Catalog of British Columbiana and Pacific Northwest Americana

A Small World of Our Own: Authentic Pioneer Stories of the Pacific Northwest from the Old Settlers Contest of 1892 compiled by Robert Allen Bennett is a 1985 historical anthology, published by Pioneer Press Books in Walla Walla, Washington, that preserves the firsthand experiences of the region's early emigrants. The volume resurrects a unique collection of autobiographical essays originally submitted to an 1892 newspaper contest, capturing the unvarnished realities of mid-19th-century frontier life straight from the memories of the aging pioneers. Through these deeply personal and often harrowing narratives, the book details the grueling hardships of the overland wagon trails, the arduous task of carving out homesteads in the wilderness, early pioneer-Indigenous relations, and the sheer physical endurance required to settle the Washington, Oregon, and Idaho territories. Ultimately, it serves as an invaluable, primary-source-driven resource for regional historians and genealogists seeking the authentic, grassroots voices and foundational settlement lore that shaped the Pacific Northwest.

xi, 373 pages ; 23 cm

Yakima, a Centennial Reflection, 1885-1985 by George M. Martin, Paul Schäfer, and William E. Scofield is a comprehensive 1985 local history, published by the Yakima Centennial Commission, that commemorates the foundational growth and civic evolution of this central Washington city. The book chronicles the region's dramatic transformation from an arid sagebrush frontier into a globally recognized agricultural powerhouse, driven by the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway and the implementation of massive, federally funded irrigation projects in the Yakima Valley. The authors meticulously detail the unique early history of the town—including the literal, physical relocation of early pioneer buildings from the original settlement to the new "North Yakima" townsite to meet the railroad tracks—alongside a century of industrial expansion in the apple, hop, and broader agricultural sectors. Ultimately, richly illustrated with archival photographs and grassroots community documentation, it serves as an indispensable resource for regional historians seeking to understand the infrastructural ambition, pioneer resilience, and agrarian heritage that defined the commercial heart of central Washington.

x, 233 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

This is a rich and many-faceted personal and business biography of the main figure in the third generation of Weyerhaeusers, who led the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company through the difficult and decisive years from 1933 to 1956. Although Phil Weyerhaeuser preferred to pass over the importance of his role, he was an industry leader and as such could not escape a large public duty. The years in which he served, from the 1920s tin the Inland Empire, and from 1933 to 1956 with the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company west of the Cascades, were years of great demands and change. Within his tenure the country experience the Great Depression and World War II, the reluctant acceptance by business of New Deal and Fair Deal legislation and bureaucratic requirements, and the adjustments occasioned by the managerial revolution. In the case of the Timber Company, the period witnessed its transition from what had been primarily a dealer in timberlands to an integrated manufacturer of forest products, from a liquidator of forest resources to a managers of tree farms designed to be perpetual in their providence. Phil oversaw his responsibilities to good purpose. His quiet style is of interest and so too are the effects of just being a Weyerhaeuser. The latter, of course, had much to do with his opportunities and also influenced the manner in which he conducted himself. But it was not without its liabilities, and the family relationships are an important element in the story. The most significant feature, however, has to do with the study of a period and a place and an industry through the experiences of a very special organization and its leadership. The study brings people and events into clearer focus and gives them added meaning. This is of particular importance in an industry so given to stereotyping and disapprobation. This well-written account reveals in detail the operation of a huge family enterprise, government-industry relations at a key time in United States history, labor relations, and efforts to expand and continually revitalize a large company--dependent on natural resources--over a period of half a century. Central to these efforts was Phil’s conviction that the best way for a forest products company to operate was to own its own timberlands. he saw such holdings as necessary if the company was to engage in sustained-yield management. This biography draws extensively on primary sources--correspondence, family records, memoranda, and numerous interviews. It will be of interest to historians of the Pacific Northwest and the forest products industry, students of business history, and all readers interested in the development of a major American company.

xvii, 401 pages, 40 pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

This book gives a reader the opportunity to view the Olympia, Lacy, Tumwater in its early development stages and fills a lot of gaps.

223 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm

The Wreck of the Sv. Nikolai: Two Narratives of the First Russian Expedition to the Oregon Country, 1808-1810, edited and contextualized by Kenneth N. Owens with primary accounts by Russian supercargo Timofeĭ Tarakanov and Quileute elder Ben Hobucket, is a 1985 maritime and ethnohistorical volume published by the Oregon Historical Society. The book chronicles the ill-fated 1808 voyage of a Russian-American Company ship that ran aground on the rugged Olympic Peninsula, leading to a desperate overland struggle and the eventual captivity of the surviving crew by the region's Indigenous coastal tribes. What makes this work exceptionally significant is its dual perspective: it directly pairs Tarakanov’s detailed, firsthand journal of the survivors' enslavement, survival tactics, and eventual ransom with an enduring Quileute oral history of the exact same encounter, passed down through generations. Ultimately, it serves as an indispensable and highly nuanced primary-source resource for regional historians and ethnographers seeking to understand the complex early cultural collisions, Indigenous diplomacy, and the brief, ambitious reach of Russian colonial enterprise along the Pacific Northwest coast.

xv, 110 pages : illustrations ; 27 cm.

