100 Years in Yellowstone - Then and Now

Author:: Tori Peglar
Publish date:: Aug 6, 2019

The National Park Service celebrated its 100th birthday in 2016. In the years since the NPS took over park management, Yellowstone National Park has changed profoundly. Here's how things looked in 1916 compared to 2016.

Number of Visitors

Early Yellowstone visitors at Handkerchief Pool (1923) — Early Yellowstone visitors at Handkerchief Pool (1923)
National Park Service

A crowd watches Old Faithful erupt on a summer afternoon. — A crowd watches Old Faithful erupt on a summer afternoon.
NPS Jacob W Frank


2016	1916
4,257,177 park visitors	35,849 park visitors

Train Stations

A stagecoach leaving the Gardiner train station headed to Yellowstone (1904) — A stagecoach leaving the Gardiner train station headed to Yellowstone (1904)
National Park Service


2016	1916
0 train stations at entrance towns	5 train stations, the closest being Gardiner and West Yellowstone

Cost of Hotel

The Old Faithful Inn in 1912 — The Old Faithful Inn in 1912
National Park Service

Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn at night — Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn current day
Grant Ordelheide


2016	1916
$208 for a standard hotel room in Old Faithful Inn	$50 for an all-inclusive 5.25-day package that included lodging, meals and stagecoach tours

Park Roads

A car stuck on a muddy road in Yellowstone (1925) — A car stuck on a muddy road in Yellowstone (1925)
National Park Service

Yellowstone's East Entrance Road over Sylvan Pass — Yellowstone's East Entrance Road over Sylvan Pass current day
NPS/Neal Herbert


2016	1916
310 miles of paved roads	0 miles of paved roads

Entrance Fees

Cars driving under the Roosevelt Arch at Yellowstone's north entrance (1924) — Cars driving under the Roosevelt Arch at Yellowstone's north entrance (1924)
National Park Service

Car driving under Roosevelt Arch in 2016 — Car driving under Roosevelt Arch in 2016
NPS/Neal Herbert


2016	1916
$30 park entrance fee	$5-10 park entrance fee, depending on the number of seats in your car

Park Rangers

A Yellowstone park ranger feeding a marmot in the 1930s — A Yellowstone park ranger feeding a marmot in the 1930s
National Park Service

Park Ranger Heather Basak at Palette Spring in Yellowstone — Park Ranger Heather Basak at Palette Spring, current day
NPS/Jacob W Frank


2016	1916
800 park rangers	~25 park rangers

Park Lodges

Yellowstone's Mammoth Hotel in 1913 — Yellowstone's Mammoth Hotel in 1913
National Park Service

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone — Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, current day
Jeff Vanuga


2016	1916
9 park lodges	8 park lodges

Number of Months Open to Visitors

Removing the snow with hand shovels on Swan Lake Flat (no date) — Removing the snow with hand shovels on Swan Lake Flat (no date)
National Park Service

Snowplowing Madison to Old Faithful in Yellowstone — Snowplowing Madison to Old Faithful, current day
NPS/David Restivo


2016	1916
12 months open to park visitors	2.5 months open to park visitors (June 15-Sept. 1)

Number of National Park Sites

"Half Dome, Apple Orchard, Yosemite” — "Half Dome, Apple Orchard, Yosemite”
Ansel Adams, April 1933


2016	1916
410 national park sites across the nation	30 national park sites across the nation

Number of Wolves in the Park

Yellowstone rangers with coyote pelts in 1927 — Yellowstone rangers with coyote pelts in 1927
National Park Service


2016	1916
99 wolves in the park	Darn-near 0 wolves in the park, according to park historian Lee Whittlesey

Releasing a Sawtooth wolf pup into the Nez Perce acclimation pen, February 1997.

Yellowstone History and Culture

The history of wolves in Yellowstone - what has happened to the environment when they were eradicated and when they were returned Jan 12, 1995.

Last Stand Hill (named for Custer's Last Stand), over the mass grave of the Seventh Cavalry soldiers, U.S. Indian Scouts, and other personnel killed in battle. Earlier interpretations were largely mono-cultural, honoring only the U.S. Army's perspective, with headstones marking where each fell.

Yellowstone History and Culture

At the battlefield, retrace steps of Indian warriors and U.S. soldiers. At the Crazy Horse Memorial, see the world’s largest mountain-carving-in-progress.

Three Cowgirls in Wind River Country

Tucked next to the Wind River Range near Yellowstone, you’ll find the lively historic town that paved the way for women to receive the right to vote in 1869.

Officers Row has some of the 35 remaining structures from the 1890s to the early 1900s when the U.S. Army oversaw Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Sheffieldb via Flickr

Yellowstone History and Culture

U.S. Army cavalry men protected the park from poachers and those looking to exploit its natural resources before the National Park Service 32 years later.

Dan Wenk

Yellowstone History and Culture

Superintendent Dan Wenk reminisces about the last century and shares thoughts about the challenges and opportunities for the next century.

Park visitors on the boardwalk in Yellowstone's Midway Geyser Basin at Grand Prismatic Hot Spring

Find out what happened when tourists broke the rules and learn three things not to do when you are in the park.

Man at Morning Glory Pool in Yellowstone National Park

What to take to Yellowstone with half the world's geysers, tons of wildlife, and hundreds of places to explore? Here are the top 16 essentials.

old-faithful-ghost

Yellowstone History and Culture

With geysers hissing and the earth gurgling, it’s no wonder that Yellowstone National Park is home to its share of ghost stories.

Roosevelt Gate: For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People.

There are five Yellowstone park entrances in three states, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, allowing easy access to this vast park.