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Old Beauty: How Yellowstone Became the First National Park

February 24, 2020July 29, 2015 by

There is an origin story about Yellowstone National Park that involves weary explorers sitting around a campfire, extolling the beauty of the land they’ve just seen and vowing to ensure it becomes a public park for all to enjoy. It’s a vision of altruism and environmentalism that suits the founding of the world’s first national park only it’s not entirely true.

The members of the 1870 Washburn-Doane Expedition did likely gather for campfires as they explored the region’s geysers and rivers and waterfalls, and they did likely discuss the best use of the land they were exploring. But, as with so much of American history, there were significant corporate interests at play. Yellowstone might never have become the public parkland it is today if not for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company.

Before the explorers set out on their expedition, Northern Pacific was strategizing to expand across the Montana Territory. An influx of tourism in the region would be a boon to business, so a railroad financier, Jay Cooke, began lobbying for an expedition. To drum up excitement back East, one member of the expedition, a politician named Nathanial P. Langford, toured the country giving lectures about the beauty of Yellowstone. Meanwhile, Northern Pacific subsidized an artist to sketch images of the park for display in Washington, D.C.

In March of 1872, less than two years after the expedition, Congress enacted the Yellowstone Park Act, ensuring that the land would remain under the purview of the Department of the Interior rather than being divvied up among private individuals—an arrangement that would attract visitors to the area, which would be sure to benefit big business like the railroad company.

More than 70 years into the park’s existence, LIFE dispatched Alfred Eisenstaedt to photograph its geographic features, during a summer that was shaping up to be Yellowstone’s biggest yet for tourism. In that record year, 1946, the park had more than 800,000 visitors. In 2018, it had 4.1 million visitors. Though the idea might seem incongruous, all of the many millions of people who over the decades have encountered Yellowstone’s bison and watched Old Faithful blow have corporate interests to thank for one of America’s greatest natural wonders.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park, 1946.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Castle Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, 1946.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Norris Geyser Basin was a bowl-like area containing 30 geysers, most of which erupted every few seconds or minutes, so that there were always several in action.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Riverside Geyser was just as regular as Old Faithful, erupting every seven hours.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Spectators waited for Giant Geyser, which erupted every six to 16 days.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A graffiti-covered sign at Yellowstone National Park, 1946.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Giant Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, 1946.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Morning glory pool, shining beautifully, was an extinct geyser.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Grotto Geyser showed the cone-like formation of whitish silica deposited around its opening during centuries of activity.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jupiter Terrace was a series of grayish-white pools and falls formed by the action of large hot springs at its top.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was gouged deep into the soft volcanic rock by the rushing waters of the Yellowstone River, leaving fantastic shapes such as the 260-foot “needle” shown at lower left. The picket-fence effect along the top of the cliff is a layer of ancient lava hardened by cooling and shrinking into columns of basalt 25 feet high.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The Lower Falls of Yellowstone River had a perpendicular drop of 308 feet, which was about twice the height of that of Niagara Falls.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Some tourists cooked over hot springs, despite the park officials frowning on this.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Visitors bought about three million postcards and scenic photo folders a year.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The hut at Mammoth Hot Springs was made of old elk antlers, which were also sold to visitors as souvenirs.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A mother moose and her baby at Yellowstone National Park, 1946.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Yellowstone National Park 1946

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Bears, both black and grizzly, were common, particularly around garbage dumps.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Pillow covers of brightly-colored rayon satin, adorned with maps and the scenic wonders of Yellowstone, sold rapidly at $1.25.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Free pop, in the form of natural carbonated water with lemonade flavor, gushed in continuous streams from the rocks which lined the highway near Apollinaris Springs.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Cars lined up to enter Yellowstone National Park, 1946.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Trailer camps charged tourists $1 a day, and many visitors settled down in them, living on fish they caught. After a month visitors had to move on to another camp in the park.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Trailer park, Yellowstone National Park, 1946.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

This Las Vegas blackjack dealer and his wife spent the summer in a tent at Yellowstone.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Yellowstone National Park, 1946.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A True Passing Fad: Castro Caps for Children, 1959

January 18, 2023July 24, 2015 by

If you were to observe a group of children playing war today, you might see them launching make-believe drones and deactivating imaginary IEDs. If you watched the same activity in 1968, you might have seen them parachuting out of cardboard-box helicopters or tossing plastic grenades. But in 1959, kids playing war were pint-sized guerrillas wearing flat-brimmed army hats and Castro beards made of dog fur.

