Yellowstone Park Company

Yellowstone Park Company was a business that provided services such as transportation for tourists of Yellowstone National Park. The Yellowstone Park Company's first iteration was the Yellowstone National Park Transportation Company, established in 1892 by a team led by Harry W. Child. Child and his family then divided the company into the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company and the Yellowstone Park Hotel Company. William M. Nichols received control of the company in 1931 upon the death of Child, his father-in-law, and merged all divisions of the company into the Yellowstone Park Company. The company's business was ended upon purchase of its operations by the United States Government in 1980.

Establishment
Since its establishment in 1872, Yellowstone National Park's early years involved several private companies that owned many of the park's services. Some of these, especially hotels, were associated with the Yellowstone Park Association established in 1890. One example was stagecoach transportation throughout the park, established in 1892 by entrepreneur Harry W. Child and his business partners. In 1901, Child, a business partner named Silas S. Huntley, and E. W. Bach purchased the company's stocks. Huntley died shortly afterward, resulting in Child's sole control of the company. Child divided the company into the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company and the Yellowstone Park Hotel Company in 1909 with the help of his wife, Adelaide D. Child and his son, Huntley. It was at this time the previously related Yellowstone Park Association was dissolved. On August 1, 1916, private vehicles were allowed in the park, and the year after this change, the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company was exclusively allowed to operate public transportation in the park on behalf of the Park Service.

Business history and closure
Harry W. Child died in 1931, shifting control of the company to his son-in-law, William M. Nichols. Nichols then merged the park's housing and transportation services into the Yellowstone Park Company, a move that demonstrated the company's adaptability and resilience. The park's activity was greatly diminished during World War II, a challenging period that put the company at high risk of bankruptcy. However, the company managed to weather the storm and emerge stronger, a testament to its determination and strategic planning. The decade after, there was such a radical increase in tourist activity that the United States Government and private parties collaborated to renovate many of the park's concessions, a sign of the company's enduring appeal and the park's continued popularity. This project was referred to as "Mission 66," and provided the park with new, low maintenance facilities such as Canyon Village, a symbol of the company's commitment to providing quality services.

Around this time, a new type of transportation was added: snow coaches. These were first provided in 1954-1955 under Harry Young and Billy Nichols of West Yellowstone. In 1967, Yellowstone Park Company bought their operation.

The company's business was ended upon the purchase of its assets by the United States Government in 1980. Records from different intervals of time have been donated to the Library and Archives of the Montana Historical Society, Montana State University's Archives and Special Collections, and University of Montana's Archives and Special Collections.