Contested Boundaries: A New Pacific Northwest History is an engaging, contemporary look at the themes, events, and people that have shaped the history of the Pacific Northwest over the last two centuries. An engaging look at the themes, events, and people that shaped the Pacific Northwest – Washington, Oregon, and Idaho – from when only Native Peoples inhabited the land through the twentieth century. Twelve theme-driven essays covering the human and environmental impact of exploration, trade, settlement and industrialization in the nineteenth century, followed by  economic calamity, world war and globalization in the twentieth. Written by two professors with over 20 years of teaching experience, this work introduces the history of the Pacific Northwest in a style that is accessible, relevant, and meaningful for anyone wishing to learn more about the region’s recent history. A companion website for students and instructors includes test banks, PowerPoint presentations, student self-assessment tests, useful primary documents, and resource links: http://www.wiley.com/go/jepsen/contestedboundaries

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations xi Authors’ Biographies xv Preface and acknowledgments xvii Introduction xix Part I Clash of Cultures 1 1 Early Encounters 3 Ships logs tell of a clash of cultures 5 British pursue “every branch” of Puget Sound 6 “Mean huts and wretched sheds” greet explorers 8 Understanding European misconceptions 9 Robert Gray braves entrance to Columbia River 10 Lewis and Clark arrive by land, 1804 to 1806 13 Meeting with Shoshone turns tense 15 Assessing the Corps of Discovery 20 The time of the people 22 Sacagawea: heroism in perspective 27 Explore more 30 Notes 30 2 Trade Among Equals 35 Slow beginning for fur trade 36 An “astronomical” tale 36 ‘Single-minded’ pursuit of otter skins 37 Traders establish permanent presence in interior 39 Hudson’s Bay Company takes charge 41 Aggressive tactics create “fur deserts” 42 British diversify beyond furs 44 HBC–Native relations – the ties that bind trade 46 From ‘bad to worse’ and the end of an era 50 Explore more 52 Notes 53 3 Making a Christian Farmer 59 In search of a holy life 60 Seeking the “book of heaven” 61 Promising start in God’s work 64 Protestants and Catholics compete for converts 66 A day of reckoning at Waiilatpu 74 Indian Removal Act of 1830 – a portent of trouble for Northwest natives 78 Beyond the written word – the drawings of Father Nicolas Point 79 Explore more 81 Notes 81 4 Building an American Northwest 87 Americans look West 87 Experiencing the Oregon Trail 89 Forging American institutions in Oregon 93 Taming a ‘wilderness’ 95 Nothing settled – Indian reservations and war 97 “Seeing the Elephant” – the Catherine Sager story 103 Mother Joseph – a Northwest builder 104 Federal boarding schools challenge cultural boundaries 106 Explore more 108 Notes 109 Important Dates and Events 115 Part II People and Place 117 5 Riding the Railroad Rollercoaster 119 Unlimited opportunity, limited markets 121 Frenzy of railroad construction 122 Big ideas from flawed men 124 Marketing the “wasteland” as a “friendly place” 125 Making and breaking cities 128 Extraction industry finally on wheels 131 Not all is rosy in rail town 133 Panic exposes poor management 135 James J. Hill: from empire builder to noxious weed 139 Cashing in on the Klondike Gold Rush 141 Explore more 143 Notes 143 6 Seeking Dignity in Labor 149 Making sense of the Progressive Era 151 Divided union struggles for power 152 At the mercy of predatory “job sharks” 153 A rough and tumble lumber business 155 Arrest and expulsion in Aberdeen 157 Running the gauntlet in Everett 158 A parade of violence in Centralia 160 Looking for answers in a violent past 163 The beginning of the end 165 R.D. Hume, “pygmy monopolist” on the economic frontier 169 Explore more 172 Notes 172 7 Dismantling a Racial Hierarchy 177 African Americans – seeking haven from racial oppression 179 Early industrialization and demand for substitute labor 181 Chinese – the travails of life on “gold mountain” 184 The Tacoma Method – organized vigilantism at gunpoint 186 Clashing with “mongoloid races” in Idaho’s goldfields 187 A century and a half of change 190 European immigration – overlooked stories of the American West 191 Doc Hay and generous medicine – a prescription for cultural acceptance 192 Explore more 194 Notes 194 8 Liberation in the West 197 Women serve as the moral authority 199 Working-class labor in farm yard and factory 200 Challenging long hours and low pay 204 The dual challenge – female and minority 205 Chinese build a presence in a strange land 207 The Irish – moving beyond the domestic 208 African Americans – finding confidence and self-worth 209 Winning the franchise 212 Answering the “why” question 216 Muller v. Oregon 218 Caroline Gleason – debunking the myths of women’s work 220 Explore more 222 Notes 222 Important Dates and Events 227 Part III Crisis and Opportunity 229 9 Beyond Breadlines 231 Returning to the not so “Roaring ‘20s” 232 Going from bad to worse 233 “Let’s call this place Hooverville” 234 Out with the old, and in with the New Deal 237 Putting Americans to work in the city 240 Did the government create a “nation of softies”? 243 Pointing towards a new era 244 Building the “Eighth Wonder of the World” 246 Explore more 249 Notes 249 10 Marching through Global Conflict 255 The winds of war sweep across the Pacific Northwest 256 Northwest industries rise to the challenge 257 A Critical shortage of workers breaks down barriers 262 Japanese Americans challenge new boundaries 266 From a World War to a Cold War 270 A changed Northwest? 272 Women for the defense 273 Maggie, Scoop, and the Federal Northwest 276 Explore more 278 Notes 279 11 El Movimiento: Chicanos Unite to Improve Economic Standing 287 A rights movement that inspires others 288 Braceros, a world war and a war on poverty 289 Federal government enters the war on poverty 292 California’s rising star shines on Yakima Valley 294 Workers fight the “slave bill” in Oregon 296 El Movimiento comes to campus 297 Changing how a university serves its minority communities 300 Radio KDNA links with itinerant audiences 302 Limited victories in Washington and Oregon 303 “Taking off the mask” 306 Movin’ on up…and outside the Central District 313 Explore more 316 Notes 316 12 The Fractured Northwest 321 A new Northwestern economy 322 The big business of outdoor recreation 324 A region divided by uneven growth 328 Politics from left to right 330 Environmental politics: resources vs. recreation 332 An uncertain future 335 From building to breaching dams 337 Standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge 339 Explore more 341 Notes 341 Important Dates and Events 348 Bibliography 349 Index 367