Breaking New Ground

by Gifford Pinchot

The mythology of "gifted land" is strong in the Park Service, but some of our greatest parks were "gifted" by people who had little if any choice in the matter. Places like the Grand Canyon's south rim and Glacier had to be bought, finagled, borrowed - or taken by force - when Indian occupants and owners resisted the call to contribute to the public welfare. The story of national parks and Indians is, depending on perspective, a costly triumph of the public interest, or a bitter betrayal of America's native people.In Indian Country, God's Country historian Philip Burnham traces the complex relationship between Native Americans and the national parks, relating how Indians were removed, relocated, or otherwise kept at arm's length from lands that became some of our nation's most hallowed ground. Burnham focuses on five Glacier, the Badlands, Mesa Verde, the Grand Canyon, and Death Valley. Based on archival research and extensive personal visits and interviews, he examines the beginnings of the national park system and early years of the National Park Service, along with later Congressional initiatives to mainstream American Indians and expand and refurbish the parks. The final chapters visit the parks as they are today, presenting the thoughts and insights of superintendents and rangers, tribal officials and archaeologists, ranchers, community leaders, curators, and elders. Burnham reports on hard-won compromises that have given tribes more autonomy and greater cultural recognition in recent years, while highlighting stubborn conflicts that continue to mark relations between tribes and the parks.Indian Country, God's Country offers a compelling - and until now untold - story that illustrates the changing role of the national parks in American society, the deep ties of Native Americans to the land , and the complicated mix of commerce, tourism, and environmental preservation that characterize the parks system. Anyone interested in Native American culture and history, the history of the American West, the national park system, or environmental history will find it a fascinating and engaging work.

Genres: History, Environment, Nonfiction, Biography

542 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1972

About the author

1865-1946.

Reviews

[Geoffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gifford Pinchot is the father of the American Conservation movement. This book, along with an understanding of the tremendous role of the naturalist President Theodore Roosevelt, explains the foundation of our natural resource conservation policy. This book sheds light onto Roosevelt and Pinchot's great friendship and the role that friendship played in all of Roosevelt's and Pinchot's conservation achievements. Pinchot's advocacy for a multiple-use conservation ethic provides the guiding light and map on how to create a global conservation policy founded on the principle of publicly owned and managed land which is open to multiple uses and that must remain open for the recreational enjoyment of all people.

This is absolutely essential reading for understanding natural resource management, policy, and the American conservation philosophy. It is the autobiography of one of the great early Progressive politicians. G. Pinchot, much like T.Roosevelt, was a man of his time with flaws and perhaps backward notions on social justice. However, his dedication to environmental conservation and his political achievements toward that cause is profound and invaluable in it's contemporary importance.

It's a long, very detailed book, but it is fantastic. Visit your closest National Forest and give a huge thanks to Gifford Pinchot!
Highly recommended!

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made it to page 275 or halfway through after five weeks. A matter of fact account of how the Forest Service came to fruition. Interesting info on the French School of Forestry in Nancy but I couldn't find a mention of the fire of 1910 from the book "The Big Burn." Best when talking about the mystique of the West and anecdotes from his many travels. Written as a justification for everything he did in relation to the forests so it can get quite boring when relating all the political infighting in Congress and the Executive Branch. A bit of braggadocio on how he greased wheels, knew all along something would work or not work, and I told you so, etc... An interesting man, who although wealthy and a patrician, worked diligently and vigorously to leave something for posterity. Guy who really didn't need his salary much like some politicians of today.