Documentary Looks At Human Life In Park

Sun., Aug. 13, 1995

Associated Press

Bears, wolves, deer, buffalo and countless other animals have been extensively studied in Yellowstone National Park. The next species on the study list - man.

A Lander, Wyo., filmmaker has released a half-hour video outlining changes in park tourists through the years.

Geoff O’Gara’s video will be shown Wednesday night on Wyoming Public Television.

The documentary includes commentaries from many park officials, including people who drove tourist buses and the park archivist.

O’Gara said he came across many amusing stories while he was researching his video.

“Not many people know that there were holdups of the stage coaches during the early days in the park,” he said.

He said a railroad spur built from Livingston to Gardiner in Montana brought in the first large groups of tourists, and he said many of them were wealthy Englishmen.

O’Gara said the single most significant thing affecting tourism in the park was the popularity of the automobile. He said hundreds of thousands of Americans began driving to the park after World War II.

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