Contested Boundaries

David Jepsen is a former journalist and corporate marketing professional who has been writing professionally for 40 years. He holds a BA in Communications and a MA in History from the University of Washington. Since 2007, he has taught at Pierce College, the University of Washington Tacoma, and Tacoma Community College, where he is currently a member of the adjunct faculty, teaching both U.S. and Pacific Northwest history. His many writing awards include Honorable Mention for the 2006 Oregon Historical Society Joe Palmer Award for the article "Old-Fashioned Revival: Religion, Migration and a New Identity for Pacific Northwest at Mid-Twentieth Century" (2006).David Norberg has taught Pacific Northwest history in Washington for nearly 14 years and currently is a full-time member of the history faculty and chair of the Social Sciences Division at Green River Community College, in Auburn, Washington. He holds a BA in History from the University of Washington and a MA in History from Western Washington University. His article, "The Ku Klux Klan in the Valley, a 1920s Phenomenon," published by the White River Valley Museum, shed new light on the conservative backlash in the region following World War I.

• List of Illustrations xiAuthors’ Biographies xvPreface and acknowledgments xviiIntroduction xixPart I Clash of Cultures 11 Early Encounters 3Ships logs tell of a clash of cultures 5British pursue “every branch” of Puget Sound 6“Mean huts and wretched sheds” greet explorers 8Understanding European misconceptions 9Robert Gray braves entrance to Columbia River 10Lewis and Clark arrive by land, 1804 to 1806 13Meeting with Shoshone turns tense 15Assessing the Corps of Discovery 20The time of the people 22Sacagawea: heroism in perspective 27Explore more 30Notes 302 Trade Among Equals 35Slow beginning for fur trade 36An “astronomical” tale 36‘Single-minded’ pursuit of otter skins 37Traders establish permanent presence in interior 39Hudson’s Bay Company takes charge 41Aggressive tactics create “fur deserts” 42British diversify beyond furs 44HBC–Native relations – the ties that bind trade 46From ‘bad to worse’ and the end of an era 50Explore more 52Notes 533 Making a Christian Farmer 59In search of a holy life 60Seeking the “book of heaven” 61Promising start in God’s work 64Protestants and Catholics compete for converts 66A day of reckoning at Waiilatpu 74Indian Removal Act of 1830 – a portent of trouble for Northwest natives 78Beyond the written word – the drawings of Father Nicolas Point 79Explore more 81Notes 814 Building an American Northwest 87Americans look West 87Experiencing the Oregon Trail 89Forging American institutions in Oregon 93Taming a ‘wilderness’ 95Nothing settled – Indian reservations and war 97“Seeing the Elephant” – the Catherine Sager story 103Mother Joseph – a Northwest builder 104Federal boarding schools challenge cultural boundaries 106Explore more 108Notes 109Important Dates and Events 115Part II People and Place 1175 Riding the Railroad Rollercoaster 119Unlimited opportunity, limited markets 121Frenzy of railroad construction 122Big ideas from flawed men 124Marketing the “wasteland” as a “friendly place” 125Making and breaking cities 128Extraction industry finally on wheels 131Not all is rosy in rail town 133Panic exposes poor management 135James J. Hill: from empire builder to noxious weed 139Cashing in on the Klondike Gold Rush 141Explore more 143Notes 1436 Seeking Dignity in Labor 149Making sense of the Progressive Era 151Divided union struggles for power 152At the mercy of predatory “job sharks” 153A rough and tumble lumber business 155Arrest and expulsion in Aberdeen 157Running the gauntlet in Everett 158A parade of violence in Centralia 160Looking for answers in a violent past 163The beginning of the end 165R.D. Hume, “pygmy monopolist” on the economic frontier 169Explore more 172Notes 1727 Dismantling a Racial Hierarchy 177African Americans – seeking haven from racial oppression 179Early industrialization and demand for substitute labor 181Chinese – the travails of life on “gold mountain” 184The Tacoma Method – organized vigilantism at gunpoint 186Clashing with “mongoloid races” in Idaho’s goldfields 187A century and a half of change 190European immigration – overlooked stories of the American West 191Doc Hay and generous medicine – a prescription for cultural acceptance 192Explore more 194Notes 1948 Liberation in the West 197Women serve as the moral authority 199Working-class labor in farm yard and factory 200Challenging long hours and low pay 204The dual challenge – female and minority 205Chinese build a presence in a strange land 207The Irish – moving beyond the domestic 208African Americans – finding confidence and self-worth 209Winning the franchise 212Answering the “why” question 216Muller v. Oregon 218Caroline Gleason – debunking the myths of women’s work 220Explore more 222Notes 222Important Dates and Events 227Part III Crisis and Opportunity 2299 Beyond Breadlines 231Returning to the not so “Roaring ‘20s” 232Going from bad to worse 233“Let’s call this place Hooverville” 234Out with the old, and in with the New Deal 237Putting Americans to work in the city 240Did the government create a “nation of softies”? 243Pointing towards a new era 244Building the “Eighth Wonder of the World” 246Explore more 249Notes 24910 Marching through Global Conflict 255The winds of war sweep across the Pacific Northwest 256Northwest industries rise to the challenge 257A Critical shortage of workers breaks down barriers 262Japanese Americans challenge new boundaries 266From a World War to a Cold War 270A changed Northwest? 272Women for the defense 273Maggie, Scoop, and the Federal Northwest 276Explore more 278Notes 27911 El Movimiento: Chicanos Unite to Improve Economic Standing 287A rights movement that inspires others 288Braceros, a world war and a war on poverty 289Federal government enters the war on poverty 292California’s rising star shines on Yakima Valley 294Workers fight the “slave bill” in Oregon 296El Movimiento comes to campus 297Changing how a university serves its minority communities 300Radio KDNA links with itinerant audiences 302Limited victories in Washington and Oregon 303“Taking off the mask” 306Movin’ on up…and outside the Central District 313Explore more 316Notes 31612 The Fractured Northwest 321A new Northwestern economy 322The big business of outdoor recreation 324A region divided by uneven growth 328Politics from left to right 330Environmental politics: resources vs. recreation 332An uncertain future 335From building to breaching dams 337Standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge 339Explore more 341Notes 341Important Dates and Events 348Bibliography 349Index 367