Molalla

9780738556130

$24.99

Molalla is a small community on the edge of the Willamette Valley where some of the first Oregon Trail settlers arrived in the 1840s. Thirty miles south of Portland and north of Oregon's capital at Salem, Molalla rests snugly against the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, watched over by snowcapped Mount Hood. Though close to the region's first capital at historic Oregon City, Molalla is an independent Western town famous for its annual Fourth of July Buckeroo rodeo and parade. Molalla grew as an important agricultural trade center but is best known for its logging operations and abundant lumber mills. People had long visited summer resorts along the Molalla River and rejuvenated at the now-vanished Wilhoit Mineral Springs resort. Molalla retains its small-town atmosphere and independent spirit, not unlike the pioneer forebears who made the Molalla Prairie their home.

Camp Rilea

9781467132305

$24.99

Camp Rilea, originally named Camp Clatsop, was founded in 1927 and soon became the Oregon National Guard's preferred training site--a claim that still holds true today. Located on the picturesque Oregon coast in the town of Warrenton, near Astoria, Camp Rilea covers 1,800 acres and includes three miles of Pacific coast beachfront. The historical photographs in this book tell a fascinating story of the important role Camp Rilea has played over time to all who have passed its gates for generations. Since the early days, Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center sealed its reputation as the premier regional location offering maneuver areas, facilities, and ranges supporting myriad military units, law enforcement agencies, and public safety and utility-related organizations. A valued community partner, Camp Rilea also hosts many civic and social events, including sports camps, track and field competitions, and Boy Scout gatherings. Come see what really happens "behind the dune" at Camp Rilea.

Fir Island and Conway

9781467124782

$24.99

The North Fork and the South Fork of the Skagit River were navigated by those searching for gold and land in the 1870s. Flooding became a deterrent for many, but those who stayed discovered an abundance of fertile soil and natural resources. Scandinavian immigrants, predominantly Norwegian, came to settle in the area, some with their families, and worked in logging and in farming. As the population grew, small towns and businesses were soon established. Skagit City and Fir were located on Fir Island; Conway and Milltown were located east of the island. In 1914, a bridge connected the island to the mainland, replacing the ferry at Mann's Landing. After many floods, the removal of logjams, and the arrival of the Great Northern Railroad, Mount Vernon began to prosper upriver, and the little towns began to disappear. Today, Fir Island and Conway are destinations for tourists who come to see snow geese and trumpeter swans during migration. Farmers continue to work the soil, and many descendants of pioneers still remain.

Southern Oregon Timber:

9781626199446

$21.99

Forestry defined the culture of southern Oregon. Kenneth and Hallie Ford rose from humble beginnings with a single sawmill during the Great Depression and helped transform the state's timber industry. They founded one of the largest privately owned wood-products companies in the country, bringing the title "Timber Capital of the Nation" to Roseburg, Oregon. Their legacy remains today through the Ford Family Foundation, dedicated to educational grants and community improvements. Author R.J. Guyer explores the evolution of logging and the challenges faced by the hearty men and women who plied this trade.

Bonney Lake's Plateau

9780738582085

$24.99

The story of Bonney Lake and the plateau is not about towns and their storefronts, but of the enduring people who settled there before and after Washington achieved statehood. In spite of their brief presence, Michael Connell and Reuben Finnell are names credited for many of the area's key landmarks. In 1864, pioneer William B. Kelley arrived at the plateau. His public service as a territorial legislator and county auditor made him one of the most respected individuals of eastern Pierce County. Other pioneers, such as the Moriarty and Vandermark families, engaged in logging and farming on the plateau, which continued to be considered a wilderness. Oscar "Doc" Bowen, one of the settlers who arrived from the 1930s dustbowl, had a spiritual impact when he called for construction of the area's first church. Less than two decades later, Kenneth Simmons saw potential for further growth and pressed to incorporate the plateau's west end--forming the town of Bonney Lake.

Hall Brothers Shipbuilders

9780738556147

$24.99

Hall Brothers designed and built some of the finest sailing ships ever constructed on the Pacific coast. Isaac, Winslow, and Henry Knox Hall acquired their shipbuilding training at the center of America's boatbuilding industry in Cohasset, Massachusetts, during the 1840s. Following the Gold Rush of 1849, Winslow Hall migrated to San Francisco. In 1863, he built the Sarah Louise, which was the first Hall vessel to be launched from the West Coast. Eleven years later, the Hall Brothers Shipyard was established at Port Ludlow in the Washington Territory. In 1881, the shipyard was moved to Port Blakely on Bainbridge Island. From the launching of the Annie Gee in 1874 to their last ship, the five-masted schooner George E. Billings, built in 1903, Hall Brothers constructed 108 vessels for merchants in the Northwest, San Francisco, and Hawaii.

