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Show rfWfe vm W lift IP r. I I Yellowstone Park Is a Veritable Garden of Edenfor Our Four-Footed Friends of the ForeSt Thousands Thou-sands of Them Find Safety Here. Copyright. 101S, 'l'be Ictcrnatlocal Syndicate. IHE FAME of Yellowstone Park m has been so Indelibly associated wllh Its wonderful geysers that few persons know that It Is the only spot in tho United States where tho public can see in largo numbers tho animals of the forests and wilds In their natural state. In reality It Is tho most successful wild animal preserve pre-serve In the world. Only those who personally know tho West appreciate tho changes that havo taken place. In Its animal life In the past forty years. Thirty years ago elk and antelope existed In la'rgo numbers in tho Rockies from Mexico to Canada, but these .animals were killed with no thought that they might ultimately bo extinguished. It was fortunate that when tho Yollowstono National Park was established, In 1S72, It occurred to somo public mind. 2d Individuals that Its 54 by C3 square? miles would mako a wonderful game preserve. As a result there are enough animals now In this park, to bo of rreat Interest and In ycara to come It may form an epltomo of conditions In tho wilderness that once existed In many places In tho West. Thousands Or Animals There aro six hundred antelope, a thousand- or more of deer, more than five hundred moose, four hundred buffaloes, buf-faloes, two hundred mountain sheep, any number of black and grizzly bears, and more than thirty thousand elk. that mako Yellowstone Park their homo under Government protection. Those animal herds uro now being used ns nucleus herds for other parks national. State and city and for zoological gardens, when Government permits. In recent years many of the animals particularly the elk. bears and bison have been quietly taken captive and shipped away to various parts of the country. In early days buffaloes existed in large numbers In tho AY est and ranged from the Middle West to the Rockies. Now the only place whero thoy arc found In their original habitat Is the Yellowstone Park. The pronged horn antelope apd a large variety of moose found near Yellowstone Lako are other oth-er Interesting park animals. Animals Fed In Winter Though most persons see the animals ani-mals of the Ycll6wstone In summer thero arc certain enthusiastic nulmal lovers who go to this remarkable Park In winter that they may sec them as they como to Gardiner, the entrance to tho Park to get tho alfalfa hay which the Government harvests each yoar for winter food for tho Park animals. Though In summer all kinds of animals roam In the higher parts , of tho Park, tho winters are so scvero that they arc glad to como down to get food. So nt Gardiner, one can seo tho graceful deer, hundreds of striped antelopes, dozens of big horn sheep and thousands of elks who ramblo about, feed, and do not seem timid at all. Early in the morning tho big hay wagon starts out from Mammoth Hot Springs, near Fort Yellowstone, and carries alfalfa to Gardiner, and as soon as It approaches tho elk and antelope begin to appear. Sometimes they como In stately tile, with every appearance of a stylish dinner party, and at other times they mess together in groups of hundreds. Or thoy stand In line ar.d wait patiently until the wagon starts on its rounds of scattering scatter-ing feed They never puch each other, never quarrel, and pay no attention lo sightseers or photographers, though when thoy finish eating they stand and look at tho onlookers reflectively' and perhaps tho deer kick up their -heola and run In sheer playfulness. As tho Park lsrsurrounded.by four national forests the question of whether part of their area could bo used for grazing graz-ing has been discussed, but the difficulty diffi-culty of adequate protection has been thq main trouble. Bears Arc Very Tamo In summer tho wild aplmals vlo In Interest with the geysers and most tourists revurn, with Interesting benr stories. At meal tlmo bears venturo near tho hotels to get the garbage and they aro sometimes soen in other places. Back In the woods, dwell Mr. and Mrs. Bruin, and their progeny, but they havo learned whero garbage titbits can bo found and on their dally excursions to get this food thoy arc a source of enjoyment to lookers-on. Seats aro oroctcd a short dlstanco from tho hotels at tho edgo of the woctl3, and here ono may sit and watch Bruin cat his supper. As he comes down from his forest home, accompanied ac-companied by various members of his family, Mr, Bear, whether ho bo cln- j napion, black or silver tipped pays no attention to his audience- He is out for a good meal and ho gets it undisturbed by such harrowing problems prob-lems as conservation, Hooverlzatlon and the like. A soldier stands guard for fear of somo accident for though It is said the henry of Yellowstone Park arc harmlces and a few have learned to cat out of some Intrepid persons hands, they nre" wild bears still. Tourists always enjoy taking their pictures and around Old Faithful, Faith-ful, and tho Canyon they seem quite domesticated. It took years for these bears to learn that the people In the Park were their friends, but they bear evidonco of good treatment in their sleek coats and fat bodies. Every year tho beautiful deer are soen along the roadways and near tho hotels. During tho fall, winter and I spring they arc a familiar fcaturo or. tho parade ground at Fort Yellowstone Yellow-stone and they seem loss timid than the elk, which aro apt to seclude themselves them-selves In the valleys and timber. But a short ride from tho hotels will usually bring a herd in view especially especial-ly in the vicinity of Shoshomc Lake and Haydcn Valley. By some marvel the animals Deem to adapt themselves to tho automobiles that now take the place of tho Park coaches. As one skims along In theso cars thero are certain retired portions of tho Pak where one can seo the beavers at work. They seem to be rapidly multiplying though many have been shipped to city parks or approved preserves. At Yancey's thero aro many colonics of these beavers Inthe brooks and they can be seen cutting down trees, swimming, swim-ming, laying in their winter food and doing all sorts of chores as they frisk about their dams, .houses and slides. Fishing Paradise Of course, the fisherman gets his fill In this Park, whore tho waters have been "planted" annually over since 1S91. It Is great fun to go fishing In tho lako or streams and catch the Loch Levin, rainbow or brook trout. There are few restrictions and if one JS stream shows depletion thore la al- 1 51 ways another to turn to. Tho guards 1 & enjov winter fishing for come of the A streams near iho entrance are too f rapid to freeze over completely Three watersheds find their beginnings w ith- 51 in tho borders of this Park, and al to .rout streams are of a high degree of M . ftb excellence. Hawks, eagles, swans. g pelicans, crows, blackbirds and robins love this tract in summer am : for- 1 tunately reptiles arc so rare s tJ a t U summer visitor can experience lltue 4 ma Sang in Plucking the many gorgeou 1 wild flowers that make tbe roadside 1 'iris worth a trip -re- e Sf. g tinent to see the animals In this Parfc f N nnd one can always be sure of a feV trevser thrown In for good measure & fvnd ye.. h.s wonderful spot mor. i wonderful than similar areas In Nej jg Zealand and Iceland. lay hidden for j long rears, while a tide of trapper J explorers and hunters surged by and beyond it. John Colter of Iho Lej i jg and Clark Expedition was t he .nr- , g white man to record a visit This wa in 1S0.1-6 and along In 1840 Jai ; ' Bridges saw somo of the Geysers. . Wi . . It remained for the Washbrun-Doane , Expedition In 1S70 to give the nrs authentic account of this wondcrfu" jfl place. It took many years for people JT to bellevo that such wonders exlstea on this continent though a member oi .4, tho American Fur Company trleo -i give an idea of the marvel In a stn paper published in Buffalo In 184" ijj t Though there are over thirty we t u known geysers In the Park the anlmfl. gjj appear totally unaware of their exW Kgere, enco unless it be that they are Pfu" , hg.M enough not to get close to the hot waters. Hero, In this Tellowston Park, which Is located at the head ters of the Missouri and Ycllowston- ,;S rivers, wo have not alone some of tn ilTS most marvelous of known geysers, do h-. -tho largest game preserve. It vJ( ( valuable to all of the American pe ,:V pic. for It is tho home of anl?a;; jjiTOfc which otherwise would become 1-Jtyk , and be known to future generation only by name and picture. n v'car |
