Book Review: Rediscovering Wonderland: The Expedition That Launched Yellowstone Park
Rediscovering Wonderland: The Expedition That Launched Yellowstone National Park. M. Mark Miller, Rowman & Littlefield, January 31, 2022, Paperback and eBook, 182 pages.
Reviewed by T. L. Needham.
If you have been to Yellowstone yourself, then you have first-hand knowledge of the surreal majesty of the wonders of this area. If you have not been to Yellowstone yet heard of the region’s natural wonders, even your imagination may fall short of fully grasping or believing in them. That is the state of mind of the men who undertook the exploration of this wonderland, to confirm, verify, and reveal…for all the world to know…the truth about Yellowstone.
A wilderness populated with wolf packs, mountain lions, and grizzly bears. Marauding Indians on the warpath. Plus, a risk of walking on what seemed to be solid ground only to fall through the surface crust into a rushing flow of steam, boiling water, or scalding mud…a torment for horses and men.
The Yellowstone area did not need to be “discovered” in the late 18th to early 19th centuries. Its existence had been reported by those earliest white men—mountain-man trappers, prospectors, and explorers—who had early contact with the Indians that populated the area around Yellowstone. But reports of the extraordinary features seemed unreal and were thought to be exaggerations by men who were famous for telling “tall tales.”
Thus, Nathaniel P. Langford sets out in 1870 to form an expedition into the wilderness called Yellowstone, to set the record straight on just what the truth is about the sensational area of Yellowstone, and in the process, become famous himself. He assembles nineteen men, not of hardy frontier types but men of letters. Writers who are connected to various publications across the country, who could thereby lend their own credibility to the project. The story told by these men is the basis for the founding of Yellowstone Park by Congress in 1872.
This book offers a rich collection of stories and anecdotes by these men, many of whom went on to become famous in their own names. One of the most notable stories is the tale of Truman C. Everts, a nearsighted bureaucrat who was noted to be so weak of sight that he could not find a trail if he was standing right in front of it. His story of survival is amazing!
Rediscovering Wonderland is an entertaining and fascinating book loaded with historic men and references. It is written with lush details and carefully supported with comprehensive footnotes, references, and an index. Clearly, the author has done exhaustive research and carefully documented all details. This book is well-written and a great achievement; highly recommended.
Yet, as a reader, I ask myself, how could this book be even better? I have only two suggestions: First, the rich biographic details combined with historic events are so interesting and entertaining, one could only ask for more, if available, to flesh out more of the politics and drama of these historic men and their endeavors.
Second, there are occasional repeats of some details, often when character stories cross paths with another that could be revisited with an editing review. One glaring example appears on page 40, 2nd paragraph: “It was the same spot where Fred Bottler had fallen in the river just weeks before, causing Philetus Norris to abandon his exploration attempt. Just weeks earlier at this same crossing, Fred Bottler had fallen into the river.”