Catalog of British Columbiana and Pacific Northwest Americana

For more than 150 years, Pacific Northwest writers have sought out the region's shared stories and traditions in an attempt to explain the common features of its places and people. A key element in the study of place and region is the relationship between human experience and the natural world. This newest volume in the acclaimed Culture and Environment in the Pacific West series offers a compelling blend of ideas and perspectives on region identity in the Pacific Northwest. In The Great Northwest, historian William G. Robbins gathers writings that explore the idea and reality of the Pacific Northwest from a surprising variety of viewpoints. Descriptions of and stories about such distinct places as Celilo Falls on the Columbia river, Alaska, interior British Columbia, and the reforested Tillamook Burn in Oregon show why the search for regional identity is a complex but ultimately rewarding endeavor. "The business of understanding the Pacific Northwest is messy but important," writes series editor William Lang. "Knowing what we think about our place and our region offers opportunities to understand ourselves our communities, and our relationships to the larger world."

x, 190 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

The Great Northern Railway: A Pictorial Study visually documents the monumental engineering feats required to push James J. Hill's transcontinental rail line across the formidable northern tier of the continent and down into the Pacific Northwest. The authors focus heavily on the railway's perilous route through the rugged Washington Cascades, capturing the immense struggles of navigating the steep grades of the Skykomish River valley and the deadly, avalanche-prone elevations of Stevens Pass. Through extensive historical photography, the book highlights the specific topographical challenges that forced the construction of massive timber snowsheds, winding switchbacks, and eventually the monumental Cascade Tunnels to breach the imposing mountain barrier. Ultimately, this visual history illustrates how the railway physically conquered the severe alpine landscapes of the inland Northwest to connect isolated resource frontiers with the deepwater coastal terminals of Everett and Seattle on Puget Sound.

560 pages : illustrations ; 29 cm

Authored by Pacific Northwest writer Ann Briley, The Great North Road and Other Stories presents a evocative collection of regional fiction exploring the emotional landscapes and quiet struggles of individuals living along the rugged northern fringes of Washington State. The book weaves together poignant narratives of isolation, family dynamics, and community ties against the backdrop of dense evergreen forests, misty coastlines, and remote rural highways. Through sensitive character studies, the text captures the nuanced human experiences that unfold far away from bustling urban centers. A keen insight drawn from the work is how geographical isolation acts as a magnifying glass for personal conflict; by setting her character-driven dramas along quiet frontier routes where escape is physically difficult, Briley reveals how regional remoteness forces individuals to confront their deepest emotional truths rather than outrun them.

182 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Dismissed in early years as a wasteland, the rolling open country that covers the interior parts of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho is today one of the richest farmlands in the nation. This work is the story of its transformation. Meinig traces all of the aspects of its development by combining geographic description with historical narrative

xxiv, 576 pages, [1] folded leaf : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

On January 22, 1906, the passenger ship Valencia lost her way in heavy fog and rain and rammed into the deadly rocks at Pachena Point on the west coast of Vancouver Island. As the wreck was shattered by the pounding waves, the survivors clung desperately to the rigging. Few made it the short distance to shore through the frigid and turbulent waves—117 of the 164 souls aboard perished. A year earlier, the King David had been wrecked on Bajo Reef near Nootka Sound. The fate of her sailors was much more mysterious. Today, the magnificent Pacific coastline of Vancouver Island draws hikers, surfers and storm-watchers to marvel at its natural splendour. But the ghosts of the Valencia, King David, Janet Cowan, Pacific, Soquel and dozens of other lost ships still haunt the rugged shores of the Graveyard of the Pacific. Anthony Dalton tells the incredible stories of many of these ships and their courageous crews, who often discovered that their nightmares had only begun once they made it ashore. These true tales of disaster and daring rescues are a fascinating adventure into British Columbia maritime history.

