After splitting up with the other trappers in 1807, Colter passed through a portion of what later became the park, during the winter of 1807вЂ“1808. In 1806, John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, left to join a group of fur trappers. While passing through present-day Montana, the expedition members heard of the Yellowstone region to the south, but they did not investigate it. By the time white explorers first entered the region during the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805, they encountered the Nez Perce, Crow, and Shoshone tribes. Arrowheads made of Yellowstone obsidian have been found as far away as the Mississippi Valley, indicating that a regular obsidian trade existed between local tribes and tribes farther east. These Paleo-Indians, of the Clovis culture, used the significant amounts of obsidian found in the park to make cutting tools and weapons. During the construction of the post office in Gardiner, Montana, in the 1950s, an obsidian point of Clovis origin was found that dated from approximately 11,000 years ago. The human history of the park began at least 11,000 years ago when Native Americans began to hunt and fish in the region. During the winter, visitors often access the park by way of guided tours that use either snow coaches or snowmobiles. Paved roads provide close access to the major geothermal areas as well as some of the lakes and waterfalls. Yellowstone has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing, and sightseeing. Forest fires occur in the park each year in the large forest fires of 1988, nearly one third of the park was burnt. The Yellowstone Park bison herd is the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States. Grizzly bears, wolves, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in this park. Yellowstone Park is the largest and most famous megafauna location in the contiguous United States. The vast forests and grasslands also include unique species of plants. Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians have been documented, including several that are either endangered or threatened.

In 1978, Yellowstone was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is the centerpiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining nearly-intact ecosystem in the Earth's northern temperate zone. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the land area of Yellowstone. Well over half of the world's geysers and hydrothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism.

It has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years. The caldera is considered a dormant volcano. Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-elevation lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468.4В sqВ mi (8,983В km 2), comprising lakes, canyons, rivers, and mountain ranges. Hundreds of structures have been built and are protected for their architectural and historical significance, and researchers have examined more than a thousand archaeological sites. In 1917, administration of the park was transferred to the National Park Service, which had been created the previous year. Army was eventually commissioned to oversee management of Yellowstone for a 30-year period between 18. Management and control of the park originally fell under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of the Interior, the first Secretary of the Interior to supervise the park being Columbus Delano. While Native Americans have lived in the Yellowstone region for at least 11,000 years, aside from visits by mountain men during the early-to-mid-19th century, organized exploration did not begin until the late 1860s. It is part of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion. While it represents many types of biomes, the subalpine forest is the most abundant. The park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially the Old Faithful geyser, one of its most popular. and is also widely held to be the first national park in the world. Yellowstone was the first national park in the U.S. It was established by the 42nd U.S.В Congress with the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho.

Michael langford the watcher