For Honor & Country: The Diary of Bruno de Hezeta by 18th-century Spanish naval officer Bruno de Hezeta, translated and extensively annotated by Herbert K. Beals, is a significant 1985 maritime and colonial history volume published by the Oregon Historical Society. The book provides the first complete English translation of Hezeta’s original 1775 expedition journal, chronicling a secret naval mission ordered by the Viceroy of New Spain to assert Spanish sovereignty over the Pacific Northwest coast and investigate rumors of Russian encroachment. The narrative meticulously details the arduous voyage of the frigate Santiago, capturing critical moments of early European contact with coastal Indigenous populations, severe outbreaks of scurvy among the crew, and foundational geographic discoveries—most notably Hezeta's sighting of the treacherous mouth of the Columbia River, which he originally named the Rio de San Roque, and early landfalls along the rugged Washington shoreline. Ultimately, it serves as an indispensable primary-source resource for maritime historians and regional scholars seeking to understand the imperial ambitions, navigational challenges, and earliest recorded European encounters that shaped the complex colonial history of the Pacific Northwest.

xxiii, 167 pages : illustrations (some color), maps ; 27 cm.

Lane County: An Illustrated History of the Emerald Empire by Dorothy Velasco, produced in cooperation with the Lane County Historical Society, is a comprehensive 1985 regional history published by Windsor Publications. The volume chronicles the dramatic geographic and civic transformation of this vast Oregon territory, stretching from the rugged Pacific coast across the agricultural heart of the Willamette Valley to the high timberlands of the Cascade Mountains. Richly illustrated with archival photography, the book meticulously details early Indigenous presence, the arrival of overland pioneer settlers, the establishment of the University of Oregon in Eugene, and the explosive 20th-century growth of the lumber and agricultural industries that drove the local economy. Ultimately, it serves as an indispensable and highly visual civic resource for regional historians seeking to understand the foundational settlement, industrial ambition, and enduring cultural heritage of the Pacific Northwest's celebrated "Emerald Empire".

168 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 29 cm

This book is the first life history of a Northwest Coast Indian woman. Florence Davidson, daughter of noted Haida carver and chief Charles Edenshaw, was born in 1896. As one of the few living Haida elders knowledgeable bout the culture of a bygone era, she was a fragile link with the past. Living in Masset on the Queen Charlotte Islands, some fifty miles off the northwest coast of British Columbia, Florence Davidson grew up in an era of dramatic change for her people. On of the last Haida women to undergo the traditional puberty seclusion and an arranged marriage, she followed patterns in her life typical of women of her generation. Florence’s narrative -- edited by Professor Blackman from more than fifty hours of tape recordings -- speaks of girlhood, of learning female roles, of the power and authority available to Haida women, of the experiences of menopause and widowhood. Blackman juxtaposes comments made by early observes of the Haida, government agents, and missionaries, with appropriate portions of the life history narrative, to portray a culture neither traditionally Haida nor fully Canadian, a culture adapting to Christianity and the imposition of Canadian laws. Margaret Blackman not only preserves Florence Davidson’s memories of Haida ways, but with her own analysis of Davidson’s life, adds significantly to the literature on the role of women in cross-cultural perspective. The book makes an important contribution to Northwest Coast history and culture, to the study of culture change, to fieldwork methodology, and to women’s studies.

xvii, 172 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

A story of the deepest canyon on the North American continent, together with historical sketches of Idaho, interesting information of the state, Indian Wars and mythology, poetry and stories. You asked for it. Here it is, a reprint of the revised edition of “Hell’s Canyon”. I hope you will find it just as valuable as the original printing. The Publisher

575 p. illus., ports., maps. 24 cm.

Wells, Fargo & Co. in Idaho Territory by prominent Western historian W. Turrentine Jackson is a highly detailed 1984 commercial and transportation history published by the Idaho State Historical Society. The book meticulously chronicles the profound economic and infrastructural role this iconic express company played during the explosive Idaho gold rushes of the 1860s and 1870s. Jackson details how Wells Fargo rapidly established vital stagecoach routes, secure banking services, and reliable freight lines that connected deeply isolated mining camps—such as those in the Boise Basin and Owyhee regions—to the broader national economy. By documenting the logistical triumphs over rugged terrain, the consolidation of rival stage lines, and the constant threat of frontier highwaymen, the volume captures the sheer operational scale required to safely move immense quantities of gold dust, commercial freight, and mail. Ultimately, it serves as an authoritative and indispensable resource for regional historians seeking to understand the corporate ambition, financial architecture, and transportation networks that foundationally shaped the development of the territorial inland Pacific Northwest.