124 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

From the red clay hills of Dundee, Oregon, come increasingly world-renowned pinot noir wines. After being startled and delighted by one winery's elixir, and the shaggy humor of the father and son who made it, Brian Doyle set out to spend a year in one Willamette Valley vineyard, chronicling the creative and chaotic labor as the winemakers chase after the perfect pinot noir. A self-described "wine doofus," Doyle follows closely at the elbow of Jesse Lange, son of Lange Winery founder Don Lange, peppering the young winemaker with questions about the growing of grapes and making of wine. With dry wit and otherworldly patience, Jesse Lange offers his interlocutor a primer on pinot, describing how acres of tiny black grapes are turned into complex and superb wines. Doyle is absorbed in the real work of winemaking, "the sheer labor of it, the creativity, the dust, the bugs, the machinery, the botany, the chemistry, the wild nuttiness of trying to make a great wine." He records the rhythms and cycles of winemaking: the fallow times, the times of wild energy, and always the worry about the precious crop. Doyle serves as a cheerful tour guide through the world of wine, alert to the colorful and riveting stories that swirl around its creation and consumption. In The Grail, he collects and shares dozens of these stories about the natural history of the vineyard, the fussiness of the pinot vine, the boom in pinot noir around the world, the surprising buying habits of tasting room visitors, and the subtle craft of winemakers who know, as Jesse Lange says, grinning, "how to get out of the way of great grapes." In short, The Grail is a spirited and entertaining chase for a truly special wine.

208 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Dennis Minaker’s The Gorge of summers gone: a history of Victoria's inland waterway chronicles the vibrant recreational and residential evolution of the narrow, winding tidal inlet that extends inland from Victoria Harbour on southern Vancouver Island. Set against the sheltered shorelines and deep channels of this unique marine corridor, the narrative details how early pioneer families and indigenous groups navigated the transition from scattered waterside encampments to tightly knit neighborhoods of summer cottages and permanent homesteads. By chronicling the shared local traditions of community regattas, swimming clubs, and social gatherings along the water, the text reveals how residents forged enduring kinship networks through collaborative maritime recreation. Ultimately, this local history documents how the cooperative stewardship of this dynamic tidal basin transformed a seasonal waterfront retreat into a deeply rooted, cohesive suburban community that shaped the civic identity of early Victoria.

vi, 148 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 26 cm.

Julie Whitesel Weston left her hometown of Kellogg, Idaho, but eventually it pulled her back. Only when she returned to this mining community in the Idaho Panhandle did she begin to see the paradoxes of the place where she grew up. Her book combines oral history, journalistic investigation, and personal reminiscence to take a fond but hard look at life in Kellogg during "the good times." Kellogg in the late 1940s and fifties was a typical American small town complete with high school football and basketball teams, marching band, and anti-Communist clubs; yet its bars, gambling dens, and brothels were entrenched holdovers from a rowdier frontier past. The Bunker Hill Mining Company, the largest employer, paid miners good wages for difficult, dangerous work, while the quest for lead, silver, and zinc denuded the mountainsides and laced the soil and water with contaminants. Weston researched the late-nineteenth-century founding of Kellogg and her family's five generations in Idaho. She interviewed friends she grew up with, their parents, and her own parents' friends--miners mostly, but also businesspeople, housewives, and professionals. Much of this memoir of place set during the Cold War and post-McCarthyism is told through their voices. But Weston also considers how certain people made a difference in her life, especially her band director, her ski coach, and an attorney she worked for during a major strike. She also explores her charged relationship with her father, a hardworking doctor revered in the community for his dedication but feared at home for his drinking and rages. The Good Times Are All Gone Now begins the day the smokestacks came down, and it reaches far back into collective and personal memory to understand a way of life now gone. The company town Weston knew is a different place, where "Uncle Bunker" is a Superfund site, and where the townspeople, as in previous hard times, have endured to reinvent Kellogg--not once, but twice

xv, 231 pages : illustrations, photographs ; 22 cm

Giles French’s The Golden Land chronicles the grueling agrarian transformation of Sherman County, a windswept, high-desert plateau severely isolated by the precipitous volcanic canyons of the Columbia, Deschutes, and John Day rivers. The narrative maps how the formidable topography and arid climatic realities of this rolling inland steppe initially restricted early pioneers to sparse livestock grazing, forcing them to endure an environment largely devoid of accessible surface water. By detailing the massive regional transition to mechanized dryland wheat farming, the text illustrates how the survival of the local economy was strictly dictated by the construction of localized rail spurs engineered to bridge the deep river gorges, finally connecting landlocked harvests to the Columbia River maritime highway. Ultimately, the account demonstrates that adapting to this rain-starved geography and conquering the profound physical barriers of its boundary canyons with heavy transit infrastructure were the absolute prerequisites for transforming a remote, sun-baked prairie into a lucrative, globally connected agricultural empire.

