Vol 3, # 59

   Wednesday, June 9, 1999

YELLOWSTONE
WEATHER
Highs 60s, Lows 30s
Partly Cloudy
 

Yellowstone Net Home Page
Vacation Reservations

ROAD REPORT
All entrances
except the NE
entrance are
now open.

PLANNING YOUR NATIONAL PARK VACATION
by National Parks and Conservation Association

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With the summer travel season fast approaching, many of America's national parks are expecting record numbers of visitors. The National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA), the nation's leading national park advocacy group, today cautioned visitors to plan ahead to avoid the crowds and to take measures to prevent harming park resources.

"Crowding not only takes away from how much we enjoy the parks as visitors, it also places a great stress on the facilities, trails, rangers, and the environment within our national parks," said NPCA President Tom Kiernan. "It can be so tempting to just pack up and go when you head out on a family trip. But by doing a little planning ahead of time, you can not only save a lot of headaches, you can help in preserving these natural and historic treasures."

Among the recommendations from NPCA for a more enjoyable park visit are:

Make your reservations. Study up on what you want to visit. You can save time and avoid crowds by knowing ahead of time what there is to see and do at a particular national park.

Visit during off-peak times.  Visit parks that are usually less crowded. There are 378 units of the national park system, many of them not nearly as full of tourists as Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. Call 1-800-NAT-PARK to request a free booklet on the less-visited parks.  Consider using carpools, bicycles and public transportation.   Collect souvenirs through photos, memories and the gift shop, and not by taking part of the park with you. It is illegal to remove artifacts from parks and significant damage can occur to parks from large numbers of people taking away small objects. A prime example is the tons of petrified rock taken each year from Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park usually a pocketful at a time.

Take safety precautions, especially if you are hiking or exploring in wild areas. If you are going to be in the backcountry for even just a few hours, check in with the visitor center or ranger station before you leave.

The National Parks and Conservation Association is America's only private nonprofit citizen organization dedicated solely to protecting, preserving, and enhancing the U.S. National Park System. An association of "Citizens Protecting America's Parks," NPCA was founded in 1919 and today has nearly 400,000 members.

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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) -- Ever so often I'm going to run some pictures of the great folks we have helping out here at Yellowstone Net.  Lynda Gammage is pictured in the middle of the photo. Lynda is the person you contact if you want to put together a corporate retreat in the Yellowstone region. She has been an "organizer and manager" for years, having been responsible for winning campaigns for her husband Bob to both Congress and the Texas Supreme Court. Speaking of Bob, that's him to the right in the photo.  He just happens to be both Consulting General Counsel to this business and even more important has been my best buddy for over twenty years.

The young lady is Bob and Lynda's niece Tiffany. She just graduated from Llano High School in Texas and is now working as one of our rafting guides for this summer. Her pal Cheyenne is also here helping us with our raft trips.  We are pleased to have these young ladies working for us this summer, and we hope you get a chance to meet them during your visit to Yellowstone. 

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BILLINGS, Mont. (YNET) -- John Colter's story continues with events of some of his companions, who had some of the same experiences that he had on the trip to the Pacific Ocean with Lewis and Clark during the years 1803 - 1806.

Reuben Fields and his brother Joseph were selected by William Clark and approved by Capt. Lewis for the Corps of Discovery. They served longer than any of the other enlisted men. Their pay began August 1st, 1803. John Colter's pay began October 15, 1803, but he may have been hired on a trial basis to bring the boats down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh. Colter served longer than any of the enlisted men, except the Field brothers. Reuben and Joseph Fields were the sons of Abraham and lived in Jefferson County Kentucky. They had moved from Virginia to Kentucky at an early age.

Like Colter, Reuben was an excellent hunter. At the winter camp in 1804, Reuben was noted as being the "best shot" at a shooting match held with the local men. The journals record him being sent out to hunt many times, and sometimes lists his kill. Reuben was sent out by William Clark to kill a squirrel to make soup for the sick Nathaniel Pryor. On the west coast, Reuben killed a condor. The following measurements are recorded in the journals. The wing spread measured 9 feet. From the bill to the tail measured 3 feet and 10 1/2 inches. The head was 6 1/4 inches long, including the beak. This was probably the largest flying species that the men encountered on the expedition. Reuben also killed a goose and two ducks.

Reuben Fields, like Colter, served on a jury of his peers. When Hugh Hall and William Werner were absent from camp without permission, the jury recommended that they receive 25 lashes on the back. On May 17th 1804, they received a reprieve because of previous good behavior.

John Colter and Reuben Fields were together at the salt-works near present day Seaside, Oregon. They were both curious and went on the excursion to see the Pacific Ocean. They were both excellent runners and scouts as well as hunters. Reuben won a foot race with the Indians in June 1806. He also was sent out to find a colt that had strayed, that was to have been killed for dinner.

Unlike Colter, Reuben Fields got sea-sick in the small canoes on the Columbia River. John Colter was an excellent waterman and maneuvered the canoes over the high waves without a recorded mishap on the Columbia.

Reuben Fields was with Capt. Lewis when they encountered the Blackfeet as they explored the Marias River on the return trip in 1806. An Indian took his brother Joseph's gun. Reuben chased the Indian, wrested the gun from him, and stabbed and killed the Indian. Fortunately John Colter was waiting at the Falls of the Missouri with the boat to take them down the river. This was an unfortunate incident that may have had serious consequences regarding John Colter later.

 Reuben Fields married his cousin, Mary Myrtle in Indiana in 1808. He made sure that his wife would inherit his estate. In 1822, he left his estate to his wife Mary Fields and also to his wife Mary Myrtle, just in case the Minister of the Gospel had not filed the Marriage Certificate in 1808.

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The Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park and the John Muir Lodge in Kings Canyon National Park, California, are now open. In order to protect the trees, the 1980 Development Concept Plan for the Giant Forest / Lodgepole area committed the NPS to removing all commercial facilities from the park's largest sequoia grove.  Approximately 200 buildings have been removed. The remainder will be removed this summer, except for four historic structures that will remain. Wuksachi's amenities include year-round accommodations (102 rooms), a full service restaurant, lounge, retail shop and meeting space. The John Muir Lodge with 30 standard rooms and six suites, is the newest addition to the Grant Grove lodging. 

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