A Weird and Wild Beauty: The Story of Yellowstone, the World's First National Park

A Weird and Wild Beauty: The Story of Yellowstone, the World's First National Park

by Erin Peabody
A Weird and Wild Beauty: The Story of Yellowstone, the World's First National Park

A Weird and Wild Beauty: The Story of Yellowstone, the World's First National Park

by Erin Peabody

Hardcover

$14.99 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
    Usually ships within 6 days
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

The summer of 1871, a team of thirty-two men set out on the first scientific expedition across Yellowstone. Through uncharted territory, some of the day’s most renowned scientists and artists explored, sampled, sketched, and photographed the region’s breathtaking wonders—from its white-capped mountain vistas and thundering falls to its burping mud pots and cauldrons of molten magma. At the end of their adventure, the survey packed up their specimens and boarded trains headed east, determined to convince Congress that the country needed to preserve the land from commercial development. They returned with “stories of wonder hardly short of fairy tales,” to quote the New York Times.

With the support of conservationists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Law Olmsted, and John Muir, the importance of a national park was secured. On March 1, 1872, Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone Park Bill into law. It set aside over two million acres of one-of-a-kind wilderness as “a great national park for the benefit and enjoyment of people.” This important and fascinating book will introduce young adults to the astonishing adventure that led to “the best idea America ever had.” Today over 130 countries have copied the Yellowstone model, and billions of acres of critical habitat and spectacular scenery are being preserved for all of us to enjoy.

This book has a wonderful ecological and historical message for readers ages 12 and up. No book about Yellowstone's founding has been written for this age group before, yet Yellowstone National Park is a major destination for many families, so many readers will likely have heard of Yellowstone or even have visited there. This is a great book for any school library or for history or science classrooms in middle and high school, where information can be used for research projects.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781634502047
Publisher: Sky Pony
Publication date: 02/02/2016
Pages: 192
Product dimensions: 7.20(w) x 9.60(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range: 12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Erin Peabody loves getting young people excited about the fascinating and quirky workings of our natural world. She’s worked as a park ranger in the National Mall in Washington, DC, the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico, and Yellowstone. Among her favorite topics are grizzly bears, sea turtles, carnivorous crickets, and geysers that spout once a century. Erin lives with her husband, daughter, and yellow lab, Luna, in the leafy hills of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Disbelief vii

Chapter 1 Homeland 1

Chapter 2 Waiting for Proof 11

Chapter 3 Go West! 26

Chapter 4 A Change in Plans 39

Chapter 5 A Mammoth Sight 49

Chapter 6 Tumbling Waters 57

Chapter 7 Ludicrous Descent 68

Chapter 8 Wonderland 75

Chapter 9 Into the Dragon's Mouth 82

Chapter 10 Waves 90

Chapter 11 Gush! 96

Chapter 12 Heading Home 112

Chapter 13 Back in Washington 119

Chapter 14 For the People 125

Epilogue: Our Best Idea 134

It's Alive! A Guide to Yellowstone's Hydrothermal Features 138

Acknowledgments 149

Endnotes 150

Sources 159

Photo Credits 162

Index 179

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews