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Folsom-Cook-Peterson Sept 26-28, 1869 Campsite

Historic Campsite on West Thumb Overlook Loop Trail, Folsom-Cook-Peterson Route in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Grant Village, WY

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Folsom-Cook-Peterson Sept 23, 1869 Campsite

Montana gold miners David E. Folsom, Charles W. Cook, and William Peterson departed the Montana mines in 1869 and headed into the Yellowstone area prospecting for gold. Their privately financed expedition was unsuccessful in finding gold, but Folsom’s and Cook’s stories and published accounts further stirred the imagination of an American Wonderland. The “approximated” expedition route and historic campsites, combined with selected portions of their journals, provide a story map before Yellowstone National Park was created in 1872.

After departing Bridge Bay the men rode alongside Yellowstone Lake until they arrived at the West Thumb Geyser Basin. Cook later described the West Thumb Geyser Basin as:

… viewing the many objects of interest and wonder. Among these were springs differing from any we had previously seen. They were situated along the shore for a distance of 2 miles, extending back from it about 500 yards and into the lake perhaps as many feet The ground in many places gradually sloped down to the water’s edge, while in others the white chalky cliffs rose 15 feet high – the waves having worn the rock away at the base, leaving the upper portion projecting over in some places 20 feet. There were several hundred springs here, varying in size from miniature fountains to pools or wells 75 feet in diameter and of great depth; the water had a pale violet tinge, and was very clear, enabling us to discern small objects 50 or 60 feet below the surface, in some of these, vast openings led off at the side; and as the slanting rays of the sun lit up these deep caverns we could see the rocks hanging from their roofs, their water-worn sides and rocky floors, almost as plainly as if we had been traversing their silent chambers. These springs were intermittent, flowing or boiling at irregular intervals. The greater portion of them were perfectly quiet while we were there, although nearly all gave unmistakable evidence of frequent activity. Some of them would quietly settle for 10 feet, while another would as quietly rise until it overflowed its banks, and send a torrent of hot water sweeping down to the lake. At the same time one near at hand would send up a sparking jet of water 10 or 12 feet high, which would fail back into its basin and then perhaps instantly stop boiling and quietly settle into the earth, or suddenly rise and discharge its waters in every direction over the rim; while another, as if wishing to attract our wondering gaze, would throw up a cone 6 feet in diameter and 8 feet high, with a loud roar. These changes, each one of which would possess some new feature, were constantly going on; sometimes they would occur within the space of a few minutes, and again hours would elapse before any change could be noted. At the water’s edge, along the lake shore, there were several mounds of solid stone, on the top of each of which was a small basin with a perforated bottom; these also overflowed at times and the hot water trickled down on every side. Thus, by the slow process of precipitation, through the countless lapse of ages, these stone monuments have been formed. A small cluster of mud springs near by claimed our attention. They were like hollow truncated cones and oblong mounds 3 or 4 feet in height. These were filled with mud, resembling thick paint of the finest quality – differing in color, from pure white to the various shades of yellow, pink, red, and violet. Some of these boiling pots were less than a foot in diameter. The mud in them would slowly rise and fall, as the bubbles of escaping steam, following one after the other, would burst upon the surface, During the afternoon they threw mud to the height of 15 feet for a few minutes and then settled back to their former quietude (Cook 1870).

— Cook

Amazed by the “several hundred springs” and mud pots the men explored the geothermal features for two full days before deciding to bid the lake area goodbye and start journey west to the Madison River and home (Cook 1870; Haines 1996, 99).

Cook described his emotions as the party turned homeward:

As we were about departing on our homeward trip we ascended the summit of a neighboring hill and took a final look at Yellowstone Lake. Nestled among the forest-crowned hills which bounded our vision lay this inland sea, its crystal waves dancing and sparkling in the sunlight, as if laughing with joy for their wild freedom, it is a scene of transcendent beauty which has been viewed by but few white men; and we felt glad to have looked upon it before its primeval solitude should be broken by the crowds of pleasure seekers which at no distant day will throng its shores (Cook 1870).

— Cook

Sources

Cook, C. W. “The Valley of the Upper Yellowstone.” Western Monthly, July 1870. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/yell/cramton/appd.htm.

Folsom, D.E., and N.P. Langford. The Folsom-Cook Exploration of the Upper Yellowstone in the Year 1869. St. Paul: H.L. Collins Company, Printers, 1894. https://books.google.com/books?id=t65LAQAAIAAJ.

Folsom, David E., and Charles W. Cook. “The Valley of the Upper Yellowstone.” Typewritten version of the original manuscript draft, ca 1904. Montana State University Library - Collection 2570 - David E. Folsom Papers, 1869-1904. https://www.lib.montana.edu/digital/objects/coll2570/2570-B01-F03.pdf

Haines, Aubrey L. “Yellowstone National Park: Its Exploration and Establishment,” 1974. http://npshistory.com/handbooks/historical/yell/haines/index.htm.

Haines, Aubrey L. The Yellowstone Story: A History of Our First National Park. Revised. Vol. 1. Boulder CO: Yellowstone Association for Natural Science, History & Education, 1996.

Further Research and Reading

Cook, C.W., D.E. Folsom, W. Peterson, and A.L. Haines. The Valley of the Upper Yellowstone: An Exploration of the Headwaters of the Yellowstone River in the Year 1869, as Recorded by Charles W. Cook, David E. Folsom, and William Peterson. American Exploration and Travel Series. University of Oklahoma Press, 1965.