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Long before any recorded human history in Yellowstone, a massive volcanic
eruption spewed an immense volume of ash that covered all of the western
U.S., much of the Midwest, northern Mexico and some areas of the eastern
Pacific. The eruption dwarfed that of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 and left a
caldera 30 miles wide by 45 miles long.
That climactic event occurred about 640,000 years ago, and was one of many
processes that shaped Yellowstone National Park--a region once rumored to
be "the place where hell bubbles up." Geothermal wonders, such
as Old Faithful, are evidence of one of the world's largest active volcanoes.
These spectacular features bemused and befuddled the park's earliest visitors,
and helped lead to the creation of the world's first national park.
Fur trappers' fantastic tales of cauldrons of bubbling mud and roaring
geysers sending steaming plumes skyward made their way back east. Several
expeditions were sent to investigate, opening the West to further exploration
and exploitation. In 1871, Ferdinand Hayden led an expedition that included
artist Thomas Moran and photographer William H. Jackson. They brought
back images that helped convince Congress that the area known as Yellowstone
needed to be protected and preserved.
In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a law declaring that Yellowstone
would forever be "dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring
ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people."
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