Catalog of British Columbiana and Pacific Northwest Americana

"As Idaho's State Historian, the question author Keith C. Petersen heard most was, "How did Idaho get such a strange shape?" In this book, he answers that popular inquiry, breaking the state's intriguing border story into six sections covering the fascinating events and people involved in creating the peculiar borders-boundaries that have held enormous influence on much of Idaho's political, economic, and cultural history"-- Provided by publisher

x, 217 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

A compact, full-colour field guide to the growing number of invasive plant species spreading across coastal BC and the Pacific Northwest, highlighting their hazards and uses. The spread of invasive plant species is a growing concern across the coastal Pacific Northwest. Invasive plants compete for space with native plants, alter the natural habitat, and even interfere with the diet of local wildlife. Hundreds of these species are so commonly seen in our backyards, forests, and roadsides, that many people do not even realize that these plants are not native to this region. Designed for amateur naturalists, gardeners, and foragers, Invasive Flora of the West Coast is a clear, concise, full-colour guide to identifying and demystifying more than 200 invasive plant species in our midst, from Scotch broom to Evening Primrose. Featuring colour photography, origin and etymology, safety tips and warnings, as well as common uses, this book is practical, user-friendly, and portable for easy, on-the-go identification

207 pages : color illustrations, color map ; 22 cm

"In these essays, historians firmly rooted in the Pacific Northwest and the Great Basin share their experiences in bringing a wide variety of resources to bear in the illumination of local community life. The result is a range of techniques of value to all those who accept the challenge to interpret their own local culture and history with fresh insight and perspective." -- Publisher

xviii, 178 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Merrill D. Beal’s Intermountain Railroads, Standard and Narrow Gauge chronicles the grueling industrial conquest of the rugged interior Northwest, detailing the mechanized integration of an isolated, landlocked frontier. The narrative meticulously maps the formidable, high-elevation topography of the intermountain region, stretching across the arid volcanic expanses of the Snake River Plain, through deep, treacherous river canyons, and over the precipitous, snow-choked passes of the northern Rocky Mountains. By detailing the strategic engineering decisions underlying track construction, the book illustrates how the sheer severity of the alpine terrain often forced early rail barons to utilize the tighter turning radii of narrow-gauge lines simply to carve viable transit corridors through restrictive, steeply pitched mountain defiles. The text highlights how these fragile ribbons of steel conquered the profound physical isolation of remote pioneer mining camps and agricultural basins, overcoming punishing winter climates to replace arduous wagon trails with vital, year-round commercial arteries. Ultimately, the account captures the defining environmental realities of the inland empire, demonstrating how mastering this massive, unforgiving topographical barrier through ambitious rail infrastructure was the absolute prerequisite for unlocking the economic potential of the intermountain West.

252 pages illustrations 22 cm

"A history of the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon, spanning from 1883 to 2012"--Provided by publisher

334 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Instead of discovering a land blanketed by dense forests, early explorers of the Pacific Northwest encountered a varied landscape including open woods, meadows, and prairies. Far from a pristine wilderness, much of the Northwest was actively managed and shaped by the hands of its Native American inhabitants. Their primary tool was fire. This volume takes an interdisciplinary approach to one of the most important issues concerning Native Americans and their relationship to the land. Over more than 10,000 years, Native Americans in the Northwest learned the intricacies of their local environments and how to use fire to create desired effects, mostly in the quest for food. Drawing on historical journals, Native American informants, and ethnobotanical and forestry studies, this book’s contributors describe local patterns of fire use in eight ecoregions, representing all parts of the Native Northwest, from southwest Oregon to British Columbia and from Puget Sound to the Northern Rockies. Their essays provide glimpses into a unique understanding of the environment, one that draws on traditional ecological knowledge. Together, these writings also offer historical perspective on the contemporary debate over “prescribed burning” and management of public lands. This updated edition includes a foreword by Frank K. Lake and a new epilogue by editor Robert T. Boyd. Contributors include Stephen Arno, Stephen Barrett, Theresa Ferguson, David French, Eugene Hunn, Leslie Johnson, Jeff LaLande, Estella Leopold, Henry Lewis, Helen H. Norton, Reg Pullen, William Robbins, John Ross, Nancy Turner, and Richard White. About the author: Robert T. Boyd, , affiliated faculty in the Department of Anthropology, Portland State University, is author of The Coming of the Spirit of Pestilence: Introduced Diseases and Population Decline among Northwest Coast Indians, 1774–1874 and coeditor of Chinookan Peoples of the Lower Columbia. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

