\.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW FOR THE

CRAr:i1ERS OF 'rHE MOON NA'rIONAL MONUMENT OF IDAHO

by

Michael Ostrogorsky 1983

Explora tion

The duration of the a boriginal occupation of southern

I daho i s a probl em s til l debated by anthropologists and

.::i. rchaeo l ogi s ts . Da tes of Euroarnerican pene tr~ tion and

occupa tion o f the r egion , on t he other hand, a r e a matter

o f general consens us among hi s torians . The ma jor que s tion

of debate is the extent of this expl or a tion and occupa t i on .

As part of the As torian expedition of 1811, J ohn J acob

As tor' s Pa ci fic Fur Company dispatched Wilson Pric e Hunt

.'..lnd Don.::-.. l d H.::i.cken:.ie to pioneer an overland r oute to the

Pacific, ~nd to de t ermine the po tential f or tr~pping i n

the interio r We s t. The ir party arrive d at the aban do ned

Fort Henry on Hcnrys Fork of the Snake River, 8 October

1811. Attempting t o na vigat e the Snake River, the expedition

s uffe r ed a nearly ca t as trophic loss of their canoes a t

Caldron Linn. Spli tting up , the expedition's focus t urned

from explor a t ion t o survival ; the y managed to de s cend the

Snake River Plain on f oot . The f ollowing year , a party

of r e turning As t orians l e d by Robert Stuart, ascended th~

Snake River and pioneer ed major segments of the f uture

Or egon Tra il.

Set tlement of the Snake River Plain re quired the

expl or e r s and fur trapper s to overcome problems of logistics,

and the hostility of t he nntive Amer ican Indians already

o ccupying t he r egion . A band o f Astorian s led by J ohn

Reed was massac r ed , J anuary 1814 , while a ttempting to

esta blish a post nea r the mouth of the Boise River. An

at t empt by the North West Company to establish a post in

the same area in 1819 resulted in the dea th of two Bri t i sh

trappers . Only the untiring efforts of Donald Ma ckenzi e

(now empl oyed by the. North West Company ) normali~ed r ela.-

tions be tween Britis h fur trapper s and the Indi ans of 1 southern Idaho . The me r ger of the North West Company

wi th the Iludson ' s B.:.ty Company ( IIBC) established a monopoly

2

over British trade in the Snake Rive r country. Thi s British

monopoly e ffectively forestalled penetration of the Oregon

Country by unorganize d American fur trappers . Nonetheless ,

pe rmanent posts (Forts Hall and Boise) were not success-

f ully est a bli shed until 1834.

Attempts by ~ne rican and British trappers to e xpl oit

the fur resources of the Oregon Coun try resulted in the

rapid e xploration of the Snake River Pla in . Godin arrive d

on the Big Lost River in 1823 (named ten years later when

another party f ailed to find the valley) . 2 The Rocky

Mountain Fur Comp.::my r ees t ablished an American presence

in the Orcc;on Country in 1 825 , when \'/illiam As hley and

Jededi~h Smith explored the Snake Rive r below Lowe r Sa l mon

Falls . 3 Antoine Syl vaille trapp0d tltt: Bic; Wood River f or

IIBC in 1828. He foun d the Snake Rive r country greatl y

depl eted of beaver be cause of the increasing number of

American trappers . American Fur Company trappers r eturning

to the Big Wood River in 1830 found little reward f or their

ef forts. Incidently, the ever more widely r anging search

f or fur r esulted in the fi r st do cumented expl or a tion of

the periphery o f the Cra ters of the Moon region, by the

Ben j amin L.E . Bonneville expedition of 1833-1834.J,- By

1840 , onl y a handful of trappers r emained in the Snake

3

River country. Forts Hall and Boise became servic e ccnt e: rs

on the newly opene d Oregon Trail, remaining active until

1855 (~hen they we r e abandoned because of Indian hostilities ).

Furthermore, tens of thousands of emigrants traversed the

Snake River Pl a in during the 1840s and 1850s, but cene r a lly

fo l lo\';ccl the main r oute along the Snake River. No t until

1862 did r e currinG In di an hostilities f orce a sic;nific o.n t

tra ffi c to the periphery of the Snake River Pla in ( and

the Cra t ers of the J:ioon).

The Goodale ' s Cutoff

By 1862 , the threat of Indian ho s tilities forced many

cmigr~:.nt s to l eave the Snake Rive r nea r Fort lla ll, and

skirt the northernmost edge o f the Snake River Pl ain,

returning to the regulc:1r Oregon Tra il in the vicinity of

the Boise valley. Named fo r Tim Goodale, a half-breed

guide who pionee r ed the r oute ,5 the cutoff literally skirts

the l ava fi e lds of the Cra ters of the Moon. Trail remnants

can still be seen a long the perimeters of the lava fi elds .

Fortuna t ely , the emigr ant s ' r e corded impressions o f their

4

travels survive to a much gre a ter extent than those of

the fur trappers before them .

