Kevin Costner’s Doc Series: Yellowstone To Yosemite Is Pretty Cool

I love to learn and hear about history, and this love was a driving force in my decision to move to Wyoming. When I was 12, my grandparents brought my cousin and me on a vacation that would change my life.

We made the loop from Illinois through Missouri, into South Dakota, across Montana, and then to the best part of the trip: Wyoming. We drove south into Yellowstone National Park, which was on fire then, and saw the nation's first National Park.

I'm not the only one whose life was changed by a trip like that; actor Kevin Costner was, too. Of course, he was the star of the Yellowstone TV series, but in 2022, he explored Yellowstone National Park and produced the docuseries Yellowstone: One-Fifty. 

In the four-part series, he takes viewers through the park's history while he hikes and camps. He shares information he's learned through reading journals, reports, and books detailing the park's history. It is an incredible series that you should check out on Fox Nation.

After doing the Yellowstone doc series, he turned his attention to Yosemite National Park and the importance of each park to the U.S. Again, the series is on FOX Nation. The first two episodes are available, and I couldn't wait to see them.

As I continued to watch, he described how Geologist and Surveyor Ferdinan Hayden convinced Congress to protect Yellowstone for the people's benefit and enjoyment. President Grant signed the act into law, and a National Park was created for the first time.

He goes on to say that by 1903, six National Parks were protected by the government in the U.S., but the process wasn't working. Gold miners, timber seekers, and poachers were destroying the parks with no punishment for doing so.

When I heard that, I thought about how that sounds familiar. Today, people are running amuck, causing problems, and destroying national treasures without punishment.

Costner then says the following:

You know, as a parent myself, I can confidently say that the rules that I believe don't really work if they're only enforced some of the time. Even less effective if the punishment for breaking them isn't much of a punishment at all, and that's exactly what was happening in the National Parks.

He goes on to tell the story of a poacher, his name was Ed Howell, who was caught red-handed by the army soldiers cutting off the heads of 10 bison that he'd killed in Yellowstone National Park. He admitted on the spot that he'd sold them to a taxidermist for $125 each. But, despite getting caught in the act, the only punishment allowed by the law was to make him leave, telling him he should never come back.

Political views aside, I think this is something that everyone needs to hear. If you do stupid stuff, you need to receive the punishment you deserve.

I didn't think I would hear something that made so much sense while getting my history nerd fix at 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday, but that's exactly what happened. I think this is what many Americans feel right now.

If you haven't watched either series yet, you should. As he tells the story, you can hear how passionate Kevin is about the importance of the parks' history.

Check out the trailer below, and catch the series on FOX Nation. The first two episodes are available now.