Philetus Norris
Encyclopedia
Philetus W. Norris was the second superintendent of Yellowstone National Park
and was the first person to be paid for that position.
on August 17, 1821, the son of John Norris, Jr. and Azubah Phelps. His father was a pioneer mill-builder, and had fought in the War of 1812
. In the early 1820s, the family moved to Allegheny County in New York. In 1826, they bought 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) in Michigan
, moving there soon thereafter. There, they survived through the Black Hawk War
and several cholera
plagues. John Norris fell ill, and Philetus was forced to help his mother support their rather large family.
. Once married, the couple became two of the original settlers of Pioneer, Ohio
. They had four children: Edward, Aurelia, Ida and Arthur. In Pioneer, Norris built a steam mill and worked as a land agent. In the span between 1850 and 1860, Norris also travelled to the western states.
When the Civil War
began, Norris joined the Union troops, eventually rising to the rank of Colonel. He served as a spy behind Confederate Lines and Captain of the West Virginia Mountain Scouts
. While fighting near Laurel Mountain
, West Virginia, Norris's horse was shot out from underneath him, severely injuring his shoulder and spinal cord.
After his injury, Norris returned to Pioneer and was elected to the Ohio Legislature. Later, he became a member of the United States Sanitary Commission
, caring for the wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
, and also served at the Confederate prison on Kelley's Island.
After the Civil War, Norris moved to Michigan
, where he managed land which belonged to officers and soldiers of both the Union and Confederate armies as part of a federal contract. In 1873, he founded the town of Norris, now within the boundaries of Detroit
but then in Wayne County
and built the Two Way Inn, which was originally the village's jail and general store. He lived there for a few years until he built a nearby house
, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places
. There he ran a real estate business.
To ensure the success of his community, Norris drained the creek that ran through the area to open up land for farming. He also recruited the railroad to run through the area and maintained the plank road that ran between Detroit and Mount Clemens
, operating a tollbooth
located in the village.
In 1870, Norris again traveled west, entering the Yellowstone Park area; he returned again in 1875. During this time, Norris wrote a series of articles on "The Great West" which were published in the Norris, Michigan Suburban.
to control poaching and vandalism in the park, leading Yount to be considered the first National Park ranger
.
When Norris arrived in 1877 there were approximately 32 miles (51 km) of road
s and 108 miles (173 km) of trail
s. By the time he left in 1882, there were five times as many roads and twice as many trails. The roads were crude and many described them as only "fair" wagon trails. Still, they provided access to "the land of wonders."
While superintendent, Norris published five annual reports. Three mountain peaks, including Mount Norris
, one geyser basin, and one pass in Yellowstone are named after Norris.
Afterward, he worked in ethnological research for the Smithsonian Institution
. In 1885, Norris fell ill in Rocky Hill, Kentucky
, while working for the Smithsonian. After a brief illness, he died in Rocky Hill, on January 14, 1885. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit three days later, and shortly thereafter his body was moved to Woodmere Cemetery.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
and was the first person to be paid for that position.
Early life
Philetus Walter Norris was born in Palmyra, New YorkPalmyra (town), New York
Palmyra is a town in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 7,672 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the ancient city Palmyra in Syria....
on August 17, 1821, the son of John Norris, Jr. and Azubah Phelps. His father was a pioneer mill-builder, and had fought in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. In the early 1820s, the family moved to Allegheny County in New York. In 1826, they bought 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, moving there soon thereafter. There, they survived through the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
and several cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
plagues. John Norris fell ill, and Philetus was forced to help his mother support their rather large family.
Pre-Yellowstone years
Norris left school early to become a trapper. He traveled all around the midwest to trap and trade. In 1838, Norris settled in northwest Ohio near the home of a good friend. In 1845, Norris married Jane K. Cottrell of Fayette, OhioFayette, Ohio
Fayette is a village in Fulton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,340 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Fayette is located at ....
. Once married, the couple became two of the original settlers of Pioneer, Ohio
Pioneer, Ohio
Pioneer is a village in Williams County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,369 at the 2010 census.-History:Earliest recorded settlers of Pioneer were P.W. Norris and Owen McCarty , who were hired to clear James A. Rogers land in 1842-3. That land was section 17 of Williams County...
. They had four children: Edward, Aurelia, Ida and Arthur. In Pioneer, Norris built a steam mill and worked as a land agent. In the span between 1850 and 1860, Norris also travelled to the western states.
