Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition

The Washburn Expedition of 1870, explored the region of northwestern Wyoming that a couple years later became Yellowstone National Park. Led by Henry Washburn, Nathaniel P. Langford and under U.S. Army escort led by Lt. Gustavus C. Doane, the expedition followed the general course of the Folsom Expedition made the previous year.

During their explorations, members of the party made detailed maps and observations of the Yellowstone region, exploring numerous lakes, climbing several mountains and observing wildlife. The expedition visited both the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins, and after observing the regularity of eruptions of one geyser, decided to name it Old Faithful, since it would erupt about once every hour.

One member of the expedition, a Montana writer and lawyer named Cornelius Hedges, later wrote a number of articles for a Helena, Montana based newspaper, describing the things the expedition had witnessed. In discussions with other members of the party, and in his writing for the newspaper, Hedges was a vocal supporter of setting aside the Yellowstone region as a National Park, an idea originally proposed by former acting Montana Territorial Governor Thomas Francis Meagher.

References

*cite web| last = Haines| first = Aubrey L.| title = The Washburn Party (1870)| work = Yellowstone National Park: Its Exploration and Establishment | publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior| date = 2000| url = http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/haines1/iee2d.htm| accessdate = 2006-11-15