In the beginning, there was Yellowstone.

And it was...good.

I mean, good, you know, but kind of neglected.

The kind of neglected that inspired 1877 visitor to the park to remark that,

though the formations around the Yellowstone geysers appeared delicate,

they were in fact so solid that a quote, hatchet is often necessary to obtain a choice piece for your cabinet.

Wait, you can't do that. That's not allowed.

No, that's not allowed. But see, it's a little tricky when you've got 3472 square miles of park and one guy in charge of it all.

Wanga. All alone, no help.

One guy, a single superintendent under the department of the interior with no help and no pay.

Eventually, Congress figured out that you can't just call something a protected park without the money to protect it.

And the answer was simple.

Create the National Park Service.

No, no, no, no. Send in the troops.

Like the military, the federal troops?

Yes, the military. Our first park rangers, in essence.

August 18, 1886, Captain Moses Harris rides into Yellowstone with troop M of the U.S. cavalry.

And it's not just Yellowstone that needs protecting.

By 1890, you've got Sequoia National Park, King's Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park.

And by the way, many of these cavalrymen were what were known as Buffalo Soldiers.

That's a subject that deserves a whole episode.

These were all black American regiments who did everything from build trails to kick out poachers to stop private livestock from grazing in parks.

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