THE GATHERINGA multi-night live storytelling and film experience

THE REAL YELLOWSTONE™ (TRY) is a live storytelling and film series built around the firsthand stories of the people who shaped Yellowstone—particularly the generations from the 1950s through the 1990s, and the wider park community that defined that era.There was a time in Yellowstone when the work was learned in the moment—passed from person to person. Much of it was never formally recorded. It was learned by doing. That way of working became its own kind of culture—shaping how the park was understood, lived in, and cared for across rangers, staff, families, concessionaires, outfitters, and the communities connected to it.The series takes shape through multi-night gatherings.

THE GATHERING

Each gathering unfolds over several nights, with each evening focused on a specific theme and built around a small number of firsthand voices.The stories come from personal experience—their work and life in Yellowstone, how they got there, and how the broader community fit into it. Supported by images and film, the experience builds across the nights, and by the end, the focus shifts to what has changed and what may not be carried forward.Across the nights, it provides a clear, grounded understanding of the culture that shaped Yellowstone during this irreplaceable era—and the people responsible for managing it, along with the challenges they faced.

THE NIGHT

Each evening focuses on a specific theme, with a small number of people sharing firsthand stories supported by archival images and the film.There is no script. The stories are told from personal experience—through conversation and memory.Some are light. Some are more serious.Together, they show what the work was actually like and how people came to understand the park through experience, responsibility, and the people around them.

PRESERVATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Each gathering contributes to a growing body of work.All live events are filmed and recorded—preserving these voices and making the experience accessible to those who cannot be there in person.Over time, this becomes a living archive, a body of film, and a returning community.It is not just an event.It is the continuation of something that was once passed down through the work.

WHERE THIS TAKE PLACE

Who remembers the ranger and naturalist talks in the outdoor amphitheaters in Yellowstone? The ones at Madison, Fishing Bridge, Bridge Bay… I do.I remember the evening sky turning to dark, the sounds of the park at night, the crackling of campfires, the voices talking about the majestic and wild Yellowstone. It’s an experience I wish everyone had—and still could have.In this spirit, TRY works to recreate this space.
This place of gathering—grounded in the tradition of the Yellowstone campfire talk.While the live events are not currently held in Yellowstone, we gather in the communities that surround it.The inaugural event begins this fall in the Paradise Valley area outside of Livingston, Montana. Each fall, the series will return—held in gateway communities like Gardiner, Paradise Valley, West Yellowstone, and Cody, Wyoming—with future expansion into the greater Yellowstone region.While the gatherings take place in the communities surrounding Yellowstone, they are grounded in the tradition of the Yellowstone campfire talk—bringing firsthand stories and shared experience back to the center of the work.

SUPPORT THE WORK

This work is carried forward by those who choose to be part of it.
If this resonates, there are a few ways to support it.

Join the Campfire CircleReceive original artwork tied to each storytelling season, while supporting the film and the live gatherings.

• Explore the Campfire Circle →

Make a ContributionSupport the film, the gatherings, and the continued telling of this work.

• Contribute →

Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
This image reflects the tradition that shaped this work—and the kind of gathering TRY seeks to carry forward.