The Ouija Broads: Tales from the Pacific Northweird

Liz tells Devon about Spokane's two totem poles: the "Hamat´sa Spirit" pole carved for Expo '74 by legendary Nuu-chah-nulth artist Joe David and his apprentice, Frank Charlie (also Nuu-chah-nulth); and a pole carved in 1977 by a non-Native man who went by Wobay Kitpou and Colville craftsman Michael Paul. Both totem poles were originally placed in Riverfront Park on what was then called Canada Isla...

Liz tells Devon about Spokane's Garbage Goat, an interactive, trash-eating sculpture from Expo '74 that has transcended its original purpose to welcome folks to the fair and encourage people to pick up trash and become a beloved icon of the city.  The Garbage Goat--Billy--is a steel sculpture that was created by Sister Mary Turnbull, aka "the welding nun," for Expo '74. Thanks to an internal vacuu...

Liz tells Devon about the 1906 murder of Spokane resident James Sloane, and his 17-year-old son, Sidney, who confessed to the killing.  On August 28, 1906, a body was discovered in a Spokane alley. The victim had been murdered with an axe, and was soon identified as James Sloane, proprietor of the local Sloane, Paine and Richmond grocery store. His older son, Sidney, confessed to the crime and was...

Devon tells Liz about some of the unique structures settlers in the PNW built out of the massive stumps left behind from logging, with a focus on The Stump House at Guillemot Cove in Washington. Devon also tells Liz about one stump that the fire chief blew up with an old shell left from the Battle for Seattle, and how he almost caught the banker on fire. We also try to track down the origins of a...

Liz tells Devon about Grant Chesterfield, the confidence man reading palms and conning crowds up and down the west coast (and then beyond) in the early 1900s. With several wives and a lotta lies, we're confident you'll be interested in this man. (Bonus: Liz tees up a future episode on Sidney Sloane, the Spokane teen who confessed to killing his father with an axe in 1906.) CW: DV, alcoholism, SW

Devon tells Liz about Seattle's current controversy with a feel-good ending: the story of the Hot Rat Summer mosaic in Capitol Hill's Cal Anderson Park. AKA "Saint Rat", Hot Rat Summer is a mosaic that has won the heart of its community while getting caught in city's larger push for tougher graffiti laws and punishments, as well as continuing the conversation about the importance of trans visibili...

Liz tells Devon about Peter Max, the German-American artist who designed the iconic US Expo '74 stamp, which features the “Cosmic Runner" or "Cosmic Jumper" traveling through a colorful world, and the controversy surrounding his false claim that he also illustrated The Beatles' film, "Yellow Submarine".  And just in time to close out Gay Wrath Month, Liz throws in a little bonus connection between...

Devon tells Liz about "fearsome critters"--characters from American logging camps that are not cryptids, despite often appearing on cryptozoological lists. We sneak in a Pride Month tie-in (are you a Squink or a Gumberoo? Bisexuals claim Ball-Tailed Cats, FYI), and Liz quizzes Devon on some old timey logging terms. 

Liz tells Devon the meaning behind the mysterious (and vaguely combative) SPOKANE WAS A RAILROAD TOWN billboards recently spotted in Spokane. She shares the cast of characters behind the boards, and ties the story in to Expo '74's legacy: "The best of what Expo was is the best of what Riverfront Park still is, which is a place where every body can come, and you don’t have to have a specific member...

The story of Oregonian Kent Couch's adventures in cluster ballooning.  

We discuss the case of William Toomey, a man who ended his journey in a church in Boise, Idaho and left quite a mystery behind.  It's mentioned at the top, but this episode is all about somebody who died from suicide, so skip it if needed. We also touch briefly on the issue of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, but don't go into any particular detail, just acknowledging that it happened and became a...

The Broads return with a new season about castaways, explorers, and wanderers. We open with Fu Sang, the legendary land that some believe is Oregon...

We close Skid Road with the man who gave it another one of its many names: Maynardtown. What makes a middle-aged doctor leave his family in Cleveland behind and trek the Oregon Trail? How far can someone go for the chance to marry the woman he loves? Most importantly, what is a magoozle and how does it give us not just Skid Road, but Seattle itself and even the entirety of Washington State? Only o...

Devon takes us down... deep down into the Seattle Underground! Let's learn about Bill Spiedel and the unique world he helped preserve beneath Seattle's streets.  (We kinda allude to this at one point but Spiedel did like a dash of flavor with his history, so let's take it all with a "as told by" grain of salt. I still don't quite buy that anybody lived with reverse toilets as a daily problem.) Thi...

This time we went all in on one block. Yes, one individual singular solitary block of Seattle. But there's quite a bit to say about this block, as it turns out. This is also an episode where the story necessitates talking about the anti-Asian attitudes and policies of late 19th/early 20th century Washington State and the U.S., including the Chinese Exclusion Act and the internment of Japanese Amer...

Devon tells Liz about the Flower of the North, Klondike Kate Rockwell! Content notes: Kate gets engaged while underage (probably), and toward the end of his life, Pantages was accused of sexually assaulting a minor. No details, we basically just say 'this was the accusation, he went to trial, he was convicted, then acquitted,' but wanted to give you the heads-up.  Ouija & Broads is available at th...

In our continuing Skid Road coverage, we explore how the business of pleasure shaped early Seattle.  Content notes: Plenty of mentions of sex work in here, one dude is accused of having an underage mistress, and there's a fatal shootout at the end. The West! Jeez...  Ouija & Broads is available at this link.  Patreon:  https://w ww.patreon.com/ouijabroads Website:  https://ouijabroads.com/ Faceboo...

The tale of the Golden Spruce and Grant Hadwin finds its conclusion at long last. 

Welcome to Ouija Broads: Skid Road! We kick things off with the tale of Henry Yesler, Seattle's city father who's really more of a city vodka aunt, his adventures, his influences, the Seattle he knew, and the intriguing women he loved. 

Liz and Devon emerge from their subterranean stronghold to tell people about technical turbulence, the new season's premiere date, and a delightfully surprising show tie-in.   Ouija & Broads is available at this link.  Patreon:  https://w ww.patreon.com/ouijabroads Website:  https://ouijabroads.com/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/OuijaBroads/ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/theouijabroads/ Inst...

Devon tells Liz about an animal that's made up, despite also being real.  Patreon:  https://w ww.patreon.com/ouijabroads Website:  https://ouijabroads.com/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/OuijaBroads/ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/theouijabroads/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/theouijabroads/

We're back! Devon tells Liz the first part of a tale about a very special tree: where it came from (botanically and spiritually) and what made it so special. CW: Mentions of the impact of colonization on the Haida people, including a smallpox epidemic. Brief mention of slavery. 

At long long last! The treasure, the lighthouse, the court battle, the things that remain. What a ride this story was.  For potential content concerns, all the same bad news is going on - drowning, shipwreck, etc. - and we also reference the Lincoln assassination and its method a few times. Also a brief opium mention. Patreon:  https://w ww.patreon.com/ouijabroads Website:  https://ouijabroads.com...

We continue our Graveyard of the Pacific coverage with the Brother Jonathan, an antebellum sidewheeler that loaded itself up with a fortune in gold and a rogue's gallery of Northwestern notables before running afoul of the Dragon's Teeth of St. George's Reef.

Devon tells Liz two tales from the Graveyard of the Pacific: a lost anchor, and a mysteriously abandoned ship.  CW: One of the theories for the abandoned ship involves a murderer and there's a brief mention of blood. And if you got that thalassophobia this is not your ep, my friend.