Bibliography and Web Resources: Umatilla, Oregon | Center for Columbia River History

Books, Theses and Reports

John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Washington and Oregon : letter from the Secretary of the Army : transmitting a letter from the Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, dated August 28, 1963, submitting a report, together with accompanying papers and illustrations on a modification of the John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Washington and Oregon, authorized by the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, approved August 12, 1958. Washington: GPO, 1965.

Report on damages resulting to the City of Arlington, Oregon by construction of the John Day Dam. Salem, Or: Clark & Groff, 1960. Includes maps; “June, 1960”; At head of title: “The City of Arlington, Oregon” Four folded maps in pocket.

ley, Martha, et. al. Around Our Town: A Third Grade Social Studies For Hermiston Children. Hermiston, OR: Hermiston Public Schools, 1957. Written for Hermiston schoolchildren. Celebrates Hermiston’s history and the building of McNary Dam.

Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program. “Public Information and Emergency Instructions.” Prepared by Morrow and Umatilla Counties’ Emergency Management. An emergency preparedness pamphlet in both English and Spanish.

Cloverdale and Colpitts. Report on A Proposed Highway Bridge Across the Columbia River At Umatilla, Oregon for Umatilla County, Oregon, Benton County, Washington, Oregon Highway Commission, Washington Toll Bridge Authority, Part II. New York: Cloverdale and Colpitts, 1952. Part II includes numerous charts and statistics regarding regional transportation. Part I provides an overview of regional transporation history.

Cone, Joseph. A Common Fate: Endangered Salmon and the People of the Pacific Northwest. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 1996. A science writer, Cone reconstructs the factors – overfishing, dam building, and habitat loss – leading to rapid depletion of salmon. Introduces the groups involved in the struggle and identifies the ecologic, economic, and social issues surrounding the salmon crisis. Includes a section on the Umatilla Basin Project.

Dietrich, William. Northwest Passage: The Great Columbia River. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995. A journalist, Dietrich views the history of the Columbia River through different lenses.

Cone, Joseph and Sandly Ridlington, eds. The Northwest Salmon Crisis: A Documentary History. United States: Oregon Sea Grant, 1996. Documents related to the salmon crisis, contextualized by essays from the region’s foremost historians and biologists.

Edson, Christopher Howard. The Chinese in Eastern Oregon, 1860-1890. San Francisco: R anc E Research Associates, 1974. Contextualizes the Chinese experience in eastern Oregon as well as factors contributing to immigration.

Gamboa, Erasmo. Mexican Labor and World War II: Braceros in the Pacific Northwest, 1942-1947 (Austin: University of Texas Press,1990). Traces the connections between agribusiness and Mexican immigration and from the WWII bracero program to Chicano farmworkers in the Pacific Northwest.

Gidley, Mick. With One Sky Above Us: Life on an Indian Reservation at the Turn of the Century. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1979. The photo collection of Dr. E. H. Latham accompanies an overview of Plateau groups.

Green, Constance McLoughlin, Harry C. Thomspons, and Peter C. Roots. The Ordnance Department: Planning Munitions for War. Washington D.C.: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1955.

Howard, Preston. A History of the Walla Walla District, 1948-1970, Part I. Walla Walla, WA: The District, 1970. Includes bibliography and history of McNary and John Day. Part I, 1948-1970. Part II, 1970-1975.

Hunn, Eugene S., with James Selaam and Family. Nch’i-Wana, “The Big River”: Mid-Columbia Indians and Their Land. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1990. Land use and history of Sahaptin peoples in the mid-Columbia; includes appendices and charts.

Jeffrey, Julie Roy. Converting the West: a biography of Narcissa Whitman. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991. This biography helps the reader to understand the social context of Narcissa Whitman’s conflict with the Cayuse.

Jordan, Susan Wilshire. Sagebrush Farm. Printed in the U.S., 1976.

Josephy Jr., Alvin M. The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest. New York: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1965. A history of confrontation between Indian and non-Indian peoples during the region’s formative period.

Lansing, Ronald B. Juggernaut: The Whitman Massacre Trial, 1850. Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society, 1993. Focuses on the Trial of the surrendered Cayuse for the Whitman murders. Includes useful primary documents

MacNab, Gordon. A Century of News and People in the East Oregonian, 1875-1975.Pendleton: East Oregonian Publishing Co., 1975. A history of the early years of Umatilla County through the records of the East Oregonian.

McMillan, Sam G. The Bunchgrassers: A History of Lexington, Morrow County, Oregon.Portland, OR: Irwin Hodson Co., 1974. A history of early farming and ranching in Lexington and Morrow Counties.

