Nathaniel Pitt. Langford (born 1832 - died 1911) was an explorer, businessman, bureaucrat, vigilante and historian from St. Paul, Minnesota who played an important role in the early years of the Montana gold fields, territorial government and the creation of Yellowstone National Park[1]. On June 16, 1862 Langford, as a member and officer of the Northern Overland Expedition, commanded by Captain James L. Fisk, left St. Paul to establish a wagon road to the Salmon river mine regions of the Rocky Mountains via Fort Benton[1], [2]. The expedition ended up at the Grasshopper Creek gold fields in the area soon to be named Bannack, Montana. There Langford and his fellow businessmen established freight companies, a saw mill and other businesses. Langford was also part of the vigilante movement that dealt with lawlessness in Virginia City and Bannack, Montana during 1863-64[1]. In 1890, Langford wrote Vigilante Days and Ways to chronicle the eras of pioneer justice in the West[3]. In 1864, shortly after the Montana Territory was established on May 28, 1864, Langford was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue and National Bank Examiner, positions he held for five years in the Montana Territorial government[4]. Langford was a member of the 1870 Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition which explored portions of the region that soon would become the Yellowstone National Park[5]. Mount Langford, 10774 ft (2384 m) in the Absaroka Range, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) east of Yellowstone Lake, was scaled by Langford and Doane during the expedition and named after him.[6]. After his participation in the Washburn expedition, Langford was appointed as the first superintendent of the park. He soon got the nickname National Park Langford because of his initials N.P. There was no money available to offer him a salary for this new position, so he had to make his living elsewhere. This left Langford with little time to run the park, and he entered it only twice during his five years as superintendent. The first time was as a guest on the second Hayden Expedition in 1872, and his second took place in 1874 to evict a man named Matthew McGuirk. McGuirk claimed to own the Boiling River - one of the park's hot springs rumored to have healing powers. Langford had no salary, no funding for the park, and no legal way to enforce protection for its wildlife and geologic features. Political pressure, which took the guise of accusing Langford of neglect, forced the removal of Yellowstone's first superintendent in 1877. He was replaced by Philetus W. Norris. In 1905, Langford published Diary of the Washburn Expedition to the Yellowstone and Firehole In the Year 1870 as a comprehensive insider's view of the expedition. After his Yellowstone experiences, Langford returned to his home state of Minnesota and began a career as a Western historian. Prior to his passing he served as the President of and on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Historical Society. Cities · Climate · Colleges and universities · Congressional districts · Demographics · Ecology · Economy · Geography · Geology · Governors · High schools · Historical Congressional delegations · Historical Landmarks · History · Lakes · Music · People · Political parties · Rivers · School districts · Scouting · Sports · State fair · State parks · Territory · Townships · Transportation · Visitor Attractions Arrowhead · Boundary Waters · Buffalo Ridge · Central · Coteau des Prairies · Driftless Area · Iron Range · Minnesota River Valley · North Shore · Northwest Angle · North Woods · Pipestone · Red River Valley · Southeast · Twin Cities metropolitan area Bloomington · Brooklyn Park · Burnsville · Coon Rapids · Duluth · Eagan · Minneapolis · Plymouth · Rochester · St. Cloud · Saint Paul Albert Lea · Alexandria · Andover · Anoka · Apple Valley · Austin · Bemidji · Blaine · Brainerd · Brooklyn Center · Buffalo · Champlin · Chanhassen · Chaska · Cloquet · Columbia Heights · Cottage Grove · Crystal · East Bethel · Eden Prairie · Edina · Elk River · Fairmont · Faribault · Farmington · Fergus Falls · Fridley · Golden Valley · Ham Lake · Hastings · Hibbing · Hopkins · Hutchinson · Inver Grove Heights · Lakeville · Lino Lakes · Mankato · Maple Grove · Maplewood · Marshall · Mendota Heights · Minnetonka · Moorhead · Mounds View · New Brighton · New Hope · New Ulm · Northfield · North Mankato · North St. Paul · Oakdale · Owatonna · Prior Lake · Ramsey · Red Wing · Richfield · Robbinsdale · Rosemount · Roseville · St. Louis Park · Sauk Rapids · Savage · Shakopee · Shoreview · South St. Paul · Stillwater · Vadnais Heights · West St. Paul · White Bear Lake · Willmar · Winona · Woodbury · Worthington Aitkin · Anoka · Becker · Beltrami · Benton · Big Stone · Blue Earth · Brown · Carlton · Carver · Cass · Chippewa · Chisago · Clay · Clearwater · Cook · Cottonwood · Crow Wing · Dakota · Dodge · Douglas · Faribault · Fillmore · Freeborn · Goodhue · Grant · Hennepin · Houston · Hubbard · Isanti · Itasca · Jackson · Kanabec · Kandiyohi · Kittson · Koochiching · Lac qui Parle · Lake · Lake of the Woods · Le Sueur · Lincoln · Lyon · Mahnomen · Marshall · Martin · McLeod · Meeker · Mille Lacs · Morrison · Mower · Murray · Nicollet · Nobles · Norman · Olmsted · Otter Tail · Pennington · Pine · Pipestone · Polk · Pope · Ramsey · Red Lake · Redwood · Renville · Rice · Rock · Roseau · St. Louis · Scott · Sherburne · Sibley · Stearns · Steele · Stevens · Swift · Todd · Traverse · Wabasha · Wadena · Waseca · Washington · Watonwan · Wilkin · Winona · Wright · Yellow Medicine History · Governors · People · Geography · Demographics · State Government  · Visitor Attractions Big Horn County · Eastern Montana · The Flathead · Glacier National Park · Inland Empire · South Central Montana · Southwestern Montana · Western Montana · Yellowstone Anaconda · Belgrade · Billings · Bozeman · Butte · Glendive · Great Falls · Havre · Helena · Kalispell · Laurel · Lewistown · Livingston · Miles City · Missoula · Sidney · Whitefish Beaverhead · Big Horn · Blaine · Broadwater · Carbon · Carter · Cascade · Chouteau · Custer · Daniels · Dawson · Deer Lodge · Fallon · Fergus · Flathead · Gallatin · Garfield · Glacier · Golden Valley · Granite · Hill · Jefferson · Judith Basin · Lake · Lewis and Clark · Liberty · Lincoln · Madison · McCone · Meagher · Mineral · Missoula · Musselshell · Park · Petroleum · Phillips · Pondera · Powder River · Powell · Prairie · Ravalli · Richland · Roosevelt · Rosebud · Sanders · Sheridan · Silver Bow · Stillwater · Sweet Grass · Teton · Toole · Treasure · Valley · Wheatland · Wibaux · Yellowstone