In the mid 19th century, the formerly nomadic aboriginal tribes in North Central Washington began to settle along prominent waterways to trade with Canadian and European explorers and settlers. It was not long before disputes over land ownership between natives and newcomers became common. In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed an Executive Order establishing the Colville Indian Reservation along the Columbia River, where Native Americans from 12 tribes were designated to live on several million acres of land. Twenty years later, the reservation was reduced to 1.4 million acres.
In 1940, seven years into the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, the reservoir behind the dam (Lake Roosevelt) began to fill. The water level rose rapidly, submerging around 18,000 acres of land in the Colville Reservation -- inundating homes, ancient fishing spots, and historic cemeteries.
Major Walter Reed's discovery in 1900 that mosquitoes spread yellow fever halted an outbreak and led to the disease's eventual eradication.
In 1960, Francis Gary Powers' U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.
This stunning film portrait of Yosemite National Park uses the 1851 diary of the first expedition of soldiers into the Native American territory.
The 300-year saga of the American whaling industry.
A year in the life of Wyoming cowboys and the ranching families of the American West.
Postwar New York City and the global economic order told through the story of the World Trade Center.
John Wesley Powell's epic journey into the unknown Grand Canyon was filled with adventure as his team mapped the Colorado River for the first time.
Equipment failure, human error and bad luck led to the country's worst nuclear accident in 1979.