Where the Great River Bends
A natural and human history of the Columbia at Wallula

Robert J. Carson

A significant location from time immemorial, Wallula Gap is that narrowing of the mighty Columbia River halfway between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Loaded with color illustrations, this book covers the geography, geology, biology and history of an area symbolized by a unique geologic feature, the Twin Sisters. Here the Ice Age floods rushed through, Native Americans lived, fur trappers traded and railroads thrived, making it an important historical and cultural landmark in the West’s awesome landscape.

Praise for Where the Great River Bends

“Wallula Gap, this microcosm that we whiz past at 60 mph, is filled with amazing stories, and Bob’s team of writers and photographers does wonders with the material. This is a fabulous tool for students of history, enhances what we already know of Washington state’s past and present, and has all the markings of a coffee table book that will attract repeated use.”

–Annie Charnley Eveland, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin

“This beautiful book captures a remarkable landscape – and the people and creatures shaped by it – with thoughtful narrative, magnificent photographs and an appreciation for its rich history. … In these pages, begin your journey to the place where the Great River makes its final turn west.”

–Ken Olsen, freelance writer and author of Lasting Valor

“A lively account and a welcome addition to our knowledge of the Columbia Plateau – as seen by historians, a geologist, a botanist, an archaeologist and photographers whose striking illustrations show visual evidence of a remarkable land.”

–Alex McGregor, historian, businessman and author of Counting Sheep

“The authors have done an excellent job pulling together the natural history and human history of this fascinating area into a very readable book. Seldom do you have the 'whole story' in one place. This book will be valuable to the layperson, educators and the professional.”

–Steve Reidel, research faculty and adjunct geology professor, Washington State University–Tri-Cities

Editor’s Biography

Robert J. Carson is Phillips Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. After he earned a Bachelor of Arts in geology from Cornell University, he worked for Texaco Inc. His other geology degrees are a Master of Science from Tulane University and a doctorate from the University of Washington. Summer employment included Washington’s Department of Ecology and Division of Geology and Earth Resources. His interests are in the earth and environmental sciences, and his courses deal with resources and pollution, human interaction with the biosphere, glaciers, volcanoes, water, landforms and natural hazards. A whitewater guide and a member of the American Alpine Club, he has led field trips in Africa, Eurasia, South America and throughout North America.

Additional contributors

Robert Baker was born in Stockton, California, and moved to Walla Walla, Washington in 1953. He has been interested in photography since receiving his first camera at the age of 10. For many years his photography consisted of the usual family pictures, but when he joined the newly formed Blue Mountain Photo Club in 1997, he began to take a more serious approach to picture making. Recently, he has made the switch to digital and loves the added control of his images. His prints and/or cards are available at Fenton-Stahl Gallery, Holly’s Flowers and other businesses in Walla Walla, and he has been featured in the Union Bulletin, Foyer Magazine and local brochures and Web sites. His biggest joy, however, is being featured in "galleries" in his relatives’ homes in Carlsbad, California, and Bellingham and Walla Walla, Washington.

John Clement lives in Kennewick, Washington, and began his career in photography in the mid-1970s. He earned a Master of Photography degree from Professional Photographers of America. He has received more than 55 regional, national and international awards for pictorial and commercial photography. Providing the photography, John has co-published the books Palouse Country: A Land and its People and The Wenatchee Valley and its First People with writer Richard Scheuerman. John and Richard are finishing work for a new publication, Finding Chief Kamiakin. A sampling of John’s work can be viewed at www.johnclementgallery.com.

Paul Clement is a flight test engineer for an aerospace company in Seattle as well as an amateur photographer. Paul was born in 1948 and grew up in Richland, Washington, where he developed an interest in photography as well as wildlife – caring for dozens of wild birds and animals as well as taking photographs and doing his own developing and printing. Recently he acquired all-digital equipment and has been pursuing animals in the wild with a focus on action photography. Most of Paul’s current photography documents flora and fauna from eastern Washington. This book is Paul’s first published photography.

Michael E. Denny was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, but spent part of his childhood in southeast Africa where he developed an appreciation for the natural world. He later attended high school in Burns, Oregon, and Caldwell, Idaho, and studied biology and art at Walla Walla College. Mike has worked as a private wildlife contractor, in bird and small vertebrate work for the U.S. Forest Service, and on vegetative surveys. He has written articles on Northwest birds in regional journals and contributed to books on birds of Oregon and Washington. He illustrated A Birder’s Guide to Idaho and co-authored Birds of the Inland Northwest and Northern Rockies. Mike currently works as the riparian habitat coordinator for the Walla Walla County Conservation District and sits on the boards of the Blue Mountain Audubon Society and the Tri-State Steelheaders. He is a member of the Washington Ornithological Society, Oregon Field Ornithologists and Northwest Vertebrate Biologists. He speaks and leads wildlife tours for many organizations and festivals in an effort to educate others about the outstanding value of the life-sustaining natural world. He and his wife, MerryLynn, live in College Place, Washington.

