Yellowstone Historic Resource Study The History of the Construction of the Road System in Yellowstone National Park, 1872-1966

MADISON JUNCTION TO OLD FAITHFUL SECTION

As early as 1873, a road had been completed from Virginia City, Montana to the Lower Geyser Basin, via the Madison Canyon. Gilmer Sawtell, who catered to park visitors at his hotel on Henry's Lake in Idaho, built the west entrance road and named it The Virginia City and National Park Free Road. [47] Four years later, the second superintendent of the Park, Philetus Norris proposed in his first report to the secretary of the interior, the construction of a wagon road connecting the "wonders" of the park which included a route connecting Lake Yellowstone through the geyser basins and exiting on the west side. As a result of the Nez Perce conflicts during the summer of 1877, the construction of a road from the headquarters at Mammoth Hot Springs southward to the Lower Geyser Basin became the highest priority construction project. This completion of the section of road would facilitate the movement of the military from Fort Ellis, Montana to Henry's Lake in Idaho or Virginia City, Montana, and of course, be used by the ever increasing number of visitors to the park. [48]

In 1880, improvements were made to the Firehole River Road including opening a road into the midway geyser area. [49] The following year, two footbridges were constructed over the Firehole in the Upper Geyser Basin. The next major work took place after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assumed responsibility for road construction in the park in 1883. At that time, the roads in the park were described as "barely passible and are daily growing worse. Just Sunday a lady was thrown out of the carriage and badly hurt at Fire Hole River. Between the 2 fords on Gibbon River, my wagon was turned over sideways and my wife thrown out. . . . The roads are terribly worn down on one side which makes it difficult to keep in a wagon." [50] Under the direction of Lt. Dan Kingman, a new bridge was built over the West Fork of the Firehole and some stretches of corduroy road were repaired and ruts filled. Finding the Mammoth Hot Springs to the geyser basins the most heavily traveled in the park, he also noted that it had the most serious natural obstacles and thus the "worst" in the park.

Kingman constructed a new road between the Firehole River and Upper Geyser Basin, as the old, poorly located road would be very costly to improve. The "unnecessarily long" and old road crossed a "kind of geyser swamp" in some places and crossed soils of a "black obsidian sand" in others. [51] As the road neared the Upper Geyser Basin, the alignments of the old and new roads were almost the same. The new route, which cost a total of $6,042.53, reduced the three to four hour travel time from the Marshall Hotel at the Forks of the Firehole River the Upper Geyser Basin to one hour. Kingman described it as "well built" and said that the bridges and culverts had "substantial character." He further describes it as "sensibly level, and as the roadbed is mostly composed of gravel that packs well, it is a very pleasant road to drive over." [52]

The first trestle bridge built in the park crossed the Firehole River above Hell's Half Acre. Kingman felt that this bridge was well suited to the unusual conditions of the locality, "enormous quantity of hot water that this river received, it never carried any ice, and as its discharge is remarkably uniform (there is hardly a difference of a foot between high and low water) it bears little or no drift wood." The trestle bridge, costing $400, was covered with 4-inch hewed planks. [53]

In 1889, 3.5 miles of new road had been built along the Firehole River above the Upper Geyser Basin and two bridges, in addition to the trestle bridge had been built—a two span of 36 feet each over Firehole River, no truss and a one span of 38 feet over the Firehole River, no truss. [54] In 1892, Lt. Hiram Chittenden urged the rebuilding of "the worst, most tedious, and least interesting drives in the park," the road from the Gibbon Falls to the Lower Geyser Basin. [55] In 1894, a new road was completed from a point on the old road near Gibbon Canyon south across the flats toward the Firehole and also connecting with the road west down along the Madison River. At the same time, a bridge spanning the Firehole River near Excelsior Geyser was built permitting teams to cross the river at this point and join the main road in the edge of the woods opposite. [56] The next year the new road had been extended to Nez Perce Creek. In 1897 a new bridge was built over the Firehole near the Riverside Geyser and a new footbridge built over Firehole River near Biscuit Basin. [57]

