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Additional
superintendents followed, but without adequate help, Yellowstone's
natural resources were being destroyed as poachers killed animals,
souvenir hunters broke off pieces of geological formations, and developers
established numerous tourist camps. The good intentions of these early
administrators, were no match for their lack of experience, funds and
manpower.
 As a result, the park turned to the U.S. Army
for help. In August, 1886, men from Company M, First United States
Cavalry, Fort Custer, Montana Territory under Captain Moses Harris came to Yellowstone
to begin what would be more than 30 years of military presence in
the park.
At first, the troops lived in temporary frame buildings at Camp
Sheridan, established at the foot of the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces.
After enduring five cold, harsh winters, the cavalry realized there was no
end in sight to this assignment. Therefore, in 1890, Congress appropriated
$50,000 for a permanent post.
Fort Yellowstone was completed by late 1891 and as more troops were
needed, additional buildings were constructed including officers'
quarters, a guard house, headquarters, stables, barracks for the
enlisted men and non-commissioned officers' quarters.
In the winter of 1894, soldiers caught the
notorious poacher Ed Howell killing buffalo. Because no laws existed to
prosecute Howell, public indignation caused Congress to pass the Lacey Act
to protect the birds and animals of Yellowstone
National Park, and to punish crimes in the park.
In 1903, a building was constructed to serve
as the headquarters for the Army Corps of Engineers who were tasked with
building and maintaining Yellowstone's
roads and bridges. During their tenure, they constructed over 400 miles of
roads as well as building a hydroelectric power plant, which provided
electricity for the fort's buildings, and developing a water system.
In 1909, Scottish masons began constructing sandstone buildings in the
park including the Bachelor Officers' Quarters, which now serves as the
Albright Visitor Center; two-troop barracks for 200 men, which now serves
as the administration building; and later, the Chapel, the last of the
structures to be built in 1913. Prior to its completion, religious
services were held in the troop mess hall, the post exchange, or in a
private residence. The chapel continues to
serve the community today. These buildings were built of native sandstone
obtained from a local quarry between the Gardner River and the Mammoth
Campground.
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