Placing American Indians in the center of the story, Restoring a Presence relates an entirely new history of Yellowstone National Park.

Although new laws have been enacted giving American Indians access to resources on public lands, Yellowstone historically has excluded Indians and their needs from its mission. Each of the other flagship national parks--Glacier, Yosemite, Mesa Verde, and Grand Canyon--has had successful long-term relationships with American Indian groups even as it has sought to emulate Yellowstone in other dimensions of national park administration.