A little about myself: I am a graduate from Western Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Though my specialization was in pre-modern Europe (I wrote my thesis on the Great London Fire) I took courses in PNW History that spurned on an amateur specialization in the subject past my formal education. I have worked in history museums in Whatcom Museum of History in Bellingham as well as a far smaller museum in Issaquah for the past three years.

My fellow AMA-er /u/retarredroof has a far more professional background. If there is any question I can't answer especially in regards to native peoples please ask him!

I will do my best to answer questions as they come, while still holding up to the standards of a good /r/askhistorians source driven answer. There is no inappropriate or ignorant question, but please respect the rules of the sub.

How did Pacific Northwest natives treat the Cascade mountains and volcanoes? Do the mountains have any special place in their culture or mythology? Do they appear in their art? Do we know anything about natives' reactions to volcanic eruptions and the like?

Good Morning, I am /u/retarredroof. I am a retired environmental professional who worked for a federal agency for 25 years doing CRM and other compliance work. Following my BA in Anthropology (1973) I did a three year stint in a PhD program in archaeology. That was followed by an MES in Environmental Studies in the late 80s. Prior to civil service I worked in the CRM bubble as a consulting archaeologist from 1974-1990. I am primarily a Plateau archaeologist, but have done survey, salvage and mitigation work on the Northwest Coast, Northern Great Basin and the North Coast Ranges of California. My interests are in pre and post-contact settlement systems and technologies, the onset of sedentary villages in the NWC and Plateau, and regional exchange/trade in the PNW.

How common was it for SE Alaskan tribes to raid south? I have heard that the Haida paddled as far south as Whidbey Island for a revenge killing (carried out against Captain Ebey), but I don't know if this was common or even true.

Why does the Pig War get so little press? With phrases like "54 40 or Fight!" being tossed around, it seems like the northern border was a real problem for a long time, but I've never ever seen this taught in any history course.

Hey there! I'm from a small town on the Olympic Peninsula called Port Townsend. I have two questions for you guys.

First, people in my hometown like to talk about how we were poised to be Washington's big, hopping city instead of Seattle. Then, according to legend, the railroads decided to stop their tracks short of our fine city and basically screwed us over. As a result, Seattle is our trade and cultural center and we're a quaint little tourist town. Is there any truth to this? If so, what railroad baron bastard is responsible?

Second, this past year we changed our high-school mascot from the Redskins to something much lamer and less offensive. This has been a huge controversy in our little town, with one side arguing that Redskins is offensive and this change was well overdue, and the other extremely angry that we're losing part of our proud heritage. (For what it's worth, I'm glad they changed the name). Historically, how offensive was the term Redskin? Was it commonly used to demean native peoples, or have us hippie liberals blown it out of proportion in recent years?

Thanks for taking the time to do this!

I'm always interested in hearing about trade routes and trade contacts. Prior to European contact, what sort of goods were being circulated within the region, what was being imported from other areas, and what was being exported back out?

After European contact, how did European and Native trading systems intermingle? In particular, I've heard in passing about a Tlingit-Hudson's Bay Company trading conflict, but I don't know much about it. Can either of you elaborate on that?

Also, any book or documentary recommendations?

I don't know much about the U.S. History, So my question will be somewhat simple: Did the people who lived in the Oregon Country want to be in the U.S. or in the British North America (Canada?)?

What was the impact of the Civil War on the Pacific Northwest?

Where did the people who left Vanport, Oregon go to after the flood? I know a good amount of the African American population went to other parts of North East Portland, but considering it was the second biggest city in Oregon there were a lot more people.

And what percentage or portion of the population left before the flood and was their a difference in the ending location of these exoduses?

Thanks

I have another one!

I lived in Eugene for a couple of years when I was a kid. I had terrible allergies there - chronic nosebleeds, itchy eyes. Supposedly, bad air got trapped in the valley and made allergies worse for some people.

My mom claimed that native people avoided the area for this reason and that they called Eugene the city of sickness and the Willamette Valley the valley of death. Is there any truth to this? Or is this another of my mother's crazy tales I was dumb enough to believe?

