There are many stories to tell while sailing along the Snake and Columbia rivers on American Song, as Dave Monk discovers.

They don’t call them rapids for nothing, especially while skimming over them in a jet boat. As bursts of spray drench my face, I cling on at the back of the craft as its three 450-horsepower engines churn through the swirling waters of the Snake River in the northwestern US.

We are following the route of pioneers, traders, hunters and native American tribes – but at a speed they can only have imagined.

A day later we are back on the Snake River, but in the far more comfortable surroundings of American Song, the first of five modern riverboats being launched by American Cruise Lines.

This is our home as we sail from Richland, Washington state, to Portland, Oregon, along the Snake and Columbia rivers on the trail of intrepid explorers Lewis and Clark, who mapped the newly expanded United States in the early 19th century.

This incredible journey of nearly two-and-a-half years is vividly brought to life during talks by historian Todd Weber, who uses his wit, knowledge and own collection of replica artefacts to entertain the 184 passengers on board.

In the Wild West

As the only two Britons on this particular cruise, my wife Mandy and I are definitely in the minority, but treated like visiting celebrities by the mainly older Americans, many of whom are loyal repeat customers.

After a few days on holiday in Seattle, we make our way to Lewiston, Idaho, before crossing the border to neighbouring Clarkston – already the names of the expedition leaders are appearing on the landscape – where passengers have the option to spend two nights in a hotel before boarding the ship.

Normally, the 11-day cruise starts from Clarkston but as we’re travelling there is a little problem with a dam, which means we are bussed to the first stop at Richland to join the ship. As soon as we are on the river, it’s like stepping into the Wild West, sailing past towering brown cliffs and scrubland with the odd building dotted along the top.

On an excursion to Pendleton, we take a 90-minute underground tour through cellars where prospectors would gamble their money and meet pretty women at a price.

A completely different aspect of the time is presented at the nearby Tamástslikt museum of native American history, which documents the subjugation and elimination of many of the people who originally inhabited the land as the US spread west.

This story is then reinforced back on board in the evening by performances from three members of the Nez Perce tribe – or Nimiipuu, as they preferred to be called – who use songs, music and words to convey their pride of the past and the horrors that were visited on their ancestors, as well as the way they live now.

Wonder in every corner

Everywhere American Song stops, there is the opportunity to join a complimentary excursion or a shuttle into the nearest town. At The Dalles in Oregon, for example, we take a short coach ride to the Cascade Cliffs Winery, which grows Italian grapes in the sheltered land between the river and the mountains.

This is followed over subsequent days by seeing the impressive Multnomah Falls and a spectacular train ride to view the summit of Mount Hood, before we sail to Portland, Oregon.

In Astoria, there’s a chance to visit Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1805, and Camp Disappointment with its interpretive centre on the expedition. Finally, in Kalama, Washington, guests can take a 90-minute scenic ride to the Mount St Helens observatory and view the volcano which exploded in 1980, laying waste to hundreds of square miles.

True American style

American Song has a four-storey atrium and three main lounges. Unlike some other river ships, there is no spa (but a small gym), two self-service launderettes and a putting green.

Main meals are served in the dining room, with no set seating among the tables of four or six, but guests are asked to choose their lunch and dinner options in the morning to make life easier for the kitchen and to cut down on food waste.

This being America, dinner is served between 5.30 and 7.30pm. The chefs aim to use local food with cheese, fish, beef, fruits and vegetables sourced locally from Oregon and Washington. It’s all delicious with big American portions.

American Song, which celebrates its first anniversary while we were on board, has a sister ship, American Harmony, which made its debut on the Mississippi last August. An additional two sisters – American Jazz and American Melody – are due to be launched later this year.

As we sail between colourful sunrises and sunsets, through giant locks and alongside snaking freight trains blaring their horns into the distance, we are left with a new wonder of the Wild West and the pioneers who made this land their home. Of course, this admiration is mixed with sorrow and respect for the native tribes forced off their land.

This was once the final frontier. On American Song, there is a sense of adventure and exploration, all while enjoying the comforts of a very 21st-century form of travel.