On this day 150 Years ago! (August 26, 1871)
The Hayden Expedition leaves the Mammoth Hot Springs area on the way back to Bottler’s Ranch, situated near Emigrant Peak.
Two entrepreneurs (James McCartney and Harry Horr) had staked a claim to the springs and constructed crude bath houses. They charged visitors a fee for soaking in the terraced mineral springs!
Imagine if Yellowstone had not been set aside as a park in 1872. The entire region likely would have been exploited and commercialized.