Editor’s Note: The following is a diary written in 1963, and has been edited minimally to maintain the original spirit in which it was written. Included in the record are photographs taken by the family on the trip, as well as postcards saved by the Eaton children.

In the summer of 1963, Nancy Eaton of Greenville plotted out a cross-country road trip for her and her five children: Betsy, 15, Jane, 14, Chuck, 13, Susan, 12, and Dick, 10. In their station wagon, the family went from Greenville to California, hitting some of the United States’ most-famous landmarks. This is the ninth installment of 10 in the diary she kept along the way.

In this section of the diary, as the family makes their way back east, they stop in Montana, and at Yellowstone National Park, where they have some interactions with the local wildlife. In her observations of wildlife, Nancy mentions seeing a mountain goat and a water “ousel” – misspelled from ouzel, also called an American dipper, a semi-aquatic bird; and “marmotes,” or marmots, a large rodent that is a member of the ground squirrel family. Nancy’s husband, Archie, joins the family for the last leg of the trip.

Heading to Yellowstone

While I was at the lake I saw a mountain goat and a water ousel or dipper. The nit, goat was high on the nit. The water ousel would dip then dive and swim under water leaving a path of bubbles as it swam a yard. They use their wings to propel themselves.

Betsy and Susan had a dinner of corn chowder and gingerbread cooked on top of applesauce.

We went to the Campfire, sang and heard about the Glacier Park trails. Right now the boys are on the trail from Logan Pass to Hidden Lake.

Last night before I climbed into the station wagon I placed the coffee pot, cups and plates on top on the freezer so I would hear any bear trying to get into our food. The freezer was on a rock 3½” from my head. I think it was 5:00 a.m. when the coffee pot and cups crashed to the ground. The bear was ambling on in no hurry despite my cries of “Shoe!’

We left Avalanche at 9:30 and had another flat tire soon after we left on a bad curve up the. mountain. Chuck and Dick changed it and we women are now waiting at Logan Pass while the boys climb to Hidden Lake.

When we stopped at St. Mary about the tire they said we would need a new one.

Saw another mountain goat at Logan Pass, a marmote on the road. The whole Going-to-the-sun Highway was beautiful. Beyond the park (Glacier Nat.’) up to Helena was more tan land. Where there was grain grown there would be a field of light grain and a field of freshly dark tilled land making stripes on the hillsides. All tilled land is artificially irrigated. There are lots of cattle, sheep and horses. Outside Glacier were many (Native Americans). We saw some in dress at St. Mary but at Browning where I bad to buy a new tire all that entered the tire shop were (Blackfeet I expect).

We stopped about 8:00 P.M. at Helena – found a two room motel hot dog, hamburgers etc. Called Archie person to person as directed only to find that Ben Shawyer’s phone was temporarily disconnected – sent a telegram and will await answer. The children have been horrible today – a new tire has made me irritable so hope we all sleep well after 3 nights camping.

Thurs. Breakfast in motel, laundry and then wait until 12:00 to hear from the Western Union who said they would check on delivery of Telegram. Chuck and I visited the capitol building and museum which featured dioramas and C M or W Russell cowboy and western paintings.

Lunch after an hour’s drive. Entering Helena from the north had been green and quite pretty but the drive south to Yellowstone was that same drab. tan hill. We stopped at Mammoth Springs Campground in Yellowstone had dinner set up camp and went to see the Springs.

Opal Terrace was a white Terrace, Minerva Terrace close up was to me just beautiful. Each terrace of 10 inches had a little rim or wall about 2 inches high of finally scalloped calcium deposits. The coloring was white to orange and above the terraces was an overhang of stalactites with a sort of cave behind. One is asked to stay on the paths many of which are sectional board walks which can be moved as the spring opening change. The water was warm to touch but you could not touch where it really bubbled from the ground. We were back at camp by 8:00 and I left all the kids in bed at 8:30 to try to phone Daddy again. Same results but called Clyde – Felt I wanted to talk to someone.

I wish the $1 rate was the other way of the time changes. I hate to call you, Mother at midnight. Yellowstone is noted for its bears. We had seen none our campground was surrounded by a 6 ft. fence. Nevertheless I took the precaution of putting the freezer in the car.

