All Titles

Every year, Banks Lake is visited by thousands of tourists from all over Washington State and beyond for recreation. People fish, boat, swim, hike, and camp around Banks Lake, a 27-mile equalizing reservoir created for the Grand Coulee Dam as part of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. However, even before Banks Lake, the Upper Grand Coulee was a vibrant, inhabited land. Bits and pieces of the fragmented history often surface; there were orchards and seemingly endless fields of golden wheat. Filled with ranches and farms, cattle roamed freely. Stories of highways, railroads, and towns now under the waters of the equalizing reservoir are waiting to be discovered. This book pulls back the waves of Banks Lake and the layers of time to reveal the lost and forgotten history that was inundated with the waters of the Grand Coulee Dam.

Sharon E. Karr uses rare vintage images from a variety of local sources to celebrate the rich history of Sisters, Oregon.

Located at the foot of the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains is the charming town of Sisters, Oregon, named for the three majestic, snow-covered peaks, North, Middle, and South Sisters, known as Faith, Hope, and Charity. Sisters saw its beginning only a short time after the early central Oregon pioneers settled to the north at Camp Polk. Geographically, Sisters encompassed communities now long gone – Cloverdale, Gist, and Plainview. These small communities depended on Sisters for mail, supplies, groceries, and other services. The development of Black Butte Ranch and the Metolius recreation area contributed to today’s tourism hub. By stepping back in time, the reader can explore the past of ranching and irrigation and trace the logging, rodeo, and recreation history of those who came before today’s travelers and tourists. Sisters is more than just a place. What sets Sisters apart is the bond of friendship that permeates every facet of this small town. A feeling of community and unity that fosters an unyielding spirit of what is home and creates the extraordinary place it is today.

Sharon E. Karr is a retired technology writer and a graduate of the University of Oregon with a bachelor of arts in history and a master’s degree from Santa Clara University. She brings history alive with the help of longtime residents, research, and local historical societies.  

Preceding the state of Washington's admittance to the United States in 1889, Tacoma, located south on Puget Sound, was officially incorporated on November 12, 1875, after the Northern Pacific Railway determined that Tacoma should be the western terminus of its transcontinental line. With this decision, the city began its transformation into the City of Destiny and allowed farm products and manufactured items to be brought across the country and shipped to Asia and anywhere on the Pacific Rim. Known for its fishing and logging industries, Tacoma prides itself on being the original world headquarters for the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company and the birthplace of Bing Crosby. Today, Tacoma has a population that exceeds 200,000 and is the third-largest city in Washington, preceded by Seattle and Spokane.

Stanwood was established at the mouth of the Stillaguamish River on the eastern shoreline of Puget Sound in 1873. In this pictorial history, local Stanwood Area Historical Society historian and retired librarian Karen Prasse features over 200 photographs from the collections of the Stanwood Area Historical Society.

Originally designated Centerville, it had a wharf to accommodate steamboat transportation. Loggers and mill men from the nearby Utsalady mill on Camano Island were among those who established homesteads and businesses, and the town began to grow. The Great Northern Railroad Company, providing long awaited rail connection, bypassed Stanwood a mile away from the waterfront in 1891. When two major lumber companies were established between 1888 and 1903 on the waterfront, they needed access to a railroad, so the Hall & Hall Railroad, the “Shortest Railroad in the World,” was incorporated to transport lumber. As the mills closed in the 1930s, food processing became the primary economy with the establishment of Twin City Foods and the Pacific Coast Condensery near the depot. The depot area became known as East Stanwood, and it was incorporated in 1922, creating two separate towns one mile apart—Stanwood and East Stanwood. The citizens voted to consolidate in 1960 when the cities faced an issue they could not resolve on their own. 

The historical society, chartered in 1972, operates the D.O. Pearson House museum, the Eldridge Center, and the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center. All photographs were generously donated to the collections over the years by local families and collectors.

Gladstone, Oregon, is located at the confluence of the Clackamas and Willamette Rivers and was once the northern half of the historic town of Oregon City. Gladstone came to prominence as the site of the first Oregon State Fair, the first Clackamas County Fair, the first railroad bridge in Oregon, and the first river crossing of the first interurban trolley west of the Rocky Mountains. In 1869, Gladstone witnessed Ben Holladay, of Pony Express-Overland Stage fame, challenge both his competitors and the Clackamas River in the great north-south railroad race. From 1894 to 1927, Gladstone became known as the "Mother Chautauqua of the West," where orators such as William Jennings Bryan and Rev. Billy Sunday held thousands of attendees spellbound in Gladstone Park. Founded by Judge Harvey E. Cross, Gladstone incorporated in 1911 and steadily grew because of its scenic setting, cultural offerings, and ease of transportation to employment at the Oregon City Mills. The excitement of first events and famous visitors may be over, but Gladstone remains, today, a thriving, family-oriented community proud of its past.

Portland is not only the site of numerous marine terminals along the Willamette and Columbia Rivers but also home to much of our American maritime history. Portland shipbuilding started in 1840 with construction of the schooner Star of Oregon. Over 100 years later, three Portland shipyards would build 621 ships for the war effort. Both before and after World War II, several steel and iron companies used the harbors in Portland for their manufacturing. Aside from production, Portland ships over 13 million tons of cargo every year and is the biggest shipper of wheat in the United States. The city displays this maritime history along its beautiful rivers.