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The
cultural history of what has come to be known as Yellowstone National
Park
begins
with the first archeological evidence of American Indians present
in the area
more
than 11,000 years ago. It extends through the first exploration
by Euro Americans
in
the early nineteenth century; the establishment of the park and
its administration
by
civilian employees (1872-1886), the military (1886-1918), and
the National
Park Service (1916 to present). The legacy of American Indian
use, early park management,
and
the development of park concessions is preserved in the park's
museum, library and
archival
collections, archeological sites and cultural landscapes, and
in historic buildings that are still
used today. Yellowstone plays a prominent
role in the history of the park
movement
and illustrates the changes in how
Americans have traveled and spent
their
leisure time.
 Although
the increased interest in
cultural preservation at Yellowstone reflects
a trend in the entire national park system,
many of these resources have received
relatively little attention because Yellowstone
has been valued primarily as
a
"natural" park. Management of the park's
cultural resources has been hampered
by insufficient staff, funding, and facilities. For example, the
absence of a full-time park
archeologist to handle compliance with archeological protection
requirements has delayed
planning for road reconstruction and other development projects.
Since
1988, when Yellowstone had only one full-time employee devoted
to cultural resources, the
program has grown through additional staff and increased cooperation
with
park partners. Seasonal rangers, district resource management
staff, and some
maintenance
employees spend at least part of their time working on cultural
resources. A cultural resources
coordinator on the park's concessions staff helps ensure compliance
with laws that protecting
the historic buildings and other facilities owned by the government
and used by the park's concessionaires.
 Nonetheless,
according to a 1997 service-wide analysis that was based on
the extent of each park's cultural
resources, Yellowstone still needs to significantly upgrade
its cultural resources staff. Legislation
passed in 1998 compels the park to inventory and document
all of its cultural resources and develop systematic monitoring
and protection programs for
them. In some cases, the resources may be gone already. For example,
archeological materials are eroding
out of river banks and lake shores, and may be disappearing
from the unsurveyed Bannock Trail and Nez Perce National Historic
Trail. Also, people associated
with the park and elders of surrounding American Indian tribes
offer an ephemeral source of historical
information. Unless park staff complete interviews with
these people soon, the information may be lost forever.
Archeology
The long presence of humans
in Yellowstone prior to the park's establishment
undoubtedly had some effects
on its landscape, but our understanding of
this history is limited. Only a very
small portion of the park has been inventoried
for archeological sites. Most of
these archeological surveys have been done
to comply with the National Historic Preservation
Act in areas of high visitor
impact or construction. Such areas
may not accurately represent the range
of archeological sites that may be found
in the park. Most of the recorded sites
are at or near the surface; little is known about buried sites
or stratified sites with more
than one cultural component.
Although
more than 1,000 American Indian and Euro American archeological
sites have been documented, many
have not been revisited since their initial recording more
than 30 years ago, and the current condition of most of them is
poor or unknown. Only five
percent of the recorded sites have been evaluated for National
Register eligibility. Surveys
done before 1980 need to be brought up to the Secretary of the
Interior's "Standards and
Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation."
American
Indian and Euro American archeological resources are integral
to understanding the human
experience in Yellowstone. However, the lack of adequate base-line
data limits our ability to protect
and learn from these resources. Through resource impacts,
natural erosion, land use activities, and vandalism, sites are
being damaged or destroyed.
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Stewardship
Goals
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Current
State of
Resources/Programs
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- Professionally trained
specialists perform systematic archeological surveys
and evaluate sites for eligibility for the National
Register of Historic Places.
- Park staff conduct regular
efforts to monitor and protect archeological sites,
including the Obsidian Cliff National Historic Landmark.
- Park staff and visitors
gain an understanding of archeological resources, threats
to them, and the means to protect them through well-informed
interpretation and education efforts.
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- One archeologist is
stationed in the park, but less than half of her time
can be spent on Yellowstone projects; some work is done
by contractors and outside researchers.
- Less than 1% of the
park has been surveyed for archeological resources,
and most surveys have been done in connection with road
improvements and other construction projects. Funds
may be available in 1999 for a ranger trained in archeological
resource protection to assist at Obsidian Cliff and
elsewhere.
