"There is nothing so American as our national parks. The scenery and wildlife are native. The fundamental idea behind the parks is native. It is, in brief, that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us. The parks stand as the outward symbol of this great human principle." Franklin D. Roosevelt

Saturday, October 24, 2009

The Ghosts of Mammoth

I've been introduced to all of those in the Mammoth store.....except for two. Those two would be Ted and a little girl. Both are ghosts. Yup, the store here is supposed to be haunted. Ted is a former manager who left here in the 60's and is the one responsible for the scattering items across the floor, the shutting off of lights, the opening of windows, and other strange occurances. The little girl is to inhabit the upstairs and can be heard walking the floor and the sounds of her petticoat rustling. Its actually exciting to think that they are here for they must of loved Yellowstone very much to want to remain.

The third non-employee that I have been introduced to is Bob. 2 years ago a customer brought up a cedar box to purchase. She had found it on the shelf with the other cedar boxes but it also did not have the design of the others and this one had been locked. After searching for a price the customer opted not to purchase it. The box was brought to the back and opened (it had the same type of lock as the newer boxes). Inside was cremains! There was also the name 'Bob' on it with some numbers. Someone left Bob's cremains in the cedar box and placed it on the shelf with the others. Obviously Bob's family members also knew that he loved Yellowstone very much and thought this would be the place he should be. Bob is treated very respectfully and is actually considered a friend of the store. He remains here in Mammoth.

I am enjoying my time here. What a great place! Its fun to have a job where you can stop for a moment and watch the elk butt heads right out in front of the store. I even was unable to leave after work my first evening as there was a huge bull elk blocking my way. What a life!