The Accidental Five-Star Flip

Photos - click here

Day 1
The daybreak came swiftly and before we knew it, there was a knocking on the door. My grandma had arrived. We caught up over breakfast, and beverages. After we had satisfied our growling stomachs, my grandma tended to my dad’s swollen leg, driving him to a local clinic. The diagnosis wasn’t positive, but most likely he had a cactus burr stuck in there so under doc’s orders, she went and bought some Tequila and chew and rubbed it on his wound. By far, the greatest laugh out of the past two days was watching my grandma buy chew and trying to convince the clerk she wasn’t going to actually chew it.
On the agenda was to head to Albuquerque a few hours away, but we did so leisurely. We stopped at the Natural Amphitheater (a giant dint in a cliff wall that magnifies noise), yelled a little bit, and then proceeded to the Ghost Ranch. Notorious for where Georgia O’Keefe received much of her inspiration. The Ghost Ranch is a Presbyterian retreat that had been around near a century. The scenery was phenomenal, with massive buttes decorated with reds and oranges, protruding from the ground. We walked through a sort of labyrinth or maze that took more patience than it did brains, with the fact being that no matter what you did, you eventually reached the center. Waving goodbye to the place that had been so kind to us when we first arrived three days prior as hikers, we continued to our destination. We breezed swiftly through Abiquiu to send a package and get a sandwich, but in several hours after leaving the Presbyterians, we entered the busy streets of the New Mexican capitol.
We got the staples that I dumbly bypassed earlier, at REI, and then headed towards luxury. My grandma was dead-set on pampering us and that is exactly what she did. She got a couple of rooms at the Hilton owned, Embassy Suites. Just up the glass elevator and a few doors down, no sooner had we opened the door than I jumped on the phone and called for guest services to give me the movie times of the recently released Star Wars movie. We came, we saw and we thoroughly enjoyed. After we got back to the room, grandma and I ordered room service and watched another movie.

Day 2
The next morning was hard. We were up late, so getting up at 5:30 was no easy task. My grandma drove us to the airport and with many hugs and kisses goodbye; we departed to Salt Lake City, Utah. We had a brief transfer in Phoenix, where we called KISM (our local radio station) so we could update them on our travels. From there we got a rental car, one way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There were a ton of pronghorn (commonly called antelope) and diverse scenery including the Teton Mountains. After getting a room at Motel 6, we went to a pizza parlor for dinner and then crashed for the night.

Day 3
We explored the quaint mountain town and bought some provisions. It took us until 1 o’clock to leave; where we returned the rental car and got a ride about 10 miles north of town near the airport. From there we waited on the main road, thumbs-out, hoping for a ride to Yellowstone. We didn’t have to wait long through, before a guy with big, yellow tinted lensed sunglasses pulled over.
The guy turned out to be a blind/window, salesman who lived in Jackson Hole. My dad described him to be someone who could star in "American Chopper". During the ride I occasionally glanced up from the Harry Potter book I was reading to look at the towering snow-painted peaks. His dog was very fond of Leslie, with her head on Leslie’s leg, in a doggy dreamland. He also offered us discounts in the hotel he ran part time. He chauffeured us into the park, dropped us off and pulled a U-turn waving all the way, all smiles as he drove out of sight.
We had to wait a little bit longer to get the next ride, now that we were in Yellowstone, but non-of us cared. The Tetons littered the distance and a pristine lake, hidden by trees glowed in front of them. The environment had changed so rapidly from the New Mexican high deserts and sandy water washes. I kept my nose hidden in my book most of the relatively short time it took to hitch a ride.
Our newest provider of transportation was just out of high school. Her name was Dani and she worked seasonally at Old Faithful Village in the park, which, fortunately for us, was exactly where we wanted to go. She stopped periodically to show us different sites of interest: waterfalls, lakes, etc., as well as offering us music, food and water. She was very informational, giving us interesting facts about the park. We drove along the wandering park roads, being held up periodically by people who had seen one of the thousands of bison and decided to stop in the middle of the road to observe.
