Phillip B Gottfredson is a historian, author, and retired Certified Conservator of Fine Art specializing in the Utah Black Hawk War, Indigenous history, and Native American perspectives in Utah. He is the author of My Journey to Understand Black Hawk’s Mission of Peace and serves as historian for the Timpanogos Nation.
He is the only non-Native historian known to have spent more than two decades living among Native American communities in Utah, learning directly from Tribal members rather than studying them from a distance. While many historical accounts of the Utah Black Hawk War were written without meaningful consultation with Indigenous people, Gottfredson immersed himself in Native communities, gaining firsthand knowledge of their histories, cultures, and traditional lifeways.
Taking a new approach to researching the Utah Black Hawk War, a formative moment occurred in 2003 when Gottfredson traveled to Washington, D.C. with a Native American colleague to attend the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian. The gathering brought together tens of thousands of Indigenous people from around the world and became a turning point in his work. The experience led to decades of travel throughout North and South America and extended periods of living with Indigenous communities, where he continued learning firsthand from elders and culture bearers. See Phillip B Gottfredson In The Heart of Mayan Country
Guided by Indigenous mentors who emphasized collective responsibility over personal recognition, Gottfredson committed himself to documenting history in a way that serves communities rather than individuals. This philosophy remains central to his work and informs his belief that historical truth emerges through relationship, accountability, and lived experience.
Gottfredson’s work challenges conventional historical narratives by centering Indigenous voices, oral traditions, and perspectives that have long been ignored or marginalized in mainstream accounts of the Black Hawk War in Utah.
In 2019, Gottfredson’s book was published by Archway Publishing (Simon & Schuster). The book serves as a companion to Indian Depredations in Utah, a firsthand account of the Black Hawk War written by his great-grandfather, Peter Gottfredson. Peter was a contemporary and friend of Black Hawk and spent much of the war living among the Timpanogos people. Originally published in 1919, the book was republished by Phillip B Gottfredson in 2002.
Gottfredson’s dedication to Indigenous history in Utah and the trust he has built within Native communities have earned him recognition, including the 2008 Indigenous Day Award from the Utah Division of Indian Affairs.
Reflecting on his work, Gottfredson explains:
“When I began my research in 1989, I was struck by how often histories of the Utah Black Hawk War excluded Native voices altogether. I chose a different path—one rooted in listening, learning, and lived experience. My goal has always been to help document a more truthful and inclusive history, guided by the people who lived it.”
In 2003, he founded The Utah Black Hawk War: Synopsis, an educational website dedicated to the Utah Black Hawk War, Indigenous scholarship, and Native American history in Utah. See The Back Story Supporters Of The Black Hawk War Research Project
Peter and Phillip Gottfredson
Phillip's Black Hawk's Mission of Peace is a companion book to his great-grandfather's book Indian Depredations in Utah written by Peter Gottfredson.
Phillip's 
great-grandfather Peter was a young man during the Black Hawk War. Being a friend of the Timpanogos, he was invited into the camp of Chief Black Hawk on numerous occasions during the war. His great-grandfather also took 20 years to write his first book that was published in 1919, the same year Black Hawk's Grave was robbed. A hundred years later, and almost to the date, Phillip published his companion book to Peter's in 2019. "Pure coincidence," said Mr. Gottfredson, "but it does cause one to pause," he added.
Phillip B Gottfredson advocates for Native American sovereignty, treaties, and aboriginal rights. Gottfredson holds the government, organizations, and institutions accountable for the irreversible cultural damage inflicted on the Timpanogos Nation by withholding the true history of the Black Hawk War in Utah. Phillip embaces the narrative of settler colonization that led to the loss of their land and resources, as well as their hunting and fishing rights and religious freedom—often without treaties or compensation.
Moreover, Phillip B Gottfredson is a proponent of truth in education and supports the removal of historical markers that denigrates Timpanogos people with racial slurs such as "savages," "infidels," and "heathens."
See The Utah Black Hawk War: Source Material
Gottfredson is a retired Conservator of Fine Art and FrameMaker. He began his trade in 1973 and retired in 1989. Mr. Gottfredson owned and operated the Southwest Conservation Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he preserved art and historical objects for major museums and private art collectors. Among his clients were the Frank Loyd Wright Foundation and the Phoenix Museum of Art. In this photo, Phillip is seen working on a noted painting by renowned Utah artist Arnold Friberg titled "Christ Appearing to the Nephites." 
Renowned for his handcrafted picture frames, Phillip made custom frames for royalty, celebrities, professional artists, art galleries, and museums across the United States and Canada—the photo courtesy of Patti Frampton-Eddington. The Royal Family commissioned artist Arnold Freiburg to paint Queen Elizabeth's portrait in 1987. Arnold Freiburg commissioned Phillip B. Gottfredson to craft the frame shown above and made two others for the Royal Family. The frame was handcrafted entirely by Phillip B. Gottfredson from mahogany and finished in 23 3/4kt gold.
In 1980, Governor Scott Matheson and his wife, Norma, hosted a special event at the Governor's Mansion in Salt Lake City to honor the artists of Utah. Phillip B. Gottfredson arrived in a chauffeur-driven limousine to pay tribute to Scott and Norma for their support of the arts in the state. During the event, he presented them with a beautiful oval frame handcrafted from cherry wood and adorned with rose decorations. Additionally, Phillip created a velvet-lined case with a glass front to display the frame he had made. It was on display for nearly a year at the Governor's mansion. Phillip and Norma remained friends for several years when he moved his business to Scottsdale Arizona.
In 1988, Pope John Paul II visited Arizona, and artist Jan Reibold was commissioned to paint the portrait of the Pope, while Phillip was commissioned to create the frame. Taking over a month, the frame was handcrafted entirely by Phillip B. Gottfredson in his studio in Scottsdale, Arizona.