Catalog of British Columbiana and Pacific Northwest Americana

Published by local historian Patrick Masterson, Port Orford, A History chronicles the dramatic evolution of Oregon's oldest continuously settled town, perched precariously on a storm-lashed headland above the Pacific. The book traces the area's rich timeline from its 1851 founding amidst a brief gold rush and subsequent conflicts with local Native tribes, through its decades as a rugged timber and commercial fishing hub. Drawing on historical documents and archival photographs, the text captures the fierce independence required to inhabit a remote coastal enclave characterized by treacherous waters and geographic isolation. A keen insight drawn from the work is how Port Orford's unusual open-water port—where boats must be hoisted in and out of the sea by giant land-based cranes—serves as a physical metaphor for the town's entire existence; it illustrates that surviving on the edge of the wilderness demands a permanent, ingenious defiance against standard modern infrastructure.

ii, 203 pages : illustrations ; 29 cm

226 pages : illustrations, maps ; 29 cm

Andrew Price’s Port Blakely: the community Captain Renton built explores the intense industrial adaptation and the vibrant, diverse civic resilience forged within one of the Puget Sound's most powerful early lumber-mill company towns. The narrative illustrates how the profound environmental realities of this maritime topography—defined by the deep-water harbor of Bainbridge Island, the towering, dense expanses of coastal old-growth timber, and the vital marine highways of the Salish Sea—required immense physical labor and shared, structured adaptation from a globally diverse workforce. By detailing the gradual transition from an isolated, raw frontier logging camp to a meticulously organized, cooperative industrial community orchestrated by Captain William Renton, the text highlights how the massive scale of timber extraction relied heavily on the social cohesion of immigrant, indigenous, and pioneer laborers living in close-knit proximity. Ultimately, the account demonstrates that patiently navigating the dangerous, grueling realities of industrial milling and collaboratively building a shared, multicultural community infrastructure were essential steps in transforming a remote island extraction site into a dynamic, enduring cornerstone of Washington State’s maritime and economic heritage.

196 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

John D. McCallum and Lorraine Wilcox Ross’s Port Angeles, U.S.A. chronicles the pioneer and industrial evolution of a remote maritime settlement strategically sheltered behind the protective, miles-long sand spit of Ediz Hook on the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula. The narrative maps how the towering, heavily glaciated barrier of the Olympic Mountains and the impenetrable density of the surrounding temperate rainforest initially strangled overland transit, forcing early settlers and massive logging operations to rely entirely on the deep-water harbor and the volatile aquatic highway of the Strait of Juan de Fuca for economic survival. By detailing the transition from an isolated pioneer outpost to a booming, mill-driven seaport, the book illustrates how mastering this unique marine topography and leveraging a natural oceanic breakwater were the absolute prerequisites for establishing a thriving timber metropolis on an otherwise unforgiving coastal frontier.

197 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map (on lining papers), portraits ; 24 cm

Any community that has ever been labelled a mill town carries both the promise of prosperity and the constant threat of collapse, its fortune hinging on a single industry whose performance is as much related to the whims of a global economy as it is to the abundance of a key natural resource. The people of Port Alberni, located deep in Vancouver Islands Alberni Valley, know all too well the highs and lows that come with such a label. Jan Peterson, who lived in Port Alberni for two of the towns most tumultuous decades and worked as a reporter for the Alberni Valley Times, describes how the towns people persevered through three decades of boom and bust, developed a vibrant arts and sporting community, and strived to make life better under any circumstances. From the prosperous 1970s, when Port Alberni earned the reputation of forestry capital of Canada, to the decline of the industry in the 1980s, when economic uncertainty signalled a need for diversification, to the environmental protests in nearby Clayoquot Sound, which polarized the community, Port Alberni tells the story of Port Alberni from a perspective that is rarely heard. Through fascinating interviews and meticulous historical research, Peterson captures the heart and soul of a town so often defined by dollars and cents.

264 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 22 cm.

Gerry Shea’s Popular Day Hikes: South-Central Okanagan serves as an accessible, comprehensive trail guide for exploring the diverse landscapes stretching from Kelowna and Penticton down to Oliver. The book details 35 distinct routes through the region, providing practical maps, elevation profiles, and trailhead directions across a striking cross-section of semi-arid bunchgrass, ponderosa pine forests, and dramatic canyon country. A keen insight drawn from the text is how outdoor recreation guidebooks in the interior Pacific Northwest function as quiet instruments of ecological management; by systematically channeling foot traffic onto designated paths, the guide helps protect fragile desert-ecosystem flora and sensitive wildlife habitats from the pressures of a booming regional tourism economy.

