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Maud gets her revenge while camping in Yellowstone in 1913

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Louise Elliott

In 1913, Louise Elliott published a book about a young schoolteacher from Lander, Wyo., who took a job as a camp assistant for a mobile camp tour. In her preface, Elliott confesses that she used several techniques that critics now might label “new journalism.” She created composite characters by combining traits of her camp companions, and made up a “little romance” for her protagonist. We can forgive Elliott because she provided an explicit disclaimer — and an entertaining portrait of travel to Yellowstone Park in the early 20th century. While her tales must be taken with the proverbial grain of salt, we probably can take her word that “the camp episodes and jokes, the weather and scenery, and the statistics” were all accurate descriptions copied from her diary. Continue Reading →

Filed under: History, People, camping, history, Louise Elliott, yellowstone, yellowstone history

Foundation funds Yellowstone projects from bat disease to ‘million-dollar room’

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Hamilton's Lower Store at Old Faithful

A host of diverse projects in Yellowstone National Park — including bat research, geyser data sharing and even preserving a unique and historic wall covering — will receive financial support this year from the Yellowstone Park Foundation, the park's official fundraising partner. The Foundation has announced more than $200,000 in new grants aimed at helping park managers, researchers and others achieve important goals that are not necessarily covered by the park's $69.5 million annual budget. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Geology, Science & Nature, Yellowstone, charity, geysers, history, little brown bats, million dollar room

Henry Merry takes a wild ride in Yellowstone’s first car

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yellowstone-history-early-auto

Cars weren’t "officially" admitted to Yellowstone National Park until 1915, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there before that. One story says that Henry G. Merry drove his Winton Motor Carriage to Mammoth Hot Springs in 1902 to a dance at the National Hotel. He was caught — the story goes — but was allowed to drive out under cover of darkness. Here’s a more colorful version told by Merry's son. Continue Reading →

Filed under: History, People, henry g. merry, history, trending, winton motor carriage, yellowstone, yellowstone history

Truman Everts’ Yellowstone Park mountain lion encounter

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A mountain lion peers out from its hiding spot. (photo by Larry Moats/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - click to enlarge)

Probably the best known story of early travel to Yellowstone Park is Truman Everts’ account of being lost and alone there for 37 days. During the famous Washburn Expedition of 1870, Everts became separated from his companions as they made their way through heavy timber east of Lake Yellowstone. Everts was extremely nearsighted, so he got off his horse to look for tracks. While he was scrutinizing a path, the horse ran away, leaving him with little but the clothing on his back. Everts was a clever and tenacious man. He built a nest between two hot springs to survive a snow storm, made fire with the lens from an opera glass, and lived mostly on a diet of thistle roots. He told about his adventures in a magazine article that helped win support for creation of Yellowstone Park. Here’s one of those adventures: Continue Reading →

Filed under: History, People, history, mountian lion, Truman Everts, yellowstone

Teddy Roosevelt knew what an elk smelled like

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Theodore Roosevelt was an avid outdoorsman and enthusiastic big game hunter. (click to enlarge)

How many present-day elected officials have been elk hunting? If you're asking the question of politicians around the greater Yellowstone area, the answer is probably "quite a few." Hunting is a part of the local culture around Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. But not so much in much of America's urban areas today. It's no secret that Theodore Roosevelt was an avid outdoorsman and enthusiastic big game hunter. But in a great excerpt unearthed by author and historian M. Mark Miller, Roosevelt describes catching a whiff of an elk while on the hunt in 1891. (Roosevelt even offers an account of the animal's differing aroma while in rut.) Continue Reading →

Filed under: History, elk, history, hunting, m. mark miller, teddy roosevelt, two ocean pass

Mint Bar in Livingston maintains authentic sense of history after modern makeover

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A painstaking restoration of The Mint Bar and Theater in Livingston, Mont. has maintained a feeling of historic authenticity. (courtesy photo - click to enlarge)

A downtown fixture for the past century, the Mint Bar got its name because it was where railroad workers coming off the late shift often cashed their paychecks — and then quickly began drinking their way through that cash. Livingston's Northern Pacific rail hub closed decades ago, but the bar continues to thrive. During the height of the railroad era, around the mid 20th century, the Mint was rumored to have had more cash on hand than most local banks. Nowadays, it trades in an even more elusive currency: authentic Western historical experiences. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Gateway Towns, bars, gambling, history, livingston, mint bar, prohibition, trending

Cowboy Bar in Meeteetse stays true to its Western outlaw roots

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For nearly 120 years, The Cowboy Bar in Meeteetse, Wyo. has served outlaws, locals and visitors making the trip to nearby Yellowstone National Park. Both the bar and the small ranching community have stayed true to their roots, offering an authentic taste of the Old West while making sure modern-day cowboys have a place to shoot pool, play cards and get a drink. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Gateway Towns, History, bars, butch cassidy, cowboy bar, earl durand, history, jim blake

Debate over Yellowstone Park winter use dates back more than 50 years

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While the ongoing public debate over the role of snowmobiles in Yellowstone Park may seem like a relatively recent development, winter use has been a contentious topic going back more than half a century. It's that legacy of past decisions and longstanding public expectations that has helped define the debate — and the options for moving forward — on how to manage winter use in Yellowstone. Continue Reading →

Filed under: history, planning, snow coaches, snowmobiles, trending, Wade Vagias, winter use, yellowstone

An Army quartermaster’s view of Yellowstone National Park in 1905

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During the early days of Yellowstone National Park, the U.S. Army was called in to protect bison and other wildlife from poachers. Life wasn't easy — but it was interesting — for the soldiers who lived and worked in Yellowstone. Dave Crawforth has compiled a slide show that shows what life was like in 1905 when John Delmar, Sr. was an Army quartermaster stationed at Mammoth Hot Springs. The slideshow shows the people, buildings and wildlife of the time. It includes a look at the railroad depot at Gardiner, Mont. and the newly installed electric lights around Mammoth. Continue Reading →

Filed under: History, People, army, electricity, history, mammoth hot springs, railroad, soldiers