120 pages : illustrations ; 27 cm

"This place is romantic and wild": An Historical Overview of the Cascades Area, Fort Cascades, and the Cascades Townsite, Washington Territory by prominent regional historian Stephen Dow Beckham is a deeply researched 1984 historical study prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District. The report meticulously chronicles the complex, layered history of the Columbia River Gorge's strategic Cascades area—a treacherous, vital portage point that dictated the flow of Indigenous trade, early European exploration, and overland pioneer migration. Beckham details the dramatic geographical and navigational challenges of the region, the establishment of early riverfront settlements, and the history of Fort Cascades, a mid-19th-century military outpost built to protect the critical portage routes during periods of intense frontier conflict. Ultimately, it serves as an authoritative, site-specific archaeological and historical resource for scholars and preservationists seeking to understand the military, infrastructural, and cultural heritage that shaped one of the most significant geographic bottlenecks in the Pacific Northwest.

xiii, 171 pages : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm

Mayne Island & the Outer Gulf Islands: A History by Marie Elliott chronicles roughly 120 years of social, economic, and political development across Mayne and its neighboring southern Gulf Islands. Drawing on archival records, oral histories, and pioneer accounts, Elliott highlights how maritime transportation fundamentally shaped local livelihoods—from early homesteading, logging, and hothouse tomato farming to postwar tourism. The book also examines the cultural fabric of these relatively remote communities, notably detailing the significant contributions of Japanese-Canadian settlers before their wartime internment. Finally, it traces the modern struggles over ferry service, rapid land development, and conservation that ultimately spurred the creation of the Islands Trust to protect the region.

x, 152 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service by Robert D. Turner is a highly detailed 1984 maritime and transportation history published by Sono Nis Press. The book meticulously chronicles the creation and operation of the CPR's vital inland fleet, which navigated the often treacherous waterways of British Columbia’s mountainous interior. Turner extensively documents seventy years of the iconic paddlewheelers and robust steam tugs that served as the primary economic lifelines for remote mining camps, agricultural settlements, and early pioneer boomtowns, capturing an era defined by boiling rapids, fierce river races, and regional gold rushes. Ultimately, featuring an exhaustive collection of archival photography, vessel specifications, timetables, and precise scale drawings, it serves as an authoritative and indispensable resource for regional historians seeking to understand the ambitious corporate infrastructure and rugged inland marine culture that foundationaly connected the frontier of the Canadian Pacific Northwest.

xi, 280 pages : illustrations, maps, plans (some color) ; 29 cm

The Selkirks: Nelson's Mountains by J. F. Garden, featuring an introduction by mountaineering historian William Lowell Putnam, is a lavishly illustrated 1984 alpine history and geographical survey published by Footprint Publishing in Revelstoke, British Columbia. The volume serves as a spectacular visual tribute to the rugged Selkirk mountain range in southeastern British Columbia. Garden, a former locomotive engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway, pairs his extensive regional knowledge with breathtaking color photography to document the area's towering peaks, dramatic glaciers, and rich mountaineering legacy. By chronicling early alpine explorations, standard climbing routes, and the formidable logistics of navigating the Columbia Mountains, the book captures the fierce, untamed beauty of the region. Ultimately, it functions as an engaging, coffee-table-style resource for climbing enthusiasts and regional historians seeking to explore the majestic, high-altitude wilderness and pioneering alpine heritage of the Canadian Pacific Northwest.

143 pages : chiefly color illustrations ; 31 cm

Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest by folklorist Ella E. Clark, featuring distinctive illustrations by Robert Bruce Inverarity, is a 1984 reissue of a classic 1953 University of California Press compilation that preserves the oral literature of the region's indigenous peoples. The volume gathers more a hundred traditional myths and legends collected directly from tribal elders across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, and northern California. Clark meticulously categorizes the stories into tales of the transformers, accounts of animal people, and explanations of dramatic geographical features—such as the creation of the Bridge of the Gods on the Columbia River or the shaping of Crater Lake. By treating these oral traditions as both high literature and vital cultural history, the book honors the spiritual and ecological worldview of the Pacific Northwest's original inhabitants. Ultimately, it serves as an indispensable and enduring literary resource for educators, folklorists, and regional readers seeking to understand the deep mythological heritage embedded in the physical landscape of the Pacific Northwest.

VIII, 225 S. Ill., Kt.