Abigail Scott Duniway and Susan B. Anthony in Oregon

9781625859785

$21.99

It was the spring of 1871. Pioneer entrepreneur Abigail Scott Duniway, on a business trip to purchase stock for her millinery store back in Oregon, waited breathlessly outside the suffrage convention in San Francisco. She hoped to meet Susan B. Anthony, whose career she so admired. And so they met, sparking a relationship that dramatically altered Duniway's life. The duo traveled for months on horseback, carriage, train and boat in their crucial, successful effort to ensure the right to vote for women nationwide. Author Jennifer Chambers revives the inspirational fight for women's rights by examining the dynamic between these two powerful women and how they changed not just the Beaver State but the country as a whole.

Abigail Scott Duniway and Susan B. Anthony in Oregon

Murder & Scandal in Prohibition Portland:

9781467119535

$21.99

The 1917 election of Mayor George Luis Baker ushered a long era of unscrupulous greed into Portland government. While supposedly enforcing prohibition laws, Baker ordered police chief Leon Jenkins to control and profit from the bootlegging market. Baker filled city coffers and his friends' pockets with booze-soaked cash while sensational headlines like the 1929 affair between policeman Bill Breuning and informant Anna Schrader scandalized the city. Maligned in the press, Schrader executed a bitter campaign to recall the mayor. In 1933, a hired gunman murdered special investigator to the governor Frank Aiken a day before he would have filed a report on corruption in the city government. Authors JD Chandler and Theresa Griffin Kennedy unearth the salacious details of Baker's crooked administration in a revelatory account of prohibition in the Rose City.

Murder & Scandal in Prohibition Portland:

Snoqualmie Pass

9780738548098

$24.99

Situated in the Cascades about 50 miles east of Seattle, Snoqualmie Pass is intersected by the most heavily used route connecting eastern and western Washington. In the 1800s, use of the old Native American trail by explorers, cattlemen, and miners created a need for a wagon road. A railway and highway followed, and Snoqualmie Pass quickly developed into an all-season recreational paradise with over a half million visitors annually. Known for easy access to snow sports and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area, nighttime ski operations, and the world-famous terrain of Alpental, Snoqualmie Pass is also a community of neighborhoods with both full-time and part-time residents who share a unique mountain lifestyle.

Cover image for Snoqualmie Pass, isbn: 9780738548098

Legendary Locals of the Puyallup Valley

9781467100892

$24.99

Migrating tribes settled along the river in the J-shaped valley lying beneath the majestic mountain known today as Mount Rainier. Tribal traders from east of the mountains called the western valley tribe "generous people," a word that in English sounds like "Puyallup." Pioneers found promise in clearing the land, creating the towns of Puyallup, Sumner, and Orting, and donating property for the common good. Agriculture produced hop barons, nationally renowned daffodil bulb growers, and successful berry farmers. Early entrepreneurs spawned multigenerational businesses while doctors, educators, and civic leaders more than fulfilled pioneer dreams. In 1900, a small band of men established an annual fair in Puyallup, which became the Washington State Fair. More recently, benefactors helped to build premier fitness and medical facilities. Citizens from each town continue to participate in community service clubs. Legendary Locals of the Puyallup Valley weaves a story of determined people who have left their mark on this beautiful valley.

Patrol and Rescue Boats on Puget Sound

9780738575810

$24.99

The history of impressive battleships, aircraft carriers, and submarines on Puget Sound has been well chronicled. However, the story of the smaller, fast patrol and rescue boats that have protected its vast inland waters is largely unknown. This book, through more than 200 rare images and engaging text, reveals the fascinating story. It covers Navy, Coast Guard, and Army Air Force craft in the sound, including the famed patrol torpedo boats of World War II. Featuring evocative photographs from the National Archives, as well as veterans' personal collections, this book highlights these military craft, their proud crews, and essential wartime and peacetime operations.

