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1300729 , NORTH ABSAROKA WILDERNESS SHOSHONE NATIONAL FOREST The North Absaroka Wilderness, adjoining Yellowstone Park along the Absaroka Divide, became a unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System on September 3, 1964, upon enactment of the Wilderness Act by Congress. This legislation provided for the automatic inclusion of all National Forest Wilderness and Wild Areas in the System, giving Congressional confirmation to the Forest Service's wilderness management policies which evolved through the 1920's and 1930's. Shoshone National Forest Supervisor J. N. Langworthy recommended establishment of the North Absaroka Primitive Area under Regulation L-20 on March 7, 1930. His report and management plan was revised on March 18, and approved by Allen S. Peck on April 5, 1932. Chief Forester R. Y. Stuart gave final approval on October 1, 1932, and the Primitive Area was established. The concept of wilderness as it is known today had not fully evolved in those early years, and Regulation L-20, which provided guidelines for the establishment and management of Primitive Areas, permitted timber harvest and other resource uses. However, such items as summer homes, resorts, and the like were restricted. No mention was made of motor vehicle use in those years before the advent of four-wheel-drive vehicles, snowmobiles, and trail bikes. Supervisor Langworthy noted that the 379,460 acre Primitive Area, ". . .presents typical wilderness conditions. The game herds from the Park cross the Absaroka Mountains, which forms its western border, and range its grassy slopes throughout the summer season. This is a part of the range grazed by the Northern elk herd. There are no settlements, no roads, and the trails are primitive affairs. Real wilderness conditions are found here by those out with a pack string on a camping trip. This is a heavily forested region. . .its influence on streamflow is important." Referring to the geologic history of the region, Langworthy said, "The most important action. . .was the outpouring of extensive masses of breccia, and lavas. Igneous rocks poured out from widely distributed centers, during the Tertiary period, and covered the whole Forest excepting the portion north and east of the Clarks Fork. The stratum of volcanic rock is responsible for the rim-rocked character of the higher portions of the Forest. The valleys are flanked by ri m-rocked mesas and mountains and it is the areas above these rims which are proposed for the Primitive designation." Supervisor Langworthy observed that the better timber stands would someday, ". . .be logged as a tie (railroad) proposition. . .on a sustained yield basis," adding, "The present demand for timber is negligible. . . ." In 1951, the Forest Service reclassified the Primitive Area as the North Absaroka Wilderness Area. All Primitive Areas were being reviewed and reclassified as either U-1 Wilderness Areas (area 100,000 acres) or U-2 Wild Areas (under 100,000 acres), providing for more restrictive