U.S. Geological Survey, in charge of Dr. Hayden. The suggestion that the
region should be made into a National Park was first broached to the
members of our party on September 19, 1870, by Mr. Hedges, while we were
in camp at the confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon rivers, as is
related in this diary. After the return home of our party, I was
informed by General Washburn that on the eve of the departure of our
expedition from Helena, David E. Folsom had suggested to him the
desirability of creating a park at the grand canon and falls of the
Yellowstone. This fact was unknown to Mr. Hedges,--and the boundary
lines of the proposed park were extended by him so as to be commensurate
with the wider range of our explorations.

The bill for the creation of the park was introduced in the House of
Representatives by Hon. William H. Clagett, delegate from Montana
Territory. On July 9, 1894, William R. Marshall, Secretary of the
Minnesota Historical Society, wrote to Mr. Clagett, asking him the
question: "Who are entitled to the principal credit for the passage of
the act of Congress establishing the Yellowstone National Park?" Mr.
Clagett replied as follows:

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, July 14th, 1894.

Wm. R. Marshall,

Secretary Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minn.

Dear Sir: Your favor of July 9th is just received. I
am glad that you have called my attention to the question,
"Who are entitled to the principal credit for the passage
of the act of Congress establishing the Yellowstone
National Park?" The history of that measure, as far as
known to me, is as follows, to-wit: In the fall of 1870,
soon after the return of the Washburn-Langford party,
two printers at Deer Lodge City, Montana, went into the
Firehole basin and cut a large number of poles, intending
to come back the next summer and fence in the tract of
land containing the principal geysers, and hold possession
for speculative purposes, as the Hutchins family so
long held the Yosemite valley. One of these men was
named Harry Norton. He subsequently wrote a book on
the park. The other one was named Brown. He now
lives in Spokane, Wash., and both of them in the summer
of 1871 worked in the New Northwest office at Deer Lodge.
When I learned from them in the late fall of 1870 or
spring of 1871 what they intended to do, I remonstrated
with them and stated that from the description given by
t