Neal, Steve. McNary of Oregon, a political biography. Portland, OR: Western Imprints, 1985.

Northwest Power Planning Council. The Yakima Indian Nation wildlife mitigation plan for Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day, and McNary Dams: draft report for public comment. Portland, OR: Northwest Power Planning Council, 1991. Includes bibliographical references. Focuses on the environmental aspects of dams and wildlife restoration.

Northwest Water Law and Policy Project. Saving Snake River water and salmon simultaneously : the biological, economic, and legal case for breaching the lower Snake River dams, lowering John Day Reservoir, and restoring natural riverflows. Portland, OR: Northwest Water Law & Policy Project, 1998. Includes maps and bibliography.

Oregon Employment Department. 1999 Oregon In-Migration Study. Coordinated by Mark Miller and Graham Slater, 1999.

_____. Oregon Wage Information, 1999. Prepared by Ted L. Helvoigt, Employment Economist, 1999.

Pendleton Grain Growers, Inc. PGG: The Growth of A Cooperative. Pendleton: Master Printers, 1996. A History of the Pendleton Grain Growers Cooperative and farming in eastern Oregon.

Peterson, Keith. River of Life, Channel of Death: Fish and Dams on the Lower Snake.Lewiston, ID: Confluence Press, 1995. A political and social history of the impact of dams on both salmon and people on the Lower Snake River.

Peterson, Keith and Mary E. Reed. Controversy, Conflict and Compromise: A History of the Lower Snake River Development. Prepared for Walla Walla District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1994. A history of Snake River development and some of the consequences affecting the lives of westerners – written for the Corps of Engineers.

Ruby, Robert H and John A. Brown. A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest.Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992. An overview of the Umatilla during the historical period.

_____. Indians of the Pacific Northwest: a history. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988. A history of Pacific Northwest Indians during the contact period.

_____. Ferryboats on the Columbia River, Including the Bridges and Dams. Seattle: Suprior Publishing Co., 1974. An overview of ferryboats, bridges and dams on the Columbia; includes beautiful images.

Rupp, Virgil. PGG– the growth of a cooperative. Pendleton, OR: Pendleton Grain Growers, 1979. Compiled from the records of the Pendleton Grain Growers Association.

Thompson, Harry C. and Lida Mayo. The Ordnance Department: Procurement and Supply. Washington D.C.: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1960.

Travis, Helga Anderson. Blalock, Island of Dreams. Prosser, Washington, 1975.

Tudor Engineering Company. Report on A Proposed Highway Bridge Across the Columbia River At Umatilla, Oregon for Umatilla County, Oregon, Benton County, Washington, Oregon Highway Commission, Washington Toll Bridge Authority, Part I. San Francisco: Tudor Engineering Company, 1952. Overview of regional transportation history and outside transportation connections. Part II includes numerous charts and statistics.

Umatilla and Morrow County Senior Citizens. Golden Yesterdays: A Collection of Reminiscences. Published by the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, 1976. Reminiscences of Umatilla and Morrow Counties.

Umatilla County Historical Society. Umatilla County: A Backward Glance. Pendleton, OR: The Umatilla County Historical Society, 1980. An historical overview of communities in Umatilla County, with numerous images.

United States, Army Corps of Engineers. Cemetery relocations : detailed plan for relocation of Blalock Cemetery in Gilliam County, Oregon, John Day Lock and Dam. Walla Walla: The District, 1960.

_____. Cemetery relocations: final report on the relocation of … : John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington. Walla Walla: The District, 1962, 1965. 4 v. : ill., maps ; 27 cm. “16 April 1962”–[v. 1.]; “1 July 1962”–[v. 2]; “1 March 1963”– [v. 3]; “17 Nov 1965”–[v. 4]. [v. 1]. Final report on the relocation of the Blalock Cemetery …–[v. 2]. Final report on the relocation of cemeteries and burial sites on the Washington shore…–[v. 3]. Final report on the relocation of Irrigon Cemetery…– [v. 4]. Final report on the relocation of the Riverview Cemetery at Boardman…

_____. John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington. Design memorandum no. 7, relocations on Oregon shore. Walla Walla, WA: The District, 1959.

_____. John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington. Design memorandum no. 7.21, temporary relocation Union Pacific Railroad and U.S. Highway 30, Blalock area. Walla Walla: The District, 1961. 1 v. (various pagings) : ill., maps, plans ; 27 cm. Cover title. “29 Jun. 1961.” Temporary relocation Union Pacific Railroad and U.S. Highway 30, Blalock area.