The Goodale t r ain of 1862 included se veral hundred

wagons, more than on.e thousand men, women and childr en ,

and a l a r ge herd of stock. 6 Constantly on alert for Indi ans,

O.B . Sla ter, one of the emigrants , recorded :

There were fifty a rmed men on horses who went ahead as guards and fifty more brought up the r ecir. The t eams were driven by \'/omen and boys mostly . The men marched in squa.ds of h1ent y e.:i.ch t o guard the train.7

'rhe tr:::i. in r eached Lost River (named bcc.:rnse 11 It hc:i.s no

outlet e xc ep t by l osi ng itself in the sand or J.a va .

by July , r:here Sl a ter ' s fa ther died from "mountain fvve:r 11

:::i.nd \'/D. S buried in a wagon box. 9 Sla t e r observed that the

r o:i.d 11 \'! .:.:...s very dim .::tnd rocky , 11 no t tra vel ed sinc e 185~ . lO

Nellie .S l a t er r epo rtedly 11 Sa \'1 some nnmes cut in trees and

r ocks , \'lhich ha d been done in 1854. 11 Furthermore , .she

recorded that 11 Somc of the boys found in the rocks a trunk

which ha d been lo s t or hid in 1853. It was full.of c lothin~ ,

dishes and other small article s . 11 1 1 Nellie Sla t er r e corded :

~e are traveling now through a vo l canic country. The r e 's mountains a l l torn up and it i s a ve r y r ouGh deser t of a lookinc place . i2

Gcorce Goodha rt , an old fur trappe r, report ed t hat

as early as 1862 , "old man ftouiq7 Arco 11 es t abli she d a

ranch and trading post on Goodale's Cutoff . 13 Two years

later, Goodhart found Arco 1 s _r anch crowded with I ndians.

5

He reported that 11 The river was lined with lodges for abo ut

a mile up and dovm on both sides. 111 4 Goodha rt a lso madi:·

refert,,nc2 to "Dead Man's Flat," which may be a segment

of the l a va fields. 1_5

Julius Ca esa r Merrill, a member of the 1864 emigration ,

penned a vivid descrip t ion of the Craters of the Moon:

As far as the eye can reach there i s nothing but this bl ack volcanic rock . This re gion mu s t have r ece ived some t e rrible scorchincs a nd s hakings year s ago . These r ocks a re thrown up in every conc e ivabl e shape . Some a re l ike column s fifteen or t wenty feet in height and I o f t en wonde r ed how it bc c ~me so well balanced as t o stand ~ithout pr oping . Acain it would be thro ~n up like tho r oo f of a house with the top edccs a few feet ap:..i.rt l eaving a. chasm many f ee t in dep th bc t\'1een. It appear ed t o be a crus t and whe n coole d from t 1·10 to four fe e t in depth \'/as thu s r ent i..lsunder by some pent up gasses . I saw it in many plac~ s whe r e it had the appearance of running when quite thick . Upon the outer edge of the stream it voul d seem to cool an d tha t more hot would s till press fo rward l eaving it wrinkl ed. Some time s it v1ould overflo\'/ and form a ne\'t cru s t which might easily be r emoved . I can give no jus t descrip- 16 tion of it. It mu s t be seen to be apprecia ted.

Merrill de scribed the ro a d as " ve ry rough." The road was

a ll rocks in seve r a l places . Some so l a r ge as t o scarc ely pass unde r the waco n . At one place we ~e re oblice tl t o drive over a huge roe~ jus t a li ttlc \'1ider tlw.n the v12,gon. lL:.cl \'te gone .:_,;_ foot t o the right or t o the l eft t he wagon woul d ha ve r o l l ed over. The r oad was very crooked as it followed a lone the edge of the hill s most of tho time it beinG the only route possible on account of this black r ock. It was like following along a rough beach. As some steep point or bluff would run out into this rock then did we expe ct to see our wngons smashed. Such roads a nd sur-rounding country be ggars descrip tion. The man whom Aesop described a s being cha ined in a pool

of water with an apple dangling abo ve his head and being unable to quench either thirst or hunge r wa s in a Paradise in comparison to him who drives a 11 Bull t eam11 a cross such places .17

Merrill r eco rded his 11 r elie f to see the distance Vlideninc

be t\'/ee n us and tha t volcanic strata . 11 He concluded :

It \'Jas a desola te, dismal s cenery. Up or do \'m the valley as far as the eye could r each or a cross the mountains and into t he dim distance the same unvarying mass of bla ck r ock. Not a shrub, bird, nor insect s eemed to live near it. Great must have been the r elief o f the volcano, powerful the eme tic, that poure d fo rth such a mass of 11 Black Vomit. 11 18

The Woo lverton family also i)articipated in the 1 864

emigration . They dc3cribed the Craters of t he Moon as a

11 bla ck valley of de

the Cra t ers of the Moon. The mountain had c r ass on not many r ocks the soi l was sort of r ed and sandy . It jus t looked like there had been a plac e l e ft f or a r oad •••• Not very pret ty place . Mo unt a ins on one s ide and l a vy rock on the other. 20

