"The Yellowstone Park is something absolutely unique in the world...This Park was created and is now administered for the benefit and enjoyment of the people...it is the property of Uncle Sam and therefore of us all. "President Theodore Roosevelt
- April 24, 1903 - at the Gardiner, Montana Speech dedicating the North Entrance Arch
To President Theodore Roosevelt Yellowstone’s, uniqueness was not the geysers or wildlife he had observed during his visit. Its uniqueness was being the first national park anywhere in the world. You see Yellowstone is not entirely in any one state. Although the majority of it is in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho enjoy some of the park within their boarders too. This meant that Yellowstone could not be a State Park like all before its time. It was a new symbol of democracy - land that the federal government set aside from development or settlement, land that belonged to all the people. President Roosevelt recognized this would be Yellowstone National Park's legacy. Many other national parks followed in the United States, Canada and Mexico as a direct result of Yellowstone Park. This arch marks what used to be the only entrance to the park, the North Entrance.
