River of the West: A Chronicle of the Columbia [Paperback]

Robert Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1997

From glacial floods that began to shape the Columbia River twelve thousand years ago to its discovery, conquest, and colonization by the English, Spanish and Americans, the story of this river encompasses not only the full range of American history, but also a geography of myth, hope, and tragedy. Clark surveys the meaning and history of this great river running through the American imagination as well, while providing an unforgettable portrait of the people who lived an died on the Columbia's banks—conquered native peoples, European adventurers, New England missionaries, emigrants from the drought-ridden Midwest, and dreamers seduced by hydropowered New Deal promises of peace and prosperity.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"On a day not so very different from any other, the wind began to blow...." So begins Robert Clark's epic history of the Columbia River; twelve thousand years, however, separate that day from present time. All those years ago, a glacial dam in the Bitterroot Mountains of modern-day Montana burst, sending 500 feet of water, rock, and ice with cataclysmic force into the Columbia River; the surge scoured and carved to "depths of one thousand feet and a speed of fifty miles per hour." In a blip of geologic time, creatures, plant life, soil, and hills were wiped out.

From its description of the Earth's violent reconstruction--mirrored by the river's own evolution--River of the West proceeds to paint portraits of those who lived and died on the Columbia's banks: conquered Indians, European explorers, missionaries and settlers, and the New Deal dreamers who would tame the river with their dams.The rich intersection of 16th-century explorers, scientists, and cartographers sealed the river's fate. With both a historian's detailed breadth of knowledge and a storyteller's gift,Clark traces the prevalent myths about America, including the belief that it was an island remnant of Atlantis with passage. Mapmakers, even those who had never sailed beyond the English Channel, built myth upon myth and charted imaginary routes. However, one belief held firm--the existence of a perfectly horizontal way through North America: the Northwest Passage. Centuries later, this would turn out to be the great Columbia.

A highly enjoyable read, River of the West describes the hijinks of the many colorful explorers and travel "consultants" of the age (many of whom never ventured outside of their own countries), as well as the Old World mentality that valued the exotica and wealth of the New. Grand and grandiose, epic and historically exact, River of the West recreates--through journals and accounts--the awesome power of the Columbia River before the dams; it translates more than 500 years of history into stories of vivid characters, grueling adventures, and shattered dreams.

From Library Journal

Clark (James Beard: A Biography, HarperCollins, 1993) has produced an outstanding literary tapestry woven with stories about people who in some way have had connections with the Columbia River. Clark uses the river's history as the warp thread, but it is the personal stories of individuals, the weft, that give this piece color and design. Vignettes of Natives?Cayuse, Spokanes, Palouse, Nez Perce, and Yakimas?are juxtaposed with stories of explorers such as naturalist David Douglas, astronomer David Thompson, painter Paul Kane, and speculator Hall Kelley. Clark also gives space to daring priests, determined immigrants, and irascible characters like Woody Guthrie, who wrote songs about the area. The history of the river's salmon industry, its floods, its eventual harnessing for electricity, and its role in atomic bomb research is woven throughout the vignettes. This book's glory rests in Clark's writing, which is as fluid as the river he explores. Recommended for any adult collection.?Jonathan Jeffrey, Western Kentucky Univ., Bowling Green
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Picador (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312169876
• ISBN-13: 978-0312169879
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,121,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Clark is the author of ten books, the novels In the Deep Midwinter, Mr. White's Confession, Love Among the Ruins, The Lives of the Artists, and Heaven (just published) as well as the non-fiction works The Solace of Food, River of the West, My Grandfather's House, Dark Water: Flood and Redemption in the City of Masterpieces, and Bayham Street: Essays on Longing (coming in 2012). He is a winner of the Edgar for Best Novel, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, the Washington State Book Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship in Creative Non-Fiction as well as being a finalist in the Los Angeles Times Book Awards and the IMPAC Dublin Award. He lives in Seattle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful and original portrait of the west., August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: River of the West: A Chronicle of the Columbia (Paperback)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars The River ~, June 21, 2009

By 

Aaron Shay "Sharon" (Pacific NW , USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: River of the West: A Chronicle of the Columbia (Paperback)

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....