Pacific Northwest History & Seattle Stories

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: Searching for ghosts of Seattle’s storm signal towers

From the 1890s to the early 1960s, a succession of tall buildings in downtown Seattle were used as signal towers to warn mariners of coming storms.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

Seattle owes its existence to its most invisible waterway

While it may be invisible, the author of a new book says Seattle owes its very existence to the Duwamish River flowing under the West Seattle Bridge.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: Like CHOP, Cal Anderson Park has a history of changing its name

The CHOP has been known by a few names. Next door, Cal Anderson Park has also been known by multiple names, but over a much longer period.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

Mysterious Haitian ‘Phoenix Button’ found along Puget Sound

Phil Massie has found all kinds of things over the years that he’s been actively treasure hunting. But until recently, he’d never found a Phoenix Button.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: The story of William Grose, one of Seattle’s earliest black entrepreneurs

William Grose is a 19th century wealthy Seattleite and black community leader who isn’t as well-known as he should be in his adopted hometown.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

Artist hopeful, but understanding if protesters ‘need to destroy’ East Precinct art

The artist who created an installation for the lobby of the Seattle Police Department’s embattled East Precinct says she's OK if the work gets destroyed.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: Seattle’s other ‘temporary protest place-names’ before CHAZ

While everyone from President Trump on down is weighing in on the "CHAZ," this isn’t the first time that part of Seattle has been given a temporary protest name.

6 years ago

Black Heritage Society of Washington State...

Feliks Banel

Black Heritage Society and the past, present, and future of African-Americans in the Northwest

Seattle has a long history of segregation and racial discrimination, which the Black Heritage Society of Washington has been documenting for years.

6 years ago

Northwest nicknames, Durn Good Grocery...

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: Nicknames for Northwest companies are a form of ‘tough love’

Nicknames for Northwest companies represent a certain kind of “tough love” for businesses that some people love to buy stuff from.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

Rethinking Confederate monuments in Seattle and beyond

Based on history and reality, I can no longer argue for preserving Confederate monuments in place, especially on public land.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

Long history of racial and economic unrest in Seattle

The history of Seattle and the post-settlement era of the Pacific Northwest is rife with violent episodes rooted in conflicts over race, economics and often both.

6 years ago

Bettie Luke, sister of late Seattle City Councilmember Wing Luke, organized an event to mark the 12...

Feliks Banel

Hidden history of anti-Chinese violence

Local historian Feliks Banel tells story from 1886 that should be better known, especially in a time when Seattle is struggling with growth and change, and the nation is still struggling with immigration and discrimination.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: Mystery of Union Slough and other Snohomish River stories

If you've ever taken I-5 through Everett, you might have noticed that the highway crosses the Snohomish River and three distinct "sloughs."

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

Layers of hidden history in Seattle building’s long-forgotten ‘Prohibition Room’

There are mysteries aplenty in a downtown Seattle building opened to the public in early 1933 during the depths of the Great Depression.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: Take a trip down Newcastle’s Marijuana Road

When it comes to the names of local places that don't show up on any map, Newcastle's "Marijuana Road" is about as good as it gets.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

Couple revives classic Sheridan Market in Lake Forest Park

Sheridan Market, a classic old mom-and-pop grocery store north of Seattle, may be coming back to life, thanks to the efforts of a local couple.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

KIRO Radio listeners recall Mt. St. Helens eruption

To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, KIRO Radio has gathered exclusive excerpts from an audio diary recorded in Yakima 40 years ago.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: Mount St. Helens named for International Man of Mystery

The Northwest is marking the 40th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens, a peak which could easily have been known by a different name.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: Searching for the ‘Devil’s Elbow’ east of Renton

With the pandemic keeping many people closer to home, a lot of us are exploring the areas around where we live with new and deeper curiosity.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

Even Amazon wasn’t as powerful as the Hudson’s Bay Company

Hudson’s Bay Company, which is observing its 350th anniversary this week, played a major role in the development of what's now the Pacific Northwest.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: Old steam locomotives hidden all over Washington

When we reported that an old locomotive was for sale in Oregon, listeners responded with details on plenty of other locomotives still on display in the Evergreen State.

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

All Over The Map: Is it time to bring home Seattle’s beloved old locomotive?

While the giant number 1246 locomotive has been absent from Seattle for 40 years, could it be time to bring the old "Iron Horse" back home?

6 years ago

Feliks Banel

Government quarantines in Washington began in the 19th century

19th-century travelers in the Northwest from overseas were screened for disease, and if they were suspected of being ill, they were put into quarantine.