Baseball in Tacoma-Pierce County

9780738581941

$24.99

The Tacoma-Pierce County area has enjoyed a rich tradition of baseball from the sandlot beginnings in 1874, to the first professional game at the "Eleventh Street Ball Grounds" in 1890, to the "100 Day Wonder" known as Cheney Stadium, which was opened in the spring of 1960. While Tacoma has laid claim to six Pacific Coast League championships since the 1904-1905 season, it was the players who competed in the City, Valley, Sunset, Community, Timber, Commercial, Industrial, and Shipbuilders leagues that formed the backbone of the sport. Among notables that have dotted local rosters or competed in the major leagues are Ron Cey, "Indian" Bob Johnson, Mike Blowers, Jon Lester, Steve Whitaker, and Doug Sisk, as well as Baseball Hall of Famers Walter Johnson, Joe McGinnity, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, and Willie McCovey.

Nisqually Indian Tribe

9780738556116

$24.99

The Nisqually are the original stewards of prairie lands, mountains, and rivers in Thurston and Pierce Counties. They welcomed British and American newcomers and tightly bound the outsiders to the Native American world. This volume visually explores the traditional time, when Nisqually political and economic control of the South Sound was supreme. As Nisqually men and women married and worked with outsiders, the Native American world was transformed. In 1854, Nisqually leaders signed a treaty with the United States and officially ceded most of their country, but the land and rights they reserved set the stage for a cultural revival in the 1970s.

Seattle Mystic Alfred M. Hubbard

9781467148061

$21.99

Seattle has a long tradition of being at the forefront of technological innovation. In 1919, an eager young inventor named Alfred M. Hubbard made his first newspaper appearance with the announcement of a perpetual motion machine that harnessed energy from Earth's atmosphere. From there, Hubbard transformed himself into a charlatan, bootlegger, radio pioneer, top-secret spy, millionaire and uranium entrepreneur. In 1953, after discovering the transformative effects of a little-known hallucinogenic compound, Hubbard would go on to become the "Johnny Appleseed of LSD," introducing the psychedelic to many of the era's vanguards and an entire generation. Join author and historian Brad Holden as he chronicles the fascinating life of one of Seattle's legendary figures.

Crook County

9781467130592

$24.99

Crook County, Oregon, is located in the heart of the state and was created from Wasco County on October 24, 1882. The original Crook County included what is now Jefferson, Deschutes, Crook, and part of Wheeler Counties. The region was among the last frontiers to be settled in Oregon. The county experienced some violent times with the rise of a vigilante organization that took the law into its own hands and, later, the infamous Sheep and Cattle Wars that pitted cattlemen against sheep men until government control of grazing on public lands was introduced. Although there were turbulent times, the county mostly evolved into a thriving ranching, farming, and lumber-dominated economy. The perseverance of hearty pioneers forged the frontier into a prosperous and socially enriched region.

Ephrata

9781467105217

$24.99

The first permanent settlers near what is now Ephrata were the Egbert brothers, who arrived in 1882. In 1886, they sold their deeded land to horseman Frank Beezley, who developed the land around the spring into a large ranch with lush hay fields, orchards, and gardens. The area became known as Beezley Springs, and the hills west of town are still called Beezley Hills. When a new county, Grant, was sliced off of the formerly vast Douglas County in 1909, Ephrata was named the new seat, which ensured the growth of the town. The iconic courthouse, built in 1918, still stands today. The US Army Air Forces arrived in 1942, and the town boomed. While the base in the area only operated for a few years, the hangars and runways still stand. Today, the USO building serves as the Ephrata Recreation Center. In the 1950s, with the advent of irrigation, the town grew from a dusty, dry place to one with many nearby farms. The US Bureau of Reclamation went through a few buildings in town, and the agency is still using the biggest one.

McNeil Island

9781467116282

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

McNeil Island might look like just another wooded island along Washington State's Puget Sound. That first impression would be wrong. McNeil was home to territorial, federal, and state prison systems, and its inmate roster included mobsters, politicians, infamous killers, and bank robbers. But, alongside the inmates and the wire that contained them was a thriving community. The original pioneer residents and, later, the families of essential prison staff lived their daily lives as normally as possible while anchored by prison activities.

The Key Peninsula

9780738548937

$24.99

The Key Peninsula is a scenic finger of land that stretches south between Case and Carr Inlets in Washington State. Few people lived there before 1850, although Native Americans fished and hunted from temporary villages. Several communities, each with a unique history, took root near the various bays and inlets of the peninsula, and by the 1890s, many areas bustled with schools, post offices, mills, churches, and stores. Logging, orchards, and chicken farms supported these early pioneers. Cut off from the mainland, the waters of Puget Sound provided transportation. The famous Mosquito Fleet carried products such as fruit, seafood, chickens, eggs, and butter to Olympia, Tacoma, and Seattle until the advent of the ferries and, later, the bridges. Many of today's "oldtimers" are just two or three generations distant from the original hardy settlers, but the area's residents are proud of the heritage of this unique place they call home.

