Catalog of British Columbiana and Pacific Northwest Americana

Although this book tells the story of one little Idaho town, Kamiah, located on the Nez Perce Indian reservation and visited by the Lewis and Clark expedition, in many ways it is the story of a multitude of small Pacific Northwestern towns whose origins date back to the turn of the last century--a time when individualism, initiative, and enterprise abounded. Accounts of events as they appeared in the small, weekly newspaper of that day, along with family anecdotes bring Kamiah's history to life. This is a well-researched and entertaining account by a founding father's granddaughter who collected archival pictures from state and private historical societies and museums, and who shared personal family photos never seen before. Over 75 photos and maps.

v, 294 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Authored by regional historian Carolyn M. Buan, This Far-Off Sunset Land: A Pictorial History of Washington County, Oregon offers a richly illustrated chronicle of one of the Pacific Northwest’s oldest agricultural and settlement regions west of Portland. The book compiles rare historic photographs, maps, and archival documents to trace the area's evolution from Donation Land Claim homesteads and early pioneer trails into a bustling network of farming communities and suburban outposts. Through its curated visual narrative, the text highlights the enduring legacy of the Tualatin Valley’s farming families, immigrant laborers, and small-town merchants. A keen insight drawn from the work is how pictorial histories of the Willamette Valley reveal the rapid spatial erasure of agrarian landscapes; the stark transition captured across the photo spreads from open orchards and wooden barns to sprawling paved infrastructure underscores how swiftly post-war modernization consumed the physical markers of pioneer settlement.

192 pages : illustrations ; 29 cm

Authored by Elizabeth Watson Perry, "We Left Because the Creek Went Dry": The People of the First Creek District, Lake Chelan, Washington, 1888-1932 chronicles the rise and abandonment of an isolated homesteading community on the arid shores of north-central Washington. The book draws on diaries, family photographs, and oral histories to detail the immense physical and economic toll placed on pioneers attempting to farm steep, water-scarce canyon benches. Through intimate accounts of daily struggle, the text exposes the severe environmental limits that ultimately forced settlers to abandon their hard-won acreage. A keen insight drawn from the work is how agricultural boosterism recklessly ignored ecological realities; by romanticizing the arid Pacific Northwest as an endless land of agrarian promise, promotional literature lured families into fragile microclimates where a single vanishing water source could entirely erase a generation of backbreaking labor.

143 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm

Weather is best understood as the state of the atmosphere on a given day or at a given time. Climate, on the other hand, looks at long-term averages of weather conditions. Or, as one 7-year-old explained to State Climatologist George Taylor, "weather is what you get and climate is what you're supposed to get." The Climate of Oregon gathers into a single volume a range of fascinating and useful climate information. Using state-of-the-art two-color maps and detailed tables, the authors describe various climate elements, including precipitation, temperature, winds, humidity, snow, clouds, and the growing season. Monthly maps for precipitation, snow, and temperature reveal how Oregon's climate changes throughout the year. The book defines the 9 distinct Oregon Climate Zones, examines the role of climate stations in reporting weather, and provides rich data from the state's most representative stations. Several years of unusual weather in the Pacific Northwest have generated great interest in large-scale climate change. Chapters on global warming and its impact on Oregon, El Niño and La Niña, climate changes and salmon populations, and long-term wet and dry cycles offer the latest findings on these topics.

xi, 211 pages : illustrations, maps (some color) ; 26 cm

Debates over the fate of ancient forests have been commonplace in the Pacific West for decades. The Tillamook takes up the question of younger forests, exploring the creation of a managed forest and what its story reveals about the historic and future role of second-growth forests. It was Oregon's most notorious conflagration-a series of four major fires that struck the Tillamook forest beginning in 1933 and recurred with bizarre regularity through 1951. The fires burned 355,000 acres of virgin forest and became collectively known as the Tillamook Burn. In this engaging history, Gail Wells recounts the story of these famous fires and the cooperative efforts of foresters and ordinary citizens-including thousands of schoolchildren-to get young trees growing again on the burned landscape. It became one of the largest forest rehabilitation efforts ever, resulting in a created forest that promised "timber forever." Now a state forest, the Tillamook is coming of age at a time when attitudes toward forests have changed and "timber forever" is no longer the guiding principle. In contemplating the Tillamook's fate, Wells traces the historic roots of competing perspectives on forest use and examines the contemporary debate over forest issues. She sees the future of second-growth forests as holding the possibility of a workable synthesis, "a truly stable, sustainable, and humane relationship with our forests." In a new epilogue, Wells updates the story of the Tillamook five years after her book was first published, and explains why the fate of the forest remains uncertain.

viii, 184 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.

