18th September 1870: The Washburn-Langford-Doane expedition to the Yellowstone region sees a large geyser they named Old Faithful.

Scott Allsop (0:00)

On 18 September 1870, members of the Washburn-Langford-Dowan expedition to the Yellowstone region first saw a large geyser that they named Old Faithful. Welcome to HistoryPod.

The expedition began in August with the aim to explore and map the Yellowstone region, following reports from earlier expeditions that the area contained unusual geological features. The remoteness of the region and the difficulty of reaching it meant that these earlier reports of its geysers, waterfalls and other features had been treated with a level of scepticism. Led by Henry D. Washburn and Nathaniel P. Langford, with a military escort provided by Lieutenant Gustavus Doan, the expedition travelled through several parts of what is now Yellowstone National Park. They visited Yellowstone Lake, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and several geyser basins. In the Upper Geyser Basin, they encountered numerous geothermal features, including the geyser that they named Old Faithful, due to its eruptions having sufficient regularity to make it useful for observing and recording.

Nathaniel Langford subsequently published descriptions of the journey, while Lieutenant Doan prepared an official report. These accounts provided information about the geography and geology of Yellowstone and encouraged further exploration. In 1871, Ferdinand V. Haydn led a government funded scientific expedition that included scientists, artists and photographers. The survey produced more detailed evidence of Yellowstone's natural features and helped persuade Congress to protect the area. Congress established Yellowstone National Park the following year, making it the world's first national park. Old Faithful continues to be one of the best known features, and although its eruptions are not perfectly regular, they still occur at reasonably accurate intervals.