A Reconnaissance of the Streams and Lakes of the Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, in the Interest of the United States Fish Commission

Making plans to stock the waterways of Yellowstone National Park (with non-native species).

“In the summer of 1889, at the instance [sic] of Capt. F.A. Boutelle, U.S. Army, acting superintendent of the Yellowstone National Park, a brief visit was made to the Park by Hon. Marshall McDonald, U.S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries. It was made very evident from the observations of the Commissioner that much could be done towards enhancing the attractions of the great national “pleasuring ground” by the stocking of those of its various streams and lakes which are now destitute of fishes. In September, 1889, the writer was requested by the Commissioner to make a visit to the Park for the purpose of procuring exact data preliminary to the work of introducing trout and other fishes.” – David Star Jordan, Preface.

This consequential map of Yellowstone National Park was designed by David Star Jordan of the U.S. Department of Fish and Fisheries in 1899. It was printed in Washington, D.C. by the Government Printing Office in 1900 to accompany a Congressional report (also by Star) on his reconnaissance in Yellowstone the summer before.

The route of Star’s exploration and the various places he caught trout are noted throughout the image. A boldly outlined ‘area without trout’ can be seen in the western half of the park, foreshadowing the report’s recommendation (supported by Dr. Charles H. Gilbert of Indiana University) that various species of the Salmonidae family be introduced to encourage recreational fishing.

According to the National Park Service, park managers established the native cutthroat trout in the fishless waters of Yellowstone’s volcanic plateau as early as 1881, and it wasn’t until 1889 that the first non-native species (the Eastern Brook Trout) was released into the Firehole River. Page 46 of the accompanying report indicates that there were four other mass plants made by the U.S. Fish Commission between August and September of that year. Various species included the rainbow trout, Loch Leven trout, mountain whitefish, and red-throated trout.

The report also includes an itinerary of Star’s voyage, physical descriptions of various Yellowstone waterways with accompanying black & white plates, tables of collected data, and a scientific examination of a parasitic worm that was found on some fish caught in the park. A fascinating map and report outlining the origins of one of Yellowstone’s most pressing ecological issues.

Sources: National Park Service