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 Soldiers 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 Dragons 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
Colters Hell
Colters 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 Carriers 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 Codys 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 Toms Point
Uncle Toms Trail
Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River
Upstream Cableway Winch
Volcanic Landscape
Volcanic Landscape
W.A. Gallagher and Blind Bill
Waterfall Makers
Whats 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
About Park County
Park County Timeline
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.
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.
Park County Timeline
This timeline provides a condensed summary of the historical journey 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.