The Turning Point: The Legislative Response to Hayden's Report
Student interview with Lee Whittlesey [1]
"On December 18, 1871, Senator Samuel Clarke Pomeroy of Kansas introduced Senate Bill 392, and congressional delegate from the Montana Territory William Clagett introduced House Bill 764 proposing that Yellowstone become a national park by law. Then, the lobbying of Congress began. Langford, Hayden, and Clagett personally visited each member of Congress in what has been called "'the most intensive canvass' that had ever been accorded a piece of pending legislation." Each congressman personally received a bound monographed folio with captioned photographs by Jackson. There was little debate in the House and only two questions posed in the Senate." [2]
Cole
"I have grave doubts about the propriety of passing this bill. . . . I do not see the reason or propriety of setting apart a large tract of land of that kind in the Territories of the United States as a public park. There is an abundance of public park ground in the Rocky mountains that will never be occupied. It is all one great park, and never can be anything else. . . . If it cannot be occupied by man, why protect it from occupation? I see no reason in that. If nature has excluded men from its occupation, why set it apart and exclude persons from it?" --Senator Cornelius Cole [6]
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Trumbull"I think our experience with the wonderful natural curiosity, if I may so call it, in the Senator's own State, should admonish us of the propriety of passing such a bill as this. There is the wonderful Yosemite valley, which one or two persons are now claiming by virtue of preemption. . . . Now this tract of land is uninhabited; nobody lives there; it was never trod by civilized man until within a short period. Perhaps a year or two ago was the first time that this country was ever explored by anybody. . . At some future time, if we desire to do so, we can repeal this law if it is in anybody's way; but now I think it is a very appropriate law to pass." --Senator Lyman Trumbull [8]
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Pomeroy"There are no arable lands; no agricultural lands there. It is the highest elevation from which our springs descend, and as it cannot interfere with any settlement for legitimate agricultural purposes, it was thought that it ought to be set apart early for this purpose. We found when we set apart the Yosemite valley that there were one or two persons who had made claims there, and there has been a contest, and it has finally gone to the Supreme Court to decide whether persons who settle on unsurveyed lands before the Government takes possession of them by any special act of Congress have rights as against the Government. . . . The only object of the bill is to take early possession of it by the United States and set it apart, so that it cannot be included in any claim or occupied by any settlers." --Samuel Clarke Pomeroy [10]
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Wyoming Territory Wants To Keep Their Land
Student interview with Lee Whittlesey [11]
"Using Yosemite as a precedent for federal protection, Northern Pacific Railroad adopted Yellowstone as its own and set out to establish a Western resort in the region. . . . Langford wanted control of Yellowstone turned over to the Montana government so that his territory could benefit from developing the area for tourism. Langford argued that since the headwaters of the Yellowstone River were on Montana soil and the territory had hosted the government survey teams in its towns, Montana should be granted management privileges. Of course, if Montana had rights to the park, then Langford's political power could assist Northern Pacific's interests in Yellowstone, and Cooke supported Langford's proposal. Cooke's primary objective for Yellowstone was to protect it and get access to it as a nature park for tourism. He was also aware that its protection and promotion might also encourage potential investors to forego a holiday in Europe so that they could view the Yellowstone instead--and offer their financial support to Cooke and his railway." [12]
Montana Newspapers Have their say
"The great falls and the wonderful geysers of the Upper Yellowstone, now receiving universal attention, should be forever set apart as a resort for the scientific students and pleasure seekers of the world; and for the convenience of protective local legislation, they should be included within the boundaries of Montana Territory."
--Captain Joseph Wright, editor of Bozeman's Avant Courier [13] |
"To it will come in the coming years thousands from every quarter of the globe, to look with awe upon its amazing phenomena, and with pen, pencil, tongue and camera publish its marvels to the enlightened realms. Let this, too be set apart by Congress. . ." --New North-West (Deer Lodge, Montana [14]
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And That's How It Happened
Student interviews with Lee Whittlesey [15]
Yellowstone Becomes A National Park
"President Ulysses S. Grant, on March 1, 1872, signed into law a bill making an area mostly in the Northwest corner of Wyoming Territory larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined into this nation's first national park." [16]
- "Interview with Lee Whittlesey, Yellowstone Park Historian," interview by author, October 12, 2012.
- "Discovery and Invention in Yellowstone: 1871-1873," American Studies at The University of Virginia, accessed February 10, 2013, http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA96/RAILROAD/ystone.html.
- Ken Burns, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," PBS, section goes here, accessed November 24, 2012, http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks.
- Burns
- "The Pueblo Lands," San Diego History Center, section goes here, accessed February 25, 2013, http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/91spring/puebloimages.htm.
- Paul Schullery, Creating Yellowstone (1997), 10-11.
- "Hon. Lymen Trumbull of Illinois," Library of Congress, section goes here, accessed December 12, 2013, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cwpbh.00478/.
- Schullery, 11.
- Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Brady-Handy Photograph Collection. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpbh.0436. CALL NUMBER: LC-BH832- 2097
- Schullery, 7.
- Interview with Lee Whittlesey.
- "Discovery and Invention in Yellowstone"
- Avant Courier (Bozeman), "Yellowstone," editorial, December 11, 1871.
- New North-West (Deerlodge, MT), "Yellowstone," editorial, December 23, 1871.
- Interview with Lee Whittlesey.
- James S. Macdonald, Jr., "The Founding of Yellowstone National Park into Law and into Fact by James Macdonald Jr.," The Founding of Yellowstone National Park into Law and into Fact by James Macdonald Jr., 1996, section goes here, accessed January 25, 2013, http://www.yellowstone-online.com/paper.html.
- Harness, Paul. Personal photo.
- Ken Burns
- Ibid.