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121-646: The Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition of 1869 was the first organized expedition to explore the region that became Yellowstone National Park . The privately financed expedition was carried out by David E. Folsom , Charles W. Cook and William Peterson of Diamond City, Montana , a gold camp in the Confederate Gulch area of the Big Belt Mountains east of Helena, Montana . The journals kept by Cook and Folsom, as well as their personal accounts to friends were of significant inspirational value to spur
242-508: A Chicago, Burlington & Quincy connection opened via Cody and in 1908 a Union Pacific Railroad connection to West Yellowstone, followed by a 1927 Milwaukee Road connection to Gallatin Gateway near Bozeman , also motorcoaching visitors via West Yellowstone. Rail visitation fell off considerably by World War II and ceased regular service in favor of the automobile around the 1960s, though special excursions occasionally continued into
363-469: A New Deal relief agency for young men, played a major role between 1933 and 1942 in developing Yellowstone facilities. CCC projects included reforestation, campground development of many of the park's trails and campgrounds, trail construction, fire hazard reduction, and fire-fighting work. The CCC built the majority of the early visitor centers, campgrounds, and the current system of park roads. During World War II, tourist travel fell sharply, staffing
484-645: A subarctic climate ( Köppen Dfc ). Angling for Yellowstone cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake has been a popular pastime for both subsistence and recreation since the first explorers, surveyors and tourists visited the park. During the early days of fish stocking in Yellowstone (1890–1910), Atlantic Salmon , Mountain whitefish , and Rainbow trout were stocked in the lake; none of these introduced species survived. Today only native cutthroat and non-native lake trout and Longnose sucker exist in
605-465: A U.S. Army detachment commanded by Lt. Gustavus Doane . The expedition spent about a month exploring the region, collecting specimens, and naming sites of interest. A Montana writer and lawyer named Cornelius Hedges, who had been a member of the Washburn expedition, proposed that the region should be set aside and protected as a national park; he wrote detailed articles about his observations for
726-750: A UN World Heritage Site on September 8, 1978. The park was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger from 1995 to 2003 due to the effects of tourism, infection of wildlife, and issues with invasive species . In 2010, Yellowstone National Park was honored with its own quarter under the America the Beautiful Quarters Program. Justin Farrell explores three moral sensibilities that motivated activists in dealing with Yellowstone. First came
847-404: A bit of which is excerpted below, Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden described some of the explorations being conducted on the lake as follows: Yellowstone Lake, WY August 8th, 1871 - Dear Professor Baird, Your letters of June 6th and July 3rd were brought us from Fort Ellis by Lt. Doane who has just arrived to take command of our escort and accompany my party the remainder of the season ... We arrived at
968-401: A comprehensive report, including large-format photographs by William Henry Jackson and paintings by Thomas Moran . The report helped to convince the U.S. Congress to withdraw this region from public auction . On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed The Act of Dedication law that created Yellowstone National Park. Hayden, while not the only person to have thought of creating
1089-437: A fierce furnace fire were burning beneath each one of them; and a hundred geysers, white torrents of boiling water and steam, like inverted waterfalls, are ever and anon rushing up out of the hot, black underworld. By 1915, 1,000 automobiles per year were entering the park, resulting in conflicts with horses and horse-drawn transportation. Horse travel on roads was eventually prohibited. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC),
1210-422: A grasshopper bait. Two men could catch them faster than half a dozen could clean and get them ready for the frying pan. Caught in the open lake, their flesh was yellow; but in bays, where the water was strongly impregnated with chemicals, it was blood-red. Many of them were full of long white worms, woven across the interior of the body, and through to the skin on either side. These did not appear to materially affect
1331-523: A group of fur trappers . After splitting up with the other trappers in 1807, Colter passed through a portion of what later became the park, during the winter of 1807–1808. He observed at least one geothermal area in the northeastern section of the park, near Tower Fall . After surviving wounds he suffered in a battle with members of the Crow and Blackfoot tribes in 1809, Colter described a place of " fire and brimstone " that most people dismissed as delirium;
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#17327663097291452-417: A large caldera that was later partially filled by subsequent lava flows (see Yellowstone Caldera ). Part of this caldera is the 136 sq mi (350 km ) basin of Yellowstone Lake. The original lake was 200 ft (61 m) higher than the present-day lake, extending northward across Hayden Valley to the base of Mount Washburn . It is thought that Yellowstone Lake originally drained south into
1573-562: A mountain of glass and yellow rock. These reports were largely ignored because Bridger was a known "spinner of yarns". In 1859, a U.S. Army Surveyor named Captain William F. Raynolds embarked on a two-year survey of the southern central Rockies . After wintering in Wyoming, in May 1860, Raynolds and his party—which included geologist Ferdinand V. Hayden and guide Jim Bridger—attempted to cross
1694-419: A park in the region, was its first and most enthusiastic advocate. He believed in "setting aside the area as a pleasure ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people" and warned that there were those who would come and "make merchandise of these beautiful specimens". Worrying the area could face the same fate as Niagara Falls , he concluded the site should "be as free as the air or Water". In his report to
1815-580: A prismatic compass all around the Lake. A man stands on the shore with a compass and takes a bearing to the man in the Boat as he drops the lead, giving a signal at the time. Then a man in the Boat takes a bearing to the fixed point on the shore where the first man is located and thus the soundings will be located on the chart. Henry Elliot and Mr. Carrington have just left in our little boat, the Annie . [They] will make
