Myth and History in the Creation of Yellowstone National ParkYellowstone National Park, a global icon of conservation and natural beauty, was born at the most improbable of times: the American Gilded Age, when altruism seemed extinct and society?s vision seemed focused solely on greed and growth. Perhaps that is why the park?s ?creation myth? recounted how a few saintlike pioneer conservationists labored to set aside this unique wilderness against all odds, when in fact, the establishment of Yellowstone was the result of complex social, scientific, economic, and aesthetic forces. Paul Schullery and Lee Whittlesey, both longtime students of Yellowstone?s complex history, present the first full account of how the fairy-tale origins of the park found universal public acceptance, and of the long process by which the myth was reconsidered and replaced with a more realistic and ultimately more satisfying story. |
Contents
| 3 | |
A Rather Unusual Discussion | 8 |
On the Documentary Trail from Madison Junction | xv |
Coming to Terms with Nathaniel Langford | xviii |
Altruists and Realists | 14 |
Spreading the Word | 19 |
The Debate | 27 |
It Came Out All Right | 44 |
Leaving It All Behind | 57 |
Myth and Responsibility | 65 |
Campfire Lessons | 76 |
Known and Reported Accounts of the Washburn Expedition | 83 |
Notes | 87 |
Index | 105 |
Other editions - View all
Myth and History in the Creation of Yellowstone National Park Paul Schullery,Lee H. Whittlesey No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
American Aubrey Haines camp campfire conversation celebration Chief Seattle Chittenden Cornelius Hedges Cramton creation of Yellowstone cultural diary Doane ecological Exploration Firehole and Gibbon Firehole Rivers Folsom Garrison Gibbon Rivers Government Printing Office Haines's Hayden Haynes Guide Hedges's Helena Daily Herald historian Historical Society History of Yellowstone Horace Albright Joseph Campbell Kaibab lands Lee Whittlesey lowstone Madison Campfire Myth Madison campfire story Madison Junction manuscript memorial Montana State University Montana Territory Nathaniel Langford national park idea National Park Mountain National Park Service Native nature original pageant Park Policies Washington Park Service photograph park's Paul MN Paul Schullery Photograph Archives YELL Policies Washington DC published Searching for Yellowstone seems September 19 Stephen Mather tion tional Park U.S. Government Printing Washburn expedition Washburn party Washburn-Langford-Doane Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition Wilderness wonders Yellowstone Expedition Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone Park Yellowstone Photograph Archives Yellowstone Story Yellowstone superintendent YNP Archives York Yosemite