With its rich and varied ecosystems, it is no wonder that Washington State has some of the most interesting archaeology in the country. From costal early human sites to semi-desert hunter-gatherers to historic Columbia River tribes first visited by Lewis and Clark, there is an abundance of cultural materials dating back to the First Americans and extending to the trading posts of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Noted archaeologist Dick Daugherty of Washington State University and writer Ruth Kirk have put together a fascinating survey of the region, written for the layman and lavishly illustrated with some 150 photos, maps, and illustrations, which are mainly in color.
The authors tell the story by describing excavations at sites through place and time, featuring the landowners, archaeologists, and Native Americans who participated, and the sometimes-controversial issues their work engendered. They discuss the finding of Kennewick Man on the Columbia River, and the bitter controversy and important judicial decision that followed. They tell the story of Fort Vancouver, the first outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the region, and how it changed all the people of the Pacific Northwest. At Ozette, where the Olympic Peninsula meets the Pacific Ocean, Daugherty and his team found a wonderfully preserved village that lived off the abundant marine mammals. These are only a few of the exciting stories of archaeology in the wonderful new regional history. Every region of the United States needs a book like this one.
