Part 2

Wilderness Areas.—Two wilderness areas—the North Absaroka, containing about 380,000 acres, and the South Absaroka, containing about 600,000 acres—have been set aside to insure the perpetuation of the delightful natural and virgin conditions characteristic of the back country in the Shoshone. Entirely undeveloped, except for horse trails and occasional sanitation facilities at camp sites, primeval conditions are comparable to those encountered when John Colter traveled through this country in the early years of the nineteenth century. No roads will be permitted nor will there be any hotels, resorts, or summer homes. Sales of timber will not be made, but the grazing of domestic stock—cattle, horses, and sheep—will be allowed under well-regulated conditions, insuring ample range for big game animals and the protection of the basic soil and water resources.

These wilderness areas and the wildlife and fishing resources of the forest are the basis for one of northwestern Wyoming’s principal industries—dude ranching. Within and adjacent to the Shoshone are more than 30 such ranches and similar resorts. Guests enjoy all of the sports common in the mountains—fishing, hunting, hiking, or riding delightful trails. As the cool of the evening descends, they enjoy sitting before a glowing campfire to hear yarns of the West. These ranches and resorts have various types of accommodations for overnight or weekend guests, camping parties, pack trips, or family groups. Hundreds of guests visit them annually, and go home with tanned faces and a spring in their step.

Within the forest are two main highways which offer splendid scenery to those who do not have the time or inclination to get into the back country with horses and pack outfits.

_Along the North Fork._—The Cody Road to the Yellowstone National Park, U. S. 20, winds its way along the banks of the North Fork of the Shoshone River. The forest boundary is 25 miles west of Cody, and on the way, such interesting features as DeMaris Hot Springs, extinct geyser cones and craters, the Shoshone Dam, the tunnels, the Shoshone Cavern National Monument, and typical western stock and dude ranches and resorts can be visited. At the boundary the character of the country changes. The canyon becomes narrower, and here on either side, Signal Peak and Flag Peak, like the Pillars of Hercules, guard the entrance. From this point to the east entrance of Yellowstone Park, the distance is 27 miles.

Within the forest, the road passes through livestock and game ranges, heavily timbered watersheds, with active timber sales in progress, and extensively used recreation areas. Thus the tourist is given an opportunity to actually see the coordinated activities of a national forest. Watch for the Laughing Pig, the Camel, the Holy City, the Goose, the Anvil, Henry Ford, Chimney Rock, the Elephant Head, and other figures carved from rock by the hand of nature.

Along the way there are a number of dude ranches and resorts where accommodations may be had, also gasoline stations and stores. At frequent intervals there are picnic and campgrounds for the use of tourists. These are:

_Name_ _Miles from _Miles from Cody_ Yellowstone_

Hanging Rock Campground 26.8 26.2 Horse Creek 28.1 24.9 Campground—Trailers Big Game Campground 29.1 23.9 Wapiti Camp and Picnic Ground 30.1 22.9 Elk Fork Campground 30.1 22.9 Rex Hale Campground 36.7 16.0 Newton Creek 37.5 15.5 Campground—Trailers Eagle Creek Campground 45.5 7.5 Sleeping Giant Campground 48.9 4.1 Three Mile Campground 49.7 3.3 Pahaska Campground—Trailers 51.0 2.0

Individual camping stalls, tables, water, and campfire grates are available at all campgrounds.

_Beartooth Plateau—Clarks Fork Country._—The Red Lodge-Cooke City Highway, a hard-surfaced road, passes through the most spectacular area in the forest. Leaving Red Lodge, Mont., it follows a southwesterly course along Rock Creek into the Custer National Forest.