Catherine Dickson began working as an archaeologist in 1990 when she realized she could be paid for walking around in the woods all day finding amazing things. She received her Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Pomona College in 1992 and Master of Arts in anthropology from Oregon State University in 1997. Her master’s program concentrated on cultural resource management and historic sites archaeology. Her thesis considered public participation in archaeology. She lives in La Grande, Oregon where she works as an archaeologist and farmer with her partner, Shawn, cat Shakespeare, and dog Andy.

Lawrence L. Dodd is a native of the Walla Walla Valley and a member of a family that settled in the valley in 1869. A 1957 graduate of Washington State College, he then served four and a half years in the U.S. Air Force before returning to the family farm. He worked at Whitman Mission National Historic Site before starting a 34-year career at Whitman College, retiring in 2003 as the first Whitman College archivist. In retirement he continues his research in local and family history and spending time improving the family farm.

G. Thomas Edwards earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from Willamette University and a Master of Arts and doctorate in history from the University of Oregon. He has taught at several institutions, but most of his professional career was spent at Whitman College. He has written books and articles on Civil War, Western and Pacific Northwest subjects. He retired in 1998 and now lives in Portland, Oregon.

Kathryn Farrell Guizar migrated in 1990 from the Detroit area to attend Whitman College, where she majored in studio art. Love for the high desert plains of the "east side" has kept her here in Walla Walla. She, along with her two daughters Kara and Allie, enjoy rural living on their acre "farm" with a micro vineyard, three cats, two dogs, and 15 chickens. Time after a regular job is spent divided between the girls’ 4-H activities, the Walla Walla Valley Farmers Market, grant writing for pedestrian issues, swimming, and photography for fun and profit with her home-based business Image Management.

Dianne Kornberg is an artist who is best known for her work with bones and insects, and for her large-scale, black-and-white gelatin silver prints. Although she was trained as a painter, her medium for 25 years has been photography. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Washington and her Master of Fine Arts from Indiana University. She has exhibited her work throughout the United States and internationally in more than 20 solo exhibitions. She is a Professor Emerita of Art at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. Her work is represented in several important collections including those of the International Center for Photography, the Princeton Art Museum, the Houston Museum of Art, the Seattle Art Museum and the Portland Art Museum. She is the subject of a monograph, Field Notes: Photographs by Dianne Kornberg, 1992-2007, and has been featured in book publications including Contemporary Art in the Northwest, 100 Artists of the West Coast and Selected Works of the Portland Art Museum. She is represented by Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland and by Nohra Haime Gallery in New York City.

Donald Snow is a professor, editor, writer and activist with more than 30 years of experience in environmental issues. For 18 of those years he directed the Northern Lights Research & Education Institute in Missoula, Montana, where he founded and co-edited both Northern Lights Magazine and the Chronicle of Community. In 2001 he took up residence in Walla Walla, Washington, and began teaching at Whitman College where he is now senior lecturer of environmental humanities. His essays and stories have appeared in Orion, Sierra, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Montana Magazine, High Country News and many other periodicals. In 2006, the Oregon Council for the Humanities published his lecture, "Round the Next Bend: Pendleton, Walla Walla, and the Transformation of the Rural West." His books as editor and contributor include The Book of the Tongass, The Next West and Northern Lights: A Selection of New Writing from the American West.

Nonfiction. 240 pages,
11"x8.5" softcover,
264 illustrations including historic photographs and paintings, index, road log and bibliographic references

Contents

Foreword: In the Eye of the Beholder. Donald Snow
Preface
1. Introduction: Why is the Wallula Area Special? Robert J. Carson and Lawrence L. Dodd
2. Geography: An Oasis in the Desert. Robert J. Carson
3. Geology: Fire and Flood Along the Columbia. Robert J. Carson
4. Biology: Seasons in the Sun. Michael E. Denny
5. Pre-history: The Walúulapam at Wallula Gap. Catherine E. Dickson
6. History in the 19th Century: Wallula’s Three Economies. G. Thomas Edwards
7. History in the 20th Century: “We’ll Rise Again.” Lawrence L. Dodd
8. Conclusion: Wallula as a Gateway. Robert J. Carson
Appendix 1. Wallula Gap Road Log. Robert J. Carson and Michael E. Denny
Appendix 2. Fauna and Flora at Wallula Gap. Michael E. Denny
Appendix 3. Table of USGS Topographic Maps
Contributors’ Biographies
Index

ISBN 978-1-879628-32-8
$35
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