American River Trails
The Columbia
is
the largest river in the Pacific Northwest and fourth largest by volume in the
United States. Rising in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, it flows for 1,243 miles
- 2,000 km - before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Its watershed extends
into seven US states and a Canadian province. The river's heavy flow and
relatively steep gives it tremendous potential for the generation of
electricity.
14 Hydroelectric Dams produce more
than 44 percent of total U.S. Hydroelectric Power
Culture the river and its tributaries have been central to the
region's culture and economy for thousands of years. The river system hosts
many species of fish, which migrate between fresh water habitats and the saline
waters of the Pacific Ocean. Salmon provides the core subsistence for native
peoples.
Transportation in past centuries,
indigenous peoples traveled across western North America to the Columbia to
trade for fish and overland explorers entered the Willamette Valley through the
scenic Columbia River Gorge and
pioneers began to settle the valley in increasing numbers. Steamboats along the
river linked communities and facilitated trade; the arrival of railroads in the
late 19th century, many running along the river, supplemented these
links.
Navigation locks were
built to aid ship and barge service along the lower Columbia and its
tributaries; dredging has opened, maintained, and enlarged ship channels. Since
the early 20th century, dams have been built across the river for
the power generation, navigation, irrigation and flood control.
Planning
Your Trip assumes
uniquely local dimensions in the places you visit, rooted in the local economy,
history and traditions. TEMA develops personalized
itineraries based
on your preferences; we leverage an in-depth knowledge of your
destinations with superior client service throughout your trip.
Native Americans
have inhabited the Columbia's watershed for more than 15,000 years, with a
transition to a sedentary lifestyle based mainly on salmon starting about
3,500 years ago. In 1996 the skeletal remains of the 9,000-year-old
prehistoric Kennewick man. Oral histories describe the formation and
destruction of a land bridge that connected the Oregon and Washington sides of
the river in the Columbia River Gorge. The bridge aligns with geological
records of the Bonneville Slide. Stories about the bridge differ in their
details but agree in general that the bridge permitted increased interaction
between tribes on the north and south sides of the river.
European
and American ships explored the coastal area around the mouth of the
Columbia in the late 18th century, trading with local natives. Lewis
and Clark entered Oregon country between 1805 and 1807, encountering numerous
small native settlements. From the earliest contact with westerners, the natives
were not tribal, but instead congregated in social units no larger than a
village, and more often at a family level.
Captain Gray was the
First Explorer to enter the River; he named it after his Ship Colombia Rediviva
Irrigation many
farmers in central Washington build dams on their property for irrigation and
to control frost on their crops. Six such dams have failed in recent years,
causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to crops and public roads.
Fourteen farms in the area have gone through the permitting process to build
such dams legally.
The Columbia
Colorado and Mississippi Watersheds meet at Three Waters Mountain in Wyoming
Tributaries the Columbia receives more than 60 tributaries;
the four largest are the Snake River, the Willamette River, the Kootenay River
and the Pend Oreille River.
Connect with Tema for Columbia River
Itineraries
tema@arezza.net skype arezza1