Fishing Bridge Museum

The Fishing Bridge Museum and visitor center isn't too far from to Fishing Bridge.  When we walked out of the parking lot towards the building I saw the sign (pictured at left) and my mind thought--even though I should have known better--wi-fi!

The Fishing Bridge Museum was completed in 1931. Built of native rock and stone, it appears to rise out of a rock outcrop. The structure was built to reflect the beauty of nature itself. Approaching from the parking lot, it was designed so that one could see through the building to Yellowstone Lake, hence the notion of focussing on the natural resource that the building was created to interpret. It would eventually become a prototype of rustic architecture in parks all over the nation and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. When automobiles replaced stagecoaches as the main means of transportation through the park, people were no longer accompanied by a guide. The Museum was built as a "Trailside Museum," allowing visitors to obtain information about Yellowstone on their own.
--from NPS Yellowstone Website, Lake Area section

This is what the "wi-fi" sign was pointing out, the area amphitheater:

The building as described above was beautiful and did seem to blend into the landscape to some extent.

 You can really see the stone and wood in this view.

Inside there were quite a few animal exhibits, including one that helped to identify the sandhill crane that we'd seen that morning as we left our campground.  The placement of these rods looked a tad painful...

 Great Blue Heron

 Trumpeter swan

 Grizzly Bear and cubs

Bears who encounter humans may lose their natural wariness and become threats to life and property.  When this happens, bears may be relocated to remote backcountry areas--or removed from the Yellowstone population, depending on the circumstances.  Some of the best grizzly habitat in the park exists in the Fishing Bridge area.  To reduce conflicts between humans and bears here, a campground and lodging units have been removed.
--from museum signage

 Sandhill crane

 Pelican

 Pelican chicks.  I know that they're only models, but they are simply UGLY!

 Gray Jay

 This doorway separated the visitor center/exhibit area from the gift shop.

 The eagle was truly beautiful soaring above the rest of the exhibits and displays.

When I looked up I found myself fascinated by the ceiling's construction.

After a big we headed out back so that we could look at the lake.  More about that in another post, but the back side of the building was nice, but I really enjoyed the compass etched into the stone.

More about our views of Lake Yellowstone in another post soon...

~Matt