The Breath of a Buffalo, The Life Story of Mary Ann Goodnight

Long overdue, Botkin’s biography situates Mary’s story within the broader context of westward resettlement and Native American displacement while offering a nuanced portrait of a woman whose conservation and determination left a lasting mark on Texas history. The Breath of a Buffalo ultimately restores Mary Ann Goodnight to the history of the American West, in all its dramatic sweep and singular experience.

Book cover about Mary Ann Goodnight.

 

The Breath of a Buffalo describes how the unlikely couple―Mary, a petite and refined schoolteacher, and Charles, a prickly, near-illiterate, and foul-mouthed trail driver―built ranching empires in Colorado and Texas and endured financial booms and busts alongside the relentless hardships of life in the Panhandle. Living as close to the land as they did, Mary saw the mass slaughter of buffalo, especially within the Palo Duro Canyon, and was deeply disturbed. Botkin recounts how Mary insisted on rescuing and nurturing orphaned calves and thus established a foundational herd that directly contributed to the survival of the species.

 

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Book Details

424 PAGES/31 B&W ILLUS/ 2 MAPS/

1 CHART

HARDCOVER 978-0806197623

ePUB 978-0806197760

PUBLISHED March 9, 2027

Silhouette of a grazing bison.

“Mary Ann Goodnight has been rescued from historical oblivion in this gracefully written and insightful biography. An added bonus is her crucial role in the salvation of the Southern Plains buffalo from the brink of extinction. An excellent biography, set against an epic background, and written with the flair of a fine novelist.”

Paul Andrew Hutton, author of The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West 

Silhouette of a grazing bison.

“The Breath of a Buffalo tells an important story. In a time in history when women and Native Americans didn’t have much of a voice, Mary Ann Goodnight’s work along with Quanah Parker changed the course of history and the survival of the bison.”

Nocona Burgess (Comanche Nation), artist and great-great-grandson of Comanche leader, Chief Quanah Parker. 

Silhouette of a grazing bison.

“Jane Little Botkin is clearly one of our nation's finest biographers writing today. The Breath of a Buffalo brings to life the story of an American woman of grit and grace who changed the course of history--and America--with her conservation of the last herd of American bison on the Southern Plains. A must read for anyone who loves the West.”

Stuart Rosebrook, co-author of Junior Bonner: The Making of a Classic with Steve McQueen and Sam Peckinpah in the Summer of 1971

Silhouette of a grazing bison.

“Comprehensive and detailed but wonderfully engaging, this is one smart life story of Mary Ann Goodnight, the fascinating Panhandle woman who helped save the majestic, but once-threatened, Southern Plains bison. Absorbing!”

Paul H. Carlson, author of Heaven’s Harsh Tableland: A New History of the Llano Estacado

Silhouette of a grazing bison.

“Buffalo are very intelligent animals. They can be difficult and dangerous. Mary Ann Goodnight's efforts to save them from extinction--which have largely been attributed to her husband--took courage and compassion. This excellent book is an instant classic in the field of bison studies.”

W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear, authors of Buffalo Justice

Silhouette of a grazing bison.

“This outstanding narrative of a woman adds immeasurably to ranching, conservation, women’s, western, Panhandle, and Texas history. Enticingly written and meticulously researched, The Breath of a Buffalo will leave a reader with a fresh and long-overdue perspective.”

Deborah M. Liles, coeditor of Texas Women and Ranching: On the Range, at the Rodeo, and in Their Communities