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- They didn't expect
to see what they saw,
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00:00:11,311 --> 00:00:15,771
and when they saw it, they
could never forget it.
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00:00:21,988 --> 00:00:23,788
Ferdinand Hayden was
hired to lead a team
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00:00:23,823 --> 00:00:25,483
into the Northwest Territories
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00:00:28,695 --> 00:00:30,005
and the 32 men headed west.
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00:00:35,952 --> 00:00:38,642
They weren't here to
protect Yellowstone.
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00:00:38,671 --> 00:00:42,191
They were here to tear it to
shreds in the name of progress,
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00:00:43,376 --> 00:00:48,426
gold interests, railroad
barons, the Congress.
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00:00:50,366 --> 00:00:52,736
Powerful people wanted
this land for themselves.
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00:00:56,656 --> 00:00:59,106
But something happened during
their three month journey,
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00:01:02,345 --> 00:01:07,345
and slowly but surely,
their mission changed.
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00:01:09,953 --> 00:01:12,493
So as we celebrate
the 150th anniversary
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00:01:12,522 --> 00:01:16,492
of Yellowstone National Park,
we take a look back in time
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00:01:18,278 --> 00:01:20,458
at the events that led
to the preservation
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00:01:23,650 --> 00:01:24,770
of this magical place.
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00:02:21,207 --> 00:02:24,527
Sometimes I think
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00:02:24,561 --> 00:02:26,831
about the things I'm gonna
miss most when I finally
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00:02:26,863 --> 00:02:28,433
have to walk away.
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00:02:43,897 --> 00:02:45,477
Not just my family
that I'll think of,
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00:02:45,515 --> 00:02:50,415
but it'll be the books I never
read, the music I never hear
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00:02:57,443 --> 00:02:59,883
and sometimes the stories that
I wished I would've known.
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00:03:03,483 --> 00:03:06,493
Most of us walk through
life and myself, admittedly,
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00:03:06,519 --> 00:03:07,289
I do the same thing,
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00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:09,990
without really getting
below the surface.
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00:03:19,148 --> 00:03:22,648
When I was younger, I saw
pictures of Yellowstone
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00:03:22,685 --> 00:03:28,065
and I thought, Could there be
a place like this in the world
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00:03:33,062 --> 00:03:34,902
where these rivers cut
through these mountains
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00:03:34,931 --> 00:03:36,371
that were so high and
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00:03:37,984 --> 00:03:40,974
the animals,
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00:03:41,004 --> 00:03:42,874
you'd see them by the thousands?
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00:03:47,644 --> 00:03:52,684
I remember when I got my first
glimpse of the mountains.
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00:03:57,921 --> 00:03:59,661
I had to take a breath.
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00:04:01,491 --> 00:04:05,061
I began to understand what
was so special about it.
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00:04:06,596 --> 00:04:10,946
And when I read what it took
for Yellowstone to be here
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00:04:10,984 --> 00:04:13,444
so that we could all
enjoy it, I realized
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00:04:13,469 --> 00:04:15,959
that this was a story that
I suddenly wanted to share.
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00:04:22,262 --> 00:04:23,856
I think everyone in their
life at some point thinks,
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00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:25,350
I wanna change the world
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00:04:26,532 --> 00:04:28,822
but it's rare to actually
come across a true story
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00:04:28,851 --> 00:04:30,371
of people who did.
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00:04:34,407 --> 00:04:36,418
This was a time in America
where all people cared about
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00:04:36,442 --> 00:04:39,662
was what they could
extract from the land,
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00:04:39,696 --> 00:04:40,976
what they could get out of it.
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00:04:43,583 --> 00:04:48,303
But these pioneers, they came
up with an entirely new idea,
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00:04:48,338 --> 00:04:50,418
a new way of finding
value in the land.
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00:04:54,010 --> 00:04:55,430
I wanna see what they saw.
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00:04:56,896 --> 00:04:58,296
I wanna see what changed them.
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00:05:53,353 --> 00:05:56,043
You know, I heard it was
the 150th anniversary
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00:05:56,072 --> 00:05:59,492
of Yellowstone National Park.
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00:05:59,525 --> 00:06:04,345
First thing I thought was, how's
a park have an anniversary?
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00:06:06,315 --> 00:06:10,985
What actually happened
here 150 years ago?
