Sign-In
Cart
The Deschutes River: A History
Paperback
Publisher Price: $32.99
PREORDER - Expected ship date November 24, 2026
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN10: 1634996488
ISBN13: 9781634996488
Publisher: America Through Time
Published: Nov 24 2026
Pages: 224
Language: English
ISBN13: 9781634996488
Publisher: America Through Time
Published: Nov 24 2026
Pages: 224
Language: English
The Deschutes River is one of the world's largest spring-fed rivers, renowned for its steady flow and stunning vistas. Humans lived along the Deschutes for thousands of years without altering the river or its flow. However, that balance shifted when early settlers began using its waters for power and irrigation. In the early twentieth century, railroad companies blasted their way up the lower canyon, while the timber industry turned sections of the upper river into an industrial zone. Newspapers dubbed the Deschutes a river of gold, touting its potential to transform the region's economy.
Over time, the Deschutes gradually became a different river, engineered to meet human needs. Sections of the river sometimes ran dry to irrigate distant farms, while hydroelectric dams flooded ancient canyons and blocked historic fish migrations. By the 1960s, the Deschutes was no longer a free-flowing river but instead ran more like a machine. In recent decades, shifting views of river ecology, scenic values, and recreation have brought new perspectives on the river and renewed hope for its future. This is the story of how the modern Deschutes came to be.
Over time, the Deschutes gradually became a different river, engineered to meet human needs. Sections of the river sometimes ran dry to irrigate distant farms, while hydroelectric dams flooded ancient canyons and blocked historic fish migrations. By the 1960s, the Deschutes was no longer a free-flowing river but instead ran more like a machine. In recent decades, shifting views of river ecology, scenic values, and recreation have brought new perspectives on the river and renewed hope for its future. This is the story of how the modern Deschutes came to be.
Also from
Voelz, Glenn
Also in
Environmental Studies
Wildly Successful Farming: Sustainability and the New Agricultural Land Ethic
DeVore, Brian
Hardcover
$26.95
The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms That Sustain Life
Eklöf, Johan
Hardcover
$12.99
Grassroots Rising: A Call to Action on Climate, Farming, Food, and a Green New Deal
Cummins, Ronnie
Paperback
From $10.99
Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World
McNeill, J. R.
Paperback
$10.99
The Return of Collective Intelligence: Ancient Wisdom for a World Out of Balance
Dyer, Dery
Paperback
From $9.99
Without Reservation: Awakening to Native American Spirituality and the Ways of Our Ancestors
Kritkausky, Randy
Paperback
From $10.99
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Paperback
From $12.99
The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth
Schlanger, Zoë
Paperback
$18.99
Up on Cove Mountain: Adventure, Tragedy, and a Quest for Meaning on the Appalachian Trail
Swift, Earl
Hardcover
$28.80
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
Sheldrake, Merlin
Paperback
From $11.99
The Traveler: One Man's Quest for Humanity from the South Seas to Revolutionary Paris
Wulf, Andrea
Hardcover
$34.20
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Hardcover
$38.00
The Ghost of the Mountains: Unraveling the Secrets of the Snow Leopard
Suryawanshi, Kulbhushansingh
Hardcover
$28.80
Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World
Werb, Dan
Hardcover
$27.00
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate--Discoveries from a Secret World
Wohlleben, Peter
Hardcover
$26.06
Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization
McKibben, Bill
Hardcover
$28.49
The Earth Said Remember Me: How to Revive Our Memories and Restore the Planet
Mark, Jason Dove
Hardcover
$22.49
Fires in the Night: The Earth Liberation Front, the Fbi, and a Secret History of Eco-Sabotage
Wolfe, Matthew
Hardcover
$27.90
We Will Be Jaguars (Reese's Book Club Pick): A Memoir of My People
Nenquimo, Nemonte
Anderson, Mitch
Paperback
$16.20
The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America
Williams, Geoff
Hardcover
$33.25
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Likes to Walk Outside
Offerman, Nick
Paperback
$19.00
The World Beneath Our Feet: The Hidden Life of Soil and Why It Matters to Us All
Ashwood, Frank
Hardcover
$28.50
Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet
Gardiner, Beth
Hardcover
$28.80
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
Egan, Timothy
Paperback
From $10.99
Brought to You by: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy
Westervelt, Amy
Hardcover
$28.50
Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic
Rosen, Kenneth R.
Hardcover
$27.55
The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It's Too Late
Beyond Plastics
Enck, Judith
Mahoney, Adam
Hardcover
From $17.99
Where the Earth Meets the Sky: A Story of Penguins, People, and Place in Antarctica
Blight, Louise K.