7

Fo r the t wenty yea r perio d before Foster' s trek along

Goodale ' s Cutoff, a Lost Rive r r esident, Judge D.J. Martin,

remember ed seeing " thousands " o f emigr ants utilizing the

r oad ; many trave l ed west , but many a lso ha d ~bandonod the

co.::ts t ctnd r.rere r oturninr; to the Eas t. 21

Settlement

The emigr ation to Idaho was heavily augmented a fter

1860 by the gold and silver strikes t hroughout the t erri tory

(particularly the 1862 strikes in Boise Basin and the

Owyhe es ). With the exception of isolated r anches and

s t age s tations (such us Arco), the emigration bypasse d

the Crater~ o f the Moon in its rus h t oward the ~old fiel ds .

The Vood River District was pr ospec t ed by 1883 , when t he

!Jartin fumily homesteaded the Martin r anc h on Coodul e ' s

Cuto ff. 'l1lrn follo \'ling year, Frank and Setmuel l·lartin di ::::-

covcrc:d hornsilve r on t he north fork of Champagne Creek .

'l1he Horn .Silver !-line \':as l oca t ed , June 1884, and a tent

city i n Poison Gulch developed into the boom t ovm of Er .:J.

(named fo r Samuel and Ma ttie D. Martin' s son--Tom Mart i n ' s

fa ther). A post office \'Ja.s es tablished at the Martin r anch .

By 1885, the town of Era boasted 11 s ix saloons , a

drug store , the Pacific Express Office , three general

stores, one ha r dvare store , one mining equipment concern ,

one barber shop •.• one blacksmith shop , one opera house ,

a r ambling boarding house and an unrecorded number of

' houses of ill r epute. 111 22 A number of tents and private

8

dwellings surrounded this business district sufficient to

house a ~orking popul ation of about 3 , 00o . 23 Addition&lly ,

Frank l'-I l~ rtin diroc tc cl the cons true ti on of a 11 huc;c dry

crusher mill . 11 24 In an election in 1886 , the to nn of Br a

muste r ed 140 vot es . 25 This mining activity encour aged

homesteading and prospecting thr oughout the Lava Mining

District . Towns s uch as Arco , Houston , Gem , Cliff City ,

C.::trbona.te , '.'/hitc Knob , 1Uder Creek, Custer and Bonanza

·:1erc ncr1ly establ i shed , or prospered because of mining

developments . By 1890 , the Horn Silver Mine alone is '),..

estimated to have pr oduced one million dollars in silver. {__u

But lov- gr ado or e and a crash of the silver mar ket killed

the town of Era by the end of the century . 27

A stage line w~s est abl ished on Go odal e : s Cutoff in

1879 by Alexander Toponce to connect Bl ackfoot and Challic . 28

Stage s t ations were constructed along the line , includin~

at Arco . A to \'m developed around the station , and chanc:•-'d

its l oca tion twice. Only after the Mackay Short Line

Railroad was completed in 1901 was the tovm situate d in

its modern location. 29 Local r esidents wer e familiar \'Ji th

the Craters of the Moon, and called it "' big craters ' or

some s uch name . 1130 Wood River rustl ers even utili zed the

lava fields as refuges and \'lay s t a t i ons for sto l en stock.