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00:06:11,904 --> 00:06:13,394
So I started to look into it.
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00:06:14,891 --> 00:06:16,391
It's just an amazing story.
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00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:25,370
Back in the early 1870s, all
this land you see around here,
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00:06:26,686 --> 00:06:28,136
it's being claimed up by miners.
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00:06:29,205 --> 00:06:31,005
The
stories about this place
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00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:34,340
started making
their way back east.
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00:06:35,862 --> 00:06:38,352
Eventually, Congress
caught wind of it.
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00:06:39,649 --> 00:06:40,969
You guys ready?
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00:06:58,201 --> 00:07:00,041
Congress commissioned
Ferdinand Hayden
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00:07:00,069 --> 00:07:02,159
to go investigate Yellowstone.
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00:07:04,257 --> 00:07:06,957
He recruited some of the best
geologists, cartographers
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00:07:06,993 --> 00:07:09,063
and zoologists in the world.
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00:07:11,030 --> 00:07:12,870
He also brought
along a photographer
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00:07:12,899 --> 00:07:15,989
and a painter to
document their findings.
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00:07:18,855 --> 00:07:20,685
And the 32 men headed west.
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00:07:29,515 --> 00:07:33,295
Their mission was twofold, the
search for mineral exploits
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00:07:33,336 --> 00:07:35,246
that could benefit
the American people
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00:07:36,839 --> 00:07:38,369
and to find a path
to build a railroad
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00:07:39,976 --> 00:07:41,003
that would connect
the Mississippi River
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00:07:41,027 --> 00:07:42,807
to the Pacific Ocean.
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00:07:53,940 --> 00:07:55,540
They weren't here to
protect Yellowstone.
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00:07:56,676 --> 00:07:59,396
They were here to tear it to
shreds in the name of progress.
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00:08:01,614 --> 00:08:04,434
But something happened during
that three month journey.
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00:08:07,069 --> 00:08:12,059
This place, it did something
to him, got inside him
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00:08:15,444 --> 00:08:20,024
and slowly but surely started
to change their minds.
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00:08:23,903 --> 00:08:25,393
And that's why it's still here.
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00:08:27,773 --> 00:08:31,093
Yeah, she's still here.
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00:08:37,066 --> 00:08:39,336
The Hayden Expedition
resulted in the creation
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00:08:39,368 --> 00:08:44,288
of the National Park system,
Yellowstone being the first.
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00:08:47,944 --> 00:08:51,034
Now there are over
4,000 worldwide
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00:08:51,063 --> 00:08:52,603
and over two
million square miles
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00:08:52,632 --> 00:08:56,052
of pristine nature that are
protected from destruction.
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00:09:02,024 --> 00:09:03,304
Those are some
big boots to fill,
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00:09:04,977 --> 00:09:07,227
but I'm walking in the
shadow of the pioneers,
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00:09:08,598 --> 00:09:10,068
following the trail they blazed
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00:09:10,099 --> 00:09:12,049
as detailed in two journals kept
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00:09:12,084 --> 00:09:14,904
by members of the expedition
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00:09:14,937 --> 00:09:17,087
and 10 letters that
Hayden himself wrote.
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00:09:21,027 --> 00:09:23,077
Does Yellowstone
look the same today
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00:09:23,112 --> 00:09:25,972
as they described in these
journals 150 years ago?
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00:09:30,486 --> 00:09:31,116
Let's find out.
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00:09:39,128 --> 00:09:40,958
The explorers' first
look at Yellowstone
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00:09:40,997 --> 00:09:43,197
was on the morning of July 16th,
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00:09:46,152 --> 00:09:48,502
collecting fossils on
one of the mountain peaks
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00:09:48,537 --> 00:09:49,917
of the Gallatin Range.
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00:09:52,191 --> 00:09:54,961
They looked south and
saw the Yellowstone River
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00:09:57,029 --> 00:09:59,179
winding through its
valley in the distance.
99
00:10:01,851 --> 00:10:03,241
They knew they'd arrived.
100
00:10:19,118 --> 00:10:21,498
Fed by runoff from the
snowy mountain peaks,
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00:10:23,189 --> 00:10:25,269
the Yellowstone River is
the lifeblood of the park.
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00:10:27,176 --> 00:10:30,246
Nearly 700 miles
from end to end,
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00:10:31,514 --> 00:10:34,124
it's the longest free
flowing river in America.
