Opening Celebration: Exhibition-Yellowstone: Living on the Edge

The gala opening event will be catered with food and beverages from Katabatic Brewing.
This exhibit is dedicated to the memory of John Fryer and Paul Shea, men who dedicated their lives to this community and the museum, and showed what it was like to live “on the edge.”
The new permanent exhibit explores the relationship between Yellowstone National Park and Park County residents living near the park from before the park’s creation in 1872 until present day. Employee stories, souvenirs, and photographs tell of the deep connection that people had (and still have) with the park, its wildlife and its wild places. Park County businesses benefited from the park’s close proximity and helped create the visitor experience inside as well as outside the park. Businesses included in the exhibit include Wilcoxson’s, Shaw and Powell Camping Company, A. W. Miles, the Grabow Hotel, W. A. Hall, and more. Perhaps the most critical early-day Park County connection to Yellowstone was the Northern Pacific Railway. Passengers rode the rails first to Livingston, and then continued their journey to the park via the railroad’s Yellowstone Branch Line. The railroad advertised and financially supported amenities in the park, including hotels, as well as local attractions like dude ranches. Photographs and objects from the collection reveal the many interwoven relationships with the park.