Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden and the Founding of the Yellowstone National Park

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Shaded relief map of Yellowstone National Park.
Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden and the Founding of the Yellowstone National Park
One of the prime movers among the many explorers of the west who played key roles in establishing the Yellowstone National Park was Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden of the U. S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, a predecessor of today’s U. S. Geological Survey. His signal accomplishments, in 1871-72, were among the many highlights of a long and distinguished career in public service.
Hayden’s professional training was as a doctor of medicine. It is a tribute to his determination and energy that he reached this professional status. Born in Westfield, Massachusetts, on September 7, 1829, he was, in his early youth, sent by his widowed mother to live with an uncle on a farm in Rochester, New York. Following an unusually studious childhood, he began teaching school when he was 16 years old. He soon became discontented with what he considered an inadequate education, and made his way to Oberlin, Ohio. There, he persuaded the President of Oberlin College to allow him to enroll in medical school although he was virtually penniless.
Young Hayden proved to be a diligent and dedicated student, and won the respect of classmates and professors alike for his hard-working attitude. None, however, foresaw the great success that he later achieved.
While working his way through college, Hayden formed a close association with a young geologist named John Strong Newberry, who persuaded Hayden to pursue his studies under his own former teacher, James Hall of Albany, New York. Soon after, Hayden enrolled at Albany Medical College, and though he graduated with an M.D. in 1853, it is during this time that his interest in geology was fostered under the influence of Professor Hall.
Shortly after his graduation from medical school, Hayden set out on his first geographical expedition under the sponsorship of Hall. Accompanied by the paleontologist Fielding Bradford Meek, Hayden headed up the Missouri River to explore the Dakota Badlands and to collect fossil specimens. Returning in 1854, he and Meek began to acquire reputations of their own and, as a team, they added significant geological information to what was known about the Nation’s Western frontier.