Historical Markers in
Park County, Wyoming

A Burning Need A Changing Landscape A Golden Opportunity / Mission 66 in Yellowstone / The Mission Continues A Sense of Community A Soldier’s Life A Wildlife Paradise Absaroka Volcanic Field Administrative Area: Agriculture and Root Cellars Amelia Earhart An Exploded Bay Arland Arland & Corbett Artist Point Balanced Plunger Hydraulic Valve Ball Plug Barracks Living Area: Beauty and Chromatic Pools Beehive Geyser Belle Drewry Bennet Buttes and the Bannock War of 1878 Black Dragon’s Caldron Black Sand Basin Brink of Lower Falls Brink of Upper Falls Buffalo Bill Dam Buffalo Bill Reservoir Canyon Colors Captive Tourists Castle Geyser Castle Rock Cedar Mountain Chance Encounter Chittenden Memorial Bridge Churning Caldron Cistern Spring Colter’s Hell Colter’s Hell & Extinct Geyser Basin Cooking Hillside Crested Pool Crime in Wonderland Cutthroat Daisy Geyser Daniel K. Inouye Dead Indian Hill Summit Diversion and Escape: The Nez Perce War Dragon's Mouth Spring Eagle's Nest Stage Station Echinus Elk Rut Emerald Spring Fading Glory Fire – A Fundamental Force First National Bank of Meeteetse Forces of the Northern Range Self-Guiding Trail Fort Yellowstone Fort Yellowstone Fort Yellowstone     National Historic Landmark From Soldier to Ranger Fumaroles Giant Geyser Gibbon Falls Glacial Boulder Grand Geyser Grand View Grizzly Fumarole Grotto Geyser Guard Duty Hayden Valley Heart Mountain High School: Heart Mountain Relocation Center Honor Roll and Flag Pole Heart Mountain Relocation Center Memorial Heart Mountain World War II Memorial Heart Mountain, Wyoming - Fall 1943 Hospital Complex: Indian Names for Land Features Inspiration Point Is This Forest Healthy? Jim White John Jeremiah "Liver Eating" Johnston Land of Lodgepoles Leaping the Rapids Lee Street – Cody City Life at the Blowdown Life in a Fire Tower Life in the Fort Living on the Edge Living Thermometer Lookout Point Looks Can Be Deceiving M.P. Station, Guard Tower, Rail & Train Station Madison River Mail Carrier’s Cabin Minute Geyser Mission 66 Mt. Everts Mudslides Mt. Washburn Trail Mud Geyser Mud Volcano Murky Past . . . Promising Future Nez Perce Trail Norman Y. Mineta Norris Geyser Basin Norris Geyser Basin Norris Geyser Basin Norris Soldier Station Obsidian Cliff Off the Hook Old Cody City & Buffalo Bill Cody’s Town in the Rockies Old Trail Town One Last Mountain: The Nez Perce War Orange Spring Mound Petrified Tree Phillip H. Vetter Pioneer Stagecoach Drivers Plateau of Fire Porcelain Springs Porkchop Geyser Protection Proves Profitable Red Lodge Freight Road Relocation Center Support Facilities Riverside Geyser Road Builders Roaring Mountain Rut in Hayden Sampson E. Stilwell Seasons of the Range Sheepeater Cliff Shifting Ground Shoshone Canyon Shoshone National Forest Shoshone River Siphon Site of Halfway House Stage Stop Snow-Movers Soda Butte Solfatara Steamboat Geyser Still Venting After All These Years Stone Circles Sulphur Caldron Swimming Hole: The American Mountain Man The Building of an Industry The Forest that Needs Fire The Golden Gate The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone The Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone The Land Tells the Story The Madison Elk Herd The Military: The Nez Perce War The National Park System The Nez Perce Conflict of 1877 The Norris Area The Panoramic View The Parade Ground The Pony Express The Post Exchange The Prairie Rattlesnake Towers in the Air Trail to Old Cody City Trembling Aspens Uncle Tom’s Point Uncle Tom’s Trail Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River Upstream Cableway Winch Volcanic Landscape Volcanic Landscape W.A. Gallagher and Blind Bill Waterfall Makers What’s Blooming? White Dome Geyser Why is there no fishing from Fishing Bridge? Wilderness Architecture William Garlow Cody Wolf Tracks Yellowstone Fire Fighters Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park Chapel You're Standing on the 45th Parallel "Corbett's Shebang" at Sinking Water Crossing
The famous geologist and explorer John Wesley Powell led an expedition down the Green and Colorado rivers, which run through Wyoming, in 1869.
Wyoming random facts
Park County, Wyoming has a rich history that stretches back thousands of years. The region was originally inhabited by various Native American tribes, including the Shoshone, Arapaho, and Crow, who relied on the abundant wildlife and natural resources of the area for their subsistence. In the early 1800s, European explorers, fur traders, and trappers began to venture into what is now Park County, leaving their mark on its history.

In 1807, John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, became the first recorded European to enter the region. However, it was not until the mid-1800s that the area saw significant European settlement. The discovery of gold in Montana and the construction of the Bozeman Trail through Wyoming brought an influx of settlers, leading to conflicts with Native American tribes. The establishment of army forts, such as Fort Phil Kearny and Fort Yellowstone, played a prominent role in the Indian Wars of the late 1800s.

Park County's natural wonders also attracted attention during this time. The establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, which includes a significant portion of Park County, marked the birth of the national park system worldwide. This became a major draw for tourists and ensured the protection and preservation of the area's unique geothermal features and diverse wildlife.

As the 20th century dawned, Park County experienced further development and growth. Agriculture, particularly ranching, became a primary industry, with vast open spaces and rich grazing lands supporting a thriving cattle industry. In the early 1900s, Cody, located in the eastern part of Park County, became a prominent western town and the gateway to Yellowstone National Park. Buffalo Bill Cody, the town's namesake, played a significant role in promoting tourism and establishing Cody as a tourist destination.

Today, Park County continues to be shaped by its natural beauty and historical significance. It remains an important destination for outdoor enthusiasts, offering recreational activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, and wildlife viewing. The region's cultural heritage is honored through various museums, rodeos, and events that celebrate its Western roots. Park County, WY is a testament to the enduring spirit of exploration, settlement, and preservation that has shaped the American West.

This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Park County, Wyoming.

  • 1807 - John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, becomes the first known European to enter the area that is now Park County.
  • 1809 - Manuel Lisa establishes Fort Raymond, one of the first fur trading posts in the region, near present-day Cody.
  • 1862 - John Bozeman blazes the Bozeman Trail, opening up a route for settlers and gold miners to travel through Park County.
  • 1871 - The Hayden Geological Survey explores and documents the natural wonders of Yellowstone National Park, a portion of which lies within Park County.
  • 1872 - Yellowstone National Park becomes the first national park in the United States, attracting tourists and boosting the local economy.
  • 1896 - Cody, named after William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, is founded as a planned town and becomes the county seat of Park County.
  • 1912 - The Shoshone Project is completed, bringing irrigation water to the Cody area and promoting agricultural development in Park County.
  • 1947 - The Heart Mountain Relocation Center, an internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II, closes down, impacting the local population.
  • 1959 - Construction of the Buffalo Bill Dam is completed, which forms the Buffalo Bill Reservoir and provides water and electricity to the region.
  • 1988 - The massive Yellowstone fires ravage parts of Yellowstone National Park, including areas within Park County.
  • 2019 - Park County celebrates its bicentennial, marking 200 years since the first European exploration of the region by John Colter.