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.