143 pages : colour illustrations, maps ; 22 cm.

"Polly Bemis, the mistakenly named 'Lalu Nathoy' of books and film, was forcibly brought to the United States, and to Idaho Territory, in 1872 when she was just eighteen. In 1894 she married a Euroamerican man, Charlie Bemis, and they moved to a mining claim on the remote Salmon River; Charlie died in 1922 and Polly died in 1933. Since her death, Polly Bemis's life has been greatly romanticized. Supposedly, she was a prostitute, 'Hong King' was her Chinese owner, and Charlie Bemis 'won her in a poker game.' Not one of these statements is true. Polly's life was genuinely fascinating, and it is time to both celebrate the known facts about her and allow the stereotypical, undocumented legends to die out"--Provided by publisher

xxvi, 529 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.

Polk County, Oregon, place names explores the linguistic footprint and settlement patterns etched into the fertile western margins of the Willamette Valley. Clarke details how the region's specific topography—spanning from the broad, flood-prone meanders of the Willamette River westward into the densely timbered, rugged slopes of the Coast Range—strictly dictated the establishment of early pioneer homesteads and remote logging camps. By decoding the historical origins behind local toponyms, the narrative reveals how the absolute physical necessity of securing vital river ferry crossings, bridging deep tributary creeks like the Luckiamute and Rickreall, and navigating the vast oak savannas permanently anchored the precise locations of early agrarian communities. Ultimately, this toponymic record serves as a deeply localized spatial history, demonstrating how the complex riverine geography and rich alluvial soils of this Pacific Northwest basin fundamentally shaped the enduring identity and physical footprint of the Oregon frontier.

157 pages ; 28 cm

The Polk County Centennial Committee and Wes Sherman’s Polk County Centennial souvenir booklet and program explores the gradual pioneer settlement and enduring civic development of the fertile Willamette Valley and the forested foothills of the Oregon Coast Range. The narrative illustrates how the environmental realities of this landscape—defined by rich alluvial soils, dense stands of western timber, and the gentle, meandering arteries of the Willamette River and its tributaries—welcomed early settlers but still required immense resilience and adaptation to establish permanent homesteads. By detailing the steady transition from the initial, isolated land claims of Oregon Trail arrivals to the collaborative growth of enduring communities like Dallas and Independence, the text highlights how the county's flourishing relied on the careful, community-driven cultivation of its natural abundance. Ultimately, the account demonstrates that cooperatively clearing the valley for agriculture and integrating reliable river and rail transit were essential steps in transforming a distant pioneer destination into a thriving, deeply rooted agricultural and civic heartland of western Oregon.

96 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm

Take a trip across British Columbia with this enchanting collection of essays from thirty local writers. What makes wandering the vibrant land called British Columbia really special? Encounters with locals who are ready to share, over a coffee or a beer, quirky tales and powerful truths rooted in place and time. Consider this book a meet-up with 30 such storytellers, the perfect road companion for your journey real or imagined. The Tyee is the province’s oldest and most-read independent source of online news and ideas, renowned for its range of voices on politics, culture and nature. This anthology marking The Tyee’s 20th anniversary includes pieces published over the last two decades and includes the distinct perspectives of some of the region’s most celebrated writers, including J.B. MacKinnon, Alisa Smith, Cúagilákv (Jess H̓áust̓i), Arno Kopecky, Harrison Mooney, Michelle Cyca, Christopher Cheung, Andrew Nikiforuk, and many more, as well as illustrations by Nora Kelly. Pull up a chair and get their inside scoops on the places they call home.

288 p.

When the June 15, 1846 Treaty of Washington was signed by representatives of the United States and Great Britain, it established the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude as the boundary to the middle of the channel which separates the North American continent from Vancouver Island. That decision, probably unknowingly, left a small piece of real estate below the line but isolated by marine waters from the rest of United States / Washington land. That promontory subsequently became known as Point Roberts, a unique and interesting community, greatly influenced by Canada but fiercely American. Point Roberts is a story of political and geographic accident; it is also a story of the people who settled there, who fished and farmed, who lived under difficult circumstances and isolation. It is a chronicle of good times and bad, rising expectations and tragic events. It includes the efforts of people to create social and cultural institutions to solve their problems and to pass their culture on from one generation to the next — governmental units, churches, schools, water districts, even a cemetery. Point Roberts is also a study of two nations and their people facing off, sharing, trying to learn how to live together. That chapter still is not complete, nor is the history of Point Roberts. But its history has begun, and we are indebted to Richard Clark for gathering the existing bits and pieces to date together in this book. It teaches some valuable lessons — that human perseverance can overcome adversity, that human institutions and social inventions do advance a people, and that Point Roberts is an extremely interesting and valuable part of Washington State and the United States of America.