In the spring of 1959, Fidel Castro was settling into his new role as Prime Minister of Cuba. Castro and his 26th of July Movement the revolutionary army named for the 1953 attack that began the Cuban Revolution had overthrown U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista and were now looking to implement a socialist agenda for Cuba. Meanwhile, in the U.S., a toy manufacturer was capitalizing on the news with a brand new product, as LIFE explained:

The hairy specter which once haunted Fulgencio Batista in Cuba is rising again incongruously to startle parents in the U.S. The latest novelty for moppets is a battle cap with fur chin strap which will turn any youngster, male or female, into a miniature version of Fidel Castro’s Cuban rebels.

Looking back on those days with the benefit of hindsight, the photographs of carefree youngsters take on a more sinister tint. To those who regard Castro as a totalitarian strongman with no concern for human rights, these images are disturbing: laughing children, ignorant of what was really going on in the world, costumed as a man who was busily tightening his control on a terrified nation. And the children may seem no less naive to those who view Castro as a hero dedicated to the fight against inequality and imperialism.

When LIFE published a selection of these photos in 1959, it was undoubtedly intended as a lighthearted story about children mimicking the serious business of adults in a complicated world. Castro was a mere two months into a half-century regime for which there were still high hopes, and the controversial policies he would implement in the ensuing decades were still unwritten history.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Catro-bearded babes in the woods

Ralph Morse The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

See Photos of Machu Picchu Before It Became a Major Tourist Attraction

January 14, 2020July 24, 2015 by

Machu Picchu had been around for hundreds of years before July 24, 1911, when Yale historian Hiram Bingham ascended to the ancient site led by a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, and a young boy named Pablito. Still, many reacted to what Bingham told the world about as if the ruins had suddenly appeared out of thin air.

Bingham saw only a fraction of Machu Picchu that day, as so many of the ruins were obscured by centuries of lush overgrowth, But they had been there since the 15th century, when the Incas built a city for purposes still debated today. Many believe it was a royal retreat for the emperor Pachacuti and his entourage, while others maintain it was a temple honoring the divine landscape on which it sits.

Whatever Machu Picchu’s origins, Bingham’s broad announcement of its existence brought with it mixed outcomes. The beauty and the fascinating history of the place created a major attraction which draws more than 1 million visitors a year. That popularity has posed to a grave danger its existence.

When LIFE’s Frank Scherschel trained his lens on Machu Picchu and the surrounding areas in 1945, the erosion and degradation that tourism has brought to the site were still decades away. The photographs he made are quiet and majestic, devoid of people and imbued with a sense of awe at the remains of a once magnificent city.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

The Inca Ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, 1945

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Square pegs along inside of roof of Machu Picchu temple were possibly used to tie on the roof beams.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The village pictured above was discovered in 1941 and given the name Winay Wayna, the name of a local red flower meaning Eternal Youth. Near the ruins of Machu Picchu along the Urubamba River, it housed 500 people of the supervising class, in two living levels (left and upper right) between which were about 20 terraces on which potatoes were grown.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The cave entrance into the so-called “Princess Tower” was fitted with highly polished masonry. Fine workmanship indicates it was for royalty.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A bath at Machu Picchu, at lower left. The “tub” is about a foot deep. The water ran down a shallow channel which can be seen cutting under the wall at the extreme lower left.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Trapezoidal entry doors at the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, 1945.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, 1945

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The stairway at the left is cut into the solid rock, all hard granite.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The staircase leading up the Machu Picchu, 1945.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

In the foreground is a sundial; visible on the mountaintop is the faint remains of a village.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A view showing the temple with the altar. Partway up the hill is the sundial.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The Temple construction at Machu Picchu, 1945.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The train arrived in the village of Machu Picchu, the railroad’s terminus, 1945.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

See Photos of Disneyland When It Opened in 1955

January 19, 2023July 17, 2015 by

If a dream is a wish your heart makes, then Disneyland was, as LIFE declared one month after it opened on July 17, 1955, “the stuff children’s dreams are made on.” The brand new park featured a Frontierland complete with Davy Crockett museum, an Adventureland with hydraulically operated jungle animals and, of course, Sleeping Beauty’s castle, which would soon include a model torture chamber.

