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? 

This episode was reported and produced by our friends at the wonderful podcast Civics 101. 

Featuring: Megan Kate Nelson, author of Saving Yellowstone, Mark David Spence, author of Dispossessing the Wilderness and Alexandra E. Stern, historian of Native peoples and Reconstruction are our guides to this rocky start. 

LINKS

For more about the history of national parks and state-backed conservation, we’ve got episodes! 

We’ve also delved into the history of Yellowstone, with a focus on the original conservation strategy behind it and many other parks, a strategy pejoratively called “fortress conservation.”

“Himalayan Land Grab” tells the story of what happened when park developers applied the same “fortress conservation” strategy in northern India.

“Thin Green Line” is an exploration of the role of conservation law enforcement through the reality TV show North Woods Law.

We’ve also featured “The Problem with America’s National Parks,” an episode of the podcast The Experiment (no longer being produced) which asked: why not simply give the national parks back to Native Americans?

CREDITS

Hosted by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice

Produced by Hannah McCarthy with help from Nick Capodice

Senior Producer: Christina Phillips

Executive Producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Civics 101 staff includes Jacqui Fulton.

Outside/In team: Nate Hegyi, Taylor Quimby, Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt.

Music: Walt Adams, Silver Maple, Arthur Benson, Alexandra Woodward and Rocky Marciano.