A Florida Gal Goes West: Yellowstone National Park

A couple of weeks ago, I left Orlando on a flight to Minneapolis (that took much longer than originally scheduled) to meet up with Stacy Monson, a Mosaic Collection author (like me!) and vagabond friend.

The next day, Stacy and I hopped in her SUV and headed west to Montana for our own writing retreat. Along the way, we stopped at the Badlands National Park…

Badlands ~ Johnnie Alexander

…and Mount Rushmore.

Mt. Rushmore ~ Johnnie Alexander

A couple days after settling into our lovely Carbon County chalet, we were joined by another Mosaic author, Deb Elkink, and her husband Gerrit. The four of us got up early one morning, stopped at the Cattail Bakery in Red Lodge for delicious pastries, then drove through Beartooth Pass...

Left to Right: Deb, Stacy, Johnnie, Gerrit
Photo taken by a Kind Stranger

...to “the oldest, one of the largest, and probably the best-known national park in the United States” (Pletcher).

Yellowstone National Park

1904 Map ~ By Henry Wellge (1850-1917)

What an amazing day!

The scenery is breathtaking, ranging from mountains to flatlands and riverbeds and rolling hills.

Yellowstone Landscape ~ Johnnie Alexander

Including an area known as the Sulphur Caldron…

Sulphur Caldron ~ Johnnie Alexander

Mama & Baby Bison ~ Stacy Monson

…and, of course, Old Faithful.

By Albert Bierstadt

Back to the Past

We know little about the prehistoric peoples who inhabited what is now the North Geyser Basin area in northwestern Wyoming, but archaeologists tell us that artifacts from the area date to more than 11,000 years ago.

In contrast, a mere six hundred years or so ago, the Wind River Shoshone, also known as the Tukudika Mountain Shoshone or Sheepeaters, may have arrived in the area.

John Colter, a trapper and explorer who came west with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, arrived in the region around 1807-08. He’s considered to be the first person of European ancestry to explore this area of the country.

Another trapper, Daniel Potts, wrote a letter to his brother which became the first published account about the region. Potts’ vivid description of “Yellowstone Lake and the West Thumb Geyser Basin appeared in a Philadelphia newspaper in 1827” (Pletcher).

Eleven years later, in 1836, a trapper and trained surveyor named Warren Angus Ferris created a map of the area. He “was the first to use the name geyser for the hydrothermal features” found in Yellowstone (Pletcher).

Financier Jay Cooke, whose railroad company was laying tracks north of Yellowstone, along with others who’d surveyed the region, “became strong advocates for the creation of a national park at Yellowstone” (Pletcher). 

Another influential advocate was American geologist Ferdinand Hayden.

Ferdinand V. Hayden (1829–1887)

Which eventually led to President Ulysses S. Grant signing the legislation that created Yellowstone National Park on March 1, 1872. (That makes the park 153 years old!)

Ferdinand V. Hayden's map of Yellowstone National Park, 1871

Fascinating Facts

Yellowstone’s 2.2 million acres are located primarily in northwestern Wyoming while stretching into Montana and Idaho. “It is a vast wilderness area filled with stunning landscapes, geothermal wonders, and abundant wildlife” (Tung/Located).

Fort Yellowstone ~ circa 1910

It’s many types of ecosystems include an abundant subalpine forest which “is part of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion” (Tung/Welcome).

Yellowstone Lake “is the highest mountain lake of its size in North America” (Pletcher).

Yellowstone Lake ~ Stacy Monson

More Recent Events

Bears beg for food!

By Jack E. Boucher; August 1958

Yellowstone was designated:

• a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1976; and 
• a World Heritage site in 1978.

A horrific fire “charred some two-fifths of the park’s forestlands” in 1988 (Pletcher).

Amid tremendous controversy, wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone in 1995.

A Reintroduced Wolf ~ Barry O'Neill

Return to the Present

During our drive through Yellowstone, which took hours because of our frequent stops to take photos of the stunning scenery, we saw pronghorn deer, an elk, plenty of bison, and a brief glimpse of the backside of a bear among a stand of trees. No wolves, though ~ I’m a little sad about that.

We saw this big guy enjoying a snack along the side of the road.

The Elk ~ Deb Elkink

The smaller bison on the right tried to pick a fight with the bison on the left ~ who wasn't really interested!

Feuding Bison ~ Stacy Monson

This shaggy bison, thankfully, was more interested in grazing than us.

Shaggy Bison ~ Johnnie Alexander

Stacy and I got a close-up look at a bear a few days later when we were sitting on the sprawling deck outside our vacation chalet. We were both on our laptops when a black bear appeared only a few yards beyond the far end of the deck.

She stared at us. We stared at her.

Then she turned and ambled away with her cub following close behind her.

We were too stunned to grab our phones and take photos so I created this one to send to family and friends. (Please pretend the sticker of the brown bear is a sticker of a black bear.)

Your Turn

I’ve wanted to visit Montana for decades. And I’ve wanted to visit Yellowstone since researching the introduction of wolves to the park for an as-yet-unpublished novel. This writing retreat (with a bit of sightseeing on the side) has been a dream come true.

Where’s a place you long to visit? Do you have a favorite national park? Have you ever been within staring distance of a mama bear?

Journey into stories filled with heart, mystery, and hope.

Johnnie Alexander writes award-winning stories of enduring love and quiet courage. Her historical and contemporary novels weave together unforgettable romance, compelling characters, and a touch of mystery. 

A sometime hermit and occasional vagabond who most often kicks off her shoes in Florida, Johnnie cherishes cozy family times and enjoys long road trips. 

Readers are invited to discover glimpses of grace and timeless truth in her stories. Connect with her at johnnie-alexander.com.

Photos taken by Johnnie Alexander

The Badlands

Mount Rushmore

Yellowstone Landscape

Sulphur Caldron

Shaggy Bison

"Johnnie and the Mama Bear"

Photo taken by Deb Elkink

The Elk

Photos taken by Stacy Monson

Mama and Baby Bison

Yellowstone Lake

Feuding Bison

All other photos are in public domain.

1904 Map ~ By Henry Wellge (1850-1917) - David Rumsey Map Collection, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43155865

By Albert Bierstadt - Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30602550

Ferdinand V. Hayden (1829–1887), an American geologist who convinced Congress to make Yellowstone a national park in 1872; Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10989200

Ferdinand V. Hayden's map of Yellowstone National Park, 1871; By F.V. Hayden - Library of Congress[1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4863470

By Unknown author - Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23294613

Bears beg for food at Yellowstone National Park, August 1958. National Park Service photograph by Jack E. Boucher; Negative Number 2-58-JB-749. By National Park Service - HPC-000542, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56931556

Fire. Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2391565

A Reintroduced Wolf by Barry O'Neill - Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2144656

Sources

Pletcher, Kenneth. “Yellowstone National Park.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Yellowstone-National-Park (Last updated on August 7, 2025; accessed on August 8, 2025).

Tung, Thanh. “Welcome to Yellowstone National Park.”
https://www.national-park.com/welcome-to-yellowstone-national-park/ (Posted on April 28, 2016; accessed on August 8, 2025).

Tung, Thanh. “Where is Yellowstone National Park Located?”
https://www.national-park.com/where-is-yellowstone-national-park-located/ (Posted on July 27, 2025; accessed on August 8, 2025).