Mossback's Northwest

Mossback's Northwest

History Series / 7 Seasons

In each episode of “Mossback’s Northwest,” Knute Berger mines a particular Seattle historical or cultural nugget, and we learn about the hidden backstory behind it and why it’s still relevant today.

Watch Latest: S7 E4

6m 19s

Druid On The Columbia

S7 E8 / 6m 10s

Eccentric railroad millionaire Sam Hill built a concrete “castle” on the Columbia River where he entertained European royalty. Curiously, he also erected a replica of Britain’s Stonehenge over 100 years ago which has been the source of mystery, vandalism and speculation. What world events inspired him to build the unique monument? And does it tell us about the stars and the seasons?

The Short History of the Frango

S7 E7 / 4m 56s

Seattle’s iconic candy once drew fans and crowds, and people still want to talk about it. Northwest natives Knute (Mossback) Berger and producer Stephen Hegg look back on an episode that brought back sweet memories for long-time locals.

Nature Man

S7 E6 / 8m 12s

They may look like Hippy from Woodstock or a modern survivalist, but this was the early 1900s. As Civilization and the 20th Century roared forward, two men decided to go back-to-nature and become “Nature Man.”

Lights, Camera, Seattle!

S7 E5 / 8m 27s

Since the 1930s Hollywood has exploited the complex nature of Seattle to its advantage. From its stunning grandeur of mountains and oceans to sprawling freight yards and secondhand car lots. Seattle was a gritty city in a pretty place.

When Stumps Went Viral

S7 E4 / 6m 19s

Settlers came to the Northwest and began lopping down the forests, then they had to deal with old-growth stumps. Some homesteaders were called “stump farmers” for their post-cutting fields. They dug them up, they blew them up. But sometimes they took a different course. Some massive stumps were turned into housing and put to other uses. Thus the regional phenomenon of the Stump House.

The Case of the Pickled Orca

S7 E2 / 5m 54s

The orca is a beloved symbol of the Northwest, but little was known about them before the 1960s. Whalers saw them a vicious sea predators or competition for salmon. They were called black fish and later killer whales. In the 1930s, one baby orca swam up the Columbia River to Portland and wound up pickled on a Washington mountain. What? Yes, it’s true.

The New Deal was a Big Deal

S7 E1 / 7m 38s

1929, the stock market crashed and the world slid into an economic depression. Hoovervilles sprouted around Puget Sound, the hungry and unemployed marched on capitals in both Washingtons.

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