Catalog of British Columbiana and Pacific Northwest Americana

"Jim Ellis was one of the most influential and impactful civic leaders of Seattle's and Washington's recent history. Without ever seeking elected office, Ellis' vision and drive was the key force behind many major projects defining our city, county, and region from the 1960s through today. From cleaning up Lake Washington, establishing King County Metro, and implementing the broad array of community centered Forward Thrust improvement initiatives, to forward-thinking regional projects like the Mountains to Sound Greenway and the Washington State Convention Center, Ellis was astute at bringing together leaders across political divides to create consensus and change. A Will to Serve is a story about the balance and interconnectivity of personal life and civic life. It's about how the individual people--family, friends, neighbors, colleagues--their shared challenges, and how they worked together to effect change for regional progress. A Will to Serve is Ellis' first-person insight into a tumultuous and dynamic period of our regional history and a window into how patience, persistence, and vision can effect change. Ellis kept notes on his life and projects, wrote extensively about his experiences, and built a deep portfolio of public speeches. He drew from these to shape his detailed and engaging autobiography, a compelling telling of regional history. The Will to Serve, in Ellis' own words, is introduced and framed by former Secretary of the Interior, and Jim Ellis mentee, Sally Jewell. Several key accomplishments of his later life are presented by HistoryLink historian Jennifer Ott"-- Provided by publisher

pages cm

A White Man’s Province examines how British Columbians changed their attitudes towards Asian immigrants from one of toleration in colonial times to vigorous hostility by the turn of the century and describes how politicians responded to popular cries to halt Asian immigration and restrict Asian activities in the province. White workingmen objected to Asian sojourning habits, to their low living standards and wages, and to their competition for jobs in specific industries. Because employers and politicians initially supported Asian immigrants, early manifestations of antipathy often appeared just as another dispute between capital and labour. But as their number increased, complaints about Asians became widespread, and racial characteristics became the nucleus of such terms as a “white man’s province” – a “catch phrase” which, as Roy notes, “covered a wide variety of fears and transcended particular economic interests.” The Chinese were the chief targets of hostility in the nineteenth century; by the twentieth, the Japanese, more economically ambitious and backed by a powerful mother country, appeared more threatening. After Asian disenfranchisement in the 1870s, provincial politicians, freed from worry about the Asian vote, fueled and exploited public prejudices. The Asian question also became a rallying cry for provincial rights when Ottawa disallowed anti-Asian legislation. Although federal leaders such as John A. Macdonald and Wilfrid Laurier shared a desire to keep Canada a “white man's country,” they followed a policy of restraint in view of imperial concerns. The belief that whites should be superior, as Roy points out, was then common throughout the Western world. Many of the arguments used in British Columbia were influenced by anti-Asian sentiments and legislation emanating from California, and from Australia and other British colonies. Drawing on almost every newspaper and magazine report published in the province before 1914, and on government records and private manuscripts, Roy has produced a revealing historical account of the complex basis of racism in British Columbia and of the contribution made to the province in these early years by its Chinese and Japanese residents.

xvii, 327 pages : illustrations ; 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.

Bright lithograph full color printing with text depicting the Seattle waterfront, Pioneer Square, Alki Point, the Locks, Portage Bay, the Ship Canal, Lake Washington, the Floating Bridge, etc. Color map at back with route the book follows. Keywords: 1960's, Children's Book, Seattle, Waterfront, Pioneer Square, Alki Point, Locks, Portage Bay, Ship Canal.

1 volume (unpaged) illustrations

A Walking Tour of Historic Roche Harbor provides a geographically grounded guide to the former company town situated on the sheltered northwest shores of San Juan Island in Washington State. The author directs readers through a coastal landscape fundamentally shaped by the late-nineteenth-century lime industry, highlighting how the deepwater marine harbor and massive inland limestone deposits dictated the town's industrial footprint. By tracing pathways from the waterfront kilns and the historic Hotel de Haro up into the forested slopes holding the imposing McMillin Mausoleum, the tour physically maps the area's historical economic and social hierarchy. Ultimately, the book serves as a localized spatial history, illustrating how this remote maritime enclave in the Salish Sea was physically transformed from a rugged resource extraction site into an enduring architectural landmark.

