At the end of July, we settled in at Harriman State Park in Island Park ID, about 35 miles south of West Yellowstone MT.  As we approached, our heads were bobbing back and forth trying to take in the beauty of this special area; big trees, lush green forests, cool blue rivers and streams, snow-capped mountains, and colorful wildflowers….everything we love!  Due to a late winter and wet spring, the wildflowers this year were exceptional, lining the highway as well as blanketing most of the park.

In addition to the spectacular scenery and the abundant wildlife including bear, elk, moose, deer and North America’s largest waterfowl, the Trumpeter Swan, Harriman is rich in history with its roots dating back to the early 1900’s.  We were fortunate to sign on for a short volunteer position at the park to give guided tours of the historic buildings, also known as The Railroad Ranch.  For decades, it was a working cattle ranch as well as a hunting and fishing retreat for it’s wealthy owners including, among others, the Harrimans and the Guggenheims, both from New York.  Most of the early shareholders were railroad men associated with the Oregon Short Line, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad.  In fact, when you look at the photo of their dining cottage, you’ll notice the table set with china, stemware and silver from the Union Pacific dining cars.  Many other cottages also have furnishings influenced by the railroad.  E. H. Harriman, Chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad, purchased one of the five shares a few years after its inception sight unseen, but died the following year and never visited The Ranch.  Mr. Harriman’s wife and children continued the legacy and visited the Ranch for many years.  I wish I had the time and space to tell you all about it; it’s really interesting.  Preserving and protecting this prime wildlife habitat was a concern for all the shareholders and was a major reason the Harriman’s decided to donate this spectacular property to the State of Idaho.  In fact, the Harriman’s donated additional land in their home state of New York which is also called Harriman State Park.

Today, Harriman State Park of Idaho draws thousands of anglers to the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River, a world class trout stream that meanders 8 miles through the park.  Visitors also enjoy more than 20 miles of non-motorized hiking, biking and horseback riding trails in summer and fall, and cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.  A few of the historic buildings are open as rentals offering comfortable, charming accommodations in the heart of this recreational wonderland.  In the "Harriman St Pk" album, you’ll see what we saw as we gave our historic tours, and as we hiked and biked over the trails and through the woods.

During our brief stay here, we took a little time to tour a few of the local sites.  Mesa Falls is a short drive from Harriman down a Scenic Byway and is managed by the folks at Harriman.  The Johnny Sack cabin is located on the crystal clear waters of Big Springs.  John was a German cabinet maker, 4 feet 11” tall, who came to the US in his 20’s as one of Island Park’s early settlers.  He began construction of his unique cabin in 1929.  Many of the features are on a smaller scale, perfect for his small stature.  These images can be viewed in the "Island Park Area" album.

We also visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks during our Harriman stay.  Photos from these trips appeared in the previous post.