Traveling with Grace: The Cliffs of Yellowstone

In today’s #TravelingWithGrace we explore cliffs and rock formations (and maybe one or two more geysers) in the wonderful Yellowstone National Park! To read more of Grace’s travels, click here.

Canyon Hotel, Yellowstone National Park, c. 1911, from the National Park Service slide collection, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Thursday, July 24, 1947

Weather: good

We started to take a ride this morning, but the battery went dead, so we sat on the porch, or what passes for one, and enjoyed the bright sunshine and watched the people arrive and leave. This afternoon we visited every vantage point along the canyon, lingering lovingly at each. It is a joy to see how the people from every state enjoy to the fullest the many facilities for picnicking, camping, fishing, hiking, and motoring which the park affords. This hotel has a unique room called Main Street decorated with murals by an artist now on Life Magazine.

Mammoth Spring Hotel from Capitol Hill, 1938. From the Haynes Foundation Collection, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana courtesy of the National Park Service.

Friday, July 25, 1947

Weather: Fine

We left Canyon Hotel after lunch. A Miss Schnerson[?] of Baltimore spoke to us as we were leaving. This is the prettiest day we have had so far in the park. The ride over was beautiful. We stopped at Tower Falls and again to see part of a petrified tree which stands in a little enclosure fenced in. Everything is marked with explanation of origin. Here and there are piles of dried antlers. The Mammoth Springs Hotel is different from the other 2. We have lovely rooms here. Dining room is next door.

Saturday, July 26, 1947

Weather: Perfect

Today being Tisha B’Av I remained quietly in the hotel and fasted and prayed. Later we say on the porch and watched the buses come and go. In the evening we went over to the recreation hall, look[ed] at the pretty things in the gift shop: leather goods, jewelry, Indian crafts, copper things, pictures, silverware, etc. Then we watched the dancing and the band leader, a nice young chap from Minneapolis came over and talked to us. Helene met Mrs. Mysen[?] from Baltimore, formerly of Frederick Md. Whose family she knows.

Jupiter Terrace, Yellowstone Park, c. 1902 from the Detroit Photographic Co., courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Sunday, July 27, 1947

Weather: Perfect

We started out after lunch and went up on Jupiter Terrace, a huge limestone formation which takes on various hues from the algae which feed upon it. The little hot springs emanating from its crevices trickle down the sides in a golden path, stained by the sulphur, and this glistens in the sun like molten gold. The mammoth hot springs are another series of rounded terraces carved and fluted in curious fashion by the erosion in the limestone or travertine composition.

Liberty Cap, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Park, c. 1902 from the Detroit Photographic Co. courtesy of the Library of Congress.

 Liberty Cap, a dormant geyser crater 40 feet high is another conspicuous feature of the landscape. We went up past Silver Gate, an opening thru giant grey crags, to Golden Gate, so named from the yellow and orange hue of the rocks near which tumble the beautiful Rustic Falls, which pour into Glen Creek. This is the approach to beautiful Kingman Pass. The coloring of the rhyolite escarpment is caused by golden lichens adhering to the rock. We next stopped for a drink (delicious) from Apollinaris Spring.

Vintage postcard, Obsidian Cliff, Yellowstone Park. Via.

Then we saw Obsidian Cliff, gleaming like jet in the bright sunlight, and Beaver Dam lakes, Sheepeater Cliff, another basalt formation of queer design, past ponds covered with butter yellow lilies and down to Norris Geyser basin which looked more beautiful than ever beneath the clear blue sky. Here are geysers little and big, some erupting sporadically, others shooting off regularly every few minutes, colors ranging thru the entire gamut of blues, greens, grays and one which at times looks like orange-ade.

Vintage postcard, Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park. Via.

On our return to Mammoth we looked into the swimming pool fed from the hot springs, which is open to the sky and remains un use until 11 o’clock on Sunday nights. Then we went to the museum. They have one in each park area, but this is the Headquarters and really the most interesting one. Here are specimens of all the flowers, birds, and wild creatures indigenous to the park as well as examples of Indian arts and crafts, ancient firearms, and some of the old pioneer vehicles which made history hereabouts. The ranger on duty is very obliging about answering questions. The reason we have seen no buffalo is that it is too warm for their heavy coats at this season, so they remain very high up on the mountains near the snow line. We looked in the Haynes Studio where they have lovely photographs, hand paintings, etchings and woodcuts. Tonight, we heard a concert of semi-classic music by a student band of piano, bass viol, violin, saxophone, drum and cymbals.

Thanks for reading “Traveling with Grace,” a series where we’re sharing (and annotating) posts from the travel diaries of Grace Amelia Hecht, native Baltimorean, b. 1897 and d. 1955. As mentioned in my introductory post transcription errors sometimes occur and I’ve made my best guesses where possible, denoted by [brackets]. – Rachel Kassman, marketing manager