I had always heard that a lot of the funding for the rebuilding of Seattle post the 1889 fire came from the brothel owners. Is there any truth to this, or is it just Seattle folklore?

I'm from Vancouver Island, but aside from the limited history they taught us in school, know very little about it. What is one thing I should know but was probably not taught?

Four questions:

1. With regards to pre and post contact how did the natives and Europeans view the worth of similar goods if possible to know? What I mean is, were certain goods seen as normal and not particularly valuable by Natives but seen as luxury items and incredibly valuable by settlers (or vice versa) and their trading partners?

2. What (if any) tools or inventions were specifically created for life or trade in the Pacific Northwest?

3. What was the role of women in this region? My understanding was that it was a frontier region; so were women active in hunting/trading and generally empowered? What I guess I'm asking is would a woman be treated as an equal if she were a hunter or gatherer and how many women would actually want go into these roles?

4. Were the natives treated necessarily any different than in other regions of North America because of the value of this region?

Who were the first people who were not from the new-world to meet these people, and what were their reactions

Hello;

I hope I'm not too late. I live in Bellingham and near the Padden Creek area of Harris Avenue is this plaque noting the discovery of a Spanish chalice dated 1640. It was found during the late 19th century when Fairhaven was being platted.

Any idea about the historicity of this find, and who may have left it there?

Is there any reliable record of tsunamis from Pacific Northwest first nations sources? How did they deal with tsunamis?

Calloway's One Vast Winter Count talks about salmon being as important to NW Coast populations as buffalo were to the Plains cultures.

Talk to me about Native North West populations and salmon.

I want to know when, where, how they caught the salmon. How did they process the catch? Were whole communities involved? What was everyone's role? Did major trade fairs coincide with the salmon runs as disperse populations descended on the rivers during the height of the salmon runs? How long would processed salmon last before turning bad? What kinds of foods were made with the catch?

Thanks a bunch.

Apologies if your question hasn't been answered yet, I'm getting to them as fast as I can.

This is an awesome AMA, living in the far south of the PNW (Humboldt County).

I have three separate questions that are unrelated to each other:

Q.1. My first question is about the Seattle General Strike of 1919-- most of the information I've read is scant, but I'm especially interested in knowing what the popular regional response was to the events. Were there sympathy strikes? Did people muster support for the strikers? Did it make life difficult for people who lived in the region?

Q.2. I did not grow up here, but I've noticed that there seems to be a large population of self-identified and ideological white supremacists (at least in Northern California). I've read that California has the largest number of hate groups, so perhaps I'm experiencing something that goes beyond the region I live in, but it's well known that the unincorporated town just north of where I live used to be a hotbed for Klan activity. Is there a reason why white supremacists might be drawn to the area? Did they migrate to the region, or does the movement appear to be indigenous?

Q.3. Did the First Nation inhabitants practice any sort of sustained forestry management techniques or terraforming? Broadly speaking, I'm curious to know if there was any serious earth-working or engineering projects similar to those found in the Midwest. ALSO! To what extent did peoples from the region obtain goods from far flung places? I've read that extensive trade networks would bring things from as far away as Mexico to places like the East Coast, so I'm curious to know what might have been exported and imported by peoples from the region. (As an aside: I remember seeing something like chain mail armor in New York City's American Museum of Natural History made of Chinese coins, indicating that indigenous people had made it. Was this re-purposing of materials common?)

What are the roots of the anarchist movement pre-1994?

How much contact did Russian colonists and traders have with other European colonial powers?

I heard from a docent on a historical tour once that the reason Washington State is called Washington instead of Columbia was that people might have confused it with The District of Columbia. Of course, now we confuse Washington State with Washington, District of Columbia all the time. Was this really the reason for avoiding the name Columbia or was the docent just spinning a memorable tale?

Q1 Are there any good books or sources that either of you would recommend about the Russians interactions with the natives in Alaska and the northwest?