Cra t ers o f .tJle. J1o.o.n. pa t~onal Monument

rrhe expansion o f se ttlement in the r egion surrounding

Craters of the Mo on r esulted in increased interes t in the

l ava fie l ds . As early as 1879 , loc a l r esidents s uch as

Arthur Ferris and J.~. Powell explored the lava fie lds

9

for wa t e r sources to supply cattle herds . Powell r eputedly ·-· 1

e r ected et s tone marke r a t a wa ter hol e in Ve rmilion Cha~..: 1:1 • ..1

Furthe rmor e , a cow ' s s houlde r bone r eporte dly \'JLl.S discovc.:n:cl

i n Buffa lo Ca ve i n 1926 , with names and the date o f 1885

11 written " on it • .32

The initia l s cientific explora tion of the Cra t ers of

the Moon was spon sored by the Unit ed States Geological

Survey. I . C. Russel l surveyed the northe r n r egiQn in 1901

and 1903 . He called the l a va fields the "Cinde r 13u ttes 11

region . 33 Russell concluded tha t the fie l ds were .:Ac tive

as r e cently as 100- 150 years . 34 Samuel A. Paisley , who

became the monument's first custodian, expl ored the l avu

fields beginning in 1910.35

In 1921 , the U. S.G.S . dispatched Harold T. Stearns

to survey the Craters of the Moon. Stearns was accompanie d

by O.E. Meinzer, another U.S.G.S. geologist; and by Fred

E. Wri ght, a Carnegie Institute geologist. On the basis

o f this field work, Stearns in 1923 r ecommended to the

Na tiona l Park Service the creation of a na tional monument

a t the Cr a t er s o f the Moon. In Stea r ns ' opinion , a monu-

ment " i'/oul d pr ese r ve fo r the people of the United St a t es

the mos t r e cent example of a fi ssure eruption i n thi s

coun t r y . 11 36

10

I n an a ttempt to est a bli s h the da t e o f the mos t rec ent

e ruptions a t Cr a t e r s of t he Moon, Ste a r ns

vi s ited Mr. Powell i n 1926 and was surprised by hi s rema rkable memory o f the principa l fe a tures in t he a r ea . Mr. Po well stat e d t ha t in 1879 he in t erviewed Ma j o r Jim, a Bannock Indian scout, who s poke Engl i s h well, r ega r ding the time of the las t eruption i n the a r ea . Major Jim r e-plied tha t h i s gr ea t - gr ea t-gr eat-gr andfa the r sa w fire in the r egion. On the basi s o f this sta t emen t the l a s t e r upt i on occurred in the early pa rt o f the e ight eenth cen tury. I t i s no t i mpossible t ha t an e r up tion occur r ed in the area a t tha t time , but i t i s as like l y t ha t u fuma r ole or steam vent could have been con s i d-er ed f i r e by the Indi an. 37

St ear ns concluded :

It i s probabl e tha t the ances tors of the modern Indian witnccs 0d e rup t ions i n the a r ea as Indian s f r e quented the r egi on f or hun t ing or took r efuge from enemies i n the numer ous ca ves and crate r s . Howeve r , t o a ttemp t t o fix the da t e of an erup-tion on the bDsis of I ndia n tra dition may le ad t o s erious e rro r. 38

I nci den t ly , St ea r ns a t tributed t he name , Cra t er s of t he

Moon , t o "The similar ity of the dark crate r s an d the cold

l ava , nearly destitute of vege t ati on , to the surface of

the moon as seen through a telescope ••• "39 Stearns

11

r eceived a pr es i dcn ti a l commenda tion f or his ef f ort s towc:~rd

preserving the Cra t er s of the Moon . 4° On 2 May 1924,

Pr esi den t Calvin Coolidge proclaimed thirt y- nine s~uD re

mi l es of the lava fi elds to be the Cra ters of the Moon

Nation~ l Monument .

Stco.rns r e turned to the re gion i n 1926 , to complete

his survey in coope r a tion with the Idaho Bureau of Mine~

and Geo l ogy. The se ef fort s resul ted in an increase in

the s i ze of the monument , from thirty-nine to eighty- thr~c

squa r e miles . 4 1

Although a fede r a l r eserva tion by 1924 , i mpr ovementG

a nd maintenance depende d initially on loca l ini tiative .

Road i mprovement s ( including construction of the lo op

drive) began in 1 9~2 , etnd r1as "ca rried on by t he loc~1.l

citizenry se emingly in self- preserva tion measures . 1 1 ~-2

St:tmue l A. Paisl ey , :-1.ppo inte d first custodian , de veloped

Cinderhurs t Camp

Robert Winfield Limbe rt

Harold T. Stearns r e turned to Washingt on , D.C ., after

his 1921 expedition , to produce his r eport to the Nati onal

Park Service . Meamirhile , a Boise taxidermist , natural i st ,

and fl edgling writer conducted his o\m explora tions of

the Cra ters o f the Moon .

11 rr\'/o - gun " Bob Limbert was born is southern lhnncsot.::.. ,

24 April 1885. Soon a fte r his birth , he was adopted by

Jesse and Ida ( Smith) Limber ; t he famil y moved to Omaha ,

Nebraska . Sometime before moving to I daho , Bo b changed

12

his adop t ed name , wi th the additi on of a final le tt er 11 t 11 .45

Growing up in Omaha , Limbert be came an amateur wrestler ,

and entered the business of t axide rmy . With taxide rmy

came an unbounded l ove o f wildlife and tho outdoor s , and

an inte r est in l c~rning about e very f~c e t of outdoor life ,

from I ndi~n lifeways to motion picture making.

Lco.ving Omaha , Limbert Practiced t a xide rmy in Minnu :.:~ po l i:.:: -

St . Paul , Denver , and Ogden , befo r e arriving in Boise in

1911 . Managing another bus iness for two years , 46 Limbert

went into bus iness fo r himse lf by 1914 (initially in partner-

s hips ; wi th A. A. Austin , 191 4; and E. C. Eckart , beginninc

1915) . Hi s a rriva l in Boise also r esulted in marriage ,

t o Mar gar et \Viggs of Omaha , 14 December 191 1. An indic

the Idaho state exhibit a t the Panama- Pacific Internation~l

Exposition at San Franc i sco , r equiring him to l eave Idaho

for fourte en months . 47

Once establish0d in Boise as a t o.xide rmist , t ann er

a nd furri e r , Limbert increasingly devoted more timv to

activities promoting the \Vest , wildlife , and 11 T1·10- gun 11

Bob Limbert. His activities on behalf of the West , and

na tura l history, included work with the United States

Bio l ogical Survey , the I daho State Game Department , the

Idaho State Historica l Society, the Uni ve r sity of Nebraska ,

and the I zaak V/al ton League . He became a deputy commis-

s ione r of the Boy Scouts. He eventually a cquired a pr o-

fcss ion~l rn 3nage r ~ nd entered the na tiona l l ecture and

performa nce circuit. LiB Limbert performed as .::i. quick- dr.:n1

a rtist , shooting demonstrat or and instructor , and fore nsics

specia lis t . He consul ted with polic e departm..:n ts c:tnd

s heriff ' s ~sso ciations . 49 J\nd if all else fc:i.il cd , he r;o.ve

bird ancl animal imito. tions . Examples of hi s cxp9rti su

with a weapon included shooting ~hile standing on hi s hc~d ;

