The First National Park

<p>The land had been cultivated and lived on for millennia when geologist Ferdinand Hayden came upon the astounding Yellowstone "wilderness." It wasn't long before the federal government declared it a national park, to be preserved in perpetuity for the enjoyment of all. Ostensibly. How did Yellowstone go from being an important home, hunting ground, thoroughfare and meeting place to being a park? </p><p><a href="http://www.megankatenelson.com/">Megan Kate Nelson</a>, author of Saving Yellowstone, <a href="https://www.markdavidspence.com/">Mark David Spence</a>, author of Dispossessing the Wilderness and <a href="https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/profiles/alexandra-stern">Alexandra E. Stern</a>, historian of Native peoples and Reconstruction are our guides to this rocky start. </p>