The Nez Perce Reach the Madison River

After spending one day at Henry_s Lake, the Nez Perce departed on August 22. They crossed the 7,072 foot Targhee Pass and descended to the Madison River. They then began a journey through the Yellowstone wilderness, an area revered by ...

East Fork of the Salmon River

Following the scouting expedition, the trail blazed into the drainage of the East Fork of Salmon River, crossed that stream, and headed almost due north on an ash flow toward the base of Mount Hood.

Steamboats on the Pend Oreille River

Beginning in the nineteenth century, steamboats plied navigable waterways throughout the interior West, including the 55-mile-long stretch of the Pend Oreille River between Newport and Metaline Falls. First appearing in the late-1880s, the Pend Oreille River vessels were a familiar ...

The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad

The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad entered Nebraska at Plattsmouth in 1870 and built west to join the Union Pacific at Kearney Junction (now Kearney city) on September 3, 1872. The railroad bridge into Kearney was used for 104 ...

Conflict and Prosperity on the River

Today's peaceful view of the Penobscot River and the community of Bucksport holds few hints of the early conflicts that plagued the area. For nearly two centuries, the river served as a border between clashing interests - French and English, ...

Empire and the Carson River Mills

1864 - 1964

When the Comstock Lode was discovered in 1859, the problem of reducing the ore from the fabulously rich Virginia City mines had to be solved. Mills were built in Gold Canyon and Six Mile Canyon. In Washoe Valley, ...

Prehistoric Irrigation in the Salt River Valley

Approximately 300 B.C. Prehistoric Indians entered the Salt River Valley. They developed an extensive canal system and raised corn, beans, squash, agave and cotton.

Over 500 miles of Hohokam canal have been recorded in the Salt River Valley. Estimates suggest that ...

The "Battle of Riverton"

First Union Raid into Pendleton County

At this site on March 2nd, 1862, Union forces numbering forty were attacked by local Confederate infantry and two units of cavalry. In the skirmish that resulted, Union troops rallied forcing the Confederates from the ...

Ironclads and Gunboats of the Savannah River Squadron

During the Civil War, the Savannah River Squadron protected the City of Savannah from Union attack by river. The

squadron usually consisted of small coastal and river steamers. In November 1861, the British-built blockade-runner Fingal arrived in Savannah and was ...

Navigation of the Colorado River

Because overland travel in early Texas was an enterprise often fraught with hardship, frustration, and danger, many individuals looked to rivers for a solution to the problem. From 1829 to the Civil War, optimistic Texans attempted to ply the area's ...