Yellowstone Lake, Thomas Moran.

Just in case you missed it, I decided to post a link to my article, When All the Fish Were Natives, that was published in the 2012 Fly Fishing issue of The Big Sky Journal.

Early travelers to the area that became Yellowstone National Park depended on the abundant fish in the Yellowstone River watershed to supplement their larders, but they often they went hungry after discovering other streams and lakes were barren. At first, people thought the strange distribution of fish was caused by chemical laden hot springs, but that proved to be wrong. The article describes how scientists unraveled the mystery.

The article also tells about Cornelius Hedges discovery that anglers could catch fish in cold waters and cook them in hot springs without touching them, Lord Blackmore’s fabulous afternoon catching 254 fish, and General W.E. Strong’s thrill at landing his first fish in the park light tackle—a four-pound trout.

The article is accompanied by a slide show of historic images.

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— You might also enjoy “The Two-Ocean Pass and the Mystery of the Fishless Waters.”

— To find more of my stories in The Big Sky Journal, click on My Media.