Read the West Book Club: Empire of Shadows

In a radical reinterpretation of the 19th century West, George Black casts Yellowstone’s creation as the culmination of three interwoven strands of history — the passion for exploration, the violence of the Indian Wars and the “civilizing” of the frontier. It charts a course through the lives of those who sought to lay bare its mysteries: Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, a gifted but tormented cavalryman; the ambitious former vigilante leader Nathaniel Langford; scientist Ferdinand Hayden, who brought photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran to Yellowstone; and Gen. Phil Sheridan, Civil War hero and architect of the Indian Wars, who finally succeeded in having the new national park placed under the protection of the U.S. Cavalry. George Black’s Empire of Shadows is a groundbreaking historical account of the origins of America¹s majestic national landmark. Read the West Book Club meets monthly. Select books available for purchase in The Museum Store (15% discount for Museum members). Refreshments provided. $9, $6 for Museum members. Register by September 16.