46: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

Owyhee County Museum Interview

This week, Cascadia is on the road. We visit the Owyhee County Museum in Murphy, Idaho to sit down with Eriks Garsvo, the director of the museum. We talk about some of the unique items they have on display, as well as the upcoming Outpost Days. Check them out online at http://owyheemuseum.org/ https://www.facebook.com/OwyheeCountyMuseum/ And visit them in person!

49: "Swiftwater" Bill Gates

Swiftwater was one of the interesting characters in history. He earned a fortune by mining in the Klondike, blew it all, and ended up murdered in Peru. All the way, he married several women, including two sisters and courted a third. It seems women would forever be his undoing.

48: Klondike Kate Rockwell

As a young woman, Klondike Kate traveled to the Gold Rush where she was able to build a fortune as a dancer, entertaining miners in Dawson, Alaska. She led a wild life for a while, but finally settled down in the state of Oregon where she built a boarding house and lived out her final years being called "Aunt Kate" by her neighbors.

47: The Whitman Massacre

Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were a missionary couple that set out west to start a mission among the Cayuse Indians. They helped blaze the Oregon Trail, but their end was tragic.

46: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus is a unique and rare creature that resides only in Cascadia. It resides in the coniferous forests found in the Olympic National Forest. It's a strange amphibian, residing on both land and sea. When on land it lives high in the trees so that few humans have actually seen one in the wild. We recently learned that the octopus could be extinct soon.  Decades of encroachment by humans have limited the range of the octopus and is endangering them. Coupled with the ever increasing population of the octopus' two natural predators, eagles and Sasquatch, these creatures could be gone within the next decade or so. If you are still reading this, happy april fool's day. Listen to this episode for a good laugh at some of our outtakes from the past year.