The Podcast: Bellinghistory 101


Postcard "A View of Bellingham, Wash. from the waterfront" shows the town viewed from the bay with logs floating in it, the Bellingham Hotel with radio tower and old city hall, many other buildings depicted

Summary

This episode is a quick-and-dirty overview of the "Bellinghistory" background that might be useful to know while listening to the podcast. Our stories are largely based here in this Bellingham, Washington in the "fourth corner" of the U.S., aka the PNW.  If you don’t need a quick refresher on US/Washington/PNW and the basics of how the town of B-ham came to be here, feel free to skip this one!  If you just can't get enough we’ve got lots of resources and links for further exploring these topics in our show notes below!


LISTEN


The Salish Sea Map ©Deborah Reade

Resources

Lummi Nation www.lummi-nsn.gov Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lummicommunications/

The Nooksack Tribe www.nooksacktribe.org Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NooksackIndianTribe

Children of the Setting Sun https://settingsunproductions.org/

Young and Indigenous Podcast : https://settingsunproductions.org/young-and-indigenous-podcast

Pauline Hillaire - Lummi Legends on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Doe5JTAWwXtnthk2CTZs5?si=RbMNQwzbTn2Zg9uuxsnPZA

People of the Sea and Cedar Exhibit

https://www.whatcommuseum.org/virtual_exhibit/universal_exhibit/vex29/index.htm

https://www.whatcommuseum.org/exhibition/people-of-the-sea-and-cedar/

“What About Those Promises? A Historical Stageplay Remembering Treaty Obligations.” Children of the Setting Sun Productions, YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXTGMn5ytl4

WWU Bham Racial History Timeline – https://wp.wwu.edu/timeline/

“Bellingham, Washington.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, March 4, 2023 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellingham,_Washington

Cahn, David. The 1907 “Bellingham Riots in Historical Context.” Seattle Civil Right & Labor History Project, University of Washington, 2008. http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/bham_history.htm

Ceretti, Josh. “Bellingham History From Below.” Virtual Tour, YouTube https://youtu.be/5zDmQ8KBo2E Nov 1, 2021

Colasurdo, Luke. The Internment of Japanese Americans as Reported by Seattle Area Weekly Newspapers. A Seattle Ethnic Press Report. 2005. Available online at Seattle Civil Right & Labor History Project, University of Washington: http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/news_colasurdo.htm

Edson, Lelah Jackson. The Fourth Corner Highlights from the Early Northwest. Whatcom Museum of History and Art: Bellingham, 1968.

Englesberg, Paul. The 1907 Bellingham Riot and Anti-Asian Hostilities in the Pacific Northwest. http://www.canadiansikhcentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Bellingham-Riots-Paul-Englesber.pdf

Ficken, Robert E. and Charles P. LeWarne. Washington, A Centennial History. University of Washington Press, 1988.

Friday, Chris. “’No Backward Steps?' A Centennial Perspective on the History of Bellingham,” Journal of the Whatcom County Historical Society. April 2004, 25–41.

Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs. “Treaty of Point Elliott, 1855.” Resources, Treaties. Accessed Jan 15, 2023. https://goia.wa.gov/tribal-government/treaty-point-elliott-1855

Griffey, Trevor, The Washington State Klan in the 1920s Chapter 4 – The Strongest Chapter in WA: Bellingham’s KKK. Seattle Civil Right & Labor History Project, University of Washington, 2007. http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/kkk_bellingham.htm

Hedden, Andrew and Morgan, Ian. “Present In All That We Do.” (Film) Available online at Seattle Civil Right & Labor History Project, University of Washington: http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/bham_film.htm

Jeffcott, Percival R. Nooksack Tails and Trails. Ferndale, Washington: Sedro-Woolley Courier Times Press. 1949.

Keyes, Sean. “Fraser Gold Rush prospectors exit for Victoria, B.C. and debt ruins Whatcom merchant on October 4, 1858.” Essay 8193, HistoryLink, June 28, 2007. https://www.historylink.org/File/8193

“Lewis and Clark Expedition” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, March 7, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition

Lieb, Emily. “Bellingham — Thumbnail History.” HistoryLink.org Essay 7904, Aug 20, 2006. Accessed January 2023. https://www.historylink.org/file/7904

“Manifest Destiny.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, April 2, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny

Marshall, Daniel P., Laura Neilson Bonikowsky, Eric Wright. “Fraser River Gold Rush” The Canadian Encyclopedia, August 9, 2019, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fraser-river-gold-rush

McCarty, Laura. “Henry Roeder and Russell Peabody establish Whatcom Mill on Bellingham Bay in December 1852.” HistoryLink.org Essay 5399, March 11, 2003. Accessed January 2023. https://www.historylink.org/File/5399

Murphyao, Amanda and Kelly Black. “Unsettling Settler Belonging: (Re)naming and Territory Making in the Pacific Northwest.” American Review of Canadian Studies, 2015 Vol. 00, No. 00, 1–17, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02722011.2015.1063523

Oakley, Janet. “Captain George Pickett begins construction of Fort Bellingham on August 26, 1856.” Essay 7098. December 6, 2004. Accessed January 2023. https://www.historylink.org/File/7098.

Oakley, Janet. “Whatcom County — Thumbnail History” HistoryLink.org, Essay 7327. July 31, 2005. https://www.historylink.org/file/7327

“Oregon Trail” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, March 30, 2023 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail

Prosch, Thomas W. The Military Roads of Washington Territory. WHQ II, 1907: 119- 126.

Relyea, Kie. Project Reflects on Expulsion of Chinese from Whatcom County 125 Years Ago. Bellingham Herald, November 7, 2010. http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article22202538.html

Riddle, Margaret. “Donation Land Claim Act, spur to American settlement of Oregon Territory, takes effect on September 27, 1850.” Essay 9501, HistoryLink, July 17, 2013, https://www.historylink.org/file/9501

Roth, Lottie Roeder. The History of Whatcom County Vol. I. Chicago: Pioneer Historical Publishing Company, 1926.

Scott, James W. and Daniel E. Turbeville III. Whatcom County in Maps 1832-1937. Center for Pacific Northwest Studies and The Fourth Corner Registry, 1983.

Suttles, Wayne P. Coast Salish Essays. Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1987.

Treaty of Point Elliott, 1855 Posted 1/01/2000 HistoryLink.org Essay 2629 https://historylink.org/File/2629

Van Miert, E. Rosamonde Ellis. Settlers, Structures & Ships on Bellingham Bay 1852-1889. Centennial Edition. Applied Digital Imaging, 2004.

White, Anna. “James Tilton Pickett: A Reflection.” Journal of the Whatcom County Historical Society. April 2000.

Zinn Education Project: https://www.zinnedproject.org/

Loads of resources for PNW history here: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/history-pnw/primary-WA

Graffiti on old structure at Northern State Asylum Recreation Area in Sedro Woolley, Washington

 

We want to thank Devin Champlin and the late, great, Lucas Hicks for the use of the ol’ Gallus Brothers tune “Too Bad West Coast Blues.” You can find that tune and more on bandcamp at https://thegallusbrothers.bandcamp.com/ and https://devinchamplin.bandcamp.com/ and you can find Devin at Champlin Guitars in Bellingham! <3 <3 <3


Previous
Previous

The Podcast: Big Birds in Bad Town

Next
Next

The Podcast: Origin Stories Mini-sode