The creation of Yellowstone National Park can be attributed, at least in part, to Thomas Moran. Moran was a gifted artist who accompanied the U.S. Geological Survey expedition of 1871 into the Yellowstone region. He was thirty-four years old. His role was to document the scenery of northwestern Wyoming.
His sketches and canvases captured images that had previously only been described in the journals of explorers. The American public marveled at Morgan’s artwork and the wonders of nature it illustrated. One of Morgan’s most famous paintings, “The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone”, was purchased by Congress for $10,000, a princely sum at the time.
It and Moran’s many other artworks inspired President Ulysses S. Grant to declare Yellowstone a National Park. Morgan went on to paint other landscapes across the West, including scenes from what were to become Yosemite, Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks.
See the Fritof Fryxell papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more about the artwork of Thomas Moran.
For more information, visit the American Heritage Center site.