Distinctly Montana Magazine

69 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m Moran, at 34, six years Jackson's senior, arrived looking thin, ema- ciated and very "green," with very little experience outside the city. According to Jackson, he was "as poorly equipped for rough life as anyone I have ever known." He had never ridden a horse or held a gun, and had a great aversion to the fatty camp food. Many doubted he could handle the rigors of the upcoming mission. But he perse- vered—determined to prove them all wrong. Within days he had enough horsemanship to be competent, and he practiced with his rifle until he could at least come close to his target. It was said that when Moran practiced with his rifle, everyone ran and ducked for cover! Despite their different backgrounds, the two men hit it off right away. Both were self-taught artists, introspective, loved mu- sic and valued Nature for its beauty. They quickly developed a deep friendship that would last well beyond the Yellowstone trip, through the rest of their lives. The first wonder they encountered were the terraces of Mam- moth Hot Springs—something missed by the earlier Washburn expedition. While the geologists did what geologists do, Jack- son and Moran set about creating images. They were soon work- ing close together—helping each other with compositions to the point where, for many of their images, they represented col- laborative processes. Moran even appears in many of Jackson's photos, for scale, presumably, as well as pitching in with the la- borious process of preparing plates and later, helping to develop them. In return, Moran would often use Jackson's photos, along with his own in-field sketches, to create his Yellowstone paint- ings after returning back east. After Mammoth Hot Springs, the expedition rode to the sum- mit of Mt. Washburn, down to Tower Falls and over to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. After the main party left the Grand Canyon, Jackson and Moran spent an extra four days photo- graphing, sketching and painting. They rejoined the main party on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. From there, they fought their way over to the geyser basins though endless blow-downs of lodgepole pine. The geyser basins had already been visited by the Washburn expedition, but it was the Hayden group who got to see the erup- tions of some of the park's largest geysers. They gave them names such as Giant, Giantess, Grand and Castle. They also confirmed the regularity of one in particular, which seemed to erupt about every hour. The year before, Langford had given it the name "Old Faithful." Now the Hayden party gathered around it where Jack- son preserved the moment with the very first photo of the most famous, most photographed geyser in the world. By fall, the survey was over and everyone returned home. Hayden set about immediately lobbying Congress to set aside Yellowstone due to its unique features and geology. Congress again doubted some of the descriptions Hayden brought back.

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