N.P. Langford was an explorer, acute businessman, Montana vigilante, and writer/historian. In 1862, Langford established a wagon road to the Salmon River via Fort Benton in Montana Territory. He ended up later in Bannack, Montana Territory where he built a freight business and a saw mill. Between 1863-1864, he was deeply involved with the Montana Territory Vigilantes in and around Bannack and Virginia City. In 1890 he wrote a book titled VIGILANTE DAYS AND WAYS which became a must read about this era in Montana history. In 1864, he was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue and a bank examiner. He held held those jobs for five years. In 1870, he joined a group who explored an area that became Yellowstone National Park. He became the first Superintendent of the Park. He was removed in 1877 under a cloud. After this he returned to his state of Minnesota and became a Western historian at the Minnesota Historical Society. He died in 1911. This photograph was taken by O.C. Bundy, Montana. It is the earliest photograph of him known to my knowledge.