After hours we finally reached the Old Faithful Village, and then it appeared our luxury didn’t end with the Embassy Suites. We made it twenty minutes too late to get our supplies box at the Post Office, so leaving the area without our mail drop didn’t make much sense. We got the last room at the very fancy Snow Lake Resort- another five-star hotel at five-star prices. The upside of this was that we had 5 hours to kill and did so by exploring the network of hot springs and geysers, including watching Old Faithful. When the sun finally started to set we went to the restaurant, where I ate the best burger I’ve had on the trip so far.

Day 4
Early that morning, Dave went to the village clinic to get a second opinion about his shin injury, since it was hurting more now than before. The person who he talked to informed him that it could very well be shin splints. Without resting a shin splint, it can turn into a stress fracture, but when your hiking a long-distance trail, prolonged rest isn’t an option.
While we were eating a late breakfast dad brought over a picture he got at the clinic. It was of a ranger holding a Kodiak Grizzly’s paw and head. The paw looked about the size of the man's torso. The story was that a hiker was hiking is Alaska and this bear came out of the woods. It stood about 5-7 ft tall when an all fours and 12 ft when standing. The hiker unloaded his rifle into the bear face, only to anger it and lead to his own demise. Later on the bear charged a ranger, carrying a 38-caliber pistol (often used to hunt elephants in Africa.). He fired 8 shots into the bear’s head and it fell several feet in front of him. The hiker body was found inside the bear. It was the largest bear, ever recorded in history. We’re not sure if it was an urban myth or if it was real, but the pictures were impressive.
At 10:30, with a little luck, the mail drop was picked up. The bellhop and clerk were doing everything they could to help us get our supplies, prepared to bribe the postal workers with cookies, since the Post Office was closed (Saturday). After sorting out the food, we headed to the backcountry ranger station, but the rangers told us we couldn’t hike due to the snow. Well, we were expecting snow, so that wasn’t really a problem, but the fact that areas were closed to protect grizzly habitat until July 1st was a problem we weren’t expecting. We could have signed a waver and gone anyway, if the bear management hadn’t been an issue. Overall, the rangers were very difficult and didn’t seem extremely knowledgeable, so we talked to a more helpful ranger in West Yellowstone, Bob Hamilton. We decided that we really needed to get out of the park and head to West Yellowstone for more information and planning.
We hitched to West Yellowstone, and got picked up by another park employee, Scott. He dropped us off, at a junction- he was going one way and we needed to go the other. It was here that two cars pulled over at the same time to pick us up- weird but lucky. We took the ride from college kids in an SUV. They had traveled in Ireland and hitched, so they had to repay their Karma. They dropped us off in West Yellowstone, where we got a room at the Travelodge. It was Memorial Day weekend, so rooms were limited. We managed to find a room, and while it wasn’t a five-star hotel, we paid five-star rates, again….

Day 5
In the morning, Dad and Leslie headed over to the visitor center, where they saw Scott- one of the people that had given us a ride the day before. As it turned out, Scott was a ranger who worked in West Yellowstone with Bob Hamilton. Funny coincidence. After getting a bunch of info and Park Service blessings to go North instead of South we went and bought maps to accommodate our new, last-minute route change. There was an Internet place in town so we went there and worked on updating the web site. Dad, who had been sold the wrong cable for his camera, finally got the right cable in the Old Faithful mail drop and finally got the pictures off of his camera (they had been there since the beginning of the hike). I stayed in the park with all our gear, and read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. We had planned on leaving in the afternoon, but everything takes longer than it seems, so we stayed in town that day, finally breaking the accidental five-star hotel trend by going to an RV park and camping for the night.
