Yellowstone Trail Association – YTA
The original Yellowstone Trail Association (YTA) was formed in 1912 and worked formally to create the transcontinental highway from Boston to Seattle.
By the early 1930s, the Depression, aggressive efforts of state and federal governments to assume road building responsibility, and, route marking all caused the Association to fade.
The YTA, over the years, was forgotten…
Around 1999,…
A number of local historians, several retired university professors, and representatives of the tourism industry, individually and then collectively, began attempts to spread the word about the historical significance, tourism potential, and the fun that could be found in this old auto route known as the Yellowstone Trail.
Those efforts slowly jelled into a modern YTA that is beginning to make its mark.
Today, YTA Members are organized to carry forward this national treasure.
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Original publications of the YTA used a hand created, unique rendition of a directional arrow, shown below.
This directional arrow has been used on modern YTA material and road signs for over 20 years.
The hand-created arrow is subtly identifiable and much easier on the eye than a symmetric, “mechanical” rendition.
YTA will soon again have Signs For Sale to show travelers the location of the Yellowstone Trail Historical Automobile Route in your area.
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On April 23, 1912, Joe Parmley of Ipswich, South Dakota, held a meeting that he had in mind for years.
He gathered influential men from five nearby counties to implement the first step in his long-
This group grew into a formal organization, the Yellowstone Trail Association, on October 9, 1912 at Lemmon, South Dakota.
The need for the Yellowstone Trail became urgent as autos were flooding the nation, but had extremely limited trails (roads) to drive on.
Automobiles were arriving throughout America by the thousands being delivered on the established, intricate railroad system of the time.
Trails developed out of need.
YTA has put together a partial list of “American Trails”.
Timeline of Trails (Roads) in America.
Yellowstone Trail Association – Then and Now
In 1912, a group of small town businessmen in South Dakota undertook an ambitious project to create a useful automobile route across America, the Yellowstone Trail.
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This was at a time when roads were NOT marked, there were few maps, and, slippery mud was the usual road surface.
The Yellowstone Trail Association located a route, motivated road improvements, produced maps and folders to guide the traveler, and, promoted tourism along its length.
It became a leader in stimulating tourist travel to the Northwest and motivating good roads across America.
Today…
Almost all of the route of the Yellowstone Trail is on slower, less traveled roads.
Some sections of the Trail, especially in the West, have remained little changed and are a delight to visit.
We are the modern version of the YT Association with members who enjoy exploring the YT, learning about its history, researching its location, and exchanging information and ideas.
Our Membership is Diverse
There are Seniors with family memories related to the Trail and early auto travel, antique car aficionados who take Sociability Runs on the Trail just as members did in 1917.
Local Historians finding a new aspect of their communities, Modern Travelers looking for an “authentic” experience, and, Tourism Professionals with the same goals as the original founders, Local Economic Development, are all rediscovering the Yellowstone Trail.
→YTA Today←
YTA Volunteers have Mapped the Route of the YT through its thirteen states in great detail.
We have begun marking the Yellowstone Trail and promoting interpretive signs.
The YTA proudly produces a newsletter/journal, The Arrow, which contains current and past YT information, stories, and more.
Most importantly, we want to preserve this critical part of American History known as the Yellowstone Trail, and, to share our information, knowledge and experiences.
We extend an invitation to Join the YTA and become a Member.
Do you want to help preserve an important part of American History?
Join the Yellowstone Trail Association!
Fun, informative, historic, and, you’ll have a blast traveling
“The Yellowstone Trail”!
Are you a School Teacher or Student?
Click Here for available curriculum tools.
Learn fun and interesting facts about the YTA, and, how it inspired the Yellowstone Trail, the first continuous automobile road from Boston to Seattle!
We invite you to Drive the current Yellowstone Trail today!
Travel the Trail, you’ll be glad you did!
The Yellowstone Trail Association accomplished many forward-
YTA did not build roads.
Instead, they badgered county boards and state highway commissions to create one long, connected road through counties instead of supporting roads that “went nowhere.”
Long, connected roads were their passion.
They sponsored Trail Days, (a day when all Trail towns would actually help the county build a road), set up travel bureaus, held races on the Trail for publicity, supplied the traveler with maps, weather conditions and lists of facilities in Trail towns.
The Association also encouraged towns to provide campgrounds for tourists.
PURPOSES OF THE ORIGINAL YELLOWSTONE TRAIL ASSOCIATION:
First and foremost, they wanted to get a route built from “Plymouth Rock to Puget Sound.”
Second, they wanted to attract tourists to the Yellowstone National Park, thus benefiting member towns along the route.
Third, they wanted to see road-
The spark ignited in Ipswich had inspired an entire nation!
The call-to-action was accepted, more or less, in the northern 13 states and work began.
The YTA stayed active until around 1930, when the obvious need for national, state, county, city and rural roads was taken over by government agencies.
In the 1990’s, the YTA was re-established by John and Alice Ridge.
Thanks to the Ridge’s dedication, research, hard-work, financial contributions, and huge commitment of time the Yellowstone Trail Association continues today!
Today, in year 2025,...
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Almost all of the route of the Yellowstone Trail is on slower, less traveled roads.
Some sections of the Trail, especially in the West, have remained little changed and are a delight to visit.
Visit our Map Page to see an excellent collection of YT Maps, created by John Ridge, featured in the 2021 Book.
YTA is currently building an updated, modern-day interactive map that will guide you while driving today’s Yellowstone Trail, expected to be released in Spring 2025.
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Today’s YT Association is active with members who enjoy exploring the YT, learning about its history, researching its location, and, exchanging information and ideas.
We cordially invite you to Join in our ongoing mission to preserve Yellowstone Trail’s History, the continual discovery of new facts, and, educate our children where today’s highway system came from and why such urgency!
To read the entire YTA story, click the link here.
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Enjoy a collection of photos organized state-by-state in the YTA Photo Gallery.
