Man, those Americans are violent. How is it our relations with the natives weren’t like this? A pretty decent read on what is probably a fairly obscure topic. Black does well at bringing life to the story. ( )

I'm planning to visit Yellowstone National Park for the first time this summer, so I was excited to read this history. I failed to read the small print, though, since it turns out this book is the history of Yellowstone over the six decades from the Lewis & Clark expedition to the Congressional establishment of the first national park in 1872. It is primarily a military history of the conflicts between Native peoples and the U.S. armed forces sent to defend the interests of white American explorers, exploiters, and settlers. Part of me rolls my eyes at another history that focuses entirely on military actions, while another part feels shamed that I wish to avoid the bloody background of a place special to all Americans.

Key figures in this history include Jim Bridger, a trapper known for his tall tales, although later many of his descriptions of Yellowstone's natural wonders would be proved true. William Tecumseh Sherman and Philip Sheridan, known for their adoption of total war tactics in the Civil War, are key military leaders in the effort to "tame" the West. The first thorough expedition to explore the future park by the United States was lead by Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, and the exploits of his team make up much of the latter part of the book.

The message of the book is clear in that creating a National Park preserved a unique ecosystem, but it only happened after extermination of the buffalo and removal of the Native tribes. The buffalo have been reintroduced to the park, but the legacy of the Native people is still hidden. ( )

This was a well-researched and very entertaining book to read. The tale of the early explorers of the Yellowstone region came to life in Black's recounting of the events. I learned a lot about the park prior to its designation as the nation's first national park, and about the men who helped to shape its destiny. It was interesting to read about these explorer's experiences in places that I have visited, and picturing how much has changed, and how much the park has been 'tamed' in many ways. I would have liked to have had more information about the park's early days, and the role of the army in acting as its first rangers - that part of the park's early history was not fully explored in this book. However, Black's attention to detail and telling of the efforts by the early explorers to not only get people to believe their 'tall tales' of a land of boiling rivers and exploding geysers, but to also recognize that this land should be set aside for the benefit of all people and not exploited, was thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend this title to anybody interested in the early history of Yellowstone. ( )

A very easy reading historical work regarding the early exploration of what became Yellowstone National Park. I read the bulk of this while in the park for a course offered by the Yellowstone Institute centered on wildlife.

This book focuses on the interaction and conflicts between the settlers, military, and gold prospectors - and the Native Americans living in and near the future park. I am continually struck by the almost total regard the whiles has for the culture of the natives, looking at them more as a nuisance than as human beings. A very sad chapter in American history. ( )