Fun Facts:
1. On March 1, 1872 President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law the Yellowstone National Park
Protection Act. That started a worldwide movement to protect our natural resources.
2. By 1886 the needs of the park were increasing, that included more protection for the resources and attractions. Many poachers and vandals were taking advantage of the environment so the army was used to protect the park until Congress approved funding for park staff.
3. This first automobiles were allowed into the park on July 31st, 1915. The attendance the following year doubled and by 1940 visitations were over 500,000 annually.
4. On August 25th,1916 President Woodrow Wilson approved the forming of the National Park Service. This really helped coordinate and create uniformity of all the parks that been created up to that point and run independently.
5. Yellowstone Park and the surrounding area is the worlds epicenter of earthquakes (most are only felt on seismographs). The geology in this area is one of the most active with constant changes underground that contribute to the everchanging geysers, hot pools, mud pots, etc.
6. Yellowstone is the home to 2/3 of the world’s geysers.
7. Yellowstone hit it’s first 1 million visitor mark in 1948 and now has grown to approximately 4 million visitors each year and most them arrive in the months of June, July and August.
8. Both grizzly and black bear cubs are born in the deep winter while their mother hibernates and then beginning in April and May they start to venture out. Black bear cubs stay with mom for 1.5 years and grizzly cubs stay with mon for 2.5 years.
9. The Yellowstone Bison Heard is the largest herd grazing on public land. Males can weigh up to 2000lbs and are the largest mammal in North America.
10. Yellowstone lake is is approximately 390 ft. deep and 136 sq. miles.
Today was our first full day in Yellowstone after driving from The Tetons through a snow storm to arrive at our campsite yesterday. There is so much to see and learn about in The Park; it’s like where do you begin? You could easily a month exploring all that Yellowstone has to offer. We woke up today and checked out the Spring 2022 visitor guide produced by The Park; excellent reference material.
We decided on the place you must visit while at The Park; Old Faithful and all of the geysers and hot pools that surround it. Old Faithful in only one or 300 geysers in Yellowstone. While at the site we checked out the visitor center to learn more about what were getting ready to see. This included a well put together movie and great displays so visitors can learn about the geology and history of the area. While at the Visitor Center we learned that the area sits atop of active (and somewhat unstable) molten magna and this is the reason for the high concentration of geyser activity. Over millions of years there has been many volcanic irruptions in this area with the most recent just 640,000 years ago. Scientists are constantly monitoring the land and it’s actions to learn more and to be prepared for future needs. For further explanation of the area check out the link below.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/geyser/
This is the first of many days we will spend in Yellowstone, so stay tuned for more cool info. In the mean timer enjoy the pictures below.
