By Act of Congress on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone National Park was "dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people" and "for the preservation, from injury or spoilation, of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders. . . and their retention in their natural condition." Yellowstone is the first and oldest national park in the world.

The commanding features that initially attracted interest, and led to the preservation of Yellowstone as a national park, were geological: the geothermal phenomena (there are more geysers and hot springs here than in the rest of the world combined), the colorful Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, fossil forests, and the size and elevation of Yellowstone Lake.

Early Explorers. Prehistoric hunters hunted in the region as early as 11,000 years ago. Stone artifacts and campsites were found in the park as well as the surrounding valleys and mountains, suggesting that humans inhabited the area for most of the 8,500 years since the last Ice Age.

The Shoshone. Although most Native American tribes only traveled through the region, a small group called the Shoshone, or Sheepeaters, made this their home year-round. They traveled by foot even after the horse was introduced into the West in the 18th Century.

They hunted bighorn sheep and fished in the headwaters of the Snake, Madison and Yellowstone rivers.The Shoshone remained in the park until 1871 when they were moved to the Shoshone Wind River Reservation.

Later Explorers
Found in William Clark's journal nearly 200 hundred years ago, "There is frequently heard a loud noise like thunder, which makes the earth tremble, (Indians) state they they seldom go there because (their) children cannot sleep-- and conceive it possessed of spirits, who were adverse that men should be near them." So Lewis and Clark did not investigate the region during their expedition from 1804 to 1806.

However, a member of their party, John Colter did spend a full winter, most likely during 1807-1807 in the area trapping. Most trappers during this period gave up the profession because beaver hats went out of style around 1840, and Yellowstone was abandoned by all but the Shoshones.

Later, gold miners and adventurers explored the region but kept their enthusiasm private, due to the negative folklore which had spread about the area. But fortunately, a friend of one adventurer was a local rancher who later became the park's first superintendent, Nathaniel P. Langford. Langford rallied a group of local leaders who surveyed the region and found tremendous inspiration in the landscape and geological features. An official U.S. geological survey was mounted, and along with the renowned artist Thomas Moran and the famous photographer William Henry Jackson, they provided photos and a 500 page land survey to Congress.

The U.S. Congress voted to set 2.2 million acres aside as Yellowstone National Park on March 1,1872, thereby creating the first national park.