Death in Yellowstone - Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park Yellowstone National Park has a long history of deaths by everything from earthquakes to bear attacks, poison gas, and lightning. Since 1870 there have been 300 deaths, all brought together in this fascinating book by a long-time chronicler of Yellowstone. Lee H. Whitttlesey is a Historical Archivist at Yellowstone National Park. He is the author of several other books on the park, as well as several magazine articles.