or s t anding upright, splitting a bullet on an axe blade , '(J a nd br eaking targe t s positioned on both s ides of the bl3Jc . ~

A Chico.go newspaper r eporte d that Limbert once challenged

Al Capone to a pistol duel a t t en paces . 5 1 Capone evidently

dec lined . Limbert once explained to a newspape r mon \'thy

\'/cs tcrncr~ have such .:t pr ofi ciency l't ith e;uns : " t o pr o t .::ct

th · 1 · d h t h for ba1· t. • • 11 52 eir 1ve s an s oo gr ass oppers A

somewhat apocryphal story suggests the breath of Limbert's

s ho\'mianship a nd brnvado :

Back in the days when the r egion was l a r gely peopled by Indians, a l one ~bite ma n was cooking his s uppe r over a camp fire besi de o. little strcain on the Fort Hashakie India n Rese rvation in 1:.'yotning . A party of Indians rode up and, disrnoun ting, said: "You hun tum money rock" (me.:rning "prospecting"). "Me no like."

Relying on his a bility to awe the red men throu~h their superstitious natures, the rrhite m~m r eto rted , "Me no huntum money rock, me huntum ~..Y.," and r1ith cle ver sle i ght - of-hc nd maneuvers he palmed several coins from hi s pockets. 11 Ho, look, ko tchum money o.11 around!" he exclaimed, as , r1i th sleeves rolled up, he began pickine; .:i.ctual money out of the a ir.

The braves watched every move with keen-est interest and finally the le ader concluded, 11 Huh, heap big medicine man!" and they sat a round the camp fire , delighted while Bob Limbert went through his whole repertoire of tri cks and macic . 55

But a lthough a compulsive practical joker, Limbert ap-

paren tly fa iled to c:i.pprecia te jokes at his e xpen::;c . lL::t r ,)ld

T. Stearns had deve loped a friendship with Limbert while

\'1orking at the Craters of the Moon. In his memoirs , Stc: i.r-n::

rccnlls:

The topogra~hic map of the monument made by the [u.s.G.SJ at my request was completed in 1926. I named all the features that my good friend Bob Limbert had not named in his early National Geographic articl e •••• He wus a compulsive practical joker but neve r liked jokes to be pl ayed on him. When he sent me my bear rug, made from a hide I had sent him for curing, he . enclosed a check for

one million dollars , written on a defunct Boi se b~nk , a l ong with othe r useless ob j ec ts used in packing. I took a ll the heavy rock specimens from the Crate r s of the Moon. • • and sent t hem to Bob via express collect with a brief lette r stating that thi s uas the l oad off my heart after r eceiving his ~ifts. I never heard from him a gain . 54 ·

Of ultimately greate r historical importanc e than his

15

l ectures and pe rforrnunces , Limbe r t r e corded his perceptions

and observ~tions of I daho for posterity. In ~ddition t o

writing articles ~nd columns f or numerous rn uguzines and

newspapers , Limbert became an avid s till and motion picture

photoi:;rapher. Ile r e corded in photographs areas of I daho ,

includinG the Gruters of the Moon , pri or to their discovery

by the general public , and subsequent deve l opment.

Robert ·1. Limbert di ed unexpectedly) 15 July 19).3

\'Jhile on tour in the East , he r eceived word th.:i. t his mother

had fallen ill. Dtiving back to Boise, he was f~t~lly

stricken at Cheyenne with a brain hemorrhage e Hi.s mo thl: l'

died the following day, and they were buried in Boise in

adjoining graves.

Among the Craters of the Moon

Robert Limbert r ecounted in a 1924 Na tional Geogra phic

c::i. rticle ( \'Jhich to,'.::;o th"'r \Ii U i Harold T. Stearn~; ' fa vora blo

r eport gener a ted the publicity necessary to pr od President

Calvin Coolidge to designate the Craters of the Moon as ~

nationa l monument):

For seve r a l years I had listened to stories t old by fur trappers of the strange t hings they bud s een \'/hile ranging in this region ~ Somo of these accounts seemed beyond belie f. 5~

His curiosity aroused , Limbert retraced the expl or a tions

of I.C. Russell. On his se cond hike into the lava fi e l d::.:

he vms accompanied by \'/es \'/atson and Era Martin, r c,nchcrs

~hose homesteads ad joined the Cra ters of the Moon . Vat::.:on

and Martin provided invaluable logistica l s upport and

orientation for Limbert . Finally , May 1923 , Limbert

(toge ther with W. I . Cole , ~nd ~n Aireda le terrier) treldc~d

e,1.c r oss the Craters of the Moon, hikin~ north from J.1 i nidol:a

1 6

to Martin 1 s r anch. 'l1he tr10 men packed "bedding , an aluminum

cook outfit , a 5 x 7 comera and tripod , binocula r s , ~nd

suppli es , sufficient f or h:o \'/eeks ••• 11 56 rrhey quickly

discover ed their mis t a.ke in bringing the dog , " for after

three dD.ys ' travel hi s feet v1ere worn raw and bl eeding.