1936-492: A serious decline in the cutthroat trout population and the National Park Service has an aggressive Lake trout eradication program on the lake. All lake trout caught by anglers must be killed. If the cutthroat trout isn’t protected from this invasive fish then ecologist predict that they could see a decline in surrounding birds and mammals that are natural predators to the cutthroat trout. The longnose sucker
2057-524: A systematic sketch of the shore with all its indentations, with the banks down, indeed, making a complete topographical as well as a pictorial sketch of the shores as seen from the water, for a circuit--of at least 130 miles ... One of the islands has been explored. We have called it Stevenson's Island as he was undoubtedly the first human that ever set foot upon it ... Write at once. Yours Truly, F. V. Hayden, I will send you some Photographs soon. Between 1920 and 1937, multiple proposals were made to Congress and
2178-734: A translation of the Hidatsa name Mi tsi a-da-zi ("Yellow Stone River"). Later, American trappers rendered the French name in English as "Yellow Stone". Although it is commonly believed that the river was named for the yellow rocks seen in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone , the Native American name source is unclear. The human history of the park began at least 11,000 years ago when Native Americans began to hunt and fish in
2299-601: Is a topographic feature that separates the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean water drainages. About one-third of the park lies on the west side of the divide. The origins of the Yellowstone and Snake Rivers are near each other but on opposite sides of the divide. As a result, the waters of the Snake River flow to the Pacific Ocean, while those of the Yellowstone find their way to the Gulf of Mexico . The park sits on
2420-441: Is an invasive fish that was believed to be introduced into the Yellowstone Lake in the late 1980s or early 1990s. With this foreign species in the Lake researchers have noticed a shift in the food chain. They have seen a rapid decline in the population of the cutthroat trout which in turn could cause other animal populations to start declining. One study found that the introduced longnose sucker competes with cutthroat trout for some of
2541-555: Is believed to be linked to the somewhat older volcanism of the Snake River Plain. Yellowstone is thus the active part of a hotspot that has moved northeast over time. The origin of this hotspot volcanism is disputed. One theory holds that a mantle plume has caused the Yellowstone hotspot to migrate northeast, while another theory explains migrating hotspot volcanism as the result of the fragmentation and dynamics of
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#17327663097292662-420: Is home to a large concentration of mammals. Whether that be large mammals such as bison, elk, or bighorn sheep there is a variety of different animals that are native to the Yellowstone area. On the other hand Yellowstone is also home to many smaller animals, and a few that are constantly around the lake are beavers, short tailed weasels, and river otters which have previously been mentioned. Yellowstone Lake has
2783-600: Is one of the largest high-elevation lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera , the largest super volcano on the continent. The caldera is considered a dormant volcano . It has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. Well over half of the world's geysers and hydrothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of
2904-407: Is opposite the channel of the river and five miles from the east shore; another is ten miles farther south, and two miles from the shore a mountain isle with a bold bluff all around to the water's edge. These islands doubtless have never been trodden by human footsteps, and still belong to the regions of the unexplored. We built a raft for the purpose of attempting to visit them, but the strong waves of
3025-628: Is the largest and most famous megafauna location in the contiguous United States . Grizzly bears , cougars , wolves , and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in this park. The Yellowstone Park bison herd is the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States. Forest fires occur in the park each year; in the large forest fires of 1988 , nearly one-third of the park was burnt. Yellowstone has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping , boating , fishing, and sightseeing . Paved roads provide close access to
3146-419: Is up to 400 feet (120 m) deep and has 110 miles (180 km) of shoreline. At an elevation of 7,733 feet (2,357 m) above sea level, Yellowstone Lake is the largest high-elevation lake in North America. Forests comprise 80 percent of the land area of the park; most of the rest is grassland . The Continental Divide of North America runs diagonally through the southwestern part of the park. The divide
3267-427: The 2013 United States federal government shutdown . The expansive cultural history of the park has been documented by the 1,000 archeological sites that have been discovered. The park has 1,106 historic structures and features, and of these Obsidian Cliff and five buildings have been designated National Historic Landmarks . Yellowstone was designated an International Biosphere Reserve on October 26, 1976, and
3388-508: The Absaroka Range . The park is 63 miles (101 km) north to south, and 54 miles (87 km) west to east by air. Yellowstone is 2,219,789 acres (8,983 km ; 3,468 sq mi) in area, larger than either of the states of Rhode Island or Delaware . Rivers and lakes cover five percent of the land area, with the largest water body being Yellowstone Lake at 87,040 acres (352 km ; 136 sq mi). Yellowstone Lake
3509-495: The Committee on Public Lands , he concluded that if the bill failed to become law, "the vandals who are now waiting to enter into this wonder-land, will in a single season despoil, beyond recovery, these remarkable curiosities, which have required all the cunning skill of nature thousands of years to prepare". Hayden and his 1871 party recognized Yellowstone as a unique place that should be available for further research. He also
3630-528: The Continental Divide over Two Ocean Plateau from the Wind River drainage in northwest Wyoming. Heavy spring snows prevented their passage but had they been able to traverse the divide, the party would have been the first organized survey to enter the Yellowstone region. The American Civil War hampered further organized explorations until the late 1860s. The first detailed expedition to
