Catalog of British Columbiana and Pacific Northwest Americana

"Photographic profile of the Sawtooth/White Cloud wilderness areas in Idaho. Full-color photos are accompanied by essays describing the areas depicted"-- Provided by publisher

1 volume (various pagings) : color illustrations ; 24 x 31 cm

Dick d'Easum fist glimpsed Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains when he was a boy, and it was love at first sight. D'Easum spent his life getting better acquainted with the mountains. He collected stories of the people, history, and legends of the region for more than fifty years.

xii, 281 pages, [1] folded leaf of plates : illustrations, color map, portraits ; 23 cm

Denis Marshall’s Sawdust Caesars: Early Logging and Sawmills of the Salmon Arm Area documents the timber extraction and milling industry that fundamentally shaped the settlement geography of Shuswap Lake and the Salmon River basin. The text details the establishment of major sawmilling enterprises—such as the Salmon River Lumber Company—alongside railway tie camps, lake-towing steamboat operations, and seasonal flumes. Marshall illustrates how intensive commercial timber harvesting was superimposed over the forested slopes and river drainages stewarded by the Secwépemc Nation, detailing the labor dynamics, environmental changes, and economic shifts that accompanied the extraction boom across the interior railway belt.

88 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 28 cm

"This is the story of the Willamette River from its birth to the 21st century. Confined in the Willamette Basin, the river has been a way of life for valley inhabitants. From early Native Americans to modern man the river has been a vital source of nourishment, floods, steamboats, agriculture, pollution, conservation, and recreation. In the mid-20th century pollution reigned. Governors McCall and Straub fought for a clean river, and the Willamette Greenway-a strip of land 150 feet wide on both banks of the Willamette from Eugene to Portland. Farmers fought that plan which resulted in a 1970s compromise. That solution still exists today."--Back cover

167 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Joseph R. Garry (1910–1975), a Coeur d’Alene Indian, served six terms as president of the National Congress of American Indians in the 1950s. He led the battles to compel the federal government to honor treaties and landownership and dominated an era in government-Indian relations little attended by historians. Firmly believing that forced assimilation of Indians and termination of federal trusteeship over Native Americans and their reservations would doom Indian cultures, Garry had his greatest success as a leader in uniting American Indian tribes to fend off Congress’s plan to abandon Indian citizens. Born into a chief’s family and raised on the Coeur d’Alene reservation in northern Idaho, Garry rose to chairmanship of his tribal council, president of the Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest Indians, and leadership of NCAI. He was the first Native American elected to the Idaho House and Senate. Handsome, personable, and articulate, Garry traveled constantly to urge Indian tribes to hold onto their land, develop economic resources, and educate their young. In a turbulent decade, Garry elevated Indians to political and social participation in American life, and set in motion forces that underlie Indian relations today.

xi, 220 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

"Much has been written about Ezra Meeker, most of it by Meeker himself. Despite the paper trail he left behind, no one has yet written his comprehensive biography. In this, the last of three volumes on Meeker, Larsen examines the pioneer's most enduring legacy-his grand and much publicized promotion of the Oregon Trail"-- Provided by publisher

xi, 266 pages : illustrations, map, portraits ; 23 cm

No other developed area in the world matches the Puget Sound region's combination of beauty, wealth, natural resiliency, and history of environmental concern. Saving Puget Sound develops a practical proposal to conserve the Puget Sound region's most important ecosystems in the face of long-term population growth, drawing lessons that are relevant across the Northwest and in other parts of the country. It provides both a vision for conservation and a detailed review of the political and legal issues that must be at the core of any practical strategy to achieve it.

