I INTERVIEWED, QUESTIONED, AND IMPOSED upon many people in the course of researching this book, and I would like to acknowledge some of the special assistance I received.
Dozens of archivists across the country responded to queries and retrieved obscure materials; although space prevents naming them all, their contributions are evident on every page. I am indebted to the Eastern Washington Historical Society and the staff of the Spokane Public Library, especially to Nancy Compeau in the Northwest Room and Mollie Coffee of the Inter-Library Loan Department.
Rolf Ludvigsen of the Denman Institute for Research on Trilobites introduced me to the Tanglefoot site and gave me excellent guidance; Ken Pugh, Gordon Moehse, and Dave Schaepe of the Sto:lo-Coast Salish Tribes helped sort out the story of Al Purvis’s artifact collection.
Todd Thompson, Lisa Hallock, Bill Leonard, Tom Burke, Julie Fronzuto, and students of the Cusick School all shared their boundless enthusiasm for salamanders.
Rich Zack toured me through the entomological collection at Washington State University; Dennis Strenge and Patti Ensor told me how to look for sheepmoths in the wild; Jon Shepard and Don Rolfs helped unravel their taxonomy.
Glen Leitz, Charles T. Luttrell, and his parents Don and Edna generously shared their research on the Palouse mammoths; Jerry Galm and Stan Gough of Eastern Washington University showed us the correct site and helped piece together the bones of the story. Mary Hennen waded through hundreds of files at the Chicago Academy of Sciences, and Bill Simpson of the Field Museum of Natural History climbed a ladder to get just the right shot. Tina Wynecoop loaned me her mammoth molar from Foulweather Bluff.
David DeSante recounted details of a singular condor incident, and Lloyd Kiff of the World Center for Birds of Prey provided context for the recent history of the species. Virginia Butler of Portland State University enlightened me on the fishes of the Dalles Road Cut, and Victoria Hansel-Kuehn graciously laid out her bird bones for me.
Lil Fenn and Robert Boyd greatly broadened my understanding of the western spread of smallpox.
Karl Wegmann, of the Geology Division of the Washington Department of Natural Resources, patiently explained the complex interfingerings of the lower Columbia landscape.
Pam Camp told me where to go looking for native tobacco, then tromped through the sagebrush with me. Peter Lesica and Rich Old toured me through the herbariums of the Northwest. Patrick Left Hand and Wilfred Jacobs gently told me where to stop, and Jack Linnville gave me the run of his ranch.
Roy Breckenridge convinced me of the importance of Gable Mountain. Steve Reidel, geologist, and Darby Stapp, archaeologist, both of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, placed the mountain in its natural and human context. Gladys Para brought its story up to modern times.
Alice Ignace took me up to her mountains; Dean Osterman of the Kalispel Tribe explained the role of language in culture; Allan Smith, no longer with us, gathered information that will be used for years to come.
Mark Weadick introduced me to the muskrat world; Steve and Gene Schalock showed me how they saw it; Roger Scheurer explained the business end. Pauline Flett, Ray Brinkman, and Father Tom Connolly, S.J., put the animals into a tribal context.
Chalk Courchaine opened up his extensive Finlay genealogy, the product of years of work. Jerry Peltier came up with a little black magic, and Albert Culverwell recalled the circumstances around the Finlay reinterment ceremony. Walt Goodman, Jeannette Whitford, Kay Hale, Jim Perkins, Lucille Otter, and many other descendants would make Jaco proud.
I would like to thank Ann Rittenberg and Gary Luke and the Sasquatch staff for seeing this book through. Ted McGregor of the Pacific Northwest Islander published early versions of several of these chapters.
Richard and Harriette Beckham, my brother Jim and my sister Mary, Holly and Walker Hillegass, Dennis Dauble, Charles Ferree, Joan Gregory, Dave Godlewski, Harriet Huber, Gene and Nancy Hunn, Bill Moreau, John Stern, and Jean Wood all listened to me try to explain these ideas, over and over again.
Claire served as my inspiration, microfilm reader, tireless sleuth, knuckle-rapper, and peerless red pencil. Emily and Jamie walked, waded, and waited, adding immeasurably to the fun of this project.