YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Yellowstone’s 152nd anniversary as a national park is today, March 1.
On this day in 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law, which states in part:
“The tract of land in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming, lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, and described as follows… is hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy or sale under the laws of the United States, and dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people; and all persons who shall locate or settle upon or occupy the same, or any part thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall be considered trespassers and removed therefrom.”
Yellowstone National Park Protection Act
According to Yellowstone National Park, human occupation of the greater Yellowstone area dates back to the last ice age, between 13,000 years ago and 11,000 years ago.
According to the park, “some of the historic peoples from this area, such as the Crow [Apsáalooke] and Sioux [collectively called Oceti Sakowin], arrived sometime during the 1500s and around 1700, respectively. Prehistoric vessels known as ‘Intermountain Ware’ have been found in the park and surrounding area, and these link the Shoshone to the area as early as approximately 700 years ago.”
Here’s a look back at the park in its early days of establishment.
Buckrail runs this article annually.
