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Yellowstone National Park
Long before any recorded human history in Yellowstone, a massive volcanic eruption spewed an immense volume of ash that covered all of the western U.S., much of the Midwest, northern Mexico and some areas of the eastern Pacific. That climactic event occurred about 640,000 years ago, and was one of many processes that shaped Yellowstone National Park--a region once rumored to be "the place where hell bubbles up."
Geothermal wonders, such as Old Faithful, are evidence of one of the world's largest active volcanoes. These spectacular features bemused and befuddled the park's earliest visitors, and helped lead to the creation of the world's first national park.
Fur trappers' fantastic tales of cauldrons of bubbling mud and roaring geysers sending steaming plumes skyward made their way back east. In 1871, Ferdinand Hayden led a westward expedition that included artist Thomas Moran and photographer William H. Jackson. They brought back images that helped convince Congress that the area known as Yellowstone needed to be protected and preserved.
In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a law declaring that Yellowstone would forever be "dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." It was the first national park ever created.
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Our Work at Yellowstone National Park
AMERICA'S WONDERS OF THE WORLD
The United States is home to 20 natural and cultural sites inscribed on the World Heritage List - and most of them are national parks! These …… Continue »
Yellowstone National Park Visitor Experiences
Land of the Free
While visiting Yellowstone National Park, we stopped for many a Buffalo Jam. What a wondrous site to see so many buffalo roam over the land free and protected as they had once done so many years before. They are now protected from humans, along with the Elk and their family grazing in …
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