The Grand Old Park

Yellowstone, America's first National Park, celebrates its 150th anniversary.

- CANDY MOULTON

Ferdinand V. Hayden, head of the U.S. Geological and Geographic Survey of the Territories, led a scientific expedition to the northwest corner of Wyoming Territory in 1871. The artist and the photographer who accompanied him carried the tools of their trades and documented the trip with a series of photographic images and sketches-later to become incredible watercolor paintings.

Artist Thomas Moran sketched and later painted the ethereal beauty of the area: massive waterfalls, stunning multicolored canyon walls, geyser basins. At the same time, photographer William Henry Jackson captured images that also became iconic. And Moran kept a journal of their travels. The men in this scientific expedition successfully relayed their journey to a wider audience when they completed the expedition. They developed not only art and photographs but an improved map of the region.

Hayden himself said that when considered in terms of scientific value, "The geysers of Iceland...sink into insignificance in comparison with the hot springs of the Yellowstone and Fire-Hole Basins.

Their work set a tone for scientific research and exploration, and most importantly, it established the Yellowstone region as one of national significance, leading to the establishment of the ecosystem as the nation's first National Park on March 1, 1872. It was recognized by President Ulysses S. Grant, who signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act for the "benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations."

Travelers to Yellowstone for the past century and a half have followed the footsteps of Hayden, Jackson and Moran and also documented the wonders of Yellowstone on sketchpads, with cameras (now with cell phones) and certainly in their writings.