Mossback
Mossback’s Northwest: After clearing forests, settlers were stumped
The remains of felled trees could be a nuisance — or a dream home.
Knute Berger
Knute “Mossback” Berger is an editor-at-large and host of "Mossback’s Northwest" at Cascade PBS. He writes about politics and regional heritage.
Latest work
Mossback
The Tree Stump Craze That Swept the Northwest
During the timber boom, opportunists turned the remains of old-growth trees into homes and postcard spectacles.
Mossback
Mossback's Northwest: In the 1940s, Seattle embraced the Confederacy
Rebel flags once flew over Fifth Avenue — and it wasn't just about the 'Gone With the Wind' premiere.
Mossback
When the Confederacy Came to Seattle
Decades after the Civil War, southern sympathizers sought to rewrite history. Knute Berger explains how those efforts were received in the Northwest.
Mossback
The Case of the Pickled Orca
Long before an industry was built around capturing orcas, a tragic encounter between a wayward whale and humanity foretold decades of exploitation.