Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, circa 1930

About this postcard

Old Faithful erupting in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, the park's signature sight and the reason many travelers came. The printed caption promises an eruption "about every 65 minutes; reaching a height of 150 feet or more," lasting roughly four minutes. Old Faithful was named by the Washburn expedition of 1870, two years before Yellowstone became the first national park. Its interval between eruptions has lengthened over the decades as the plumbing beneath the basin changed, so the 65-minute figure printed here reflects earlier reporting. By the linen-card era, auto roads and railroad spur lines were bringing steady crowds to the geyser basin each summer.