Part river-runners handbook of rapids, part historian's notebook, this is the story of the Salmon River as it crosses Idaho on its way to the Pacific. It is full of tales of early explorers, boatmen and settlers, including from the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The sepia toned photos of cabins, river, and families is just the right touch. ( )

This is a history of human traffic and settlement along the Salmon River in central Idaho. The Salmon had so many rapids that those who boated downriver could not boat upstream and had to travel back overland, so the river was known as the "river of no return". The first chapter is an excellent history of attempts to descend by boat, followed by a set of chapters that give mile by mile descriptions of significant features and history of human settlement and use of the river. It was really interesting to follow our progress in this book while rafting the last 60-odd miles of the Salmon. ( )