This is Lady Knox geyser and it deserves some special mention. We were impressed when told that we had to be there by 10 AM so that we would be sure to see it go off. We joked that they must have someone throw the switch each morning. Well, not quite so much of a joke. It was discovered about 100 years ago by a group of prisoners who were clearing land nearby. Rather than having a cone like seen here, it was apparently more of a small hole and hot water. The prisoners used it to wash their clothes. They discovered that if they stuffed the hole with their clothes and tossed in soap, they would get a geyser. It actually has a natural cycle of 24 to 72 hours. They then built up the “cone” with rocks to try to get it to shoot higher. Over the years, their rocks have been covered with mineral deposits as seen here. They give it the traditional geyser appearance that most would expect. Fast forward to today. At 10:15 each morning a park staffer comes and gives a short talk about the history of the geyser. He also brings with him a bag full of surfactant which he dumps down the cone. Approximately 10 minutes later, following some frothing, you get what is seen here. It shoots up about 45 feet and lasts from 10 to 30 minutes. This has been a daily occurrence for the past 80 years. There are a couple of geysers in Yellowstone that I have always wanted to see go off. I wonder if we will see surfactant for sale in the gift shops there any time soon.
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