xvii, 329 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Philip Drucker’s Indians of the Northwest Coast provides a comprehensive anthropological chronicle of the complex indigenous nations that inhabited the rugged maritime frontier stretching from southeast Alaska to northern California. The narrative meticulously maps the formidable coastal topography—characterized by deep, glaciated fjords, treacherous tidal rips, and dense, nearly impenetrable temperate rainforests—that physically confined these societies to a narrow aquatic margin backed by impassable mountain barriers. By detailing their sophisticated marine technology, specifically the massive western red cedar dugout canoes used to harvest immense seasonal salmon runs and navigate unforgiving oceanic swells for whaling, the book illustrates how these communities entirely bypassed overland transit in favor of a profoundly aquatic existence. Furthermore, Drucker demonstrates how the extreme natural abundance of this specific marine and arboreal environment allowed for the construction of permanent, monumental cedar-plank villages and highly stratified economies long before European contact. Ultimately, the text captures the defining physical realities of the Pacific shore, highlighting how mastering this severe, resource-rich coastal geography dictated the unique cultural, artistic, and societal evolution of the region's First Nations.

xiii, 224 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 18 cm.

This book offers a many-faceted examination of the cultures of the Tlingit, the Haida, the Tsimshian, the Bella Coola, the Kwakiutl, the Nootka, and the Salish--Indian peoples of the coast running from the Canadian border area of Juan de Fuca Strait to Yakutat Bay in southeastern Alaska. Professor McFeat has brought together key writings by seventeen authorities including Franz Boas, Helen Codere, Viola E. Garfield, and Wayne Suttles. General readers as well as scholars have an opportunity to examine a wide range of literature and thereby to increase their understanding of one of the most interesting groups among the Indian peoples of North America.

xv, 268 pages 21 cm

Indians of Idaho provides a comprehensive cultural and geographical survey of the diverse Indigenous peoples inhabiting the extreme topographical extremes of this inland Pacific Northwest corridor. Walker meticulously contrasts the plateau cultures of the north, who relied on the vital salmon runs and dense timberlands of the Clearwater and Salmon river basins, with the Great Basin peoples who adapted to the sprawling, arid volcanic expanses of the southern Snake River Plain. By mapping specific tribal territories onto these starkly different landscapes, the narrative details how the region's rugged mountain ranges and severe climate dictated precise seasonal migrations and specialized subsistence strategies. Ultimately, the book illustrates how the profound geographic divides within modern-day Idaho inherently shaped the distinct cultural identities and survival adaptations of its earliest inhabitants.

Historical information concerning the Kutenai, Kalispel, Coeur d'Alene, NEz Perce, Shoshone-Bannock and Northern Paiute tribes of Idaho

207 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.

The Washington Secretary of State Office’s Indians in Washington provides a comprehensive anthropological and geographic chronicle of the diverse indigenous nations that populated the extreme, fragmented landscapes of the territory prior to pioneer displacement. The narrative meticulously maps the state's defining topographical divide—the massive, glaciated barrier of the Cascade Range—which fundamentally partitioned early human adaptation into two drastically different cultural and economic spheres.

By detailing the maritime societies of the western seaboard, the book illustrates how the dense, nearly impenetrable temperate rainforests forced coastal and Puget Sound tribes to bypass overland transit entirely. Instead, these populations were deeply tethered to the volatile Pacific currents and sheltered estuarine networks, relying on monumental cedar dugout canoes to master a heavily resource-dependent oceanic economy. Conversely, the text highlights how the stark, arid volcanic plateaus of the inland empire east of the mountains demanded a highly mobile, semi-nomadic existence. Here, survival was strictly dictated by the region's dynamic hydrology, anchoring inland populations to the massive seasonal salmon runs at the strategic, turbulent chokepoints of the Columbia and Snake rivers, while requiring the rapid adoption of equestrian transit to navigate the sprawling, exposed sagebrush steppes.

Ultimately, the account captures the profound environmental determinism of the Pacific Northwest, demonstrating how successfully adapting to these polarized geographic realities—whether conquering the wet, timber-choked maritime edge or mastering the sprawling distances of the unforgiving high desert—was the absolute prerequisite for the cultural endurance of the region's first peoples.

