One of our favorite “historic markers” along Harris Avenue in Fairhaven is the one that reads “Cleopatra’s Barge, Lions and Camels Paraded Here 1891”   near the west end of the Padden Creek Lagoon…

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…

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.

We’re having a party to celebrate the kickoff of our 2019 Summer Tour Season, and the premier of BELLINGHAM CRIBS EPISODE 2! THURSDAY JUNE 20th from 7-9 PM in the MOUNTAIN ROOM AT BOUNDARY BAY

We’re excited to announce this opportunity to get outside and get some FREE Belling-history this summer with three guided historical tours in partnership with the Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department.

Good Time Girl guides will lead three different historical walking tours based around Maritime Heritage Park and Whatcom Creek!

We wanted to share a fun little piece of boozy Belling-history from our collection – a little booklet from 1953: “Hints for the Home Bar” from the Pastime restaurant and lounge… 

Given that much of the subject matter on our tours involves lawbreaking folks, we have always been particularly interested in the jail, and in particular the experiences of women in the legal system. On our Downtown Sin and Gin Tours, we discuss the creation of the women’s ward in the jail, and the hiring of female wardens. In case you can’t get enough jail fun facts, here’s a sampler of some jail history from our notes.

We've been honored to be your punk rock historians for these seven years, but the time has come for us to step aside and allow this wacky business to grow and change under new leadership. We are delighted to share that Good Time Girls is now officially in the hands of longtime guides, Kolby LaBree and Wren Urbigkit. We can't wait to go on their tours with all of you! 

The find of a locally made vintage fur coat sparked research into historic furriers and fur fashion trends here in Bellingham, Washington! 

In 1911 two young Bellingham women caused a “Flurry” on Holly Street by wearing the latest controversial ladies’ fashion… the “Harem Skirt.”  Despite the name, the scandalous aspect of the “Harem Skirt” was really about women wearing “men’s wear,” or pants.

"There is a trusting I’ve found that fuels my confidence as an artist.  When I look at a piece that I have just completed, particularly in my collage work, there is a wise reveal.  An inside look; a gift of shape, line and color that speaks to a moment of truth.  Often my work will share with me something I didn’t know."

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.

When and why were roads first paved on a major scale?  What's the difference between an Ordinary and a safety?  What revolutionary change came to cycling in the 1890's, what significance did the bicycle have for women - and why did penny-farthings have such a big front wheel? Learn the answers to these questions, and many more. Join husband and wife Gabriel and Sarah Chrisman as they give a presentation about Victorian bicycles. They will travel to Bellingham from Port Townsend on their historic bikes, Gabriel on his 1887 Singer Challenge bicycle.

The show is a series of nude portraiture created through collaboration between model and photographer with a focus on pride in one's self.

Libraries, archives and other repositories of knowledge aren’t places that were built for people like me. I love learning new stuff and uncovering facts from primary sources, BUT I do not learn well in the traditional model of sit-quietly-and-read. I exclaimed in class a lot as a kid… and as an adult. I LOVED group projects, group discussions, asking questions, presentations, film projects, anything that involved a lot of talking and working with others. I HATED reading text books, writing papers, studying alone... Being alone. I felt sure that this was a defect. I tried very hard to do the things I hated, thinking I was doing learning wrong.

Our little downtown Bellingham shop space has the loveliest window displays, more like glass cubbies flanking the entryway than just an open window area. They're charming and bright... And a little bit intimidating! 

Our business anniversary is just around the corner. It's hard to believe that Marissa and I started this little operation this time nearly three years ago. We began with the idea that we'd share some stories about local history while dressed in costume. We worried that no one would show up, but we knew that at the very least we'd have fun.

Fast forward through three tour seasons, countless special events, and the filming of a documentary series, and you'll end up smack dab in the heart of downtown Bellingham, 217 West Holly Street: The new home for our business, The Bureau of Historical Investigation.

I discovered Herr Dames by complete accident in April of 2011 while researching the microfilmed archives of the old Bellingham Herald. What had started out as a quest to develop a walking tour about the turn of the century red light district that had operated legally in my weird little northwest town, evolved into a general fascination with all minutiae of odd and obscure figures and facts about the place I had come to call home.

A message in a bottle was found on a beach in B.C., originally dropped in the ocean by a guy named Earl Willard en route from “Frisco” to Bellingham in 1906. The find made news partly because it may be the oldest surviving message in a bottle to date.  We also found it exciting that the message inside listed a visible Bellingham address!