Newport

9780738581514

$24.99

Newport and its surrounding areas are beautiful and bountiful, offering resources for fishing, logging, shipping, and tourism. Today's community, similar to populations that settled the land in earlier days, is independent, hearty, and versatile. The Yacona, the Native Americans who called Newport home before the arrival of other cultures, lived almost entirely off the land and waterways. Later settlers, while still reliant on natural resources, integrated technology into the growth of their society. As the area matured, the desire to find balance and preserve natural resources grew. Today Newport's heritage remains strong, and this book serves as a tribute to its history.

Fox Island

9780738558073

$24.99

Fox Island has had as wide a variety of names as inhabitants over its long and diverse history. The island was named for American lieutenant John L. Fox, who was with the 1841 Wilkes Expedition. However, it was first known as Bu Teu by the Native Americans who used the island for burials and potlatches, and it was later named Rosario by the Spanish in the 1770s. It served as a temporary Native American reservation after the Indian War of 1856, and later supported a large dogfish processing business and, from 1884 to 1910, a brick-manufacturing company. The island's 1890s community of Sylvan contained a school, a store, a dock, a vacation lodge, and a waterfront church. In 1954, a bridge replaced the ferry to Fox Island. Today the U.S. Navy has an acoustic laboratory on the island, and two large church buildings have been built. Perhaps the most famous resident of the island was Washington's first female governor, Dixy Lee Ray.

Washington Beer

9781467119085

$24.99

Brewing history touches every corner of Washington. When it was a territory, homesteader operations like Colville Brewery helped establish towns. In 1865, Joseph Meeker planted the state's first hops in Steilacoom. Within a few years, that modest crop became a five-hundred-acre empire, and Washington led the nation in hops production by the turn of the century. Enterprising pioneers like Emil Sick and City Brewery's Catherine Stahl galvanized early Pacific Northwest brewing. In 1982, Bert Grant's Yakima Brewing and Malting Company opened the first brewpub in the country since Prohibition. Soon, Seattle's Independent Ale Brewing Company led a statewide craft tap takeover, and today, nearly three hundred breweries and brewpubs call the Evergreen State home. Author Michael F. Rizzo unveils the epic story of brewing in Washington.

Jailhouse Stories from Early Pacific County

9781467135290

$24.99

Hangings, lynchings and jail breaks are long forgotten in Pacific County, where tourists flock to quaint attractions every season. But back in the early days, when the first jailhouse was built, this was a rough, rustic setting. Popular cannery worker Lum You was hanged here in 1902--the only legal execution in county history. Industrious smugglers and creative entrepreneurs outwitted state-sanctioned prohibition measures, though some still did time in the jailhouse. Historian Sydney Stevens presents a collection of tales culled from a forgotten prison record book. Opium fiends, thieves, military deserters and even wayward girls jailed for incorrigible acts are brought out of the shadows of a wilderness long gone.

Jailhouse Stories from Early Pacific County

Port Orford and North Curry County

9780738580883

$24.99

Perched on the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean, Port Orford claims to be the oldest town site on the Oregon coast and the farthest west incorporated community in the continental United States. Incomparable scenery surrounds it, providing work for generations of residents: lumber from trees of the great forests and all manner of seafood harvested from ocean waters. Gold lay in the waters and banks of streams and in the black sands of beaches, attracting the earliest settlers in 1851. Farming came later but proved successful, especially for cattle and sheep farmers and cranberry growers. Residents have survived fire, earthquake, severe storms, and the fluctuations of the mining, timber, and fishing industries. As Oregon developed, county lines changed. The south coast area was part of Jackson County in 1852, then Coos County in 1853. Curry County was formed in 1855, and Port Orford was the first county seat until Oregon statehood in 1859.

A Puget Sound Orca in Captivity

9781467140379

$21.99

On August 8, 1970, the Southern Resident orcas of Puget Sound were herded into Penn Cove on Whidbey Island by explosives, spotter planes and speedboats in a coordinated effort to capture seven young whales. Between 1964 and 1976, dozens of these now-endangered orcas were torn from their home and sent to marine parks around the globe. Just over a decade later, all but one had died. This lone survivor is Tokitae, also known as Lolita, and she's spent most of her life performing at the Miami Seaquarium. For twenty years, the Orca Network has called for her release, and now the indigenous Lummi Nation, People of the Sea, have joined the fight. Author Sandra Pollard chronicles the extraordinary effort to bring Tokitae home.