Abruptly the highway leaves the creek and turns up the north slope of Beartooth Plateau, and over easy grades zigzags its sinuous way into Wyoming and the Shoshone National Forest and to the very “top of the world.” Once on top a breath-taking panorama unexpectedly unfolds before the astonished traveler. Vision is practically unrestricted in any direction because the road is well above timberline. To the east lies the Big Horn Basin, with the Big Horn Mountains in the background; to the south is the Clarks Fork Valley, Sunlight Basin, and still further south the North Fork and South Fork valleys of the Shoshone. As far as one can see, rugged snowcapped mountains pierce the sky. In the west, Pilot Peak and its Siamese twin, Index Peak, point the way into the heavens. To the north is a continuation of Beartooth Plateau into the Custer Forest which contains grasshopper glaciers and the “land of the red snows.” Everywhere evidences of glaciation and tremendous expanses of barren rock are to be seen. Snowbanks are common. Numerous lakes of various sizes nestle in the pockets of the land. Gradually, as the traveler goes westward, he descends to timberline, where gnarled, stunted trees carry on an age-old struggle for existence against the fierce elements of cold driving snows and terrific winds. Further westward as altitude is lost the timber becomes taller, until as one nears the Clarks Fork River dense, thrifty stands are the rule.

Aside from two dude ranches along the road, the only other accommodations within the forest are at Beartooth Lake. Here also are a store, filling station, and picture studio.

The Shoshone National Forest campgrounds along this road are:

_Name_ _Miles from _Miles from Cooke City_ Red Lodge_

Crazy Creek Campground 10.8 54 Beartooth Lake Campground 22.9 41.9 Island Lake Campground 26.0 38.8

_Sunlight Basin._—There is also a third road, unimproved, which in good weather affords a real treat to the auto tourist. It leads from Cody over Dead Indian Hill into Sunlight Basin and the upper Clarks Fork Valley. This road is delightfully scenic and connects with the Red Lodge-Cooke City Highway just below the Nordquist ranch. There are two campgrounds along this route, one where the road crosses Dead Indian Creek and the other at the Sunlight Creek crossing. The road leads to excellent fishing in Dead Indian Creek, Sunlight Creek, the Clarks Fork River, and the waters on Beartooth Plateau. It is the shortest route to Beartooth Plateau from Cody.

WILDLIFE OF THE FOREST

Big Game.—The Shoshone is the only forest in Wyoming in which all species of big game native to the State are found, with the exception of the whitetail deer. These include antelope, mule deer, elk, mountain sheep, moose, and black and grizzly bear. What may be even more surprising is that there are open seasons on all species—deer, elk, and bear under the regular license; antelope, mountain sheep, and moose under special permit. Another unusual feature about hunting on the Shoshone is that except for the southern part of the forest the regular hunting season is 60 days long, from September 15 to November 15. In addition, there is a spring bear season from May 1 to June 15, just after the bears come out of hibernation and their skins are best. State Game and Fish regulations frequently change from year to year. If you plan to go hunting, post yourself on the current regulations.

The Shoshone is a favorite rendezvous for nonresident hunters because it has the game, and the outfitters and guides. The State laws require that all nonresident big game hunters hire licensed outfitters and guides to conduct them.

The Forest Service is deeply concerned with the propagation and protection of game. This involves not only cooperating with State officers and enforcing the game laws, but providing game herds with sufficient and suitable range. Throughout the West the national forests supply most of the summer range for big game animals except antelope. The Shoshone Forest is no exception. Most national forests contain sufficient summer range for present game herds and some increases. However, the situation regarding winter range is different. Most of the land at the lower elevations where the game originally wintered is outside the forest. Much of it has been homesteaded and is in livestock ranches and farms. In many sections of the West game, especially deer and elk, are faced with the desperate choice of raiding ranches in the valleys and foothills or starving in the snowdrifts of the high mountains. In some instances the Forest Service has been able to provide winter game range by regulating grazing or eliminating livestock entirely from the ranges. Such an example can be found on the Shoshone on the Elk Fork, Sweetwater, Horse Creek, and Grizzly Creek drainages. This area furnishes winter range for the largest elk herd on the forest, and is reserved especially for it. In addition, several hundred deer also use this same range.

