St. Helens

Right from its start in 1847, this little town along the Columbia River was built with calloused hands. In these pages, one will see the loggers, shipbuilders, quarrymen, and mill workers. Their wives, mothers, and children are here, too, softening the edges and nourishing a community in the woods. Those early settlers built St. Helens to last, and through decades of booms and busts, tragedies and triumphs, the people’s love for this place, so rich in beauty and possibility, shows in more than 200 images. It is a record of endurance, yes, but also of hope.