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00:10:40,990 --> 00:10:43,060
No dams have ever
been built on it,
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00:10:44,093 --> 00:10:46,213
leaving the Yellowstone
every bit as wild
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00:10:46,245 --> 00:10:49,995
and untamed as it was
when Hayden first saw it.
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00:10:54,286 --> 00:10:56,166
The Yellowstone
moves east and south
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00:10:56,205 --> 00:10:58,135
through this part of the park,
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00:10:59,358 --> 00:11:02,758
before branching off into
a 40 mile long tributary
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called the Lamar River.
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00:11:06,198 --> 00:11:08,228
This leads straight
to the fertile valley
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00:11:08,267 --> 00:11:11,037
that is the mecca of
Northern American wildlife.
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00:11:27,653 --> 00:11:31,313
Lamar Valley is often referred
to as the American Serengeti.
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00:11:36,395 --> 00:11:40,265
The abundant tall grasses and
endless supply of fresh water
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00:11:40,299 --> 00:11:43,349
is everything the prey species
in the area could ask for.
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00:11:45,971 --> 00:11:47,421
And as they flood
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00:11:47,456 --> 00:11:51,226
into a one mile wide and 20
mile long wildlife court,
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00:11:53,279 --> 00:11:57,069
they're followed by predators
of all shapes and sizes.
119
00:12:23,225 --> 00:12:25,925
The wildlife in Lamar Valley
seemed to have an impact
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00:12:25,961 --> 00:12:27,251
on the Hayden Expedition.
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00:12:30,082 --> 00:12:32,332
On one hand, the journal
entries still refer
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00:12:32,368 --> 00:12:37,068
to the viability of mining the
area, but on the other hand,
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00:12:40,159 --> 00:12:43,329
they wrote about the
abundance of elk and deer
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00:12:43,362 --> 00:12:46,622
and more frequent run-ins with
Yellowstone's alpha predator,
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00:12:51,537 --> 00:12:53,017
the grizzly bear.
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00:12:55,341 --> 00:12:58,861
Over 700 live within the
park's borders today.
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00:13:01,213 --> 00:13:05,133
It's a healthy population
and it takes 22,000 pounds
128
00:13:05,167 --> 00:13:08,167
of meat each day to
keep them all fed.
129
00:13:17,062 --> 00:13:19,232
These elk aren't
volunteering for the job
130
00:13:21,801 --> 00:13:24,121
but this hungry
bear doesn't care.
131
00:13:57,036 --> 00:13:59,136
The herd has the
advantage of speed
132
00:14:03,192 --> 00:14:05,962
and the bear can't keep up
his chase for very long.
133
00:14:24,179 --> 00:14:26,799
But in the chaos, a calf
gets separated from the herd.
134
00:14:32,955 --> 00:14:34,805
The calf opts to hide,
135
00:14:41,764 --> 00:14:43,534
and the grizzly searches.
136
00:15:11,293 --> 00:15:13,963
If she moves, she'll be an
easy meal for the grizzly.
137
00:15:56,188 --> 00:15:58,668
She wins this round
of hide and seek.
138
00:16:01,293 --> 00:16:04,483
Mom calls out to
find her offspring.
139
00:16:20,145 --> 00:16:23,175
This is life in
the Lamar Valley.
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00:16:37,496 --> 00:16:40,016
Hayden and his men weren't
here for wildlife watching
141
00:16:41,567 --> 00:16:47,017
so they had to move on, pushing
further into the unknown.
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00:17:49,418 --> 00:17:53,568
Sometimes I think about the
spirit of the great explorers,
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00:17:53,605 --> 00:17:56,785
you know, what it takes to
be the first to do something,
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00:17:56,825 --> 00:17:59,325
to journey into the unknown.
145
00:18:00,879 --> 00:18:02,579
I mean, these guys
had a job to do
146
00:18:02,614 --> 00:18:04,004
and that was to keep going.
147
00:18:04,833 --> 00:18:06,223
But as they headed south,
148
00:18:06,251 --> 00:18:08,141
they started to hear a
roar in the distance.
149
00:18:14,777 --> 00:18:16,177
Imagine making your
camp right here,
150
00:18:16,879 --> 00:18:18,529
having no idea what
would be waiting
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00:18:18,564 --> 00:18:19,924
for you to come sunrise.
