of mixed rock types.  This particular area of the northern range is composed of soils that have a high clay content.  These soils bind water tightly to the clay particles, which results in little water being available for plants to use.  The soils are also poorly aerated, resist root growth, and have high levels of sodium and salts.  All of these factors combine to limit the plant communities that can grow here.
--from roadside signage

Interestingly though there is plenty of wildlife in the "northern range" as you can see on the map below.

As we came up to the arch we weren't the only one who wanted to stop for pictures.

The first major entrance for Yellowstone was at the north boundary. Before 1903, trains would bring visitors to Cinnabar, Montana, which was a few miles northwest of Gardiner, Montana, and people would climb onto horse-drawn coaches there to enter the park. In 1903, the railway finally came to Gardiner, and people entered through an enormous stone archway. Robert Reamer, a famous architect in Yellowstone, designed the immense stone arch for coaches to travel through on their way into the park. At the time of the arch's construction, President Theodore Roosevelt was visiting the park. He consequently placed the cornerstone for the arch, which then took his name. The top of the Roosevelt Arch is inscribed with "For the benefit and enjoyment of the people," which is from the Organic Act of 1916.
--from Yellowstone website, Mammoth Area Historic Highlights section

 The arch isn't quite as wide as a modern two-lane highway, but it is still well worth driving through and I'm glad the road goes through it to this day.

You can learn more about the arch and its construction via a short video on the Yellowstone website.

 Gardiner, Montana is located right outside the arch.

The Yellowstone Association also has a large building at the edge of town.  I knew that there would be a passport stamp here, so we stopped for a few minutes to look around.

The building looked to have a very interesting history, dating from 1903 it had started life as a general store.

This counter was a display showing some of the items that had been sold in the store during its heydey.

On one wall were several vintage photographs.

After leaving Gardiner behind it was strange to drive at a speed above 45 miles per hour (since that is the top speed inside Yellowstone).  However, we did adjust and headed towards Billings, Montana where we were to spend the evening with my Uncle Jim's family.

~Matt

Fort Yellowstone

For the decade after Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, the park was under serious threat from those who would exploit, rather than protect, its resources.  Poachers killed animals.  Souvenir hunters broke large pieces off the geysers and hot springs.  Developers set up camps for tourists near hot springs, along with bath and laundry facilities in the hot springs.  In response, civilian superintendents were hired to preserve and protect the land.  Their experience and intentions varied, and they were all under-funded and under-staffed.  Word got back to Congress that the park was in trouble, but legislators refused to appropriate any funds for the park's administration in 1886. 

Yellowstone National Park turned to the U.S. Army for help.  In 1886, men from Company M, First United States Cavalry, Fort Custer, Montana Territory came to Yellowstone under the command of Captain Moses Harris.  They began what would be 32 years of military presence in the park. 

At first, the soldiers lived in temporary frame buildings at Camp Sheridan at the foot of the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces.  After enduring five cold, harsh, winters, the Army realized there was no end in sight to this assignment.  Therefore, in 1890, Congress appropriated $50,000 for a permanent post. 

The first buildings of Fort Yellowstone, at the far end of the street from today's Albright Visitor Center, were finished by late 1891: two duplex officer's quarters, a guardhouse, and a headquarters building on the front row; a barracks on the second row; a stables on the third row; and two non-commissioned officers' quarters in the final row.  An almost identical set of buildings was finished in 1897 to house a second troop. 

In 1909, Scottish stonemasons and a force of other workers began constructing seven large sandstone buildings using standard military plans in the Colonial Revival style.  The buildings provide the fort with a distinctive and substantial character.  They represent the Army's attempt to live up to a substantial commitment and to provide a model post for visitors.  The chapel, built of sandstone in 1913, was the final building constructed during the Army's tenure.  The stone for these buildings was obtained from a quarry between the Gardner River and the Mammoth Campground. 

--from NPS booklet, Fort Yellowstone Historic District Tour Guide, The Army Years 1886-1918

Once we left the Albright Visitor Center we started following the Fort Yellowstone walking tour route laid out in the pamphlet we'd picked up (quoted above).  If you'd like to take a virtual tour of the fort then visit this section of the Yellowstone website.  As mentioned previously Albright used to be the Bachelor Officers' Quarters.  Across the street was the drill field, which today is a lovely park area.

Gathering place, site of ceremonies and parades, training ground--the drill field was the focal point of daily life at Fort Yellowstone.

Each day began early with a bugler sounding Reveille.  Gradually, the Fort came to life and another bugle call brought horse-mounted soldiers trotting onto the field for the flag raising.  assignments were announced, and troopers headed out to patrol the Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces or other nearby attractions.  Those remaining behind assumed the never-ending task of caring for the post's horses. 

At dusk, the bugler called all troopers back to the field for the lowering of the flag, and the day was concluded with a cannon firing from the top of Capitol Hill (left).  Taps was played as lights winked out and quiet settled over the Fort.
--from tour signage

The next building was the Captain's Quarters, dating from 1909 it housed two apartments.

The pamphlet contains this cautionary statement: At present, many buildings in the Fort Yellowstone Historic District are employee residences and are not open to the public.  Please respect the privacy of residents by staying on the paved route and treating living areas with courtesy.

Several of these buildings were next on the path.

Double Officer's Quarters

Further down was the chapel exhibit, which we'd seen when we first came into town.

Built in 1913, the chapel was the last building completed during the Army era.  Built of native stone with a slate roof and oak furnishings, it is still used today and is the best-preserved building--inside and out.  The bell was added in 1928, and two stained glass windows were placed in 1939.
--from NPS booklet, Fort Yellowstone Historic District Tour Guide, The Army Years 1886-1918

At several points along the tour route explanatory signs along the side of the road provided text to further explain the building's historic significance and show vintage photographs.  I'm not sure why I didn't take a picture of the actual chapel.

At Guard 

Protecting Yellowstone's wildlife and natural wonders was the primary function of the Army.  An important part of this duty was managing the growing visitation to the park and watching for "shady characters." 

Park rods were aligned so that the guardhouse controlled traffic into Yellowstone from the north.  Here soldiers contacted each party and entered the name of the driver, passengers, and type of rig into a large ledger.  Guns not held at the guardhouse were sealed on the spot.  They were checked at each outpost enroute, where soldiers certified on a form that the seal remained intact.  Before visitors left the park, the form was scrutinized at an exit station. 

--from tour signage

As you can see below there are plenty of people living in these houses today.

Just as I think it is great that Cincinnati's Union Terminal has been repurposed as a museum, I think it is great that these houses (far too extensive to all serve as museum buildings) are being put to use by park service personnel.

This building was constructed in 1897 as a cavalry barracks building.  It originally housed 60 men and "a basement was built in in 1909 under one wing so the building could house 100 men."  The Yellowstone Center for Resources now occupies the structure.

The largest building in the fort was the Double Cavalry Barracks, built in 1909.  200 men in two cavalry troops were once housed in this building that is now the park's Administration Building.

Under the construction scaffolding you can see the building's front door.

I think this is the side of the Captain's Quarters shown above.  The tour loop brought us back around to the back of the visitor center.

In 1910, at the height of the Army's presence in Yellowstone, there were 324 soldiers stationed here - plus some families and numerous civilian employees. These troops staffed not only Fort Yellowstone, but were stationed throughout the park in small details at various outposts.
--from Yellowstone website, Fort Yellowstone section

Across the road from the drill field and the visitor center is the U.S. Engineers' Offices.  It was built "in 1903 to house the Army Corps of Engineers, which had responsibility for construction of the park roads."

The detail on this building is fantastic.  Both of the detail shots in the opening paragraph at the start of this entry are from this building.

The nationally known architectural firm of Reed and Stern received $750 for the building plans.  New York City's Grand Central Terminal and Livingston, Montana's Northern Pacific Depot are among the firm's other work.--from NPS booklet, Fort Yellowstone Historic District Tour Guide, The Army Years 1886-1918

I hope that you've enjoyed this tour through Fort Yellowstone.  I only have one more posts left that will cover Yellowstone National Park.

~Matt

Albright Visitor Center

Built in 1909, [the Bachelor Officers' Quarters] had a mess or club, kitchen, sitting room, and apartments for six single officers.  Temporary visitors were housed here too.  It is now the Albright Visitor Center. 

--from NPS booklet, Fort Yellowstone Historic District Tour Guide, The Army Years 1886-1918

The Albright Visitor Center is a beautiful stone and red-roofed building, dating from the US Army's tenure in Yellowstone National Park.  Once we found a parking space somewhat nearby we strolled over to the building, passing many elk along the way (as has previously been documented).

There were no restrooms accessible from inside the building--they are located on the lower level, via a staircase beside the main set of stairs up into the building.  I enjoyed the sign encouraging patrons to wash their paws before leaving the restrooms as "germs are on the prowl."

Once inside I stamped my passport book, which was getting quite full of Yellowstone stamps.  The sign tells people that this stamp is NOT for official passports or tourist visas.  I wonder how many foreign tourists make that mistake.

Who doesn't like a large bison head on the wall?

Early Exploration of the Yellowstone1869-1871
First reports of the "wonders" of the upper Yellowstone by trappers and mountain men were ridiculed and dismissed as "tall tales."  Sixty years passed before formal expeditions penetrated the region. 

Before you is a composite camp scene of the Folsom-Cook-Peterson Expedition of 1869, the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition of 1870 (both privately funded), and the U.S. Government-sponsored Hayden Expedition of 1871. 

Some of the key members of these expeditions, their equipment, and their words remind us of these historic days. 