viii, 137 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

"Point Roberts Backstory tells the fascinating story of a one-of-a-kind American town. Perched on the tip of a Canadian peninsula which extends into U.S. waters, Point Roberts is a community like no other. Residents--including the school kids--have to drive through Canada to get to this unique 'enclave' from the U.S. mainland. Point Roberts has seen i tall: mysterious middens, smugglers, pirates, squatters, Icelandic-speaking settlers, rock stars and thousands of Canadians. They all mix in an unbelievable history all the more amazing when you learn it all happened in its tiny five square miles. Join Point Roberts Backstory for a tour of this incredible town in an isolated corner of America, "--Page 4 of cover

587 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Marianne Love’s Pocket girdles and other confessions of a Northwest farm girl explores the intimate, everyday agrarian resilience and evolving community identity within the timbered valleys of the Idaho Panhandle during the mid-twentieth century. The narrative illustrates how the demanding environmental realities of this inland topography—defined by dense northern forests, rugged mountain terrain, and the rigorous seasonal rhythms of small-scale family farming—required immense physical labor and constant, shared adaptation from rural residents. By detailing personal recollections of the gradual transition from the isolated, grueling routines of traditional farm life to the cooperative engagement in mid-century civic and social institutions, the text highlights how shared daily experiences and rural community networks served as vital threads connecting the region. Ultimately, the memoir demonstrates that patiently fostering these everyday neighborly bonds and collaboratively adapting to the geographic and cultural isolation of the inland frontier were essential steps in cultivating a deeply rooted, vibrant rural heritage in the modern Pacific Northwest.

What's a pocket girdle? Find out in this hilarious collection of stories about rural childhood. "Marianne's writings catch the true and comic flavor of what it's like to grow up in rural Idaho". -- Patrick McManus

213 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

"In Plowed Under, Andrew P. Duffin traces the transformation of the Palouse region of Washington and Idaho from land thought unusable and unproductive to a wealth-generating agricultural paradise, weighing the consequences of what this progress has wrought. During the twentieth century, the Palouse became synonymous with wheat, and the landscape was irrevocably altered. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, native vegetation is almost nonexistent, stream water is so dirty that it is often unfit for even livestock, and 94 percent of all land has been converted to agriculture. Commercial agriculture also created a less noticeable ecological change: soil erosion." "Duffin argues for a candid look at the land, its people, their decisions, and the repercussions of those decisions in the hope of charting a better, more sustainable future. As he notes, the debate is not over whether to use the land, but over what that use will look like and its social and ecological results."--Jacket

xv, 240 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Plants of the Oregon Coastal Dunes offers a useful, informative guide for visitors to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area or anyone spending time on the state's remarkable beaches. The standard reference on the Oregon dunes for thirty years, this handy guide identifies those plants most likely encountered and serves as a general introduction to the ecology of dune areas. The first two sections explain the natural history of dunes and describe plant communities associated with dunes and how they change over time. The final section provides an easy-to-use key to 90 common dune plants. Each species profile includes a photograph, a detailed description, and information on habitat and range. This new edition considers changes in dune areas in recent decades, notes conservation efforts, and updates scientific names.

120 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

"For many thousands of years the lands and waters of Haida Gwaii have been home to the Haida. Plants of Haida Gwaii, written with the cooperation and collaboration of Haida knowledge holders and botanical experts, is a detailed and insightful record of the traditional uses of over 150 species of native plants. Moreover, it explains the systems of knowledge and understanding that enabled the Haida to use the resources of their islands sustainably from one generation to the next over millennia. The Haida names of these plants indicate their importance, as do the many narratives featuring them. From the ts'uu--massive western red-cedars--of the forests which provide wood used for canoes, house posts, poles and boxes, and bark carefully harvested for weaving mats, baskets and hats, to the ngaal--tough, resilient fronds of giant kelp--used to harvest herring eggs, the botanical species used by the Haida are found from the ocean to the mountain tops, and are as important today as ever before. With over 250 photographs and illustrations, this book is both beautiful and informative."-- Provided by publisher

262 pages : illustrations (some colour), colour maps, portraits (some colour) ; 24 cm