"Beginning with Henry James Warre's view of Oregon City in 1846 and concluding with highly technical panoramas of Seattle and Portland by artists like E. S. Glover and Augustus Koch, John Reps demonstrates what lithographs of Pacific Northwest communities can tell us about the past. The text is illustrated by 44 beautiful, detailed drawings, eight in color. Source: Publisher." -- Google Books viewed August 7, 2020

11 unnumbered preliminary pages, 93 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 21 x 26 cm

Edited papers of the one-day symposium held on February 18, 1984, at Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon, together with the bibliography of the E.G. Chuinard collection of Lewis and Clark materials at the Lewis and Clark College and housed in the Rare Book Room of the Aubrey Watzek Library. This collection consists of more than 370 items of rare books, journals, pamphlets, and reprints, some dating to the decade following Lewis and Clark's successful completion of their epic journey in 1806

x, 72 pages, [1] folded leaf : facsimiles, 1 map ; 23 cm

The consummate authority on the history of Bellevue, McDonald's book chronicles the struggles of its early settlers, mid-century small-town suburbanites and the establishment of the state's leading edge-city of the 20th century. It is a homey folksy narrative laced with abundant names, anecdotes and pictures that provide a charming read and an excellent historic educational tool. Includes references and index.

[6], 151, [1] pages : illustrations, facsimile, maps, portraits ; 26 cm

Publisher description: Rising above the northern part of the Cascades is the magnificent bulk of Mt. Baker - "Koma Kulshan" (the steep white mountain) to the early Nooksack Indians. Long a focal point of human interest, this slumbering volcano has been seen in many different lights - as a sacred object (Indians), a great challenge (mountaineers, explorers), a stimulus for creativity (poets, painters, photographers), a playground (marathon runners, skiers), and as a resource (entrepreneurs, loggers, miners, developers, park administrators). Yet, despite all human actions and aspirations over the years, the mountain retains its majesty, power and mystery. This is the story of man and Mt. Baker, complete with engaging first-hand tales and a wealth of rare historic photos

232 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 23 cm

Four of the greatest maritime exploring expeditions were crammed into two decades late in the 18th century - Cook's third voyage, the French expedition commanded by La Pérouse, the Malaspina expedition sent out by Spain, and George Vancouver's Voyage of Discovery. All four visited the northwest coast of North America, but weather and circumstances prevented Cook from making more than what Beaglehole calls ' a magnificent, an epoch-making reconnaissance'; La Pérouse only touched the coast in a significant way at Yakutat Bay and Lituya Bay, and Malasina's memorable visits were to Yakutat Bay and Nootka Sound. Vancouver, by contrast, surveyed the enormous extent of coast from Lower California to Cook Inlet, and his meticulous survey literally set out on the map of the world the intricacies of Puget Sound and the western coast of mainland Canada. It was an achievement that places him with his mentor, Cook, in the first rank of marine surveyors. As a midshipman Vancouver had been with Cook when he discovered the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands in 1778. They attracted his interest, and the attention he devoted to the islands, their inhabitants and their political future when he twice later wintered there will surprise many. This is the first annotated edition of Vancouver's journal as he revised it for publication in 1798. The original manuscript has disappeared, but fortunately no fewer than 25 partial or complete logs or journals by other members of the expedition have survived. These supplement Vancouver's narrative at many points. It has been possible to identify virtually all the host of islands, channels and inlets that Vancouver encountered, and the provenance of most of the approximately 400 place names he bestowed, nine out of ten of which are still in use, is indicated. Book 1 of a new and annotated edition of A Voyage of Discovery ... (London, 1798). The main pagination of this and the following three volumes is continuous. The voyage to Australia and Tahiti,

4 volumes illustrations 1 chart

64 p. : ill., ports. ; 28 cm.

The era of stern-wheel steamboats on the Clearwater River, Idaho, speaks of a quieter time. Sometimes we long to return to that age. Railroads, which played such an important part in the development of that region, are now as much a part of the past as the steamers. Nostalgia carries our thoughts back to those years as well, when time moved slower in a more peaceful setting. But looking back distorts reality. Stern-wheelers and railroad trains moved clocks rapidly forward, catching the wilderness of North Central Idaho up with the modern times of early 20th century America. They played an important role in the development of the Clearwater Country, just as the pioneer spirit left its important legacy. They must not be forgotten. - author

v, 101, [1] pages + [1] page advertisement : illustrations, map, portraits ; 14 x 19 cm

Biography of Charles Bedaux who, among other activities, pioneered a route through the wilds of British Columbia and Yukon to Alaska - the Bedaux sub-arctic expedition in 1934 which left Edmonton on July 6, 1934. (Chapter 8)

xviii, 342 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

The cry of "gold along the Fraser!" Hured men from around the world. By 1858, 25000 had swarmed into the new colony of British Columbia. Some were experienced prospectors, some dreamers; all were hoping for instant wealth.

Gold Along the Fraser details the experiences-the successes and failures-of these adventurers.

64 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

100 pages ; 23 cm