--from exhibit signage

1916...The Beginning of the National Park Service

President Wilson, on August 25, 1916, used the pen below to sign the National Park Service Act into law.  The transition from Army management of Yellowstone to the National Park Service was a smooth one.  Many Park Service traditions, including the uniform, date from these early Army days.

The letter beside the pen was sent from the President's Office to Stephen T. Mather, first Director of the National Park Service (pictured on the right).

Mather appointed Horace Albright (pictured on the left) Superintendent of Yellowstone in 1919.  Later, Albright served as Director of the National Park Service from a929 to 1933.  We honor him here in the Horace Albright Museum.

[The pen used by President Wilson to sign the National Park Service Act into law on August 25, 1916, has been returned to the National Park Service History Collection in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  The pen will be displayed in a special exhibit celebrating the National Park Service Centennial in 2016.]--from exhibit signage

The museum was filled with depictions of different historical personages and animals that inhabited the region.

Of course I had to take a picture of a wolf.  I was still excited that I'd gotten to actually see a live wolf a couple days earlier.

I'm not sure about the significance of this trunk, but I thought it looked interesting, so I took a picture.

We didn't see any cats in the wild.

I don't think we saw any big horn sheep until we got to the Badlands National Park.

We saw plenty of young animals, but no fawns.

I'm not sure if it is operational, but I had to take a picture of yet another Yellowstone fireplace!

After we finished touring the visitor center we headed outside to take a walking tour of old Fort Yellowstone.  More about that next time.

~Matt

PS

Mammoth Terraces - Part II

After driving down from the Upper Terraces we looked for a parking space next to the Lower Terraces.  It took a bit of searching as most of the spots were filled.  However, we finally found one and parked the car, deciding that we'd walk to all the remaining features instead of trying to move the car once more.

For hundreds of years, Shoshone and Bannock people collected minerals from Mammoth Hot Springs for white paint.  These minerals contribute to the beautiful terrace structures, along wit heat, a natural "plumbing" system, water, and limestone. 

The volcanic heat source for Mammoth Hot Springs remains somewhat of a mystery.  Scientists have proposed a number of sources, including the large magma chamber underlying the Yellowstone Caldera, or perhaps a smaller heat source closer to Mammoth. 

At Mammoth, a network of fractures and fissures form the plumbing system that allows hot water from underground to reach the surface.  The water comes from rain and snow falling on the surrounding mountains and seeping deep into the earth where it is heated.  Small earthquakes may keep the plumbing open. 

Limestone...provides the final ingredient.  Hot water with dissolved carbon dioxide makes a solution of weak carbonic acid.  As the solution rises through rock, it dissolves calcium carbonate, the primary compound in limestone.  At the surface, the calcium carbonate is deposited in the form of travertine, the rock that forms the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs.

--from NPS booklet, Mammoth Hot Springs Trail Guide

The first thing we noticed about the lower terraces was that they were mostly dry.  It might be that we came at a bad time of year or just a bad year.  I gather that water levels frequently fluctuate in this area and what is wet one year may be dry the next.  These stairs (below) led up towards the Mound and Jupiter Terraces, but we ended up not going up into this area, but instead walking towards Minerva Terrace.

This is much of Minerva Terrace.  Descriptions describe the area as having the "look of layer cakes and lace-edged pools" and was named "for the Roman goddess of artists and sculptors."  It did look pretty even when dry, but it was also somewhat disappointing after the large number of wet formations we'd seen thus far in Yellowstone.

This trail closure wasn't yet reflected on the guide pamphlet available in the area.  We tried to circle from Minerva around towards Palette Spring, but the trail had been overrun by thermal activity and made for an unexpected dead end.

Here you can look down from behind Cleopatra Terrace, the wettest spot we found in the entire area, onto Mammoth Hot Springs below.

We headed back past Minerva Terrace (on the right in the picture below), down towards the parking lot, and followed that path towards the area of the terraces closest to the buildings of Mammoth Hot Springs.

Liberty Cap has an interesting history.  It is 37 feet tall and was named "in 1871 by the Hayden Survey because it resembled the peaked knit camps symbolizing freedom and liberty during the French Revolution."

At last we came to an area that looked alive!

As you can somewhat see in this picture some of the stone is getting rather close to some buildings.  I'm not sure if the Park Service will end up moving buildings or trying to divert the stone...

It was still a short walk down towards the path, the other end of which was where we would have come down if the path hadn't been closed off.

This is the Devil's Thumb, a knob of rock that sticks up right next to Pallette Spring.

Palette Spring features water flowing "in crisscrossing patterns down a steep ridge where colorful thermophiles create a changing palette dominated by hues of orange and down."  As the guide notes it is somewhat akin to running watercolors.

Directly next to the spring is the beautiful Cleopatra Terrace.

There are many colors and plenty of water flowing through this area.

There were a large number of people in the area and one was kind enough to take a picture of both of us in front of this formation.  I'm glad we saved it for last, as it was the best looking one in the entire area.

After seeing Cleopatra we headed back down into town to explore a bit more.

~Matt

PS