The tallest species of spruce, hemlock, fir, cedar, and pine trees on earth coexist in the old growth of the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest in Oregon’s Cascade Range. Set aside as a living laboratory by the U.S. Forest Service in 1948, the 16,000 acres represent a vital scientific endeavor: the long-term study of a single contained ecosystem. Here, for the first time, researchers from an enormous range of disciplines—forest scientists, botanists, entomologists, wildlife ecologists, soil biologists, and others—have assembled to examine the role of every working element in the life of a forest. In The Hidden Forest, veteran science writer Jon Luoma offers an absorbing account of how these scientists came to recognize the importance of natural forest ecosystems and how their research is revolutionizing forest management. Luoma takes readers into the hidden forest where researchers have discovered a host of species previously unknown to science, and interactions in the forest ecosystem that no one previously imagined. He describes projects dealing with the forest canopy, rotting logs, insects, fungi, wildlife, streams, and the effects of flood, fire, clear cutting, and volcanic eruption. And he tells the human story behind the research, capturing the shared excitement and wonder of scientific discovery. Along the way, Luoma provides a short course in such complex issues as forest succession, biodiversity, and the politics of forestry. In a new foreword, Jerry Franklin discusses the importance of dedicated, long-term research sites and comments on new discoveries that have emerged from forest ecosystem research since The Hidden Forest was first published.

x, 228 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

In Long Day’s Journey Carlos Schwantes gathers historical photographs, advertisements, posters, and contemporary accounts to recreate one of the most colorful periods in the American West. He traces the rapidly evolving saga of miners and settlers struggling to get from here to there in the days before railroads reached the West, trying to establish methods of transportation and communication between the eastern United States and the new territories that became Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming—first by sea, around continents, then by land and water routes across America. Many of the enduring images and myths of the West derive from this era: the Pony Express, mule trains and plodding ox-team freighters, the picturesque side-wheelers and stern-wheelers that churned along the rivers, the colorful Concord stagecoaches drawn by four or six jingling, fleet horses. Schwantes describes in detail the technology of preindustrial modes of transportation. He explains the economics that linked the birth and death of western towns and cities, the business history of entrepreneurs and stagecoach and steamboat companies, and the challenges facing passengers and employees on the stages and steamers of the northern West. Integrating more than 200 historical photographs and other illustrations with vivid contemporary accounts, Schwantes presents a fascinating history of Americans forging the first working connections between the West and the rest of America—connections that the railroads would soon smooth and strengthen. His book Railroad Signatures across the Pacific Northwest detailed that story; here he tells of the people and animals and equipment supplanted by the twin ribbons of steel.

408 pages : illustrations (some color), maps ; 26 x 27 cm

Irrigation came to the arid West in a wave of optimism about the power of water to make the desert bloom. Mark Fiege’s fascinating and innovative study of irrigation in southern Idaho’s Snake River valley describes a complex interplay of human and natural systems. Using vast quantities of labor, irrigators built dams, excavated canals, laid out farms, and brought millions of acres into cultivation. But at each step, nature rebounded and compromised the intended agricultural order. The result was a new and richly textured landscape made of layer upon layer of technology and intractable natural forces—one that engineers and farmers did not control with the precision they had anticipated. Irrigated Eden vividly portrays how human actions inadvertently helped to create a strange and sometimes baffling ecology.

xv, 323 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.

Denis Marshall’s Fleeting Images of Old Salmon Arm compiles visual documentation and narrative vignettes capturing early twentieth-century streetscapes, civic infrastructure, and rural outposts surrounding the Shuswap Lake basin. The chronicle examines the physical transformation of the waterfront and river valley, illustrating how pioneer farmsteads, early municipal buildings, and community centers were superimposed onto traditional Secwépemc territory. Marshall focuses on early commercial enterprises, pioneer families, and structural landmarks that defined daily life prior to mid-century modernization, providing vital photographic cross-references for early town layouts, rail spurs, and lake wharves.

