Early Tourism

"Tally-Ho" Stagecoach, Yellowstone National Park, YELL 106389.

The Northern Pacific Railway built the first train depot to service Yellowstone at the North Entrance of the park in Gardiner, Montana in 1883, making the region increasingly accessible to tourism. After arriving in Gardiner, tourists took a dusty five-mile ride to the National Hotel (now Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel) by stagecoach or “Tally Ho” wagon, before beginning a six-day tour of the park. Two stagecoach companies provided tours: the Yellowstone National Park Transportation Company based in Gardiner, and the Monida and Yellowstone Stage Company based in West Yellowstone. Tourists were guided by eccentric stagecoach drivers with such unique names as “Crying Jack” and “Society Red” who would deliver frontier-style stories about the park.

After spending the day sightseeing by stagecoach, tourists checked in to luxury lodges run by the Yellowstone Park Association and spent evenings of recreation and relaxation in fine clothing. Though the Army managed the park during the stagecoach era, these trips were not without risk. Slow-moving stagecoaches filled with affluent tourists were easy targets for robbers.

Concessioners such as the Wylie Permanent Camping Company (1883 – 1917) and Shaw and Powell Camping Company (1898 – 1916) provided an alternate guided experience. They offered transportation through the park on “mountain stage” wagons, and nightly accommodations at permanent camp sites. The routes were similar to those of the stagecoach tours, but with fewer amenities. These included comfortable, raised tents with beds and clean linens, and dining tents with cooks who provided hearty meals. Travelers enjoyed a more casual atmosphere than those who stayed in hotels, with evening fireside stories and songs. Thriftier tourists could enter the park in their own covered wagons. These “sagebrushers” often camped along the sides of roadways and fished for food in the plentiful rivers and lakes.