The Columbia River: Its History, Its Myths, Its Scenery, Its Commerce

The narrative surveys the river's natural setting and Indigenous myths, then recounts successive phases of contact and human activity—early maritime and inland exploration, the fur trade, missionary and pioneer settlement, episodes of conflict, and the rise of river navigation, industry, agriculture, and commerce. A second portion moves as a travelogue from the mountain headwaters through lakes, canyons, waterfalls, wheatlands, orchards, and the tidal lower reaches, combining scenic description with practical notes on transportation, resource development, and regional economic expansion.