The Man Who Put Yellowstone National Park On The Map: Philetus W.Norris

PHILETUS WALTER NORRIS was born in Palmyra, New York  Norris left school early to become a trapper. He traveled all around the midwest to trap and trade. In 1838, Norris settled in northwest Ohio near the home of a good friend. In 1845, Norris married Jane K. Cottrell of Fayette,Ohio. Once married, the couple became two of the original settlers of Pioneer,Ohio.  During the Civil War, Norris joined the Union troops eventually rising to the rank of Colonel. He served as a spy behind Confederate Lines and Captain of the West Virginia Mountain Scouts. While fighting near Laurel Mountain, West Virginia, Norris's horse was shot out from underneath him, severely injuring his shoulder and spinal cord.After his injury, Norris returned to Pioneer and was elected to the Ohio Legislature. Later, he became a member of the United States Sanitary Commission. After the Civil War, Norris moved to Michigan and founded the town of Norris. To ensure the success of his community, Norris drained the creek that ran through the area to open up land for farming. In 1870, Norris again traveled west, entering the Yellowstone Park area; he returned again in 1875.
In 1877, Norris became the second superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, a position he held until 1882. It was only in June 1878, however, that Congress finally approved a salary of $10,000 a year for the park's superintendent, as well as minimal funds "to protect, preserve, and improve the Park." Norris hired Harry Yount to control poaching and vandalism in the park, leading Yount to be considered the first National Park Ranger. When Norris arrived in 1877 there were approximately 32 miles (51 km) of roads and 108 miles (173 km) of trails. By the time he left in 1882, there were five times as many roads and twice as many trails. The roads were crude and many described them as only "fair" wagon trails. Still, they provided access to "the land of wonders."
Norris was removed from his post at Yellowstone in 1882 due to political maneuvering. Afterward, he worked in ethnological research of the local Native Americans for the Smithsonian Institute. In 1885, Norris fell ill in Rocky Hll, Kentucky  while working for the Smithsonian. After a brief illness, he died in Rocky Hill, on January 14, 1885. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit three days later, and shortly thereafter his body was moved to Woodmere Cemetery

Shown here is an 1878 postcard written and signed by Norris from my personal collection. Norris writes to Lawyer Townsend Wandell of New York concerning business between himself and famed artisan Louis Comfort Tiffany. Tiffany was a man of many talents and was also an accomplished landscape artist. Tiffany traveled to Yellowstone National Park in the late 19th century. Many of his creations, including his paintings, were inspired by the beauty and magnificance of the park. This postcard shows a Norris, Michigan cancelation. Today the "Norris House" National Monument in Detroit, Michigan is in such a state of disrepair that it has become a condemned building due to lack of proper maintenance and the effects of vandalism. The house has become forgotten, just like it's original owner Philetus W. Norris.