Forest Grove

9780738581170

$24.99

Forest Grove, one of the first settlements in the Oregon Territory, owes its name to its many varieties of trees. The first Euro-American settlers arrived in West Tualatin Plains in 1841 and were soon joined by other missionaries, including those fleeing the tragedy of the 1847 Whitman Massacre. Anticipating the inevitable emigrant migration, the missionaries hoped to teach the Native Americans about farming and religion. The rich soil and plentiful creeks made the area perfect for growing crops, and the abundant forests would provide a future lumber industry. Without any academic prospects, however, the area would not appeal to families. Two remarkable men, Rev. Harvey Clark and Rev. George Atkinson, and a feisty, lovable old woman named Tabitha Brown were determined to establish a school. Thanks to their combined efforts, an orphanage that began in a log cabin would grow into the prestigious institution of higher learning that exists today--Pacific University.

Wicked Spokane

9781467151818

$23.99

Spokane's early years were marked by an unchecked underworld of greed and sinister dealings.
Houses of ill-repute and homebrewed whiskey abounded, and hidden tunnels beneath the streets helped to stoke the lawlessness. Famous cowgirl Calamity Jane loved to deal faro when visiting the city and it's rumored that outlaw Butch Cassidy¬¬, after a bit of plastic surgery, chose the city to live out the rest of his life in relative peace. A corrupt police department did little to curb the influence of the wealthy and those seeking to make their fortune through bootlegging, prostitution or gambling.
Join author Deborah Cuyle as she uncovers the colorful past of the Lilac City.

Oregon Wildland Firefighting

9781467138505

$21.99

Over the past century, some of the world’s largest wildland fires have occurred in Oregon. Accidentally set by a disgruntled cook on an English ship, the Great Fire of 1845 displaced multiple tribes and boiled wildlife alive in the Columbia River. The Tillamook Burn started up every 6 years from 1933 to 1951 and incited one of the largest reseeding efforts in the world with 72 million seedlings planted. The Long Draw Fire of 2012, the state’s largest in more than 150 years, started as a small spark and raged into an ocean of flames thousands of acres wide in a matter of hours. Veteran wildland firefighter Sean Davis shares harrowing firsthand accounts that illustrate what it takes to battle an inferno.

Cover image for Oregon Wildland Firefighting, isbn: 9781467138505

Kelso

9780738575469

$24.99

When Peter Crawford reached the Oregon Territory in 1847, he was advised by Dr. Marcus Whitman to stake a claim on the Cowlitz River. Following that advice, Crawford explored up the Cowlitz in what would later become Washington Territory. For his claim, he chose the first elevated point along the Cowlitz, near where it entered the Columbia River on the east bank. Thirty-seven years later, after the arrival of many settlers--including the Redpaths, Wallaces, and Catlins--he plotted the town on his claim, which was named after his home in Kelso, Scotland. Kelso grew from its timber, fishing, and river traffic roots. It absorbed the town of Catlin (West Kelso) in 1908 and became the county seat of Cowlitz County in 1923. Through floods, fires, storms, a bridge collapse, and even the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens, Kelso has persevered.

The Civil War Rivalry: Oregon vs. Oregon State

9781609499570

$24.99

Since 1894, the Ducks and the Beavers have squared off on the gridiron to do battle for football bragging rights in Oregon. It's a rivalry that pits family members against one another, splitting the allegiance of an entire state. Award-winning sports journalist Kerry Eggers tells the complete story of one of the most historic rivalries in college football. Through firsthand interviews with the key performers in the rivalry and extensive research in both schools' archives, Eggers offers a comprehensive account of the players, coaches and fans who have made the Civil War the state's most anticipated football game. Whether a Beaver or a Duck, this is a book no fan can do without.

The Civil War Rivalry: Oregon vs. Oregon State

Orcas Island

9780738530987

$24.99

Orcas Island, the largest of the 172 islands in San Juan County, lies in the Salish Sea north of Puget Sound. Known as the "Gem of the San Juans" for her shimmering emerald hills bounded by 125 miles of rocky, tree-lined shore, Orcas was home to countless generations of Native Americans before the arrival of its first white settlers, formerly Hudson's Bay men who had hunted on the island, in the late 1850s. An international boundary dispute, popularly known as the Pig War, prevented early pioneers from settling land claims until the dispute was resolved by the German kaiser in 1872. Settlement grew slowly until improved steamship routes and increased commerce brought more tourists to the island. In 1906, Robert Moran built a fabulous estate, Rosario, now a world-class resort. Thousands of visitors have been coming to Orcas Island over the years to explore her forested hills, camp in Moran State Park or stay at one of the many historic resorts, and fish in the pristine waters surrounding this island paradise.

