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Washburn-Langford-Doane September 9, 1870 Campsite

Surprise Creek Campsite

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

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place:2327689

place:2327687

September 9th, continued the brutal trek for men and horses around the southern perimeter of Lake Yellowstone. As the expedition crossed over Chicken Ridge and ascended Surprise Creek, they couldn’t find a straightforward path through the thick woods. Scattered, exhausted, and grouchy, an early camp was called for that afternoon.

However, Truman C. Everts became lost that morning and would start his 37 day wilderness survival ordeal, that would later bring the expedition unexpected dramatic news publicity and Everts’ historical fame and Mount Everts named for him. Everts’ story would unfold for the expedition the next day, September 10th, when he did not catch up to the expedition and daily search efforts found no sign of him.

Friday 9. Started on trail through low divide to strike west arm lake - went very well for three miles when we struck off north and had an awful time floundering through timber - packs off, torn open - men swearing – Everts strayed off - my steed rolled down hill, turning several somer-saults and coming up between two trees - everybody finding fault and all sorts of opinions where we were - came out about three o’clock in a little opening went into camp - my steed [pack horse named Little Invulnerable] didn’t come in with the rest and L.[Langford] went back with Bean and Reynolds to hunt him up. They found him two miles back standing with head up to a tree, off the trail.

— Hedges Journal p. 386-87

All in but Everts and we felt well around the fire, made good bed of pine boughs. H.[Hauser] and L.[Langford] played poker around the fire. Williamson went east after supper to find lake reported route impassable, determined to go northwest.

— Hedges Journal p. 387

Further Research and Reading

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

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.

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.

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Historic Campsite