152
00:18:26,271 --> 00:18:28,311
You know, when you follow
a river for long enough,
153
00:18:30,175 --> 00:18:32,155
you're bound to run
into a waterfall.
154
00:18:36,165 --> 00:18:37,075
The one that the
Hayden party found
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00:18:37,116 --> 00:18:41,136
on their way was a monster.
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00:18:48,227 --> 00:18:52,057
At 308 feet tall,
over 60,000 gallons
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00:18:52,097 --> 00:18:54,367
of waterfall over its
lower falls every second.
158
00:19:04,993 --> 00:19:06,321
You know, the sheer
sight and sound
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00:19:06,345 --> 00:19:08,975
of the cascading water
was almost too perfect
160
00:19:09,014 --> 00:19:11,674
for the lead geologist
to put into words.
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00:19:17,673 --> 00:19:18,973
"Standing there, I thought
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00:19:19,007 --> 00:19:21,907
"how utterly
impossible it would be
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00:19:21,944 --> 00:19:24,804
"to describe to another
the sensations inspired
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00:19:24,830 --> 00:19:26,280
"by such a presence.
165
00:19:29,117 --> 00:19:32,547
"A grander scene was never
witnessed by mortal eyes."
166
00:19:37,192 --> 00:19:41,882
Now, how in the hell
are we gonna get down that?
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00:19:48,887 --> 00:19:51,007
The morning of July 27th,
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00:19:51,039 --> 00:19:53,439
Albert Peale wrote
in his journal,
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00:19:54,543 --> 00:19:57,163
"This morning, Elliott and
I started for the falls
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00:19:57,196 --> 00:19:58,726
"with the intention
of descending
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00:19:58,764 --> 00:20:00,134
"to the bottom of the canyon,
172
00:20:04,386 --> 00:20:07,506
"a thing which all hunters and
trappers say cannot be done."
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00:20:11,243 --> 00:20:15,263
The men were given a warning,
but they did not heed it.
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00:20:18,350 --> 00:20:21,400
They didn't have fancy
climbing gear, no harnesses,
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00:20:21,436 --> 00:20:26,326
no carabiners, just
ropes made of elk hide
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00:20:26,358 --> 00:20:28,508
that were known for
snapping when they got wet.
177
00:20:30,229 --> 00:20:33,049
That, and the insatiable
desire to explore.
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00:20:33,966 --> 00:20:35,916
So they tied the ropes
around their shoulders,
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00:20:35,951 --> 00:20:37,501
crossed their fingers
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00:20:37,536 --> 00:20:41,416
and made the 308 foot descent
in just over two hours.
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00:20:48,063 --> 00:20:49,743
When they finally
reached the canyon below,
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00:20:50,916 --> 00:20:54,146
Peale wrote,
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00:20:54,186 --> 00:20:57,166
"All was silent except
the roaring of the water
184
00:20:57,205 --> 00:21:00,775
"as its waves dashed upon
the rock at our feet."
185
00:21:02,995 --> 00:21:05,425
"Far above us,
186
00:21:05,464 --> 00:21:08,434
"the trees along the edge
seemed like a line of grass."
187
00:21:12,955 --> 00:21:14,985
They had arrived in the canyon,
188
00:21:20,996 --> 00:21:22,926
and what a magnificent
canyon it is.
189
00:21:28,987 --> 00:21:32,437
Carved by the river for
the last 160,000 years,
190
00:21:32,474 --> 00:21:35,444
the Grand Canyon of the
Yellowstone is a work in progress.
191
00:21:37,646 --> 00:21:39,396
Today, it's 24 miles long,
192
00:21:39,431 --> 00:21:43,891
1,200 feet in depth,
and 4,000 feet wide.
193
00:21:46,088 --> 00:21:48,288
Tomorrow, it'll be
a little bigger.
194
00:21:50,909 --> 00:21:53,479
Every day, it gets
deeper and wider
195
00:21:53,512 --> 00:21:57,072
as hydrothermal activity
weakens the rock that lines it.
196
00:21:58,317 --> 00:22:02,137
That rock is rich in iron
deposits, which oxidize over time,
197
00:22:03,322 --> 00:22:05,762
giving the canyon the
stunning yellow colors
198
00:22:05,791 --> 00:22:07,441
that swirl inside its walls.