48 pages illustrations

In the Puget Sound region of Washington state, indigenous peoples and their descendants have a long history of interaction with settlers and their descendants. Indians in the Making offers the first comprehensive account of these meetings, from the land-based fur trade of the 1820s to the Indian fishing rights activism of the 1970s. Thoroughly researched and theoretically sophisticated, this history shows how notions of Indian identity - both Indian and non-Indian - changed as relations changed. In the Puget Sound region of Washington state, indigenous peoples and their descendants have a long history of interaction with settlers and their descendants. Indians in the Making offers the first comprehensive account of these interactions, from contact with traders of the 1820s to the Indian fishing rights activism of the 1970s. In this thoroughly researched history, Alexandra Harmon also provides a theoretically sophisticated analysis that charts shifting notions of Indian identity, both in native and in nonnative communities. During the period under consideration, each major shift in demographic, economic, and political conditions precipitated new deliberations about how to distinguish Indians from non-Indians and from each other. By chronicling such dialogues over 150 years, this groundbreaking study reveals that Indian identity has a complex history. Examining relations in various spheres of life—labor, public ceremony, marriage and kinship, politics and law. Harmon shows how Indians have continually redefined themselves. Her focus on the negotiations that have given rise to modern Indian identity makes a significant contribution to the discourse of contemporary multiculturalism and ethnic studies.

xii, 393 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Indians at Work examines the vital role of Indigenous laborers who fueled early industrial expansion across the rugged, heavily forested expanses of British Columbia. Knight details how the province's formidable physical barriers—steep coastal mountains, impenetrable timberlands, and remote marine inlets—dictated a sprawling resource economy centered around commercial salmon canning, deepwater stevedoring, and remote logging operations. By mapping these labor networks from the treacherous rapids of the Fraser River canyons to isolated canneries along the northern coastal seaboard, the narrative demonstrates how Native workers applied their deep spatial knowledge to navigate and master this dangerous terrain. Ultimately, the book serves as a localized economic history, illustrating how the intense physical demands of extracting wealth from this unforgiving Pacific Northwest wilderness fundamentally relied upon the environmental expertise of its original inhabitants.

317 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Authored by Sarah M. Berry and Joan R. Henderson alongside the Indianola Beach Improvement Club History Committee, Indianola: A Community Memoir chronicles the evolution of the historic waterfront enclave on Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula. The book traces the area’s transformation from an indigenous gathering place and a 20th-century mosquito-fleet resort destination into a tight-knit, fiercely protective seasonal and year-round community. Drawing on archival photographs, diaries, and local records, the text preserves the distinct social traditions and ferry-dependent isolation that shaped generations of cabin owners and residents. A keen insight drawn from the work is how recreational enclaves foster a unique brand of communal preservation; by relying on shared infrastructure like community docks and improvement clubs, residents turned their collective isolation into a deliberate tool for shielding their waterfront heritage from rapid commercial overdevelopment.

128 pages : illustrations, maps ; 21 x 27 cm

Published in 1895, Franz Boas's Indianische Sagen von der Nord-Pacifischen Küste Amerikas is a foundational German-language compilation of indigenous myths, legends, and oral traditions gathered from numerous tribes along the Pacific Northwest coast. The text meticulously documents the folklore of groups such as the Tlingit, Haida, and Coast Salish, focusing heavily on widespread cultural narratives like the Raven cycle and various regional creation myths. A keen insight drawn from the work is Boas's pioneering use of these folktales to prove the theory of cultural diffusion, demonstrating how specific narrative motifs spread across distinct linguistic barriers through extensive trade and intermarriage rather than developing independently. By mapping these shared story elements across vast geographic areas, Boas fundamentally challenged the era's prevailing theories of unilineal cultural evolution and established a new standard for rigorous comparative anthropology.

vi, 363, [1] pages map 26 cm

Indian wars of the Pacific Northwest examines the violent territorial conflicts and grueling military campaigns situated across the deeply fractured topography of the nineteenth-century regional frontier. Glassley details how the region's formidable physical landscape—specifically the labyrinthine volcanic trenches of the Modoc Lava Beds, the steep, densely forested ravines of the Rogue River valley, and the immense, isolating mountain passes of the interior plateau—strictly dictated the margins of indigenous defensive resistance and the logistical limits of advancing federal military forces. By mapping the tactical utilization of these extreme terrain features, where indigenous tribal forces leveraged deep river canyons and volcanic fortresses to effectively neutralize superior military numbers and artillery, the narrative highlights how this specific rugged geography anchored a highly localized, asymmetric style of frontier warfare. Ultimately, this military record serves as a macro-level spatial history, demonstrating how the immense topographic hostility, vast overland distances, and harsh geological choke points of this Pacific Northwest landscape fundamentally shaped the protracted, terrain-dependent character of the region's indigenous-settler conflicts.

