WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Chester A. Arthur is the only U.S. President to be represented in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s specimen collection, and his interest in Wyoming’s fireweed might have contributed to the preservation of Yellowstone National Park (YNP).
Arthur was the 21st U.S. President, in office from 1881 to 1885, succeeding President James Garfield after his assassination. On an 1883 visit to YNP, Arthur collected a stalk of fireweed, a pinkish-purplish wildflower known to grow rapidly in areas that have been affected by fire.
“Though an eye-catching flower, President Arthur had no particular interest in botany or natural history, so why he would collect just one herbarium specimen remains a mystery,” the Smithsonian wrote on Facebook.
According to the Library of Congress, Chester’s visit to Yellowstone was notable for a number of reasons. Primarily, he was the first president to visit the park after it had been established (by President Ulysses S. Grant) in 1872. His trip also generated many headlines for a supposed kidnapping plot that was rumored to be in motion.
“Late in his visit, several newspapers published a ‘Startling Report’ of a plot to kidnap the president and his entourage and hold them for ransom as reported by the Hailey, Idaho Wood River Times on August 24, 1883,” according to the Library of Congress. “The tale was debunked by the Livingston, Montana Daily Enterprise, August 30, 1883, but the earlier report made for exciting reading and it continued to be published into early September.”
Luckily, the president and his fireweed specimen made it out of the park unscathed.
The visit was a milestone in the conservation of the park, according to the Wyoming Historical Society. Commercial endeavors including railroad construction, mining operations and cattle ranching were on the verge of encroaching on the park’s wild space, and many feared the park’s natural wonders would be lost forever. Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan advocated for protecting the park, and along with Sen. George Graham Vest of Missouri and conservationist George Bird Grinnell, devised a plan to bring Arthur to the park and convince him to get behind their cause.
The three-week fishing expedition also included Arthur’s meeting with Chief Washakie of the Eastern Shoshone and Chief Black Coal of the Northern Arapaho, according to the Wyoming Historical Society. Both chiefs expressed their disapproval of a proposal to alter the reservation system and instead force tribes into private land ownership.
While Arthur’s visit didn’t convert him into a conservationist, it did generate a lot of helpful press for Yellowstone, and reportedly helped Sheridan and Vest strengthen their case for park preservation. As a result of the trip, Sen. Vest passed a resolution requiring the Senate to approve and oversee all park concession proposals.
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