On August 17, 1886, Capt. Moses Harris and the troops of Company M rode into Yellowstone to take over guardianship of America’s first national park. Replacing an underfunded and undermanned civilian administration, the army’s assignment in Yellowstone was supposed to be “temporary duty.” That temporary duty ended up lasting for nearly thirty-two years. Amid booming sunset cannons and crackling rifle practices, the United States Army diligently protected thermal features, pursued wildlife poachers, tracked stagecoach robbers, and established an immeasurable standard of policies and procedures for protecting the park that continue today. Join lead author of Images of America: Fort Yellowstone, Elizabeth Watry for an engaging presentation that explores the time-honored legacy of the United States Army in Yellowstone National Park and the enduring cultural identity of the park’s headquarters once known as Fort Yellowstone.
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