The first public park, Yellowstone, was established by an act of March 1, 1872 (17 Stat. 32).

Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, before the surrounding area became the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Boundary changes, made twice, added small areas to the original rectangle and altered the east boundary in 1929 to conform for most of its length to the drainage divide formed by the Absaroka Mountains. Most of the land adjacent to the boundary is administered by the U.S. Forest Service.

Nathaniel Pitt Langford : First superintendent of the Yellowstone Park.  Langford was appointed as the first superintendent of the park. He soon got the nickname National Park Langford because of his initials N.P. There was no money available to offer him a salary for this new position, so he had to make his living elsewhere. This left Langford with little time to run the park, and he entered it only twice during his five years as superintendent.(1872-1877)

Philetus Walter Norris: Second superintendent. 1877, Norris became the second superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, a position he held until 1882. It was only in June 1878, however, that Congress finally approved a salary of $10,000 a year for the park’s superintendent, as well as minimal funds “to protect, preserve, and improve the Park.” Norris hired Harry Yount to control poaching and vandalism in the park, leading Yount to be considered the first National Park ranger.