A weird and wild beauty: the story of Yellowstone, the world's first national park

An "impassioned, vividly written chronicle" of the first scientific expedition across America's western wilderness, with photos and illustrations (Kirkus Reviews).

In the summer of 1871, a team of thirty-two renowned scientists, artists, and adventurers set out to explore the uncharted territory surrounding the Yellowstone River, sampling, sketching, and photographing the region's breathtaking wonders. At the end of their foray into the wilderness, the survey team headed east, determined to convince the United States Congress of the need to preserve the land from commercial development. Spinning "stories of wonder hardly short of fairy tales," to quote the New York Times, they enlisted the support of influential conservationists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Frederick Law Olmsted.

This fascinating book tells the story of that journey, recounting the astonishing expedition that led to the passage of the Yellowstone Park Bill, a law that set aside over two million acres of wilderness as "a great national park for the benefit and enjoyment of people" and created a beloved vacation destination where visitors could enjoy white-capped mountain vistas and wildlife in its natural habitat.

Filled with "vivid descriptions . . . and color photographs [that] highlight Yellowstone's dramatic geological features," this first-of-its-kind account from a former park ranger will instill a sense of awe and wonder at America's rich natural heritage (Publishers Weekly).