Empire of shadows : the epic story of Yellowstone

Prologue: The view from Mount Washburn -- Pathfinders: "A knowledge of these people" 1805-1806 ; The terrible Pahkees 1806 ; All for a beaver hat 1807-1810 ; The Big Knives 1811-1840 ; Bridger's Fort 1840-1850 ; Fakelore 1851 ; Man Picking Up Stones Running 1853-1858 ; Terra incognita 1850-1860 -- Civilizers: Savagery, barbarism, civilization 1860-1862 ; Roads paved with gold 1863 ; A noose pendant 1863-1864 ; Tales of the chief guide 1864-1867 ; The leading men 1865-1867 ; Mission in the snow 1865 ; Call to arms 1866-1867 -- Soldiers: Paths of glory 1860-1868 ; The lost tribes of the Second Cavalry May-July 1869 ; The fort at the end of the world July 1869 ; A death in the family July-August 1869 ; The world of letters and the world of arms September-October 1869 ; Forty-four below December 1869-January 1870 ; A case of mistaken identity December 1869-January 1870 ; Heroes of the hour January-March 1870 -- Explorers: The spoils of war May-August 1870 ; Grand, gloomy, and terrible August 22-29, 1870 ; Nine nights without sleep August 29-September 3, 1870 ; The deep woods September 4-17, 1870 ; Lost and found September-October 1870 ; The professionals 1871 ; The final frontier 1872 ; Northern Pacific 1872 -- Tourists: Temple of the living God 1872-1877 ; The nerve to execute 1874-1876 ; Chief of scouts July-August 1877 ; Full circle August-October 1877 -- Epilogue: The man who invented Wonderland.;In a radical reinterpretation of the 19th-century West, George Black casts Yellowstone's creation as the culmination of three interwoven strands of history: the passion for exploration, the violence of the Indian Wars, and the "civilizing" of the frontier. Yellowstone, Wyoming, was landscape uninhabited, inaccessible, and shrouded in myth in the aftermath of the Civil War. Black charts its course through the lives of those who sought to lay bare its mysteries: Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, a gifted but tormented cavalryman known as "the man who invented Wonderland"; the ambitious former vigilante leader Nathaniel Langford; scientist Ferdinand Hayden, who brought photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran to Yellowstone; and Gen. Phil Sheridan, Civil War hero and architect of the Indian Wars, who finally succeeded in having the new National Park placed under the protection of the U.S. Cavalry. The exploration of Yellowstone is a quintessentially American story of terrible things done in the name of high ideals and of high ideals realized by dubious means. In A Radical Reinterpretation Of The 19th-century West, The Author Casts Yellowstone's Creation As The Culmination Of Three Interwoven Strands Of History, The Passion For Exploration, The Violence Of The Indian Wars And The Civilizing Of The Frontier. It Is The Epic Story Of The Conquest Of Yellowstone, Wyoming, A Landscape Uninhabited, Inaccessible And Shrouded In Myth In The Aftermath Of The Civil War. He Charts Its Course Through The Lives Of Those Who Sought To Lay Bare Its Mysteries: Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, A Gifted But Tormented Cavalryman Known As The Man Who Invented Wonderland; The Ambitious Former Vigilante Leader Nathaniel Langford; Scientist Ferdinand Hayden, Who Brought Photographer William Henry Jackson And Painter Thomas Moran To Yellowstone; And Gen. Phil Sheridan, Civil War Hero And Architect Of The Indian Wars, Who Finally Succeeded In Having The New National Park Placed Under The Protection Of The U.s. Cavalry. This Book Is A Historical Account Of The Origins Of America's Majestic National Landmark. Prologue: The View From Mount Washburn -- Pathfinders: A Knoledge Of These People 1805-1806 ; The Terrible Pahkees 1806 ; All For A Beaver Hat 1807-1810 ; The Big Knives 1811-1840 ; Bridger's Fort 1840-1850 ; Fakelore 1851 ; Man Picking Up Stones Running 1853-1858 ; Terra Incognita 1850-1860 -- Civilizers: Savagery, Barbarism, Civilization 1860-1862 ; Roads Paved With Gold 1863 ; A Noose Pendant 1863-1864 ; Tales Of The Chief Guide 1864-1867 ; The Leading Men 1865-1867 ; Mission In The Snow 1865 ; Call To Arms 1866-1867 -- Soldiers: Paths Of Glory 1860-1868 ; The Lost Tribes Of The Second Cavalry May-july 1869 ; The Fort At The End Of The World July 1869 ; A Death In The Family July-august 1869 ; The World Of Letters And The World Of Arms September-october 1869 ; Forty-four Below December 1869-january 1870 ; A Case Of Mistaken Identity December 1869-january 1870 ; Heroes Of The Hour January-march 1870 -- Explorers: The Spoils Of War May-august 1870 ; Grand, Gloomy, And Terrible August 22-29, 1870 ; Nine Nights Without Sleep August 29-september 3, 1870 ; The Deep Woods September 4-17, 1870 ; Lost And Found September-october 1870 ; The Professionals 1871 ; The Final Frontier 1872 ; Northern Pacific 1872 -- Tourists: Temple Of The Living God 1872-1877 ; The Nerve To Execute 1874-1876 ; Chief Of Scouts July-august 1877 ; Full Circle August-october 1877 -- Epilogue: The Man Who Invented Wonderland. George Black. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [435]-526) And Index. The story of a national park might seem a niche subject, but OnEarth magazine editor Black (Casting a Spell: The Bamboo Fly Rod and the American Pursuit of Perfection, 2006, etc.) surrounds it with a colorful, stormy, often-distressing history of our northern mountain states. The author begins with Lewis and Clark, whose 1804–06 expedition passed nearby but brought back only rumors of odd geological events. The northern Rockies remained a backwater for another half-century. Almost no one but fur traders took an interest for the first 30 years; wagon trains pouring west after 1840 passed well to the south. By the 1850s gold mining and ranching produced settlers, quickly followed by the Army, both anxious to eliminate the Indians. Black provides painful details of 20 years of conflict that accomplished this goal. Lacking gold or good grazing, the Yellowstone area attracted few settlers, but visitors brought back tales of wondrous geysers, boiling springs and breathtaking scenery. In 1869 the small, privately funded Cook-Folsom-Peterson Expedition produced such a tantalizing report that Montana residents organized a large expedition. That expedition spent a month exploring, resulting in a torrent of publicity that led to the federally funded Hayden Geological Survey of 1871. Its enthusiastic report included historical photographs by William Henry Jackson and paintings by Thomas Moran, and the resulting publicity persuaded Congress to create the world’s first national park in 1872. Congress did not, however, provide money, so vandalism, poaching and commercial exploitation flourished until 1886 when the Army moved in. It did not leave until the new National Park Service took over in 1918. An admirable, warts-and-all history of a milestone in environmental preservation.
“George Black rediscovers the history and lore of one of the planet’s most magnificent landscapes. Read Empire of Shadows, and you’ll never think of our first—in many ways our greatest—national park in the same way again.”—Hampton Sides, author of Blood and Thunder 

