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Mossback's Northwest: The “Bird Woman” and an ode to ornithology

The “Bird Woman” and an ode to ornithology

A century ago, Seattle's first female principal, Adelaide Lowry Pollock, spread the gospel of birds and good citizenship to a generation of schoolkids.

An Artist Remembers the Seattle Viaduct

Baso Fibonacci has lived and made art next to the Alaskan Way Viaduct for 10 years. The 90,000 cars that used the elevated highway each day served as soundtrack and inspiration. But the city has closed the viaduct and in a few months it will be completely torn down. What will happen to Baso and his art is an open question. But before the columns come down, the artist put on one last art show.

When Seattle cared more about coal than climate change

In the PNW, we are concerned about climate change and our dependence on fossil fuels – especially coal. But there was a time 100 years ago when coal was king in King County. Coal mines sprang up in Newcastle, Black Diamond, Renton, Issaquah and as far north as Bellingham. Seattle’s emerging commercial harbor shipped millions of tons of coal to the entire West Coast.

The Adventures of Mark Twain in Seattle

It was a trying time for Seattleites in the summer of 1895. The city was still reeling from the Panic of 1893, which threw the national economy into a tailspin, and the skies were hazy with wildfire smoke. Into this scene stroll Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. Reeling from his own financial misfortune, America’s most celebrated author made his only visit to the Pacific Northwest.

How Seattleites Navigated Downtown Before GPS

At some point or another, every Seattleite hears this phrase: Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest. But what the heck does that mean? Well, it’s a mnemonic device, the kind of thing someone makes up to remember something. In this case, it’s the sequence of east-west streets that make up the city’s downtown core, from Pioneer Square to Belltown.