Madison Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Madison Museum
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Madison Museum
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 Location in Wyoming
Location in the United States
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| Location | Madison Junction, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming |
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| Built | 1929 |
| Architect | Herbert Maier |
| Architectural style | National Park Service Rustic |
| MPS | Yellowstone National Park MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 82001720 |
| Added to NRHP | July 9, 1982 |
The Madison Museum is a special building in Yellowstone National Park. It is one of several "trailside museums" designed by architect Herbert Maier. These museums were built in a unique style called National Park Service Rustic. This style uses natural materials like logs and stone. It helps buildings blend into the park's beautiful scenery.
The Madison Museum was built in 1929. It is the smallest of three important museums in the park. The others are the Norris and Fishing Bridge Museums. The museum sits on a small hill overlooking the Madison River. Today, it still helps visitors learn about the park. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It is also part of a larger National Historic Landmark declared in 1987.
Contents
Museum Design and Features
The Madison Museum has a T-shape. One part of the building was for a park ranger or naturalist. The other part held a small area for exhibits. The building stands on a base made of rhyolite stone. The rest of the building is made of wood and covered with shingles.
A large log connects the stone base to the wooden walls. The roof is held up by heavy log columns. The roof itself is also framed with logs. In 1971, the building was updated. It was changed into one large room.
Who Designed the Museum?
The museum was designed by Herbert Maier. He was an architect for the National Park Service. The money for the museum came from a grant. This grant was for $118,000 from Laura Spelman Rockefeller. It was meant for educational projects in Yellowstone.
Maier had help from other experts. Carl Parcher Russell was a Park Service naturalist. Hermon Carey Bumpus was also involved. He was the president of the American Association of Museums.
The "Campfire Myth" Story
For many years, the Madison Museum site was thought to be very important. A man named Hermon Carey Bumpus claimed it was where the "Washburn Party" made a big decision in 1870. He said they decided that this area should be protected forever. This idea was about creating the national park concept.
Because of this story, the museum and nearby National Park Mountain became like a special shrine. A window in the museum even had a picture showing this event. Local photographer Jack Haynes created the picture. People would also re-enact the Washburn event every year.
Discovering the Truth
By 1960, a park historian named Aubrey Haines did some research. He found out that this "creation myth" was not true. The Park Service did not want to accept this new information at first. They kept putting up signs calling Madison a "Historic Shrine." They also kept telling visitors the old story.
Aubrey Haines was moved to another park. He retired early. A long debate went on for twenty years inside the Park Service. In the end, Haines' research was proven correct. The Madison Museum then became a visitor information station. It lost its status as a shrine.
See also
- Fishing Bridge Museum
- Norris Museum
- Old Faithful Museum of Thermal Activity