3751-854: The Gallatin Range to the northwest, the Beartooth Mountains in the north, the Absaroka Range to the east, the Teton Range to the south, and the Madison Range to the west. The most prominent summit on the Yellowstone Plateau is Mount Washburn at 10,243 feet (3,122 m). Yellowstone National Park has one of the world's largest petrified forests , trees which were long ago buried by ash and soil and transformed from wood to mineral materials. This ash and other volcanic debris are believed to have come from
Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition - Misplaced Pages Continue
3872-561: The Helena Herald newspaper between 1870 and 1871. Hedges essentially restated comments made in October 1865 by acting Montana Territorial Governor Thomas Francis Meagher , who had previously commented that the region should be protected. Others made similar suggestions. An 1871 letter to Ferdinand V. Hayden from Jay Cooke , a businessman who wanted to bring tourists to the region, encouraged him to mention it in his official report of
3993-609: The Henry's Fork Caldera and depositing the Mesa Falls Tuff . Each of the three climactic eruptions released vast amounts of ash that blanketed much of central North America, falling many hundreds of miles away. The amount of ash and gases released into the atmosphere probably caused significant impacts on world weather patterns and led to the extinction of some species, primarily in North America. A subsequent caldera-forming eruption occurred about 160,000 years ago. It formed
4114-620: The Lava Creek Tuff , a welded tuff geologic formation . The most violent known eruption, which occurred 2.1 million years ago, ejected 588 cu mi (2,450 km ) of volcanic material and created the rock formation known as the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff and the Island Park Caldera . A smaller eruption ejected 67 cu mi (280 km ) of material 1.3 million years ago, forming
4235-664: The Mississippi Valley , indicating that a regular obsidian trade existed between local tribes and tribes farther east. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition entered present-day Montana in 1805 they encountered the Nez Perce , Crow , and Shoshone tribes who described to them the Yellowstone region to the south, but they chose not to investigate. In 1806, John Colter , a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, left to join
4356-664: The Pacific Ocean via the Snake River . The lake currently drains north from its only outlet, the Yellowstone River , at Fishing Bridge. The elevation of the lake's north end does not drop substantially until LeHardy Rapids. Therefore, this spot is considered the actual northern boundary of Yellowstone Lake. Within a short distance downstream the Yellowstone River plunges first over the upper and then
4477-813: The Reconstructed Diary of the Cook-Folsom Diary , published in the Haynes Bulletin in 1922–23. The most accurate and comprehensive account of the expedition was produced by Aubrey L. Haines, the Yellowstone National Park historian in 1965 when he produced The Valley of the Upper Yellowstone which was masterfully reconstructed from all the previous fragmented accounts. The Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition did not name any park features discovered during
4598-592: The Yellowstone Plateau , at an average elevation of 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above sea level. The plateau is bounded on nearly all sides by mountain ranges of the Middle Rocky Mountains , which range from 9,000 to 11,000 feet (2,700 to 3,400 m) in elevation. The highest point in the park is atop Eagle Peak (11,358 feet or 3,462 metres) and the lowest is along Reese Creek (5,282 feet or 1,610 metres). Nearby mountain ranges include
4719-459: The Yellowstone River near Emigrant Gulch . They followed the river south until they entered the park region on September 13, 1869, at the confluence of the Gardner and Yellowstone rivers near present-day Gardiner, Montana 44°57′15″N 110°52′03″W / 44.95417°N 110.86750°W / 44.95417; -110.86750 ( Gardiner, MT ) . After crossing the mouth of
4840-506: The lower falls and races north through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone . In the 1990s, geological research determined that the two volcanic vents, now known as " resurgent domes ", are rising again. From year to year, they either rise or fall, with an average net uplift of about one inch per year. During the period between 1923 and 1985, the Sour Creek Dome was rising. In the years since 1986, it has either declined or remained
4961-662: The subducted Farallon Plate in Earth's interior. The Yellowstone Caldera is the largest volcanic system in North America, and worldwide it is only rivaled by the Lake Toba Caldera on Sumatra . It has been termed a " supervolcano " because the caldera was formed by exceptionally large explosive eruptions. The magma chamber that lies under Yellowstone is estimated to be a single connected chamber, about 37 miles (60 km) long, 18 miles (29 km) wide, and 3 to 7 miles (4.8 to 11.3 km) deep. The current caldera
Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition - Misplaced Pages Continue
5082-520: The 1870s and 1880s, Native American tribes were effectively excluded from the national park. Under a half-dozen tribes had made seasonal use of the Yellowstone area- the only year-round residents were small bands of Eastern Shoshone known as " Sheepeaters ". They left the area under the assurances of a treaty negotiated in 1868, under which the Sheepeaters ceded their lands but retained the right to hunt in Yellowstone. The United States never ratified
5203-701: The Department of the Interior to construct dams of various sizes at the Yellowstone Lake outlet or a few miles downstream. Montana and Wyoming politicians, the Army Corps of Engineers and lobbying groups in both states all had a variety of reasons to support the dams—flood control in the Yellowstone Valley, reclamation, or diversion of water over the continental divide to the Snake River. All the proposals and legislation were eventually defeated. In
5324-561: The Gardner River, they traveled along the benches above the western side of the Yellowstone until they reached Tower Fall . At Tower Fall they forded the Yellowstone and explored the East Fork ( Lamar River ) and Lamar Valley probably as far as the confluence with Calfee Creek 44°46′53″N 110°06′54″W / 44.78139°N 110.11500°W / 44.78139; -110.11500 ( Calfee Creek ) . From there,
5445-626: The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, where the Yellowstone River continues to carve into the ancient lava flows. The canyon is a classic V-shaped valley , indicative of river-type erosion rather than erosion caused by glaciation . Yellowstone Lake Yellowstone Lake is the largest body of water in Yellowstone National Park . The lake is 7,732 feet (2,357 m) above sea level and covers 136 square miles (350 km ) with 110 miles (180 km) of shoreline. While