 
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Info below includes Albuquerque, NM, Jackson, WY, Old Faithful Village at Yellowstone NP, WY, and West Yellowstone, MT
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Info on Albuquerque, NM from: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/north_america/albuquerque/history.htm
The Ancestral Puebloans were the area's first permanent occupants, probably arriving in the 6th century. They planted corn, beans and squash and constructed adobe and brick pit homes along the banks of the Rio Grande. They ultimately disappeared from the region around 1300 AD. The Spanish arrived in the mid-16th century and a few settlers and a trading post were established just north of the present city in the last years of that century. In 1706, the present site of the city was settled and named after the Duke of Albuquerque, viceroy of New Spain. The city is still nicknamed 'Duke City'. During much of the 18th and 19th century Albuquerque was nothing more than a dusty trading centre along the trail linking Mexico and Santa Fe. Close-knit families of Spanish descent accounted for most of the population living around the central plaza, in what is now the Old Town. The city changed character and demographics with the arrival of the railroad in 1880. A new town, reminiscent of the East Coast in design and attitude, developed around the new railway station. It was incorporated into a town in 1885. Growth continued in the 20th century as Route 66, the easiest way to travel east-west through New Mexico, brought a steady stream of traffic right through the town. Today Albuquerque continues its traditional role as a transportation hub, but it's the airport that brings in the travellers. Once again, most of them are on their way to somewhere else. It's developed into an inexpensive and modest service town that's a little more grounded than its neighbours.
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Info on Jackson, WY from: http://www.jacksonholewy.net/area_info/jh_history_of_jackson_hole.php
While historians credit John Colter as the first white man in the Jackson Hole in the winter of 1807, it is fellow fur trapper Davey Jackson for whom Jackson Hole is named. Jackson signed on with William Ashley's fur company and was truly enterprising. In 1826, he and two other fur trappers, Jedediah Smith and William Sublette, bought out Ashley. In 1830, having made a sizable profit in only four years, these partners sold the company. To mountain men, a low-lying valley surrounded by mountains was called a "hole." Because mountain rivers and streams that ran through holes created good habitat for beaver and other fur-bearing animals, trappers worked in these areas. Often a trapper assumed unwritten rights to trapping areas, and many places were named for the men who worked there most frequently. Sublette named the valley "Jackson's Hole" for his partner in 1829. Eventually the possessive was dropped because it was the, errr, butt of too many jokes.
Archeologist deduce people have been visiting the valley as long as 12,000 years ago. Artifacts of hunter-gatherers have been found dating from 500 to 5,000 years ago. During pre-historic times, no one tribe claimed ownership to Jackson Hole, but Blackfeet, Crow, Gros Ventre, Shoshone and other Native Americans living on surrounding lands used this neutral valley during the warm months. Severe winters prevented habitation.
For three decades between 1810 and 1840, this area was a crossroads for the six main trapper trails that converged in Jackson Hole. Mountain men had the run of the valley where, from 1824 to 1840, they held annual summer rendezvous, the equivalent of modern day trade shows. Here, they sold their furs or traded them with companies like the Hudson Bay Company and the Astoria Fur Company for winter supplies. These gatherings also allowed the trail-weary mountain men a chance to eat, drink and be merry with other trappers, as well as test their ability in contests of skill.
By 1845, the fur trade had ended as the fashion of men's beaver hats back East gave way to silk hats. For the next four decades, Jackson Hole remained unsettled because of its relative isolation and was visited only by wandering tribes and government expeditions.
The most memorable of these expeditions was the Hayden expedition in 1871. Pictures taken of Yellowstone by expedition photographer William Henry Jackson helped persuade the federal government to designate it the nation's first national park 1872, 18 years before Wyoming became a state.
Jackson Hole didn't see settlers until 1883, when John and Millie Carnes and John Holland became the first unofficial citizens of Jackson Hole. They crossed via an old Native American trail, clearing trees for the wagon as they went. By the mid-1890s, settlers dotted the valley around villages named Kelly, Wilson and Moran. The historic buildings at Menor's Ferry near Grand Teton National Park headquarters in the town of Moose survive from this era. The town site of Jackson was laid out in 1897 where Cache and Flat Creek meet - a location central to many ranches of that time in the valley.
Soon a bank, stores, churches and a park (the Town Square is now bordered by four elk horn arches, one at each corner) sprouted to complete the beginning of the town. Some of the structures surrounding the town square were the first buildings. Streets to the south contain houses that have been there since the early days.
