“Unnatural” Deaths in Yellowstone National Park – And How to Avoid Them

Posted by Jeff on Mar 2, 2015 @ 4:59 am in Conservation | 0 comments | Last modified: March 1, 2015

Back in the early ‘90s, then Yellowstone National Park museum technician Lee Whittlesey had the killer idea to compile all the “unnatural” deaths—that is, those not caused by run-of-the-mill car accidents or heart attacks—that have occurred in Yellowstone through the years.

There were enough to fill a book, and so Whittlesey’s fascinating Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park hit shelves in 1995.

In 2014, Whittlesey released the second edition of the book, updated with more than 60 new tales of demise. Whittlesey, now the park historian, was interviewed discussing true threats, stupid visitors, and what just might be the scariest fate of all at Yellowstone.

Yellowstone is not Disneyland.

Read the interview…