xi, 258 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Reprint of the 1952 ed. published by the Govt. Print. Off., Washington, which was issued as Bulletin 145 of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution

81 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Indian tribes of Washington, Oregon & Idaho provides a comprehensive ethnographic and geographic catalog of the Indigenous peoples who inhabited the vastly diverse environments of the inland and coastal Pacific Northwest. Swanton meticulously maps the historical territories of these tribes against the region's formidable topography, contrasting the marine-oriented cultures sustained by the resource-rich estuaries and temperate rainforests of the Pacific seaboard with the riverine societies dependent upon the massive Columbia and Snake River watersheds. The narrative further details how the severe geographic divides of the Cascade Range and the rugged Bitterroot Mountains dictated distinct seasonal migration routes and trade networks across the semi-arid inland plateaus. By anchoring specific tribal lineages and linguistic groups to precise river confluences, coastal bays, and mountain valleys, the book vividly illustrates how the deep physical contours of the region inherently shaped the cultural borders and survival strategies of its earliest inhabitants.

81 pages ; 23 cm

From the river valleys of interior British Columbia south to the hills of northern Oregon and east to the continental divide in western Montana, hundreds of cliffs and boulders display carved and painted designs created by ancient artists who inhabited this area, the Columbia Plateau, as long as seven thousand years ago. Expressing a vital social and spiritual dimension in the lives of these hunter-gatherers, rock art captivates us with its evocative power and mystery. At once an irreplaceable yet fragile cultural resource, it documents Native histories, customs, and visions through thousands of years. This valuable reference and guidebook addresses basic questions of what petroglyphs and pictographs are, how they were produced, and how archaeologists classify and date them. The author, James Keyser, identifies five regions on the Columbia Plateau, each with its own variant of the rock art style identifiable as belonging exclusively to the region. He describes for each region the setting and scope of the rock art along with its design characteristics and possible meaning. Through line drawings, photographs, and detailed maps he provides a guide to the sites where rock art can be viewed. In western Montana, rock art motifs express the ritualistic seeking of a spirit helper from the natural world. In interior British Columbia, rayed arcs above the heads of human figures demonstrate the possession of a guardian spirit. Twin figures on the central Columbia Plateau reveal another belief - the special power of twins - and hunting scenes celebrate successes of the chase. The grimacing, evocative face of Tsagiglalal, in lower Columbia pictographs, testifies to the Plateau Indians' "death cult" response to the European diseases that decimated their villages between 1700 and 1840. On the southeastern Plateau, images of horseback riders mark the adoption, after 1700, of the equestrian and cultural habits of the northwestern Great Plains Indians. Despite geographic differences in emphasis, similarities in design and technique link the drawings of all five regions. Human figures, animals depicting the numerous species known on the Plateau, geometric motifs, mysterious beings, and tally marks, whether painted or carved, appear throughout the Columbia Plateau

139 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm

N. G. Seaman’s Indian Relics of the Pacific Northwest provides a detailed archaeological survey of the indigenous artifacts scattered across the diverse physical landscapes of Oregon, Washington, and the broader Columbia basin. The narrative meticulously maps the vital riverine geography that sustained early Native American communities, with a particular focus on the ancient, bustling fishing encampments and campsites once situated along the Columbia River Gorge near The Dalles and Celilo Falls. By documenting the unearthing of stone tools, petroglyphs, and bone implements from rugged coastal shorelines eastward into the arid inland plateaus of Idaho, Seaman illustrates the deep historical connection between indigenous populations and the region's varied terrain. Ultimately, the book captures the rich cultural geography of the Pacific Northwest, preserving the physical legacy of its first inhabitants before modern hydroelectric dams permanently flooded these foundational aquatic networks.