SANITATION AND HEALTH

1. Mountain streams will not purify themselves in a few hundred feet. Boil or chlorinate all suspected water.

2. Burn all paper, old clothing, or rubbish. Bury or place in pits or receptacles provided all garbage, tin cans, bottles, and other refuse.

3. Do not wash soiled clothing or utensils or bathe in springs, streams, or lakes. Use a container and throw dirty water where it cannot get into the water supply without first filtering through the ground.

4. Use the sanitation facilities provided by the Forest Service on campgrounds and elsewhere.

5. Observe the rules of sanitation and protect yourself and others. Report all insanitary conditions to the nearest health or forest officer.

6. Obey the posted “Rules for the use of improved campgrounds.”

For the purpose of maintaining and preserving the big game herds within them, the State has established the Shoshone and Hoodoo State Game Preserves, where no hunting is permitted.

The Cody-Yellowstone Road passes through the Shoshone Preserve. During the summer months most of the animals, particularly deer, elk, and mountain sheep, are in the high country back from the road. Moose, however, are frequently seen along the river and occasionally deer and bear. During winter and spring, however, hundreds of deer and elk can be seen quietly feeding along the road. Mountain sheep are also frequently seen during these seasons.

Keep your camera loaded when passing through the forest. A shot of a big bull moose or a graceful deer makes just as good a trophy as a head or a hide, and the camera season is always open. It requires much more skill to stalk and shoot game with a camera than with a gun.

If you go hunting be a genuine sportsman by obeying the State laws, by putting out your smokes and campfires, and by leaving a clean camp.

Fur Bearers.—In the old days of the fur brigade and trading posts the area now in the forest furnished its quota of furs, and it still produces some of the finest. The most valuable and most eagerly sought fur bearer is the marten. In addition, there are badger, muskrat, ermine, mink, red fox, coyote, and bobcat. There are also three other species which are protected, beaver, otter, and wolverine, which is extremely rare.

On the Shoshone the trappers are assigned to individual trapping allotments. Each man regards the allotment as his, because it is reissued to him year after year as long as he wishes to hold it and obeys the State and Federal laws. This system promotes harvesting the fur crop rather than mining it. In other words, the trapper realizes that he cannot take all of the animals but must leave a sufficient number to restock the allotment for future trapping. Each trapper is required to report to the proper officer all game law violations occurring within his territory.

Fishing.—Practically all suitable waters of the forest are stocked with fish. Species include the black spotted, rainbow, Eastern brook, and mackinaw trout, Montana grayling, and whitefish.

In recognition of the importance of keeping lakes and streams stocked the State Game and Fish Commission operates a fish hatchery near Cody, and practically all of its output is used in replenishing the waters of the forest. Additional assistance is rendered by the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries by furnishing planting stock from its Yellowstone Park, Crawford, Nebr., and Bozeman, Mont., hatcheries. Forest officers cooperate with representatives of these agencies in planting fish in forest waters. The forest maintains a specially built tank truck for transportation of fish into the mountain waters. Four rearing ponds have been constructed by the Forest Service in which fry and fingerling trout are kept until they are from 4 to 7 inches in length before being released. The percentage of survival of fish reared in such ponds is many times greater than when they are released in turbulent mountain streams before they are large enough to care for themselves.

FIRE—ENEMY OF THE FOREST

Each forest fire that burns means a loss of forest resources. Timber, forage, wildlife are destroyed; soil erosion follows; everybody loses. Fires are always a menace in the summertime and more than half of them occur because some careless smoker or camper does not take care of his match, cigarette, pipe, or campfire. From 1909 to the close of 1939, 229 fires, which burned over 25,649 acres, have occurred. In recent years the Shoshone National Forest has suffered heavy losses from two large fires and an increasing number of smaller ones. The Crandall fire in 1935 burned over 12,600 acres. This tremendous and staggering loss was the result of the carelessness of _ONE MAN_. In 1937, the tragic Blackwater fire occurred. Although only 1,254 acres of forest were destroyed, the fire resulted in one of the worst disasters in the history of the Forest Service fire fighting. Fifteen men, whose memory has been perpetuated in the Firefighters Memorial paid the supreme sacrifice.

