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Washburn-Langford-Doane September 11-15, 1870 Campsite

Mouth of Solution Creek Campsite

Historic Campsite in Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains near Grant Village, WY

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Washburn-Langford-Doane September 16, 1870 Campsite

Washburn-Langford-Doane September 10, 1870 Campsite

Summary

Finding no trace of Truman Everts their lost comrade, the expedition pushed forward towards the West Thumb Geyser Basin and made camp across the bay from it, at the mouth of Solution Creek. They camped there 5 nights and searched vainly for Everts and tried themselves to stay warm as 2 feet of snow and winter weather chilled their bodies and hopes. During this time, the weather and low provisions clearly pushed the men to plan for escaping Yellowstone and returning home. Daily journal entries from Cornelius Hedges are provided below.

September 11, 1870

Sunday, Sept. 11. Heard mountain lions when I first. woke up - rose early - got cold towards morning - found some “limnaear” on lake shore - were going to leave some men, but G.[Gilette] and F.[Trumbull] came in before we started, they went back in sight of our camp of the 7th, stayed all night, built fires - found no trace of Everts- put up notice and left provisions - Sam [Hauser]and L.[Langford] went on ahead to hunt trail and look for Everts - mild beautiful morning - hope to spend the next Sunday nearer home - train started about eleven. I went with advance - the course lay a little north of west, through timber with little opening ponds - not bad - made good progress - touched inlet - and went on to find S.[Samuel T. Hauser] and L.[Langford] - struck S.W. arm of lake about three o’clock from south end - found it quite large bank forty feet high, wide gravelly beach. Hedges p. 386

— Hedges p. 386

We followed along on this high bank to an opening where we camped on pretty ground where we are going to stay to hunt for Everts. Though it was Sunday we wanted fish so much that I went down and caught about a dozen.

— Hedges p. 386-87

Had council about the fire in evening to consult what measure to take to find Everts. L.[Langford] and W.[Washburn] are to go south to foot of Yellow Mountain [Mount Sheridan] - H.[Hauser] and G.[Gilette] go back to camp of Friday morning - S.[Smith] and F.[Trumbull] go back along beach - I am to stay and lay in store of fish - Ben [Stickney] is to take inventory of provisions. I feel fine generally.

— Hedges p. 387

September 12, 1870

Monday, 12. Breakfasted and divided according to last night’s plan. On first trial fish wouldn’t bite - went back to tent and did some mending - went down again waded in and had good luck till wind rose. I caught forty-one, all would weigh two pounds each - got pretty chilly. S.[Smith] and F.[Trumbull] came back early. S.[Smith] reported seeing Indians. F.[Trumbull] couldn’t see them. L.[Langford] and W.[Washburn] returned without tidings. Went to Jackson Lake [Heart Lake]. L.[Langford] got horse in sulphur bottom [see illustration]. H.[Hauser] and G.[Gilette] didn’t get in.

— Hedges p. 387

Stood guard alone from eleven to three, and rather enjoyed it by the burning tree, got some dried apples to chew.

— Hedges p. 387

September 13, 1870

Tuesday, 13. Day opened rainy. All kept in tent - commenced to hail, thunder and snow - grew very disagreeable. Jake [Smith] started a fire and smoked us all out. W.[Washburn] and L.[Langford], S. and self had three games of whist. Had to lie in bed to keep warm - wished I was at home - Jake built a boat to set afloat on the lake. H.[Hauser] and G.[Gilette] came in in afternoon, went back to camp of 9th, found no trace of Everts - woods all on fire - tent keeps us sheltered from storms - thought it was going to clear off in evening, lucky in escaping stormy nights on guard. Jake made fuss about his turn, and W.[Washburn] stood in his place - slept very comfortable. Stormed all night. We are in for it.

— Hedges p. 387

September 14, 1870

Wednesday, 14. Snowed all day, stayed in tent and around fire - played cards, whist, casino and seven-up, had fire in gold-pan on stakes[improvised elevated fire pan for warming the tent with wood kindling] - made best of bad job and enjoyed ourselves - the season is in our favor, we shall make haste home as soon as the blockade raises.

— Hedges p. 387

September 15, 1870

Thursday 15. Still stormy, had to give up idea of moving - tried fishing, but had no success. The scene around the lake looks wintry in the extreme - the snow contrasts beautifully with the green of the pine - sent Jake’s boat out on the lake, the wind favored and took it on the waters - spent most of the day in playing cards have stayed in camp till we have eaten up all the fish I caught - determined to start early tomorrow and go as far as we could.

— Hedges p. 388

Illustrations and Maps

“Breaking Through”, illustration shown above from NP Langford’s article “The Wonders of the Yellowstone”; Artist unknown; June 1871 issue of Scribner’s Monthly, p. 120. Based on Langford’s Diary p. 80-83, the illustration portrays Nathaniel Langford and his horse breaking thru the thin crust of ground of the Heart Lake Geyser Basin on September 12, 1870 while searching for their lost expedition member Truman C. Everts.

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.

Everts, Truman C. “Thirty-Seven Days of Peril.” Scribner’s Monthly, November 1871. http://archive.org/details/scribnersmonthly31newy.

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.

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

Langford, Nathaniel Pitt. Diary of the Washburn Expedition to the Yellowstone and Firehole Rivers in the Year 1870. St. Paul, Minn., [c1905]. http://archive.org/details/diaryofwashburne00langrich. However, Langford’s “Diary of the Washburn Expedition to the Yellowstone and Firehole Rivers in the Year 1870” or “The Discovery of Yellowstone National Park” material, which was published 35 years after the expedition, and used bearing that in mind.

Trumbull, Walter. “The Washburn Yellowstone Expedition.” The Overland Monthly, 1871. California State Library. http://archive.org/details/overlandmonthly06hart.