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jarcher's review against another edition
3.0
Picked up during our trip to Yellowstone National Park this past October. A little too tangential at times and often tedious in detail, but this piece of American history is vital knowledge as we discuss land reclamation. For me, this felt like a thorough endorsement to return our National Park land to the Indigenous peoples from whom it was stolen.
cmcarr's review against another edition
3.0
This is a really comprehensive work of history. I can't imagine what it took to piece this together. It is not one of those history books that reads like fiction. It is fairly dense at times, and challenging to follow the characters and narratives. That being said, it provides a really eye-opening account of the development of the West. Yellowstone is always the backstory, but not always the focus. It's hard to read this, in many places. To hear about the mass genocide of the native tribes of these lands, and the words from the great leaders and explorers of the time, gives a great sadness. Every time I read history I get more irritated by the slogan "Make America Great Again." I believe that the evolution of our country is like MLK's description of the arc of the moral universe--long but bending toward justice. We are always moving forward in slow steps, and yet have so far to go. I still struggle with how to think about our history full of such highs and such lows. How do I look back? What do I carry forward? What is my responsibility?
ehays84's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't read the whole thing but I enjoyed what I did read. I was looking for a book more about Yellowstone and less about the history of the American west, hence why I stopped. But for a book I just picked up off the shelf at the library, it was quite good. Good research, commitment to telling the full story, and it did make me more excited to visit Yellowstone. This book basically ends when it becomes a park, so know that if you think of reading it.
t_wayne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
bfraynt's review against another edition
3.0
There are many things about this book that I really enjoyed. First, Black does a good job of framing the creation of the first national park as part of a larger historical context. It becomes very clear that Yellowstone emerged as part of the Civil War, ongoing war with and exploitation of American Indian tribes, the construction of the railroads and other settlement of the surrounding territories. Black also clearly did his research. He puts in lots of interesting details about the many players who created the park, including some that are pretty scandalous. I feel like I learned a lot about the history of Yellowstone that is not posted in the more sanitized plaques around the park.
At the same time, this book has a number of cons. While Black has clearly done a lot of research, sometimes it felt overwhelming. There were so many characters that I had difficulty keeping track of all of them. I also had difficulty keeping track of all of the different events occurring on multiple timelines. In some ways, I wish that Black had chosen to focus on just a few of the main characters, such as Langford or Cheney Doane. This might have made for a more readable book.
In the end, I would recommend this for anyone with an academic interest in the history of Yellowstone. Probably not a casual read.
At the same time, this book has a number of cons. While Black has clearly done a lot of research, sometimes it felt overwhelming. There were so many characters that I had difficulty keeping track of all of them. I also had difficulty keeping track of all of the different events occurring on multiple timelines. In some ways, I wish that Black had chosen to focus on just a few of the main characters, such as Langford or Cheney Doane. This might have made for a more readable book.
In the end, I would recommend this for anyone with an academic interest in the history of Yellowstone. Probably not a casual read.
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