[4], 237 pages, 9 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portrait ; 25 cm

"The beautiful mountains of the North Shore define Vancouver, but few Vancouverites know of the natural beauty and adventure that lies within them, or even their names and history. The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver's North Shore: A Peakbagger's Guide offers something for everyone, from casual hikers to hard-core climbers, from gentle ramblers to ultra-fit trail runners, to parents introducing their children to the splendours of nature, and to those merely curious about what is out there, so close and yet so far. The book provides turn-by-turn route descriptions for climbing 66 North Shore peaks, including exhaustive facts and statistics, special cautions, first ascents, name origins, historic and cultural backgrounds, as well as little-known facts and secrets. Roads and access trails are provided. All peaks feature GPS-based maps, with elevation profiles. The glories of these mountains, creeks and lakes are enticingly illustrated with over 150 colour photographs. Covering all of the hikeable peaks from Capilano in the north, to the Howe Sound Islands in the west and the Seymour-Fannin peaks in the east, this book will encourage you to hop in your kayak or car, on your bike or your own two feet to explore this underappreciated paradise in our own backyard."--Amazon.com

503 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 23 cm

"The Gift of Knowledge / Ttnuwit Atawish Nch'inch'imamí is a treasure trove of material for those interested in Native American culture. Author Virginia Beavert grew up in a traditional, Indian-speaking household. Both her parents and her maternal grandmother were shamans, and her childhood was populated by people who spoke tribal dialects and languages: Nez Perce, Umatilla, Klikatat, and Yakima Ichishkíin. Her work on Native languages began at age twelve, when she met linguist Melville Jacobs while working for his student, Margaret Kendell. When Jacobs realized that Beavert was a fluent speaker of the Klikatat language, he taught her to read and write the orthography he had developed to record Klikatat myths. After a stint in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, Beavert went on to earn graduate degrees in education and linguistics, and she has contributed to numerous projects for the preservation of Native language and teachings. Beavert narrates highlights from her own life and presents cultural teachings, oral history, and stories (many in bilingual Ishishkíin-English format) about family life, religion, ceremonies, food gathering, and other aspects of traditional culture."--Provided by publisher

1 online resource.

"The Gift of Knowledge / Ttnuwit Atawish Nch'inch'imamí is a treasure trove of material for those interested in Native American culture. Author Virginia Beavert grew up in a traditional, Indian-speaking household. Both her parents and her maternal grandmother were shamans, and her childhood was populated by people who spoke tribal dialects and languages: Nez Perce, Umatilla, Klikatat, and Yakima Ichishkíin. Her work on Native languages began at age twelve, when she met linguist Melville Jacobs while working for his student, Margaret Kendell. When Jacobs realized that Beavert was a fluent speaker of the Klikatat language, he taught her to read and write the orthography he had developed to record Klikatat myths. After a stint in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, Beavert went on to earn graduate degrees in education and linguistics, and she has contributed to numerous projects for the preservation of Native language and teachings. Beavert narrates highlights from her own life and presents cultural teachings, oral history, and stories (many in bilingual Ishishkíin-English format) about family life, religion, ceremonies, food gathering, and other aspects of traditional culture."--Provided by publisher

xvii, 182 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

The Ghostland People was the name given by the Haida to the early white settlers. This book is a gathering of firsthand accounts of exploration and discovery in the Queen Charlotte Islands during the little-known period bordered on one side by the maritime fur traders, and on the other by the farmers and the fishermen, and the loggers and the miners. William Downie visited the islands in 1859 and filed his report with Governor James Douglas. Robert Brown made his way there aboard the Goldstream in 1866, and Judge James G. Swan made his first trip to the Charlottes in 1883/and left a fascinating yet forgotten account. In 1878 George Dawson, the “little giant,” wrote his classic study (here reproduced for the first time in 110 years) of the Islands and the Haida. Lord Dufferin and his wife, the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, toured the Queen Charlottes in 1876 and both left detailed accounts. So did Charles Horetzky, who was there two years earlier. The next visitor to leave important views of the Islands was George A. Dorsey, who, with James Deans, cruised the area in 1898 on the behalf of the Field Museum in Chicago. Just after the turn of the century, Charles Seldon, a professional hunter from the United States, visited the Islands to observe the long-fabled Queen Charlotte Island caribou. This is the fourth volume in the West Coast Heritage Series. In it, editor Charles Lillard has also provided the first detailed chronology of Island history, the first major bibliography, and chapters on the Islands’ mystique and prehistory. As was the case with the previous books, Lillard gathers together material which has not been accessible to the general reader for over eighty years.

