Mossback
The Deadly Mouth of the Columbia
The tumultuous mouth of the Columbia River, near Astoria, Oregon, is beautiful but deadly. Thousands of ships have capsized and wrecked on its shores over the centuries.
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 Strange Things That Happen to Bodies After Death
The Pacific Northwest has a reputation for the macabre. We’ll never escape the allure of Twin Peaks, for instance, or the terrible crimes of some of the most infamous serial killers in American history.
Mossback
Becoming Bill Gates: A new memoir retraces the road to Microsoft
In Source Code: My Beginnings, the first book in a trilogy, the tech giant co-founder reflects on his Seattle upbringing and what — and who — made him.
Mossback
Racism, History and the Great Outdoors
A few seasons ago, the Mossback’s Northwest video series profiled Catherine Montgomery, an early 20th-century wilderness advocate who has been dubbed “the Mother of the Pacific Crest Trail.”
Mossback
The People of the Columbia River
In 1996, some of the oldest human remains ever found in North America were discovered along the banks of the Columbia River, ultimately illuminating Indigenous presence in the region since time immemorial.