20 pages : illustrations, maps ; 22 cm

First edition of the account of Captain James Cook's third voyage (1776-1780), consisting of three quarto volumes of text and plates, and one folio atlas, the latter without title-page

3 volumes : 25 illustrations, maps (some folded) ; 30 cm (4to) + 1 atlas (63 leaves of plates (2 folded) : all illustrations, 2 maps, portraits ; 58 cm (folio))

The journal of James Colnett is the last unpublished account of the early maritime fur trade on the Northwest Coast. Between 1786 and 1789, Colnett's expedition traversed the coast from Prince William Sound to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Its members were the first Europeans to encounter the Tsimshian and the southern Heiltsuk, and the first to land on the southern Queen Charlotte Islands. The journal is reproduced with full scholarly apparatus, as well as extracts from a second journal by Andrew Bracey Taylor, 3rd mate on one of the ships in Colnett's command. Focusing on the expedition's remarkable encounters with the Native peoples of the Northwest Coast, Galois' introductory essay also addresses the geopolitical context of the voyage and the intellectual background that shaped the writing of the journals. This fascinating account gives us a new understanding of early European presence in the Northwest and of Native responses to these developments. It will interest historians, geographers, and ethnographers of the Northwest Coast and beyond.

xiii, 441 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Having begun his naval career as a midshipman in Captain Cook's second and third voyages (1772-1778), in 1791 George Vancouver was commissioned by the Admiralty to travel to the Pacific north-west coast of Canada to negotiate a solution to the escalating trade conflict between Britain and Spain in the Nootka Sound and to further and explore the coastline of the region. In April 1791, Vancouver, commanding the sloop HMS Discovery, set sail from Britain under the escort of the gunship HMS Chatham. Following brief stops in Tenerife, Cape Town and Australia, the ships arrived in the Pacific Northwest in June 1792 and Vancouver began to survey the rugged coast of the Straits of Georgia. Landing at the site of the present-day city of Vancouver on 13 June, the expedition encountered a welcoming Coast Salish community, who fed and accompanied them while they spent the night ashore. The voyage later circumnavigated and surveyed the island now known as Vancouver Island before returning to Britain in 1795. The extensive account of the voyage was edited by Vancouver's brother, John, and published in three volumes in 1798. Though not as gripping as earlier travel accounts, tending to focus on surveys and nautical charts, Vancouver's surveys were nevertheless important in establishing British dominance in the region into the nineteenth century.

3 volumes : illustrations (engravings), map (engraving) ; 32 cm (4to) + 1 atlas ([16] leaves of plates (6 folded) : illustrations, maps ; 46 cm)

As an educator, speaker, deputy attorney general, and judge, David Schuman was known for his ability to clarify difficult legal concepts. According to James Egan, chief judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals, he was the “intellectual giant of our generation.” A Voice for Justice reveals how David Schuman’s unique jurisprudence came to be. His friends and associates knew that Oregon Supreme Court Justice Hans Linde convinced Schuman to turn to the Oregon Constitution rather than the federal one to protect individual rights. But even some of Schuman’s closest friends were unaware of his fiction, which provides a window into his deep capacity for empathy and casts new light on his ability to write elegant, sometimes funny, judicial opinions. His legal thinking also had deep roots in literature and political theory. Schuman’s 672 judicial opinions are not just brilliant, but written so that anyone can understand them. Like Ruth Bader Ginsberg, he knew there was nothing to gain by communicating only to specialists. He wanted citizens to be able to make up their own minds about important issues. A Voice for Justice brings together for the first time writings that span over fifty years. Lawyers and laypeople alike will appreciate Schuman’s lucid, engaging observations, which are highly relevant to our current anxieties about institutional racism and democracy under stress. The short stories, speeches, op-eds, articles, legal opinions, and dissents selected for this volume constitute a call to action for everyone to become voices for justice.