As Jackson Hole's beef industry grew, large elk herds that roamed the mountains and valleys began to compete with cattle for hay supplies. To help ranchers, Congress began a federal feed program for the Jackson elk herd. A few years later in 1910, the federal government bought the 24,600 acres just north of town, now the National Elk Refuge, to help keep the herd from starving in the winter and to preserve the ranching lifestyle in Jackson Hole.
Nearly 3,000 elk summer in Grand Teton National Park. Free ranging and migratory, elk spend all summer gaining weight to sustain them through the coming winter. The first few inches of snow trigger migration to the National Elk Refuge immediately south of the park. Approximately 7,000 elk (over half the Jackson herd) spend their winter on the Refuge. Visitors enjoy elk hunting and trout fishing on Flat Creek on the Refuge during certain seasons. In winter, sleigh rides bring visitors among the herd.
After 1900, some settlers realized that "dudes winter better than cows." Helped by its proximity to two future national parks (GTNP and Yellowstone), the valley began to become famous for big game hunting. Ranchers often took guests and offered guide services, providing a base for "dude ranching." These old cattle operations became new vacation destinations for fly fishermen, hunters and horseback riders.
Tourism started to replaced cattle ranching as Jackson Hole's economic base. This was facilitated when the land around the Tetons was designated as a national monument in 1929. After years of debate, Congress added further acreage and created Grand Teton National Park in 1950. The town of Jackson also brought nationwide recognition to Wyoming by helping it become known as the Equality State. In 1920, an all-female town council was elected - the first of its kind in the country.
The many movies made in Jackson Hole have added to the valley's fame, beginning with an early version of "Nanette of the North" in 1921. The famous "Shane" was filmed north of Kelly on Antelope Flats, north of Moose and on the National Elk Refuge. When Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara made "Spencer's Mountain" in 1963, and some 200 local people appeared as extras; the little log building of St. John Episcopal Chruch was the setting for some of the scenes. Rosalind Russell in "The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax" did most of her outdoor filming on top of Rendezvous Peak above Teton Village, arriving there via the aerial tram.
Countless nature specials and outdoor commercials have also made use of the spectacular scenery. Vacationers enjoy visiting the sites of all these movies, as well as all the other scenic and historic places in the area. There are galleries too that have grown up around a number of well-known artists who make their home here. Local artisans abound and exhibit their products at a half-dozen craft fairs every year. Add to these attractions the recreation available - such as fishing, river rafting on the wild waters and calmer stretches of the Snake River, horseback riding, hiking, golfing and tennis - and the result is a great vacation. In the evenings, there are rodeos, live musical comedy shows and even a full symphony orchestra in the summer. In the winter, ski deep powder, get away from it all on a snowmobile or view the elk herds from a horse-drawn sleigh.
Today, Jackson Hole is a winter and summer playground for outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world. Skiing, snowboarding, hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and kayaking are just some of the activities. "The Last and the Best of the Old West," Jackson Hole's culture is unique, blending its western heritage with that of a destination resort. On the board sidewalks of Jackson, cowboys with hats and spurs are often juxtaposed against snowboarders with dreadlocks and nose rings.
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Info on Old Faithful Village- Yellowstone National Park from: http://www.yellowstone.net/history.htm
1795 -- The first written description of the river now known as the Yellowstone was penned.
1797-1798 -- David Thompson, explorer and geographer in the British fur trade of the Northwest, used the words "Yellow Stone" in notes he made while visiting Mandan villages on the upper Missouri. It is uncertain exactly how the words originated, although the canyon walls which tower over the river near its headwaters look like "Yellow Rock."
1805-06 -- The Lewis and Clark expedition, as they made their way through what is now Montana, heard reports of a volcano to the south which sounded like thunder and made the earth tremble. For whatever reason, they did not investigate.
1808 -- John Colter, who had traveled with Lewis and Clark, visited the area, probably the first white man to get a glimpse of Yellowstone.
1827 -- The first written account of the Yellowstone region appeared in a Philadelphia newspaper, but it appears not to have been taken seriously because of the wild tales told therein. Also, trapper Daniel T. Potts composed one of the earliest letters regarding present-day Yellowstone Park, in which he described the thermal features in the area.