xvii, 336 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 25 cm

On a wilderness ranch in southern Oregon nearly a century ago, Dayton Hyde dove into a rushing river to rescue the threatened nest of a sandhill crane. The egg saved from the nest hatched into a bird, and also into an amazing story. "Sandy" the crane grew up in Hyde's household as a member of the family and had to be taught she was really a bird. Hyde served as parent, companion, dietitian, even flight instructor to Sandy, and eventually watched over her mate and fledglings as well. Over the years, he had to learn a lot about sandhills. In return, the cranes taught him quite a bit about what it is to be wild. More than an animal story, Sandy is the true account of an individual who dedicated himself to saving an endangered species. Hyde shares his totally charming, often hilarious stories of Sandy and the other wild pets, showing us how one man's heroic act to save an unhatched egg blossomed into a lifetime of conservation activities. First published over 30 years ago, Sandy contains a message more urgent today as civilization sprawls without regard for wilderness. It shows what private landowners can do to help wildlife conservation — that ranches, when run with an understanding of whole ecosystems, can serve as miniature wildlife sanctuaries that address the concerns of ranchers and environmentalists alike.

214 pages illustrations 24 cm

Sandon, the Mining Centre of the Silvery Slocan by Dave May is a 1986 regional history (self-published in Nelson, B.C.) that chronicles the dramatic rise, catastrophic decline, and resilient legacy of one of British Columbia's most famous mining boomtowns. The book traces Sandon's explosive 1890s transformation into a wealthy, fully electrified civic hub—often dubbed the "Monte Carlo of North America"—following massive silver-lead ore strikes in the West Kootenay region's Selkirk Mountains. May meticulously details the opulent business district and fierce local sports rivalries, alongside the grueling, hazardous working conditions faced by the miners, and the subsequent fires, labor strikes, and floods that ultimately reduced the bustling city to a renowned ghost town. Ultimately, it serves as an invaluable, grassroots record of the sheer grit, ambition, and tragic boom-and-bust cycles that defined Canada's legendary "Silvery Slocan" district.

viii, 216 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 24 cm.

San Juan saga: a unique history of the San Juan Islands and the Pig War examines the strategic military occupation and precarious pioneer settlement of a deeply contested, heavily forested archipelago situated at a critical aquatic chokepoint of the Salish Sea. Bave details how the region's formidable physical barriers—specifically the treacherous tidal currents of the Haro and Rosario straits, the rugged, rocky shorelines, and the severe aquatic isolation from mainland authorities—strictly dictated the margins of international diplomacy and early homesteading. By mapping the tense military standoff and the arduous daily labor of isolated settlers navigating this fractured marine topography, the narrative highlights the immense logistical endurance required to maintain sovereign claims within this demanding maritime environment. The profound geographic ambiguity of the navigable water routes initially forced both British and American forces into a strict reliance on the deepwater marine highway for troop deployment and basic survival, completely anchoring their strategic encampments to the precise, defensive contours of the island's sheltered bays and sweeping, wind-battered prairies. Ultimately, this theatrical and historical record serves as a deeply localized spatial history, demonstrating how the complex aquatic geography and immense navigational significance of this Pacific Northwest frontier fundamentally shaped the fiercely resilient, highly contested character of the San Juan archipelago.

x, 25 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

99 pages

Archie W. Shiels’s San Juan Islands, the Cronstadt of the Pacific explores the profound strategic importance and the remarkable diplomatic resolution that secured the intricate maritime borders of the northern Puget Sound. The narrative illustrates how the dynamic environmental realities of this coastal archipelago—defined by the deep, vital transit channels weaving between the forested communities of Orcas, Lopez, Shaw, and San Juan islands, and their crucial position linking mainland ports like Anacortes to the broader Pacific—initially created a highly contested geopolitical landscape. By detailing the prolonged joint military occupation of the islands during the mid-nineteenth century boundary dispute, the text highlights how local resilience, pragmatic daily adaptation, and genuine cross-cultural cooperation on the ground steadily diffused international tensions. Ultimately, the account demonstrates that thoughtfully navigating these complex maritime boundaries and embracing patient, peaceful international arbitration were essential steps in preserving the enduring tranquility and cohesive civic development of these unique island communities.

275 p. : incl. front. (map) 24 cm.

