Founded in 1908 to provide services for visitors arriving at the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park, the town of West Yellowstone, Montana, serves tens of thousands of international travelers each year. From 1908 to 1960, visitors arrived on Union Pacific Railroad parlor cars and boarded awaiting stagecoaches or, in later years, touring buses to embark on their journey to Wonderland. The railroad no longer serves this popular gateway city, but West Yellowstone boasts the largest and most historically intact railroad complex built specifically to serve national park tourists. This historic railroad district, as well as the town, imparts to many visitors a sense of the adventure experienced during the golden age of railroad travel and public transportation. Title: West Yellowstone is subject of new book & postcard collection Author: Staff Writer Publisher: The Island Park News Date: 7/30/09 West Yellowstone by Paul Shea Images of America Series. $21.99 128 pages, softcover West Yellowstone by Paul Shea Postcards of America Series $7.99. 15 postcards Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, S.C. WEST YELLOWSTONE -- Founded in 1908 to provide services for visitors arriving at the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park, the town of West Yellowstone, Montana, serves tens of thousands of international travelers each year. From 1908 to 1960, visitors arrived on Union Pacific Railroad parlor cars and boarded awaiting stagecoaches or, in later years, touring buses, to embark on their journey to Wonderland. This history is documented in more than 200 vintage images in the new book, West Yellowstone, by local author Paul Shea, and in a packet of 15 historic postcards. Shea lived and worked in and around West Yellowstone and Yellowstone National Park from 1979 through 2008. He located permanently in West Yellowstone in 1989. Elected as president of the West Yellowstone Historical Society in 1993, he became involved in the collection and interpretation of the history of West Yellowstone and surrounding area. In 1998 with the founding of the Yellowstone Historic Center in West Yellowstone, to oversee the restoration and preservation of the Oregon Short Line Terminus Historic District and development of a new museum, Shea was hired as executive director and served in that capacity until 2002. Shea served as the curator for the Yellowstone Historic Center and its museum from 2002 through 2008. This book is a detailed history of the origins of the town of West Yellowstone and contains a wealth of early photos that have not been published or seen, courtesy of the Yellowstone Historic Center. Shea currently lives in Carson City, NV and continues his work with museums. Highlights of West Yellowstone include the Oregon Short Line Historic District, the largest intact rail complex built exclusively to service a National Park, and photos of buildings that served the town and tourists in many ways, including the Rainbow Tabernacle, a pool hall, and stores and lodges. West Yellowstone and the postcard packets are available at area bookstores, independent and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or www.arcadiapublishing.com. Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Its mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America's people and places. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com. Paul Shea has lived and worked in West Yellowstone and Yellowstone National Park since 1979. With the founding of the Yellowstone Historic Center (YHC) in 1998 to oversee the restoration and preservation of the Oregon Short Line Terminus Historic District and the development of a new museum, Paul was hired as executive director and later served as curator through 2008. The vintage photographs shown in this volume were provided by the YHC, the Wyoming State Archives, the Montana Department of Transportation, and the Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections at Montana State University.