5566-541: The Madison down through Madison Canyon, emerging into familiar territory of the lower Madison River and mountains to the west around Virginia City, Montana 45°17′39″N 111°56′28″W / 45.29417°N 111.94111°W / 45.29417; -111.94111 ( Virginia City, MT ) . On the evening of October 11, 1869, Cook, Folsom and Peterson, after 36 days of travel returned to Diamond City, Montana. Shortly after his return from Yellowstone, Folsom
5687-626: The Nez Perce were friendly to the tourists and other people they encountered in the park; some were not. Nine park visitors were briefly taken captive. Despite Joseph and other chiefs ordering that no one should be harmed, at least two people were killed and several wounded. One of the areas where encounters occurred was in Lower Geyser Basin and east along a branch of the Firehole River to Mary Mountain and beyond. That stream
5808-579: The Park Protection Act, which saved the park. The Lacey Act of 1900 provided legal support for the officials prosecuting poachers. With the funding and manpower necessary to keep a diligent watch, the army developed its own policies and regulations that permitted public access while protecting park wildlife and natural resources. When the National Park Service was created in 1916, many of the management principles developed by
5929-555: The West Thumb Geyser Basin. There is a "bulge" about 2,000 ft (610 m) long and 100 ft (30 m) high under a section of Yellowstone Lake, where there are a variety of faults, hot springs and small craters. Seismic imaging has recently shown that sediment layers are tilted, but how old this feature is has not yet been established. After the magma chamber under the Yellowstone area collapsed 640,000 years ago in its previous great eruption, it formed
6050-530: The Yellowstone River on September 24, 1869. They eventually followed the western shoreline to West Thumb before moving west to the geyser basins. Cook described the lake at Pelican Creek as follows: The main body is ten miles long from east to west and sixteen miles long from north to south, but at the south end it puts out two arms, one to the southeast and the other to the southwest, making the entire length about 30 miles ... There are three small islands which are also heavily timbered ... The shallow water in some of
6171-735: The Yellowstone area was the Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition of 1869, which consisted of three privately funded explorers. The Folsom party followed the Yellowstone River to Yellowstone Lake. The members of the Folsom party kept a journal and based on the information it reported, a party of Montana residents organized the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition in 1870. It was headed by the surveyor-general of Montana Henry Washburn , and included Nathaniel P. Langford (who later became known as "National Park" Langford) and
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#17327663097296292-406: The Yellowstone region for at least 11,000 years, aside from visits by mountain men during the early-to-mid-19th century, organized exploration did not begin until the late 1860s. Management and control of the park originally fell under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of the Interior , the first Secretary of the Interior to supervise the park being Columbus Delano . However, the U.S. Army
6413-482: The administrative records of Yellowstone, as well as resource management records, records from major projects, and donated manuscripts and personal papers. The archives are affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration . Yellowstone National Park occupies a roughly square parcel of volcanic complex that jogs slightly beyond the northwestern corner of Wyoming. Approximately 96 percent of
6534-536: The army were adopted by the new agency. The army turned control over to the National Park Service on October 31, 1918. In 1898, the naturalist John Muir described the park as follows: However orderly your excursions or aimless, again and again amid the calmest, stillest scenery you will be brought to a standstill hushed and awe-stricken before phenomena wholly new to you. Boiling springs and huge deep pools of purest green and azure water, thousands of them, are plashing and heaving in these high, cool mountains as if
6655-674: The average depth of the lake is 139 ft (42 m), its greatest depth is at least 394 ft (120 m). Yellowstone Lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 ft (2,100 m) in North America . In winter, ice nearly 3 ft (0.91 m) thick covers much of the lake except where shallow water covers hot springs. The lake freezes over by early December and can remain frozen until late May or early June. The forest and valleys surrounding Yellowstone Lake had been populated with Native Americans since pre-historic times. Archeologists have found evidence of human presence in
6776-479: The banks of the Yellow Stone Lake [ sic ] July 26th [actually July 28] and pitched our camp near the point where the river leaves the Lake. Hence we brought the first pair of wheels that ever came to the Lake with our Odometer. We launched the first Boat on the Lake, 4.5 feet wide and 11 feet long, with sails and oars ... A chart of this soundings will be made. Points have been located with
6897-406: The bottom of the lake, and the clear waters of the latter would roll 2,214 feet above its summit. With the single exception of Lake Titticaeca, Peru, it is the highest great body of water on the globe. No shells of any description are found on the lake shore, nor is there any evidence of the waters ever having stood at a much higher level than the present. Twenty-five feet will cover the whole range of
7018-514: The command of George Armstrong Custer , was assigned to organize and lead an expedition to Montana and the newly established Yellowstone Park. Observations about the lawlessness and exploitation of park resources were included in Ludlow's Report of a Reconnaissance to the Yellowstone National Park . The report included letters and attachments by other expedition members, including naturalist and mineralogist George Bird Grinnell . Grinnell documented
7139-426: The condition of the fish, which were apparently as active as the others. The Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 provided the most detailed and scientific descriptions of the lake in the pre-park era. The Hayden party, 34 men in all, encountered the lake at the outlet on July 28, 1871, spending two days there and returned to the lake at West Thumb on August 7, 1871. From West Thumb, the survey party took 15 days to explore
