Knute Berger

Mossback's Northwest

Host Knute Berger mines the Pacific Northwest's historical and cultural nuggets. Learn hidden backstories behind the region's most interesting treasures and discover why they're still relevant today.

The Black pioneer who launched the Puget Sound settlement

A racist Oregon Territory law drove George Bush, a free Black man, across the Columbia River to settle near what is now Olympia. Bush was Puget Sound's first settler and paved the way for what would become Washington state. Artifacts uncovered in Bush Prairie, George Bush's 1845 homestead, give clues about the family life of Puget Sound's first settler.