Philip Burnham Libros

Exploring the complex history of national parks, the narrative reveals how many iconic landscapes were acquired through coercive means rather than voluntary donation. The book delves into the often-overlooked stories of Indigenous peoples who faced pressure, manipulation, or force in the transfer of their lands, challenging the romanticized notion of "gifted land." It highlights the tension between public welfare and the rights of original inhabitants, providing a critical perspective on the creation of these natural treasures.

Beard was not only a witness to two major battles against the Lakota; he also traveled with William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's Wild West show, worked as a Hollywood Indian, and witnessed the grand transformation of the Black Hills into a tourism mecca. Beard spent most of his later life fighting to reclaim his homeland and acting as "old Dewey Beard," a living relic of the "old West" for the tourists.