- Neither park staff nor
visitors have had much exposure to information about
the park's archeological resources. Publications and
exhibits have been proposed when funding is available.
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ETHNOGRAPHY
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Ethnographic
resources are tangible or intangible
aspects of a cultural system, past or present,
that have been identified
as significant to a recognized ethnic
group. They include both natural resources, such as
wildlife and plants, and
cultural resources, such as obsidian and
other minerals, that have traditional uses.
As
mandated by the American Indian Religious
Freedom Act of 1978, the Native American Graves
Protection and Repatriation Act, and NPS policy,
we are required to manage
all of Yellowstone's resources in a
manner that expresses knowledge of and respect for
American Indians. However,
we lack sufficient knowledge about
the traditional uses of the park and their meaning to
contemporary groups to ensure
the protection of culturally significant
places, objects, and resources. Among the unsolved
mysteries is a collection of obsidian artifacts
found in Ohio that came
from Yellowstone in about A.D. 330.
How and why did people without domestic livestock or
wheels move hundreds of
pounds of rocks so far? Were the first
Americans drawn to Yellowstone for material gain,
aesthetic enjoyment, and
spiritual values not so different from
those that have been drawing people ever since?
RECENT
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Tribal
contacts. American Indian groups affiliated with
the park (Black-feet, Confederated
Salish and Kootenai, Crow, Eastern Shoshone, Nez Perce,
Northern Arapaho, Northern
Cheyenne, Shoshone-Bannock, Gros Ventre/Assiniboine, Kiowa,
and some Lakota tribes)
have been identified and are consulted regularly regarding
issues such as the handling
of human remains and archeological sites of special interest.
In response to their requests,
the park entrance fee has been waived for affiliated tribe
members who are participating in
traditional activities at places that have been historically
used for such purposes and
that have been sanctioned in writing by the tribal chair.
Ethnographic
overview. An independent consultant was hired to interview
members of affiliated American
Indian groups and conduct the research necessary to
identify ethnographic resources
and areas requiring further study. This work was completed
in March 1998, with a final
report expected by 2000.
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Stewardship
Goals
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Current
State of
Resources/Programs
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- Professionally
trained staff oversee a program to inventory,
protect, and interpret ethnographic sites and
other resources.
- Affiliated American
Indian groups are regularly involved in protection
and interpretation through informal discussions
and, when appropriate, formal consultations.
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- Yellowstone's
ethnography is little known or interpreted.
Results of a recent overview are complete and
will be used to direct a program to preserve
these resources.
- Recent strides
have been made in establishing regular contact
with affiliated American Indian groups.
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HISTORIC
STUCTURES
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Within
Yellowstone National Park are hundreds of stone,
log, and
wood-frame buildings that date from the 1890s
through the 1950s and
have historical and architectural significance.
In addition to five buildings
that have been designated as National Historic
Landmarks, there
are ranger stations, a network of backcountry
cabins, fire lookout
towers,
Civilian Conservation Corps-built residences,
barns, fire caches, hotels
and lodges, stores, service stations, roads, and
bridges. The vast majority
of these historic structures are still in use.
The
condition of the park's historic structures ranges
from very good
to very poor. Lack of funds, a harsh winter environment,
and insufficient preventive
maintenance have taken their toll. While some
buildings have
been at least partly stabilized during the last
decade, others need
to be strengthened to withstand seismic events,
and some have deteriorated
to the point where they require major replacement
of historic materials.
Many of the building interiors have lead-based
paint that is in poor condition or
deficient wiring that poses a fire risk; in some
cases, structural failure is imminent.
The use of inadequately
trained staff has occasionally resulted in the
removal of interior historic
features and inappropriate alterations and treatment
of historic materials.
The
NPS is responsible for preserving Yellowstone's
historic structures,
which
requires minimizing the rate at which material
is lost while maintaining the historic
character of the
structures. As a way to enhance preservation,
making use of these structures is
important, even when it may appear more efficient
to construct a new building that meets
the need. Maintaining
a historic building may be considerably more expensive
than a non-historic structure
because of the cost of materials, compliance requirements,
and lower energy
efficiency (which can be remedied). If a building
is not being used, obtaining funds and
personnel for its stabilization and maintenance
is more difficult. Preserving a sense of
Yellowstone's culture
through preservation of historic structures and
landscapes will result in keeping
the "old" functioning in place of the
"new."
