River of the West: A Chronicle of the Columbia

River of the West beautifully written; lyrical at times, flowing through history ~ Starting with Lake Missoula's break through, it includes the stories of native tribal peoples dwelling on its banks and the coming of 'civilization.' If any criticism, it would be that the concluding chapters seemed curiously perfunctory in comparison to the earlier narrative ~ Nevertheless, a great good read ~ especially for those of us living on the shores of this great river of the West....

This book reads like a collection of short stories while relaying the often untold stories of well-known and unknown figures who helped shape the Northwest. As a native Oregonian, it was refreshing to read unfamiliar stories of people in familiar places. I was particularly struck by the stories of Woodie Guthrie, David Thompson and the well-to-do woman from the east who follows her new husband to the wilds of British Columbia. A great read for anyone interested in the people and development of the Northwest.