David ThompsonDavid Thompson (30 April, 1770 – 10 February, 1857) was an Anglo-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and cartographer. He mapped much of the North American continent and was the first European to navigate the full length of the Columbia River. Originally from England, Thompson came across the Atlantic in 1784 at the age of 14 to work for the Hudson's Bay Company. He established trade with several tribes throughout the Canadian Rockies and Pacific Northwest. Thompson spent time in Kettle Falls in 1811. The productive salmon fishery he encountered led him to petition the North West Company for the establishment of a trading post in the area. Thompson would go on to direct the building of several trading posts in the region. One of these posts, known as the Spokane House, was the first Euro-American settlement in present-day Washington State. 
David DouglasDavid Douglas (25 June 1799 – 12 July 1834) was a Scottish botanist who documented and named many plant species in North America. He traveled throughout the Pacific Northwest, California, and Hawaii to gather plant specimens for the Royal Horticultural Society. Douglas collected and described many species new to western science during an exploratory expedition along the Columbia River between 1825-27. He preserved seeds and cones from many trees, including the Douglas fir which was later named after him. Douglas interacted and lived with many local tribes while travelling. He spent time in Kettle Falls, an area that today is part of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. Douglas died from a fatal accident in Hawaii in 1834, and he is buried on the island of Oahu. 
Courtesy of the National Park Service, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, LIBI_00019_00400, H M. Rice Chief MosesChief Moses (c. 1829 – March 25, 1899) was a leader of the Sinkiuse-Columbia. He dealt with increasing land conflicts with white settlers and worked to maintain peace for his people. After significant pressure from the U.S. government, Chief Moses agreed to cede his people’s ancestral land and move to the Columbia Reservation. Conflict persisted, however, and land disputes with white settlers continued. Violence broke out in 1882 when angry white settlers destroyed Indian property. Chief Moses and other delegates went to Washington D.C. to meet with President Chester A. Arthur to find a resolution. An agreement was reached in 1883, and the Columbia Reservation was dissolved and returned to the public domain. Tribal members were given a choice of moving to the Colville Reservation or taking allotments of land. Chief Moses died in 1899 on the Colville Reservation and is buried near Nespelem, Washington, where many members of his tribe still live today. 
NPS Chief JosephHin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, known as Chief Joseph (March 3, 1840 – September 21, 1904), was a leader of the wal-lam-wat-kain (Wallowa) band of Nez Perce. He is remembered for his role in the Nez Perce Flight of 1877 as well as his work advocating for peace and justice for his people. The discovery of gold on Nez Perce land led to white settlers appropriating native territory. The U.S. federal government nullified a land-rights treaty and tried to force the Nez Perce to give up their ancestral land in the Wallowa Valley. Chief Joseph and several other chiefs refused to move to a small reservation. Instead, Chief Joseph led his followers, roughly 750 Nez Perce and Palouse people, toward Canada to take refuge. The U.S. Army’s pursuit and the battles that followed became known as the Nez Perce Flight of 1877. The Nez Perce traveled more than 1,170 miles across present-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Chief Joseph formally surrendered on October 5th, 1877, due to the poor condition and health of his people. In the aftermath of the surrender, Chief Joseph and his remaining followers were moved to the Colville Indian Reservation. The Colville Reservation borders present-day Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. Chief Joseph died in 1904 and is buried on the Colville Reservation in Nespelem, Washington, where many of his tribe’s members still live. 
Christina McDonaldChristina McDonald McKenzie Williams (1847-1925) was a multi-ethnic fur trader, interpreter, and businesswoman. She grew up in the old Fort Colvile, which is now submerged by Lake Roosevelt. Her father was a Scottish fur trader who worked for the Hudson Bay Company, and her mother was French Iroquois and Nez Perce. Her diverse background gave her skills for translation and negotiation between cultures, as she was fluent multiple languages, including English, French, and Nez Perce. She used her experience assisting her father's business to later run her own independent fur trading company, and her quick thinking helped her stay competitive against larger businesses. She was described as “a girl of education, possessed of a fine intellect, a strong personality, and a noted horsewoman” and was remembered by some as the belle of the Colville Valley. Christina’s experience put her at the intersection of Indigenous and Euro-American communities in North America during a time of great change. Her story is part of the larger history of people in Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. 
Mary McKeeMary McKee (1865— 1947) was a physician who spent a majority of her career working with and treating Native American people on Indian Reservations. Despite living during a time of discrimination against women in the medical field, she graduated from Women’s Medical College in 1888. In 1891, she entered the Indian Service and found the need for medical help 'so desperate and so greately appreciated' that she devoted the rest of her career to working with tribal members. McKee was stationed on Indian Reservations in Arizona, New Mexico, Washington, and North Dakota. She worked with the Colville Agency in Washington, near present-day Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, from 1900 to 1904. While in Washington, she fought a smallpox epidemic single-handedly due to a shortage of nurses or other doctors.
Courtesy of Cataclysms on the Columbia by John Eliot Allen J Harlen BretzJ Harlen Bretz (2 September 1882 – 3 February 1981) was an American geologist. He is best known for his work on the origins of the Channeled Scablands and the Ice Age Floods. He conducted field research on the Columbian River plateau and coined the term ‘Channeled Scablands’ to describe the area around Grand Coulee. Bretz published a paper in 1923 theorizing that the rock formations of the Channeled Scablands were caused by massive floods during the ice age. This contrasted prevailing theories by more established geologists, who theorized that glaciation had created the unusual geographic features. The geology establishment of the day was highly resistant to Bretz’s theory, and debate lasted for several decades. Bretz was ultimately vindicated by supporting evidence of satellite images. Geologists also made a connection with Glacial Lake Missoula as the source of the flood. By the 1970’s, Bretz’s cataclysmic flood theory was widely accepted. He was finally honored with the Penrose Medal by the Geological Society of America in 1979, at the age of 96. His work helped illuminate the geologic story of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945) was an American politician who served as the president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. He took office during the Great Depression and created many programs to stimulate the economy. One of these economic programs was the Public Works Administration (PWA), which aimed to build public infrastructure. The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state is one of the many projects built by the PWA. The reservoir created by the Grand Coulee Dam was named Lake Roosevelt in honor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. |
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Last updated: August 4, 2024