"In this companion volume to his 2012 book Oregon Plans: The Making of an Unquiet Land-Use Revolution, Sy Adler offers readers a deep analysis of Portland's Urban Growth Boundary. As part of Oregon's land-use system, urban areas are required to define a UGB, a line containing urban sprawl and separating it from agricultural land and open space. In Planning the Portland Urban Growth Boundary, Adler argues that acknowledging the Portland growth boundary in 1979 was the most significant decision the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission has ever made, and, more broadly, is a significant milestone in American land-use planning. Planning the Portland Urban Growth Boundary primarily covers the 1970s, the period during which the initial boundary was planned at the regional level and acknowledged as compliant with Oregon's statewide Urbanization goal. Adler's central argument is that while state and regional planning institutions were established in response to concerns about sprawl, planners working for those institutions had to confront the reality that various plans developed and implemented by city and county governments around the Portland metro would instead allow the sprawling to continue. Regional planners labeled these as "Trend City" plans, and sought to transcend and transform them during the 1970s and thereafter. Adler discusses the dynamics of these partially successful efforts and the conflicts that characterized the development of the UGB during the 1970s-between different levels of government, and between public, private, and civic sector advocates. When the regional UGB is periodically reviewed, these conflicts continue, as debates about values and technical issues related to forecasting future amounts of population, economic activity, and the availability of land for urban development over a twenty-year period roil the boundary planning process"-- Provided by publisher

ix, 261 pages : map ; 23 cm

With the recent decline of natural resource industries in the American West, a new economic future has dawned for the region, focused on tourism, service industries, and high technology. Affluent and articulate interests are shaping a New West on the foundations of the Old West, often against the wishes of some local residents. As former timber, farming, and mining landscapes are re-allocated for recreation, tourist facilities, environmental protection, and new residential development, the debate over who gets to shape and speak for the West intensifies. In the Columbia Gorge, the creation of a National Scenic Area in 1986 enjoined differences between the goals and values of the Old and New Wests. In Planning a New West the authors present a fast-paced account of the creation of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. As the nation's first multi-entity national scenic area — a regional land use planning effort mandated by the federal government in partnership with state and local governments — the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is a revealing case study that explores what may be the future for protection of historical landscapes in the American West. Planning a New West explains the political battles over the future of the Gorge, including environmentalist concerns about logging, local property owners' worries about increasing population, and the invasion of windsurfers and other recreationalists. The authors describe the range of viewpoints and the disputes that raged between contending groups trying to shape the legislation. Finally, the book covers the legislation itself and examines what has been accomplished in the ten years since its passage. Throughout this volume, the authors address a key question: what happens when a coveted landscape becomes a battleground for two legitimate and compelling visions of the American West? In examining the origins and implementations of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Planning a New West reveals a vast experiment in mediating between old and new.

x, 210 pages : illustrations, map ; 26 cm.

The Island Halkomelem Indian people live on the southeastern part of Vancouver Island and on some of the southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia. A total of three hundred two (302) place-names are known to these people today, in their Coast Salish language. Each of these names is transcribed in a practical writing system, corresponding to the pronunciation of the Indian words by some of the thirteen elderly Island Halkomelem people who collaborated on this study. For each geographical name, information regarding its traditional and present utilization by the Indians is given. This data is derived from interviews with the Indian people conducted by the author over a ten year period and also includes all the available information on each place-name from the pertinent ethnographic, linguistic and historical literature. After the information on the place-names is presented a brief analysis of the Indian names is attempted, focusing on a preliminary typology of the names derived from the use, English translations and etymologies of each name. A complete and detailed series of maps is included. The study concludes with some statements about how the Indian geographical toponymy reflects Island Halkomelem culture

Place Names of Washington by Robert Hitchman is a monumental 1985 geographical dictionary published by the Washington State Historical Society that catalogs the origins and historical context of the state's geographic designations. Culminating decades of meticulous research, the encyclopedic volume traces the naming of thousands of cities, rivers, mountains, and coastal features back to Indigenous origins, early Spanish and British maritime exploration, and the influx of pioneer settlers. By documenting the cultural and linguistic roots of diverse locations—from the high peaks of the Cascades to the rugged shorelines of the San Juan Islands—the book captures the layered history embedded in the state's map. Ultimately, it serves as an indispensable and definitive reference for regional historians, genealogists, and geographers seeking to understand the complex colonial, pioneer, and Indigenous heritage that defined the landscape of Washington.

