Publications
Dispossessing the Wilderness: Indian Removal and the Making of the National Parks (Oxford University Press, 1999)
"A landmark historical reconstruction of a forgotten story ---the eviction of American Indians from a troika of our nation's major parks.... Spence documents the separate but symbiotic developments of the Indian reservation and recreational park systems, the former to corral Indians, the latter to sequester nature; with the twain never to interact therafter. Peter Nabokov
"Stimulating, provocative, and richly researched, Dispossessing the Wilderness … opens a new dimension in our country's environmental history of interest to all who care about wilderness, justice, and the American landscape."--Carolyn Merchant
"Mark Spence reminds us that the national parks of the United States, which most Americans today regard as sublimely uninhabited wilderness areas, were once home to native peoples who were dispossessed as the parks were created. This book is an important and thought provoking contribution to our understanding of the American landscape and its history."--William Cronon
Lewis & Clark: Legacies, Memories, and New Perspectives (University of California Press, 2004)
[Brings] together scholars who provide environmental, historic, literary, legal, and indigenous perspectives … upon the changing interpretations of the past 200 years, [and] … how remembering and commemorating the past affects the present and future. --Jay Buckley
The strongest contributions … deliver pointed reminders that “living history’ does not lead to deeper understandings of the past, nor does it let us see how the past shapes our world—it too often leads to shallow escapes from deep historical problems.” –Verne Huser
“The Lewis and Clark story is an origin story; it has gone through many versions and embellishments but it remains vital to America’s sense of self. We are likely to learn most from it if we treat it with some of the skepticism we customarily reserve for other people’s origin stories. The best essays in this collection do that.” ---Colin G. Calloway
The Grandest Things: Our National Parks in Words, Images, and Stamps (NPS & USPS, 2010)
Lead historian for a commemorative, limited edition book produced by the National Park Service and the United States Postal Service. Includes essays, photographs, original stamps and memorabilia.
For links to articles, NPS-related projects, and other writings, see the "Projects" of this website and/or click on the the icons to the right.
