Barronette Peak, one of our favorite local mountains, was named after Jack Baronette, an early frontiersman and guide, who built a toll bridge across the Yellowstone River, in 1871.

1871 was also the year of a large US Geological expedition/ survey of the Yellowstone region led by Ferdinand Hayden. The 32 member party included photographer William Henry Jackson and landscape artist Thomas Moran, and their cumulative findings/ effort set in motion an immediate political campaign to establish Yellowstone National Park, which was formally established in 1872.!