In some places it ~as necessary to carry him or s it and

\'!Cl.it \'/hilc he picl\e:cl hi s rtay ac ro ss . 1157 Limbert claime d

tho. t he ~nd Cole r1c r c the 11 first \'/hi tc pe r sons to cross

t hi s platc.::iu from south to north . 11 58

Relying on \'/~tcr found in ca ves and crevices , the

men n.::ivig;atc:d "old Indian" trails . Limbert claimed to

ha ve tra ced one 11 well-\01orn 11 Indian trail ac r oss the lava

fields , entering the Craters of the Moon

&bout six miles west of Martin, near the sinks of a l ost stream lrnovm as Little CottomJOod . It is i s tinct for about 11 miles, and then f~dcs; y e t ve found traces of it all t he vay a c ross . I t i s sparingly marked with small r ock piles a nd pieces o f sage brush, with r ocks to ve i ght them • • l fcv flint or obsidian a rrov-po ints ca n be picked up a l onlt it~ ·~'/he re these trails c;o and \':hy , no one lmo r1s • .:J9

Along the journey, Limbert and Cole discovered evidenc e r. 0

of bear s 11 di gging fo r r oo t s z...nd rolling rocks for ants . 11 ' )

During their trek , Limbert and Cole named ma ny of

the na tura l features encountered, including Vermilion

Canyon and Sheep Trail Mount ( Butte) . On a subsequent

visit in Aur,-us t, Limbert named sevc r et l other fcc,turc:s ,

::.; uch .'.:lS Ye llO\'/ J

FOOTNOTES

1 De Jong, p. 64 .

2 1· Rutl edge , p . •

3De Jong , p . 115 .

4r r ving , p . 203.

5Ne llie Sl ater , p . 4.

6Ibi d. O. B. Sl ate r , p . 3.

7o. B. Sl a t e r , p . 3. 8I bi d.

9Ibid .

1 Oib . , _ lU • 1 1

1'I c 11 i c S 1 a t t: r , 9 . 4. 12

I bid . 1 :· J~ndorson , p . 2 14 .

14Ibi d., pp . j19- 320 .

15 rb- -i -·1 0 llt e' P• .) V o

161.Jerrill Ms . 1 7 I bid . 18Ibi d . 1 9\'/oo l ve rton Ms .

2°Fos t e r Ms .

2 1I-Ia gen Ms . ")"')

.:...'--Cl e~ic , p . 21+ .

2 .3I bid.

24c1e~ie , p . 24 . 2 5Hc:tgen Ms .

26c1ezi e , p . 25 . 27Ibid.

28Rut l edge , p . 2 .

29Ibid., pp . 2-3.

30nacen Ms • ..., 1 ) Stearns 1977, p . 27 • ..., ? ) '-- Ibid .

_3.)l'1 l ' ' .. ~ ., 11 \l,, .._)..,,JI,,..: • 71 ~~~tc~rns 1977 , pp . 26- 27 •

.35ncynolds Ms .

3 6 " t , ·· i~n ,.. 1 9 ') -=', ....) l..;J ~ L- _... "

37sto~rns 1977 , p . 27 .

3Slbici. , p • .)1 .

39Ibid. , p . 1 .

L1-0l bid. , p . ii .

41 Ibid., p . 1 .

~-2 z· - i 35 in \: , p . •

43 Ibid., p . 61.

44Ib'd 6~ 63 . l • ' pp . c_ - •

45nawley , p . 653 . Larrrence , Perso n c.l Communico. tion .

46n.:.::..•:r l ay , p . G511 . •

47 rbid.

48Ho\'/ell Ms .

19

49Ho\'/(:~ ll Ms.

50ibid.

51Limbert Family Ms .

52Ibid .

53Fordyce .

54stc2rns 1983 , p . 41 .

55Li u b~ rt 1 9 2 11 , p . 30 3.

56Ibid .

57Ibid.

58Ibid.

59rbict. , p . 328 .

GOibid., p . 306 . 61 Ibid., p . 32e . 6 ') -i :_ Ibi cl .

20

BI BL IOGRAPHY

Anonymou s . 11 Cr a t c rs of the Mo on , 11 Scienc e ( 1 3 June 1 92L1) , Supp .: XII , p . 59 .