1829 -- Trapper Joe Meek stumbled upon what is now known as the Norris Geyser basin area. His stories of "fire and brimstone" were met with unbelief.
1830s -- Mountain man Jim Bridger began exploring the Yellowstone region. Few believed the outlandish stories of waterfalls spouting upwards and petrified "birds and trees" which he repeated over and over.
1834 -- Warren Angus Ferris, clerk of the American Fur Company, visited what is now Yellowstone Park and made a name for himself. He was the first actual "tourist" to visit the Yellowstone region (that is, he did so purely out of curiosity), he was the first to provide an adequate description of a geyser, and the first to apply the word "geyser" to Yellowstone's thermal features.
1835-39 -- Trapper Osbourne Russell, during the height of the "Trapper Era," ventured into the Yellowstone region three times, traveling the shores of Yellowstone Lake and many of the thermal areas and smaller lakes to the south of Yellowstone Lake.
1842 -- Another account of the Yellowstone region was published anonymously by ex-trapper Warren Ferris in the Western Literary Messenger. Ferris was the first to identify the park's thermal features as "geysers," a term which had originated in Iceland.
1850's-60's -- The struggle over slavery, the American Civil War which it led to, the immediate aftermath of that war, and skirmishes with Indians kept the United States government from sending an official exploration party to the Yellowstone region.
1863 -- A group of prospectors, headed by "Colonel" Walter Washington deLacy, pushed into the southern portion of Yellowstone Park, where they encountered some thermal features. A few years afterward, deLacy Lake appeared on a map of the area, until the name was changed to the present-day Shoshone Lake.
1865 -- Father Francis Xavier Kuppens, a young Jesuit priest serving near Great Falls, Montana, was guided into present-day Yellowstone Park by a group of Piegan Indians. Among other things, he visited the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the geysers of the Firehole Basin. Later that year, Kuppens had opportunity to describe his incredible journey to Acting Territorial Governer Thomas Francis Meagher, who at that time is credited with suggesting that is such a place of wonders did exist, it should be preserved as a national park.
1868 -- Frederick and Phillip Bottler became the first settlers between Bozeman and the present Park. The Bottler Ranch was at first a jumping point for hunting and prospecting.
1869 -- Three mine workers named David E. Folsom, Charles W. Cook and William Peterson set out to explore the Yellowstone region. They visited the Grand Canyon of the Yellowtone, saw the teeming wildlife in the area, and experienced the geysers and boiling pools. According to their recollection, they realized the area needed to be preserved from commercialization. After returning from thei outing, Cook and Folsom wrote articles about their trip, but reputable magazine's refused to publish what they considered as unreliable stories.
1870 -- Following years of wild rumors about the Yellowstone region and on the heels of the Folsom-Cook-Peterson party, a group of gold prospectors, curious private citizens and government surveyers penetrated the Yellowstone region and beheld the truly glorious wonders of the area. Those who gazed upon the area realized the pricelessness of the region and began striving to make certain the region was preserved from development so that all Americans could have the opportunity to gaze upon and enjoy its wonders.
The party of gold prospectors included A. Bart Henderson, James Gourley, Adam Miller, Ed Hibbard and a man simply known as "Dad." They attempted to prospect for gold in the Lamar Valley area. Over the summer months they spent in the area, they had near-death encounters with buffalo, grizzlies and Indians. Although they named several natural features in the area, they were unsuccessful in regards to finding gold, and the short era of the prospector in Yellowstone Park came to an end.
The most famous of the 1870 parties which explored the Yellowtone region was the group led by Henry D. Washburn, surveyor-general of the Montana territory. This famous Washburn party, which is credited with "discovering" Yellowstone, consisted of National Pitt Langford (the scribe of the group and later selected as the first Park Superintendent), Cornelius Hedges and Walter Trumbull (journalists who helped the nation to understand that the reality of the wonders of Yellowtone following the expedition), Truman C. Everts (the oldest of the group, he became separated from the party and hopelessly lost in the Yellowstone wildnerness for thirty-seven days as winter approached; he survived the ordeal and his incredible story helped to further arose the nation's interest inYellowstone) and First Lieutenant Gustavus Doane (a veteran of the US Calvary, he headed the military escort which accompanied the group and made an official report of the journey to US government). During the expedition, Washburn named "Old Faithful."