Hardcover
$30.40
Romp!: A Journey Through the Natural History of Otters and Why They Matter
Island, Heide, PhD
Hardcover
$27.55
Natural Habitats and Wildlife Gardening: Inviting Nature Into Your Backyard
McCoshum, Shaun
Paperback
$28.45
Otherworldly America: Explore the Most Unique Natural Wonders of the United States
Guzman, Jake
Hardcover
$38.00
Pests & Other Friends: Discover the True Nature of the Most Maligned Animals
Berryman, Halsey
Hardcover
$23.74
Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard
Tallamy, Douglas W.
Hardcover
$28.50
Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers
Ritchie, Hannah
Hardcover
$25.16
Torched: How a City Was Left to Burn, and the Olympic Rush to Rebuild L.A.
Vigliotti, Jonathan
Hardcover
$27.00
Leave the Lights on: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species
Zhao, Jiaying
Dunn, Elizabeth
Hardcover
$27.90
Compost After Reading: A Practical Manifesto for Purposeful Decomposition
Marketos, Cassandra
Paperback
$18.99
In the Range of Fire and Ice: A Human and Natural History of Washington's Cascades
Williams, David B.
Hardcover
$28.45
Frostlines: A Journey Through Entangled Lives and Landscapes in a Warming Arctic
Shea, Neil
Hardcover
$25.20
Wildlife Anatomy: The Curious Lives & Features of Wild Animals Around the World
Rothman, Julia
Paperback
$18.04
Alaska Literary Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry
Lord, Nancy
Grace Moler, Shaelene
Holleman, Marybeth
Paperback
$28.45
How to Fall in Love with the Future: A Time Traveller's Guide to Changing the World
Hopkins, Rob
Hardcover
$28.45
Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
Lankford, Andrea
Paperback
$18.99
5 Steps to a 5: AP Environmental Science 2027: Practice AP Tests + AP Content Review + Digital Exams
Mayer, Courtney
Paperback
$27.85
On Island Time: A Traveler's Atlas: Illustrated Adventures on and Around the Islands of Washington and British Columbia
O'Leary, Chandler
Paperback
$23.70
As If We Were Staying: How We Build a Flourishing Future in a World That's Falling Apart
Scott, Spencer R.
Paperback
$19.00
Bird Talk: Hilariously Accurate Ways to Identify Birds by the Sounds They Make
Rowland, Becca
Paperback
$16.14
AP Environmental Science Premium, 2027: Prep Book with 5 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice
Thorpe, Gary S., M. S.
Paperback
$25.64
Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have
Schlossberg, Tatiana
Paperback
$18.99
Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces That Threaten Our World
Hotez, Peter J.
Mann, Michael E.
Hardcover
$28.80
Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey Into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon
Rosolie, Paul
Paperback
$18.99
Seasonal Folktales: Myths, Magic & Folklore of the North, from Scotland to Scandinavia
Graham, Morvern
Hardcover
$23.74
A Field Guide to the Apocalypse: A Mostly Serious Guide to Surviving Our Wild Times
Aktipis, Athena
Paperback
$17.09
Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark
Henion, Leigh Ann
Hardcover
$28.50
Tigers Between Empires: The Improbable Return of Great Cats to the Forests of Russia and China
Slaght, Jonathan C.
Hardcover
$31.35
Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization
McKibben, Bill
Paperback
$17.99
Nature's Echo: Harnessing Ancient Feedback Loops to Heal a Changing Planet
Crowther, Thomas
Hardcover
$28.49
Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It
McDonald, Samuel Miller
Hardcover
$30.60
Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science
Hernandez, Jessica
Paperback
$19.90
Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie
Hage, Dave
Marcotty, Josephine
Hardcover
$28.80
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition
Reisner, Marc
Paperback
From $12.99
Compassion in Crisis: Building Disaster-Resilient Communities
Weiner, Kate Rose
Loften, Kailea Rose
Paperback
$26.60
The Secret Life of a Cemetery: The Wild Nature and Enchanting Lore of Père-Lachaise
Gallot, Benoît
Paperback
$17.05
Let's Become Fungal!: Mycelium Teachings and the Arts: Based on Conversations with Indigenous Wisdom Keepers, Artists, Curators, Feminists and Mycolog
Ostendorf-Rodríguez, Yasmine
Paperback
$28.45
Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness
Kloos, Scott
Paperback
$26.59
The New Beachcomber's Guide to the Pacific Northwest: Second Revised Edition
Sept, J. Duane
Paperback
$28.45
The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop
Gooley, Tristan
Paperback
$18.00
Pacific Northwest Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Alaska Blueberries to Wild Hazelnuts
Deur, Douglas
Paperback
$24.69
The Ultimate Shell Seeker's Guide: Building a Better Beachcombing Strategy
Oliphant, Ashley
Paperback
$28.45
The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas, Revised Edition
Dennis, Jerry
Paperback
$18.00
Active Hope (Revised): How to Face the Mess We're in with Unexpected Resilience and Creative Power
Macy, Joanna
Johnstone, Chris
Paperback
$17.06
The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World
Brannen, Peter
Hardcover
From $19.99