0401, 2021

Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest

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Two weeks after Valentine’s Day, 2001, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the south sound region of Washington state near where the Nisqually River empties into Puget Sound. It was nearly 11 a.m. on a Wednesday, and the state legislature was in full swing. The violent tremors lasted nearly a minute, rocking the state capital of Olympia and the nearby cities of Lacey, Tumwater, Nisqually, DuPont, and Shelton. The shocks registered

0403, 2019

Of Pork and Politics: Washington in the Pig War

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We’re all familiar with the historic events that led to the American Revolution, when the American Colonies seceded from rule by Great Britain. Somewhat less well known are the reasons behind the second war between England and the U.S…the War of 1812. But it’s unlikely you can find very many people who can tell you about the third war between these two superpowers, which took place – or, more accurately,

0806, 2017

Of Pork and Politics: Washington in the Pig War

Washington Our Home
June 8, 2017
History, Military, State Parks, Western Washington
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4277

0306, 2015

Yesterday’s history is today’s tourist attraction

Washington Our Home
June 3, 2015
Central Washington, Eastern Washington, History, Western Washington
0
961

The ability to entice visitors to your corner of Washington may lie in your area’s unique local history. Statistics show that more and more people are citing historical—whether it be natural, cultural or heritage tourism as the reason for their travel. You need to stay on the forefront of this emerging trend…but how? What is heritage tourism? The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines heritage tourism as “traveling to experience

1601, 2015

Wintering the Pacific with Lewis and Clark

Washington Our Home
January 16, 2015
History, Pacific Ocean, Recreation, State Parks, Western Washington
4
1614

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

1305, 2014

Hidden history in Ferry County

Washington Our Home
May 13, 2014
Eastern Washington, History, Pacific Ocean, State Parks
0
1930

It probably won’t be your first choice for a Washington state park family vacation. It might not even be in your top 100. However the Ranald MacDonald Grave Heritage Area definitely warrants a visit if you find yourself traveling near the U.S.-Canadian border in Ferry County. Ranald MacDonald’s gravesite is located in a Native American cemetery just off County Highway 501/Customs Road overlooking the Kettle River. Dubbed “the smallest state

2505, 2012

The Power of the Pacific Ocean and the Passage of Time

We began building our Ocean Shores home in 2008. When we moved our borrowed 5th wheel trailer to the construction site in October of that year, we started daily beach walks. The beach nearest our home is part of the Oyehut Wildlife Recreation Area, managed by the WDFW as a subunit of the John’s River Wildlife Area nearer to Westport, Washington. Almost immediately upon taking these walks, we started seeing

1902, 2012

Some insight into the life of Thomas Frost

Last week, I began planning the first full episode of the Washington, Our Home, video series and I decided the creation and exploration of the Willamette Meridian would be a good first start. To begin with, as I asked in a previous blog post, I had to learn why in the world someone in the mid-1800’s would decide that a straight line north and south from Portland, Oregon, was even necessary.