Q2 On that note, are there any good books you recommend on the natives of the Pacific Northwest in general?

I really enjoy many of the beers produced in the Pacific Northwest and was wondering how far back we can trace the production of alcoholic beverages. Is there evidence for it with pre-contact native people? What type of drinking alcohol could you expect early in the European settlement of the area?

Did the natives smelt copper (or other metals) before European contact? Or was it traded up from southern regions? If so, what was their medium of exchange? Were large carved totem poles made with stone tools?

What is known about the culture and religious practices of the people who inhabited the area around Washington State's Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington? I'm particularly interested in pre-contact culture, but open to anything.

Okay guys, that's it! Thank you for all of the wonderful questions that were asked. I was afraid in the beginning I wouldn't be answering very many questions but it was the opposite - I couldn't answer all of them. Apologies for any questions I couldn't get too.

I am going to watch the Sounders-Timbers match and maybe get some sunshine later on. Have a great day everyone!

Seattle specific: given that it's a day or three apart, is Georgetown or Alki considered the historic "true" birthplace of Seattle?

What various bits of mythology surround the Seattle fault? Didn't the Duwamish believe it was a big serpent?

Totem poles have been made famous by the native inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest. Has there been any "totem poles" in other relative areas, such as west/central Alaska and perhaps even pacific islands?

Also, was the whaling industry significant in the area? If so, how did the economy adjust with the advent of gas-powered "light?"

As a Vancouver Islander, I've heard bits and pieces about Spanish/British conflict on the western side of the island around Nootka Sound, and that war was actually considered imminent between the two parties over land rights, but I know little about it (although I've been to Friendly Cove, and the church there has a stained-glass panel of them signing some accord or other). What happened between the Brits and the Spaniards?

What is your take on Bigfoot historical anecdotes? Not asking whether you think he's real or not. But what in your opinion is the most likely explanation for the Indian folklore stories about the Sasquatch or "wildman"?

Thank you!

I am very late to the party, but I have a question! In my family we have a story that when delegates were gathering in Salem to work on the whole statehood issue those in favor of slavery realized there weren't enough of them to win, but enough that they were required to be there for a quorum. So they decided to hide in the barn of Nicholas Shrum, and did so until the sheriff found them and told them to do what they had cone there for. Anyway, how much truth is there to this, and are their any good sources that discuss this embarrassing moment in v our history? I'd like a source more reputable than my current one, which is a family cookbook.

Are there any Russian buildings or sites I could visit while up there?

Other than Murdering Holiness, can you recommend sources on the religious sect led by Franz Creffield? I am less interested in his murder by George Mitchell and more into how the sect interacted with the people of Corvalis and Oregon in general.

I heard some of the old timers up there say that after Mount St. Helens erupted, the climate changed somewhat. Many claimed the winters and summers were harsher before the eruption than after. Is there any truth to a localized climate change that can be tied to the volcano?

Can you talk about Scandinavian immigration to the Pacific NW?

do you consider the borders in the us defined by the state lines or more everything west of the cascades?

I don't know if this is your field or not (more anthropology related), but a few years ago there was a discovery of skeletal remains in the Pac NW that were a) either the, or among the very oldest remains found in North America, and b) early analysis appeared to show that they were not related to extant Native American groups.

There was a lot of fuss and bother about it and the last I heard was, I believe, that the local Native American tribe successfully sued to recover the remains, and so there has been no further scientific analysis.

Is this correct, and is there any update on the situation?

thanks.

On the Olympic peninsula, during inital settlement, how was land offered for homesteaders? How did we get from land offered for farming to the current Olympic National Park?

Where does the name oregon come from? I've head that no one actually knows the real source

I know this is late, just saw it today.

I live in Carnation, graduated from Skyline 02 so it's cool to see you answering questions /u/thegodsarepleased

My Q, if you could or don't mind the late submission, is: Every once and a while I see articles come up that they found more mammoth bones. Is there any ongoing work in Western WA/OR to excavate these mammoths and any associated work to excavate their hunters?

How's that work going, and where could I go to see?

