A River's Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn

For thousands of years, the Elwha River flowed north through the Pacific Northwest, sharing its gifts with the animals, plants, and people along its banks. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, who call themselves the Strong People, caught salmon from the river, taking only what they needed. River, forest, salmon, and Strong People nourished one another.

Everything changed when strangers arrived in the 1790s. They did not understand the river’s gifts, and they saw the...