Longtime bus driver shares his stories in paperback book
By BECKY SHAY Of The Gazette Staff
A Billings man has published a book about his experiences as a bus driver in Yellowstone National Park.
Joe Mitchell's book, "My Thirty-Five Years Driving Bus in Yellowstone National Park," just scratches the surface of his experiences behind the wheel in America's first national park.
"I could talk for two days just to tell you about the old days in the park," Mitchell said.
The 84-year-old uses humor and detail to tell the story of how he started driving first 14-passenger buses, then the 42-passenger buses.
Mitchell eyes twinkle when he tells the story of testing to drive the yellow bus. In 1947, when he was on leave from a job at the Cadillac Motor Car Co. in Detroit, Mitchell's mom suggested that he try the driving gig. He took a quick lesson in double clutching and went downtown for the driving test - maneuvering the long yellow bus from the fairgrounds up Black Otter Trail.
"As my turn was approaching, I was getting more and more nervous as I had never driven anything except a car," Mitchell wrote. " ... When I first got behind the steering wheel, I thought, 'Holy cow.' I felt like I was behind the steering wheel of a big Greyhound bus."
Mitchell was hired and started the career that planted the seeds of a love of Yellowstone. The book details the train trip to Gardiner to start work and the five-day "frolic trip" to introduce new drivers to the park and prepare them to not only drive but also to share information with visitors.
For all the sights Mitchell has seen in Yellowstone, "I always loved Canyon by far the most," he said. One of his favorite spots was the huge Canyon Hotel, a plush haven that was phased out and eventually burned.
"It was a beautiful place way up there in the mountains," Mitchell said.
The 45-page paperback book is written in the same conversational tone that Mitchell uses when visiting face-to-face, including interesting asides. Midway through the volume, Mitchell includes some history on Fort Yellowstone, which was active until World War I, then draws the reader back to his story with "Here I go again, getting completely away from bus driving and getting carried away with the history of Yellowstone."
The book was published by Frenchy La Jesse. Both men live at Aspen View Retirement Residence. La Jesse, who has a penchant for desktop publishing, heard Mitchell's story when Mitchell shared his recollections during the "reading and writing class" at the residence. La Jesse said he just couldn't let Mitchell's interesting story go without sharing it on a wider basis.
La Jesse publishes a newsletter for Aspen View Retirement Residence and volunteers for other computer work for the residence. The newsletter committee talked about printing Mitchell's story, but it was too long for one issue. The committee opted not to print it in installments.
"I thought that was as far as it was going to go," Mitchell said.
His future publisher disagreed.
"This was such a good thing here, I could not let it go by," La Jesse said.
The back of the book is an interview of Mitchell by La Jesse that answers a few questions La Jesse had after reading Mitchell's writing. In the passages, Mitchell estimated that he drove 100,000 people and said he did so without ever running out of gas and with only one tire blowout.
As the book came together, the initial plan, in part to save money, was to print copies and check them out in the residence. The men decided to sell the book instead. The $7 copies sold out the first day. More than $200 in proceeds from book sales went to a Bingo Extravaganza at the residence last month.
The book is in its fourth printing of a dozen copies. Copies are available by leaving a message for Mitchell or La Jesse at 534-2954.
"We'll go on our fifth if we have to," La Jesse said.
Mitchell has talked about the book to his friends in Yellowstone and said he hopes something may be in the works to sell it there.
The book includes photos of Mitchell during tenure as a driver. Mitchell met people from around the world. He drove park and national dignitaries and world leaders, including the king and queen of Nepal.
When Mitchell wasn't driving in the park, he worked for the railroad. Each summer Mitchell asked for a leave of absence, which was generally granted, and headed out to work in Yellowstone.
"It worked out perfect," he said.
Some years the leave wasn't granted, including during an eight-year stretch, but Mitchell kept trying to return to the job he loved. He retired after the 1996 season. Mitchell said he was still a good driver but that it was time to stop.