Thanks!

Considering that recognizable"states" coalessed throughout Central and South America, as well as in the Mississippi Valley, were there any states or cities in the pacific northwest pre-contact?

Also, is there any evidence of metallurgy?

I'm from AZ and we have cliff dwellings and other Native American ruins. Are there ruins in the Pacific Northwest?

When did Portland become "weird"? Has it always been a hotbed for counter-culture, or is it a recent development?

How does the camas root taste? What was the main diet of Olympic Peninsula inhabitants if you discount fish and meats?

What caused the people of Washington to want to name their state after the nation's first president? Were they out of ideas, were there other serious contenders?

What are your favorite books regarding this area in general? And regarding Idaho specifically?

There was a new article about a British shingle being found in British Columbia about two years back, I'm sorry i can't show you the article (try googling it, it's just a whole bunch of vaccines for shingles) but how do you think it got there?

Other than the US military telegraph running up to the Puget Sound in the 1850's, what were some other early telegraph lines that served Washington Territory?

Is there any truth to David Neiwert's Strawberry Days (2005) about Japanese internment and the fortunes of Kemper Freeman, Bellevue landowner? Is the Freeman family fortune significantly derived from stolen Japanese land? Have there been reparation efforts?

Why didn't the battle of Battle Ground happen?

How did the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition affect the area and are the affects from that event still seen today? Also what would be culturally acceptable at that fair but not at the 1962 world fair. Lastly how did Boeing , Microsoft , Nike , Amazon and Starbucks culturally affect the area especially Boeing since it's been here for the longest.

I grew up in Brookings, Or and we used to hear about a Japanese plane that dropped a fire bomb on the forest near there with the intentions of starting a forest fire. I've never heard much other information other then that. Did it really happen?

in Marietta, wa there is an abandoned government facility. the locals call it the 'radar shack', even though it is surrounded by hills. any idea where to get more info? my son is doing a history of 'forgotten' military bases around Washington. we know of the whidby, eby, worden complexes, as well as the one near crescent beach. we have the nike site and the old fort Bellingham. my son is a grad of wwu as well, this spring in fact. phil, blaine, wa

From WA and have been wondering, when the Civil War was going on over east what was happening in the PNW during that time? Were they preparing for war, were they worried about it at all?

How important was sea life (orca, fish species, etc.) to the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest? I'm speaking in broad terms here, thinking of fishing, mythology, culture, etc. Did they have any deities that were related to the sea?

I know you left for the night but can you tell me anything about the Centralia Massacre? There doesn't seem to a definitive narrative from the local residents about what happened (the ones that know about it at least).

How did rattlesnake lake (and the mountain and park) get its name?

What can you tell me about Stretch Island Washington and the Native Americans that lived in the area?

I have two questions.

First, how exactly did the so called "gift economies" of the North-West actually work? My understanding is limited, but apparently it was foreign enough that the government tried to phase it out in favor of capitalism?

Second, it's my understanding that Russia had expanded East through Siberia and eventually continued expanding into Alaska and even down the coast. What was the extent of Russian interactions with the natives and did the Russians realize they had crossed onto another continent, or even further that it was the one the Western colonial powers had found by going west?

I'd like to know about the economics of pre-contact coastal British Columbia. Was it really a gift economy? What does that even mean, anyway?

What were the causes and effects of the 1885 Tacoma riots?

The Pig War makes no goddamn sense. Please help me understand the Pig War.

Sounds great, but what are your actual academic credentials?

I recently took a trip to Seattle for the first time. In my experience it seemed like a dirty city that was old, and needs to become more modernized. I then thought about other major american cities that are cleaner and more modern. The 4 that came to mind quickest were New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Fransico. Then I realized all three of those cities have been destroyed in some way and rebuilt (NY: Burned, Boston: Burned, flooded with molasses, Chicago: burned, SF: Several major earthquakes). If I remember my history correctly, Seattle began as a mining town, but has never really experienced any disasters. Do you beleive this is just a coincidence, or is there something to this?