A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park

INSIDE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK: Discover the epic history of the first US national park in this historical adventure for fans of American history, the Wild West, and the hit show

Explore how Yellowstone’s remote Western landscape became a symbol of our country--and an integral part of our understanding of the natural world.

It has been called Wonderland, America’s Serengeti, the crown jewel of the National Park System, and America’s best idea. But how did this faraway landscape evolve into one of the most recognizable places in the world? As the birthplace of the national park system, Yellowstone witnessed the first-ever attempt to protect wildlife, to restore endangered species, and to develop a new industry centered on nature tourism.

Yellowstone remains a national icon, one of the few entities capable of bridging ideological divides in the United States. Yet the park’s history is also filled with episodes of conflict and exclusion, setting precedents for Native American land dispossession, land rights disputes, and prolonged tensions between commercialism and environmental conservation. Yellowstone’s legacies are both celebratory and problematic. A Place Called Yellowstone tells the comprehensive story of Yellowstone National Park as the story of the nation itself.

RANDALL K. WILSON, Ph.D., is a professor of environmental studies at Gettysburg College, where he teaches courses on environmental policy, natural resource management, sustainable communities, and the geography of the American West. He has served on the USDA Forest Service’s National Science Panel and on the board of directors for the Rural Geography Research Group within the Association of American Geographers. He’s earned a Fulbright Fellowship to the University of Vienna. His book, America’s Public Lands: From Yellowstone to Smokey Bear and Beyond (2014), was named an Outstanding Academic Title from Choice Reviews and the winner of the John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize from the Association of American Geographers.