Primary Source Sets

Special Collections and Archives

The Columbia River: Its Tributaries, Its Confluences, and Its Controversies

This primary resource set centers the Columbia River. The Columbia River is a 1,243 mile-long river with a drainage basin spanning seven states and covering an area equal to the size of France. The river is known for its bountiful fishing, its powerful dams, and its central economic importance, but it is also the site of an ongoing and insurmountable problem: treaty violations. This primary source set displays the everyday of the Columbia River, like studies on trout spawning and driving tours of the Columbia River Gorge. But the set also tells the story of the dimmer underbelly of the Columbia River: the flooding of Celilo Falls and the army scout tasked with dealing with “the Indian problem.” From its source at Columbia Lake in British Columbia to its mouth at the Pacific Ocean in Oregon and Washington, the Columbia River is riddled with controversies, challenges, and unmistakable grandeur. 

Created by Ashlee Fox