The Women of Yellowstone National Park - Geneva College
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The Women of Yellowstone National Park

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Yellowstone National Park became the world’s first national park on March 1, 1872, consisting of more than two million acres of mountain wilderness, geysers, glacier-carved valleys, rivers, lakes, and more. But did you know Geneva College has a rich history embedded in Yellowstone’s story?

Not only was Yellowstone the first national park in the world, Yellowstone was also the first park to house permanent camping experiences, ones that are now commonplace to a national park experience. Women from Geneva during this time period were an integral part of these camps and led many of the projects. 

William Wallace Wylie

William Wallace Wylie was born and raised in Ohio where he had thick ties to Geneva College. At this time, Geneva College was located in Northwood, Ohio close to where Wylie grew up. He was the nephew of Geneva professor J. L. McCartney, nephew of Geneva janitor James McCartney, and first cousin of Clarence Macartney, in whose memory Geneva College’s McCartney Library was built. It is unclear if Wylie attended Geneva College himself but nevertheless, he had strong personal connections with the school.

In 1883, William Wallace Wylie founded The Wylie Camping Company when he began giving 10-day park tours using moveable camps. After several years of a growing business, Wylie managed to establish permanent camps in Yellowstone in 1896, the first of its kind. The Wylie Permanent Camping Company ran eight camp “villages” including Riverside, Upper Geyser Basin, Swan Lake Flats, Gibbon Falls, Canyon, Sawn Lake, Roosevelt, Cody Camp, and West Thumb. For a five or six-day camping trip, it cost people $35 and $40, respectively. It was a sought-after venture with 1371 guests traveling to camp at Yellowstone during the 1901 season. In fact, until 1917, The Wylie Camping Company was the premier camping experience in Yellowstone National Park.

Margaret Joanna McCartney

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Margaret Joanna McCartney was the daughter of James McCartney, Geneva’s janitor, and cousin to William Wallace Wylie. She grew up on College Hill with close personal ties to the college. In fact, some of her uncles helped found the college alongside John Black Johnston. She attended Geneva as part of the class of 1890 and graduated at the age of 26.

web-thumbnail-size-900--800-px.jpgMcCartney began working for William Wallace Wylie in 1902 and continued to work seasonally at Yellowstone until 1934. Known as “Lady Mac” she was the manager of Canyon Lodge and personnel officer for the Yellowstone Park Lodge and Camps Company. Part of her duties as manager was to make sure the camp was employed by many young men and women who would help with the daily upkeep of the camps like cleaning, giving tours, cooking, and taking care of the guests. Lady Mac relied heavily on Geneva students, especially from 1915-1916 according to the Yellowstone archives. Some of the Geneva students who were workers at Yellowstone National Park include Vessie Caughey ’28, Garnet Rhodes ’28 (non-grad), and Edna Parkinson ’13.

Elizabeth (Bessie) Dawson Johnston

web-thumbnail-size-300--600-px-300--450-px.jpgElizabeth Dawson Johnston was the great-niece of John Black Johnston, founder of Geneva College. Her father was William Pollock Johnston (professor, 1881-1890; president 1890-1907) and her brother was Dr. Archibald Johnston (professor, 1916-1920; president 1920-1923). She attended Geneva and graduated with the class of 1901. She later became an instructor of piano in the Music Department from 1911-1958.

At Yellowstone, Johnston served as matron at Upper Geyser Basin Camp, now known as the Old Faithful complex. Her duties included making sure the camp’s daily activities would run smoothly. She oversaw many young ladies which gave her the ability to become a Godly mentor to many of these women throughout her many summers at Yellowstone.

Ava Marella Allen Wylie

Ava Marella Allen Wylie became an art teacher and head of the art department at web-thumbnail-size-300--600-px-300--450-px-2.jpgGeneva College from 1906-1912. She taught Pottery Painting and Firing and Public-School Art. Later, after the death of her husband, she became the head resident of Patterson Lodge, one of Geneva’s men’s dorms. She continued to aid Geneva and further its mission until her retirement.

In the summer of 1910, Allen served as the manager of Lake Camp in Yellowstone National Park. Like Elizabeth Johnston, she supervised one of The Wylie Permanent Camping sights. She managed many men and women who helped give guests a pleasant camping experience.

 

 Written by Lexi Meese '22

Historical Information Sourced By:

Kae Kirkwood '83, Geneva College Archival Librarian

Kathleen Michael, Yellowstone National Park

 

 

Mar 15, 2023

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