7260-620: The coves affords feeding ground for thousands of water fowl and we can take our choice of ducks, geese, trout, pelican or swan. The Washburn party was the first to describe the remote eastern and southern shorelines of the lake. From September 3, 1870, to September 17, 1870, the Washburn party traveled from the outlet of the lake around the northern, eastern, and southern shorelines to West Thumb 44°25′40″N 110°31′57″W / 44.42778°N 110.53250°W / 44.42778; -110.53250 ( West Thumb ) . The September 4, 1870 journal entry of Lieutenant Gustavus C. Doane ,
7381-497: The divide and began traveling down the Firehole River into the geyser basins. They followed the Firehole River then Madison River out of the region, exiting the current park boundary near what is now the town of West Yellowstone, Montana 44°39′45″N 111°6′21″W / 44.66250°N 111.10583°W / 44.66250; -111.10583 ( West Yellowstone, MT ) on October 3, 1869. They followed
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#17327663097297502-612: The early 1980s. Ongoing poaching and destruction of natural resources continued unabated until the U.S. Army arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs in 1886 and built Camp Sheridan . Over the next 22 years, as the army constructed permanent structures, Camp Sheridan was renamed Fort Yellowstone . On May 7, 1894, the Boone and Crockett Club , acting through the personality of George G. Vest, Arnold Hague, William Hallett Phillips, W. A. Wadsworth, Archibald Rogers, Theodore Roosevelt , and George Bird Grinnell were successful in carrying through
7623-701: The easterly march up the Gallatin Valley , stopping in Bozeman, Montana 45°40′40″N 111°2′50″W / 45.67778°N 111.04722°W / 45.67778; -111.04722 ( Bozeman, MT ) for supplies on September 8, 1869. From Bozeman, they moved to the shadows of Bozeman Pass, camping four miles east of Fort Ellis . On September 10, 1869, they struck out over the pass and down Trail Creek 45°30′11″N 110°50′52″W / 45.50306°N 110.84778°W / 45.50306; -110.84778 ( Trail Creek ) to reach
7744-435: The expedition that have persisted to the present day. In their journals they did refer to many features incorrectly (based on incomplete or inaccurate maps made from previous accounts), thus causing some confusion that had to be sorted out by later explorations and surveys. One name that took a few years to sort out was Madison Lake , the small pond that is the headwater of the Firehole River . In some accounts, Shoshone Lake
7865-664: The federal land-use restrictions. After the park's official formation, Nathaniel Langford was appointed as the park's first superintendent in 1872 by the Secretary of Interior Columbus Delano , the first overseer and controller of the park. Langford served for five years but was denied a salary, funding, and staff. Langford lacked the means to improve the land or properly protect the park, and without formal policy or regulations, he had few legal methods to enforce such protection. This left Yellowstone vulnerable to poachers , vandals , and others seeking to raid its resources. He addressed
7986-430: The fires, leading to a systematic re-evaluation of fire management policies. The fire season of 1988 was considered normal until a combination of drought and heat by mid-July contributed to an extreme fire danger. On " Black Saturday ", August 20, 1988, strong winds expanded the fires rapidly, and more than 150,000 acres (610 km ; 230 sq mi) burned. On October 1, 2013, Yellowstone National Park closed due to
8107-625: The first detailed descriptions of the lake came in 1869, 1870 and 1871 as a result of the Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition , the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition and the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 . Cook, Folsom and Peterson first encountered the lake near Pelican Creek 44°33′12″N 110°21′37″W / 44.55333°N 110.36028°W / 44.55333; -110.36028 ( Pelican Creek ) as they moved south along
8228-561: The inspiration needed to organize the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition in 1870. Both Cook and Folsom kept journals during the trip. Peterson did not. After the expedition, Cook combined the two journals into a single version. This version was submitted to both the New York Tribune and Scribners for publication. Both declined citing the unreliability and improbability of the information. It
8349-414: The lake dashed it to pieces in an hour. Numerous steam jets pour out from the bluffs on the shore at different points. The waters of the lake reflect a deep blue color, are clear as crystal, and doubtless of great depth near the center. The extreme elevation of this great body of water, 7,714 3/5 feet, is difficult to realize. Place Mount Washington, the pride of New England, with its base at the sea level, at
8470-417: The lake was probably visited by many trapping parties moving through the park region. In trapper Osborne Russell 's diary, he describes a visit to the lake in 1836 as follows: 16th [August] -Mr. Bridger came up with the remainder of the party. 18th-The whole camp moved down the east shore of the lake through thick pines and fallen timber about eighteen miles and encamped in a small prairie. 19th-continued down
8591-535: The lake with a Yellowstone Boating Permit. A Marina is operated at Bridge Bay and there is a boat ramp at Grant Village on the West Thumb. Areas in the southern arms of the lake are speed-restricted and/or no-motor zones to protect sensitive wildlife areas. Access to some of the lake's islands is also restricted. Xanterra Parks and Resorts at Bridge Bay Marina on Yellowstone Lake provides boat rentals and other boating services. Numerous outfitters operating outside
8712-533: The lake. Today, Yellowstone Lake is open for angling during the entire Yellowstone angling season (Memorial Day weekend thru Oct 31). All Cutthroat trout caught must be released. Recreational boating has been permitted on the lake in various forms since 1890 when the first permits for the Yellowstone Boat Company were issued to operate a ferry across the lake between road junctions. Today, powerboats, sailboats, canoes and kayaks are allowed on
8833-579: The land area of Yellowstone. The park is the centerpiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem , the largest remaining nearly intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone . In 1978, Yellowstone was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians have been documented, including several that are either endangered or threatened . The vast forests and grasslands also include unique species of plants. Yellowstone Park
8954-469: The laws of the United States, and dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people; and all persons who shall locate, or settle upon, or occupy the same or any part thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall be considered trespassers and removed there from ... Approved March 1, 1872. Signed by: There was considerable local opposition to Yellowstone National Park during its early years. Some of
