Dispossessing the Wilderness

Dispossessing the Wilderness examines the creation of America's first national parks and their connection to the removal of Native Americans from these lands. The book focuses on three iconic parks - Yellowstone, Glacier, and Yosemite - and traces their establishment in the late 19th century. The narrative follows the transformation of these spaces from Native American homelands into "uninhabited wilderness" areas preserved for public recreation and tourism. Through historical records and government documents, Spence documents the policies and actions that forcibly displaced indigenous communities who had lived in these regions for generations. This historical analysis challenges the traditional view of national parks as pristine natural spaces untouched by human presence. Spence demonstrates how the concept of "wilderness" itself was constructed through the erasure of Native American history and rights, revealing the complex intersection of conservation and colonialism in American environmental history.

Readers appreciate Spence's detailed research showing how Native Americans were removed from national parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone. Many note the book challenges popular myths about "uninhabited wilderness." Multiple reviews highlight the clear writing style and effective use of historical documents. One reader on Goodreads wrote: "Finally, someone addresses the displaced peoples rather than just celebrating park creation." Common criticisms include that the book focuses too narrowly on three parks and could explore more recent Indigenous relationships with park lands. Some found the academic tone dry in places. Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (89 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (12 ratings) Google Books: 4/5 (6 ratings) Reader T. Wilson on Amazon notes: "Makes important points about conservation's dark history, but needed more Native voices and perspectives from the present day." The book receives consistent praise from academic reviewers but has limited reviews from general readers.

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Conservation Refugees by Mark Dowie The book documents how indigenous peoples across multiple continents have been displaced from ancestral lands in the name of environmental conservation.

Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Nash This work traces the evolution of wilderness as a concept in American culture and its impact on land management policies and indigenous displacement.

The Ecological Indian by Shepard Krech III An analysis of the relationship between Native Americans and environmental conservation that challenges both historical assumptions and modern stereotypes.

Indians, Fire, and the Land by Robert Boyd This study reveals how Native American land management practices shaped Pacific Northwest ecosystems before European colonization and subsequent wilderness preservation efforts.

🌲 Before becoming a professor of history, author Mark David Spence worked as a ranger in Yosemite National Park, giving him firsthand experience with the landscapes and issues he discusses in the book. 🏞️ The establishment of Yellowstone as America's first national park in 1872 resulted in the displacement of multiple Native American tribes, including the Crow, Blackfeet, and Shoshone peoples. 👥 The term "wilderness" as used in American conservation historically implied an absence of human presence, despite these areas being inhabited by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. 🗺️ The creation of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks involved the forced removal of over 10,000 Native Americans from their ancestral lands between 1864 and 1910. 📚 The book challenges the traditional narrative of American conservation by revealing how the "wilderness" ideal was built upon the systematic exclusion of Native Americans who had long maintained these landscapes.