Seeing is believing
His name was Thomas Moran and he painted a portrait so leaders would believe what explorers found in Yellowstone Park.
This story about “seeing is believing” was shared by an unassuming zoo veterinarian turned tourist guide. Even with a pair of boots and a cowboy hat he wasn’t very tall, but his voice loomed large and proud of his summer home.
The day began at the base of the Teton mountains in Wyoming near Jackson Hole. The temperature was close to freezing as we departed for a day-long tour. By afternoon, layers were shed as the sun crept into the sky and the temperature reached 25 degrees Celsius.
Rapport was quickly established and a great day lay ahead. Over the course of 12 hours, many miles and two national parks were entered. Rather than pay the entrance fee of $100 USD per person per park, we chose an annual family pass for $250. Chances are we won’t land back in the States this year but we have a souvenir card embossed with the 250th anniversary logo at least.
Reminiscent of travels across Canada, the outcroppings of stone and winding roads were familiar and welcoming. Valleys and gorges intersected with regularity as we headed from one tourism stop to the next.
The natural features that set that corner of the world apart from others were quite amazing.
Old Faithful, a geyser that emits a burst of boiling water every 90 minutes or so without fail, didn’t disappoint. On cue the water and steam shot almost 150 feet into the air, only to settle back into its slumber, waiting to blow again.
A few miles away, boiling mud and hot springs bubbled and toiled, appearing very much like a pot of gruel left on a stove. Although the crowds were held back from getting too close, local wildlife like bison and elk left tracks and droppings close by. A sulfur smell hung in the air.
The Grand Prismatic spring, seemingly as old as time, was discovered in 1871 by a geologist named Ferdinand Hayden. Upon his return to Washington, this finding was dismissed as campfire myths and hallucinations by lawmakers in DC. It was unfathomable to hear tales of boiling mud, steaming geysers and colourful hot springs. This is where Moran came in. Lawmakers wanted proof.
As odd as it seems, the word of a geologist – a man of science – was dismissed yet Moran, an artist, was sent to recreate the scene. He managed to capture the brilliant spectrum of colours associated with the spring and the Yellowstone Canyon. Keep in mind, these were water colours, long before the spectrum of colour was entirely understood. There were no iPhones or digital cameras back then.
Widespread disbelief was transformed into awe when his portfolio of painting was presented to lawmakers some 1,800 miles away (roughly 2,900km). The scenes were so moving; President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill in 1872 to establish Yellowstone as the world’s first national park.
Since that time the scenery has been enjoyed by ranchers and tourists alike. By the early 1900s, Jackson Hole had become the seasonal home to the rich and famous, prompting the ultra-wealthy, like the Rockefeller family amongst others, to donate vast tracts of land to the benefit of a public trust.
The ride back to the Tetons, was long, allowing time to think without distraction about what we witnessed and heard. The foresight to declare a national park was large-picture thinking at the time. The preservation of land for society at large was a relatively new idea, but how fortunate Americans are to have that resource. Absent commercialization, the bison, elk and grizzlies can wander. A news story earlier in the day that Ivanka Trump is attempting to secure a private island for development off the coast of Albania seemed the foil to this narrative. Their luxury resort would make it nearly impossible for locals to enjoy the splendour of the 1,400-hectare private island in the middle of the Mediterranean. Thoughts also extended to our premier, Doug Ford, and the commercialization of Ontario Place.
The famous artist mentioned early in this column was memorialized when Mount Moran was named after him. Its peak reaches 12,610 feet. His skills at painting drew a conclusive picture of hidden treasures in Wyoming. On that point, seeing was believing. This too bears irony, in that the vast majority of information consumed today – if indeed seeing is believing – has no basis in fact.
It’s a conundrum over-thinkers like us are left to ponder without conclusion, much like those endless boiling mud bogs of Yellowstone.