Evergreen History Podcast

Roslyn is a town nestled in the eastern cascades of central Washington which was home to coal mining operations for decades. In its heyday they were “the most extensive” in the state. As is sadly true with many industrial ventures, safety was not a priority and there were numerous accidents in the area. The Roslyn mine disaster, occurred on May 10 1892, still stands as the worst coal mining calamity in not just the town, but the entire state, with a death toll of 45.

Allen C. Mason was an important figure in early Tacoma history. He really encouraged and helped fund it's development in the late 1800s. Ankh-Wennefer was an Egyptian priest in the 500's BCE.  Mason acquired the mummy which is still housed in Tacoma, in a fashion seemed as intriguing and fun at the time, but today might be protested.   

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Americans of Japanese ancestry all over the country were forced to leave their homes behind and were incarnated in what were formally called “relocation centers,” but by definition were concentration camps. Washington, having a large population of Japanese immigrants was no exception and thousands of Japanese were held against their will at the The Puyallup Assembly Center, which is currently home to the Washington State Fairgrounds. Afterwards they were further moved to one of the 10 official government internment camp. 

Svyatoi Nikolai, or Saint Nicholas, was a Russian-American company schooner that embarked on an exploratory and trading mission off the coast of Washington in 1808. After wrecking, all aboard initially survived. However, they had to survive in the undeveloped terrain of the Olympic Peninsula. 

This is one is a more gruesome topic, a Tacoma murder trial and subsequent “curse,” that was supposedly cast on those involved in the trial. The convicted murderer was Jake Bird. The victims were a mother, Bertha Kludt, aged 52 and her daughter, Beverly Kludt, aged 17.

Originally opened as the "Insane Asylum of Washington Territory," this mental health facility has it's fair share of tales from lobotomies to famous patients.