Wyoming Arts Council

In New West, Jenny Shank reviewed the latest book by Wyoming native Michael Punke, “Last Stand: George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West” (Smithsonian Books, 304 pages, $25.95).” That’s a mouthful of a title and subtitle, but the reading should be worthwhile. Here’s an excerpt from Jenny’s review:

Anyone who has seen wild buffalo in Yellowstone or in one of the preserves in Kansas or Canada knows how this story ends, with the bison ultimately saved from extinction, but in Last Stand, Punke makes it urgently clear what a close shave it was. Last Stand is full of fascinating tidbits about buffalo (they can apparently leap up six feet into the air from a standing start, and at times have attracted horses and mules into joining their wild bands), but perhaps more importantly, the book offers an inspiring message about the possibilities for conservation that can still exist even after all hope seems lost, as long as a few passionate individuals persevere until the general public is swayed.