When the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
began, Norris joined the Union troops, eventually rising to the rank of Colonel. He served as a spy behind Confederate Lines and Captain of the West Virginia Mountain Scouts
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
. While fighting near Laurel Mountain
Laurel Mountain (West Virginia)
For other "Laurel Mountains", see Laurel Mountain .Laurel Mountain, also called Laurel Hill, is a long ridge in north-central West Virginia, USA...
, West Virginia, Norris's horse was shot out from underneath him, severely injuring his shoulder and spinal cord.
After his injury, Norris returned to Pioneer and was elected to the Ohio Legislature. Later, he became a member of the United States Sanitary Commission
United States Sanitary Commission
The United States Sanitary Commission was a private relief agency created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded soldiers of the U.S. Army during the American Civil War. It operated across the North, raised its own funds, and enlisted thousands of volunteers...
, caring for the wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
, and also served at the Confederate prison on Kelley's Island.
After the Civil War, Norris moved to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, where he managed land which belonged to officers and soldiers of both the Union and Confederate armies as part of a federal contract. In 1873, he founded the town of Norris, now within the boundaries of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
but then in Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
and built the Two Way Inn, which was originally the village's jail and general store. He lived there for a few years until he built a nearby house
Philetus W. Norris House
The Philetus W. Norris House is located at 17815 Mt. Elliott Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, near the corner of Mound Road and Davison Avenue. It was built in 1873 by Philetus W. Norris, who went on to become the second superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. The house was listed on the...
, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. There he ran a real estate business.
To ensure the success of his community, Norris drained the creek that ran through the area to open up land for farming. He also recruited the railroad to run through the area and maintained the plank road that ran between Detroit and Mount Clemens
Mount Clemens, Michigan
Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,312. It is the county seat of Macomb County.-Early history:...
, operating a tollbooth
Toll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road or canal. Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries...
located in the village.
In 1870, Norris again traveled west, entering the Yellowstone Park area; he returned again in 1875. During this time, Norris wrote a series of articles on "The Great West" which were published in the Norris, Michigan Suburban.
Yellowstone
In 1877, Norris became the second superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, a position he held until 1882. It was only in June 1878, however, that Congress finally approved a salary of $10,000 a year for the park's superintendent, as well as minimal funds "to protect, preserve, and improve the Park." Norris hired Harry YountHarry Yount
Henry S. Yount was an American Civil War soldier, mountain man, professional hunter and trapper, prospector, wilderness guide and packer, seasonal employee of the United States Department of the Interior, and the first gamekeeper in Yellowstone National Park...
to control poaching and vandalism in the park, leading Yount to be considered the first National Park ranger
Park ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
.
When Norris arrived in 1877 there were approximately 32 miles (51 km) of road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
s and 108 miles (173 km) of trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
s. By the time he left in 1882, there were five times as many roads and twice as many trails. The roads were crude and many described them as only "fair" wagon trails. Still, they provided access to "the land of wonders."
While superintendent, Norris published five annual reports. Three mountain peaks, including Mount Norris
Mount Norris
Mount Norris el. is a mountain peak in the northeast section of Yellowstone National Park in the Absaroka Range. In 1875 the peak was named for and named by Philetus Norris, the second park superintendent . Norris was on a visit to the park with several mountain guides, including Collins Jack...
, one geyser basin, and one pass in Yellowstone are named after Norris.
Afterward
Norris was removed from his post at Yellowstone in 1882 due to political maneuvering. In 1883, he published a volume of verse entitled, The calumet of the Coteau, and other poetical legends of the border. Also, a glossary of Indian names, words and western provincialisms. Together with a guide-book of the Yellowstone national park.Afterward, he worked in ethnological research for the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. In 1885, Norris fell ill in Rocky Hill, Kentucky
Rocky Hill, Kentucky
Rocky Hill is an unincorporated community in Edmonson County, Kentucky, United States, located south of Mammoth Cave National Park. It is part of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, while working for the Smithsonian. After a brief illness, he died in Rocky Hill, on January 14, 1885. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit three days later, and shortly thereafter his body was moved to Woodmere Cemetery.
External links
- Philetus W. Norris, The calumet of the Coteau, and other poetical legends of the border. Also, a glossary of Indian names, words and western provincialisms. Together with a guide-book of the Yellowstone national park, 1883, J.B. Lippincott & co., Philadelphia. Read the full text from Google Books.
- Don Binkowski, Col. P. W. Norris: Yellowstone's Greatest Superintendent, 1995, C & D of Warren ISBN 0-9646527-0-6.