nine o'clock
Its altitude is a half mile higher than the summit of Mt. Washington , and the whole park is encircled by snow-clad peaks and majestic domes from three to five thousand feet high . This reservation by Congress in 1872 , of 3575 square miles of public domain in perpetuity for the pleasure of the people , was a most creditable act . Alfonso found that the park abounded in wild gorges , grand canyons , dancing cascades , majestic falls and mountains , picturesque lakes , curious hot springs , and awe-inspiring geysers . He and his party pushed through the Golden Gate , marveled at the wonders of the Norris and Firehole Basins , stood entranced before the mighty Canyon then bathed in the transparent Yellowstone Lake , and by nine o'clock were lulled to sleep in the shade of fragrant pines . After breakfast next morning , while Alfonso and the hotel guests sat on the porch , a retired army captain , who had served in the Seventh U.S. Cavalry , said he wished a party could be organized to visit General Custer 's monument east of the National Park on the Little Big Horn River . There the Government had marked the historic battleground , where on the morning of the 24th of June , 1876 , two hundred of the famous Seventh Cavalry and their brave leader , were overwhelmed and slaughtered by 2,500 Indians under the famous chief , Sitting Bull . Custer was tall and slender , with blue eyes and long light hair .