In Forgotten Trails, the most noteworthy and exciting of these accounts have been edited into a single volume. Included are the adventures of Lewis and Clark and the Canadian explorer David Thompson, early missionaries such as the Reverend Samuel Parker, railroad surveyors and scientists, Paul Kane and other artists, as well as fur traders, miners, stockmen, military roadbuilders, and homesteaders. The book ends with the celebrated "Grand Horse Roundup" of 1906, and an enthralling Native American perspective.

These firsthand accounts, together with a chapter on traditional Plateau Indian culture and an oral history describing 19th century Indian life, render a portrait of the region's trails and travelers during its flamboyant and exciting frontier era. Forgotten Trails is an essential contribution to the literature of the Columbia Basin.