A Canoe Trip On The Upper Columbia

By Austin Jenkins

Kettle Falls, WA

The Columbia River is often called the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest. It flows 1200 miles from British Columbia, through the inland Northwest, to the Pacific Ocean.

A hundred years ago the Columbia was a free-flowing river. Today it’s tamed by no fewer than a dozen dams. Today we go searching for history that’s hard to find.

Still Waters Run Deep And Deadly For Columbia River Salmon

By Anna King

The Dalles, OR

Environmentalists often call Columbia River dams “fish killers.”  But in fact the deadliest dam isn’t a dam at all: it’s a 76 mile reservoir that pools behind a dam east of The Dalles Oregon.

In part two of our journey down the Columbia River, correspondent Anna King takes a closer look at the deadly John Day reservoir.

A Tug Boat Ride Down the Snake

By Austin Jenkins

Lewiston, ID

Every year, tug boats push millions of tons of products like wheat, barley, potatoes and sawdust up and down the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

This maritime highway stretches 465 miles from the mouth of the Columbia to Lewiston, Idaho – the most inland port on the West coast.

In part three of our series, correspondent Austin Jenkins explores the commerce on this river from aboard a tug pushing barges down the Snake.

Guardians in the Graveyard of the Pacific

The mighty Columbia River surges into the Pacific Ocean at a long and narrow passage known as the Bar.

The sea floor below is littered with the debris of thousands of ships.  This treacherous crossing is crucial for international commerce to and from the northwest.

Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson introduces us to an elite team of master seamen.  They bear the dangerous and high-stakes responsibility of guiding ships safely past ‘the graveyard of the Pacific.’