History of the Pacific Northwest Term Paper

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….....