Have People Always Respected Yellowstone’s Geysers?

The geysers of Yellowstone National Park are among America's most famous natural wonders. Millions of people flock to the park annually to stand in awe of their power. Yet for many years, visitors treated them less as natural wonders and more like garbage cans – or even laundromats.

There are firsthand accounts of 19th-century explorers and soldiers who decided to harness the natural steam of geysers like Old Faithful to clean soiled clothes. They would place their dirty washing in a pillowcase, drop it into the geyser's cone, and collect it after an eruption, once the hot, churning waters had cleaned the items – and thrown them 100 feet (30.5 m) into the air.

Although using Old Faithful as a washing machine wasn't widespread, the geysers have been on the receiving end of all sorts of items that have no place in natural features. Soap and lye were commonly sold in hotels and gift shops, as throwing in soap was thought to induce the geysers to erupt. Early explorers threw rocks and logs in to watch them get expelled, simply for the entertainment value.

Tossing coins into the pools was a common practice for many decades, with very detrimental effects. The Morning Glory Pool has been particularly affected by this, even earning the ignominious nickname "The Garbage Can." Its brilliant blue waters, the result of thermophilic bacteria, now have a thick yellow-orange ring as a result of all the trash that was thrown in – including, reportedly, a couch. The garbage has blocked the pool's vents, throwing off the balance of microorganisms that give the pool its unique color.

Geysers, not garbage cans: