Gerard Baker

Gerard Baker (December 2, 1953) is an American retired National Park Service (NPS) ranger. In his more than 30 years with the NPS, he served as the superintendent of Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and Mount Rushmore. A registered member of the Three Affiliated Tribes and the highest ranking Native American in the history of the NPS, Baker incorporated Native American perspectives at Mount Rushmore and headed the Corps of Discovery II project to commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition. His tenure at Little Big Horn was marked by conflicts with admirers of George Armstrong Custer. Early life and education Baker was born and raised on Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. He has two brothers and a sister. His mother was Hidatsa, and his father, Paige Baker Sr., was Mandan and Hidatsa; Baker speaks the Hidatsa language. His Hidatsa language name is Zaa-sha-shee-dish (Yellow Wolf). He is a registered member of the Three Affiliated Tribes. Baker and his siblings grew up working on the family ranch. He graduated from St. Mary's High School in New England, North Dakota. Attending Southern Oregon State University on a basketball scholarship, Baker earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and sociology in 1979. The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology awarded Baker an honorary doctorate in public service in 2007. Career Baker began working for the National Park Service as a seasonal employee at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, becoming full-time in 1979. His early duties in the park service as a seasonal employee were doing maintenance. As a new park ranger, Baker replaced the ranger band on his hat with an Indian-beaded band to the consternation of his supervisor. Some of his posts included Knife River Indian Villages, Fort Union Trading Post, Little Missouri National Grasslands, and the Beartooth and Ashland districts of Montana. From 1984 to 1993, Baker worked for the United States Forest Service as an assistant district ranger and American Indian program manager for the Ashland Montana District.