xviii, 237 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Published in local editions, James C. Pigott’s A View of the Methow from Moccasin Lake Ranch offers an evocative reflection on the landscape, history, and stewardship of Washington’s rugged Methow Valley. The book weaves personal memoir with regional lore, capturing the distinct seasonal rhythms of high-desert ranching, wildlife conservation, and the quiet isolation of the north-central Cascades. Through detailed observations of the local terrain and watershed, Pigott chronicles the delicate balance required to live harmoniously within a stunning yet demanding environment. A keen insight drawn from the text is how multi-generational ranching memoirs serve as intimate ecological barometers; by documenting decades of subtle shifts in local water availability and wildlife patterns, the author reveals that true land stewardship requires a profound, lived surrender to the cyclical limits of the natural world rather than attempts to conquer it.

167 pages : color illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

A Victorian Tapestry: Impressions of Life in Victoria, B.C., 1880-1914 by Janet Cauthers is a 1978 historical compilation published by the Provincial Archives of British Columbia. The book utilizes aural history and conversational impressions, accompanied by archival sepia photographs, to capture the everyday experiences of residents in Victoria from the 1880s through the onset of the First World War. It offers an intimate, firsthand look at the social fabric and daily life of the city during its transformation into a modern metropolitan center.

77 pages : illustrations, portraits, map ; 27 cm

Compiled in 1931 by University of Washington librarian Charles W. Smith and published under the auspices of the Pacific Northwest Library Association, A Union List of Manuscripts in Libraries of the Pacific Northwest serves as a foundational archival inventory designed to formalize and professionalize regional historical research. Building on his earlier bibliographies of published works, Smith meticulously aggregated and mapped the locations of unpublished primary sources—such as pioneer diaries, missionary letters, fur trade ledgers, and territorial government correspondence—scattered across various regional institutions. The catalog effectively centralized the disparate, raw textual artifacts of early Anglo-American settlement, transforming them into a cohesive, searchable database for academic historians.

A keen insight drawn from the work is how the bureaucratic cataloging of unpublished archival material functioned as a profound mechanism of epistemological enclosure; by strictly defining authentic historical "manuscripts" as the written, paper artifacts generated exclusively by white settlers, bureaucrats, and missionaries, Smith’s inventory institutionalized the absolute supremacy of the colonial written word. This seemingly neutral archival project structurally barred Indigenous oral histories, material records, and active cultural memory from the realm of legitimate, academically recognized "primary sources." Consequently, it guaranteed that the definitive history of the Pacific Northwest would be researched, written, and validated almost entirely through the literal handwriting of the very people who engineered its colonization.

57 pages 23 cm.

Published by Whitecap Books, Rosemary Neering's A Traveller's Guide to Historic British Columbia serves as an engaging geographical and historical companion that maps the province's rich tapestry of past human endeavors. The book navigates the reader across various regional landscapes—from the gold-rush trails of the Cariboo and the rugged mountain passes of the interior to coastal Indigenous settlements and early European trading posts. By intertwining travel logistics with historical vignettes, anecdotes, and archival context, the text brings physical landmarks and forgotten settlements vividly back to life. A keen insight drawn from the work is how travel guides to historical frontiers function as chronological bridges; by grounding sweeping provincial history in specific, visitable coordinates on a modern map, the book demonstrates that physical travel through British Columbia is inherently an act of temporal exploration across layers of competing human ambitions.

xvii, 334 pages : illustrations (some color), maps ; 23 cm

What happened here? Travelers interested in history want to know about the history of the sites that they pass in the Evergreen State. Who but veteran author Bill Gulick could write the premier historical travel book on Washington?

xxviii, 559 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

"Working with Commander Porcher's manuscript journal, now in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Collection of Yale University, as well as other documents of the time, editor Smith has conjured an era through the unique voice of one of its standard bearers. Porcher's journal reveals a man who strived to do his duty by the lights of the British Empire, then at full bloom but - caught between vulnerable Russian America to the north, and the rambunctious and expanding United States to the south, and the French virtually everywhere - in slightly precarious position on North America's Pacific coast

xvii, 172 pages, approximately [52] leaves of plates : illustrations (some color), map ; 27 cm

