For America's 250th anniversary, what was the first U.S. national park, established in 1872?

Yellowstone National Park was the first U.S. national park, established in 1872.

President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act on March 1, 1872. The law reserved a large area in present-day Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho as a public park for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.

Yellowstone’s designation grew from expeditions, scientific observations, photography, and public advocacy. The region’s geysers, hot springs, colorful pools, waterfalls, and wildlife helped convince lawmakers that remarkable landscapes should be preserved rather than sold or privately developed.

The park is centered on one of the world’s largest active volcanic systems. Its best-known feature, Old Faithful, is a cone geyser famous for relatively predictable eruptions, although the exact timing varies. Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone are also major natural features.

Yellowstone was not the first land protected by the federal government in any form, and Yosemite had received earlier special protection. The distinction is that Yellowstone was the first area created specifically as a national park.