National Parks Pioneers

Originally Aired: March 3, 1937 In Cavalcade of America #72, "National Parks Pioneers," legendary scout Jim Bridger returns to Fort Fargo with fantastic tales from his western expeditions that few believe. When a skeptical tenderfoot named Peter challenges his story about floating on a salt lake without sinking, Bridger is defended by Tom Fitzpatrick, who becomes intrigued enough to join him on further explorations. The two men set out together as trappers and scouts, pushing westward into unknown territories in search of beaver pelts and natural wonders. As they work their traps and discuss the "westward course of Empire," Bridger hints at even more spectacular discoveries waiting to be found. He begins telling Fitzpatrick about another remarkable place, weaving tales of geysers and thermal wonders that sound even more impossible than the salt lake. The episode chronicles how these rough-hewn frontiersmen, dismissed as storytellers and exaggerators, actually discovered and documented the natural marvels that would eventually become Yellowstone National Park, preserved for future generations to witness.