A touch of Oregon examines the scattered pioneer settlements, isolated ghost towns, and localized folklore situated across the profoundly diverse, highly fractured macro-geography of the Oregon interior and coastline. Friedman details how the region's formidable macro-topography—specifically the sprawling, sun-baked expanses of the eastern high desert, the towering, impenetrable volcanic barrier of the Cascade Range, and the rugged, tempestuous littoral edge of the Pacific coast—strictly dictated the margins of early homesteading, precarious overland transit, and isolated resource extraction. By mapping the establishment of these tenacious, widely dispersed frontier enclaves that carved a tenuous existence out of hidden river valleys and arid bunchgrass steppes, often weathering severe isolation or fading into ghost towns as vital transportation corridors bypassed their difficult terrain, the narrative highlights how this specific immensely varied geography anchored a profoundly resilient, hyper-localized pioneer society. Ultimately, this folkloric and historical record serves as a macro-level spatial history, demonstrating how the immense overland distances, severe topographic extremes, and highly localized microclimates of this Pacific Northwest landscape fundamentally shaped the highly fragmented, enduring character of Oregon's backroads communities.

234 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 22 cm

Published by the Burke Museum and edited by art historian Robin Kathleen Wright, A Time of Gathering: Native Heritage in Washington State serves as a profound celebration and catalog of Indigenous art, culture, and enduring sovereignty across the Pacific Northwest. The volume brings together tribal elders, artists, and scholars to document centuries of rich material culture, including intricate basketry, carved wooden regalia, and contemporary artistic expressions that defy historical erasure. Through stunning photographic plates and deeply contextual essays, the text emphasizes that Native communities are not relics of a static past, but dynamic, living cultures actively revitalizing their ancestral traditions. A keen insight drawn from the work is how museum archives can be radically decolonized through collaborative curation; by returning interpretive authority to the descendant communities who created these sacred objects, the publication transforms a traditional anthropological collection into a powerful instrument of indigenous self-determination.

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

"Between Pacific Tides by Edward F. Ricketts and Jack Calvin is arguably the most important book about marine ecology on the Pacific coast of North America. At a time when almost all studies of life in the intertidal zones were taxonomic, Ricketts and Calvin revolutionized the field and helped to lay the groundwork for studies of the impact of environmental change on the natural world. Though Ricketts is perhaps best known as a quirky character in John Steinbeck's fiction, he was a serious marine biologist who conducted pioneering research. In A Tidal Odyssey, literary scholar Richard Astro and archivist Donald Kohrs explore how Between Pacific Tides came to be, covering both the writing process and the long journey to publication. They tell three interwoven stories: the development of ecology as a valuable new approach to the study of marine life in the intertidal zone; a case study of how new and dynamic science is published and reaches a larger audience; and the intellectual development of Ed Ricketts. Not only a scientist but also an expert in music, philosophy, history, and literature, Ricketts and his work impacted a broad range of writers and scholars. A number of these intellectual figures appear in A Tidal Odyssey, including Ricketts's co-author, Jack Calvin, and illustrator, Ritch Lovejoy; mythologist Joseph Campbell; novelist Henry Miller; composer John Cage; and of course John Steinbeck. The authors have drawn extensively from Ricketts's archive, including previously unpublished letters, memoranda, notebooks, and photographs. A Tidal Odyssey is for anyone interested in the world of Ed Ricketts as well as marine biology, intertidal ecology, and how ecological studies underpin our understanding of the impact of environmental change on the well-being of our planet"-- Provided by publisher

xv, 232 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

This volume presents an in-depth natural, cultural, and spiritual history of the Fraser River region and its aboriginal and post-contact inhabitants over 15,000 years, in graphs, charts, lexicographies, historic maps, archival photographs, and original artwork. It covers such diverse subjects as: origins of the people and landscape, relationship between the Coast Salish spiritual beliefs and contemporary land management, pre-contact fortifications and warfare, expression and history of Sto:lo and Coast Salish identity, population movement in the historic era, architectural history, Sto:lo systems of justice, spatial analysis of hop yards, salmon canneries and residential schools, reinterpretation of Sto:lo historical demographics

xvi, 208 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.) 38 cm.