Cover image for Orcas Island, isbn: 9780738530987

Wilhoit Springs

9781467103237

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

History and legend mingle at Wilhoit Mineral Springs, a former health and recreation resort south of Molalla in Clackamas County. Although nothing remains of the rustic lodge buildings and campground today, tales of the healing soda springs enticed people to "take the waters," and indeed they did. By the late 1800s, this call for relaxation, social camaraderie, and a healthy cure escalated into a large gathering ground and community resort. The rustic getaway lured wealthy city guests from Portland, Salem, and Eugene, as well as the average local family. Wilhoit Springs Park, open to visitors today, is part riparian wilderness and part oak savannah and contains a fortress of older trees in a verdant setting. Today, people can picnic, walk through the mossy woods and meadows, and explore the lush surroundings. There are two springs, one pleasantly soda and the other highly sulfur--each is accessible today.

Cover image for Wilhoit Springs, isbn: 9781467103237

Old Tacoma

9780738531038

$24.99

In 1865, Job Carr paddled a canoe to his new homestead on a small harbor that would become Old Tacoma. The area's notorious reputation--as "The Wildest Port North of San Francisco's Barbary Coast"--haunted it for decades after the tall-masted schooners, sailors, brothels, and saloons were gone. Situated on the deepwater shoreline of Commencement Bay to ship timber from the vast tracts surrounding it, "Old Tacoma" was bypassed by the Northern Pacific terminus in favor of "New Tacoma" a few miles away. Settled by waves of Scandinavian and Croatian immigrants to work the mills and purse seiners, Old Tacoma became an isolated community. Though industry, shipbuilding, and timber mills gave way to commerce and recreation, the community of Old Tacoma still retains the unique flavor of its colorful past.

Olympic Hot Springs

9781467130196

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

The Olympic Hot Springs served as a destination resort in the Olympic Mountains near Port Angeles, Washington, for 60 years. Andrew Jacobsen is considered the first to discover the springs, nestled 2,100 feet up in the Elwha River valley, in 1892. Today, individuals still hike up the Elwha trail to soak in the earthen pools of mineral water, unaware that years ago it was home to a legendary resort. While on a hunting trip in 1907, Billy Everett, "Slim" Farrell, and Charlie Anderson rediscovered the springs and began work developing the site of Olympic Hot Springs, hewing logs into wood baths and building a cabin and bathhouse along the hillside. Everett went on to become proprietor of the enterprise, which opened to the public in 1909. In the years to follow, cabins, pools, and lodges were constructed along the hillside above Boulder Creek, and the beloved resort thrived with visitors. In 1940, the resort was annexed into the Olympic National Park, and it was later closed in 1966.

Willamette Valley Railways

9780738556017

$24.99

Willamette Valley Railways tells the story of the electric interurban railways that ran through Oregon's Willamette Valley and of the streetcars that operated in the towns they served. Long before modern light rail vehicles, electric trains were providing Portland and the Willamette Valley with reliable, elegant transportation that was second to none. Between 1908 and 1915, two large systems, the Oregon Electric Railway and the Southern Pacific Red Electrics, joined smaller competitors constructing railways throughout the region. Portland became the hub of an impressive interurban network in a frenzy of electric railway building. Yet all too soon, this brief but glorious interurban era was over. Highway improvement and the growth of automobile ownership made electric passenger trains unprofitable in the sparsely populated valley. By the early 1930s, the company that had launched the nation's first true interurban was the only one still offering passenger service here.

Legendary Locals of Vancouver

9781467100014

$24.99

Vancouver was originally laid out as Vancouver City, to distinguish it from the Hudson's Bay's Fort Vancouver. Dr. John Mcloughlin, now known as the "Father of Oregon," treated the settlers fairly, and lost his job in return. The Short family, the Hidden family, and other pioneers settled near the fort. The US Army arrived in 1849 and took over the Hudson's Bay properties. Ulysses S. Grant planted potatoes in hopes that he could bring his family here. World War II brought a host of workers to fill positions at the Kaiser Shipyards and the Alcoa plant. Legendary Locals of Vancouver shares the stories of the people, past and present, who have shaped Vancouver's landscape.