Yellowstone National Park

Images of America: Wyoming

by Lee H. Whittlesey, Elizabeth A. Watry

Yellowstone National Park is one of the earth's most famous places. Established in 1872 as the world's first national park, it has preserved remarkable natural wonders like Old Faithful Geyser and cultural icons such as Old Faithful Inn. For centuries, it was home to the Shoshone, Crow, Bannock, Blackfeet, and other Indian tribes, but these groups were banished in the 1870s by park
promoters who feared that tourists would not visit if American Indians lived there. Almost immediately after its establishment, Yellowstone became the primary destination for tourist travel to the American West following the Civil War. By 1900, it was a vast tourist success, and today it is both a world biosphere preserve and a world heritage site.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, History

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2008

About the author

Lee Whittlesey’s thirty-five-year studies in the history of the Yellowstone region have made him an expert on Yellowstone’s vast literature and have resulted in numerous publications. He is the author, co-author, or editor of eight books and more than twenty-five journal articles, including: A Yellowstone Album: A Photographic Celebration of the First National Park; Death in Yellowstone; Lost in the Yellowstone (with Truman Everts); Yellowstone Place Names, and the voluminous Wonderland Nomenclature (2,123 pages). Another book in which (Dr.) Paul Schullery joins him as co-author is Myth and History in the Creation of Yellowstone National Park (University of Nebraska Press, 2004). Their book A History of Large Mammals of the Yellowstone Region, 1806-1883 is also forthcoming.

Whittlesey has a master’s degree in history from Montana State University and a law degree (Juris Doctor) from the University of Oklahoma. On May 19, 2001, because of his extensive writings and long contributions to Yellowstone National Park, Idaho State University conferred upon him an Honorary Doctorate of Science and Humane Letters. Since 1996, he has been an adjunct professor of history at Montana State University.

Reviews

[Jewlsbookblog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great images and information from the early park days.

[Margaret Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun to read on the way home from Yellowstone. Full of stories and photos from the past.

[Debra Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the history and insight into Yellowstone's beginnings.

[Jeff Sedlak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pictures that you don't seen very often. Definitely takes you back in time looking at these.

[Kristīne Līcis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yellowstone National Park is among my Top 10 favourite places on Earth. Spectacular nature, gazillion of possibilities for all kinds of outdoor activities, and a sense of adventure (and Wild West) you can touch.

The book is great in looking at the history of this wonder, the culture and the people behind it, which is refreshing, as absolute majority of publications on Yellowstone are devoted no natural wonders. The slim volume offers wealth of historic facts, without unnecessary value judgment.

Two aspects are particularly interesting. First, how the evolution of photography coincided with the development of the part, and how the former shaped the public view about the park. Second, how the advent of the automobile changed the park. Some tidbits about the treatment of cars are still valid: Interestingly, in those days [1924], campers often placed their cars in the tents and slept outside themselves in an attempt to protect the automobiles' leather seats from rain damage.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical context.

[Stan Pedzick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great visual history of the park up to the '60s.