Written at the turn of the Century by the Founder of the National Audubon Society, George Bird Grinnell, when the figures of the real West were the Indian, the explorer, the soldier, the miner, the ranchman, the trapper, and the railroad builder, The Story of the Indian is an attempt to preserve the picturesque and original aspects of Western development. As a famed explorer, naturalist and pioneer conservationist, Grinnell's knowledge of the real West was gained by actual experiences of ranch and mining and Indian life between Sonora and Vancouver and Texas and Dakota.

Intended to be stories of human interest, not categories of facts, in his writing he takes us to the Indian campfire and council, showing us how the Indian wooed and fought, hunted and prayed, ate and slept, while breathing the spirit and preserving qualities of reality.

The Indians told these stories through an interpreter to Grinnell. His long association with the Indians enabled them to share their thoughts and feelings. He understood that although the red man is a savage and has savage qualities, he also understood that the most impressive characteristic of the Indian is his humanity.