OF
SPECIAL CONCERN
National
Historic Landmarks. The Old Faithful Inn,
the Northeast Entrance
Station, and the Norris, Madison, and Fishing
Bridge museums, all of which exemplify
park "rustic
architecture," have been designated as National
Historic Landmarks. As required
by law, these buildings must be given the highest
level of preservation treatment. Although
stabilization work has been completed at each,
additional funds are needed for preventive
maintenance such as cleaning roofs, staining,
painting, repairing windows, and replacing
electrical wiring and shingles.
Historic
lodging. In 1979, Congress
approved $19.9 million for the National
Park Service to acquire the former
Yellowstone Park Company's facilities,
which are now operated by Amfac
Parks and Resorts. In addition to the
Old Faithful Inn, these facilities include
six hotels and lodges, and many other
buildings that may be eligible for the
National Register of Historic Places.
Another
special congressional appropriation provided monies
to correct sanitation
and safety code deficiencies and to undertake
long-term rehabilitation projects such
as renovation of kitchens, public restrooms, dining
rooms, lobbies, and guest rooms. Since
1979, the concessionaire has been required to
invest a portion of the company's gross
annual revenue in
capital improvements and cyclic maintenance on
the facilities that it uses. This
has provided more than $130 million to date for
projects such as restoration of the Lake
Hotel guest rooms and dining area, the Roosevelt
Lodge interior, and a new roof, kitchen,
fire-safety system, and room furnishings at the
Old Faithful Inn.
Although
much has been accomplished and most of the hotels
have undergone
dramatic renovations, an estimated $500 million
is still needed for building repair,
rehabilitation, and cyclic maintenance. Addressing
safety concerns such as rewiring, constructing
fire exits, and installing sprinkler systems and
fire-rated materials has left few resources
for basic priorities such as maintaining roofs
and sidings. (See "Lodging and Restaurants,"
page 6-19.)
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Stewardship
Goals
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Current
State of
Resources/Programs
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- Professional
staff oversee an interdisciplinary program
to inventory, preserve, and cyclically
maintain historic structures.
- The
most significant resources are evaluated
and preserved according to standards
for structures on the National Register
of Historic Places. Visitor appreciation
of park history is enhanced through
interpretive efforts.
- Partners
and cooperators share responsibility
for managing historic structures still
in use for visitor services.
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- The
park lacks trained staff devoted to
this program, but interdisciplinary
efforts of other historians, architects,
and trained craftsmen have accomplished
some much needed preservation maintenance.
- The
park has five National Historic Landmark
structures; others await evaluation
of their status. Staff knowledge of
historic structures is growing, but
only limited interpretation of historic
landmarks has been done.
- Capital
improvement funds from concession contracts
has provided major restoration at Old
Faithful, Lake, and Roosevelt lodges
and other historic structures; future
restoration is planned in other areas.
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CULTURAL
LANDSCAPES
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Yellowstone
is best known
for its world-class array
of geothermal features and
a display of native
wildlife that is nearly
unparalleled in North
America. But the landscape
itself, back-drop for
countless images
seen through camera
lenses and human
eyes, should not be
overlooked as a special resource.
In addition to
providing for the preservation
of historic structures,
the National Historic Preservation Act
also recognizes the significance of such
"cultural
landscapes."
 In
the broadest sense, cultural landscapes
reflect human adaptation and use
of natural
resources, as expressed in land use patterns,
circulation systems, and the types of
structures
that are built. Geographic areas associated
with historic events, activities, or
persons,
or that exhibit other cultural or aesthetic
values-such as Yellowstone's primary
road system
with its structures and bridges-may be
considered as cultural landscapes.
The historic
Buffalo Ranch in the Lamar Valley is treated
as one of these unique resources,
and other
potential cultural landscapes include
some of the park's designed trails and
the historic
districts at Fort Yellowstone/Mammoth
Hot Springs, Old Faithful, and Fishing
Bridge.
KEEPING
THE BALANCE
Preservation
guidelines recognize that change, whether
a result of human activities
or natural processes, is inherent in cultural
landscapes. A balance must be maintained
between
retention of a cultural landscape's distinctive
characteristics and the inevitability
of a river's
meandering, a plant community's successional
growth, or a mountain's natural
erosion. Management of a cultural landscape
focuses on preserving a landscape's
physical
attributes, biotic systems, and human
use when that use contributes to its historic
significance.
