The Yellowstone National Park Wildfire of 1988

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For everyone involved in the Yellowstone fires, there is a particular day that stands out above the rest. For Carol Shively, interpretive ranger, it was July 31st; the day the fire hit West Thumb. “We headed into the geyser basin to clear visitors, but some were reluctant to leave—they were captivated by the mushroom- like clouds of smoke rising to the north, the helicopters dipping low to fill their water buckets in the lake, and the planes dropping red retardant drops that streaked across the sky. And then it came. Tongues of fire whipped through the air and seemed to roll over the horizon toward us. With terrific force, the wall of flames approached the road, hesitated slightly, and then rushed up on the other side, even greater than before. The fire was crowning in the trees surrounding the geyser basin. I stood frozen in place, mesmerized by the sheer power before me.” (The Yellowstone Fires of 1988)

Yellowstone became a national park on March 1st 1872. It is the first and oldest national park in the world. A small portion of the park can be found in Montana and Idaho, but most of the park is in Wyoming. Yellowstone is commonly known for features such as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and the Old Faithful Geyser. Millions of people come from all over the globe to visit the beautiful sights of Yellowstone every year, but the summer of 1988 brought a shock to people everywhere. The summer of 1988 was the worst forest fires of Yellowstone in the parks history. It consumed vegetation faster than experienced firefighters ever thought possible.

Yellowstone’s landscapes have longed been shaped by fires. “The natural history of fire in the park includes large-scale conflagrations sweeping across the pa...

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...morning, and it rained off and on the rest of the week. All the fires were out by the end of October.

Works Cited

1. Ruhf, Dr. Robert J. "The 1988 Forest Fires of Yellowstone National Park by Dr. Robert J. Ruhf." Editorial. Yellowstone National Park Forest Fires of 1988. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. .

2. Sample, Michael S. Yellowstone on My Mind. Helena, MT: Falcon, 1998. Print.

3. ""Wild land Fire in Yellowstone." Nps.gov. The National Park Service. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. .

4. The Yellowstone Fires of 1988." (2003). Www.nps.gov. 2003. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. .

5. "Yellowstone National Parks Year Of Fire." The Great Fires of 1988. 1 Jan. 2000. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. .

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