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.

[[This map in a higher resolution]]

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.