(Hayden Expedition Party of 1870)

This photograph was taken at Red Buttes, Wyoming at the junction of the North Platte and Sweetwater Rivers, as part of the 1870 Hayden Expedition. The following year, Hayden led an expedition of scientists and artists to Yellowstone.

The 1871 Hayden Expedition marked the start of scientific surveys of Yellowstone. The results of this expedition inspired Congress to pass the legislation to create Yellowstone National Park in 1872.