Author Archives: Jim

About Jim

Love to spend time getting lost in the deep forests of the Pacific Northwest with Zoe, my Siberian Husky.

Kamaiakin and the Klickitat Wars of 1855-56

(excerpt from draft of The Last 100 Miles) Kamaiakin and the Klickitat Wars of 1855-56 One of the more interesting characters from this era was the Klickitat leader, Kamaiakun who resided with his bands in the proximity of Mt. Rainier. … Continue reading

Posted in Indian lore, Pioneer Lore, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Following the Golden Rule

The early 1800’s were a time rife with social experimentation. Today, it’s hard to see that idealism in the faded daguerreotypes and the stern visages that stare out at us from that far edge of modernity. This was the period … Continue reading

Posted in Indian lore, Pioneer Lore | 4 Comments

Timber Legacies 4: The Timber Wars

In 1938, Oregon became the largest supplier of timber in the country. By that time demand for timber was once again on the rise, fueled by the wartime demand for construction materials.  In the boom and bust cycles that so … Continue reading

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The first big environmental battle in Oregon’s brewing timber wars.

If you rummage around the Internet like so many of us do, you might stumble across the website for the Alsea Clinic, a modest community health care provider for a remote logging community deep in the Oregon Coastal Forests. Listed … Continue reading

Posted in Logging history, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Two Spirit Woman: the Kootenai Doomsday Prophetess

Two-spirit Woman: the Kootenai Doomsday Prophetess  The arrival of fur traders into the remote western valleys of the Canadian Rockies was the catalyst for the transformation of a big boned gangly Kootenai Indian girl, Ququnok Patke (One-Standing-Lodge-Pole-Woman), into the most famous and influential … Continue reading

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The Chinook Canoe

The Chinook Canoe was a craft of extraordinary beauty and was as much their home as it was the outward expression of their graceful relationship with the life-force that sustained them, the Columbia River.  These canoes came in all sizes … Continue reading

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Of dogs, children and economy

The Indians of the Lower Columbia had little use for horses, as the forests were far too dense to traverse with the cumbersome horse, and besides their highways were the rivers and streams of the coastal range where narrow footpaths … Continue reading

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What the mushrooms think about “being late”.

The Indians claim that time flows differently on the reservation, for me it’s  true when I’m off the reservation. So this is a short piece on what the mushrooms think about “being late”: And I’m stamping through the Douglas fir … Continue reading

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Chief Cowaniah and the Klickitat Raiders

The Klickitats: The story of Klickitats’ ascendency during the European penetration into the Pacific Northwest is one of the most vivid examples of how outsiders could take advantage of the social turmoil amongst the Indians and turn it to their … Continue reading

Posted in Lower Columbia Trails, Misc Trails & Trips, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A different perspective on walking in the woods…

Upon reading my materials and observations on the Oregon Coast Range the question frequently arises as to what distinguishes my perspectives on this landscape from that of others. I can’t say I really thought much about this while I was … Continue reading

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