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Firehole River and the Madison River, Wyoming!

Firehole River and the Madison River, Wyoming!

Firehole River and the Madison River, Wyoming!

Made in USA, this is our venerated Map of the Firehole River and the Madison River!

The Firehole River is located in northwestern Wyoming, and is one of the two major tributaries of the Madison River. It flows north nearly twenty-one miles from its source in Madison Lake on the Continental Divide to join the Gibbon River at Madison Junction in Yellowstone National Park where it flows through several significant geyser basins in Yellowstone National Park to include the Upper Geyser Basin, which contains the world-famous geyser Old Faithful! The river was named by early trappers for the steam that makes it appear to be smoking as if on fire!

When it was discovered in the 1830s by American explorers, the Firehole was barren of trout above what is now called Firehole Falls. Brook trout were introduced to the upper Firehole in 1889, while brown trout was first stocked in 1890. Rainbow trout were not introduced until 1923! In 1955 all stocking programs in Yellowstone National Park were discontinued and today's Firehole trout are completely wild populations. In 1968, based on increasing pressure on the Firehole, the Gibbon and Madison rivers, the National Park Service designated these waters as Fly Fishing Only!

The Madison River is a headwater tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 183 miles long, in Wyoming and Montana. Its confluence with the Jefferson and Gallatin river near Three Forks, Montana forms the Missouri River. The Madison River from Madison Junction in Yellowstone to Three Forks, is a fly fishing mecca for serious anglers! It is classified as a blue ribbon fishery in Montana!

The river was named in July 1805 by Meriwether Lewis at Three Forks. The central fork of the three, it was named for U.S. Secretary of State James Madison, who would succeed Thomas Jefferson as president in 1809. The western fork, the largest, was named for president Jefferson and the east fork for Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin!

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