Yellowstone History & Attractions

The Yellowstone area is one rich in history, both culturally and geologically.  As with many of the nation’s most historic land formations, the park’s name is credited to the Native Americans who lived eastern Montana in the 1700 and 1800’s.  The name is typically credited to the high yellow rock cliffs (in eastern Montana) that surround the Yellowstone River’s northern banks.  The Minneataree tribe referred to the river as the “Mi tsi a da zi” or “Rock Yellow River.”  Early explorers translated the Native American name to Yellow Stone.

Explorer’s accounts of the amazing and unique area were taken as myth or hallucination.  Many thought that these tall tales brought back from the fur trappers about the bubbling landscape and mud pots were just that –tales, used for entertainment purposes.  After the Civil War, attention was turned back to the area when the gold rush took hold.  At first, the stories brought home by miners was also taken as fable, but slowly, legend began to spread as truth, and interest of adventurers and explorers became too much to ignore.

Fortunately, explorers and government alike recognized the importance of keeping this natural wonder from being developed and overpopulated.  Yellowstone officially became the United States’ first national park in 1872.  Since then, millions of visitors have enjoyed the park’s impressive splendor and natural beauty.