YOUR EXPEDITION TO YELLOWSTONE Subject: History Theme: Expeditions to Yellowstone OBJECTIVE Students will be able to:
METHOD Students work in small groups to plan an 1871 expedition into the Yellowstone area. BACKGROUND Although Yellowstone had been thoroughly tracked by trappers and miners, in the view of the nation it was really discovered when explored by formal expeditions. Although some attempts were made and several explorations were planned none were successful until 1869 when the first of three major expeditions was made into Yellowstone. These expeditions had a different goal than trappers and miners. Instead of beaver pelts and gold they sought to map the area, record scientific information and bring back natural history specimens. Folsom–Cook–Peterson Expedition (1869) In 1869 three members of a, would be expedition, set out on their own. David E. Folsom, Charles W. Cook, and William Peterson acquired a store of provisions, armed themselves well and ventured into the wilderness. During their trip they saw the Tower Fall area, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Mud Volcano. From Mary Bay on Yellowstone Lake they continued west and south to West Thumb, Shoshone Lake and the Lower and Midway Geyser basins. They produced an updated version of an earlier explorer’s map, portraying Yellowstone Lake correctly for the first time, and an article in Chicago’s Western Monthly magazine describing the wonders they had found. Washburn–Langford-Doane Expedition (1870) In August 1870, a second expedition set out for Yellowstone, led by Surveyor-General Henry D. Washburn, politician and business promoter Nathaniel P. Langford, and attorney Cornelius Hedges. Lt. Gustavus C. Doane provided the military escort. The explorers traced the general route of the 1869 party to Yellowstone Lake, passed around the eastern and southern sides of the lake; and inspected the Upper and Lower geyser basins (where they named Old Faithful). They paused at Madison Junction – the confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon rivers before returning to Montana. They climbed several peaks, made numerous side trips to see fabled features, descended into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and attempted measurements and analyses of several of the prominent features. This group provided descriptive articles, including one with rough woodcuts made by Thomas Moran. Moran was not on the trip but made the woodcuts by following the details set down in the original text. These articles and lectures inspired many including the leader of the next major expedition. Hayden Survey (1871) Ferdinand V. Hayden, physician turned geologist, energetic explorer, and accomplished naturalist, was head of the U. S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories. The Hayden Survey brought back scientific corroboration of the earlier tales of thermal activity. The expedition gave the world a much-improved map of Yellowstone and visual proof of the area’s unique curiosities through the photographs of William Henry Jackson and the paintings of Thomas Moran and Henry W. Elliot. The expedition’s reports excited the scientific community and aroused even more national interest in Yellowstone. Members of the Hayden Survey (40 members total not including the Cavalry escort) Members of the 1871 expedition (there would be other Hayden Surveys in following years) included a director (Ferdinand Hayden), managing director, 2 artists, agricultural statistician, chief topographer, assistant topographer, meteorologist, photographer (William Henry Jackson), assistant photographer, botanist, assistant botanist, mineralogist, physician, zoologist, secretary, 3 general assistants, guest (Thomas Moran), and 20 men to serve as packers, cooks, laborers, hunters, and guides. This expedition was accompanied by a smaller military expedition and both parties were escorted by the F. Troop Second Cavalry. MATERIALS Large sheets of flip chart paper Markers The Yellowstone Story: Volume One by Aubrey L. Haines Several maps of Yellowstone (one for each group of students) PROCEDURE After you have discussed briefly the first two expeditions, their significance and introduced the Hayden Survey, divide the class into small groups of four or five students. Tell the students that they are now going to plan an expedition into Yellowstone. Their expedition will take place in 1871, the same year of the Hayden Survey. The mission of their expedition is also the same – to map the area, record scientific information and bring back natural history specimens. As leaders of the expedition it is also important that all the members of their party remain as safe, well fed, and happy as possible. They need to plan the following aspects of their expedition: 1) Members (how many and who) 2) Route and length of the expedition 3) Supplies (including food, animals, etc) This activity can take as long as you want, from 15 minutes to several class periods. If your time is limited, you may prefer to eliminate the route and supplies aspects and concentrate on the members of their expeditions. After each group has planned their own expedition, work as a class to prepare a final list of members and supplies. It’s a lot of fun to see what students come up with – mom and dad are often on the list, as well as friends, teachers, entertainers including musicians and comedians, and family dogs. As long as they give a good explanation for their choices, all members should be included on the final list. When the list is complete, discuss who actually was part of the Hayden Survey and what their roles were. This can be a good lead into a discussion of how William Henry Jackson’s photos, Thomas Moran’s paintings, and Henry Elliot’s sketches ended up playing an important role in helping to convince the American public and members of Congress that Yellowstone should be set aside as a park. EXTENSIONS 4 Have the students work in groups to study one of the three major expeditions, researching the members, the route, and the expedition’s major accomplishments. Each group should decide how they will do the research and present their findings to the rest of the class. 4 Ask each student to choose a member (cook, leader, artist, hunter, guide, etc.) of either the expedition they planned or the actual Hayden Survey, and write a journal entry or letter home from the perspective of that person. You may choose to have all the students write an entry based on one location the Hayden Survey visited or let them choose their own. SOURCE Expedition: Yellowstone! Curriculum RESOURCES
Yellowstone National Park; Its Exploration and Establishment by Aubrey L. Haines online at (http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/haines1/) Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone Resources and Issues Handbook. Yellowstone Association. 2001 |