Yellowstone Summers

Touring with the Wylie Camping Company in America's First National Park

Jane Galloway Demaray

Narrated by Paula Faye Leinweber

Available from Audible

Book published by Washington State University Press

In 1872 Congress established Yellowstone National Park. Its vast wonders mesmerized early sightseers, including school superintendent William Wallace Wylie. From 1896 to 1905 the Wylie Camping Company fed, sheltered, and guided thousands of Victorian vacationers on week-long tours. His clients enjoyed delicious meals, heated sleeping tents, and fresh-air bonfires. His guides utilized the park as an outdoor classroom and set an example for concessions throughout Yellowstone. Unfortunately Wylie was forced to contend with park politics as well as bears, runaway horses, and cantankerous stage coach drivers, but his unswerving efforts helped develop, define, and preserve tourism in the West.

Jane Galloway Demaray was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She has fond memories of traveling to Bozeman, Montana, to visit her grandparents—often with side trips to Yellowstone National Park—jaunts that led to future interests. She received a B.A. in history from the University of Puget Sound. A former K-12 special education teacher, she also completed extensive career-related course work at the University of Montana and Seattle Pacific University. She currently lives and works in Helena, Montana.