Oregon Books

While reading this book one can easily see why Overton Johnson and William Winter's personal narratives of the 1843 Great Migration to the Pacific is heavily cited in Oregon Trail literature. With wonderful descriptions of day to day activities, adventures and people experienced along the trail, there are also superb first-hand accounts of climate, landforms, agricultural and economical possibilities in Oregon and California. The chapter "Instructions to Emigrants" acted as a guide for future overlanders by explaining provisions, modes of transportation, clothing, firearms, character of Indians, etc., including a general estimate of mileage between campsites with available (or not available) wood, grass and water. This is a very readable, enjoyable and historical record of early pioneers traversing the continent. Excellent!

This book draws the reader into its world. It makes you laugh and cry. As you journy with Katherine, you will find yourself feeling her feelings. It is a must read book. I could not put it down.

No, not THAT Salem - not the one where witches were put on trial, where Laurie Cabot currently dwells. SALEM: A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF OREGON'S CAPITAL is a wonderful photographic record of the many changes that have taken place in Oregon's (that's the state just above California; the one Lewis and Clark were led to; the home state of Tonya Harding, Bob Packwood, Simpson's creator Matt Groening, and FIGHT CLUB author Chuck Palahniuk) second largest city, from 1840 to 1998. Author Harry H. Stein presents this history in some 320 images and in an accompanying text. His selections present families, homes and entertainment, work, individuals, and many other aspects of Salem's past.

Here is the Salem given life and growing prosperity by the lush Williamette Valley, by the river, land and natural resources, and by what its social groups and institutions made of these opportunities. Here to are the floods and other disasters that limited and shaped what Salem could do.

Here are the nineteenth-century struggles against Piety and Gaiety Hills and the often-repeated struggles between Salem's inward dwelling and outwardly looking segments. Here is the Salem that looks approvingly on the past and the one that insisted that the future guide it. Here are the institutions and the people who wove and rewove Salem's intertwined civic, economic, educational, and culture existence.

SALEM: A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF OREGON'S CAPITAL will be of interest to any current resident of the city, prospective future residents of the city, all Oregonians (after all, this is your state's capital), and any student of general US history. I myself really appreciated seeing this testimony to the history and beauty of Oregon's second city. I particularly enjoyed the photographs of the 1920s Salem, reminding me of family legend which holds that my great grandmother visited Salem in the 1920s and commented that it is was the most beautiful city she'd ever seen.

These are a compilation of articles, mostly from the Annals of Wyoming, regarding the Oregon Trail through Wyoming. Dr. Munkres' writing style and presentation of the subject is second to none. Interweaving excerpts from emigrants' diaries and journals, along with his own manner of acquainting the reader with topic at hand, this turns into a most insightful book.
We read of the emigrants' thoughts, the concurring events thereof and the histories of such places as Ash Hollow in Nebraska (the eastern precursor to the Wyoming trail), then it's on up the Platte River to such places as Fort Laramie, Register Cliffs, the Casper area, Saleratus Lakes, Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, the Sweetwater, South Pass, Fort Bridger and culminating with a chapter on Wyoming's western counterpart to the trail, Soda Springs in Idaho.
Dr. Munkres also emphasizes and devotes chapters to the important roles of women on the trail, along with the Indian threat before 1860.
Life was tough back then on the trail, no doubt.
A discerning and thoughtful glance into the past, well presented.

I read SEAROAD a year ago and was immensely taken with it. Recently, in browsing through the Amazon web-site, I noticed that it had not received any reviews. That is a glaring omission, which these comments are intended to begin addressing.

It should be stated up front that SEAROAD is NOT a work of science fiction or fantasy, the genre for which Le Guin is best known. Instead, it is a collection of a dozen short stories that most definitely qualify as conventional literate fiction. All but one of the stories originally were published in magazines or journals over a four-year period. But the stories make for a very compatible collection inasmuch as they share the same setting -- a small oceanside community on the rugged Oregon coast named Klatsand -- and several share characters as well. With regard to both the physical setting and the characters, Le Guin demonstrates that, in addition to science fiction and fantasy, she is quite skilled at writing literate, sensitive, and captivating fiction of a realistic nature. In particular, she has an uncanny ability to get inside and inhabit the minds and souls of her characters.

If you appreciate excellent literate short stories, please don't pass over SEAROAD simply because it is by Ursula Le Guin and you are not a fan of science fiction; you will have deprived yourself of something special. On the other hand, if you are a fan of Le Guin's works of fantasy, you still might give SEAROAD a try; it's very good stuff.

Wandering around West Yellowstone, Montana waiting for the weather to clear, I discovered this treasure. I wanted to find out how Lewis & Clark managed without a trailer equipped with microwave, Gortex and DEET. Manage they did. The thrill of discovery outweighed the difficulties. This was my first read of the corps of discovery. It serves as an introduction. The selected sections of the journals are followed by explanations and interpretations. The black and white photos of the described sites and plants complement the text beautifully. The feeling of "being there" comes off the page. The maps are somewhat difficult to follow. As an introduction and a pick-up during the Montana thunderstorms, it made a fine addition to a well rounded vacation.

Fascinating look at the logging industry and the battles to protect the last of the few giant trees left in this country. The author lived in logging communities and spent a great deal of time with both loggers and the people trying to stop logging of old growth forests. Also covers the politics behind the rape of the environment, including the greed of politicians selling off old growth for money. By focusing on drama, personalities, and the earthy language of loggers, this book is a fun read. The author is clearly on the side of the conservationists, but thoroughly covers the arguments of the pro-logging contingent as well.

This book emphasizes what everybody shoud have done for a long time : listening to the Indians of the Pacific Northwest to protect the rivers and salmon. Serious and sometimes irreparable damages have been made on these rivers and salmon because of a continuing destruction or bad management by greedy or selfish nonIndians. It is time now to respect the Si'lailo Way and to restore the rivers following this way.

Interesting book, containing letters of a army bride sojourn in Washington and SE Oregon in the 1860s. I just wish there was more to read about her life. It is interesting to read how optomistic she was while living in pretty harsh conditions.

This magnificent book is gem. Beautifully illustrated, concisely written. This is a MUST HAVE for regional birders and wildflower fans.