199
00:22:10,045 --> 00:22:13,475
The Minnetaree tribe named
the river Mitseadazi,
200
00:22:14,766 --> 00:22:16,366
which means Yellow Rock River.
201
00:22:17,436 --> 00:22:20,666
When trappers and fur traders
came, they interpreted
202
00:22:20,706 --> 00:22:24,656
that as Yellowstone.
203
00:22:35,287 --> 00:22:38,017
Renowned American
painter Thomas Moran
204
00:22:38,056 --> 00:22:40,106
was part of the
Hayden Expedition.
205
00:22:41,410 --> 00:22:44,650
His job was to capture
the sites they witnessed.
206
00:22:46,231 --> 00:22:48,631
When Hayden sent Moran's
renderings of the falls
207
00:22:48,667 --> 00:22:52,987
and the canyon back east to
Congress, they were speechless.
208
00:22:55,190 --> 00:22:58,090
These golden canyon walls
give the park her name,
209
00:22:59,211 --> 00:23:02,831
and that painting hung in
the US Capitol for 80 years.
210
00:23:26,088 --> 00:23:28,168
At the edge of the
canyon, the hills rise up
211
00:23:28,206 --> 00:23:31,626
and drop back off into
a sprawling basin.
212
00:23:33,361 --> 00:23:36,931
Everything you see here
was once underwater,
213
00:23:36,965 --> 00:23:38,965
trapped for centuries
beneath the flood waters
214
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,170
of the melting Ice Age glaciers.
215
00:23:42,070 --> 00:23:44,070
When the water finally drained,
216
00:23:45,190 --> 00:23:49,240
it left behind 50 square
miles of sub alpine grasslands
217
00:23:49,277 --> 00:23:51,957
that would come to be
named after the pioneers.
218
00:23:53,832 --> 00:23:55,622
This is Hayden Valley,
219
00:24:01,072 --> 00:24:04,232
a stunning open range to behold
220
00:24:04,259 --> 00:24:07,899
and home to one of the most
iconic animals in US history,
221
00:24:09,831 --> 00:24:11,921
the great American bison.
222
00:24:19,674 --> 00:24:23,154
Weighing up to a ton and standing
six feet tall at the hump,
223
00:24:24,412 --> 00:24:26,952
these are the largest
mammals in North America.
224
00:24:34,239 --> 00:24:37,229
And the Yellowstone herd are
the only pure descendants left
225
00:24:37,259 --> 00:24:40,159
of the Asian bison who
migrated across the land bridge
226
00:24:40,195 --> 00:24:43,865
to North America
400,000 years ago.
227
00:25:03,502 --> 00:25:04,072
And in July and August,
228
00:25:04,102 --> 00:25:05,892
right when the Hayden party
229
00:25:05,921 --> 00:25:08,111
was making their way
down these hills,
230
00:25:08,139 --> 00:25:10,779
dust fills the
air in the valley.
231
00:25:16,815 --> 00:25:19,125
The bison run is underway.
232
00:25:22,554 --> 00:25:26,124
Female bison tend to mate
with the most dominant bulls.
233
00:25:29,094 --> 00:25:31,154
This wallowing
behavior by the males
234
00:25:31,179 --> 00:25:33,479
is a display of
power and aggression.
235
00:25:36,751 --> 00:25:37,951
During the mating season,
236
00:25:37,986 --> 00:25:40,286
each bull will lose
around 200 pounds,
237
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:43,230
dedicating all his
time and energy
238
00:25:43,258 --> 00:25:45,978
to performing for
the potential mates.
239
00:25:49,497 --> 00:25:53,267
It's an interesting ritual,
but highly effective
240
00:25:54,970 --> 00:25:57,860
because in Yellowstone,
the bison are thriving.
241
00:25:57,889 --> 00:25:59,489
And every year,
242
00:25:59,524 --> 00:26:02,064
more and more of these wooly
giants roam the valley.
243
00:26:06,047 --> 00:26:08,027
Fortunately, Mother
Nature has her own way
244
00:26:08,066 --> 00:26:10,216
of balancing the ecosystem.
245
00:26:11,353 --> 00:26:15,013
And while the bison here are
formidable, in Hayden Valley,
246
00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:17,980
the Wapiti Lake Wolf
Pack runs the show.
247
00:26:32,007 --> 00:26:34,237
And bison steak
is on their menu.
