When the Yellowstone Park was set aside by Act of Congress as a national
reservation, very little was known of the region beyond such facts as
could be gathered during one short season of exploration, mainly devoted
to an examination of the marvelous hot springs and geysers, which have
since made the place so famous throughout the world.
During his first visit to the region in 1871, Dr. F. V. Hayden realized
the exceptional nature of the hydrothermal manifestations found here and
the grand scale upon which the phenomena were displayed. Although it was
then far removed from all beaten tracks, he shrewdly foresaw the
necessity of government protection, if these scientific curiosities were
to be preserved intact in their natural condition. He saw that vandals
would soon despoil the region of the delicate incrustations and
sediments slowly deposited through long ages from thermal waters, and
that settlers, learning their real value, would seize upon all objects
of interest for their own gain.
[Illustration: The Buffalo of the Timber.