In some instances, it may be appropriate
to rehabilitate or restore these unique
resources.
DOCUMENTING
HISTORY
Management
of the park's cultural
landscapes, done jointly by staff
from the
Yellowstone Center for Resources
and the park's Maintenance Division,
is hampered by the lack of surveys
of the landscape and features or
elements
that contribute to Yellowstone's
historic
character. Research and evaluation
of the landscapes' defining features
and their integrity are a prelude to development
of a strategy to maintain or restore
these cultural
resources. Historic Resource Studies of
the park's road systems and the park
administration
are providing information and context
by which to evaluate the park's
landscapes.
Once the
potentially significant landscapes are
identified, trained staff are required
to evaluate the effects of change or disturbance
to structures and scenes. Several
staff specialists
spend a portion of their time ensuring
that the park complies with Sections
106 and
110 of the National Historic Preservation
Act and other laws that guide cultural
resource
preservation.
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Stewardship
Goals
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Current
State of
Resources/Programs
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- Cultural
resource managers and other
park staff share an appreciation
and responsibility for preserving
resources as outlined in law
and policy.
- Professional
staff oversee an interdisciplinary
program of cultural landscape
preservation and maintenance.
- Cultural
landscapes are evaluated under
National Register criteria,
and their values are preserved
and interpreted to the public.
- Partners
and cooperators share responsibility
for managing historic landscapes
associated with facilities used
for visitor services.
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- Specialists
spend significant time evaluating
other park construction and
rehabilitation projects; the
lack of broad knowledge and
limited staff cause delays in
cultural resource compliance.
- Three
professional staff spend some
time on this program, but little
funding has been available to
evaluate and preserve cultural
landscapes even in primary visitor
use areas such as the Old Faithful
and Fort Yellowstone historic
districts.
- Historic
Resource Studies have been contracted
to provide basic information
needed to preserve and interpret
cultural landscapes.
- Park
staff have formed limited working
partnerships with concessionaires,
affiliated American Indian Tribes,
and others to build a program
of cultural landscape preservation.
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LIBRARY,
ARCHIVES and MUSEUM
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As
an inevitable consequence of
Yellowstone's
long and colorful history as a
place
of exploration, research, recreation,
and the
evolution of the national park
idea, the
park
has accumulated a wealth of information
and
objects that are a testament to
all who have
contributed to that history. However,
that wealth
is diminished when its tangible
evidence
is not adequately preserved or
made available
to the public.
THE
PARK'S PAPER TRAIL
Among
Yellowstone's most extra-ordinary
and
little-known cultural resources
is
its
archives, a priceless documentary
collection that
provides first-hand evidence of
the complex evolution of all aspects
of Yellowstone management,
from trail construction to concession
operations, and politics to predator
control. Maintained
by the park through a cooperative
agreement with the National Archives
and
Records Administration as one
of its few official affiliated
facilities (West Point has
another),
the archives are a major scholarly
resource for park staff in many
management situations
and for a variety of researchers.
The
archives include 2,500 linear
feet of historic documents and
nearly 90,000
photographic prints and negatives,
including a large number of glass,
nitrate, and other
fragile negatives in varying stages
of deterioration. Almost all of
the pre-1918 records are
also available on microfilm. A
full-time archivist, occasional
temporary employees and
volunteers,
and part-time librarians funded
by the Yellowstone Association
assist park staff, visiting
researchers, and the general public
in finding reference materials.
One park curator is
responsible for the museum collection.
Research
materials. Yellowstone's research
library contains about
20,000
titles, including bound publications,
vertical files, maps, and a collection
of rare books
and manuscripts. However, limited
funds have made it impossible
to purchase new publications
related to Yellowstone's natural
and cultural history; to ensure
that copies of books,
relevant journal articles, theses,
and other reports that result
from research done in the
park find their way into the library's
collection; or to replace basic
reference materials such
as dictionaries, atlases, and
field-specific references that
are more than 10 years old.
Most
of the library collection has
been cataloged only on an inefficient
and
difficult-to-maintain card file.
