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Yellowstone is epic strange and iconic
it is well deserving of its protected
status but how did it come to be the
world's first national park
archeologists have found evidence of
human activity in Yellowstone that dates
back at least 11,000 years oral
histories of Salish Native Americans
suggest their ancestors were here 3000
years ago today there are still 26
Native American tribes that are
connected to this land some of the first
European visitors included fur traders
and trappers in the late 1700s but the
first big incentive for settlers came in
1863 gold prospectors flocked to
Yellowstone in hopes of finding more the
Northern Pacific Railroad company heard
of the wonders of Yellowstone a big
attraction like this could help their
plans to expand the railroad West so
they sponsored the Washburn Langford Oh
an expedition of 1870 as the first
formal expedition of Yellowstone they
explored vast regions of the park
including towerfall Yellowstone Lake and
the geyser basins the most memorable
achievement naming Old Faithful painter
Thomas Moran as well as a photographer
and sketch artist were also on the
expedition team their work introduced
Yellowstone to the world and captured
the imagination of Congress
then on March 1st 1872 president ulysses
s grant signed an act establishing
Yellowstone National Park the country's
very first National Park
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the park is around two million acres an
expansive wilderness with places that
even today few have seen filled with
wildlife including two hundred and
eighty five species of birds and over 65
species of mammals
but what's on top of this park is
nothing compared to the giant reserve of
magma that lies below thermal power is
what makes Yellowstone tick Old Faithful
remains true to its name and to this day
gushes up thousands of gallons of hot
water every hour or so it's one of the
most famous natural features in
Yellowstone but it's not the only one
there are over 10,000 thermal features
in Yellowstone including hot springs mud
pots and steam vents they sit in one
giant caldera of a supervolcano some 45
miles across at its widest 2.1 million
years ago
Yellowstone erupted and covered over
five thousand square miles with ash
about 6,000 times the volume of material
ejected from mount st. Helens in 1980
it's among the largest volcano eruptions
known to man Yellowstone is still active
and another eruption is possible but it
probably won't happen in the next
thousand or even 10,000 years in the
meantime Yellowstone hosts millions of
guests every year there are now 59
national parks in the United States but
Yellowstone will always be the world's
first
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