Broadcast Outage: We're investigating a broadcast transmission failure affecting the San Luis Valley from Antonito in the south to Salida in the north. We're working to resolve this issue. You can stream our live broadcast HERE or via the RMPBS+ App.

Stream live and on-demand content now on our new app:

RMPBS+

Donate

Help tell more stories in 2026 - make a year-end gift!

Mossback's Northwest show's poster

History

Mossback's Northwest

Peopling of the Columbia

True tales from the most interesting place on earth.

Peopling of the Columbia

Season 10 Episode 3 | 6m 50s | CC

The discovery of bones in the Columbia offered proof of the river’s ancient connections to Indigenous people, trade, and the movement of people. People thrived with salmon, declined with disease and the river was a gateway to colonization from settlers and emigrants. It has been a true lifeline for millennia.

share

Mossback's Northwest

Watch more episodes

Mossback's Northwest

The Columbia: Beginning and End

Locating the Columbia River’s remote origins in British Columbia proved difficult.

Mossback's Northwest

Ice, Fire and Those Dam Floods

Lava, glaciers and epic floods reshaped the Columbia River before the Grand Coulee Dam.

Mossback's Northwest

Horseless Carriages, Ho!

Pioneers navigated the Northwest wilderness with a newfangled invention: the automobile.

Subscribe to Our Newsletters

Get trusted Colorado stories, programs, and events from Rocky Mountain PBS straight to your inbox.

Set Your Preferences >