Earliest Beehive Ascent

Corrections and additions for Select Peaks of Greater Yellowstone.

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TomTuriano
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Earliest Beehive Ascent

Post by TomTuriano »

Phil Knight of Bozeman mentioned that when he climbed Beehive Peak years ago, he noticed a small cannister (found on the summit sometime in the 1950s by Walkin Jim Stoltz, who placed the cannister into the main summit register cannister) containing the names of a party that had climbed Beehive Peak in the 1930s.

If anyone has any more details on this, would love to hear.

thanks, tt
TomTuriano
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Posts: 170
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2004 11:02 am

From Walkin' Jim Stoltz...

Post by TomTuriano »

Hello Thomas -
Yes, it was an interesting story. I've been up Beehive many times, but one time in '83 or '84 a friend and I were sitting on the peak and enjoying the view (and reading the register). I was poking at the rocks I was sitting on and uncovered a little metal aspirin box, all rusted and weathered. I pried it open and found a piece of yellowed paper. It was signed by Carl and Stanley Swingle who had come up the east ridge. It was dated in the 1930's....I believe 1932? Not sure about that. Since the register claimed a first ascent in the '60's, I called the forest service and told them about the find. It was never changed. But I looked up "Swingle" in the Bozeman phone book and didn't see those names and just picked out one of them. It turned out to be one of the sons of the two brothers, Carl and Stanley. They had climbed many of the peaks when they were young. I made the mistake of leaving the little box and note in the register on the peak. Next time up, it was gone.

Happy Trails
-Jim
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