[11], 340 pages : maps, portraits ; 29 cm

Place names of the Pacific Northwest Coast examines the intricate layers of indigenous nomenclature, maritime exploration, and colonial cartography situated along the sprawling, fjord-indented littoral margin of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Middleton details how the region's formidable coastal macro-geography—specifically the labyrinthine, tide-ripped channels of the Inside Passage, the hazardous, shifting sandbars of the Columbia and coastal river mouths, and the towering, densely forested mountain ranges that strictly isolated the coast from the interior—strictly dictated the margins of native habitation, dangerous maritime navigation, and the historic naming practices of explorers, traders, and settlers. By cataloging the diverse etymologies of coastal bays, capes, islands, and settlements, mapping how native place names rooted in deep ecological familiarity were systematically overlaid or adapted by Spanish, British, and American maritime surveyors responding to the complex hazards of the coastal topography, the narrative highlights how this specific maritime geography anchored a profoundly layered, culturally contested littoral landscape. Ultimately, this bibliographic and historical record serves as a macro-level spatial history, demonstrating how the immense linear scale, treacherous navigation hazards, and vital sheltered waterways of this Pacific Northwest coastline fundamentally shaped the highly descriptive, historically rich nomenclature of the western seaboard.

[10], 226 pages : illustrations, maps (on lin ing papers) ; 27 cm

152 leaves ; 28 cm

William Lowell Putnam, Glen W. Boles, and Roger W. Laurilla’s Place names of the Canadian Alps explores the rigorous alpine exploration and foundational cartographic integration of British Columbia's most formidable mountain ranges. The narrative illustrates how the severe environmental realities of this rugged topography—defined by towering glaciated peaks, treacherous high-altitude passes, and deep, isolated valleys—required immense physical resilience and shared navigational adaptation from early mountaineers, geologists, and railway surveyors. By detailing the gradual transition from a vast, unnamed alpine wilderness to a meticulously documented network of charted peaks and corridors, the text highlights how the cooperative efforts of early climbing clubs and mapping expeditions laid the vital cartographic groundwork for regional infrastructure. Ultimately, the account demonstrates that patiently conquering these severe vertical boundaries and collaboratively establishing a standardized geographical nomenclature were essential steps in transforming an impenetrable wilderness barrier into a deeply mapped, culturally recognized, and enduringly connected component of the Canadian Pacific Northwest.

xviii, 383 pages, 25 pages of plates : illustrations (some color), color map ; 24 cm

Place names of the Alberni Valley explores the linguistic footprint and early pioneer settlement etched into the deeply carved, heavily timbered interior of central Vancouver Island. Ford, MacLeod, and Joyce detail how the region's formidable physical barriers—specifically the sheer, towering peaks of the Vancouver Island Ranges and the long, treacherous, fjord-like trench of the Alberni Inlet—strictly dictated the establishment of early resource extraction camps and permanent communities. By mapping the historical origins behind local toponyms and the immense physical labor required to penetrate these dense, old-growth rainforests, the narrative highlights how the absolute necessity of securing deepwater maritime anchorages at the head of the inlet permanently anchored the precise locations of the valley's settlements. The profound geographic isolation from the island's more accessible eastern seaboard initially forced early homesteaders and massive timber syndicates into a complete reliance on the deepwater marine highway for their commercial survival and global export. Ultimately, this toponymic record serves as a deeply localized spatial history, demonstrating how the complex, deeply indented aquatic topography and immense forested valleys of this Pacific Northwest island inherently shaped the resilient, strictly maritime and timber-dependent footprint of the Alberni frontier.

84 pages, [1] folded leaf of plates : map ; 22 cm

Larry J. Weathers’s Place names of Pacific County, published by the local historical society, serves as a vital geographic and cultural record of southwestern Washington's coastal evolution, stretching from the mouth of the Columbia River to the tidal flats of Willapa Bay. Rather than a standard chronological history, this toponymic catalog traces how the physical landscape was incrementally layered with the historical footprints of its diverse inhabitants. The text reveals how early pioneer settlements, immigrant logging camps, and oyster towns—such as Oysterville, Ilwaco, and South Bend—were frequently built directly atop pre-existing indigenous encampments and seasonal trading grounds. Weathers documents how American homesteaders and maritime laborers navigated the region's isolated peninsulas and dense rainforests by relying heavily on ancient Chinook, Chehalis, and Willapa portages and overland trails, subsequently mapping their own civic ambition onto this established indigenous geography. Ultimately, this comprehensive index of local place names demonstrates how the collaborative adaptation of indigenous pathways and the cooperative endurance of early maritime workers successfully transformed a rugged, water-bound frontier into an interconnected network of enduring Pacific coast communities.

pages 19-70 : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.