Columbia

Columbia, or OREGON, after the Yukon the largest river on the west side of America, rises in British Columbia, on the west slope of the Rocky Mountains, near Mounts Brown and Hooker, in about 50° N. lat., has a very irregular course, generally south-west, through Washington, forms the northern boundary of Oregon for about 350 miles, and enters the Pacific by an estuary 35 miles long and from 3 to 7 wide. Its estimated length is 1400 miles. The area drained by this stream and its affluents, of which the largest are Clarke's Fork and the Snake River (with very remarkable cañons), has been computed at 298,000 sq. m. The river is broken by falls and rapids into many separate portions, and the ingress and egress are embarrassed by a surf-beaten bar. Still, it is open to steamboat navigation from its mouth to the Cascades (160 miles), and goods are carried past the obstruction, for 6 miles, by railway; the next reach, of 50 miles, extends to Dalles, where another railway, of 14 miles, has been constructed past the Great Dalles channel; and immediately above this are two sections, of 185 and 250 miles respectively, navigable for small steamboats. The extraordinarily abundant salmon-fisheries of the Columbia have been largely developed. There are a number of canneries, mostly near the mouth of the river (where a great jetty now makes a good harbour), the annual export of canned salmon exceeds 500,000 cases.