Its conversion to a computerized
database, with funding
provided
by the Yellowstone Association,
is expected to be completed by
2000.
THE
STUFF OF HISTORY
The
Yellowstone museum collection
contains nearly
200,000 cultural objects and natural
science
specimens, including paintings
by Thomas Moran,
photographs by William H. Jackson,
historic hotel
furnishings, touring cars, stagecoaches,
American Indian
artifacts, fossils, wildlife and
geological specimens,
and one of the most complete herbarium
collections
in the region for high-altitude
environments. While
the overall condition of the collection
is
fair to good, not all museum objects
have been preserved,
cataloged, and made available
for use according
to NPS standards. There is also
a growing demand
for access to the collection by
researchers.
Cataloging.
Since 1996, nearly 20,000 artifacts
and specimens have been
added to Yellowstone's collection,
including photographs, souvenirs,
archeological materials,
insects, and birds, mostly donations
to the park or specimens collected
under research
permits. Although special funding
has helped to catalog 3,000 to
6,000 historic objects
each year, the park continues
to acquire items more quickly
than they can be cataloged.
A
backlog of about 75,000 items
still needs to be addressed.
Outside
repositories. Most of the
thousands of natural science specimens
that have been collected during
Yellowstone's long history are
held elsewhere in the U.S.
or abroad, and little documentation
of them remains in the park. Because
so much information
on past collections and research
is inaccessible, unnecessary duplications
have
surely occurred. Regardless of
where they are held, specimens
collected under research
permits issued since April 30,
1984, are federal property by
law and must be held to
Department of Interior and NPS
standards regarding museum property
management.
STORAGE
OF COLLECTIONS
Most
of Yellowstone's archives, library,
and museum collections are
housed
in the basement of the Albright
Visitor Center in Mammoth Hot
Springs. Without adequate
space, security, fire protection,
and climate controls, the facility
fails to meet the
standards
of the NPS or the National Archives
and Records Administration.
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STAFFING. Additional staff are
needed to address the backlog
of inventory
and
cataloging duties, maintain the
collections, and assist visiting
researchers.
.
PRESERVING RECORDS AND ARTIFACTS.
The park needs to hire a contractor
to
duplicate
its collection of historic prints,
negatives, films, and audio tapes
in formats that can
be used by researchers while preserving
the original version. To minimize
the handling of
rare books and archival materials,
each document should be electronically
scanned and available
on computer.
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IMPROVING ACCESS. Additional equipment
is needed so that users of the
library
and archives can access historic
audio tapes, microfilmed records,
digitized photos, and
information stored on CD-ROM disks.
The library staff should also
have the training and
technology required to make the
library catalog available to off-site
users, either directly
through
the Internet, or through partnerships
with other libraries that share
on-line catalogs. Museum
staff need to determine the status
of Yellowstone items held in outside
repositories, so
that they can be included in the
NPS catalog for research purposes.
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ACCOMMODATING THE COLLECTIONS.
An assessment of the feasibility
of adapt-ing
existing
park facilities to meet the variety
of museum, library, and archive
needs has led to
the conclusion that a new building
will be required. Funds are being
sought from outside sources
to support a proposed Yellowstone
Heritage and Research Center that
will be designed
to include collection storage,
visitor exhibits, and laboratory
facilities for natural
and
cultural history research.
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Stewardship
Goals
|
Current
State of
Resources/Programs
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- Professionally
trained staff provide
protection and storage
to NPS and National
Archives standards for
Yellowstone's cultural
objects, natural science
specimens, library materials,
and archival materials.
- The
park's library, archives,
and museum collections
receive periodic upgrades
of equipment and technology
as well as acquisitions
of important material.
- Users
have safe, convenient
access to collections
via the best available
technology.
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- A
park curator, an archivist,
and part-time librarians
oversee protection of
the park's historical
and library record in
existing facilities
that are old, cramped,
and fail to meet modern
safety and preservation
standards.
- Few
funds are available
to add important books,
references, ephemera,
natural science specimens,
and cultural artifacts
to collections.
- Museum
and archival references
are not always available
using current technology
(e.g., CD-ROMs, World
Wide Web, and computerized
catalogues of information);
the historic vehicles
and other museum objects
are crowded into a warehouse
without safe or convenient
access.
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