1871 -- Upon hearing Langford's account of the previous year's expedetion into the Yellowstone region, Ferdinand V. Hayden, a Civil War veteran and head of the US government's new geological survey, was appointed by Congress to make an official exploration into the region. Hayden assembled a variety of geologists, botanists and zoologists as well as artist Thomas Moran and photographer William H. Jackson. The party was stunned by the wonders and beauty they saw. Moran's watercolors and Jackson's photographs were proof of the wonders. Hayden made a 500-page report to Congress, and the lobbying to make Yellowstone a national "park" began.
1872 -- On March 1, President Ulysses Grant signed into existence the world's first national park, Yellowstone National Park. The 2.2 million acres of wilderness was "set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." Nathaniel Langford, one of the most outspoken proponents of the national park idea, was appointed the first superitendent of the Park. He was immediately assigned the task of making a "thorough exploration" of the Park, and decided to make his investigation as a guest of the Hayden Survey party, which was returning to Yellowstone for further research. Langford thus spent a memorable summer in the newly commissioned Yellowstone Park.
1873 - 1882 -- The nation and governement leaders sought to grapple with the "national park" issue and that which it entailed. The Yellowstone region was visited by the few fortunate who could afford to make the trip and were hearty enough to brave the elements of the great outdoors. Opportunists sought to take advantage of the attraction of Yellowstone Park. Read about the involvement of Jay Cooke and the Northern Pacific Railway.
1883 -- President Chester Arthur took a camping tour of Yellowstone, brought Yellowstone Park to a new level of awareness among the nation's citizens. The nation became concerned that opportunists were exploiting the Park. The National Hotel at Mammoth Hot Springs was built. The massive structure was 414 fee long. It lost money from the beginning, and only existed for a short period of time.
1886 -- The Secretary of the Interior comes to realize the hopelessness of trying to keep opportunists from ruining the Park in the face of recent Park superintendents who appeared unconcerned about vandalism and poaching. The Interior department asks the US Army to intervene, and Yellowstone came under military jurisdiction, which gradually brought order back into the Park. Also, Lt. Daniel C. Kingman conceived of the so-called "Grand Loop" which became the main roadway through the Park.
1890 -- The Lake Hotel near Yellowstone Lake and the Fountain Hotel near Old Faithful are built. The former was not destined to last.
1894 -- The Lacey Act is passed by Congress, giving full protection to wildlife in Yellowstone Park (except wolves and coyotes) and paving the way for future wildlife and environmental movements.
1895 -- Official yearly visitor counts begin. 5,438 people visit Yellowstone this year.
1896 -- Mr. and Mrs. Louis Bird visits Yellowstone.
1902 -- The original Fishing Bridge is built by engineer Hiram Chittenden. The name Fishing Bridge was applied to it in 1914.
1903 -- President Theodore Roosevelt visits Yellowstone and is awed at the beauty and wildness of the Park. By now, the railroads are catering to Yellowstone tourists, taking visitors by the carloads to the Park.
1903-1904 -- The most famous stucture in Yellowstone, the Old Faithful Inn, is built. The unique building is constructed of native logs and built during the winter season.
1908 -- Between Old Faithful and Spring Creek Canyon, one bandit successfully holds up sixteen vehicles and robs the occupants.
1910-1911 -- The Canyon Hotel is built on the rim of the Canyon, constructed during the winter season. It has since burned down.
1912 -- National Geographic magazine did a feature story on America's National Parks. It recommended that the visitor take 5 1/2 days to see the Park.
1915 -- The first automobile passes through the gates of Yellowstone Park - a Model T Ford.
1916 -- President Woodrow Wilson signs into existence a new government agency, the National Park Service, forever changing the administration of our national parks.
1917 -- Only two years after the first automobile entered the Park, some 5000 enter Yellowstone during the summer season.
