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# Spiritualism in the Northwest
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/mossbacks-northwest-2/episode/spiritualism-in-the-northwest-bmn3tg/
- Published: 2026-10-22T23:00:59.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-29T12:30:11.000Z
- Description: Mediums traveled the region claiming to speak to the dead. Crowds flocked to see them.
- Author: Cascade PBS Staff
- Tags: Mossback's Northwest, Season 12, Episode 3, #ZZZ_Episode_b9ef232d-7311-4a11-ab9b-9ef313f688e2, #episode, #ZZZ_Show_50744e68-2011-417f-9f73-f880b010d33f, #v1.16

In the mid-19th century, a new way of thinking about death and the afterlife swept the country and the Northwest: Spiritualism. Itinerant mediums and astrologers conducted public events contacting the dead in the beyond. It also spawned a new entertainment industry: magicians and debunkers who followed in their wake exposing them as fakes.