White Troop at Drill, Fort Yellowstone, National Park, U.S.A., The

Abstract

THE WHITE TROOP AT DRILL. One of the attractions of Yellowstone Park--more attractive perhaps because in this wild, unsettled region there is little that reminds one of man and his customs, is the military post at Mammoth Hot Springs. Here the government keeps a troop of cavalrymen for policing the park. Their duty is to see that neither hunting nor shooting occurs on the reservation, that no injury is done to the vegetable growths or mineral formations, and that the wild animals that live within the boundaries of the park are not annoyed and made timed. A pleasant incident of a visit to the park is a dress parade or company drill of "The White Troop." With a background of rugged mountain walls and an ideal surface for maneuvering, the various evolutions of the beautiful white horses and their neatly attired and accoutered riders are a delight to appreciative visitors. During the season for tourists (June to September, inclusive) the soldiers are distributed in squads about the park, at such points as shall enable them to be most useful in directing visitors and in protecting the game and other objects of interest and value. During the few years that such regulations have been enforced, deer, elk, bear, and other animals have learned that their lives and liberites are safe, and they have therefore become so fearless that they may often be seen feeding or moving about, even in close proximity to the roadways, camps, and hotels.