128 pages : color illustrations ; 35 cm

With sheltered harbors, open prairies, and secluded woodlands, San Juan Island has been a magnet for human habitation for thousands of years. Settlers and Indians sometimes intermarried, and many of their descendants remain to this day. San Juan Islanders of all generations have worked hard to preserve their home, thus maintaining a sense of place that is as evident today as it was when the first canoes came ashore

127 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 24 cm.

xii, 268 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

San Juan dispute examines the tense military standoff and precarious boundary negotiation situated within the strategic, island-choked waterways of the Salish Sea's central archipelago. Hanford details how the region's formidable archipelagic topography—specifically the complex, navigable deep-water corridors of Haro and Rosario Straits, the rugged, easily fortified shorelines of San Juan Island, and the highly ambiguous, heavily fragmented maritime boundary separating the mainland empires—strictly dictated the margins of aggressive territorial posturing, precarious joint military occupation, and intense naval maneuvering. By mapping the transformation of a localized agrarian conflict into a high-stakes international border crisis that utilized the island's commanding geographic position to control vital shipping lanes, the narrative highlights how this specific insular geography anchored a profoundly tense, militarized maritime frontier. Ultimately, this geopolitical and historical record serves as a localized spatial history, demonstrating how the severe cartographic ambiguity, vital strategic deep-water access, and isolated insular terrain of this Pacific Northwest archipelago fundamentally shaped the highly contested, geopolitically fraught character of the San Juan boundary dispute.

15 pages : portrait ; 22 cm

San Juan County, Washington, inventory of natural areas on private lands examines the ecological conservation and spatial mapping of the scattered, rain-shadowed archipelago situated within the protected marine waters of the Salish Sea. The Nature Conservancy and the county planning department detail how the region's fragmented island topography—specifically the rocky, tide-swept shorelines, the rare Garry oak woodlands, and the isolated, ecologically fragile prairie bluffs—strictly dictated the margins of private land ownership and environmental preservation. By mapping the delicate terrestrial ecosystems dispersed across these insular landmasses, the narrative highlights how the specific maritime isolation and complex marine geography harbor distinct, highly localized ecological sanctuaries amid increasing development pressures. Ultimately, this environmental inventory serves as a deeply localized spatial history, demonstrating how the intricate archipelagic geography and fragile microclimates of this Pacific Northwest maritime frontier fundamentally shaped the ecologically vital, carefully managed character of the San Juan Islands.

128, [54] pages : illustrations ; 28 cm

Published in 1896 by Major Granville O. Haller, this historical pamphlet re-examines the 1859 "Pig War" boundary dispute over San Juan Island between the United States and Great Britain. A keen insight drawn from the text is Haller's controversial thesis that the aggressive military escalations by Captain George Pickett and General William S. Harney were not merely localized bravado, but rather a deliberate conspiracy by Southern sympathizers to provoke a unifying national war with Britain to distract from the impending American Civil War. The author leverages his firsthand military experience during the crisis to reframe this bizarre frontier standoff as a high-stakes geopolitical gambit tied directly to the secessionist movement. Ultimately, the work transforms a seemingly comical regional squabble into a fascinating exploration of pre-Civil War political machinations in the Pacific Northwest.

15 pages ; 23 cm

This book tells the history of San Juan Island mostly through the diaries and letters of the original settlers plus newspaper accounts of various newsworthy events that happened on the island.

x, 194 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 22 cm

Dam removal was not a realistic option in the twentieth century, and people who suggested it were dismissed as radical dreamers, but in recent decades dam removal has become increasingly common, with dozens of removals now taking place each year nationwide. How did this happen? Same River Twice answers this question by telling the stories of three major Northwestern dam removals—the politics, people, hopes, and fears that shaped three rivers and their communities. Author Peter Brewitt begins each story with the dam’s construction, shows how its critics gained power, details the conflicts and controversies of removal, and explores the aftermath as the river re-established itself. Each dam removal offers a unique case study. On the Elwha and Rogue Rivers, dam removal was a multi-decade political brawl; on the Sandy River it was swift and amicable. A key controversy in every case was the loss of the recreational lake created by the dam. Local communities loved their lakes and felt that they were natural, public spaces rather than industrial creations. They fought dam removal with passion and ingenuity. To be successful, dam removal advocates had to learn to build mega-coalitions that embraced most interest groups and moved forward together. While the dams profiled here are all in the Pacific Northwest, dam removal is a national and international phenomenon, and Brewitt’s findings apply everywhere. Written for both a scholarly and a general audience, Same River Twice presents invaluable case studies for scholars of environmental politics, wildlife and public land professionals, environmental activists, and anyone interested in the intersection of politics, public policy, and dam removal.

