John F. Yancey
| John F. Yancey | |
|---|---|
John F. Yancey, circa 1900
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| Born | 1826 Barren County, Kentucky |
| Died | May 7, 1903 Gardiner, Montana |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia |
| Resting place | Tinker's Cemetery, Gardiner, Montana 45°2′5″N 110°43′25″W / 45.03472°N 110.72361°W |
| Other names | Uncle John Yancey |
| Occupation | Yellowstone Park Concessionaire |
| Relatives | Dan Yancey (Nephew) |
John F. Yancey also known as Uncle John Yancey (born 1826 Barren County, Kentucky, died May 7, 1903) was a Yellowstone National Park concessionaire who operated Yancey's Pleasant Valley hotel near Tower Junction in Yellowstone from 1882 until his death in 1903.
Very little is known about John Yancey's early life in Kentucky, although it is believed he was related in some way to William Lowndes Yancey, an Alabama politician and secessionist. Yancey was sixth of ten children and his parents moved to Missouri while he was a young boy where he grew to manhood. He participated in the American Civil War on the side of the Confederacy, but to what extent is unknown. In the 1870s, shortly after the creation of Yellowstone National Park, he turned up as a prospector in the area of the Crevice Creek gold strike on the northern boundary of the park. He apparently made enough money from prospecting to establish a way station on the Gardiner to Cooke City road inside the park in 1882.Owen Wister, who met Yancey during a visit in 1896, described him as a: goat-bearded, shrewd-eyed, lank, Uncle Sam type.
Pleasant Valley is located just north of the Tower-Roosevelt junction on the Yellowstone River Trail 44°55′46″N 110°25′17″W / 44.92944°N 110.42139°W. The valley lies adjacent to the Yellowstone River near the site of Barronett's Bridge and the confluence of the Lamar River. The valley was named by Philetus Norris, the second superintendent of the park (1877–82).
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