The Whitman Massacre
0211, 2020

The Whitman Massacre

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Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were Christian missionaries who left their homes in upstate New York and traveled with another missionary couple, Henry and Eliza Spalding, to what was then called Oregon Country in 1836. Their mission? To “Christianize” Indians. In fact, Oregon wasn’t even a territory yet. The United States government didn’t have any programs in Oregon Country, which at the time consisted of the present-day states of Washington, Oregon,

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In search of Medicine Creek Treaty Tree, Part 1
0602, 2017

In search of Medicine Creek Treaty Tree, Part 1

Back in June of 2016, a colleague of mine at the Washington State Archives – Benjamin Helle, Olympia branch archivist – published an article in that agency’s newsletter about a little-known and seldom-visited monument in the South Sound area dedicated to the Medicine Creek Treaty. What followed was an adventure in state history that nearly anyone can undertake.

Wintering the Pacific with Lewis and Clark
1601, 2015

Wintering the Pacific with Lewis and Clark

In southwestern Washington where the mighty Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean are a string of sites that no historical tourist or lifelong resident of our state should leave unvisited. Between Hungry Harbor and the Long Beach Peninsula are three places that hold not only state but national significance. They are the three places that Captain Meriwether Lewis, Lieutenant William Clark and the entire Corps of Discovery expedition met with

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Washington’s only living ghost town
2709, 2014

Washington’s only living ghost town

Returning from an overnight trip to Leavenworth (always a must-see if you happen to be in the Wenatchee National Forest), I spotted a sign along US-97 pointing the way toward Liberty, Washington, which billed itself as the only living ghost town in the state. Only two miles off the main road, I decided to take the extra few minutes to check out what Liberty had to offer. What I found was

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Around the state in 48 hours: Part 1
0509, 2013

Around the state in 48 hours: Part 1

Everybody thought I was joking when I said I was taking a business trip from Olympia to Vancouver to Yakima to Spokane to Wenatchee to Everett to Bellevue to Tacoma and back to Olympia in two days. The itinerary I had laid out with Google Maps said it was a cinch and I’m the guy who enjoys driving around this beautiful state we call home. Well, I proved to everyone

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Don’t mess with park rangers. Seriously.
3007, 2012

Don’t mess with park rangers. Seriously.

They’ll kick you out. In the nicest, most passive-aggressive way, they’ll politely ask you to leave. Let me go back and explain what happened. As anyone from Washington State knows, the drive from Seattle to Spokane (or vice-versa) can be riddled with boredom unless you’re playing traffic games with other drivers or looking for something in particular (like totaling up the different crops with names posted on the fence lines

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0211, 2011

Dismal Nitch at Lewis and Clark National Park

Ok. I used to pride myself in knowing just about everything in the way of scenic travel in Washington State. Imagine my surprise when we were camping recently and I discovered there was a NEW national park in our state! Well, not just in our state, but portions of the Lewis and Clark National Park are in the southwest corner of Washington, at the mouth of the Columbia river. This

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