Blog Posts and Podcast Notes



Tours Kolby LaBree Tours Kolby LaBree

FREE BellingHistory Tours this summer!

Get outside with us and explore Bellingham’s past with free guided tours of Downtown and Fairhaven, hosted weekly throughout the summer by the City of Bellingham. The tours are part of the City’s efforts to highlight history and support economic recovery by bringing people into Bellingham’s historic commercial districts. We are excited to be able to help in these efforts and to make local history more accessible this summer with these brand new tours. We’ll take you back in time to explore Bellingham’s historic people, buildings, sites and landscapes…

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Bad Town Podcast, Podcast Kolby LaBree Bad Town Podcast, Podcast Kolby LaBree

BAD TOWN #3 BAD BUD TOWN

Late one night in 1902 two graduates from the state prison decide to rob a few of the boys at Butch’s Place Saloon. The clientele and bullets flew like promises at election time. Two men were wounded, one man killed, and two sent up the river for a stretch of 12 to 20 years.” And in all caps, a quote from Bad Bud Cox: “I’M GLAD THE WITNESSES ARE ALL YOUNG SO THAT THEY WILL LIVE UNTIL I GET OUT OF THE PEN AND CAN KILL THEM!”

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Historical Research Kolby LaBree Historical Research Kolby LaBree

Feed & Seed and a Belling-History Mystery Man

This post was inspired by a 1908 news blurb about a new building on Railroad Avenue to be occupied by Curt Pless’ Feed and Seed business, and Pless’ mysterious disappearance soon after. #Onthisday in #Bellinghistory October 3, 1908 the Herald reported on the “New Headquarters for the Pless Hay & Grain Company,” on the corner of Railroad and Magnolia, better known in recent years as the home of Avalon Records and Clark’s Feed and Seed, recently gutted by fire.  “One of the most up-to-date buildings of the year erected for housing a feed and grain business is the above warehouse, built at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Magnolia Street and leased for a long period by Curt Pless & Co.”  

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Historical Research Kolby LaBree Historical Research Kolby LaBree

"The Horseshoe Bar" and Barnum and Baileys Circus Bellingham 1908

While doing some research for the Horseshoe Café, I recently found myself sidetracked into the world of the Barnum and Bailey circus on their visit to Bellingham in 1908.  As a fan-girl of old-timey performers of the vaudeville and circus scenes, it was fairly easy to do….  Since today is the anniversary of the arrival of the Barnum and Bailey Circus in Bellingham #onthisday in 1908, I thought I’d share…

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Events, Tours Kolby LaBree Events, Tours Kolby LaBree

Pilot Pride Tours!

We have been working on amassing as much local LGBTQ related Belling-history as possible over the years. This is an ongoing project to which we are dedicated! We are excited to share what we know thus far with y’all in a free PILOT tour this weekend during Bellingham PRIDE.

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Historical Research Guest User Historical Research Guest User

Case Study: Lorena Upper the Female Barber

From these articles, it appears that Lorena was harassed while she was with customers, peeped-on through a spy hole, beaten by her accuser, and the case against her relied entirely on eyewitness testimony that itself relied heavily on euphemism and innuendo. The city brought forth witnesses who were almost entirely local business men and whose testimony is dripping with hearsay.

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