Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act on March 1, 1872, creating Yellowstone National Park.
The law was passed by the 42nd United States Congress and set aside a large area around the Yellowstone River as a public park. It directed that the region be protected from settlement, sale, or private exploitation and preserved for public enjoyment.
Yellowstone is widely recognized as the first national park in the United States and is often described as the world’s first national park. Its establishment followed government-sponsored exploration and scientific documentation of the region’s geothermal features, wildlife, lakes, and dramatic landscapes.
The National Park Service did not yet exist when Grant signed the act; it was created in 1916. The U.S. Army managed Yellowstone for several decades before administration passed to the National Park Service in 1917.