The $17 million park, built on a 160-acre site, was “the most lavish amusement park on earth,” but its opening day was a disaster. Traffic was backed up for hours, delaying celebrity guests. The temperature crept above 100 degrees, causing heels to sink into soft asphalt, while a plumbers” strike decommissioned all water fountains. Oh, and there was a gas leak, too. Practically everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

Some parents also expressed dismay at the prices. “Disney had expected that $2 would see a child through enough of his $17 million wonderland, but mothers said twice that was needed to keep any enterprising small boy pacified,” LIFE wrote. Today, admission for a child under 10 is $93 not including the Mickey ears, Frozen wand or Goofyroni & Cheese.

But, said those mothers back in 1955, “as they emerged spent and spinning… it was probably well worth it.”

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Correction, Aug. 10, 2018:
A caption in the original version of this gallery misstated the name of a train ridden by Mickey Mouse. The photo shows the Disneyland Railroad, not the Dumbo-inspired Casey Jr. Circus Train.

Disneyland 1955

Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Disneyland 1955

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Disneyland 1955

Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Disneyland 1955

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Disneyland 1955

Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole in its Dude Ranch Days

November 27, 2019July 10, 2015 by

The Jackson Hole valley today is a major hub of tourism in the American West: skiers in the winter, national park-goers in the summer and mountain lovers all year round. But long before the word “resort” became associated with the peaceful Wyoming locale its primary tourism draw was its dude ranches. Back then, its cowboy bars served actual cowboys, its main street was paved with dirt and its vast expanses were more populated with bison than with people. In 1948, LIFE photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured the region’s quiet, dramatic beauty in vivid Technicolor, preserving it on film for posterity.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Jackson Hole 1948

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Young cowgirl Esther Allen trout fishing in String Lake. Teton Mountains behind.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole 1948

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation

Guests sitting around fireplace and listening to live music at Bearpaw Dude Ranch. Jack Huyler, the son of the owner, is playing guitar. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Room full of patrons gambling at The Cowboy Bar. Gambling was permitted during tourist season. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole 1948

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Highway 189 entering Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole 1948

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Lake and Grand Teton Mountain Range seen from the Ranch owned by Mr. and Mrs. Berol. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole 1948

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Moose feeding in stream, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Entering Jackson Hole from the east along the Blackrock Creek with the Grand Tetons in the background. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Satchel Paige When He Pitched for the Black Yankees

December 10, 2019July 9, 2015 by

Leroy “Satchel” Paige spent two decades pitching in the American Negro leagues before Major League Baseball, in 1947, began to integrate its ranks. When Paige debuted with the Cleveland Indians in July 1948, he was not only among the first black players in the league; he was also, at 42, the oldest rookie in the Major Leagues.

LIFE profiled Paige in 1941, years before joining Major League Baseball was a glimmer of a possibility. At that time, Paige pitched as a freelancer, working for whichever team would pay him the best fee. Major League pitchers, the magazine pointed out, typically played every fourth game, but Paige “pitches three games a week all season, winning most of them.”

Paige drew crowds thanks to his supreme talent—Joe DiMaggio said after facing him in a 1936 non-league game that Paige was the greatest pitcher he had ever batted against—and his outsize personality also attracted fans. He was a showman and a storyteller, bestowing playful nicknames upon his pitches (a changeup was a “two-hump blooper” and a medium-speed fastball was a “Little Tom”). And his performance seemed unaffected by his eating habits, which had him, reportedly, “consuming great quantities of ice-cold pop and hotdogs just before pitching.”

In 1971, Paige—who played his last game at the age of 59—became the first Negro leagues player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Paige, here suiting up for the Black Yankees of the Negro Leagues, reared way back when he threw his best pitch, known as the cannonball.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige played some boogie woogie on the piano for his teammates.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige was as popular with the kids as boxer Joe Louis or dancer/actor Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige liked to drive big, fast automobiles, and his cars were usually bright red.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige was tough to beat on the baseball diamond but more prone to defeat at the pool table.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige’s wife, Lucy, was from Puerto Rico. They met while he was playing ball there. She didn’t speak English well at the time of the photo, and Paige knew only limited Spanish.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige got shined, clipped and manicured on three sides at once.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige, who hopped from team to team during his Negro Leauges career, warming up before a game.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

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