Empire of Shadows is the epic story of the conquest of Yellowstone, Wyoming, a landscape uninhabited, inaccessible and shrouded in myth in the aftermath of the Civil War.  In a radical reinterpretation of the nineteenth century West, George Black casts Yellowstone's creation as the culmination of three interwoven strands of history - the passion for exploration, the violence of the Indian Wars and the "civilizing" of the frontier - and charts its course through the lives of those who sought to lay bare its mysteries:  Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, a gifted but tormented cavalryman known as "the man who invented Wonderland"; the ambitious former vigilante leader Nathaniel Langford; scientist Ferdinand Hayden, who brought photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran to Yellowstone; and Gen. Phil Sheridan, Civil War hero and architect of the Indian Wars, who finally succeeded in having the new National Park placed under the protection of the US Cavalry.  George Black1s Empire of Shadows is a groundbreaking historical account of the origins of America1s majestic national landmark.

"George Black rediscovers the history and lore of one of the planet's most magnificent landscapes. Read Empire of Shadows, and you'll never think of our first—in many ways our greatest—national
park in the same way again."
—Hampton Sides, author of Blood and Thunder

Empire of Shadows is the epic story of the conquest of Yellowstone, a landscape uninhabited, inaccessible and shrouded in myth in the aftermath of the Civil War. In a radical reinterpretation of the nineteenth century West, George Black casts Yellowstone's creation as the culmination of three interwoven strands of history - the passion for exploration, the violence of the Indian Wars and the "civilizing" of the frontier - and charts its course through the lives of those who sought to lay bare its mysteries: Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, a gifted but tormented cavalryman known as "the man who invented Wonderland"; the ambitious former vigilante leader Nathaniel Langford; scientist Ferdinand Hayden, who brought photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran to Yellowstone; and Gen. Phil Sheridan, Civil War hero and architect of the Indian Wars, who finally succeeded in having the new National Park placed under the protection of the US Cavalry. George Black1s Empire of Shadows is a groundbreaking historical account of the origins of America1s majestic national landmark.

"George Black rediscovers the history and lore of one of the planet's most magnificent landscapes. Read Empire of Shadows , and you'll never think of our first—in many ways our greatest—national park in the same way again." —Hampton Sides, author of Blood and Thunder Empire of Shadows is the epic story of the conquest of Yellowstone, a landscape uninhabited, inaccessible and shrouded in myth in the aftermath of the Civil War. In a radical reinterpretation of the nineteenth century West, George Black casts Yellowstone's creation as the culmination of three interwoven strands of history - the passion for exploration, the violence of the Indian Wars and the "civilizing" of the frontier - and charts its course through the lives of those who sought to lay bare its mysteries: Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, a gifted but tormented cavalryman known as "the man who invented Wonderland"; the ambitious former vigilante leader Nathaniel Langford; scientist Ferdinand Hayden, who brought photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran to Yellowstone; and Gen. Phil Sheridan, Civil War hero and architect of the Indian Wars, who finally succeeded in having the new National Park placed under the protection of the US Cavalry. George Black's Empire of Shadows is a groundbreaking historical account of the origins of America's majestic national landmark. "In a radical reinterpretation of the 19th-century West, George Black casts Yellowstone's creation as the culmination of three interwoven strands of history: the passion for exploration, the violence of the Indian Wars, and the 'civilizing' of the frontier. Yellowstone, Wyoming, was landscape uninhabited, inaccessible, and shrouded in myth in the aftermath of the Civil War. Black charts its course through the lives of those who sought to lay bare its mysteries: Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, a gifted but tormented cavalryman known as 'the man who invented Wonderland'; the ambitious former vigilante leader Nathaniel Langford; scientist Ferdinand Hayden, who brought photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran to Yellowstone; and Gen. Phil Sheridan, Civil War hero and architect of the Indian Wars, who finally succeeded in having the new National Park placed under the protection of the U.S. Cavalry. The exploration of Yellowstone is a quintessentially American story of terrible things done in the name of high ideals and of high ideals realized by dubious means." -- Description provided by publisher Offering a reinterpretation of the 19th century West, the author casts Yellowstone's creation as the culmination of three interwoven strands - the passion for exploration, the violence of the Indian Wars and the "civilizing" of the frontier - and charts its course through the lives of those who sought to lay bare its mysteries