# Yellowstone National Park Turns 150 Wild Years Old, and What a Journey It Has Been > Yellowstone National Park is celebrating its 150th anniversary. We trace the history, achievements and future plans of this one-of-a-kind US nature reserve. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/yelloustonskyi-natsionalnyi-park-sviatkuie-150richchia-istoriia-dosiahnennia-ta-plany-na-maibutnie-unikalnoho-pryrodnoho-zapovidnyka/ - Language: en - Published: 2024-03-06 - Categories: Historic Sites, Tours, USA, Mountain, Lakes, Forests --- Beth Pratt first discovered the wonders of Yellowstone National Park on the pages of a book. Inside a well-worn cover titled "National Parks of the USA," she still keeps a list where she once wrote down five western parks she dreamed of visiting. Yellowstone was one of those five. "I still remember poring endlessly over the photos of granite peaks, roaring waterfalls and wonderful wildlife, dreaming about wandering through those landscapes. I kept thinking, 'someday, someday...'" she said in an interview. Her "someday" finally arrived during a cross-country trip from her home state of Massachusetts to California. As for her first glimpse of Yellowstone, "it truly was a moment of awe." Pratt, who later landed a job in the park, shared an entry from her diary dated September 20, 1991: "Yellowstone is beautiful. No description I could give would do it justice; I am no John Muir. It is enchanting and full of natural wonders, and wildlife is everywhere. A Disneyland for naturalists. Right now I am watching a herd of elk across from my camp. The bull is singing his herd an eerie song, but the sound suits this land." Indeed, Yellowstone is a land rich in dates and memories. The park, 96% of which lies in Wyoming, 3% in Montana and 1% in Idaho, is marking an important milestone this year. On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the act protecting Yellowstone National Park. With a single stroke of the pen, he created the first national park not only in the United States, but in the world. In connection with this 150th anniversary, the National Park Service and Yellowstone enthusiasts are reflecting on the past, present and future, with events planned throughout the year. ## A very short account of a very long history ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-113-1-2024.jpg) Yellowstone's story actually began long before 1872, and the land was not as untouched as many might imagine. For thousands of years, we have evidence that people thrived on the bounty of this land. "It is believed that some of the modern trails frequently walked by tourists in Yellowstone are relics of Indigenous corridors dating back roughly 12,000 years," reports the US Geological Survey. This land was well known to the Blackfeet, Cayuse, Coeur d'Alene, Kiowa, Nez Perce, Shoshone and other tribes, all of whom are believed to have explored the area and made use of it, according to the US Geological Survey. They "hunted, fished, gathered plants, quarried obsidian and used the thermal waters for religious and medicinal purposes," according to the National Park Service. (Yellowstone sits atop a supervolcano and is home to the world's largest concentration of geysers, along with hot springs, steam vents and mud pots, the National Park Service reports.) While Indigenous peoples lived in harmony with the land, waves of US westward expansion began to put pressure on wild territories across the West. European Americans began exploring the area that is now Yellowstone in the early 1800s, according to the National Park Service, and the first organized expedition entered the region in 1870. Vivid reports from the expeditions helped persuade Congress, whose members had never even seen the area, to protect it from private development. Just two years later, Yellowstone was officially established. ## Yellowstone's significance "cannot be overstated" The creation of Yellowstone was a turning point and set a trend. It helped bring more US national parks into being: in 1890, California's Sequoia and Yosemite parks joined the list. In 1899, Mount Rainier was added. Today there are 63 national parks, the newest being New River Gorge, which was designated in December 2020. Ken Burns titled his 2009 documentary about US national parks "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." Its value has made it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. "Yellowstone's significance for wildlife conservation and our wild heritage cannot be overstated," said Pratt, who currently serves as regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation in California. She said the park's creation ensured "the preservation of our natural heritage in trust for future generations" and "inspired other efforts to protect public lands, such as the open space movement, so Yellowstone's legacy for the common good reaches far beyond even the national park system." "Yellowstone National Park also serves as a time capsule, a kind of 'land that time forgot' when it comes to wildlife. It is one of the few places where you can catch a glimpse of the past, when wildlife dominated our world," Pratt said by email. ## 'Part of something bigger' ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-113-2-2024.jpg) Jenny Golding is a writer, photographer and editor in chief of A Yellowstone Life, a website devoted to helping people connect with the park. She runs it together with her husband George Bumann, a sculptor and naturalist. In an email interview, they said: "Yellowstone has always been an example of preservation and conservation, as well as a balance between those goals and visitation and education." "The park's significance has shifted over time, but in recent history it has shown us the critical role of wild places in modern life," Bumann said. "The park has become a global leader in setting out a range of possibilities and approaches to caring for wild animals and landscapes. It is also a place where we can find our collective and individual center. People come here expecting to be transformed or enlightened in ways they would not expect anywhere else." Golding agrees. "It is impossible not to become part of something bigger here," she said. "We live and breathe Yellowstone; it is in the very fiber of our being, the wildlife, the animals, the smell of hot