Mossback's Northwest
Mossback’s Northwest: The case of the World War II doll spy
One of the 20th century’s most bizarre espionage cases centered on a turncoat doll dealer and America’s first female cryptanalyst.
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's Northwest
Mossback’s Northwest: The US had a fishy reason for buying Alaska
America’s 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia was called a folly by some, but territorial legislators in Washington knew it was a bargain.
Mossback's Northwest
Mossback’s Northwest: Seattle’s 1913 Potlatch riot
The story of how a summer festival erupted into violence resonates with present-day struggles over free speech and freedom of the press.
Mossback's Northwest
Mossback’s Northwest: The mystery of Washington's Mima Mounds
What created those bumps that cover the prairie just south of Olympia? Earthquakes? Floods? Giant gophers? Knute Berger is on the case.
Mossback
A Journey to the Headwaters of the Columbia
The massive Columbia River travels more than 1,200 miles from start to finish. It crosses four mountain ranges, powers 14 hydroelectric dams and irrigates hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, among other feats.