James George came to Montana in 1863 as a hunter and a trapper. In 1870 he bought a small piece of land along the Yellowstone River about 10 miles north of Gardiner Montana and built a small cabin. Little did he know that just two years later, Yellowstone National Park would be designated the world’s first national park, and visitors would begin flocking to this new park to see its natural wonders.
Every single park visitor during this time would arrive in Livingston, and then take horses or stage coaches down Paradise Valley to reach the only entrance to Yellowstone Park at Gardiner Montana. James George’s land was located right smack in the middle of this trail to Yellowstone Park. So he did what any red-blooded entrepreneur would do: Charge a toll! And that’s what he did for over 20 years.
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He also kept his section of the trail clear of boulders and other obstacles to help Yellowstone travelers with their journey.
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Nicknamed “Yankee Jim”, James George charged $2.50 cents for a wagon with on team of horses, and one dollar for a single horse and rider. Yankee Jim was remembered as an “extremely colorful” individual, who was a master of telling tall tales and who enjoyed liquor very much…and the more he drank, the taller his tales would become.
Yankee Jim’s thriving business came to an end when the Northern Pacific Railroad built a branch line from Livingston to Yellowstone Park in 1883. He fought a good fight however, first trying to stop the early trains by standing on the tracks with a shot gun, and then by trying to sue the railroad. He fought a good fight bought lost. However, travelers and railroaders alike would see Yankee Jim come out of his cabin and shake his fist at every train that came through on a daily basis. Yankee Jim continued to try to scratch out a living by offering supplies and a place to rest for visitors coming into the park on horseback, and of course charged his usual toll, but business was slow, and in 1893, he sold his section of this road to Park County for $1,000.
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