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Contact: Chris Cauble

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Email ccauble@riverbendpublishing.com

Forgotten account of Yellowstone’s first tourists makes a good story

Yellowstone’s first tourists enjoyed the “infernal regions”

A missing piece of Yellowstone National Park’s history comes alive in a new book called “A Ride to the Infernal Regions: Yellowstone’s First Tourists.”

The book is based on a series of articles in 1871 and 1872 in “The New North-West,” a Deer Lodge, Montana, newspaper. Written by the newspaper’s editor, Calvin C. Clawson, the 17 articles describe a three-week sightseeing trip that Clawson and five companions made in August 1871 after hearing about the area’s wonders.

Lavishly annotated with historical information by Deer Lodge, Montana, history writer Lee Silliman, the book provides a lively description of traveling through the park by horseback and visiting the park’s geyser basins, canyons, and lakes. Along the way the small group encountered bears and other wildlife, visited the famous Hayden Expedition, and outran a band of hostile Indians.

Yellowstone National Park historian Lee Whittlesey praised the book for its contribution to Yellowstone literature. “It’s a great job,” Whittlesey said. “It’s an outstanding publication that fills a big void.”

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Until now the Clawson trip had been largely unknown and never accessible in book form. Silliman discovered the original newspaper articles and researched the trip and its members. His detailed introduction describes each member of the group and the circumstances surrounding their trip. A dozen historical photos enhance the text.

“In addition to its historical significance, “A Ride to the Infernal Regions” is simply a good read,” Silliman said. “Clawson has well-crafted descriptions and a flair for story telling.”

In his foreword to the book, Whittlesey recommends that readers “curl up somewhere in a warm place, pretend it is 1871, and enjoy C.C. Clawson’s fascinating tale of pre-stagecoach Yellowstone.”

The $19.95 paperback book is available at bookstores or by calling Riverbend Publishing toll-free 1-866-787-2363.

A Ride to the Infernal Regions: Yellowstone’s First Tourists

By Calvin C. Clawson. Edited by Lee Silliman

Foreword by Lee Whittlesey, Yellowstone National Park historian

7 x 9 inches, paperback, 136 pages, 13 illustrations

ISBN 1-931832-18-8, Riverbend Publishing (Helena, Montana)