Describes the experiences of Native Americans, early settlers, and farmers in the region, and explains how the river's complex series of dams have caused the disappearance of most wild salmon Dietrich, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Seattle Times and author of The Final Forest (LJ 5/1/92), here covers a wealth of information and personal histories. Once supporting the greatest chinook salmon and steelhead trout runs in the world and one of the most complex native cultures on the continent, the Columbia has been transformed into a series of computer-controlled reservoirs virtually devoid of fish, designed to maximize hydroelectric production. While Dietrich has done a good job of examining the history, current conditions, and problems confronting the river from a variety of viewpoints, the organization of his text seems erratic at times. A well-researched chronology of the river is included. Recommended for all regional, as well as subject and history collections, in secondary school libraries and above. Tim Markus, Evergreen State Coll. Lib., Olympia, Wash. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Fiction Historical Lewis & Clark The Northwest Passage The Columbia River The Columbia River Gorge