128 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 28 cm

Every year thousands of people visit the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State. With a copy of Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory in hand, they will enjoy an introduction both to archaeology in general and to sites within San Juan Island National Historic Park. The Coast Salish people inhabited the San Juans for 5,000 years. One important site on San Juan Island, Cattle Point, was a summer camp where residents engaged in fishing and shellfish harvesting. Native peoples' recollections of activities there have been confirmed by physical evidence in the form of shell middens, fish bones, and other artifacts. Another San Juan site, English Camp, was a winter village site for 2,000 years. Structure remains provide insight into how people's lives and activities changed over time. Tools found at the site have allowed archaeologists to deduce that early residents ate camas bulbs and other plants, engaged in woodworking, weaving, fishing, and carving, and manufactured and used stone tools. Stein's discussions of the sites and archaeological practices are enhanced by numerous illustrations. Clear photos of different types of artifacts, topographical maps, and other images help the reader to understand how people lived in the San Juans thousands of years ago

ix, 126 pages : illustrations

"This is the first collection of essays, articles and interviews about the Nuu-chah-nulth people, who live along the west coast of Vancouver Island (Canada) and the Olympic Peninsula (U.S.A.). Alan L. Hoover has assembled a balance of views from inside and outside Nuu-chah-nulth history, culture and art. He presents the collection in four parts." "In "Voices", the Mowachaht-Muchalaht and Huu-ay-aht nations recount their own histories, and describe who and where they are today. "Histories" offers fascinating accounts of recent history from outside the Nuu-chah-nulth culture, and ancient histories and legends from inside. "Objects" highlights the different interests of those who create objects and those who collect them: are these objects art? Finally, 'Journeys' relates the personal and spiritual growth of three Nuu-chah-nulth artists, and how their creations speak about where they came from and where they are now."--Jacket

vii, 389 pages : illustrations (some color), maps ; 24 cm

For centuries the hunting of the whale was what defined the Makah, a Native American tribe in Neah Bay, but when commercial whaling drove the gray whale to near extinction in the 1920s, the Makah voluntarily discontinued their tradition and hung up their harpoons. In 1994, after the gray whale was taken off the endangered species list, the Makah decided to hunt again. The problem was that all the old whalers were dead—no one knew how to go about hunting a whale. A Whale Hunt chronicles the two years Robert Sullivan spends with the Makah as they prepare for and stage the first hunt. Combating tribal infighting and inexperience, they must also face passionate, furious animal rights activists and swarming reporters. Before the ragtag group of hunters even pursues a whale, there are clashes, disappointments, and defeats, small triumphs and unexpected heroes. A book of many layers and revelations, A Whale Hunt is the story of the demise and attempted resurrection of a Native American nation and of the individuals on the reservation whose lives are forever changed.

285 p. ; 24 cm.

This books examines the Hudson's Bay company exploration efforts beyond the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean from 1793 to 1843 – which led to the commercial development of the Pacific coast and the Cordilleran interior of western North America.

xxiv, 420 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Authored by Ray Chapman, History of Idaho's Silver Valley 1878-2000 chronicles the dramatic economic boom, labor struggles, and environmental transformations of northern Idaho's mineral-rich Coeur d'Alene mining district. The book traces the region's trajectory from the late 19th-century gold and silver rushes through the explosive rise of hard-rock industrial mining, bitter union-management conflicts, and the eventual twentieth-century transition toward environmental cleanup and post-industrial reinvention. Drawing on local archives, mining records, and community lore, the text captures how rugged mountain canyons shaped a fierce, insular culture forged by subterranean labor. A keen insight drawn from the work is how the boom-and-bust cycle of extraction creates a profound psychological duality in mining towns; while the constant threat of economic collapse fosters intense, radical solidarity among workers, it simultaneously leaves the community perpetually tethered to the physical and financial scars of an exhausted landscape.

116 pages : illustrations, map ; 22 cm

Native American historian Brigham D. Madsen tells the story of the Mountain Shoshoni culture from the fateful day in 1805 when Chief Ca-me-ah-wait met Lewis and Clark to 1907 when the Lemhi moved to the Fort Hall Reservation.

214 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

The formation of the Grand Coulee remained a mystery for many years until J Harlen Bretz proved that the Columbia River basin was the site of huge floods 15,000 years ago that created the landscape we see today.

213 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Irene Kellar Mueller’s This & that. Part II explores the intimate, everyday community history and enduring civic identity forged within the island landscapes of the northern Puget Sound. The narrative illustrates how the unique environmental realities of this maritime topography—defined by the windswept bluffs of Whidbey Island, its fertile coastal prairies, and the dynamic tidal rhythms of the Salish Sea—required continuous adaptation and profound interdependence from its residents. By detailing the gradual transition from isolated island homesteading to the cohesive, cooperative establishment of enduring civic centers like Coupeville, the text highlights how shared daily experiences and local journalism served as vital threads connecting the society. Ultimately, the collection demonstrates that patiently fostering these everyday neighborly connections and collaboratively adapting to the geographic isolation of island life were essential steps in cultivating a deeply rooted, vibrant cultural heritage in the maritime Pacific Northwest.