_____. John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington. Design memorandum no. 11, relocation of Arlington, Oregon. Walla Walla, WA: The District, 1957, 1958.

_____. John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington. Design memorandum no. 24, relocation of Arlington Elementary School. Walla Walla, WA: The District, 1959.

_____. John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington. Design memorandum no. 30, modifications to McNary fish facilities. Walla Walla, WA: The District, 1962.

_____. John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington. Design memorandum no. 31, relocation of Roosevelt Elementary School, Roosevelt, Washington.Walla Walla, WA: The District, 1962.

_____. John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington. Design memorandum no. 38, Relocation of city of Umatilla, Oregon. Walla Walla, WA: The District, 1962. Memorandum planning relocation of portions of the city of Umatilla. Includes images, correspondence between city officials and the Corps, and maps.

_____. Relocation of Union Pacific Railroad : John Day Lock and Dam, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington. Walla Walla, WA: The District, 1962.

_____. Review report on John Day Dam, Columbia River, Washington and Oregon: transcript of public hearing, September 23, 1953, Arlington, Oregon. Portland, Or.: The District, 1953.

United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs. “The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation: Its Resources & Development Potential.” Billings, MT: Planning Support Group, 1976.

_____. “The McNary Dam Townsite Offers Unlimited Industrial Sites.” Washington: GPO, 1959.

Valle, Isabel. Fields of Toil: A Migrant Family’s Journey. Pullman, WA: Washington State University Press, 1994. Valle, a journalist, spent a year traveling with a migrant family from South Texas to the fields of eastern Oregon. The book is an account of her experience and interviews with migrant farmworkers and people in the communities in which they work.

Ulrich, Roberta. Empty Nets: Indians, Dams, and the Columbia River . Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 1999. The story of how dams affected native fisheries on the Columbia and the struggle to make the government live up to its treaty obligations.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A detailed report on fish and wildlife resources affected by John Day lock and dam project, Columbia River, Washington and Oregon. Portland, OR: 1961.

_____. Justification for acquisition of lands: proposed John Day waterfowl management area, John Day lock and dam project, Columbia River, Oregon and Washington. Portland, OR: The Service, 1961.

Wyman, Mark. Hard rock epic : Western miners and the Industrial Revolution, 1860-1910. Berkeley; London: University of California Press, 1989. A history of western mining and the impact of technology. Includes information about race and class in the mining industry.

Articles

Burtner, Shelley. “Umatilla’s ‘Petticoat Government,’ 1916-1920.” Oregon Historical Quarterly 88, 4 (Winter 1987): 385-402. The story of womens’ political power in Umatilla from 1916-1920.

Chaney, Ed. “The Last Salmon Ceremony: Implementing the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program.” Idaho Law Review 22 (1986): 561-608.

Masterson, James Raymond. “The Records of the Washington Superintendency of Indian Affairs, 1853-1874.” Pacific Northwest Quarterly 37: 31-57.

Miller, Robert. “Speaking with Forked Tongues: Indian Treaties, Salmon, and the Endangered Species Act.” Oregon Law Review 70 (1991): 543-584.

Murray, Keith Alexander. “Issues and Personalities of Pacific Northwest Politics, 1889-1950.” Pacific Northwest Quarterly 41: 213-233.

Ray, Verne Frederick. “Native Villages and Groupings of the Columbia Basin.” Pacific Northwest Quarterly 27: 99-152. Includes maps.

Sampson, Don. “One Tribe’s Perspective on ‘Who Runs The Reservoirs’.” Environmental Law 26 (1996): 681-191.

Willis, Park Weed. “Reminiscences: Early Recollections and Impressions of Umatilla County, Oregon.” Pacific Northwest Quarterly 28: 301-311.

Films

Oregon Public Broadcasting/Tyron Productions. “Sagebrush Sailors.” 1 videocassette (VHS) (28 min.). Narrator, Ted Hallock. A history of the beginnings of commercial transportation on the Columbia River illustrated with footage of the river taken before the dams. Umatilla resident and former river boat pilot, Keith Rodenbough, is in the film.

Archives and Manuscript Collections

Hermiston Public Library
Oregon Historical Society
Umatilla County Historical Society
Umatilla Museum and Historical Foundation

Books, Theses and Reports

Articles

Films

Archives and Manuscript Collections

Newspapers

Oral Histories

Web Resources

Promoting the study of Columbia River Basin history