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Columbia
River
For more than 10,000 years people are
known to have lived along the Columbia
River which flows 1,960 kilometres from
southeastern British Columbia to Astoria,
Oregon on the Pacific Ocean. With ten
major tributaries, including the Canadian
sourced Kootenay and Okanagan Rivers,
the snow-charged Columbia's volume changes
seasonally, along a course that starts
in Canada's Rocky Mountain Trench high
above sea level. Opened up by the famous
map-making explorer, David Thompson,
in the early 1800's to fur-trading,
the area became troubled by disturbances
between the native people and the settlers.
Many of the natives removed themselves
from the area to take up residence at
the American reserve in Fort Colville.
A way of life had ended, as imported
European commerce and technology soon
resulted in logging, mining and railroad
developments. The area never became
highly urbanized, and much of the Columbia
River remains in wilderness today. However,
the lower section of the river is more
developed and is one of the most dammed
systems in the world, generating power
and providing flood control. Tourism
is a mainstay economic contributor,
with hundreds of activities available
to travelers seeking mountain refuge
or recreation. |
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