9075-438: The leader of the U.S. Army escort during the expedition, describes the lake as follows: On the south side, these promontories project far into the lake in great numbers, dividing it into bays and channels. On the west side is a low bluff of the timbered ridges, with a sand beach in front along the margins of the waters. The greatest width of open water in any direction is about eighteen miles. Several islands are seen, one of which
9196-420: The locals feared that the regional economy would be unable to thrive if there remained strict federal prohibitions against resource development or settlement within park boundaries and local entrepreneurs advocated reducing the size of the park so that mining, hunting, and logging activities could be developed. To this end, numerous bills were introduced into Congress by Montana representatives who sought to remove
9317-404: The major geothermal areas as well as some of the lakes and waterfalls. During the winter, visitors often access the park by way of guided tours that use either snow coaches or snowmobiles . The park contains the headwaters of the Yellowstone River , from which it takes its historical name. Near the end of the 18th century, French trappers named the river Roche Jaune , which is probably
9438-603: The most recent glacial retreat 13,000 years ago. Because the glacial till contains many different grain sizes, including clay and a thin layer of lake sediments, water cannot percolate readily into the ground. This is why the Hayden Valley is marshy and has little encroachment of trees. Non-native lake trout were discovered in Yellowstone Lake in 1994, and were believed to have been either accidentally or intentionally introduced as early as 1989 with fish taken from Lewis Lake . The introduction of Lake trout has caused
9559-502: The mountain country of present-day Wyoming, including the Grand Tetons , after joining F V. Hayden 's Geological Survey in 1873. Yount is the first national park ranger, and Yount's Peak, at the head of the Yellowstone River, was named in his honor. These measures still proved to be insufficient in protecting the park, as neither Norris nor the three superintendents who followed, were given sufficient manpower or resources. During
9680-534: The name Eustis Lake and the name Sublette 's Lake was also used to name the lake in the early 19th century. The name Yellowstone Lake appears formally first in the 1839 maps of the Oregon Territory by U.S. Army topographical engineer, Captain Washington Hood and has remained so since that time. Although many prospecting parties traversed the Yellowstone region throughout the 1850–60s,
9801-476: The national parks. In a paper known as the Leopold Report , the committee observed that culling programs at other national parks had been ineffective, and recommended the management of Yellowstone's elk population. The wildfires during the summer of 1988 were the largest in the history of the park. Approximately 793,880 acres (3,210 km ; 1,240 sq mi) or 36% of the parkland was impacted by
9922-469: The northern entrance area in 1883, which helped to increase visitation from 300 in 1872 to 5,000 in 1883. The spur line was completed in fall of that year from Livingston to Cinnabar for stage connection to Mammoth , then in 1902 extended to Gardiner station , where passengers also switched to stagecoach . Visitors in these early years faced poor and dusty roads plus limited services, with automobiles first admitted in phases beginning only in 1915. By 1901
10043-619: The organization of the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition which visited Yellowstone in 1870. The party of three explorers departed Diamond City, Montana 46°35′50″N 111°25′26″W / 46.59722°N 111.42389°W / 46.59722; -111.42389 ( Diamond City ) on September 6, 1869, and traveled up the Missouri River to Three Forks, Montana 45°53′29″N 111°33′6″W / 45.89139°N 111.55167°W / 45.89139; -111.55167 ( Three Forks, MT ) . They then began
10164-528: The park are licensed to provide boating services in the park. Several dozen backcountry campsites line the southern shoreline that is accessible only by boat. Two major hiking trails provide access to the lake shore away from the major road. The Nine Mile Post trail hugs the eastern shoreline into the Thorofare region and intersects with the Trail Creek and Heart Lake trails that touch the ends of both
10285-511: The park area itself as the central part of Yellowstone is the massive caldera of a supervolcano. The park contains 290 waterfalls of at least 15 feet (4.6 m), the highest being the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River at 308 feet (94 m). Three deep canyons are located in the park, cut through the volcanic tuff of the Yellowstone Plateau by rivers over the last 640,000 years. The Lewis River flows through Lewis Canyon in
10406-410: The park long before 1872. They found that Native Americans hunted bison and bighorn sheep , fished for cutthroat trout , and gathered bitterroot and camas bulbs for at least 11,000 years. Also 26 tribes claim cultural association with Yellowstone today. The first human of European descent to see the lake was trapper John Colter in the early 19th century. During the fur trading era of 1820–1840,
10527-620: The park. In the northwest section of the park, new geysers were found, and many existing hot springs became turbid. It was the most powerful earthquake to hit the region in recorded history. In 1963, after several years of public controversy regarding the forced reduction of the elk population in Yellowstone, the United States Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall appointed an advisory board to collect scientific data to inform future wildlife management of
10648-535: The party returned to the Yellowstone in a due West route which brought them to the area of Yellowstone Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone . The party continued south along the course of the Yellowstone River crossing the river twice until they reached the north shore of Yellowstone Lake near the mouth of Pelican Creek 44°33′12″N 110°21′37″W / 44.55333°N 110.36028°W / 44.55333; -110.36028 ( Pelican Creek ) . From Pelican Creek, Cook-Folsom-Peterson followed
10769-409: The poaching of buffalo , deer , elk , and antelope for hides : "It is estimated that during the winter of 1874–1875, not less than 3,000 buffalo and mule deer suffer even more severely than the elk, and the antelope nearly as much." As a result, Langford was forced to step down in 1877. Having traveled through Yellowstone and witnessed land management problems, Philetus Norris volunteered for
10890-411: The position following Langford's exit. Congress finally saw fit to implement a salary for the position, as well as to provide minimal funding to operate the park. Norris used these funds to expand access to the park, building numerous crude roads and facilities. In 1880, Harry Yount was appointed as a gamekeeper to control poaching and vandalism in the park. Yount had previously spent decades exploring
