National & State Park Information
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Wyoming
"the oldest designated national park in the Cowboy State, the forty fourth
state" quarter struck by
the mint on
May 17, 2010 |
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| The park quarter's face depicts a bull Bison, common to
the area, in front of the "Old
Faithful" gyser erupting in Yellowstone National Park. This is the nation's
oldest designated park. This gyser is the most famous of over 300 gysers in the park. Old
Faithful erupts every 35 to 120 minutes for 1 1/2 to 5 minutes. Its maximum height ranges
from 90 to 184 feet. Old Faithful is a cone geyser, which erupts in a narrow jet of water,
usually from a cone. Fountain geysers, such as Grand (also in the Upper Geyser Basin),
generally shoot water in various directions, most often from a pool. |
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| Park or National Site: |
Yellowstone National Park |
| Historical Date: |
March 1, 1872 |
| National Order: |
2 |
| Location in State: |
Northwest Corner |
| Number of National Historic Sites: |
7 |
| Number of State Parks: |
12 |
| Most Popular Park or Site: |
Yellowstone |
| Most Scenic Park or Site: |
Grand Teton |
While in the area drop down to Jackson
Hole and visit. |
Bits
of Park History
Question:
National parks and other national
historic sites, in there own way, tell
the history of America. What is
the oldest park in the United States?
Just south of Yellowstone National
Park are the Grand Tetons. Visit
this national treasure of the Rocky
Mountains while in Wyoming.
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Park Name Origin:
When French-Canadian trappers traveled through
what is today eastern Montana, they asked
the Minnetaree tribe the name of the big river. The Minnetaree responded "Mi tse
a-da-zi,"
which translates as "Rock Yellow River." (Historians do not know why the
Minnetaree gave
this name to the river.) The trappers translated this into French—"Roche
Jaune" or "Pierre
Jaune." In 1797, explorer-geographer David Thomson used the English
version—"Yellow Stone."
State and National Park Fun Facts:
Wyoming has 12 state parks and 11 national parks. Yellowstone National Park is the most
famous
and the 13th largest of our national parks at 2,219,789 acres. Wyoming has a couple
of interesting
state parks. Sinks Canyon is famous for the mysterious Sinks and Rise of the Middle
Fork of the
Popo Agie. Wyoming has its own Hot
Springs over colorful terraces along the Big Horn River
at
Thermopolis flows water from mineral hot springs. More than 8,000 gallons flow over
the terrace
every 24 hours at a constant temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
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