"A Sound Defense" is a comprehensive description of military sites of Puget Sound. Military historical sites in the twelve counties (Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan, Island, King, Pierce, Thurston, Mason, Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson) are described with an emphasis on the unique things which happened there. Over 150 pictures and maps are included. Nancy McDaniel, Colonel, USAF, MSC (Retired) is a Washington State native and brings a love of the area and combines that with a perspective on the contributions that the military has had on Western Washington. "A Sound Defense" describes blockhouses built during the Indian conflicts. It addresses "The Pig War" and the politics of the international relationships which helped establish the boundaries of the United States. Forts built to protect Puget Sound as a result of the decisions of the Endicott Board are described along with the personalities of the commanders and personnel who were assigned there. Long forgotten installations established to provide early warning of approaching enemy aircraft are prominent in this comprehensive book. Lighthouses throughout the area are highlighted with the inclusion of historical photos and stories of early lightkeepers. Most importantly, "A Sound Defense" recognizes the contributions of military personnel throughout the years by the inclusion of memorials and facilities dedicated to recognizing their service to the country.

xvi, 365 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Published by Gordon N. Zimmerman, A Song of Yamhill and Oregon's Northwestern Willamette Valley weaves local history, personal reminiscences, and genealogical lore to celebrate the enduring rural heritage of the upper Willamette Valley. The book details the arrival of early Euro-American pioneers who navigated the Oregon Trail to settle the fertile, rolling hills of Yamhill County, establishing agrarian communities amidst rich timberlands and river valleys. Through vivid narrative vignettes, the text captures the seasonal rhythms of farming, local institution-building, and the close-knit social fabric of a foundational Oregon agricultural hub. A keen insight drawn from the text is how regional local histories act as counter-narratives to rapid urban sprawl; by meticulously preserving the human-scale stories of families tied to the land, the work anchors modern landscape identity in deep-rooted community stewardship rather than commercial development.

xviii, 207 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 23 cm

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

Did you know that Idaho's black bear are more active during the day than at night, that the bears diet is less than 2 percent meat and that the number of cubs born in the spring is related to the size of the fall berry crop? These are just a few of the facts the authors present about the black bear, a shy adaptable species whose secretive habits and preference for forested habitats has made it a difficult animal to observe. The authors have been collecting biological data since 1972 in order to develop a comprehensive management program for the state's black bear population, and this volume summarizes much of their research. As the black bear's range shrinks with man's encroachment into isolated areas, studies such as this one offer scientists and naturalists the necessary data to make informed decisions about successfully managing this unique and irreplaceable species of American wildlife. This volume will provide naturalists and general readers with information on and a greater understanding of the rare and elusive Idaho black bear

xviii, 245 pages, [8] folded pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 13 cm.

Selection of monographs, films, children's books and bibliographies focusing the Indians of British Columbia. Includes abstracts

50 pages ; 28 cm

A Seat at the Table: Chinese Immigration and British Columbia (一席之地 : 卑诗省与华人的迁徙), curated and edited by Denise Fong, Viviane Gosselin, and Henry Yu, serves as an essential spatial and social ledger documenting how Chinese migrants actively built and sustained the physical geography of the Canadian Pacific slope. Chronicling movement across the Fraser River gold fields, the perilous construction corridors of the Canadian Pacific Railway, coastal salmon canneries, and foundational urban enclaves in Victoria, Vancouver, and the interior, the text illustrates how early Chinese enterprise was mapped directly along major riverine networks and established First Nations trade corridors. The work emphasizes the critical, often undocumented interdependent alliances forged between Chinese laborers, merchants, and indigenous communities—ranging from shared navigational logistics and localized commerce to enduring family networks—which were indispensable for navigating isolated resource frontiers and institutional colonial exclusion. Ultimately, this collaborative study reframes British Columbia's early industrial development as an inherently trans-Pacific landscape, showing how Chinese labor and commercial networks anchored the civic and economic infrastructure of the burgeoning province.

167 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), color map ; 31 cm