Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
buildings' use. Year-round park personnel currently occupy most buildings, so please re-
spect their privacy.
The walk begins with
Albright Visitor Center,
the former Bachelor Officers' Quarters
built in 1909. As with all the stone buildings, this one was constructed by Scottish stone-
masons, who quarried the sandstone just down the hill near the Gardner River. The cavalry
decided to build new facilities in stone after a devastating 1907 fire destroyed wooden
stables and killed a number of horses. The last building in the first row was the
Guard
House,
also used to admit park visitors, most of whom entered via the North Entrance.
The second and third rows included barracks, the post exchange, and stables, now used
for offices and shops. Four small houses behind were noncommissioned officers' quarters
and were dubbed
Soapsuds Row
when the wives took in laundry for extra money.
When the NPS took over administration of Yellowstone in 1916, approximately 200
soldiers were serving in the park. Of these, 22 stayed on as park rangers. Modern national
park policies, philosophies, and even ranger uniforms evolved here.
LOWER TERRACES WALKING TOURS*
The Mammoth Terraces are constantly changing! You need to approach them closely to ap-
preciate the variety of colors and the heat and power of the springs. Ask at the visitor center
where to find the best hot spring activity. The tour has many steps, but it's worth the effort
and covers a total of about 1 mile (l.6 km). A pamphlet about the terraces is available from the
boxes near the parking areas. NOTE: Upper Terrace Drive has a wheelchair-accessible board-
walk (
page 271
).
Opal Terrace
Park at one of the several areas at the foot of the terraces. The easiest terrace to get to is
Opal Spring
and
Terrace,
the only formation east of the main road, inactive in recent years.
As you approach Opal Terrace, you may wonder why a large and beautiful house would
have been built so close to an active terrace. Built in 1908, the house was designed by Robert
Reamer in Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style for Yellowstone Park Association President
Harry W. Child. here was no spring here then, or if there was, it was tiny! Since 1926, Opal
Spring deposited a foot or more (about 30 cm) of travertine each year it was active, but it has
alternated between dormant and active since 1982. Nature now usually wins out in disputes
over territory, but the NPS must also protect the house as a cultural site.