History of the Pacific Northwest

¶ … Pacific Northwest [...] role natural resources played in the peopling of the Pacific Northwest, including the natural resources that became commodities and how the commercialization of those resources affected interactions between various groups. What impact did the exploitation of natural resources have on the region's environment? The Pacific Northwest is a diverse area full of natural resources that helped it grow and prosper as the population forged west. Many of these resources have been exploited for years, at the expense of the area and her people.

Comprising the areas of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Canada's British Columbia, the Pacific Northwest is an area known primarily for its natural resources and relationship to the environment. The area is primarily broken into two parts by the ridge of the Cascade Mountains. To the west lies the humid and lush western coast, and to the east lies the drier, arid eastern plains. These environmental areas can be broken down into smaller, more detailed regions that relate to their own specific resources. One Northwest historian notes, "Principal resources include: soils, grasslands, minerals, fisheries, water for power and irrigation, forests, wildlife, and scenic attractions" (Freeman and Martin 119). From the explorations of Lewis and Clark to the first trappers who visited the area, it was quite clear it was an area rich in resources and wildlife, and abundant potential.

The Native Americans were the first inhabitants of the area. They lived off the abundant natural resources the land possessed, and managed to blend their lifestyle with management of the land and its resources. The Natives in this area did not depend on agriculture, they fished, hunted, and gathered the foods they needed. Nearly all the Native Americans in the entire area relied on the salmon as a large part of their diet, and there were various methods used for salmon fishing, from weirs and traps to nets and damming of streams (Freeman and Martin 16). The Natives owned fishing rights on the coast and along rivers and streams, but these rights were ignored when whites moved into the area, and took over the streams and coastline for their own needs. In fact, by the 1880s, there fifty canneries along the Columbia River alone, and many more lined other streams and rivers (Schwantes 202). When the first white men arrived on the scene, they were interested in the great wealth of furs in the region, and the Natives began trading with the white men. This vastly altered their culture. In fact, fur was the first resource in the area to be exploited by the white man. They helped change the Native culture from hunter-gatherer to possession and consumption of trade goods. Historians Freeman and Martin continue, "Life in this region was competitive, based on the acquisition of wealth. When these new sources of wealth appeared, emphasis on the possession of goods was intensified with a rapid development of a system of social ranking, as exemplified by the potlatch" (Freeman and Martin 13). Thus, the fur trade between Natives and trappers was the first commercial development of the area's natural resources, and this development has been affecting the area ever since.

When timber is mentioned, most people immediately think of the Pacific Northwest, and timber was one of the first natural resources to be utilized, exploited, and depleted. Historians Freeman and Martin note, "Ever since the white man came to this region the forests have provided fuel, shelter, and a means of livelihood for much of the population. Simple logging and milling started with the first permanent settlement" (Freeman and Martin 224). This use and exploitation of timber in the region has continued for centuries, and much of the coveted old-growth timber has disappeared as companies continually log more and more of the area. As one environmental writer notes, "Old-growth forests have been viewed by some as simply decaying timber that should be salvaged and cleared away to make room for new growth. Implicit in this view is the notion that old-growth ecological characteristics differ little from those of younger forests" (Booth 95). When timbering first began in the Pacific Northwest, little thought was given to replenishment or regeneration, and entire areas were clear-cut and left open to the weather, erosion, and degradation. As historian Schwantes continues, "Here was a natural resource only to be exploited, with little thought given to conservation or sustained yields" (Schwantes 215). Today, most forestry experts understand the forests must be managed and renewed if there is to be a steady supply of timber for the nation's and the world's needs. However, when the area was first settled, this was not the case, and huge expanses of timber disappeared. Some renewed, and some did not. Timber helped bring more people to the area, and it was an extremely viable and necessary commodity. Timber is still one of the biggest industries in the Pacific Northwest, and still one of the most hotly contested.

Varieties of minerals, including gold, are found in the area, and these minerals account for much of the early mountain settlement in the region. When gold was first discovered in California in the 1850s, exploration exploded all over the west and Pacific Northwest. However, it was not until the railroad made an appearance in the 1860s and 70s that mining in the area really became profitable. By the 1880s, mining on a large scale began in some areas. Mineral mined include coal, copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver, but there are numerous other minerals in the area that are mined and processed. As miners settled the mountainous areas of the Pacific Northwest, they left behind tailings, minerals used in processing such as mercury and cyanide, and abandoned open pits and mine shafts. Minerals were exploited from the region until they disappeared, and then the miners moved on to greener pastures. Commercially, minerals helped many areas of the Pacific Northwest gain in population when they might have remained empty for decades without the lure of mining. Mining is probably one of the most destructive commercial endeavors when it is not managed effectively, and the mining in the Pacific Northwest was no exception. Mining continues in the area today, but under the careful scrutiny of environmental and government regulators.