Myth and History in the Creation of Yellowstone National Park
Does a beloved institution need its own myths to survive? Can conservationists avoid turning their heroes into legends? Should they try? Yellowstone National Park, a global icon of conservation and natural beauty, was born at the most improbable of times: the American Gilded Age, when altruism seemed extinct and society's vision seemed focused on only greed and growth. Perhaps that is why the park's "creation myth" portrayed a few saintlike pioneer conservationists laboring to set aside this unique wilderness against all odds. In fact, the establishment of Yellowstone was the result of complex social, scientific, economic, and aesthetic forces. Its creators were not saints but mortal humans with the full range of ideals and impulses known to the species. Authors Paul Schullery and Lee Whittlesey, both longtime students of Yellowstone's complex history, present the first full account of how the fairy tale origins of the park found universal public acceptance and the long, painful process by which the myth was reconsidered and replaced with a more realistic and ultimately more satisfying story.

In this evocative exploration of Yellowstone's creation myth, the authors trace the evolution of the legend, its rise to incontrovertible truth, and its revelation as a mysterious and troubling episode that remains part folklore, part wish, and part history. This study demonstrates the passions stirred by any challenge to cherished national memories, just as it honors the ideals and dreams represented by our national myths.

Paul Schullery is a writer and editor for Yellowstone National Park and an affiliate professor of history at Montana State University. He is the author of Searching for Yellowstone, Echoes from the Summit, and Lewis and Clark among the Grizzlies, and many other books on nature and the American West. Lee Whittlesey is Park Historian for the National Park Service at Yellowstone National Park. He is the author of Death in Yellowstone, Lost in the Yellowstone, and Yellowstone Place Names.
1101212267
Myth and History in the Creation of Yellowstone National Park
Does a beloved institution need its own myths to survive? Can conservationists avoid turning their heroes into legends? Should they try? Yellowstone National Park, a global icon of conservation and natural beauty, was born at the most improbable of times: the American Gilded Age, when altruism seemed extinct and society's vision seemed focused on only greed and growth. Perhaps that is why the park's "creation myth" portrayed a few saintlike pioneer conservationists laboring to set aside this unique wilderness against all odds. In fact, the establishment of Yellowstone was the result of complex social, scientific, economic, and aesthetic forces. Its creators were not saints but mortal humans with the full range of ideals and impulses known to the species. Authors Paul Schullery and Lee Whittlesey, both longtime students of Yellowstone's complex history, present the first full account of how the fairy tale origins of the park found universal public acceptance and the long, painful process by which the myth was reconsidered and replaced with a more realistic and ultimately more satisfying story.

In this evocative exploration of Yellowstone's creation myth, the authors trace the evolution of the legend, its rise to incontrovertible truth, and its revelation as a mysterious and troubling episode that remains part folklore, part wish, and part history. This study demonstrates the passions stirred by any challenge to cherished national memories, just as it honors the ideals and dreams represented by our national myths.

Paul Schullery is a writer and editor for Yellowstone National Park and an affiliate professor of history at Montana State University. He is the author of Searching for Yellowstone, Echoes from the Summit, and Lewis and Clark among the Grizzlies, and many other books on nature and the American West. Lee Whittlesey is Park Historian for the National Park Service at Yellowstone National Park. He is the author of Death in Yellowstone, Lost in the Yellowstone, and Yellowstone Place Names.
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Myth and History in the Creation of Yellowstone National Park

Myth and History in the Creation of Yellowstone National Park

Myth and History in the Creation of Yellowstone National Park

Myth and History in the Creation of Yellowstone National Park

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Overview

Does a beloved institution need its own myths to survive? Can conservationists avoid turning their heroes into legends? Should they try? Yellowstone National Park, a global icon of conservation and natural beauty, was born at the most improbable of times: the American Gilded Age, when altruism seemed extinct and society's vision seemed focused on only greed and growth. Perhaps that is why the park's "creation myth" portrayed a few saintlike pioneer conservationists laboring to set aside this unique wilderness against all odds. In fact, the establishment of Yellowstone was the result of complex social, scientific, economic, and aesthetic forces. Its creators were not saints but mortal humans with the full range of ideals and impulses known to the species. Authors Paul Schullery and Lee Whittlesey, both longtime students of Yellowstone's complex history, present the first full account of how the fairy tale origins of the park found universal public acceptance and the long, painful process by which the myth was reconsidered and replaced with a more realistic and ultimately more satisfying story.

In this evocative exploration of Yellowstone's creation myth, the authors trace the evolution of the legend, its rise to incontrovertible truth, and its revelation as a mysterious and troubling episode that remains part folklore, part wish, and part history. This study demonstrates the passions stirred by any challenge to cherished national memories, just as it honors the ideals and dreams represented by our national myths.

Paul Schullery is a writer and editor for Yellowstone National Park and an affiliate professor of history at Montana State University. He is the author of Searching for Yellowstone, Echoes from the Summit, and Lewis and Clark among the Grizzlies, and many other books on nature and the American West. Lee Whittlesey is Park Historian for the National Park Service at Yellowstone National Park. He is the author of Death in Yellowstone, Lost in the Yellowstone, and Yellowstone Place Names.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780803234734
Publisher: UNP - Bison Books
Publication date: 01/01/2011
Pages: 146
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Paul Schullery is the author of many books on the American West, including Searching for Yellowstone and Old Yellowstone Days. He wrote and narrated the PBS film Yellowstone: America’s Sacred Wilderness and is currently scholar-in-residence at Montana State University Library. Lee Whittlesey is park historian for the National Park Service at Yellowstone National Park. He is the author of several books, most recently Ho! for Wonderland: Travelers’ Accounts of Yellowstone, 1872–1914 and A Yellowstone Album: A Photographic Celebration of the First National Park.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. In Camp That Night
2. A Rather Unusual Discussion
3. On the Documentary Trail from Madison Junction
4. Coming to Terms with Nathaniel Langford
5. Altruists and Realists
6. Spreading the Word
7. The Debate
8. It Came Out All Right!
9. Leaving It All Behind
10. Myth and Responsibility
Conclusion: Campfire Lessons
Appendix: Known and Reported Accounts of the Washburn Expedition
Notes
Index
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