Michael Punke

Traces the efforts of a late-nineteenth-century environmentalist who sought to protect buffalo that were being systematically slaughtered by out-of-work Civil War veterans promoting "manifest destiny" settlements in the West, in an account that cites Grinnell's role in launching the modern conservation movement.

George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West

Last Stand

Andrew Marti

Fascinating story of a man and the characters around him who developed our current thinking on conservation in the West. Punke, author of The Revenant, makes the argument that the buffalo would not exist today if not for the actions and writings of Grinnell. 

A fault of this book is that Grinnell occasionally becomes minor character in this story. Punke introduces us to poachers, park administrators, authors, and many other players who had a story in the West. Many of these folks are fascinating, but Grinnell was the most fascinating. I wanted to get back to Grinnell to really understand his thought process. At the very end of the book, we learn that Grinnell was a renowned expert on Native American history. This was important information that should have been included in the narrative. This knowledge and appreciation of that culture certainly influenced his thinking on the West.

Last Stand George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West

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