During the first few years of the 20th century, several bridges were built along this section. In 1903, a new steel truss bridge, whose material came from the American Bridge Company, was built over the Firehole River, 1/2 mile above Excelsior Geyser. [58] More bridge construction and reconstruction occurred during 1905 and 1906. During the 1905 construction program, a steel truss bridge over Nez Perce Creek and two wooden bridges were reconstructed, one on the old road from the Lower Geyser Basin to Excelsior Geyser, and the other just above the Upper Geyser Basin. During 1906, the wooden bridges over the Firehole River on the old freight road near the Fountain Hotel and over the Firehole River above the Upper Geyser Basin were reconstructed. "An attractive footbridge of rustic design was constructed over the small stream between the Castle Geyser and Old Faithful Inn." [59]

In 1907, the Army engineer supervised the repair of many of the park's wooden bridges and the replacement of some bridges with culverts. On this road section, a new wooden abutment was built at the bridge over the Firehole River on the Fountain to Upper Geyser Basin road and tile culverts were laid at 7-7/8 miles on the Norris to Fountain section. [60] The following year, new decking was laid on two bridges spanning the Firehole River, one crossing being near the Riverside Geyser and the other on the Upper Geyser Basin to West Thumb at the junction with Spring Creek. One 12-inch corrugated sheet iron culvert was placed at 9-1/2 miles on the Norris to Fountain road. [61]

In 1909, a bridge inspection was done for all of the Park bridges. The bridges on this section of road were described as follows:

Bridge No. 9, across the Firehole River at Riverside Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin. The present bridge consists of a two-truss wooden span on wooden piers and abutments. This bridge is entirely too light for the service required at this point. It is located at one of the most important points in the Park, and in addition to the vehicle traffic, is at times loaded with sightseers viewing the Geysers. It is recommended that, owing the the importance of the bridge, and its location, it should be made an attractive appearing structure, and further recommended that two 32' plate girder spans with curved effect underneath be used resting on concrete piers and abutments, and that the roadway be 20' in width so as to accommodate the sightseers without interference with the vehicle traffic.

Bridge No. 8, across the Firehole River at Hell's Half Acre, near Excelsior Geyser. This bridge was built in 1895, of white pine lumber, and consists of two spans with one pier in the center of the stream and two abutments. It is now in a decaying condition and its factor of safety is so much reduced that it should be removed at once. It is recommended that it can be replaced by two 50' low truss, pin connected steel spans and concrete pier and abutments.

As part of the inspection report on the bridges in the Park, it was recommended that plans be drawn for a reinforced concrete bridge to be constructed over the Firehole River near Riverside Geyser. Capt. Wildurr Willing of the Corps of Engineers felt that since this was one of the most visited areas in the park, it was necessary that the bridge be of an aesthetic design. [62] However, because of costs, a 65 feet steel arch bridge was built was built by the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company in 1911. As late as 1923, the 1911 bridge was still in use. [63]

Not many major changes or improvements were made to this road section after the Army left the Park and the newly created National Park Service assumed the road construction program. The new director did suggest the completion of the Firehole Cutoff road. [64] The 4 mile long freight road, which paralleled the main road between the Fountain Soldier Station and the Excelsior Geyser, was closed in 1917 due to its unsafe condition of the wooden truss bridge over the Firehole River about 1 mile from the soldier station. A new 50 feet bridge was built as a replacement and a 40 feet bridge over Nez Perce Creek was reconstructed. [65] And in 1921, a new foot bridge was constructed over the Firehole River near Castle Geyser. [66]

Prior to the next major construction program initiated after the Bureau of Public Roads took over the road work in Yellowstone in 1926, the Firehole River Road south of the Firehole Cascades for 3.5 miles was widened for two way traffic. [67] The work began in May, 1925 in the immediate vicinity of the Firehole Cascades and a camp was set up near the cascades. By the middle of July, 5,160 cubic yards of excavation had been removed by hand and team labor. Of the total, 4,400 cubic yards was of solid rock. The crews installed approximately 150 feet of drainage culvert. The cost of the project was approximately $6,000. In 1926, Director Mather reported that the work along the Firehole River between Madison Junction and the Firehole Cascades was "constructed on the highest standards of any used in the National Park Service" as "the beauty of the canyon justifies the very great attention that is being given to details of wall and fill construction." [68] The 1926 project, which involved widening a 1.5 miles section of the road in very narrow places and new construction for 1.5 miles, had originally been started by the Army engineers, but abandoned in 1916. The project required 1 foreman, 1 cook, 1 flunkey, 1 compressor operator, 2 Jackhammer men, 1 powder man, 1 grade man, 14-horse teamster, 2 2-horse teamsters, 1 axe man, 1 blacksmith, 6 laborers, and 3 teams. The project required the excavation of 360 cubic yards of common material, 820 cubic yards of loose rock, 2,945 cubic yards of solid rock and the installation of 120 linear feet of 12" C.M.P. culvert in place and 24 linear feet of 18" C.M.P. culvert in place. All excavated material was used on the project. "Neither the amount of material nor the nature of the country would permit fills on a naturally stable slope and all embankment was constructed with hand placed fill or rubble wall on slopes of 1/4 to 1/2 to 1." [69]

Work also began on a new bypass road at Fountain Paint pot as the old road was widened and improved to become a short loop road. The necessary fill material was hauled from the cut at the 7 milepost, about 1-1/4 miles distant. About half of the construction in this section was through sandy material which required a binder to create a stable surface. A sharp curve above the Firehole River Bridge at Excelsior Geyser was widened by the excavation of 600 cubic yards of solid rock. The borrow for the material on this project came from a pit near Firehole Lake. The project was finished in July, 1930. A total of 2.16 miles of road had been built and 196 linear feet of 18" CMP culvert had been installed. [70]

Shortly thereafter, the crews began lessening the curvature and widening the grade on a sharp curve at a point five miles north of Old Faithful. This project required the hand excavation of about 475 cubic yards of material which was then used to widen the grade from 18 to 24 feet, both at the curve and a distance of 200 feet on either end. All of the excavation was through a sand-clay formation, thus no additional surfacing was required. It was finished with an application of oil. [71]

In 1930, the realignment of the Norris Junction to Madison Junction road resulted in two steel bridges across the Gibbon River approximately 9-1/2 miles below Norris Junction being abandoned. It was proposed that both would be removed, however one bridge, which served the old stage road (Mesa Road) to the Firehole Cascades, was still needed as diverted traffic used this route while the new road was being completed. The other Gibbon River Bridge, a steel arch bridge with concrete floor, constructed in 1913 at a cost of $4,010, was dismantled and reassembled over the Firehole River on the Fountain Freight Road. This relocated bridge replaced an unsafe timber bridge. This bridge has since been removed. [72]

In an inter-bureau conference held in San Francisco in 1931, the National Park Service requested a reconnaissance survey be completed for the road between Firehole Cascades and Old Faithful. The average daily traffic during that period was about 600 vehicles per day with about 10% of the total being trucks and busses. The survey found that the first 2.5 miles from Madison Junction to the Firehole Cascades, which had been reconstructed by day labor of the National Park Service and surfaced by the Bureau of Public Roads in 1931, to be in satisfactory condition. Thus most of the survey was for the remainder of the road. The Park requested the feasibility of rerouting the main road via the Firehole Lake, the east end of Biscuit Basin and Black Sand Basin. They also felt that if this was not desirable then they wanted loops built in these areas. The recently built bypass of the Fountain Paint Pot proved to have reduced the interest at this point, thus the Park desired a rerouting producing a closer approach. Within 10 days, the survey crew recommended many slight variations from present alignment, flattening of curves, reducing curvatures and widening the present road. It was estimated that approximately 10 culverts would be needed for every mile. The width of the road from shoulder to shoulder should be 28 feet for the main roads and 22 feet shoulder to shoulder for the proposed loop roads. The four bridges on the project were considered too narrow and too light of construction to carry the average daily traffic load, and therefore should be replaced. [73]

The location survey for this project was completed in 1932 and the Morrison-Knudsen Company, of Boise, Idaho was awarded the grading contract on July 17, 1934, for the low bid of $188,216.10. The contractor began establishing his camp at Goose Lake on July 19, 1932. The camp had frame buildings which facilitated 125 men. Family members were provided for at a camp just across the creek from the main camp. The engineers camp, which consisted of two 16' x 16' portable houses and two tents, was located at Riverside Geyser. Work began immediately and closed for the season on December 26 with 84 percent of the project completed. The 1935 season began in May and with 95% of the project finished by September 9 when the contractor closed down for the year.

By the end of the 1935 construction season, the road had been graded to a minimum width of 28 feet at the recommendation of the National Park Service. The Bureau of Public Roads standard for that time was a 26 feet roadway, shoulder to shoulder. The bridge construction was handled by separate contracts. All cross and side drainage structures were corrugated metal (1,898 linear feet) and Vitrified Clay Pipes (4,254). Since many of the drainages are through areas of unusual chemical composition, vitrified clay pipe was preferred. The 271 cubic yards of rock for the masonry work was obtained at a quarry at a point where the Mesa Road leaves the Grand Loop Road between Gibbon Falls and Madison Junction. Because of the superior condition of the subgrade, it was deemed possible for traffic to move over the road for a season or two until the final surfacing is done. [74]

Concurrently with the road construction project, a bridge contract was awarded to McLaughlin Construction Company of Livingston, Montana, for the construction of the Nez Perce Creek Bridge, the Firehole River Bridge and a foot bridge over the Firehole River at Excelsior Geyser. Work began in 1934 and the bridges were completed on September 6, 1935. Following the completion of the bridges, the Park felt that "great improvements" had been made in the roadways. The use of four to one slopes on low embankments was preferable, however, that combined with not diverting branch streams left:

some undesirably conspicuous culvert headwalls especially on the road recently completed between Madison Junction and Old Faithful. It is believed that a change in design of culvert headwall is desirable and that an improvement in appearance can be readily obtained. One plan would be to move the headwalls closer to the road shoulder, to bevel the projecting corner, and to provide 90 degree wingwalls on the same slope as the embankment. Another method would be to bevel the end of the culvert and protect the bank by hand placed embankment or by masonry laid flush with the surface of the embankment. While the masonry of large bridges adds to the attractiveness of the roadway it seems to be undesirable to make the headwalls of small culverts conspicuous and the more invisible they can be the better the appearance of the road side. [75]

Another landscape issue identified with this section's bridge work was the type of curbing desired. The Park felt:

that a concrete curb is more serviceable than a masonry curb. It is, however, suggested that the appearance of wingwalls would be improved by making the wingwalls all of masonry including a masonry curb rather than introducing a concrete curb as a portion of a masonry wall. A single course of masonry above a concrete curb does not give the appearance of being adequately bound into wall. [76]

Both the newly constructed Nez Perce Creek Bridge and the Firehole River Bridge have the combination of the concrete curb with the masonry walls.

The next major project on this road section was the relocation of approximately 2-1/2 miles of road between a point on the Grand Loop Road immediately north of Madison Junction to a point on the Grand Loop Road near the Firehole Cascades. The old road, which is along the Firehole River through a narrow canyon, was first constructed by the Army engineers, but abandoned in 1910 because of construction costs and the very heavy character of the work. In 1925, National Park Service day labor forces resumed construction on the section and it was eventually surfaced by the Bureau of Public Roads in 1931. The 1938 Preliminary Location Survey proposed the construction of a new bypass road to alleviate the serious bottleneck imposed by the narrow road through the Firehole Canyon. The engineers specified that the new bypass be built on the same standards as the rest of the Grand Loop Road. Upon completion, the old road could be used as a scenic drive. [77] This report resulted in preliminary plans, however, the construction did not occur for several years. In 1949, a 38 miles chip sealing project on the Mammoth Hot Springs to Firehole Canyon road and a grading and base surfacing project in the Firehole Canyon began. [78]

Many improvements, such as widening the roadways and bituminous surfacing, were made on the Madison Junction to Old Faithful section during the 1960s. A number of remanents of old roads were obliterated and the scenic loop roads were resurfaced and improvements made to the shoulders. Rock work was repaired after the 1959 earthquake. [79]