Land of Giants: The Drive to the Pacific Northwest, 1750-1950

By David Lavender and 1910- LAVENDER, DAVID SIEVERT

Book Overview

The exploration and conquest of the Pacific Northwest is the dominant theme of Land of Giants, a book which (in the words of William O. Douglas) "gives one a sense of participation in moulding the manifest destiny of America." English and Spanish seadogs seeking a northwest passage to the Orient were the first comers; then, following Bering's explorations, Russian fur traders descended on the Aleutians. In turn, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the activities of the great fur companies, and "Oregon fever" spurred on overland traffic westward; and as gold silver, and copper drew thousands more into the new land, railroads and steamship lines grew up to serve the mushrooming settlements. Land of Giants tells also of the tragic squeeze play on the Indians, the rise of the fishing and lumber industries, the development of modern power and reclamation projects, and the struggles of the conservationists to preserve natural resources and wild life.

"Reading Land of Giants, we can believe that history trod here, that issues existed, that men schemed and dreamed and struggled, and so the present came to be."--A. B. Guthrie Jr., Saturday Review of Literature.

A well-known Western historian, David Lavender is the author of more than twenty books, among them Bent's Fort, One Man's West, and most recently California: A Bicentennial History and Winner Take All: The Trans-Canada Canoe Trail.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803279051
• ISBN13: 9780803279056
• Release Date: April 1979
• Publisher: Bison Books
• Length: 483 Pages
• Weight: 1.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

United States fight for control of the Pacific Northwest

As an Oregon resident, I especially enjoyed reading about the origin of many of the place names we now enjoy and why the Northwest developed the way it has. Mountains, rivers, towns and valleys bare the names of early explorers and pioneers who braved the hardships this uncharted land and shaped the boundries of the land as we now know it. The Oregon Territory in the 1800's, with its rich resources and unexplored lands became an irresistible attraction to thousands of emigrants from the Eastern US. Early arrivals came from Europe by sailing ship around the Horn of South America and began trading for furs with the indians. As word of these wild lands spread, Mountain Men began to push across the Rocky Mountains and into the vast forests of the Oregon Country in search of furs and gold. The British, Hudson Bay Company, capitalized on the fur market and became the first rulers of the territory. If not for certain rather minor happening and the westward push of American pioneers, the boundry between the United States and Canada might have been the Columbia River. If you enjoy knowing how the world we live in is shaped the way it is, you will love reading this book.