xii, 274 pages ; 23 cm

Saltwater City pays tribute to those who went through the hard times, to those who swallowed their pride, to those who were powerless and humiliated, but who still carried on. They all had faith that things would be better for future generations. They have been proven correct.Canada’s first Chinese arrived in British Columbia in 1858 from California. Almost all men—merchants, peasants, and laborers — and almost all from eight rural counties in the Pearl River delta in what is now Guangdong province — they came in search of gold and better fortune, escaping the rebellions, flood and drought of their homeland.By 1863 over 4,000 Chinese lived in B.C., filling jobs shunned by miners, road builders, teamsters, laundry men, restaurateurs, domestic servants and cannery workers. Between 1881 and 1885, thousands more arrived, most imported to build the transcontinental railway. They were to create, in Vancouver, Canada’s largest and most dynamic Chinese Community, known to its original inhabitants as Saltwater City.

174 p. : ill., fac-sim

Originally marked on the naval charts of 1858 as "Admiral Island," it has of late years altogether dropped that name, and is now known both popularly, and also in the more recently published maps, as Salt Spring Island^ — the saline springs, of which there are some 14 or 15 on the island, being sufficient reason for its present name

30 pages : illustrations, map

Salt Spring Island by Bea Hamilton is a 1969 local history that chronicles the early settlement and community development of the prominent British Columbia Gulf Island. Written by a lifelong resident from a pioneering family, the book offers an affectionate, firsthand perspective on the island's diverse founders—including English, American, Hawaiian, and Black settlers—and its enduring tradition of rural self-sufficiency. Ultimately, it serves as both a nostalgic personal account and a valuable historical record of the region's pioneering era before modern development transformed the landscape. Officially spelled Saltspring Island.

xi, 180 pages illustrations, maps, portraits 24 cm

The largest of BC's southern Gulf Islands, beautiful Salt Spring Island has long been a favoured holiday destination and a prized real-estate area for those in search of an idyllic rural residence. Now available in trade paper, Salt Spring: The Story of an Island chronicles the island's rich history from the days when Coast Salish people inhabited Salt Spring's shores, through some 150 years of settlement by many diverse groups. Because of the island's rugged geography, the early story of Salt Spring is largely the story of hard-working people in small isolated communities industriously carving farms out of rough terrain. Many of the settlers who followed came to find a place where they could live their lives free of the constraints of most societies. This was as true for the African-Americans, many of whom were among the first non-aboriginal settlers to arrive in 1859, as it was for those fleeing conventional middleclass life and for Americans seeking to avoid the Vietnam War. And it's true of almost every new islander who arrives today with a unique personal dream.

344 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 24 cm

Each year wild Pacific salmon leave their oceanic feeding grounds and swim hundreds of miles back to their home rivers. The salmon’s annual return is a place-defining event in the Pacific Northwest, with immense ecological, economic, and social significance. However, despite massive spending, efforts to significantly alter the endangered status of salmon have failed. In Salmon, People, and Place, acclaimed fisheries biologist Jim Lichatowich eloquently exposes the misconceptions underlying salmon management and recovery programs that have fueled the catastrophic decline in Northwest salmon populations for more than a century. These programs will continue to fail, he suggests, so long as they regard salmon as products and ignore their essential relationship with their habitat. But Lichatowich offers hope. In Salmon, People, and Place he presents a concrete plan for salmon recovery, one based on the myriad lessons learned from past mistakes. What is needed to successfully restore salmon, Lichatowich states, is an acute commitment to healing the relationships among salmon, people, and place. A significant contribution to the literature on Pacific salmon, Salmon, People, and Place: A Biologist’s Search for Salmon Recovery is an essential read for anyone concerned about the fate of this Pacific Northwest icon.

xi, 242 pages ; 23 cm