Through the Cascades — Bill Gulick

Through the Cascades is the second volume of Roll On, Columbia, Bill Gulick's epic novel of the history of the Columbia River and the Great Northwest.
Encompassing the period from the 1840s to the early 1870s, Through the Cascades follows the adventures of several more generations of the growing Warren clan. Steamboat captains Tom and his son, Lars, migrate up the Columbia River Basin to meet new challenges and explore new regions of the Great Northwest. As the story moves upriver, the reader is introduced to new characters, events, and environments. The journey is highlighted by whitewater trips through some of the region's most notorious rapids, including the Columbia River Gorge and the Snake River's Hell's Canyon. The harrowing trip of the emigrants into the Columbia Basin via the Oregon Trail and the treacherous Barlow Road is relived in terrifying detail. Equally riveting is Gulick's account of the Yakima Indian War, led by the reluctant Chief Kamiakin. All the major tributaries, including the Willamette, the Deschutes, the Palouse, and the Snake, are explored as gold is found to the east and cattle ranching is established in the upper basin.