Wyoming's history is full of quirky and odd happenings. Back when Yellowstone was first established as the world's first National Park, there were always people trying to take advantage of the tourists coming to experience this booming, popular wonder. One such man - EC Waters - was eventually driven out of the park, banned for life, and ended up as the most hated man in Wyoming. What did he do to earn such scorn? Read below to hear this unusual story of greed and arrogance and the wreck of EC Waters of Yellowstone.
Yellowstone Lake is one of the most incredible natural wonders in Wyoming - but did you know the story of the shipwreck on Stevenson Island?
This is a tale of someone once called the most hated man in Wyoming - Ella C. Waters. In the earliest days of the park, Waters was one of the most influential and powerful men within the administration. It did not take long, though, for his offensive and arrogant qualities to begin to define his tenure in the park.
Starting in 1891, E.C. Waters (then General Manager of the Yellowstone Park Association) began a steamship transportation route between Lake Yellowstone and West Thumb.
Travelers were eager to avoid the bumpy, dusty stagecoach ride around the lake and much preferred the breezy, scenic boat trip. However, E.C. Waters charged a fee on top of what the stagecoach companies charged, and tourists were not too pleased with having to pay additional transport fees.
Despite the extra cost, his boat (named the Zillah) was often full to capacity, bringing 125 visitors at a time across the enormous cobalt-blue lake.
Waters used his position as General Manager to expand his operations, and began selling small groceries, offering side trips, renting small boats to tourists, and even providing blacksmith services. He constructed several small launch areas, and in 1896, he placed bison and elk on Dot Island and began to use them as a tourist attraction.
By 1904, Waters' exorbitant $3 charge for a ride from West Thumb to Yellowstone Lake Hotel was starting to irritate passengers. That $3 is the equivalent of nearly $100 today, so it's easy to see why it was considered high. The Park suggested bringing in competing boat companies to manage the rate, and Waters fought back.
The Zillah had fallen into disrepair, and passengers began to worry if it was seaworthy. Waters decided to commission a much larger vessel - named after himself, of course - and brought it from Dubuque, Iowa to Yellowstone Lake. He requested a permit to carry 500 passengers at a time, and the Park Administration refused.
The large E.C. Waters never made more than a few test runs across the lake, because Waters himself refused to accept a permit for fewer passengers.
By 1907, E.C. Waters was barred from operating his ships in Yellowstone Park. The Zillah had fallen into disrepair, and was scrapped. The E.C. Waters, never receiving its passenger permit, was sailed to Stevenson Island, in the middle of the lake. It was docked in a cove that was typically safe from winter ice, but in 1921, it was pushed up onto the beach by the elements. In 1926, Park officials salvaged some of the ship's machinery, and the boiler was used to heat the Lake Hotel for the next 46 years.
Today, the remnants of the once elegant E.C. Waters sit, rotting and decaying, on Stevenson Island in the lake itself. In the end, it was Waters' greed that led to him being chased from the park, and his prize steamship abandoned.
The Ship remained on Stevenson Island, and provided shelter for various activities not quite sanctioned by the park. Boaters hid Moonshine operations in the hull, parties would be thrown, and eventually, the park decided to do away with the eyesore. So, in the winter of 1930, two rangers sailed out with a can of kerosene and burned it. The photo above shows the remnants of the resilient E.C. Waters today.
If you're looking to get up close with the storied shipwreck of Yellowstone Lake, head out on the Lake Queen.
Unlike the Zillah, the Lake Queen is a modern ship that offers one-hour tours of the Lake, including a stop at Stevenson Island to hear the story of the E.C. Waters and the man whose greed landed him a lifetime ban from Yellowstone National Park.
You can learn more about the Lake Queen tour on the Yellowstone website. Book your tour and you won't miss out on this unique and fascinating bit of Cowboy State history! While the Lake Queen tour isn't one of the most talked-about experiences in the world's most historic National Park, it's truly a trip that you won't want to pass up.
For more quirky Wyoming history, read this little-known Wyoming history and get to know the Cowboy State in a way you never quite imagined.
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