Vol 3, # 39

   Wednesday, April 14, 1999

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HELENA, Mont. -- Rare photographs, art, and really interesting articles on Yellowstone  National Park will be featured in this Summer's MONTANA THE MAGAZINE OF  WESTERN HISTORY, published by the Montana Historical Society in Helena, Montana.

Yellowstone National Park historian Lee Whittlesey leads off MONTANA THE  MAGAZINE OF WESTERN HISTORY's Special Issue with an overview of several  photographers who sought to capture scenes of "Wonderland" in the early years  after the park's founding in 1872.

James Brust then tells the tale of a remarkable find of long-lost photographs in the New-York Historical Society by Thomas Hine that include the first-ever  view of Old Faithful in eruption. Steve Jackson documents the life and travails of Joshua Crissman, another early park photographer who fell into obscurity after working alongside Yellowstone's most famous photographer, William Henry Jackson.

Also included in the issue, is an article by Jourdan and Alan Houston on the 1859 trek of Albert Bierstadt and other artists under the direction of Frederick Lander whose mission was to survey a wagon road west. It turns out the trip's most important contribution may have been a rare cache of  newly discovered western art and illustrations.

Kirby Lambert also considers the life and art of Ralph DeCamp, turn-of-the-century artist and photographer, who won recognition for his landscapes, some of the most famous of which depicted the Gates of the Mountains area on the Missouri River. Lambert, has curated an exhibit on DeCamp that opens at the Montana Historical Society in April 1999.

To reserve your copy of the "Yellowstone and Special Images Issue," pre-order by calling the Montana Historical Society at 1-800-243-9900. Subscriptions are $24.00 per year and will include the Special Issue if you subscribe by June 30, 1999.  Single copies are $6.50 plus $4.50 shipping/handling.

MONTANA Special Issues often become collector's items, so don't wait too long to get your copy.

You may also visit the Montana Historical Society's website at www.his.mt.gov.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS

Ralph Maughan
Kim Steinbacher
Kevin Sanders
Steve Brashear
Clint Wilkes
Tim Gourley
Hon. Bob Gammage
Ruth Colter-Frick
Lee Whittlesey
Tom Mazzarisi
Russ Finley
David Monteith
Denise Elmer
Dr. Robert Bara

BELGRADE, Mont. (YNET) -- I am honored to announce that I will be speaking and giving a Yellowstone video presentation in Chicago, Illinois at the McKinley Park Library at 7 PM on April 19. The video presentation will be the creation of Dr. Bob Bara, a long-time friend of  Yellowstone. If you live in the Chicago area this will be a fun and interesting presentation to attend.

Yellowstone National Park is known and loved by people the world over.  If you are interested in having me give a Yellowstone presentation to your group, you may contact me for complete details by emailing clint@yellowstone.net

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NOTE:   We have received numerous inquiries in recent months regarding the "Army Years" of Yellowstone's history.  This is the first of a multi-part series documenting the Army Years, 1886-1918.  The text of this series is that of  the National Park Service.  This is Part Four.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (NPS) --  The men of the "snowshoe cavalry" liked their rough life in the remote recesses of the mountains and often applied freely for detached service. The life was demanding and often isolated, rugged and dangerous, and very different from that most of them had known before. Edwin Kelsey, who served as a soldier in Yellowstone in 1898, later became the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. Private Kelsey's letters to his niece describe a difficult but very enjoyable life as a Yellowstone soldier. "December 3, 1898. Left here for the Post [Fort Yellowstone] the Sunday before Thanksgiving...I made 26 miles the first day, staying all night at the Norris [Soldier] Station. The next morning it was 22 degrees below zero, but I pulled out for the Post, which I reached about two p.m. after a cold hard ride of 20 miles." It is not difficult to imagine how important the shelter afforded by the backcountry cabins and snowshoe outposts that the Army constructed was during such outings.

The army built Fort Yellowstone and backcountry outposts during the years they managed the park and these buildings may have the highest integrity of any army post from that period. When you visit Mammoth Hot Springs, park headquarters, be sure to take the Fort Yellowstone Walking Tour which begins at the Albright Visitor Center.

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The non-profit conservation group American Rivers has named the Yellowstone River as the 5th most endangered river in America.  The main reason for the Yellowstone being designated as highly endangered is the various efforts by city and county officials throughout Montana to shore up the river banks from flooding by removing natural vegetation and landscape and replacing it with artificial barriers or breaks.

The majority of the "attacks" on the river banks are concentrated in the first 90 miles of the river's course as it leaves the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park.

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