springs in the air. For us, Yellowstone means so many things: wildness, presence and a connection to something deep and elusive." ## Mistakes were made Managing the park has been a 150-year learning experience, to put it mildly. Yellowstone has an uneven history when it comes to environmental management and acknowledging Indigenous peoples' historical ties to the area, Superintendent Cameron Sholly said in an online presentation earlier this year. "If we go back to 1872... we did not have a very good track record of protecting resources in this country. It practically did not exist," Sholly said. "When Yellowstone became a park in 1872, the small group trying to protect it had a very hard time at first." And mistakes were made all along the way, Sholly said. "We did not get everything right. Our government policy as a whole was to rid the park of predators, and we did just that. We did it on a massive scale." He noted that wolves and cougars were completely eradicated, and the bear population dropped sharply. "Beyond predators, we drove the bison population down from tens of thousands in the park to fewer than 25 animals, and we essentially interfered with the ecosystem and threw it completely out of balance, without even realizing it at the time." Sholly said: "Even if you jump ahead to the 1960s, we were feeding bears from garbage dumps so visitors could see them." Since then, there has been a turnaround in attitudes toward wildlife. "So while we talk about 150 years of Yellowstone... most of the success in restoring this ecosystem has come mainly over the past 50 to 60 years." He mentioned the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone in 1995, which "remains probably the greatest conservation success in the history of this country, if not the world." ## Respect for a long legacy Sholly also acknowledged that the work regarding Indigenous peoples is ongoing. "We are paying a great deal of attention to this area, given the fact that many tribes were here thousands of years before Yellowstone became a park." He noted the transfer of 28 Yellowstone bison to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation of the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes, "as part of ongoing efforts to relocate live bison from Yellowstone to tribal nations," and future efforts to educate visitors about the park's long Indigenous history. "We also want to use this anniversary to better recognize the many Indigenous nations that lived in this area for thousands of years before Yellowstone became a park." And still more challenges come with the 150th anniversary. Yellowstone has invasive species such as lake trout, and it is affected by climate change. Yellowstone and other popular parks are figuring out how to better cope with record numbers of visitors. And the park must continue to deal with the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. ## Anniversary events ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-113-3-2024.jpg) Because of the pandemic, the park is not yet planning any large-scale in-person events. But it is running virtual programs and some small in-person ones. Here are some of the highlights: - Badges: This summer, the Junior Ranger Park program is free. You can stop by the park visitor center or an information station to pick up a booklet and earn a badge during your visit. - Living history: Yellowstone National Park Lodges will host a public event at the Old Faithful Inn on May 6, coinciding with the historic hotel's seasonal opening. From May 6 to 8, a Native American art exhibition and market will be open. - Tribal Heritage Center: From May through September 2022, visitors will be able to visit the Tribal Heritage Center at Old Faithful. There, Native American artists and scholars will be able to engage directly with visitors, who will learn how the tribes see their presence in the park now and in the future. - Horses: From July 28 to 30, members of the Nez Perce Appaloosa Horse Club will ride along a section of the Nez Perce Trail, hold a parade in traditional regalia and offer horseback rides. - Symposium: A symposium marking Yellowstone's 150th anniversary at the University of Wyoming is scheduled for May 19 to 20, both virtually and in person at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. Free registration is required. Click here for the full list of events currently planned. ## Favorite places in Yellowstone ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-113-4-2024.jpg) On the eve of the 150th anniversary, Jenny Golding of A Yellowstone Life spoke about her time in the park. "I first came to the park in 1997 to study coyotes. George \[Bumann\] and I came back here on our honeymoon, and then returned for good in 2002," she said. "Before Yellowstone I had done plenty of hiking and traveling, but no place ever touched my soul the way Yellowstone did. Yellowstone has a living, breathing heart." They have lived there permanently since 2002, "first working with the park's nonprofit education partner, and now independently." As for a special spot in the park, Bumann loves the Lamar Valley, which is known for the easy viewing of an abundance of wildlife. "It is a place where you see the Earth as it became over millions of years, not as we have shaped it. But every time I step outside, I find new special things in different parts of the park." Beth Pratt, who lived and worked in Yellowstone from 2007 to 2011, overseeing sustainability projects, struggled to pick a favorite spot. But when asked, the author of the book "When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors" said: "I have to give my favorite place in Yellowstone to the Norris Geyser Basin. Old Faithful gets all the attention, but Norris is full of wonders." "The Norris Geyser Basin is described in the NPS guidebook as 'one of the hottest and most dynamic hydrothermal areas of Yellowstone.' But even that description is an understatement; the otherworldly character of this area is simply awe-inspiring. Visiting the basin feels like being transported to another planet." And the memories of the animals stay with her. "One day I saw nine different grizzlies in a single day, and once, while I was having lunch, nearly 40 bighorn sheep walked past me. Yellowstone is an immersive wildlife experience unlike any other in our country."