In 1872, DeLacy faced further downsizing of his accomplishment when Frank Bradley decided DeLacy’s map was horribly flawed. Bradley removed DeLacy’s name from the park’s second largest lake and bestowed it with its present title, “Shoshone Lake.”

When Philetus W. Norris assumed the park superintendent position, he used his power and sympathy for DeLacy’s situation to name the creek located above Shoshone Lake after the early explorer. Today, the area is known for its hiking trails and prime moose habitat.

Factory Hill
When Nathaniel Langford accompanied a Yellowstone discovery expedition in 1870, he commented on the numerous steam vents lining the base of the Red Mountain Range. Likening the rising steam to the hazy atmosphere of a New England factory village, Langford’s description was published in a June 1871 edition of Scribner’s. Hundreds of people across the country read Langford’s depiction, and when the 1885 Hague expedition party visited Yellowstone, they renamed the mountain after Langford’s famous simile. 

Lewis River
A tributary of the Snake River that drains Shoshone and Lewis Lakes, the Lewis River was originally called Lake Fork after these characteristics. The scenic river flows through alpine habitat on its journey across the 500,000-year-old Pitchstone Plateau.

Red Mountains
The Red Mountains draw their name from volcanic residue that gives a vibrant red tint to the small range. The mountains are completely contained within the park’s boundaries and include twelve peaks.

Riddle Lake
Hayden Survey party member, Rudolph Hering, named this small lake in 1872. The name is reportedly the result of legendary fur-trapper stories describing a lake that drained into two oceans (now known as Isa Lake). Early expedition party members believed Riddle Lake was that infamous body of water and boldly believed they had solved the mountain man riddle of “two-ocean water.”

Shoshone Lake
Encompassing 8,050 surface acres and reaching a maximum depth of 205 feet, Shoshone Lake represents the park’s second-largest lake. The large lake is also thought to be the largest backcountry lake in the continental U.S. Serving as the source for the Lewis River, the lake is situated southwest of West Thumb. The lake has long received visitors, with Jim Bridger arriving at its shores as early as 1833. Osborne Russell and James Gemmell were on Bridger’s heels, and Gemmell referred to the lake as “Snake Lake” in 1846. The name was appropriate since the lake is included in the Snake River drainage.

In 1863, Walter DeLacy discovered the lake on a prospecting expedition. He promptly named the lake after himself, but the name refused to stick. Other explorers mistakenly decided the lake served as the Madison River’s source, so the lake assumed the new “Madison Lake” title. In 1870, the lake’s name changed again when the Washburn Expedition named the lake after their leader, General H.D. Washburn.

Shoshone Lake received its final name in 1872 when Frank Bradley and the Hayden Survey found DeLacy’s area maps flawed; they subsequently decided the lake should reflect its location in the Snake River drainage. Believing “Snake Lake” carried a negative connotation, Bradley opted for the Native American translation of snake: Shoshone. Although controversy arose regarding the lake’s new name, park officials deemed the title appropriate given the historic residence of Shoshone Indians in the surrounding region.