Oregon, Washington and Alaska

In Short

This volume is a promotional travelogue published in 1890 by the Union Pacific Railway. It functions as both a sophisticated guidebook for prospective tourists and a testament to the expansionist spirit of the American West. By detailing steamship routes, railway connections, and the scenic marvels of the Columbia River, Puget Sound, and the Alaskan coast, it captures a fleeting moment when these regions transitioned from wild landscapes to accessible destinations. It remains a valuable historical artifact, illustrating how infrastructure and optimism reshaped the American map.

The Story

The narrative begins with a practical orientation: how a traveler might best utilize the Union Pacific system to reach the Pacific Coast. It establishes Portland as the primary gateway, presenting it as a city of unprecedented wealth and opportunity. From this hub, the book unfolds into a series of distinct tours, each designed to showcase the "new empire" of the Pacific Northwest. The author leads the reader down the Columbia River, describing the dramatic contrast between the rugged Upper Columbia—where the "Isle of the Dead" serves as a somber memento of indigenous history—and the more temperate, commercialized Lower Columbia, with its bustling salmon canneries and growing towns.

As the journey shifts north toward Washington, the focus transitions from river travel to the inland sea of Puget Sound. Here, the text dwells on the sublime scale of the landscape, framing the massive, snow-crowned peaks of Mount Rainier and the Olympic range as world-class spectacles. The narrative takes an excursion into the "new empire" of Eastern Washington, celebrating the rapid, miraculous rise of Spokane Falls. The author recounts the town’s transformation from a "blank wilderness" to a thriving metropolis, emphasizing the resilience of its citizens following a devastating fire and framing their recovery as a triumph of American industry and grit.

The final arc of the journey pushes into the far North. Alaska is depicted as a land of "matchless grandeur," characterized by its dense evergreen forests, vast glaciers, and the persistent presence of indigenous cultures whose habits and traditions the author observes with a mix of fascination and paternalistic judgment. The travelogue concludes by detailing the luxuries of the ocean voyage back to San Francisco. By the final page, the reader is left with a comprehensive vision of a region that is simultaneously a fragile, ancient wilderness and a burgeoning center of modern commerce, all unified by the reach of the steamship and the rail line.

How It Unfolds

The Gateway to the West The book opens by establishing the logistical framework of travel, listing agents across the country and detailing the luxurious amenities of Pullman cars. It emphasizes the comfort and efficiency of the Union Pacific service, preparing the reader for a journey defined by modern convenience.

The River Excursions The narrative progresses to the majestic Columbia, describing two distinct tours that contrast the wild, rugged gorges of the upper river with the busy industrial life at the river’s mouth. This section anchors the reader in the geography of Oregon, providing both historical context and practical travel advice.

The Puget Sound Panorama The focus shifts to the inland sea, where the author elevates the scenery to the level of the European Alps. By incorporating the perspectives of explorers and politicians, the book frames the region as a future sanitarium and playground for the world.

The Miracle of Spokane The account moves inland to the wheat-rich Palouse country and the booming city of Spokane. This section argues for the region's immense economic viability, citing its mining resources and agricultural output as proof of its inevitable prosperity.

The Alaskan Expedition The final leg takes the traveler into the far North, detailing the awe-inspiring glaciers and the unique cultural landscape of Sitka. It concludes with an account of the return sea voyage, reinforcing the safety and luxury of the entire circuit.

The People

The book features a cast of figures who embody the spirit of the era. The "farsighted pioneer" of Spokane stands as the quintessential representative of the West, a man who saw potential in a "blank wilderness" and leveraged it into a million-dollar fortune. His story serves as a template for the American dream in the region.

In contrast, Victor Trevet represents the older, vanishing order of the Pacific Northwest. His desire to be buried on Memaloose Isle—the "Isle of the Dead"—rather than in a town built over indigenous graves, highlights the profound conflict between the settlers and the land’s original inhabitants. The Siwash storyteller at Nisqually acts as a bridge between these worlds, relaying legends like that of Tacoma that infuse the landscape with mythology. Finally, the missionaries in Sitka represent the civilizing drive of the period; they are portrayed as individuals engaged in a "noble" but difficult struggle to impose their values on a population whose culture and living conditions the author views through the lens of profound, if prejudiced, detachment.

In Its Own Voice

"It is simply delicious to those escaped from the heat and dust of their far-off homes to embark on this noble stream and steam smoothly down past frowning headlands and 'rocks with carven imageries.'"

The author describes the therapeutic relief found in the scenery of the Columbia River.

"The walls are crumbling, the windows broken, and the old oaken stairways will soon be sinking to earth again, and its only life will be on the page of history."

This passage captures the author’s melancholic observation of the former Russian governor’s home in Sitka, Alaska.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book is a study in the transformation of the American landscape. It interrogates the tension between the "sublime" beauty of untamed nature—the glaciers, waterfalls, and mountain peaks—and the inevitability of human progress. The author consistently equates "civilization" with railroads, sawmills, and commercial success, while simultaneously acknowledging the displacement of indigenous peoples and the erasure of their history. The central argument is that the Northwest is a repository of vast, untapped wealth, and that by opening this "new empire" to the tourist, the railway is not merely selling tickets, but facilitating the integration of the continent’s most rugged frontiers into the national identity.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of American tourism or the rhetoric of the Gilded Age will find this volume deeply compelling. It feels less like a modern guidebook and more like an artifact of a period that was dizzy with its own capacity to shrink the world. The prose is earnest and descriptive, frequently hitting a high, romantic register when confronted with the "majestic" vistas of the West.

However, the modern reader must be prepared for the period-typical attitudes that permeate the text. The author’s descriptions of indigenous peoples, referred to by the outdated term "Siwash," are filtered through a lens of colonial superiority and moral judgment. These sections are challenging, reflecting the biases of 1890 rather than any genuine attempt at cultural understanding. If you can navigate these historical limitations, you will find an evocative, vividly detailed portrait of a region caught in a state of rapid, irreversible change. It stays with you not for its objectivity, but for its raw, unvarnished enthusiasm for a wilderness that was, at that very moment, being mapped, settled, and conquered by the steam engine.