318 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

This UASBC report was so popular it had to be reprinted. The report documents the histories and present status of 14 ships beached as a hulk breakwater on Vancouver Island. Frigates, steam tugs, auxiliary schooners, whalers and other classic vessels lie partly submerged in this densely concentrated ships' graveyard. 2004, 8.5" x 11", 64 pages

61 pages : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm

This compact book records a quest for understanding, to find the story behind the Snayackstx (Sinixt) First Nation. Known in the United States as the Arrow Lakes Indians of the Colville Confederated Tribes, the tribe lived along the upper Columbia River and its tributaries for thousands of years. In a story unique to First Nations in Canada, the Canadian federal government declared them "extinct" in 1956, eliminating with the stroke of a pen this tribe's ability to legally access 80 per cent of their trans-boundary traditional territory. Part travelogue, part cultural history, the book details the culture, place names, practices, and landscape features of this lost tribe of British Columbia, through a contemporary lens that presents all readers with an opportunity to participate in reconciliation -- Source other than Library of Congress

xii, 261 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 23 cm

Alexander Ross’s 1855 narrative, The Fur Hunters of the Far West, provides an indispensable firsthand account of inland fur trade logistics, corporate maneuvers, and territorial diplomacy across the Columbia River basin and the northern Rocky Mountains. Chronicling his service with the North West Company and subsequently the Hudson’s Bay Company, Ross details the establishment and operation of key interior outposts—most notably Fort Nez Percés (Walla Walla), Fort Okanagan, and Spokane House—which were systematically constructed at strategic river confluences, traditional salmon fisheries, and seasonal gathering grounds long stewarded by the Cayuse, Walla Walla, Nez Perce, Spokane, and Syilx (Okanagan) peoples. The text illuminates the profound operational vulnerability of interior fur brigades, showing how overland transport and the grueling Snake River trapping expeditions were utterly dependent on negotiated interdependent alliances with regional Plateau and equestrian nations to secure vital pack horse herds, seasonal dried provisions, and navigational guides. Ross’s granular documentation of river rapids, overland trail corridors, and volatile trade councils exposes the fragile mechanics of early corporate resource extraction, illustrating how the fur companies were forced to superimpose their inland supply networks directly onto an established, deeply defended Indigenous geography.

1 online resource (2 volumes) : map, portrait

One of the world's most fertile agricultural regions, the Fraser Valley is in the midst of explosive change from the pressures of technology and urbanization. The author follows the Valley's history from the eighteenth century when Stalo natives were constantly on guard against visits from raiding Yacultas, through the Victorian era, when waves of settlers fought harsh winters, floods and mosquitoes to build a new community in the Valley, to the twentieth century, when the depredations of two world wars and the impact of the automobile changed the Valley forever. Throughout, Cherrington reminds us that beneath the serene, increasingly urbanized surface of the Fraser Valley, there is a turbulent past of Sasquatches and steamships, fur traders and fishermen, priests and prospectors - a recent past that, in an era of freeways and microchips, seems increasingly remote.

391 pages : illustrations, maps ; 29 cm

Constable John Kirkup was called to a 'gambling and whiskey drive' in Yale, B.C. He wound up arresting the nude hostess. Kirkup, the local newspaper editor, and the pastor fought for abstinence while the unruly workers fought and laid railway tracks. Further up the canyon, the great railwayman Andrew Onderdonk was daring the little steamship Kuzzy through the impenetrable Hell's Gate. Don Waite also recounts the adventures of the gold rush, the fur brigade trails, and Cariboo wagon road.

96 p. : ill., ports. ; 22 cm.

