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Africa or Beatty Lake
Yellowstone National Park



Africa or Beatty Lake - Yellowstone National Park ~ Photo by Veronica Wald © Copyright All Rights Reserved

This beautiful little lake is located by Mammoth Hot Springs just off the main loop road.
Bunsen Peak is in the background.



Africa or Beatty Lake ~ Yellowstone National Park


No name is officially recognized by the United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN). It was probably first called Hays Lake after Howard Hays who was president of the Yellowstone Park Camps Company. It has also been known as Kidney Lake because of its shape. The name Africa Lake is also shape related and was probably given by park bus drivers. Aubrey Haines says in the 20s & 30s, Lee Whittlesey says probably the 60s. Neither Kidney nor Africa has any connection with Yellowstone.


The lake's other name is Beatty Lake from Roy Beatty a park truck driver who in 1931 lost control of a new park pickup coming down the grade and proceeded to ride it downhill into the lake. Truck damaged, Beatty not. Beatty came from a family that had an interesting connection to the park. His grandfather, James, had homesteaded just north of the park and was given a lease by Superintendent Norris to graze cattle in the Lamar. There is some thought that Norris wanted to attempt to preserve the park's bison by collecting calves from the wild and raising them in captivity. For this he needed cows to wet-nurse the calves. This project, if it existed, came to nothing because the Nez Perce, on their 1877 flight through the park, killed and ate the cattle. Young Roy was a bear of a man who could pick up a shop anvil with one finger inserted in the swage hole.


Info from USBGN, Haines "Place Names" and Whittlesey "Nomenclature" and "Place Names".


Information provided by Kent Morby


Roy L. Beatty from Christy Beatty

Roy L. Beatty - Photo provided by Christy Beatty


Africa or Beatty Lake ~ Yellowstone National Park


Africe or Beatty Lake ~ Yellowstone National Park
Lake Location Elevation in Feet Fishable
Africe or Beatty Lake 44°56'59.12" N / 110°42'48.45" W 6804 No

Africa or Beatty Lake Area Map

Africa or Beatty Lake - Yellowstone National Park







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