by John Sabella
May 17 2013 in History by John Sabella
In 1876, ambitious surveyor and mining engineer Amos Bowman reached Fidalgo Island with his wife and liked what he saw. Bowman envisioned a town carved from the forest that would become the “New York of the west” and serve as the railroad terminus for an anticipated railroad expansion across the north Cascades to the Pacific. He established [...]
by John Sabella
May 3 2013 in History by John Sabella
The 102-year-old halibut fishing schooner Tordensjkold spearheads a small fleet of Seattle-based commercial fishing vessels as they steam into their second centuries on the Alaska fishing grounds. Halibut fishing schooner-style is and always has been a family affair. Some of these venerable vessels have been passed from father to son to grandson, and nearly everybody [...]
by John Sabella
Apr 19 2013 in History by John Sabella
The crew that boarded the square-rigged sailing ship Star of Bengal at the Alaska Packers Association Wrangel cannery in September, 1908 was about to become unwilling participants in one of the great maritime disasters in Pacific Northwest history. There were 134 sailors and cannery hands on the ship, laden with 52,000 cases of canned salmon valued [...]
by Intern
Apr 12 2013 in History, People by Intern
Tacoma maritime history writer Chuck Fowler was recently honored by the Tacoma Historical Society for his work. At its annual meeting earlier this week, the society presented Fowler with its Murray Morgan Award in recognition of his “significant achievement in historical research and writing.” Murray Morgan, born in Tacoma, was a well-known journalist, author and [...]
by John Sabella
Apr 5 2013 in Boats, History by John Sabella
Boatbuilding emerged as one of the original industries in the Puget Sound region, with the Sound itself serving as the region’s first highway and trade route. The Mosquito Fleet, an armada of privately owned vessels that delivered cargo, passengers, mail and sustenance throughout the area, was the foundation of the region’s early economy. The construction [...]
Apr 1 2013 in Destinations, Guest Dock, History by Everyone's Travel Club - Blog
Captain wifey and I have been really excited to check out the newly relocated MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry) here in Seattle. The new location is perfect – nestled in the South Lake Union neighborhood, right next to the Center for Wooden Boats, there’s restaurants, it’s close to the Space Needle and the Seattle [...]
by John Sabella
Mar 22 2013 in History by John Sabella
In the previous installment of Northwest Nautical History, we looked at the advent of the king crab fishery in Alaska after World War II, when Northwest fishermen battled it out with the Japanese for dominance of what was a seemingly endless resource. Things changed abruptly after 1980. That year, Seattle-based Alaska king crab fishermen enjoyed [...]
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