Devil's Race Course, Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., U.S.A.

Publication

Devil's Race Course, Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., U.S.A.

Description

DEVIL'S RACE COURSE, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING. Hayden Valley, the central point of which is shown in this view, was once a vast arm of Yellowstone lake, but the outlet cut so deep a gash in the rocks near the present head of the Grand Canyon (at and above the Upper Falls) that the area now known as Hayden Valley was drained and became an extensive, undulating grassy meadow, having an area of over 50 square miles. Numerous creeks drain the surrounding hills and the broad slopes of the valley into the Yellowstone River at various points in its course across Hayden Valley. One of the longest, Trout Creek, comes from the western border of the valley, and as it nears the river, has cut for itself one of the most tortuous pathways imaginable. This view shows a short section of its course, called the "Devil's Race Course." The gracefulness of its curvings is exceeded only by the extent of its labyrinthian wanderings. Beyond the sharp but graceful curves shown in the foreground of this view, the observer will notice in the distance a continuation of equally tortuous meanderings. The cliffs, into which the stream so frequently gouges, show the character of the deposits and tell the story of their origin. Along the winding route of trout Creek are scores of places where a little work with a spade would sever a neck and thus make complete islands of peninsulas.