248
00:26:44,569 --> 00:26:46,189
At 19 wolves strong,
249
00:26:48,957 --> 00:26:50,937
the pack is of force
to be reckoned with,
250
00:26:57,048 --> 00:26:58,928
and they've fought
off numerous attempts
251
00:26:58,967 --> 00:27:01,137
from other packs to
steal their territory.
252
00:27:06,825 --> 00:27:08,075
With a flourishing population
253
00:27:08,109 --> 00:27:09,979
of over 500 wolves
currently living
254
00:27:10,011 --> 00:27:12,081
in the Yellowstone ecosystem,
255
00:27:13,231 --> 00:27:15,321
it's certain that they'll
be challenged again
256
00:27:15,350 --> 00:27:18,190
and a new pack will reign
supreme over the valley.
257
00:27:19,621 --> 00:27:21,071
It's all part of the natural
258
00:27:21,106 --> 00:27:23,906
and inevitable ebb
and flow of life.
259
00:28:54,232 --> 00:28:57,022
I mean, these guys,
the time they got here,
260
00:29:00,004 --> 00:29:02,094
they must have known
they'd found paradise.
261
00:29:02,774 --> 00:29:04,084
How could you not?
262
00:29:04,109 --> 00:29:08,099
You know, wild game
everywhere, geology everywhere.
263
00:29:10,115 --> 00:29:12,945
Maybe it was right
here where they started
264
00:29:12,984 --> 00:29:15,054
to change their mind
about this place.
265
00:29:16,354 --> 00:29:19,824
Why in the hell would
you build a railroad
266
00:29:19,858 --> 00:29:20,978
through all of this?
267
00:29:28,399 --> 00:29:32,049
During the expedition, Hayden
was sending letters back
268
00:29:32,086 --> 00:29:34,236
to the North Pacific
Railroad Company,
269
00:29:34,272 --> 00:29:38,162
just giving them updates, but
at some point his tone changed
270
00:29:38,193 --> 00:29:43,163
and his communications
became less about logistics
271
00:29:44,165 --> 00:29:46,695
and more about the
beauty all around.
272
00:29:51,139 --> 00:29:53,209
Maybe it was a day
just like this,
273
00:29:54,876 --> 00:29:56,203
right here in this
spot that got to him.
274
00:31:07,248 --> 00:31:09,568
Whether the seeds
of doubt had crept
275
00:31:09,601 --> 00:31:10,921
into their minds or not,
276
00:31:14,072 --> 00:31:16,122
Hayden and his team
were determined
277
00:31:16,157 --> 00:31:19,157
to explore as much of this
alien world as possible.
278
00:31:21,145 --> 00:31:25,165
So they headed in further,
following the river
279
00:31:27,752 --> 00:31:29,202
to the lake that feeds it.
280
00:31:55,396 --> 00:31:59,326
20 miles across and 14
miles wide, Yellowstone Lake
281
00:31:59,367 --> 00:32:02,237
is the largest high
elevation lake in America.
282
00:32:09,577 --> 00:32:11,277
Its 110 miles of coastline
283
00:32:11,312 --> 00:32:13,362
provide unlimited
fresh drinking water
284
00:32:13,398 --> 00:32:16,318
to every species in the
park during the summer.
285
00:32:23,691 --> 00:32:26,181
In winter, the liquid water
286
00:32:26,210 --> 00:32:29,200
is trapped below a sheet
of ice three feet thick.
287
00:32:36,938 --> 00:32:39,238
Holes in the frozen
surface mark spots
288
00:32:39,273 --> 00:32:42,293
where warm water gushes
up from below its geysers
289
00:32:42,327 --> 00:32:45,277
and hot springs rage beneath
the lake's peaceful surface.
290
00:32:58,543 --> 00:33:01,483
It's the result of
Yellowstone's active geology.
291
00:33:02,613 --> 00:33:06,753
It's what gives life to all
the park's geothermal activity.
292
00:33:10,104 --> 00:33:11,994
It's why this alien world looks
293
00:33:12,023 --> 00:33:13,943
like no other place on earth.
294
00:33:17,011 --> 00:33:19,281
And the curiosities
it offers are endless.
295
00:33:25,236 --> 00:33:28,286
Black Dragon's Cauldron,
a boiling mud pot
296
00:33:28,322 --> 00:33:31,292
that burst through
the ground in 1948,
297
00:33:31,325 --> 00:33:34,845
once blasting mud up
to 20 feet in the air.
