Cody Road into Yellowstone: Buffalo Bill Country is an uncredited, silent, amateur travelog-style film oscillating between black-and-white and color footage that likely dates to the late 1930s and takes the viewer on a tour of Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone National Park is a nearly 3,500-sq.-mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot known for its dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. The film begins at Cody Road into Yellowstone before transitioning into shots of various geysers, lodging around the national park, and wildlife from elk to bison to grizzly bears.
Film opens, amateur illustration of cowboy on back of rearing horse holding hunting rifle; Features text that reads “Cody Road into Yellowstone: Buffalo Bill Country” (0:07). White water rushes alongside roadway carved out of valley in rocky terrain; likely Shoshone River through scenic Wapiti Valley (0:10). Back-lit silhouettes of rock formations at top of valley, following footage clearer image (0:16). Sign by Department of the Interior United States Reclamation service for Shoshone Dam (today Buffalo Bill Dam) (0:29). Footage becomes black-and-white, tourists walk past each other on small viewing platform across width of dam, shots of flowing water below, still dam water’s glistening in sun (0:47). Back to color footage – Sylvan Pass entrance to Yellowstone, change in climate, two women play in snow while wearing spring dresses (1:09). Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park: Woman throws food to grizzly bear cub, bison grazes in grass field (1:20). Views of tranquil waters along Yellowstone Lake (2:03). Trout fishing off Stevenson Island on Yellowstone Lake (black-and-white): Group of women pose on charter boat, woman struggles to wrangle in fish, group of women pose with their catch hanging from a stick (2:33). Lodge and cabins on Yellowstone Lake: Camera pans field lined with wooden cabins, close-up wood facade of structures (3:11). Exterior of the Lake Hotel Yellowstone, built in neoclassical architectural style (3:33). Sign for Mud Volcanoes at Dragon’s Mouth Spring, steam billows from hot spring (4:00). The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, shot down valley as Yellowstone River rushes through (4:12). Close-up of waterfall as it flows over cliff (4:49). Sign for Artist Point – an overlook point; Shots of river water rushing through deep valley, waterfall in distance (5:06). Canyon Hotel on plateau above West Rim of canyon (6:00). Upper Falls of the Yellowstone (6:20). Glacial Boulder seen amongst trees, boulder left by receding glacier (6:30). Canyon Lodge on East Rim of canyon – multiple lodges dispersed amongst forested area (6:34). Bear feeding grounds at 7 PM – golden hour sunlight illuminates bears as they chase flocks of birds, close up of mother bear with cubs eating (6:51). “Geyserland” – woman walks up to shoreline of “Bathtub Spring,” other springs in area “Norris Geyser Basin,” close-up of bubbling water, steam billowing, multicolored copper-like waters (7:26). Little Whirligig Geyser shooting steam and water into air (9:12). Shots of wild elk in grassy field, walking through forested area (9:22). Sapphire Pool, water and steam shoot into air (9:55). Grizzly bear approaches perhaps 1939 Austin 8 Sedan as woman thrown food from car window (10:54). Elk gallop across grassy plain, snow-covered mountain peak in background; Woman approaches wild elk and tries to photograph them (11:04). Castle Geyser, steam billows out of crater (11:31). Grotto Geyser (11:49). Morning Glory Pool (12:14). Liberty Cap, rock formation formed by extinct volcano (12:33). Angel Terrace – travertine terrace deposits form where hot water saturated with dissolved calcium and bicarbonate migrates to the surface (12:43). POV from front seat of car, view of trunk of perhaps 1939 Plymouth Coup (13:52). Steam erupts from Old Faithful Geyser, shoots high into sky as crowd gathers around geyser (14:10). Closing text on splendor of Yellowstone (15:37). Film ends (15:43).
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