Throughout the pacific northwest, our rivers hold a dynamic legacy of pristine water, abundant salmon runs and breathtaking views. Throughout their history, these rivers, and the people who settled along their banks, have also shaped the west as we know it today. Before the railroad arrived in the early 1900’s, Oregon’s rivers served as the primary transportation route for timber and agricultural goods. By the 1940’s, the power of these wild rivers began to provide economic growth in the form of hydropower. Through the many events that have unfolded between colonization of the west by white settlers and the first Environmental Protection Act signed in 1970, people have re-shaped, and redefined what it means to be a wild river.