298
00:33:34,879 --> 00:33:36,179
The cauldron has since cooled
299
00:33:36,214 --> 00:33:38,734
to a steady bubble
along the surface.
300
00:33:42,420 --> 00:33:47,390
Mammoth Hot Springs, formed
over thousands of years
301
00:33:48,459 --> 00:33:51,179
as spring water traveled
underground through a fault line
302
00:33:52,363 --> 00:33:55,153
and then cooled as it
seeped out of the limestone,
303
00:33:55,183 --> 00:33:57,653
depositing calcium carbonate.
304
00:34:01,155 --> 00:34:03,505
Algae in the warm pools
turn the stone shelves
305
00:34:03,541 --> 00:34:08,461
in the travertine terrace
red, green, brown, and orange.
306
00:34:38,342 --> 00:34:40,852
The Grand Prismatic Spring
is the single feature
307
00:34:40,878 --> 00:34:42,308
that took up the most space
308
00:34:42,346 --> 00:34:44,966
in the Hayden
Expedition's Journals.
309
00:34:49,353 --> 00:34:51,993
A mesmerizing site
where water bubbles up
310
00:34:52,023 --> 00:34:53,293
from the Earth's crust.
311
00:35:02,033 --> 00:35:04,443
At 189 degrees in the center,
312
00:35:05,887 --> 00:35:08,207
it's too hot for
anything to live,
313
00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:10,959
giving it the deep blue
color of pure water.
314
00:35:14,328 --> 00:35:16,958
As the water spreads across
the surface, it cools,
315
00:35:22,036 --> 00:35:24,936
allowing thermophilic
bacteria to flourish.
316
00:35:41,472 --> 00:35:45,012
Each ring of color is a
different type of bacteria
317
00:35:45,042 --> 00:35:46,992
that thrives at a
different temperature.
318
00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,250
But bacteria aren't
the only life forms
319
00:35:51,282 --> 00:35:53,922
that have adapted to
the unique geology here.
320
00:35:57,371 --> 00:36:00,171
Bison migrate to the
thermals in winter
321
00:36:00,208 --> 00:36:02,538
where heat melts
away the heavy snow,
322
00:36:02,577 --> 00:36:04,077
exposing the grass below.
323
00:36:13,087 --> 00:36:15,117
Cliff swallows come every spring
324
00:36:15,156 --> 00:36:18,326
to make condos out of the
pocked sandstone mounds left
325
00:36:18,359 --> 00:36:21,279
behind by the dormant
hot springs of the past.
326
00:36:23,581 --> 00:36:27,241
The ever morphing geology of
Yellowstone built these homes.
327
00:36:28,119 --> 00:36:30,249
All they have to do is move in.
328
00:36:33,774 --> 00:36:35,164
It must be nice.
329
00:36:48,372 --> 00:36:53,142
You know, it's amazing how
much they all knew so long ago.
330
00:36:55,913 --> 00:36:57,407
They must have all
felt the ground moving,
331
00:36:57,431 --> 00:37:01,541
heard the rock slides in the
distance at night falling.
332
00:37:03,521 --> 00:37:06,311
They all knew something was
pushing from down below.
333
00:37:08,876 --> 00:37:10,606
It took another 100
years to figure out what
334
00:37:10,645 --> 00:37:12,075
was really going on down there.
335
00:37:13,898 --> 00:37:15,818
Kinda wish I didn't sometimes.
336
00:37:32,266 --> 00:37:35,116
We know there's a
volcano down there
337
00:37:35,152 --> 00:37:39,412
and a magma chamber 37
miles long, 18 miles wide
338
00:37:40,524 --> 00:37:43,844
and extending five miles
down into the earth's crust.
339
00:37:47,498 --> 00:37:50,528
Scientists estimate an
eruption could send thousands
340
00:37:50,568 --> 00:37:53,958
of cubic miles of rock and
molten glass into the atmosphere,
341
00:37:59,260 --> 00:38:02,050
creating a cloud of
dust and debris so thick
342
00:38:02,079 --> 00:38:04,869
that no one on earth would
see the sun for years.
343
00:38:14,241 --> 00:38:17,751
That worst case scenario
isn't meant to be terrifying.
