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 Great Seattle-Tacoma Blow-up

Seattle and Tacoma's biggest battle is over the name of our biggest mountain. Since the mid-19th century, Seattle and Tacoma have been business rivals. A focus of their fight: what to call Mt. Rainier. Tacomans wanted it renamed Tacoma or Tahoma, said to be the native names for the volcano, but the mountain’s “discoverer” named it for a friend in the Royal Navy. Rainier survives, but the discussion has been rekindled after Alaska’s Mt. McKinley was renamed “Denali.”