YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Fifty-nine years after Yellowstone National Park (YNP) was founded, Herma Albertson Baggley became the first woman to have a permanent position as a National Park Service (NPS) ranger-naturalist there.
Years prior, Baggley was a schoolteacher who went on to receive a master’s degree in botany after being inspired by plant life during a tour in YNP.
During her time as a naturalist with the park service, Baggley built and guided visitors on the Observation Point trail so they could experience natural history. Most notably, she was formally trained as a botanist and collaborated with plant ecologist W.B. McDougall to produce the first wildflower field guide for the park.
“She had more knowledge on the park and plant life than most of her male counterparts, so it is no wonder that her tours and talks were taken by hundreds of visitors every day,” said the NPS.
During the summer seasons of 1929 and 1930, she worked as a “pillow puncher” (a term for a maid) for the Yellowstone Park Company at Old Faithful.
Herma later married George Baggley in 1931, the Chief Park Ranger in Yellowstone from 1929-1935.
The park service remembers Baggley as a “brilliant” naturalist.
“Baggley was attributed with the discovery of the Rubber Boa Snake and she continues to be an inspiration to young girls and women alike who want to work for the National Park Service and also those who wish to pursue degrees in the sciences.”
This story runs annually.