344
00:38:17,778 --> 00:38:19,608
It's meant to quantify the power
345
00:38:19,647 --> 00:38:21,047
of the underground boiler
346
00:38:21,082 --> 00:38:23,152
that sits right below the
surface of Yellowstone.
347
00:38:25,052 --> 00:38:27,472
That volcano has only
erupted three times
348
00:38:27,505 --> 00:38:31,175
over the last two million
years, so it's unpredictable,
349
00:38:32,059 --> 00:38:34,259
but the awesome heat
it generates powers one
350
00:38:34,295 --> 00:38:37,155
of the most iconic
landmarks in the US,
351
00:38:37,198 --> 00:38:42,298
one you
can set your watch by.
352
00:38:46,374 --> 00:38:48,934
People come from all
over the world to stand
353
00:38:48,959 --> 00:38:51,079
with eyes wide and
mouths hung open.
354
00:38:55,049 --> 00:38:57,169
It's the most visited
feature in Yellowstone.
355
00:39:02,073 --> 00:39:05,743
This is Old Faithful.
356
00:39:10,164 --> 00:39:12,834
Named for the consistency
of its eruptions,
357
00:39:12,867 --> 00:39:14,287
Old Faithful is a crack
358
00:39:14,318 --> 00:39:16,768
in the earth above an
underground reservoir.
359
00:39:19,023 --> 00:39:21,283
And Yellowstone's searing
geothermal heat keeps
360
00:39:21,308 --> 00:39:24,378
that water steaming
hot 24 hours a day,
361
00:39:25,913 --> 00:39:27,473
filling the chamber
with steam pressure,
362
00:39:28,999 --> 00:39:32,849
pressure that builds and builds,
363
00:39:32,887 --> 00:39:34,987
and roughly every 90 minutes.
364
00:39:48,986 --> 00:39:51,236
After months of
exploring, the Hayden team
365
00:39:51,272 --> 00:39:53,912
had seen some of the most
dazzling sites in the world
366
00:39:58,896 --> 00:40:00,826
and their journals were
filled with attempts
367
00:40:00,865 --> 00:40:02,965
to detail the mind
blowing phenomena
368
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:04,950
that lay right in their
country's backyard.
369
00:40:09,407 --> 00:40:11,957
They knew immediately
this was a special place,
370
00:40:13,994 --> 00:40:16,314
but then they came
across two prospectors
371
00:40:16,347 --> 00:40:18,767
who'd laid claim
to the entire area.
372
00:40:32,346 --> 00:40:37,166
They were gonna dig
for gold, build a hotel
373
00:40:38,302 --> 00:40:41,422
and market the water as some
sort of magical healing potion.
374
00:40:42,540 --> 00:40:46,080
And the thought of it must
have just crushed Hayden.
375
00:40:48,012 --> 00:40:49,289
He knew that it would
be destroyed soon,
376
00:40:49,313 --> 00:40:52,323
that his children's
children would never see it
377
00:40:52,349 --> 00:40:54,049
unless he did
something about it.
378
00:40:58,005 --> 00:41:00,205
"It requires no stretch
of the imagination
379
00:41:00,241 --> 00:41:03,781
"to see this place in
the near future thronged
380
00:41:03,811 --> 00:41:06,031
"with invalids
drinking this water
381
00:41:06,063 --> 00:41:08,183
"and bathing in it
for their health."
382
00:41:12,052 --> 00:41:15,962
He knew that if he could
protect Yellowstone,
383
00:41:15,990 --> 00:41:18,610
if he could find a
way, that it would rank
384
00:41:18,642 --> 00:41:24,032
with any natural curiosity the
world can produce, his words.
385
00:41:27,935 --> 00:41:29,495
Imagine the pressure
Hayden ,
386
00:41:31,055 --> 00:41:35,005
Hayden must have been
feeling, gold interest,
387
00:41:35,042 --> 00:41:38,052
Congress,
388
00:41:38,078 --> 00:41:40,978
railroad barons,
389
00:41:43,167 --> 00:41:45,787
powerful people wanted
this land for themselves.
390
00:41:51,125 --> 00:41:53,105
He knew the fight
would be uphill
391
00:41:54,161 --> 00:41:56,161
but he also knew that
when you have an idea
392
00:41:57,214 --> 00:41:59,324
and you believe in
it strongly enough,
393
00:42:00,935 --> 00:42:02,435
you can change the world.
31762
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