"I loved that job more than any job I had," he said.
Mitchell doesn't visit Yellowstone much anymore. One reason is the number of visitors, many in huge recreational vehicles that hinder traffic like bear jams did in the old days, he said. Another pitfall is that fishing isn't as good as it used to be and is more restricted. A fishing pole was among the small cache of personal items Mitchell carried in the back of his bus.
Rather than going back and being disappointed, Mitchell likes to recall Yellowstone as he knew it. He wouldn't mind, however, going back to share his good stories with today's visitors.
"I knew the park when it was a wonderful place," he said.
Published on Wednesday, April 11, 2007. Last modified on 4/11/2007 at 9:58 am
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Marion
wrote on
April 11, 2007 8:07 AM What a wonderful article. Thank you. I'd only been going to Yellowsotne a few years when he started, and although I never road a bus, this sounds like a facinating book. I'm still going though, and I just mentally block out the huge crowds .
Emily Mayer
wrote on
April 11, 2007 8:22 AM This sounds like a great read, and thank you, Mr. Mitchell, for sharing your memories and preserving history!
Leslie J. Quinn
wrote on
April 11, 2007 8:27 AM "Popeye" Mitchell (as he is known to us, his fellow drivers) is one of Yellowstone's legendary guides, and those of us who were lucky enough to work with him know what a blessing it was.
Besides being a great guide, Popeye has a superb memory for almost everyone he ever worked with. In the summer of 1996 (his last as an employee), a woman approached me in the lobby of Old Faithful Inn to ask me if I could tell her anything about a year in the late 1940's when her uncle had driven a bus here. Popeye was nearby, and we went to talk with him. Upon hearing the man's name (I've forgotten it at this late distance), Popeye thought long and hard for a few moments and said "A little guy, walked with a limp." And the woman replied "That's him!" Popeye enriched the woman's Park visit as he did for so many other thousands over the years, and a visit with him is always the highlight of any trip I make to Billings.
Dennis Gaub
wrote on
April 11, 2007 8:51 AM Thanks, Becky, for a fine story. I cherish the great experience of driving bus in Yellowstone for two summers while in college in the mid-70s. So, I must know Joe and need to get in touch with him.
Gerald
wrote on
April 11, 2007 9:27 AM What a wonderful story. I was going to email you Leslie to see if you knew him, but it seems that you beat me to it!
Connie Jacobs
wrote on
April 11, 2007 12:13 PM "Popeye" was one of the best things about working in Yellowstone! He was a tremendous resource for all us new YNP "jammers" in the 80's, and his stories were real gems - telling of the way things used to be! Way to go Popeye. Of course I'll have to ask you to autograph my copy!
JSampson
wrote on
April 11, 2007 1:49 PM It looks like the park may be missing a great resource not having him on hand every summer. Find him a nice chair on the deck of a lodge and let him entertain.
Don George
wrote on
April 11, 2007 5:11 PM Mr. Mitchell,
Great story! Did you know the buses will be returning on June 01
2007. They will be entering through the North Arch at Gardiner.
You should certainly be there driving the lead bus.
Vigilante
wrote on
April 12, 2007 2:17 AM Great story!!!
Chuck Kear
wrote on
April 13, 2007 8:35 AM Betty Shay has done a terrific job on this interview. Thye article is very well done and of great interest. This type of article and history of or local people is a refreshing change from the norm. Kudo's for the Gazette.
gullickjc@comcast.net
wrote on
April 14, 2007 3:54 PM Having grown up in Blgs, and living there until 1968, we pull up your website and enjoy news of our former hometown.This article was of particular interest as both my husband and I worked summer vacations from college at Canyon hotel...in fact Yellowstone is where we met in 1950. We were married in 1954..and still are! Thanks for a great interest story!
Laurie Green
wrote on
April 17, 2007 6:39 AM What a wonderful story and from a wonderful man...Popeye has a million I look forward to the multi book series. I will buy all of them.
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