Yellowstone National Park

In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law. It created the first national park that was meant to protect over two million acres of land for the benefit and enjoyment of people. In the last 150 years, there have been a lot of successes and mistakes. Wyoming Public Radio’s Kamila Kudelska asked the park’s Superintendent Cam Sholly about the park’s earlier days.

Wilderness is often imagined as an untouched, dramatic landscape— a place to escape the human. That’s how wilderness is depicted in an 1896 photojournal that currently resides in the Princeton University archives. The author of the journal, John Henry Purdy, was a New York socialite, invited by his friend, the railroad magnate William Seward Webb, on a 30-day hunting trip to Yellowstone National Park.

The transportation options to get to and around Yellowstone National Park have changed significantly over the last century and a half. What is now a very automobile-centric park that many people spend a few hours or days in, was once served by railroads, stage, and motorcoaches, as well as primitive trails that necessitated longer stays and travel times.

About 20 years ago, scientists discovered a new thermal area in Yellowstone. It was actually by accident – the area is off the beaten path in the eastern side of the park. But some infrared satellite imagery showed that the area had warm ground, which indicated things were changing. Twenty years later, scientists are still studying the Tern Lake thermal area to further understand it.

When Yellowstone National Park was first founded 150 years ago, it was a landmark move. It was the world’s first national park signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant, and in the years since, it has represented America’s efforts to protect the outdoors.However, Adam Sowards, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Idaho, recently wrote an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times detailing America's troubled history with public lands. Sowards spoke with Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan.

Cody is 50 miles from the East Gate and its economy is built around the steady stream of summer tourists traveling to and from the park. That gives Cody a unique culture — and unique challenges.

On average, hundreds of earthquakes occur each year in Wyoming with the majority taking place in the western region. The state is arming some school children with kits to protect themselves.

The Yellowstone National Park area is considered one of the most active places in the world for volcanic, hydrothermal and earthquake activity. The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory released a 10-year plan that updates how hazards are monitored.

Yellowstone Revealed was planned for and by Indigenous people. The week will include guided tours of Indigenously significant areas in the park as well as art and live musical performances. Yellowstone National Park is helping host the event for its 150th anniversary.

Yellowstone National Park received historic flooding earlier this summer. There have been a lot of effects on things like roads, tourism and infrastructure, causing the landscape to change dramatically. But what about other things - like earthquakes and eruptions? Yellowstone is one of the most seismically active areas in the country. Wyoming Public Radio's Caitlin Tan spoke with Mike Poland, the scientist-in-charge for the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, to find out.