When the Army Ruled Yellowstone

When the Army Ruled Yellowstone

Constant Wonder

The Creation of Public Lands

Episode: The Creation of Public Lands

  • Dec 1, 2020 8:00 pm
  • 21:47 mins

Guest: Thomas Rust, Professor of History at Montana State University Billings, and author of “Watching Over Yellowstone: The US Army's Experience in America's First National Park, 1886–1918” Creating Yellowstone National Park was quite a feat to begin with, but managing and patrolling it was quite another. For 32 years, the US Army protected the park and provided a pattern for the Ranger system. They had to deal with poachers practicing guerrilla warfare, hawkers setting up shop, and even boredom and desertion.