washburn expedition

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Exploring Yellowstone in 1870 on the Washburn Expedition with ‘Little Invulnerable’

The remote area that became Yellowstone National Park was a roadless wilderness when the famous Washburn Expedition explored it in 1870. That meant they had to carry supplies on packhorses. Vital as these animals were to survival, the explorers rarely mentioned them. But, one horse’s antics earned him a place in several journals and a nickname. Here’s Nathaniel P. Langford’s description of “Little Invulnerable.” Continue Reading →

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Shooting Jake Smith’s hat: A tale from Langford’s Discovery of Yellowstone Park – 1877

Jake Smith

One of the members of the famous Washburn Expedition that explored the upper Yellowstone in 1870, a jocular man named Jake Smith, was always ready to gamble. Unfortunately, he lost all his money in a card game the night before the trip started. But Jake came up with a way to replenish his stake. N.P. Langford tells the story in an excerpt from his book, The Discovery of Yellowstone Park. Continue Reading →

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