1918 -- With order restored in Yellowstone, the remnants of the Army force which had policed the Park are withdrawn by the government.
1920 -- Some 5000 automobiles enter Yellowstone Park.
1922 -- Yellowstone celebrates it's golden anniversary. Dozens of national magazines do feature stories on the Park throughout the year. Ceremonies commemorating the Semi-Centennial year of the establishment of the park are held on July 14, 1922, at the foot of National Park Mountain near the junction of the Gibbon and Firehole rivers where in 1870, in the camp of the famous Washburn-Langford expedition, the "National Park idea" was supposedly born. Mr. C.W. Cook of the Cook-Folsom expedition of 1869 attended in person. Mr. Cornelius Hedges, Jr., and W.A. Hedges planted an evergreen tree to mark the spot where their father stood in 1870 when he proposed making this unequaled region a national park. Public officials and prominent friends of the park are on the program. Superintendent Horace M. Albright makes a short address re-counting the historical development of the park, and reads telegrams from President Warren G. Harding, Hon. Albert B. Fall, Secretary of the Interior, Hon. Stephen T. Mather, Director of the National Park Service, and other high officials. (As recounted in the Hayne's Guide)
1923 -- The Grand Loop Road is named by Harry W. Frantz, a nationally-known writer.
1927 -- Charles A. Lindbergh barnstorms over Yellowstone Park in September, only months after his historic transatlantic flight. Also, telephone exchanges are installed in the Park.
1929 -- The east boundary and northwest corner of the Park are enlarged, one of two times that the Park has been enlarged (see also 1932).
1930 -- The Norris Geyser Basin museum opens as one of the first trailside museums in the park.
1930s -- The famous Beartooth Highway is built, allowing automobiles to travel 67 steep, winding miles from Red Lodge, Montana into the Park via the towns of Cooke City and Silver Gate.
1932 -- A winter wildlife grazing area near the North Entrance is added to the Park boundaries.
1933 -- On February 9, the all time lowest temperature in Yellowstone is recorded: 66 degrees below zero at the Riverside Station.
1947 -- Yellowstone Park Service Stations begin operation.
1951 -- A travel study by the Wyoming State Highway Department determines that the value of park traffic to the local economy is an estimated $19 million. This led to an awareness of Yellowstone's recreational business potential.
1955 -- The State of Wyoming, following the 1951 travel study, seeks to purchase Yellowstone's concessions. Opposition by Montana and Idaho prevent the passage of this piece of legislation. Also, Mission 66, a massive effort to expand Yellowstone's roads, trails, visitor facilities and employee facilities, is begun.
1950s -- Canyon Village is constructed to keep up with the rising tide of visitors. Also, Park officials, fearing there were too many elk in Yellowstone, reduce the herd during the decade.
1958 -- The Park stops its policy of stocking park waters for fisherman.
1959 -- A massive earthquake to the west of Yellowstone kills 28 people and sets off such geyser activity in the Park as had never been observed before.
1967 -- The Park Service turns to "natural management" in regards to Yellowstone's wildlife.
1970s -- Attention slowly begins turning from viewing Yellowstone as a recreational playground to viewing Yellowstone as an ecological treasure which needed to be preserved and protected for future generations.
1972 -- Yellowstone celebrates its 100th anniversary. The First World Conference on National Parks is held.
1974 -- Fishing is prohibited from Fishing Bridge in order to protect the spawning of the native cutthroat trout.
1976 -- Yellowstone is designated as a Biosphere Reserve, in recognition of its ecological value.
1978 -- Yellowstone is designated as a World Heritage Site, in recognition of its ecological value.
1988 -- The worst fire season in Yellowstone's history takes place. "The Fires of 1988" burn some 1.4 million acres in the Yellowstone ecosystem between June and October. 25,000 firefighters and $120 million dollars are unable to stop the massive flames. Early winter snows finally extinguish the flames.
1989 -- As Yellowstone's fire policies continued to come under immense criticism, the Park is already displaying signs of recovering from the fires as wildflowers arise in profusion from the blackened ground.
