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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 1998 |
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PARK
WEATHER MORE NEWS The Yellowstone Net Newspaper is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
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PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEF INTERN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- A broken heart and a shattered relationship prompted the young man to examine his options. There was just enough money in his pocket to begin the train ride West. Not just the direction west, but West -- a fresh frontier full of promise for a young photographer anxious to pursue his craft. Vermont’s loss was Nebraska’s gain -- after a look in on Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean, William H. Jackson settled in Omaha accepting employment with a photography shop. The good life convinced Jackson’s brother to join him and soon Jackson Brothers, Photographers opened. William’s brother handled the studio work freeing him to concentrate on landscape photography, or as postcard collector’s refer to them, “views.” Eventually Jackson joined the Hayden Survey snapping some of the first views of Yellowstone. Another young artist on this notable trip was landscape painter Thomas Moran. Cooperatively the two selected striking sites to bring back to an amazed audience; Moran teaching Jackson to see by way of the painter’s thumb, and Jackson teaching Moran to see via the camera’s eye. Moran was particularly thrilled at discovering the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, especially from Artist Point and the Tower Falls area. He and Jackson spent four days capturing the unique colors, shadows and rock carvings. A scant three months later Moran captured this view on canvas -- a 7’ x 12’ panoramic of the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone” now hanging in Washington DC. Jackson’s photographic equipment was much bulkier than Moran’s sketch pad. His pack mule, Hypo, carried camera, tripods, dark box, glass plates, chemicals and a water keg. Protecting this delicate, bulky equipment was an arduous task in Yellowstone’s rough terrain. Even more difficult was capturing the vaporous droplets of geysers, steaming clouds off hot pools and bubbling balloons of mucky-mud pots on glass plates. Often these effects were hand drawn in and delicately tinted with color. Jackson’s Yellowstone views were amongst the 40,000 glass plate negatives acquired by the Detroit Photographic Company in 1898. In exchange, Jackson continued to travel and shoot views, eventually becoming plant manger, and later director of the company. Detroit Photographic Company owned a special Swiss technique for printing postcards, known as the photchrom process. Little is understood of this process yet today, other than it was an expensive, time-consuming process that used finely ground lithographic, Barvarian stones with an asphalt coating. Up to ten colors could be incorporated, making Detroit cards much finer than their competitors. By 1903 the photochrom process had evolved into the phostint process -- colors that were slightly stronger than the originals. In 1905 the company became known as the Detroit Publishing Company and took full advantage of the postcard craze sweeping the country and Jackson’s considerable reputation as a view photographer. Due to his 26 year association with the Detroit Publishing Company and postcards, Yellowstone’s first view photographer William H. Jackson is recognized as the father of the picture postcard.
Comments from Our Readers taken from the Yellowstone Net Guestbook "The amount of information that is available to people who are going to visit the parks is great, and like the weather it changes on a daily basis, so that there is something new to read every day and if you aren't going to visit it allows you to have a great inside view of the park. GREAT JOB! Keep it up." (Anonymous) "Your website is awesome. It takes me back to the summers of 1966, 67
& 68, when I worked at Canyon Village and "What can you say about one of the most beautiful parks in the world,
except that you guys have made such a wonderful site about the park. I have been visiting
the site for about a year now and it trills me that you keep it up so well. With
experience working in the park, and also returning again this summer, it's neat to find
out how the weather is and what happens there while I am going to school. And even some of
your guy's comments on different stuff is really interesting, especially the Ice Cream
thing! HAHA But anyway keep up the great work and the wonderful advice you
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A Weekly Column
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- Last month Yellowstone opened for the spring and summer seasons. With the opening of the spring and summer seasons, I make the rounds in the Park, visiting old friends and meeting new friends. While at the Mammoth Hotel one day in early May, I met Larry, a seven year veteran of working in the Park. Larry was a wealth of information on the various hiking trails near Mammoth. He had recently gone on the Beaver Ponds hike, my favorite. Larry told me most of the snow had already disappeared on the trail. I noticed Larry saying hello to many of his friends, as the Mammoth Hotel had only opened the day before. A common question many of the Park veterans ask one another is, "how was your winter?" The permanent employees may have not seen some of there friends since the end of last summers season. Larry had worked in Yellowstone running the Madison warming hut. On previous winters he had worked in the Everglades and Grand Canyon, concessions also operated very well by Amfac Corporation. The "how was your winter" question was something I had only heard veterans of many years ask one another.
Later in the day after going to Grant to visit with Ranger Tom Mazzarissi, I made my way to the Old Faithful Inn. Here I saw Bob, the head porter for the past few years. I had met Bob briefly while writing my book and had talked to him a few times the next few years. Last year I made a point of visiting with him. Bob is an incredibly nice guy who, like so many of the Amfac employees, make the extra effort to tell Park guests about the treasures of Yellowstone. Bob was telling me how the previous weeks opening of the Inn had been his first opening day in ten years when it had not snowed. Bob and I went on to talk for several more minutes until one of the front desk crew called him for a message to be delivered to the second floor. I know that on all my future trips to the Inn I will definitely be visiting with Bob. As Bob was leaving to head up the stairs he turned to me and said, "Hey Clint, how was your winter?"
Ranger-Naturalist Programs Now in
Progress YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (NPS) -- The first week of June marks the beginning of seasonal ranger-led programs in Yellowstone. The following programs, by location, are now underway: Canyon Area -- "The Yellowstone's Canyon," a discussion of the geology and history of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, is a thirty-minute talk presented several times each afternoon. Lake Area -- "Yellowstone Lake Reflections," a walk along the Yellowstone Lake beginning at Indian Pond, is a two hour event which begins at 11 AM each morning. Madison Area -- Ranger and Naturalist-led evening programs begin at 9:30 PM each evening through July, and 9:00 PM thereafter. Mammoth Area -- A talk program ("Yellowstone's Wildlife") and two walk programs ("Mammoth Hot Spring's Lower Terraces" and "The Army Years: Touring Historic Fort Yellowstone") are now underway in the Mammoth Area. Norris Area -- "The Norris Geyser Basin Walk" and an Evening Campfire Program are now underway. Tower Area -- Three walks are now underway (Hellroaring Trail, Lost Lake Trail, and Tower Fall) are now underway. The Evening Program at the Tower Ampitheatre begins on Friday, June 5. Old Faithful Area -- Four walks are now underway (Geyser Hill, Geyser Geology, Sunset Geyser Basin and a "Daily Special") are now underway daily. A "Geology Talk" is also taking place daily. The Evening Program at the Old Faithful Visitor Center Auditorium is also underway.
National Park Vacations by CLINT WILKES YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- Yellowstone Net has added a new service for people who are looking for more information about Yellowstone and other national parks: mail-order brochures. For $7.75, Yellowstone Net will send you, by priority mail, a large packet
of brochures on the park of your choice. You can order your brochure packet by clicking here.
Editor-in-Chief Needed Yellowstone Net Newspaper is looking for
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Every Wednesday Clint Wilkes will offer a story of interest to
everyone who loves Yellowstone and the surrounding area. Some stories will be humorous,
others will illustrate a point. You the reader are invited to 
