Process Paper
A National Park is an area of land preserved forever by a government or leader of a country. People thought that development out West was good for America at the time. That all changed when President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill on Friday, March 1st, 1872 that protected Yellowstone National Park from human development, making it the world's first national park (Henry 124). That is why Yellowstone National Park is a frontier in the history of national parks. The day the bill was signed, Yellowstone made the national spotlight. The passing of this bill had an immense impact on the nation after people saw the pictures and photographs the explorers took after being sent by the government to prove the land should be protected (“Birth of a National Park”). The creation and success of the park influenced the U.S. government to protect more land and create other national parks out West. Squatters and poachers were still causing mayhem in the area; that is why the army was brought in, to enforce rules and evict troublemakers (“Birth of a National Park”). Yellowstone National Park is an important piece of American history that, quite literally, changed the landscape of the nation forever.
I first chose my topic by thinking of topics that would tie into the theme while also being something that I was interested in and knew a little bit about. From there, I did research on all of them and found which one had the most sources. I settled on Yellowstone National Park and did my research before starting.
I first looked for primary sources that I could use when conducting my research. I first searched for the bill that was signed to protect Yellowstone and then went on to look for images and newspaper articles and I found some that provided good information. From there I looked for secondary sources that could give me new information then what the primary sources gave me. I then started on the paper.
For the category, I was given the choice of a website or documentary. I chose to do a website and created it using NHD Web Central. I started by focusing on each page one by one. I then went back through and put pictures and citations in. I chose to do a green background with black wording to show that the green represented land undeveloped by humans while the black wording displays cities that are encroaching on the landscape.
Annotated Bibliography
Primary:
“Act Establishing Yellowstone National Park (1872).” National Archives, 8 Sept. 2021, https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/act-establishing-yellowstone-national-park?_ga=2.138458035.1677854624.1663618385-1975993343.1642628204. Accessed 14 Nov. 2022.
This legal bill is a primary source and provides the exact words that protect Yellowstone National Park. It is located in the Impact section of the website.
Fisk, R. E. “A National Park.” Helena Weekly Herald, 1 February 1872, p. 2.
This newspaper article is a primary source and provides information about where the park is located and what the bill means. It is located in the Frontier section of the website.
Mayor, Analeise. “Park Service Celebrates 150 Anniversary of Hayden Expedition.” Jackson Hole News&Guide, 28 July 2021, https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/valley/feature/park-service-celebrates-150-anniversary-of-hayden-expedition/article Accessed 11 Jan. 2023.
This painting is from one of the explorers that was a part of the Hayden Expedition, which is responsible for the creation of the park and gives insight into what the explorers saw. It is located in the Timeline part of the website.
Moran, Thomas. The Wonders Of Yellowstone. 1872, https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/historyculture/yellowstoneestablishment.htm. Accessed 20 Jan. 2023.
This image is a drawing from one of the explorers of Yellowstone during the Hayden Expedition. It can be located in the Influence part of the website.
“Yellowstone National Park :” The Library of Congress, 1871, https://www.loc.gov/item/97683567/. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
This website provided the image of the original map that the Hayden Expedition created of the park and it is located in the background part of the website.
Secondary:
“Birth of a National Park.” Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service), 5 Feb. 2020, https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/historyculture/yellowstoneestablishment.htm. Accessed 14 Nov. 2022.
This website is a secondary source and provides a summarized story of the different events that happened in Yellowstone National Park. It is located in the Frontier, Influence, Timeline parts of the website and the Process Paper’s introductory paragraph.
Black, George. Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of Yellowstone. St. Martin’s Press, 2012.
This book has provided information on Yellowstone and its history. It is located in the Frontier and Background section of the website.
Hansen, Liane. “Ex-Firefighter Relives Yellowstone’s ‘Black Saturday.’” NPR, 7 Sept. 2008, https://www.npr.org/2008/09/07/94324025/ex-firefighter-relives-yellowstones-black-saturday. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
This interview with a firefighter talked about the fire that burned a large portion of Yellowstone and the day it happened is now known as Black Saturday. It is located in the Timeline part of the website.
Henry, Jeff. Yellowstone National Park: The First 150 Years. Lyons Press, 2022.
This book is a secondary source and talks about the entire history of Yellowstone National Park. It is located in the Background, Impact, Importance, Timeline parts of the website and the Process Paper’s introductory paragraph.
Peabody, Erin. A Weird and Wild Beauty: The Story of Yellowstone, the World’s First National Park. Sky Pony, 2016.
This book has given facts on different events in Yellowstone like its creation. It is located in the impact part of the website.
Silen, Andrea. “Yellowstone National Park.” National Geographic Kids, 24 Aug. 2015, https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/nature/article/yellowstone. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
This image is a secondary source showing a geyser at the park which is one of the most popular attractions there and was used in the Frontier section of the website.
“150 Years of Yellowstone.” Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service), 20 Oct. 2022, https://www.nps.gov/yell/getinvolved/150-years-of-yellowstone.htm. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
This book provides information on what Yellowstone did on the 150th anniversary of the park. It is located in the Timeline part of the website.
“Yellowstone National Park Guide.” Sunset, 7 June 2006, https://www.sunset.com/travel/rockies/yellowstone-national-park-guide. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
This website provided the background image on the homepage of the website.
“Yellowstone National Park North Entrance, Yellowstone National Park Vacation Rentals: House Rentals & More.” Vrbo, https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/montana/gardiner/yellowstone-national-park-north-entrance. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
This photograph was used in the comparison of Yellowstone and Chicago in the Importance section of the website.
YellowstoneNPS. “150 Years of Yellowstone Trailer.” YouTube, Video, 1 Mar. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=attsgrXtHAc. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
This video shows different shots of the wildlife and beauty of the park and was used in the Video part of the website.