THe most managed river system in the world

Columbia River FUN FACTS and Research Opportunities

• The Columbia River is the fourth-largest river in the United States by volume, the Columbia has the greatest flow of any North American river entering the Pacific.
• The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada.
• The river is 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. Its drainage basin is roughly the size of France and extends into seven US states and a Canadian province.
• The Columbia River watershed provides habitat for 609 known fish and wildlife species, including the bull trout, bald eagle, gray wolf, grizzly bear, and Canada lynx.
• The historical significance of the Columbia River spans thousands of years in which humans have interacted with the river ecosystem.
• Humans have inhabited the Columbia River Basin for more than 15,000 years, with a transition to a sedentary lifestyle based mainly on salmon beginning about 3,500 years ago.
• Many different Native Americans and First Nations peoples have a historical and continuing presence on the Columbia.
• Lesson Plans & Activities for Teachers Pacific Northwest Coastal Indians in Olden Times for Kids
• The Colville, Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, Yakama, Nez Perce, Cayuse, Palus, Umatilla, Cowlitz, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs live along the US stretch. Along the upper Snake River and Salmon River, the Shoshone Bannock tribes are present. The Sinixt or Lakes people lived on the lower stretch of the Canadian portion, while above that the Shuswap people (Secwepemc in their own language) reckon the whole of the upper Columbia east to the Rockies as part of their territory. The Canadian portion of the Columbia Basin outlines the traditional homelands of the Canadian Kootenay–Ktunaxa.
• The first documented European discovery of the Columbia River was that of Bruno de Heceta, who in 1775 sighted the river’s mouth.
• American captain Robert Gray and British captain George Vancouver, who explored the river in 1792, proved that it was possible to cross the Columbia Bar (system of bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia River).
• The Columbia River was given the name it bears today in May 1792, by American Captain Robert Gray, after his ship, the Columbia Rediviva.

Websites with LOTS of FUN FACTS

• More FUN FACTS about the Columbia River
• Columbia River Facts for Kids (includes some great photos)
• Interesting FACTS about the Columbia River