• r " Craters of the Moon 11 Enla rge d,_ ' ,~mo ri can ----=F-o_r _e-sts a nd Fo r est Life ( Septembe r l 92b), Vo l ume 34 ,

p . 562.

-----· 11 Cra ters o f the Moon Nationa l Monument , 11

American Sce nic and Historic Preserva tion Socie ty , )0th t~nnual Reno rt ( 1925), pp. 1 L~9 - 150 .

-----· £crate r s of the Moon National Monument!, In A Pre limin a r v Re port on the Parks , Park woys a n d Rocra~tional Areas of I da ho , pp . 19- 21 . Berke l e y : N.:. tional ParL .Sorvic c , 1939 .

---..,,----.- • Robert \'/ . Limbert . Ms . on file wi th Cr.:.i t er ~: 0 f the Moon Nationa l Monument .

Adams , \'/illard , e t al . " Exploring Ida ho ' s Clinke r Seein~ Idah o (October 1937) .

13o V I I -· '

AlbriGht, Horace M., a nd Frank J . Ta ylor,. 11 Crate r s o f the Mo on , 11 Oh , Ranger ,_ p .. 166 . Stanford : Stan fo r d Unive rsity Press , 1920 .

Ande r son , Abraham c . Tra j_J. s of Ea r l y Idaho : 'rhe Pionee r Life o f George W, Go odha r t , a n d His Asso c i a tion with the Hu dson ' s B

The Blue Book of ~orl d Cel ebrities, • , fo r 1 9~?- ~3 . Boston : Alber and \'/ickes , Inc. , n. d , 11 Eo b Limbert , " p. 33.

Boise Capital Ne '.:s . Boise , Idaho . 20 December 1 928 .

Boise City and Ada County !Idaho! Directory , Volumes VIII- XX (1 91 2- }935).

Bottolfsen, Clarenc e A. Arco and Butte County : The Lane. of Opportunity , Arco : Butte County Chamber of Commerce , n . d.

• Little Bits of Lost River History . Arco : ~--A-r_c_o-Advertiser , 1926.

-----· Persona l Papers . University of I daho .Spcci.:... l Collections . Moscou.

- - ---• A Tribute to the Late Robe rt W. Lim b~r t . .Sii.;ned Ms . on file r1i th the Craters of the Hoon Na tiona l Monument.

Brosnan , C. J . Hi s t o ry o f the Sta te of Idaho , New York : Cha rles ScriLn~r and Son , 1918 .

Clark , Ella E. In d-L .::t n Le ends from the Northern Rockie s , Norman : Univc r 8ity of Oklahoma Pre s s , 19

Cl ements , Louis . Ghost To ~n s o f the Unpe r Snake Rive r lf::t l l o y .

Cl ezie , Juvannc . " l~ra , 11 pp . 24- 25, Ruralite (Sep tember 1980) , Fore st Grove , Oregon .

Da vis , Daniel E. Lcttur to Mrs . Robert ( Margare~) Limbort , May 23 , 1963. Copie s of correspondence on file with Craters of the Moon Nutional Monument .

De Jong , 'rhelma B • .2xpl ori:ltions and Fur Trade in Idaho: 1805- 1846 . M. A. The s i s , Brigham Young University (Provo) , 1957.

Enjoy Na[;o.z ine , I da ho St .::i. t c Journa l , Pocate l lo , I daho . 17 l'-1.::i.y 1974 ( .Se ction C) . "Crater s of the l'ioon , 50 t h Anni vor sary . 11

Fenneman , Nevin M. 1 1Snake River Pl a i n, 11 In Physio·~rtrnhy of \'/e s t ern United Sta te s , pp . 238-24L~ . Neri Yorl-: : McGra~-Hill , 1931 ,

22

Fordyc e , Clau de P . 11 Bob Limbert ' s Feet~ Ca rried Hirn Into Str ange Pla ce s , " Americo n Maga~ine (January 1 929 ) .

Foster , An~ie J a ne Bigge rs El liot t . /1904/, Mar ilyn R. Ho..rbo rd , e d . Bigge r s , 1 971-h

Annie Jane 1 s J ourn :::J Chico: Gl en :s.

Hagen, Olaf T. Notes on Inte rvie u with Judge D.J. Ma rtin , Arco , I daho, June 19 , 1940 . Ms . on f i le with Craters of the Moon Nat i onal Monumen t .

23

Ha \·1ley , J ames . Hist orv of I daho : The Gem of tlH; ! · io unt~~ns , Volume I II , p~j . 65.5- 654. Chica.t;o : The .S . J . C.:L.~ rJ:..:: Publ i s hing Co r:i!j&ny , 1920 .

11.::i.ync , Coe Smith . l~ocl

Limbe r t , Ro bert\'/. " .Among the ' Crat ers of the Moon ' : An Account of the First Expeditions Through the .Remarkabl e Vol canic Lava Beds of Sou thern I dc,ho , 11 Na tional Geofira phi c Magazj_ne (Ma rch 1924) , Volume !15 , PP . .30 .3-328 .

