| Yellowstone National Park Heritage and Research Center Photos taken August 25, 2005 |
| Located in the gateway town of Gardiner, MT, and within view of the great stone arch at Yellowstone's north entrance, sits the new Yellowstone National Park Heritage and Research Center. As the name suggests, the center was not intended as a traditional public museum of displayed collections, but as the park's historic research and collections facility. The Heritage and Research Center opened to the public on May 18, 2005. The photos on this page were taken on August 25, 2005 at a community open house and tour of the facility. Guests were treated to cake and coffee in the lobby, while staff were on hand at various stations throughout the center to provide information and answer questions. The photos on this page were taken during that event. The building has three levels: The lowest floor is a nonpublic area used for processing acquisitions and for various research and preservation activities. The main floor includes the lobby, a public research room, several staff offices, a large museum collections storage area, and a herbarium storage room with plant samples dating back over 70 years. The upper floor features library stacks open to the public for viewing within the facility, a comfortable, quiet public reading/research room, staff offices, and restricted research areas including a map room, rare book room, and archives storage area. The facility houses over 5.3 million items comprising the park's archives, library, and museum collections storage in a state-of-the art, climate-controlled atmosphere. The park archives is affiliated with the National Archives and meets their standards. It includes park records going back to the U.S. Army administration of the park, as well as ephemera, oral history, audio and videotapes, and historic film footage available for researchers. The research library contains over 10,000 volumes, 2,000 manuscripts, and a rare book collection. The museums collections consists of over 200,000 objects including natural science specimens, fossils, a herbarium, hotel furnishings, original artwork of Thomas Moran, over 80,000 historic photographs, including those of William H. Jackson, and other historic objects from the park's rich past. The nonprofit Yellowstone Association has provided substantial support for the library, museum, and archives collections since 1933. During the past ten years the Association has provided significant funding for acquisitions, library staffing, and preservation of historic vehicles. |
Open House: Inside the lobby of the Heritage and Research Center guests are
treated to cake and coffee. Display cases show artifacts from Yellowstone's past.
treated to cake and coffee. Display cases show artifacts from Yellowstone's past.
Behind this historic sign the are entrances to the walk-in freezer (left) and the cold
storage area (right). Photographs are placed in cold storage to help preserve them.
storage area (right). Photographs are placed in cold storage to help preserve them.
(left) This old touring bus, YPT Co. No. 351,
was manufactured by White Motor Company
and was once used to transport visitors
through the park. It has been restored by
Bruce Austin, who brought it to the dedication
of the Heritage and Research Center at the
invitation of the Park Service.
The bus has had minor appearance
restoration to its original color, but is
essentially preserved in its original early
operating condition, and has most of the
upholstery and all of the drive train original
to the 1931 production.
was manufactured by White Motor Company
and was once used to transport visitors
through the park. It has been restored by
Bruce Austin, who brought it to the dedication
of the Heritage and Research Center at the
invitation of the Park Service.
The bus has had minor appearance
restoration to its original color, but is
essentially preserved in its original early
operating condition, and has most of the
upholstery and all of the drive train original
to the 1931 production.
(above left and right) Representative pieces of furniture once used in Yellowstone's hotels are stored on shelves in the main floor's
museum collections storage area.
museum collections storage area.
(above) The great stone arch marking Yellowstone's northern entrance is
centered in the lobby doorway of the Yellowstone National Park Heritage and
Research Center.
centered in the lobby doorway of the Yellowstone National Park Heritage and
Research Center.
| All photos this page (c) F. Markley |
Information sources:
- NPS, Yellowstone National Park
- The Yellowstone Association
- NPS, Yellowstone National Park
- The Yellowstone Association
| Visitors inspect restored White touring bus (see larger photo and caption below). The Prius hybrid vehicle (right) was donated to Yellowstone by the manufacturer. |