Early Tourism – Yellowstone National Park: Travels Through Time Exhibition (US National Park Service)

The Northern Pacific Railway built the first train depot serving Yellowstone at the park’s north entrance in Gardiner, Montana in 1883, making the region increasingly accessible to tourism. After arriving in Gardiner, tourists took a dusty five-mile ride to the National Hotel (now Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel) by stagecoach or “Tally Ho” wagon before embarking on a six-day tour of the park. Two stagecoach companies provided tours: the Yellowstone National Park Transportation Company based in Gardiner, and the Monida and Yellowstone Stage Company based in West Yellowstone. Tourists were accompanied by eccentric stagecoach drivers with unique names such as ‘Crying Jack’ and ‘Society Red’, who would tell groundbreaking stories about the park.

After spending the day by stagecoach, the tourists checked into luxury lodges operated by the Yellowstone Park Association and spent evenings of recreation and relaxation dressed in fine clothing. Although the military managed the park during the stagecoach era, these trips were not without risk. Slow-moving stagecoaches full of wealthy tourists were easy targets for robbers.

Concessionaires such as the Wylie Permanent Camping Company (1883 – 1917) and Shaw and Powell Camping Company (1898 – 1916) provided an alternative guided experience. They offered transportation through the park on ‘mountain stage wagons’ and overnight accommodations at permanent campsites. The routes were similar to those of the stagecoach tours, but with fewer facilities. These included comfortable, raised tents with beds and clean bedding, and mess tents with chefs who provided hearty meals. Travelers enjoyed a more casual atmosphere than those staying in hotels, with stories and songs by the fire.

More economical tourists could enter the park in their own covered wagons. These ‘sagemers’ often camped along the sides of roads and fished for food in the plentiful rivers and lakes.