The Role of Rivers in the United States 19th Century Territorial Expansion from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean

This study explores the key role of rivers in the westward expansion of the United States during the 19th century. In the early 1800s, President Jefferson envisioned a United States that extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. At the time, the entire United States territory was located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River. Much of the land west of the Mississippi River was claimed by Spain, France, or Canada. In 1803, President Jefferson was able to purchase the Missouri River watershed from France via the Louisiana Purchase. This allowed the United States to extend its land claim west from the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers to the head waters of the Missouri River at the continental divide in the Rocky Mountains. President Jefferson commissioned William Clark and Meriwether Lewis, in 1803, to explore, discover and describe the Missouri River watershed and find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery trip found no such waterway link but did continue to explore the Pacific Northwest lands north and west of the continental divide. The only way that the Pacific Northwest could be claimed as part of the United States was for Americans to settle there before the Canadians did. Starting in the 1820s, many Americans traveled via the Oregon Trail to the Willamette Valley (Land of Flowing Milk and Honey) in Oregon. The primary objectives of this study are to document how the United States: 1) extended its land claims west from the Mississippi River to the North American continental drainage divide;2) established an American claim to the Pacific North West territory;and 3) fulfilled President Jefferson’s vision of a United States extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

Food Security: Impact of European Settlement and Infrastructure on Columbia River Salmon Migration

The 2000 km Columbia River is the longest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It starts in British Columbia, Canada and flows through the states of Oregon and Washington before discharging into Pacific Ocean near Cape Disappointment. The mouth of the Columbia River is a deep water harbor and 180 km of the river can be accessed by navigation. Based on flow volume, the river is the 4th largest river in the United States. The headwaters and approximately 800 km of the Columbia River lie in Canada. Columbia Lake and the Columbia Wetlands are located in British Columbia and are the headwaters of the Columbia River. The lake has an elevation of 820 m above sea level and drains to the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon. The Ocean tides flow up river to Portland, Oregon. This paper highlights how the geological and landscape resources of the Columbia River and tributaries watershed contributed to the economic development of this historically rich region of North America. The Columbia River is one of the most biologically diverse freshwater systems in the United States. The Columbia River system with trails and cruise ships was designed to increase use of the Columbia River, to promote recreational tourism, and to create a generation of people who are willing to protect and provide environmental stewardship of the river basin resources.

Snake River: A Navigation and Spawning Dilemma

The Snake River in northwestern United States is 1735 km long, the largest tributary of the Columbia River and is the 13th longest river in the United States. The Snake River drainage basin includes parts of six U.S. states. The Snake River Plain was created by a volcanic hotspot that lies beneath Yellow-stone National Park. The previous Ice Age carved out canyons, cliffs and waterfalls along the middle and lower Snake River. The Missoula Flood was to the north and Bonneville Flood to the south altered the Snake River and surrounding landscape. The Snake River has a drainage basin of 282,000 km2 in the states of Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nevada and Idaho. The Snake River drops from mountain elevations of 3000 m to its confluence with the Columbia River. The river is one of the most biologically diverse freshwater systems in the United States with trails designed to promote recreational tourism, increase use of the Snake River and create generations of people who care about the river and are willing to protect and provide environmental stewardship of the river watershed resources.