New improvements are being constructed in the never-ending fight to prevent or quickly control forest fires. Equipment, such as the Bosworth fire trencher, is being developed. This is a small machine which is guided by an operator and motored by a marine engine. The motor propels a series of steel lugs which kick out dirt and debris and speedily clear a fire trail down to mineral soil. Fire towers, which will make visible a large part of the forest, are in process of construction or are contemplated. In addition to the new tower on Clayton Mountain, another is being erected on Windy Mountain, located about 6 miles south of the Crandall Ranger Station. This will make visible a large portion of this immense country in the North Absaroka wilderness, including the area burned in the Crandall Creek fire of 1935.

Another tower on Clay Butte, near Beartooth Lake, will provide better protection for the scenic Beartooth Plateau and the Clarks Fork Valley.

When a smoke is spotted, the lookout observer determines the bearing to the fire and phones this information to a ranger or the forest supervisor so that action may be taken. If the lookout is uncertain of the stream valley or other topographical feature by which the fire can be located and best reached, a cross shot is obtained from another lookout station, if possible. In case of a large fire, an airplane cruise is sometimes made to observe the progress of the fire and determine the best way of controlling it.

RETURNS TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Twenty-five percent of all revenues derived from permitted uses on national forests is returned to the counties for road and school funds. In addition, 10 percent of the forest receipts is returned to the forest for the construction and maintenance of its road and trail system. Actually 35 percent of the gross forest receipts is returned directly and indirectly to the locality from whence it was collected.

TREES OF THE SHOSHONE

PINES.—Pines are conifers distinguished principally by the needles that are gathered together at the base in bundles of from one to five in a little sheath that usually wears off after the first year. The cones have woody scales. There are three pines on the Shoshone.

Limber Pine (_Pinus flexilis_).—Needles are fine, almost silky, dark green, 1½ to 3 inches long, always in bundles of five. Cones are 3 to 5 inches long, with seeds ⅓ inch long; scales smooth. Bark is light gray or silvery white, except on old trunks, which are blackish brown and furrowed.

Whitebark Pine (_Pinus albicaulis_).—Very difficult to distinguish from limber pine, although needles are more rigid and slightly curved. Needles are from 1½ to 2½ inches long. Cones are from 1½ to 3 inches long and of a dark purple color. The bark is chalky-white. This tree is found at elevations of from 8,500 to 10,000 feet, or slightly above the limber pine. It is not as important for commercial use as are the other pines.

Lodgepole Pine (_Pinus contorta_).—Needles are 1½ to 2 inches long, yellow-green, growing in bundles of two. Bark is thin. Cones are one-sided, 1½ to 2 inches long, and cling to the branches for years without opening or dropping their seeds. Cone scales are armed with short spines. This species is used mostly for railroad ties, mine props, and telephone poles.

SPRUCES.—Spruces have sharp-pointed, four-sided needles scattered over the twigs singly, leaving twigs rough like a grater when they fall off. There is only one spruce on the Shoshone Forest.

Engelmann Spruce (_Picea engelmanni_).—The new-growth twigs are covered with soft, short hair. Needles are less rigid and less sharply pointed than those of blue spruce, green, dark blue, or pale steel-blue. Cones are 1 to 2 inches long. Bark is dark, reddish brown, and separates in the form of small, rounded scales. Main trunk, in contrast to blue spruce, is smooth and clean.

FIRS.—Needles are blunt, flat, and soft to the touch, without any stem where they join branches. They leave flat, round scars when they fall off in contrast to short stubs left by spruce on twigs. Cones, unlike those of other species, stand erect. In the fall, the cones fall to pieces and leave only spikes on the branch. Buds are blunt and pitchy. Blisters, containing liquid pitch or balsam, are scattered over the smooth bark.