Lelah Jackson Edson’s The Fourth Corner: Highlights from the Early Northwest chronicles the pioneer history and coastal geography of the extreme upper-left corner of Washington State. The narrative focuses extensively on the early settlements of Whatcom County, tracing the development of communities nestled along the shores of Bellingham Bay and beneath the towering peak of Mount Baker. By documenting the establishment of outposts like Fort Bellingham and the challenging expansion of local railroad networks, the book vividly maps how settlers adapted to this rugged maritime terrain just south of the British Columbia border.

xxiii, 298 pages illustrations, facsimile, maps, plans, portraits 27 cm

Harvey W. Scott's historical account details the 1843 establishment of Oregon's Provisional Government, chronicling how American pioneers in the Willamette Valley organically created their own civil authority prior to formal United States jurisdiction. A keen insight drawn from the text is that this localized governance was not born of political rebellion against the British Hudson's Bay Company, but rather out of the pragmatic necessity to manage land disputes, probate laws, and frontier security in a stateless vacuum. The narrative meticulously outlines the legislative and administrative milestones of this temporary state, highlighting the early settlers' inherent capacity for democratic organization. Ultimately, Scott demonstrates how this impromptu legal framework effectively secured American civilian control over the disputed Pacific Northwest, seamlessly paving the way for eventual territorial status without descending into frontier anarchy.

25 pages

The Flora and Fauna of the Pacific Northwest Coast is an extensive, easy-to-follow resource guide to the plant and animal life of the vast and diverse bioregion stretching from Juneau, Alaska, south to coastal British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, down to California's San Francisco Bay. Encompassing over eight hundred native and invasive species, and including more than two thousand colour photos, this is the most complete book of its kind on the market. The book is divided into flora and fauna, with detailed subsections for flowering plants, berries, ferns, shrubs and bushes, trees, fungi, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. Each species (identified by common and scientific name) is illustrated by clear photography and a concise description of its appearance, biology, and habitat, as well as its traditional use and medicinal properties (where applicable). The book also contains detailed maps, a glossary, and a complete index of species

461 pages : color illustrations, color map ; 26 cm

A concise, full-colour guide to more than 200 native and introduced plant and animal species found in Vancouver’s famed city park. Vancouver’s Stanley Park is known around the world as a natural oasis in the midst of western Canada’s largest city. Unlike many urban parks, which are mostly cultivated, the 1,000-acre area now known as Stanley Park is part of the natural rainforest of this region. As much of this natural habitat has been preserved as parkland, Stanley Park is an accessible place to observe much of the native plant and animal life that can be found throughout the south coast of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. The Flora and Fauna of Stanley Park is a practical and colourful keepsake, highlighting more than 200 trees, shrubs, wildflowers, berries, seaweeds, birds, land mammals, and shoreline creatures. With clear colour photography, detailed descriptions, etymology, and safety tips and warnings, this book is the perfect go-to guide for visitors to the park, and anyone interested in the rich biodiversity of the Vancouver area and beyond.

1 online resource (317 p.)

Originally published in 1991, The First Oregonians has been revised and expanded for a new generation of Oregonians. It provides a comprehensive view of Oregon's native peoples from the past to the present. In this remarkable volume, Oregon Indians tell their own stories—more than half of the chapters are written by members of Oregon's nine federally recognized tribes. Using oral histories and personal recollections, these chapters vividly depict not only a history of decimation and decline, but also a contemporary view of cultural revitalization, renewal, and continuity. The First Oregonians also includes essays by prominent Northwest scholars exploring geography, federal-Indian relations, language, and art. No other book offers as wide a variety of views and stories about the historical and contemporary experience of Oregon Indians. The First Oregonians is the definitive volume for anyone interested in the fascinating story of Oregon’s first peoples. Contributors: C. Melvin Aikens, Stephen Dow Beckham, Marilyn Couture, Douglas Deur, Yvonne Hajda, Eugene Hunn, Dell Hymes, Jennifer Karson, Robert Kentta, Bill Mercer, Brent Merrill, Wil Phinney, Michael Rondeau, Howard P. Roy, Minerva T. Soucie, Kathryn Anne Toepel, George B. Wasson, Jr., and Elizabeth Woody.

xi, 348 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 26 cm

The First Nations of British Columbia, Second Edition, is a concise and accessible overview of First Nations peoples, cultures, and issues in the province. Robert Muckle familiarizes readers with the history, diversity, and complexity of First Nations to provide a context for contemporary concerns and initiatives. This fully revised edition explains the current treaty negotiation process and provides highlights of agreements between First Nations and governments. It also details past and present government policies, identifies the territories of major groups in the province, gives information on populations, reserves, bands, and language groups, and summarizes archaeological, ethnographic, historical, legal, and political issues.

IX, 146 Seiten : Illustrationen, Karten

vii, 281 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 23 x 31 cm.