11011-455: The practical problems park administrators faced in the 1872 Report to the Secretary of the Interior and correctly predicted that Yellowstone would become a major international attraction deserving the continuing stewardship of the government. In 1874, both Langford and Delano advocated the creation of a federal agency to protect the vast park, but Congress refused. In 1875, Colonel William Ludlow , who had previously explored areas of Montana under
11132-512: The region. During the construction of the post office in Gardiner, Montana , in the 1950s, an obsidian point of Clovis origin was found that dated from approximately 11,000 years ago. These Paleo-Indians , of the Clovis culture, used the significant amounts of obsidian found in the park to make cutting tools and weapons. Arrowheads made of Yellowstone obsidian have been found as far away as
11253-564: The relatively small caldera that contains the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake. Since the last supereruption, a series of smaller eruptive cycles between 640,000 and 70,000 years ago, has nearly filled in the Yellowstone Caldera with 80 different eruptions of rhyolitic lavas such as those that can be seen at Obsidian Cliffs and basaltic lavas which can be viewed at Sheepeater Cliff . Lava strata are most easily seen at
11374-491: The same food sources. The declining population of cutthroat trout in the Yellowstone Lake can negatively impact fish predators. One in particular is the North American river otter which relies on the cutthroat fish as a prey. With a declining number of cutthroat trout in the spawning streams researchers saw a shift in the relationship between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems that are linked together. Yellowstone
11495-482: The same. The resurgence of the Sour Creek dome, just north of Fishing Bridge is causing Yellowstone Lake to "tilt" southward. Larger sandy beaches can now be found on the north shore of the lake, and flooded areas can be found in the southern arms. The Hayden Valley was once filled by an arm of Yellowstone Lake. As a result, it contains fine-grained lake sediments that are now covered with glacial till left from
11616-694: The scenic resorts and baths in England, Germany, and Switzerland. THE ACT OF DEDICATION AN ACT to set apart a certain tract of land lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River as a public park. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the tract of land in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming ... is hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale under
11737-401: The shore and on the west by a low bed of piney mountains. Its greatest width is about fifteen miles, lying in an oblong from south to north, or rather in the shape of a crescent. Near where we encamped were several hot springs which boiled perpetually. Near these was an opening in the ground about eight inches in diameter from which hot steam issued continually with a noise similar to that made by
11858-422: The shore to the outlet about twenty miles, and encamped in a beautiful plain { Hayden Valley } which extended along the northern extremity of the lake. This valley was interspersed with scattering groves of tall pines, forming shady retreats for the numerous elk and deer during the heat of the day. The lake is about 100 miles in circumference, bordered on the east by high ranges of mountains whose spurs terminate at
11979-591: The south, and the Yellowstone River has carved two colorful canyons, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone in its journey north. Yellowstone is at the northeastern end of the Snake River Plain , a great bow-shaped arc through the mountains that extends roughly 400 miles (640 km) from the park to the Idaho-Oregon border. The volcanism of Yellowstone
12100-500: The southern and eastern flanks of the lake. On July 28, 1871, they launched Annie , the first European boat ever to sail on the lake and began exploring the islands and shoreline. Additionally, the first ever photographs of the lake were taken during this expedition by William Henry Jackson . In correspondence that was Hayden's Report No. 7 to Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution , Dr. Spencer Baird ,
12221-553: The southwest area of the lake, the West Thumb Geyser Basin is easily accessible to visitors. Geysers , fumaroles , and hot springs are found both alongside and in the lake. As of 2004, the ground under the lake has started to rise significantly, indicating increased geological activity, and limited areas of the national park have been closed to the public. As of 2005, no areas are currently off limits aside from those normally allowing limited access such as around
12342-410: The steam issuing from the safety valve of an engine, and could be heard five or six miles distant. The lake has been known by various names as depicted on early maps and in journals. Both fur trader David Thompson and explorer William Clark referred to the lake as Yellow Stone . Osborne Russell referred to the lake as Yellow Stone Lake in his 1834 journal. On some William Clark maps, the lake has
12463-533: The supposedly mystical place was nicknamed " Colter's Hell ". Over the next 40 years, numerous reports from mountain men and trappers told of boiling mud, steaming rivers, and petrified trees, yet most of these reports were believed at the time to be a myth. After an 1856 exploration, mountain man Jim Bridger (also believed to be the first or second European American to have seen the Great Salt Lake ) reported observing boiling springs, spouting water, and
12584-431: The surrounding ecosystems. The Heritage and Research Center is located at Gardiner, Montana, near the north entrance to the park. The center is home to the Yellowstone National Park's museum collection, archives, research library, historian, archeology lab, and herbarium . The Yellowstone National Park Archives maintain collections of historical records of Yellowstone and the National Park Service. The collection includes
12705-503: The survey. Cooke wrote that his friend, Congressman William D. Kelley had also suggested " Congress pass a bill reserving the Great Geyser Basin as a public park forever". In 1871, eleven years after his failed first effort, Ferdinand V. Hayden was finally able to explore the region. With government sponsorship, he returned to the region with a second, larger expedition, the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 . He compiled
12826-516: The total land area of Yellowstone National Park is located within the state of Wyoming. Another three percent is within Montana, with the remaining one percent in Idaho. Montana's portion of Yellowstone contains multiple trails, facilities and swimming holes, while the Idaho portion of the park is completely undeveloped. The irregular eastern boundary of the national park follows the height of land along
12947-534: The traditional log cabin style with design features of a modern style. During the late 1980s, most construction styles in Yellowstone reverted to the more traditional designs. After the enormous forest fires of 1988 damaged much of Grant Village , structures there were rebuilt in the traditional style. The visitor center at Canyon Village , which opened in 2006, incorporates a more traditional design as well. The 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake just west of Yellowstone at Hebgen Lake damaged roads and some structures in
13068-516: The treaty and refused to recognize the claims of the Sheepeaters or any other tribe that had used Yellowstone. The Nez Perce band associated with Chief Joseph , numbering about 750 people, passed through Yellowstone National Park in thirteen days in late August 1877. They were being pursued by the U.S. Army and entered the national park about two weeks after the Battle of the Big Hole . Some of
13189-435: The utilitarian vision of maximum exploitation of natural resources , a characteristic of developers in the late 19th century. Second was the spiritual vision of nature inspired by Romanticism and the transcendentalists in the mid-19th century. The twentieth century saw the biocentric moral vision that focuses on the health of the ecosystem as theorized by Aldo Leopold , which led to the expansion of federally protected areas and
13310-410: The water-marks. Its annual rise and falls are about two feet. Its waters abound with trout to such an extent that the fish at this season are in poor condition, for want of food. No other fish are seen; no minnows, and no small trout. There are also no clams, crabs, nor turtles -- nothing but full-grown trout. These could be caught in mule loads by wading out a few feet in the open waters at any point with
13431-409: The western shoreline of Yellowstone lake closely until they reached the West Thumb area. From West Thumb, the party stuck out due West over the Continental Divide and emerged on the northernmost point of Shoshone Lake 44°22′20″N 110°42′45″W / 44.37222°N 110.71250°W / 44.37222; -110.71250 ( Shoshone Lake ) . Turning northwest, they again crossed
13552-682: Was actually referred to as Madison Lake because many believed Shoshone Lake was at the headwater of the Madison River drainage Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho . It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress through the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Yellowstone
13673-546: Was carrying copies of the Cook and Folsom diaries and the deLacy map. Once Folsom was back in Helena, Montana as a surveyor, his friends Nathaniel P. Langford and Samuel Thomas Hauser asked him to give a talk on the expedition to a group of prominent Helena citizens. Folsom refused to relate the experiences publicly because he thought nobody would believe him. However, those who knew Folsom well, believed him and credited him with
13794-406: Was created by a cataclysmic eruption that occurred 640,000 years ago, which released more than 240 cu mi (1,000 km ) of ash, rock and pyroclastic materials. This eruption was more than 1,000 times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens . It produced a caldera nearly 5 ⁄ 8 mi (1.0 km) deep and 45 by 28 miles (72 by 45 km) in area and deposited
13915-440: Was cut, and many facilities fell into disrepair. By the 1950s, visitation increased tremendously in Yellowstone and other national parks. To accommodate the increased visitation, park officials implemented Mission 66 , an effort to modernize and expand park service facilities. Planned to be completed by 1966, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service, Mission 66 construction diverged from
14036-594: Was employed as field surveyor by Henry D. Washburn , the Surveyor General of the Montana Territory. While in that office, Cook and Folsom shared their experiences and diaries with Washburn and W. W. deLacy, the territorial map maker. From these discussions, deLacy published an updated map of the Yellowstone region. When the Washburn party traveled into Yellowstone in August 1870, Henry D. Washburn
14157-483: Was encouraged to preserve it for others to see and experience it as well. In 1873, Congress authorized and funded a survey to find a wagon route to the park from the south which was completed by the Jones Expedition of 1873 . Eventually the railroads and, sometime after that, the automobile would make that possible. The park was not set aside strictly for ecological purposes. Hayden imagined something akin to
14278-592: Was eventually commissioned to oversee the management of Yellowstone for 30 years between 1886 and 1916. In 1917, the administration of the park was transferred to the National Park Service , which had been created the previous year. Hundreds of structures have been built and are protected for their architectural and historical significance , and researchers have examined more than a thousand indigenous archaeological sites . Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468.4 sq mi (8,983 km ), with lakes, canyons, rivers, and mountain ranges . Yellowstone Lake
14399-761: Was finally published in a significantly edited version in the Western Monthly Magazine . In 1904, a version of the account was published in the Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana . Sometime around 1900, William Peterson wrote A Reminiscence of William Peterson which was later published in the Yellowstone Interpreter in 1964. Charles Cook lived to participate in the 50th Anniversary celebration of Yellowstone's creation in 1922. That year he authored
14520-553: Was named Nez Perce Creek in memory of their trail through the area. A group of Bannocks entered the park in 1878, alarming park Superintendent Philetus Norris. In the aftermath of the Sheepeater Indian War of 1879, Norris built a fort to prevent Native Americans from entering the national park. The Northern Pacific Railroad built a train station in Livingston, Montana , as a gateway terminus to connect to
14641-570: Was the first national park in the U.S. and is also widely held to be the first national park in the world. The park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features , especially the Old Faithful geyser , one of its most popular. While it represents many types of biomes , the subalpine forest is the most abundant. It is part of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion . While Native Americans have lived in
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