Alpine Fir (_Abies lasiocarpa_).—Leaves are flat, 1 to 1¾ inch long, without any stem where they join the branches. Needles tend to turn upward. Cones are 2½ to 4 inches long, dark purple. The bark is gray and smooth, except in older parts of the tree where it is broken into ridges. Tree has a sharp, spirelike crown. It usually grows mixed with Engelmann spruce.

DOUGLAS FIR (_Pseudotsuga taxifolia_).—Although similar in name, this species has no direct relationship to the true fir. Its leaves are flat, ¾ to 1½ inches long, with short stems that join them to the branches. Cones are pendent, with three-pronged bracts protruding from the cone scales; they are persistent and fall off the tree whole. Buds are sharp-pointed, shiny, smooth, red brown.

CEDARS.—Rocky Mountain Red Cedar (_Juniperus scopulorum_).—The berries are about the size of peas, the bark is scaly, the twigs are slender and graceful, and the heartwood is red. The species is distinguished from the one-seed juniper in that its berry usually has two seeds and is bluish or black. The berries mature in 2 years.

BROADLEAF TREES.—Aspen (_Populus tremuloides_).—Aspens are commonly called “quaking aspens” or “quakers.” The flat, nearly heart-shaped leaves are about 2 inches across; they tremble characteristically in a breeze. The bark is whitish or very pale green, smooth with black scars where branches have dropped off. The trees rarely grow more than 50 feet high.

Narrowleaf Cottonwood (_Populus augustifolia_).—This is usually a tall tree, 40 to 60 feet high. The bark is dark gray, heavily ridged half or two-thirds of the way up the tree; above that, smooth and pale green. The leaves are ½ inch to 1 inch wide by 2 or 3 inches long, very similar to willow leaves. The species is usually found along streams at lower elevations.

Alder (_Alnus tenuifolia_).—The alder grows along and overhanging the streams, usually in clumps, several trees from the same root, frequently 4 to 6 inches in diameter and 15 to 25 feet high. Its leaves are large and sharply double toothed. The mature, seed-bearing fruit is conelike and noticeable in winter.

Rocky Mountain Maple (_Acer glabrum_).—Usually a shrub, but frequently 20 to 30 feet high, this species has paired opposite buds, sharply lobed leaves, light-gray bark, and paired, winged seed. Its leaves are 1 to 2 inches long, opposite each other.

Willows (_Salix sp._).—The common shrub of creek bottoms. Leaves are usually narrow and sharp-pointed. Some willows attain a diameter of 4 inches and a height of 15 to 25 feet. The buds are covered by a single scale.

Pacific Serviceberry (_Amelanchier florida_).—Leaves silvery, sharply toothed toward the end, and alternate on branches. Trees, or more often shrubs, 6 to 15 feet high. Flowers white and in clusters. Five hard seeds in each berry.

Western Chokecherry (_Prunus demissa_).—This is a shrub, 3 to 15 feet high. Flowers and fruit clustered. Alternate leaves are sharply pointed. Bark, leaves, and seed are bitter. Fruit is black.

RULES FOR FIRE PREVENTION

1. Be sure your match is out. Break it in two before you throw it away.

2. Be sure that pipe ashes and cigar or cigarette stubs are dead before throwing them away. Never throw them into brush, leaves, or needles. Don’t smoke while traveling through the woods.

3. Use fire grates at improved campgrounds and observe the rules for building and extinguishing fires. Before building a campfire at places where no grates are available, scrape away all inflammable material from a place about 4 feet in diameter. Keep your fire small and never build it against trees or logs, or near brush.

4. Never break camp until your fire is out, dead out.

5. Stir the coals while soaking them with water, turn burned sticks and drench both sides. Wet the ground around the fire and be sure the last spark is dead.

6. Never burn slash or brush in windy weather or while there is the slightest danger that the fire will get away.

IF YOU FIND A FOREST FIRE, put it out if you can. If you cannot put it out, report it to the forest supervisor, the ranger, the sheriff, or the nearest telephone operator. Location of the headquarters of the supervisor and the rangers is indicated on the map.

Transcriber’s Notes

—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.