of the fish and game found within said park, and against their capture of destruction for the purposes of merchandise or profit. He shall also cause all persons trespassing upon the same after the passage of this act to be removed therefrom, and generally shall be authorized to take all such measures as shall be necessary or proper to fully carry out the objects and purposes of this act.” On January 23, 1872, Senator Pomeroy, in response to questioning during consideration of the bill, stated: “This bill originated as the result of the exploration made by Professor Hayden under an appropriation of Congress, last year. With a party he explored the headwaters of the Yellowstone and found it to be a great natural curiosity, great geysers as they are termed, waterspouts, and hot springs, and having plotted the ground himself, and having given me the dimensions of it, the bill was drawn up, as it was thought best to consecrate and set apart this great place or national resort, as it may be in the future, for the purpose of public enjoyment.” [Illustration: Manuscript of Bill establishing the park.] The Senate, sitting as Committee of the Whole, gave its final consideration to the bill on January 30. There was limited floor discussion, basically concerning whether or not the land was suitable for agricultural development. The bill’s chief supporters convinced their colleagues that the region’s real value was as a park area, to be preserved in its natural state, and the bill passed by a comfortable margin. The House considered the same bill on February 27. Again, the question was raised as to whether the region should be left open for agricultural development. However, as in the Senate, the obvious value of the region as a scenic preserve made the task of the park’s advocates an easy one. The bill was readily passed with 115 yeas to 65 nays, and 60 not voting. On March 1, 1872, President Grant signed the bill into law establishing the Yellowstone region as a public park, thus setting a major conservation precedent. The Nation had its first National Park; an area of unique beauty was set aside for the enjoyment of generations to come, and a tradition of preserving other such areas was established. ABOUT THE FOLLOWING PHOTOGRAPHS.... The photographs in this section of the booklet were selected from those taken by William Henry Jackson during Hayden’s second Yellowstone Expedition in 1872, and reproduced from U. S. Corps of Engineers negatives maintained by the National Archives. Jackson, considered one of the foremost photographers of the early West, was the first man to photograph and publish many of these scenes of the Yellowstone. Jackson’s own captions describe the photographs on the following pages.