Gardiner Montana was hinted at in the Forrest Fenn book too far to walk. Fenn speaks of a dream he had walking around Gardiner Inland (notice the spelling). Early back in 2011 I spent time looking in this area. I kept looking here for almost four years. Made at least thirty different explorations of the area and I feel it is not in Gardiner nor on the Yellowstone river nor any of the creeks in that area. Yes, Gardiner is a hint but not because it is there. Forrest would not give the area away so easily. From his dream to Devil’s slide or from Brown’s put in to Yankee Jim’s canyon or Joe Meek to the newsman who floated down through the his canyon, they all have merit but no secreted place. So is there a hint in all this yes I believe there is and I am going to share the reason with you.
I have come to believe the hints are far more than Fenn would give if it were there. He said the hints in the book are general just to help identify a clue. Not his exact words but if you have studied you will know everything you need to know is in the poem. Devils slide, Gardiner is not in the poem, Brown and meek are and maybe Sphinx Creek. Every place in the Rockies is a possibility so of course it could be around Gardiner I thought so for over three years but now I have found what I feel is the connection.
Posted on April 4, 2017 by Train Lover
The Northern Pacific was proud to call Gardiner the “original entrance to Yellowstone National Park” and, from 1903 until Union Pacific built to West Yellowstone in 1908, the only one reached by a railroad. These postcards show views in and around Gardiner.
NP’s train station at Gardiner was built on a loop that allowed the train to turn and head back to the main line at Livingston. This card was not issued by the railroad but does present an overview of the town.
This card probably dates from before 1915, the first year automobiles were allowed into Yellowstone. The NP logo on the back shows that it was issued by the railroad.
Here’s another view of the Yellowstone stagecoach. The fact that the card calls it the “old stagecoach” suggests it may have been issued after 1915 as the transition from stagecoaches to open touring cars wasn’t completed until 1917. No NP logo, but the front says it is based on a photo taken for the NP.
The automobile in this photo dates it to around 1930 plus or minus a couple of years. Again, no NP logo but an NP photo.
The Northern Pacific printed a very interesting pamphlet about the Walkins Dude Ranch later to be rescued as a national site and renamed Firehole Ranch. Early on after the Gate was built in Gardiner this pamphlet advertised the Ranch as a place of “riches new and old.” Yeap! The Firehole was new and Walkins was the old, the riches were the land, hunting and fishing that the elite of the day enjoyed after arriving at Gardiner via train and then a ride through Yellowstone to end at the Walkins ranch.
The hint is not Gardiner nor the park but it is West Yellowstone and Firehole Ranch but before you get too excited it is not at that Ranch but it is tied into the solve in my opinion.
The train was the way into the Yellowstone and it went to Gardiner, just before that the tracks ended at Cinnabar where the Devil’s slide can be seen. Devil”s Slide is reddish as it contains mercury which they used to mine gold some of which was Joe Brown’s gold.
Gardiner has the most references to things in the book but there is another place it hints at.
I believe in a collective conscience and mine tells me the Dogs are all packing up and they will be close enough to each other this next search season to hear each other’s HOWLS.
Two things left to say for now, as I have a lot of likes on Facebook which I don’t use often it would be nice to get feedback here at Captpappy.com. I have zero likes. If you don’t like this blog please give me some feedback if you do like please like me, thanks. Finally just to poke at “A Gypsy’s Kiss” I find there site to be very professional and useful but they are not very open as they refused to gather with me or others at the signings et cetera. Oh don’t go to Gardiner until you read my earlier blogs as I wrote a lot on this area including my favorite Elk Burger at the Wild Horse overlooking the Yellowstone. Tell the bar keeper Capt. Pappy sent you.
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