-----· " Among t he Cr ater s of t he Moon ," Lit e rary Di ges t (1 2 April 1924), Vol ume 81 , pp . 40- 44.

___ ...,....._,_. "A Tr ip t o t he Moo n," I daho Sunday Statesman . 1 0 .Apri l 1 921 •

2L~

Martin , Tom . Personal I nterview, May 1983 . Caldwell , Ida ho .

1-1.J..y , Luke .S . "Seeldng a Sla ye r in the Cr c:t tcrs of the Moon , 11 True Detective .

l'.JcLcod , Gcorc;c A. !Ii sto r y of /11 tur.:i. c; .-:ind Bl:::"Lne: Counti.es , I daho . Hailey : Huiley Times , 1950 .

Merri ll , Julius Caesar . Goo dale ' s Cutoff Ms . ( 18611) on file with the Idaho State His toric a l Socie ty . Bois~ .

1-luttko r.rski , .R . M. " Valley of the Moon , 11 In Nnturr1J ist ' s Guide to the ~me ricas , p . 253 . Baltimore : Villi~m2 a n J ~ilkins , 192G.

Ne:, t ionetl Pa.rk Service . 11 Cra ters of the Moon National Monume nt ," In J\ Bi.blio D:ranhy of Na t iona l Parks a.nd lfonuments \Ve s t o,f t he Mi.ssissinpi River , Volume I , pp . 1- j (1 9J.i.1 ) .

-------· " Cra t ers of the Hoon National Monumen t , 11 In Glimpses of our lfational Monuments , pp . 1 6- 1 8 .. ~etshington , D. C.: United Sta t es Go vernment .Printing Office , 1 930 .

Reyno l ds , Bob . Craters of the Moon Explo r ed in 1879. Ms . on fi le wi th the Craters of the Moon Nation~l Nonument .

Rhodcnb~uch , Ed~orti n . p ., 196 1.

Sl·:e tchcs of I daho Geolo L1·y . Boise :

Husscll , I s r ae l c. Geo l ogy and \'/a ter .Resources of the Snake River Pl.::t.ins of I dahoo UoS , G2 S . Bullet·in 1990 Washington , D. C.: U. S . G.P . 0 0 , 1902 0

Rutledge , Gene P . Los t Ihver Days : Introduc to ry Remarks ( 6 July 1973) . Ms . on file with the Craters o f t he Moon Na tiona l Monument .

Sl a ter, Nellie. Travels on the Plains in 1862. Hs . on file with the Crate r s of the Mo on Na tiona l Monument .

Slater , O. B. Trip Ac r oss the Plains i n 1862 . Ms . on fil e ~ith the Cra ters of the Moon Nationa l Monument.

25

Stear ns , Ha r old T. "The 'Cra t e r s o f the Moon' in I daho ," Ge ographica l J ourna l (Ja nua ry 1928), Volume 71 , pp . 43-49.

--..--,.--• " Crc:,te r s of the Moon Na tj_o na l Monument ," Gc0 1~-ranhic

Voth , Haze l H., et :::..1 . 11 Craters of the Moon National Mo nument , 11 In Guide to National Parks and Monuments \'le.s t of the Missj_s.s i DDi River , p . 52 . Berkeley: N~tional Park Jc rvicc , 1938.

'.ioo l vcrton family l'-ls . 1 86L~ Goodale 1 s Cu to ff I·:s . on file r1i th the I d.::i.ho .Stet tc Historical Socie ty . Bo ise .

Yard , Roberts . 11 Cra t ers of the Hoon Nati onal Monument , 11 I n National Parks Port folio , p . 268 . ~ashington , D. C. : U:s . G.P.O. , 1931 .

Zink , Robert c. Short History Cra t ers of the Moon ( 1955) . Ms . on file ~ith the Cr.::i.ters of t he Moon Nat ional Nonum..::n t .

I daho State Hi storical Socie ty , Boise

Catal og# 61 - 170 . 2

6 .3- 1 32 • 1 .3

70- 86 . 10 70- 86 . 11 70- 86 . 12 ?0- 86 . 1.)

72-201 • 32A- I-I 72- 201 . 32 I-K 72- 201 . 321 72- 201 . 32M 72- 20 1 . 320 72- 201 . 32P 72- 201 . 32Q 7 2- 20 1 • 32 U- \V 72- 20 1 .32R, S 72- 201 • .32T , X

61- 178 . 6

71 - 141. 7

75- 129 . 19 75- 129 . :~o

76- 2 . 5.i\ 76- 2 . 5B

Biography Group JB33

Limbert Fa mily Ms ,

Unca t a l oged

Indian Tunnel

Bi g Crater

Tree Houl ds Crystc:.l Pi t '.'/

tb tiona l Archives , ~·/ashin p:ton , Dt C. (St ill Pho t o Branch)

Catal og# 79- G-1 9M-1 a

79- G-1 9H- 2a

Pahoehoe l ava near I ndi an Tunnel (Frank Li pp photo )

Spat t e r Cones near the Bi g Cr ater (Fr ank Lipp photo, Augus t 1942 )