A collection of Irene Mueller's first 80 columns published in the Coupeville examiner

173 pages ; 21 cm

Authored by Carl J. Bergren, Pioneers of Peshastin the Son: Growing Up in the Wenatchee Valley provides a deeply personal memoir of growing up amidst the apple orchards and rugged hills of north-central Washington during the mid-20th century. The book captures the rhythm of rural agricultural life in the Peshastin and Leavenworth areas, detailing the grueling seasonal labor of fruit farming, local school days, and the tight-knit bonds of a valley community dependent on the land. Through nostalgic recollections and family history, the text contrasts the idyllic pastoral imagery of orchard country with the demanding economic realities faced by generational farming families. A keen insight drawn from the work is how second-generation pioneers experienced a complex burden of inheritance; rather than discovering an untamed wilderness, children of the original homesteaders were tasked with maintaining and monetizing an already-carved-out agricultural landscape, transforming the raw grit of frontier survival into a rigid, generational corporate farming routine.

152 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Published by the Mason County Historical Society and co-authored by Ethel M. Dalby and Valerie Abrams Johnson, Tales of Hood Canal compiles rich local lore, vintage photographs, and personal recollections documenting the historic communities along Washington's dramatic fjord. The book chronicles the lives of early loggers, oyster growers, homesteaders, and maritime traders who navigated the deep, glacier-carved waters of the canal before the arrival of modern highways. Through collected anecdotes and archival records, the text preserves the distinct character of isolated waterfront settlements shaped by the rhythms of the tides and dense surrounding forests. A keen insight drawn from the work is how a winding marine waterway served simultaneously as a barrier and a highway; while the steep topography of the Hood Canal kept communities geographically sequestered from inland urban centers, the water itself provided the vital commercial and social umbilical cord that tied them to the broader Puget Sound economy.

ix, 137 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

For the first time, everything you always wanted to know about BC is gathered together in one place! The Encyclopedia of British Columbia is the definitive reference work on BC. With more than 4,000 entries and hundreds of photos, maps, tables and charts, the EBC is the source of readable and authoritative information on all the significant BC people, places and things that you would currently have to search a vast library to find. What makes the EBC even better is the wealth of special local information and BC lore - all those details that make BC the weird and wonderful place it is. The EBC was conceived and compiled by Harbour Publishing, an award-winning, independent, 100% BC-owned company, with advice and assistance from more than 200 British Columbians. It is indispensable at home, at school, in the office - everywhere comprehensive, authoritative, concise information about BC is needed.

xviii, 806 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 29 cm + 1 computer optical disc (4 3/4 in.)

The lawlessness of the frontier towns of the plains states is well documented. However, as silver and gold deposits were found in the Pacific Northwest, the rush of miners and speculators that brought to the region brought with it its own share of crime and criminals. Author Bill Gulick sticks to the facts in telling the stories of this region but does so in swift conversational prose that entertains and educates.

xiv, 199 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm

D. Majumdar’s From the Ganges to the Snake River: an East Indian in the American West explores the profound cross-cultural integration and active agricultural adaptation of South Asian immigrants within the demanding landscapes of the inland Pacific Northwest. The narrative illustrates how the contrasting environmental realities of this topography—spanning from the familiar river basins of the Indian subcontinent to the arid, sagebrush plains and intensely irrigated valleys of the Snake River basin—required immense physical resilience and thoughtful agrarian adaptation from early immigrant populations. By detailing the gradual transition from confronting severe cultural isolation and grueling manual labor to the cooperative participation in the region's expanding agricultural economy, the text highlights how the area's early prosperity relied on a diverse, community-driven workforce responding to its challenging geography. Ultimately, the account demonstrates that patiently navigating the complex social boundaries of the frontier and cooperatively harnessing the high desert's vital water resources were essential steps in forging a more inclusive, deeply rooted, and economically integrated civic society in the American West.

A collection of essays about various experiences of the author while living in Idaho Falls, Idaho

xii, 244 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

This is the story of a kid from Declo, Idaho who parlayed a few "bum" lambs into one of the largest privately held companies in America. J.R. Simplot is one of the last of the classic Horatio Alger success stories - a man who spent seventy-five years building an international empire.

xxxii, 251 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

These are stories about an extraordinary array of women of different ethnicities and regions of Idaho, whose lives span six decades and more. With gusto and hard work they created their lives in their own ways and challenged the social mores of their times, intent on living meaningful and purposeful lives.

ix, 268 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Vardis Fisher was one of Idaho's most accomplished writers. His attention to western landscape and rural culture left a lasting, albeit controversial, legacy. These twelve evocative essays explore the impact and achievement of Fisher s work and life.

xiii, 254 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm