This presentation describes the cartographic evolution of National Park Service tourist maps for Yellowstone National Park over 100 years. It examines maps from 1913 to the present and correspondence/reports that shed light on how map styles changed based on preferences of park officials and tourists. Key map styles included early NPS maps, Blue Lake maps, single color maps, shaded relief maps, mini-folders, and modern unigrid maps. The evolution was not linear and reflected feedback on improving usefulness and readability.

1. 100 Years of National Park Service Maps
for Yellowstone
Scott White
white_s@fortlewis.edu
Department of Geosciences
Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado
Annual Meeting
Oct. 20, 2016

2. Objectives…
1. Describe the cartographic evolution of National
Park Service (NPS) tourist maps for Yellowstone
National Park.
2. Explain this evolution based on an examination of
reports and correspondence from the NPS, DOI,
GPO, and other related agencies.
Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center
Gardiner, Montana
nps.gov
BYU Larsen
Yellowstone
Collection
Clemson
University
Libraries
Collection

3. Objectives…
1. Describe the cartographic evolution of National
Park Service (NPS) tourist maps for Yellowstone
National Park.
2. Explain this evolution based on an examination of
reports and correspondence from the NPS, DOI,
GPO, and other related agencies.
BYU Larsen
Yellowstone
Collection
Clemson
University
Libraries
Collection

4. Yellowstone National Park
1973 Season
National Park Service
[image below approx. 3.25” x 5.5”]
archive.org

5. Cropped map from F.V. Hayden, 1871,
Geological Survey of the Territories.
Mammoth Hotel and Stages
Yellowstone in Photo-Gravure
F. Jay Haynes, c. 1890s
“Wylie-Way”
Yellowstone Park, 1912
archive.org
archive.org

6. Map of Tourist Routes,
Yellowstone National Park.
1900.
U.S. War Dept.
Office of the Chief of Engineers
“To Accompany my Annual Report,
H.M. Chittenden”

7. archive.org
Fort Yellowstone, Yellowstone Park,
1912 (F. Jay Haynes)

8. Style 1: Early NPS
(1913-approx. 1920) 1917

9. Style 2: Blue Lake I
(1921-1937)
from May 1931 Sup. report…
MEMORANDUM FOR ALL
PARK RANGERS
A number of changes
have been made and
you are requested to
read and thoroughly
familiarize yourself
with the contents of
the Circular of
General Information
booklet… Road
distances on the map
of Yellowstone
National Park…
1931

10. Style 3: Single Color
(1938-1956)
from June 1940 Sup. report…
The park’s first
shipment of the 1940
Circulars of General
Information booklets
was received on June
13. Despite the
fact that the
dummies for our
Yellowstone
literature are sent
in in September or
October, this park
apparently is the
last one each year
to receive its
publications.
Because of the size,
the booklet is very
disappointing this
year.
1940

11. from July 31, 1957 memorandum from the Superintendent of Yellowstone N.P.:
from November 8, 1957 memorandum:
In our opinion the relief
portion of the map does not
add to its usefulness for the
park visitor and we believe a
plain map such as was used in
the 1956 broadside would be
more appropriate. This would
also tend to make the map
more readable for the average
visitor.
There is some objection to the sepia ink because it is not as
readable as black and white. Some visitors ask for the black
and white map at the entrance stations in preference to the
shaded relief map included in the new booklet.

12. Style 4: Shaded Relief I
(1957-1958)
from July 31, 1957 memo…
There is some objection
to the sepia ink
because it is not as
readable as black and
white. Some visitors
ask for the black and
white map at the
entrance stations in
preference to the
shaded relief map
included in the new
booklet.
1958

13. Style 5: Blue Lake II
(1959-approx. 1966)
1959

14. Style 6: Mini-Folder
(1967-1973)
1967
from June 1967 report…
The visitor centers
receive several
complaints daily
about the mini-
folder. The
principal complaint
is that the roads do
not show up on the
map – places
referred to in the
text are not shown
on the map (e.g.,
Fishing Bridge and
Grant Village).

15. Style 6: Mini-Folder
(1967-approx. 1973)
1971

16. Style 7: Shaded Relief II
(approx. 1974-1985) 1979

17. Style 8: Shaded Relief III
(Unigrid)
(1986-approx. 2004)
1989

18. Style 9: Shaded Relief IV
(Unigrid)
(approx. 2005-present)
2010

19. Style 9: Shaded Relief IV
(Unigrid)
(approx. 2005-present)
2014

20. Conclusions…
• NPS maps and brochures for Yellowstone National
Park show a distinct evolution, although not linear,
in cartographic style and technological
development.
201419581931

21. Conclusions…
• NPS maps and brochures for Yellowstone National
Park show a distinct evolution, although not linear,
in cartographic style and technological
development.
• Correspondence and reports shed some light on
the decisions made by the NPS to change maps
based on park service officials’ and tourists’
preferences.

22. 100 Years of National Park Service Maps
for Yellowstone
Scott White
white_s@fortlewis.edu
Department of Geosciences
Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado
Annual Meeting
Oct. 20, 2016
Acknowledgments:
• Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center
• Internet Archive (archive.org)
• Elkhorn Ranch
• Tom Patterson, NPS

23. 100 Years of National Park Service Maps
for Yellowstone
Scott White
white_s@fortlewis.edu
Department of Geosciences
Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado
Annual Meeting
Oct. 20, 2016