As America’s first national park, Yellowstone has a long and fascinating history. Since the park’s establishment in 1872, the destination’s boundaries have expanded to encompass 2.2 million acres of land. Today, millions of visitors continue to marvel at the region’s hot springs, waterfalls, canyons, and historic sites. And those historic sites have plenty of interesting stories to tell.
History buffs have a lot to explore when diving into Yellowstone National Park history. While official park history dates back to the 1800s, there are traces of people living in the area earlier than 1500 CE. The seven photos below explain some interesting moments in Yellowstone history. Want to learn more? Peruse this timeline on the Yellowstone website.