Yellowstone Summers: Touring with the Wylie Camping Company in America's First National Park

In 1872 Congress established Yellowstone National Park. Its vast wonders mesmerized early sightseers, including school superintendent William Wallace Wylie. From 1896 to 1905 the Wylie Camping Company fed, sheltered, and guided thousands of Victorian vacationers on week-long tours. His clients enjoyed delicious meals, heated sleeping tents, and fresh-air bonfires. His guides utilized the park as an outdoor classroom and set an example for concessions throughout Yellowstone. Unfortunately Wylie was forced to contend with park politics as well as bears, runaway horses, and drunken stage coach drivers, but his unswerving efforts helped develop, define, and preserve tourism in the West.