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Washburn-Langford-Doane August 24, 1870 Campsite

Mouth of Yankee Jim Canyon Campsite

“Camp Euphemia”

Historic Campsite in Rocky Mountains near Miner, MT

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Summary

The men traveled ascended the Yellowstone River to the mouth of Yankee Jim Canyon and camped (Haines 1974, 67, 168 note 100). Everts was feeling better from being sick the day before. The expedition had planned to live off the land to conserve packed food supplies and dined that evening on antelope, rabbit, ducks, sage grouse, and fish. Despite bear foraging signs in the chokecherry bushes, the men didn’t spot any bears. Langford later penned in his May 1871 article for Scribner’s Monthly that they continued the nightly guard to prevent horse and supply theft.

It was not pleasant, however, to learn that twenty-five lodges of Crows had gone up the valley a few days before our arrival, or to be told by a trapper whom we met that he had been robbed by them … by having his horse and provisions stolen (p. 4).

— Langford (May 1871)

Doane Report

Report of Lieutenant Gustavus C. Doane upon the so-Called Yellowstone Expedition of 1870 (See Crampton 1932, Appendix M)

We moved in the afternoon at 2.30 p. m., following the course of the valley, crossing several small streams and numerous dry gulches on the way. After traveling about 6 miles we crossed, by a difficult pathway, a spur of the mountain [Point of Rocks], coming down with a bluff bank on the edge of the stream, beyond which the valley opened out to a bottom of large extent and great beauty, back of which the foothills rose up in successive plateaus to the summit range. On the opposite side the steep, lava mountains came in close to the stream, their lofty fronts covered with stunted timber, and their summits of naked granite piercing the sky. Several small streams ran in from the right, their banks bordered with wild cherry [chokecherry] and cottonwood, the branches of the former broken down in many places by grizzly bears in gathering the fruit. A large portion of the bottom land is subject to overflow by the mountain streams, and bears a crop of grass, in many places waist-high. The river is skirted with shrubbery and cedars, the latter having short, thick trunks, too short for ordinary lumber, but yielding most beautiful material for small cabinetwork, and of a nature susceptible of an exquisite finish. We followed up this valley about 6 miles, and camped on the bank of the stream [Tom Miner Creek] upon a high plateau of drift bowlders, and at the opening of an immense [Yankee Jim] canyon, the lower canyon of the Yellowstone. Our mess table was here supplied with antelope, hare, ducks, and grouse killed during the day, with fish caught ad libitum in the afternoon. Guards were established here during the night, as there were signs of a party of Indians on the trail ahead of us, all the members of the party taking their tours of this duty, and using in addition the various precautions of lariats, hobbles, etc., not to be neglected while traveling through this country. The night was very clear and somewhat chilly, a strong wind setting in down the canyon toward morning. From observations taken at this point it appears that the maximum variation between high and low water mark in the Yellowstone is less than 8 feet. Distance, 12 miles.

— Doane

Journal of Judge Cornelius Hedges

Wednesday 24th. Wet and dismal, prospect of waiting over all day. Ben [Stickney] shot two ducks this morning. Had nice breakfast, milk and butter plenty. Spent all forenoon in tent reading Harper and playing cards with W. [Washburn] noon weather cleared so that tent could dry. Everts getting better, concluded to move ten miles. With L. [Langford] and S. [Stickney] staid with pack train. Didn’t start till 2 p . m . - followed the [Yellowstone] river, left bank, cutting across bends, had some fine views - one where we mount a high point [Point of Rocks] two hundred and fifty feet, where is crouching bear, commands view of valley - bluffs of coarse conglomerate rock on our right, imaginary sphinxes [Sphinx Mountain] and old man of the mountains. Just before camping we crossed of the a good sized [Tom Miner] creek with big boulders and recent signs of bear among the [choke]cherry bushes. Our advance had a jack rabbit and sage hen, but no fish - couldn’t catch any grasshoppers, couldn’t get any pole but caught some fish with Stickney’s pole. Didn’t set up tent, spread out on prickly pears, went to bed with stars twinkling over us.

— Hedges

Artistic Representations

“On Guard”, illustration above from an article by NP Langford “The Wonders of the Yellowstone”; Artist unknown; May 1871 Scribner’s Monthly

Further Research and Reading

Scott, K.A. Yellowstone Denied: The Life of Gustavus Cheyney Doane. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007.

Sources

Cramton, Louis C. Early History of Yellowstone National Park and Its Relation to National Park Policies. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1932. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/yell/cramton/index.htm.

Doane, Gustavus Cheyney. Letter from the Secretary of War, Communicating the Report of Lieutenant Gustavus C. Doane upon the so-Called Yellowstone Expedition of 1870. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1873. http://archive.org/details/letterfromsecret1873unit.

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

Hedges, Cornelius. “Journal of Judge Cornelius Hedges.” In Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana, 1904 Edition. Vol. 5. Helena, MT: Independent Publishing Company, 1876. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Contributions_to_the_Historical_Society/yt4UAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1.

Langford, N. P. “The Wonders of the Yellowstone.” Scribner’s Monthly, May 1871. http://archive.org/details/scribnersmonthly02newy.