Yellowstone History: First Peoples Celebration & Late 1800s Artifacts

This is a hybrid activity. Actually, it will be 3 different activities. We are squeezing 1 short hike centered on early Yellowstone history from the late 1800s and 2 First Peoples Celebration events later in the day into one really long, but very fun day.

The morning/afternoon event is a composite study of a piece of Yellowstone real estate seen by very few visitors, the early development activities which altered the landscape, and how it looks in the here and now. I can only go so far in elaborating on where we will be going and what we will be seeing, because this is a very special place from a historical point of view, and I can't place this precious resource at risk by exposing geographic details that could be published broadly and result in it suffering from overexposure in social media or print publications. I will go so far as to say this area is on the west side of the Southern Grand Loop, and those who participate will see and hear about physical evidence of developmental activities that played an important role in transforming our nation's first national park from what folks like John Colter and Osborne Russell found in the first decades of the 19th Century to the pleasuring ground of the late 1800s and early 1900s where visitors who traveled by train and horsedrawn carriage to see Wonderland's sights enjoyed a network of roads and lodging establishments catering to their needs. This will be a 2 to 3 mile walk on mostly flat terrain, and on a combination of game trails and historic human trails.

Later in the day, we will move north to Gardiner and the North Entrance for the Opening Ceremony for the weeklong First Peoples Celebration. The Opening Ceremony will be held in the Arch Park, and is scheduled to commence at 7:00 PM. Attendees are asked to bring their own seating, since there will not be publicly available seating provided. That could be virtually anything you prefer, ranging from a blanket to place on the grass to a Crazy Creek Chair to one of those lightweight camp chairs many of us have been hauling into the backcountry. If you would like to see the schedule of Opening Ceremony activities, you are invited to click on the following link:
https://www.yellowstone.org/voices-of-yellowstone/

At 9:00 PM, the Lighting of the Illuminated Teepees will begin, presented by the Pretty Shield Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council. These are two very special organizations, that along with Yellowstone Forever, are largely responsible for the weeklong celebration. It will make sense to bring whatever chair you used for the Opening Ceremony to the Lighting of the Illuminated Teepees.

For the morning/afternoon session, bring bear spray. Pack a lunch and plenty of liquid. Be equipped with full sun protection, including a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Bring whatever rain protection you normally take into the backcountry. NOAA is predicting afternoon thunderstorm possibility for the remainder of this week and the weekend to follow.

Dinner is a real wildcard. The timing of our conclusion of the early activity will likely determine our options. Park employees should be able to avail themselves of the EDR in Mammoth. The rest of us, if we finish the first event by mid-afternoon, will have the luxury of visiting West Yellowstone our opting for dinner in Gardiner or at the Terrace Grill (AKA "McMammoth") in Mammoth. Those who prefer self-provisioning are welcome to bring something they can prepare at one of the picnic areas between our first event and Gardiner. A WORD OF CAUTION: Due to the time of year and the First Peoples Celebration Opening Ceremony the restaurants in Gardiner could be rather busy. Factor this into your planning.

Those attending the evening events are cautioned to bring rain gear and a warm layer, like a fleece jacket or vest for when the sun goes down.

For new Members or first-timers, when you RSVP "Yes" the Organizer will message you through Meetup (or text you if you have already provided your cell phone number) with the Meet Place and Meet Time information. We have a longstanding policy of requiring new Members and first-timers to exchange cell phone number information with the Organizer, so we both have a means of contacting each other on the morning of a Meetup in the event of some unanticipated development, like an accident, carcass closure of a trail, illness, mechanical breakdown, road closure, or weather-related problems.

See you Sunday!

Ballpark