In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson made his mark by signing in the National Park Service, which forever changed the administration of the national parks. Two years later, the U.S. Army withdrew from the Park by order of the government. In 1922, the Park celebrated its golden anniversary, with ceremonies held at “historically significant” locations in the park, such as the junction of the Gibbon and Firehole rivers, where the idea for a park was supposedly thought up by the Washburn-Langford expedition. From that point, the park went under various changes, such as an expansion of its east boundary and northwest corner in 1929, and the Norris Geyser Basin museum opened in 1930. Over the course of the 1930s the Beartooth Highway is built, allowing travelers to go 67 miles through winding, steep roads, going from Red Lodge, Montana into the Park via Cooke City and Silver Gate.

In 1951, a travel study by the Wyoming State Highway Department valued the value of park traffic to the economy at around $19 million. Four years later, Wyoming tried to purchase Yellowstone’s concessions based on the study. After protests from Montana and Idaho, the proposal was eventually shot down. Also, Mission 66, which was a massive effort to expand Yellowstone’s roads and trails begins. Also during the 1950s, Canyon Village is constructed to keep up with the number of visitors. The park also begins to control the elk population out of fear of their numbers. Along with the elk, the Park stopped its policy of stocking park waters for fisherman in 1958. One year later, a massive earthquake kills 28 people, and changes thermal activity, causing activities never witnessed before.

Starting in the 1970s, Yellowstone begins to transform from recreational playground to ecological treasure whose preservation is an absolute must. The 70s also saw more steps being made to restore ecological balance without sacrificing tourism. Yellowstone’s 100th anniversary was celebrated in 1972 and in 1974 Fishing Bridge (which opened in 1902, built by Hiram Chittenden) was closed to fishing in order to protect the cutthroat trout, a native species. Two years later, Yellowstone became a Biosphere Reservee and was also designated a World Heritage Site in 1978. Exactly ten years later, the Yellowstone Fire of 1988 burns some 1.4 million acres of Yellowstone in the summer and early fall. Over $120 million was spent trying to stop the flame, with the help of 25,000 firefighters. One year after the fire finally died, Yellowstone came under harsh criticism for its fire policy, despite the fact that many new plants and wildflowers began to grow from the charred ground.

In the 1990s, discussion of the ecosystem begins raging, with much controversy over the next five years. The 90s brought increased winter use of Yellowstone and also brought talk over bison slaughtered outside park boundaries. Snowmobile emissions began to be measured and were estimated to be more than Los Angeles’ pollution.

Amid the controversy, grizzly populations continued to grow, and in 1995, Yellowstone took ten wolves from Alberta, Canada, and released into Yellowstone. Today, their population is estimated in the hundreds. Yellowstone also earns the title “World Heritage Site in Danger.” In 1997, tragedy struck when some 1,100 bison were killed due to fear that they carried brucellosis. In the midst of it all, Yellowstone hosted a 125th-anniversary celebration.

The year 2000 brought two different ecological changes. One, Steamboat Geyser, the tallest geyser in the world, erupted after a number of years. And second, fires began to threaten Yellowstone National Park, but did much less damage than the Fire of ’88. Also, officials in Yellowstone announced intentions to ban and/or restrict snowmobiles in the Park. Controversy over snowmobiles continued when the number of snowmobiles was capped, with emission restrictions enforced, and licensed guides mandated. Finally, in 2005, the wolf reintroduction is seen as a success by the public and by biologists. At the same time, the federal government sought to remove the grizzly bear from the Endangered Species list, and the Bush administration continued to weaken the nation’s environmental laws and protections, causing alarm by environmentalists everywhere.

Sean Reichard enjoys fly-fishing when he's not exploring the Park.