Michael O. Perry wears the title of amateur historian proudly. Hs is intensely curious about the natural world, and worked as an environmental technician for the Weyerhaeuser Company. A lifelong explorer, observer and collector, he has compiled extensive coin and stamp collections, and maintains a personal library of more than 1,300 historical picture postcards portraying the Lower Columbia region. Mike has served as president of the Cowlitz County Historical Society Board of Directors and volunteered at an outdoor school on the Cispus River in Washington's Cascade Mountains. He resides in Kelso, Washington. This is his first book.