Yellowstone, 1871. Early explorers to this area described some fantastic things—yellow stones and rocks, fire and brimstone, and waterfalls spouting upwards. Many people did not believe these stories—the New York Times even called them "stories of wonder hardly short of fairy tales in the astounding phenomena they describe." But an expedition in 1870 proved them true. The Hayden expedition has come to the area now to study and document the wonders of the Yellowstone.