1990s -- Controversy over the increasing winter use of Yellowstone rages ever louder. Pollution levels from snowmobile emissions in Yellowstone at peak times are measured as being greater than the pollution levels in Los Angeles. Also, attempts to study Yellowstone's microorganisms increase. In addition, Yellowstone increasingly comes under attack from ultra-conservative politicians who want to exploit Yellowstone's natural resources for economic gain. As a part of the effort to "subdue" Yellowstone, they are successful in blocking new funding for Yellowstone, leading to budget cuts and a plethora of backlogged projects which cannot be completed.
1995 -- Wolves are reintroduced into the Yellowstone ecosystem. Also, Yellowstone becomes listed as a "World Heritage Site in Danger."
1996 -- The proposed development of a gold mine just outside the Park's northeast boundaries threatens the Yellowstone ecosystem. President Clinton visits Yellowstone and announcs a plan to keep the gold mine from being developed. Norris Campground closes because of a lack of available funds.
1997 -- During the winter months, some 1100 bison are killed by the Montana Department of Livestock because some of them carry a disease called brucellosis which ranchers fear can be transmitted to domestic cattle in the area. On a more positive note, Yellowstone celebrates its 125th anniversary all year long, with the main event being at Old Faithful in August.
2000 -- Steamboat Geyser erupts for the first time in a number of years, much to the delight of geyser gazers. Fires once again threaten Yellowstone National Park and garner national attention. However, the fires do much less damage than in 1988, and remain in the backcountry. In addition, Yellowstone officials announc intentions to ban or restrict snowmobiles from the Park as the Winter Use Controversy rages unabated.
2003 -- The snowmobile controversy continues as the number of machines allowed in the Park is capped, emission restrictions enforced, and the services of licensed guides mandated.
2004 -- The Old Faithful Inn celebrated its 100th Anniversary as the Park Service prepares to make renovations on the historic structure. The Bush Administration reverses the Clinton-era ban on snowmobiles, but the number of machines is reduced, and cleaner-running machines in guide-led groups are required.
2005 -- Ten years after the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone, the project is hailed as a resounding success by biologists and the public.
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Info on West Yellowstone, WY from: http://www.campingmontana.com/West_Yellowstone.asp
West Yellowstone is known as the trout fishing and snowmobiling capital of the world. The town of West Yellowstone is best known as the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The natural scenic wonders of the nation’s oldest national park include geysers, brilliant hot pools, bubbling mud cauldrons, rugged mountain peaks, majestic waterfalls, streams and beautiful lakes. Anglers come from all over the world to test their skills in the blue-ribbon trout streams surrounding the area.
The town sits on a high plateau and receives an extraordinary amount of snow in winter. The town takes advantage of this by grooming hundreds of miles of snowmobile and cross-country ski trails and hosting races in both sports. Many companies in West Yellowstone offer snowmobile and ski rentals. In summer, the area also offers extraordinary locations with Hebgen and Quake lakes and the picturesque Madison River. The town’s convention center can accommodate up to 1,000 for meetings and banquets.
Visit Montana’s first IMAX Theatre, presenting a a six-story high screen with stereo surround sound. The film Yellowstone interprets the history, wildlife, geothermal activity and grandeur of our first national park. The Grizzly Discovery Center offers an educational experience and viewing area for visitors to watch live grizzles and wolves in their own natural habitat.
Visit the Museum of the Yellowstone located at the historic Union Pacific Depot, built between 1907 and 1909. Collections in the museum include rare, vintage portrait photographs of great Indian chiefs; rare artifacts, such as clothing and weapons; authentic sabers, handguns and rifles used by the U. S. Cavalry; mountain men essentials like beaver traps and the Hawkin rifle; wildlife dioramas and special exhibits on ‘Trains and Yellowstone,’ ‘Bears of Yellowstone’ and ‘Yellowstone Fires.’ Adventure documentary films of the Old West, Yellowstone Park (including the fires of 1988), and wildlife and Native American history are shown in the theater. The museum bookstore contains over 5,000 books and a large selection of videos on natural history, Western Americana, and Native American history.