The Pacific Northwest was the setting for a great deal of activity and controversy. Fur trade on the coast and in the interior was the focus of rivalry between Spain, Great Britain, the United States, and Russia. Explorers, on the other hand, were caught up in the controversial search for the Northwest Passage and countless scientific expeditions were assembled to seek out this route between Europe and Asia. Another search, less grandiose, perhaps, but no less difficult, was that of the settlers traveling the Oregon Trail. Eventually miners and cattlemen took their places in the frontier process that continues today in Alaska.

The texts in this collection take many forms, from reports of expeditions to political pamphlets, but nearly all of them are, in some way, first-hand narratives of the events that helped shape this country. Organized with the guidance of Archibald Hanna, former curator of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, the collection emphasizes out-of-print and rare documents, giving scholars important access to information about the areas' social, scientific and cultural histories.

Items in this collection can be found though a subject search on WebCat using the search term MIC RPI PNW.