255 pages illustrations 22 cm

Indian life on the Northwest coast of North America, as seen by the early explorers and fur traders during the last decades of the eighteenth century examines the complex indigenous maritime cultures and the initial European mercantile contact situated along the deeply fragmented, storm-battered littoral edge of the Pacific. Gunther details how the region's formidable coastal macro-geography—specifically the labyrinthine, island-choked fjords, the precipitous mountain ranges plunging directly into the sea, and the dense, impenetrable temperate rainforests of western red cedar—strictly dictated the margins of indigenous village placement, intense marine resource extraction, and early maritime fur trade anchorages. By mapping the network of massive cedar-plank settlements securely positioned in sheltered coves and the arrival of European vessels navigating treacherous coastal waterways for highly prized sea otter pelts, the narrative highlights how this specific marine and botanical geography anchored both indigenous prosperity and the ensuing global trade collision entirely to the ocean's edge. Ultimately, this ethnohistorical record serves as a macro-level spatial history, demonstrating how the extreme overland isolation, towering botanical scale, and rich marine ecology of this Pacific Northwest coastline fundamentally shaped the highly complex, ocean-bound character of indigenous life and early European exploration.

xiv, 277 pages illustrations 21 x 23 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.

First published in 1977 and unavailable for several years, Indian Fishing is more than a sterile account of the technology of fishing; it considers the momentous role of fish and fishing in the lives of the Northwest Coast peoples. A classic, thoroughly researched and informative text, it examines fishing techniques of the peoples who have lived on the coast for over nine thousand years, revealing their rich and complex culture. Hilary Stewart gathered material from museum archives, fish camps, and coastal village elders to document the Native heritage of handmade hooks, lines, sinkers, lures, floats, clubs, spears, harpoons, nets, traps, rakes, gaffs, and more. With more than 300 clear and detailed drawings, she illustrated how these tools were made and used. She twisted cedar bark and nettle fibers into cod fishing lines, and steam-bent a stem of yew into a halibut hook. Here, reprinted in full, is her original work, covering everything from how the catch was butchered, cooked, and preserved, to the prayers and ceremonies in gratitude to the fish, as well as customs and taboos that demonstrated the peoples' respect for this life-giving resource. Though there have been transformations in knowledge and scholarship since its first publication, Stewart's benchmark work, with its usefulness, artistry, and appreciation of Native culture, will be welcomed back into print.

181 pages : illustrations, map, portraits ; 26cm

Authored by local historian Frank K. Walsh, Indian battles along the Rogue River, 1855-56: One of America's wild and scenic rivers details the violent armed conflict between regional indigenous bands and white miners and settlers during the height of the Oregon gold rush. The book combines historical accounts, maps, and archival photographs to chronicle the brutal military campaigns, displacement tactics, and fortified engagements that defined the Rogue River Indian War. Through a detailed chronology of the hostilities, the text illustrates the catastrophic human cost of rapid mineral exploitation and land seizure in southwest Oregon. A keen insight drawn from the work is how the romanticized iconography of wild western rivers deliberately obscures the bloody ethnic cleansing required to secure them; by contrasting the pristine, scenic beauty of the modern Rogue River with the suppressed history of the forced removal camps along its banks, the narrative exposes how modern recreational landscapes are frequently built directly over the hidden graves of frontier warfare.

iv, 28 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 22 cm

Indian Affairs in Oregon and Washington Territories, &c.: Message from the President of the United States is a primary source collection of mid-19th-century government documents, military correspondence, and field reports originally submitted to Congress by President James Buchanan and later reprinted by historical presses for modern researchers. The volume compiles crucial dispatches from the U.S. Army Division of the Pacific, territorial governors, and federal Indian agents detailing the contentious treaties, administrative policies, and armed conflicts—including the Yakima and Puget Sound Wars—that engulfed the region during the late 1850s. Ultimately, it serves as an essential archival resource for historians seeking unfiltered, contemporary insights into the federal government's military operations and its fraught interactions with the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest during the peak of early pioneer settlement.

21 pages ; 23 cm

Index: A Historical Perspective chronicles the founding and development of Index, Washington, a rugged pioneer settlement nestled deep within the North Fork Skykomish River valley of the Cascade Mountains. The narrative highlights how the dramatic surrounding topography—including the sheer granite walls of nearby Mount Index and the dense, steep timberlands—dictated the town's early economy, which relied heavily on precarious logging operations and hard-rock mining. By documenting the specific riverside encampments, isolated granite quarries, and mountain railroad spurs that defined the area, the book directly links the daily survival of early residents to their formidable natural environment. Ultimately, the work preserves the physical and geographic history of a remote wilderness enclave that was carved out of some of the most challenging terrain in the inland Pacific Northwest.

vii, 53 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm