Yellowstone National Park History

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Historical NoteYellowstone National Park spans three states: Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. It was founded in 1872 as the country’s first national park. The diverse terrain of the park features lakes, mountains, forests, and plains, but the park is best known for its thousands of geothermal features. The park sits on top of a massive supervolcano, with a history of eruptions dating back millions of years. Native Americans lived and hunted in the park as long as 11,000 years ago. European explorers began to arrive in the area of the park in the early 19th century. Formal expeditions into the area of the park were undertaken after the Civil War, leading to establishment as a national park in 1872. Initially the park was managed by the Army, and this arrangement continued until 1918, just after the formation of the National Park Service.

Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

About Our CollectionsThe Montana History Portal website contains collections from institutions in both Montana and Wyoming. We have gathered hundreds of items to use on this Yellowstone National Park exhibit page. A significant portion of this content comes from our collaboration with Yellowstone National Park Heritage and Research Center, University of Montana, Montana Historical Society, and Museum of the Rockies, but we also recognize the other Montana institutions that have provided invaluable content on this important national park. Please be aware that other items in our online collections which do not appear in this exhibit may contain small or tangential references to the park – we encourage you to use our powerful search feature to discover them. Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

Contributing InstitutionBillings Public Library Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

Butte-Silver Bow Public Library Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

Carter County Museum Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

Montana Historical Society Research Center Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

Museum of the Rockies Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

University of Montana Mansfield Library Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

Yellowstone Gateway Museum Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

Yellowstone Historic Center Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

Yellowstone National Park Heritage and Research Center Last edited by: Dave Colamaria

CollectionExhibitsSub-CollectionNatural History & Parks