Land of Giants: Drive to the Pacific Northwest, 1750-1950

As an Oregon resident, I especially enjoyed reading about the origin of many of the place names we now enjoy and why the Northwest developed the way it has. Mountains, rivers, towns and valleys bare the names of early explorers and pioneers who braved the hardships this uncharted land and shaped the boundries of the land as we now know it. The Oregon Territory in the 1800's, with its rich resources and unexplored lands became an irresistible attraction to thousands of emigrants from the Eastern US. Early arrivals came from Europe by sailing ship around the Horn of South America and began trading for furs with the indians. As word of these wild lands spread, Mountain Men began to push across the Rocky Mountains and into the vast forests of the Oregon Country in search of furs and gold. The British, Hudson Bay Company, capitalized on the fur market and became the first rulers of the territory. If not for certain rather minor happening and the westward push of American pioneers, the boundry between the United States and Canada might have been the Columbia River. If you enjoy knowing how the world we live in is shaped the way it is, you will love reading this book.