The Yellowstone National Park Protection Act created Yellowstone National Park in 1872.
President Ulysses S. Grant signed the act on March 1, 1872. The law reserved a large tract around the headwaters of the Yellowstone River as a public park for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.
Yellowstone is widely recognized as the world's first national park and was the first national park established in the United States. Its geothermal features, wildlife, lakes, forests, and canyons helped inspire the idea that remarkable landscapes could be protected for public use.
Yellowstone is mainly in Wyoming, although portions extend into Montana and Idaho. Its famous features include Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Native peoples had used the region for thousands of years before the park was established, so “uninhabited wilderness” is an inaccurate description.