Abstract: A primary way humans make meaning in the world is by telling stories. When we narrate about nature, we imbue the natural world around us with human values. Indigenous oral traditions, journalism, fiction, and even government treaties all tell stories. Those diverse narratives speak to our knowledge and our ignorance, our hopes and our fears, our nature and our culture. Using the Columbia River as the focus, this presentation explores the diverse ways humans have told stories about the environment to demonstrate how nature historically has captured human imaginations.