At 2:00 a.m. I was wakened by shooing voices – “get out – go away” finally the car horn of the next campers 25 ft. away then they started their car and flashed their light toward us. I looked out then, having seen nothing before and saw a large black bear going by the corner of the car.

In the morning our neighbors (who actually had moved into the campsite of two L.I. boys who go to Brown, one knew Jim Doak) said the bear had broken into their freezer had strewn stuff about and eaten a package of candy bars. He had been much annoyed because the bear stood in the road and looked at him and wouldn’t budge then when he came toward us he honked the horn and put the flash on fearing someone might be sleeping out side. The man seemed to think the bear had passed right where Chuck was but by the time I’d wakened all (but Dick) none of the children had seen him. Dick was sleeping in the car all of the rest of us were in the tent except Chuck.

The Brown U. boys said the night before a man had been sleeping in that space and woke up to find the bear standing over him. He screamed at which the bear took a swipe at the bottom of his sleeping bag and opened it up feathers flying. The fellow got into his car and took off.

Ten minutes after our bear episode I heard a car and wondered whether it was another scared camper. Dick cried in the morning because he had missed the bear.

We left Mammoth Springs at 9:00 and made a reverse S through Yellowstone. In the morning we saw the Upper and Lover Falls and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. 

We saw the 2:30 and 3:30 eruptions of Old Faithful. We all did some shopping and had refreshments. Left there about 3:40 and a non stop to Grand Teton Park. We didn’t even stop for bears. During the morning we had stopped, watched and photographed bears in all positions. They are greedy beggars. One is warned of their danger, not to feed them etc. Saw two young moose.

We drove into Jenny Lake Lodge about 5:00 and had parked the before we saw Archie. Were we happy! He had arrived the night before by plane at Jackson and had rented a car.

We drove to Jackson to return the car and found Jenny Lake Campground was full and then weren’t told that Gros Venture 2 miles so of the Airport had space. We left all but Jane at the campsite and we went on to Jackson to shop for a bang up dinner. Saw elk herd. Tongues wagged. All in bed by 9:00. Heard coyotes in early morning.

Sidebar from the diary of Jane Eaton, age 14July 31, 1963

We started the day off good by getting a flat tire. And what a time we had!

As soon as we left lovely Glacier Nat’l Park with its forests and blue and green lakes, we entered into the flat brown of Montana. Everywhere we looked, we saw bales and bales of hay.

We spent the night in Helena, Montana, where Mummy called Daddy, but found that his friend (where we were supposed to call) had his phone temporarily disconnected, so we sent a telegram with no success.

Aug. 1, 1963

We stayed in Helena ‘til about noon while Mummy waited for a call from Western Union telling whether or not the telegram had been delivered. She got no call so she call Jenny Lake Lodge to say that if Mr. Eaton should arrive, we would arrive tomorrow.

We drove all day to Yellowstone Nat’l Park where we spent one night and had a little trouble with bear, but NOT as much as the people next to us. The campground was surrounded by 6 or 7-foot fencing!

Before getting to bed, we drove to the Mammoth Host Springs, where Chuck and I took a long walk. My favorites were Minerva and Cupid. They were so colorful!

Aug. 2, 1963

We took a nice drive through Yellowstone National Park. We saw about 18 bear, including a mother and one cub that we took loads of pictures of, and a mother and TWO cubs that a truck behind us scared off by tooting his horn. We DID see a cub climb a tree, though.

The Lower Falls were beautiful as we saw them from Lookout Point. We also saw an osprey next while we were there. We saw the Upper Falls from its brink and Betsy described it perfectly saying, “It looks like cotton candy, only white.”

Old Faithful blew up just as we drove in. Chuck saw it twice. What a mess of water and steam! I got Linda a little copper bracelet for her birthday there.

When we left Yellowstone, everyone went to sleep. I woke up just before we got to Jenny Lake and I saw Daddy first, waking everyone up with a shout. He had arrived the day before, after flying from Chicago to Denver and Denver to Jackson, Wyo. He told us all about home and heard EVERYTHING about the ranch. He camped in Jackson, Wyo.

Aug. 3, 1963

We got going at eight thirty and drove back through the Tetons and part of Yellowstone. In Yellowstone, we saw two more mother bear with two cubs, but once we saw a mother bear with two black cubs and one brown one.

There was a lot of mountain driving, much of which reminded us of Bryce because of the red rock and formations. Went through a bunch of real long tunnels.