Podcast
Mysterious Pacific Northwest
Hosted by Mysterious Pacific Northwest · EN
The pacific Northwest is home to some of the most beautiful places but also a mysterious dark history. From Big Foot to haunted cemeteries, serial killers, ship graveyards and notorious murders, each week your hosts Jen and Sarah will feature tales from the darkest places and people of the PNW.
42episodes
Episodes
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The Long Road to Oregon: Reflection
2d ago00:30:53Tap to summarizeFor the final episode of The Long Road to Oregon, we’re taking a step back.After following the trail through its stories, its people, and everything it carried with it, this episode is a reflection—on the series, the history, and what stayed with us after spending so much time on that road.It’s also a look back on two years of the show, how our storytelling has evolved, and what comes next.Thank you for being here with us through this series.Now streaming on all major podcast apps.#thelongroadtooregon #historypodcast #pnwhistory #oregontrail #pnwpodcast #twoyears #podcastcommunityBook list: The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey — Rinker Buckhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1476756474The Oregon Trail: An American Saga — David Daryhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0806136485The Indifferent Stars Above — Daniel James Brown (Donner Party, essential)https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061348112Across the Great Divide — Laton McCartneyhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0743249563Westward Expansion: A History of the American Frontier — Ray Allen Billingtonhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0826319812Frontier Regulars: The U.S. Army and the Indian — Robert M. Utleyhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0252068828Covered Wagon Women: Diaries and Letters (1840–1849) — Kenneth L. Holmeshttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0803272701Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey — Lillian Schlisselhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0805211769Surviving the Oregon Trail, 1852 — Mary Ann & Willis Boatmanhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0874222388
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The Long Road to Oregon: Where the trail ends
3d ago00:07:28Tap to summarizeFor the final episode of The Long Road to Oregon, we step back from the trail itself and look at what was left behind.Not just the miles traveled—but the lives changed along the way. The families who made it, the ones who didn’t, and the places that grew from a journey that was never as simple as it’s often remembered.This episode reflects on the road west—what it required, what it cost, and what still remains.Now streaming on all major podcast apps.#thelongroadtooregon #oregontrail #pnwhistory #historypodcast #americanhistory #westwardexpansion #pnwpodcastBook list: The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey — Rinker Buckhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1476756474The Oregon Trail: An American Saga — David Daryhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0806136485The Indifferent Stars Above — Daniel James Brown (Donner Party, essential)https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061348112Across the Great Divide — Laton McCartneyhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0743249563Westward Expansion: A History of the American Frontier — Ray Allen Billingtonhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0826319812Frontier Regulars: The U.S. Army and the Indian — Robert M. Utleyhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0252068828Covered Wagon Women: Diaries and Letters (1840–1849) — Kenneth L. Holmeshttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0803272701Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey — Lillian Schlisselhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0805211769Surviving the Oregon Trail, 1852 — Mary Ann & Willis Boatmanhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0874222388
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The Long Road to Oregon: The Denny party
4d ago00:10:27Tap to summarizeThe journey beyond the trail with the Denny Party—families who didn’t stop in Oregon, but continued north in search of something more.From a difficult landing at Alki Point to the first uncertain days of settlement across Elliott Bay, this episode explores what it meant to arrive… and realize the journey wasn’t over.This is the story of early Seattle—its beginnings, its challenges, and the people who chose to stay.Now streaming on all major podcast apps.#thelongroadtooregon #pnwhistory #seattlehistory #dennyparty #oregontrail #historypodcast #pacificnorthwest #americanhistorySources:https://www.historylink.org/file/426https://www.historylink.org/file/1009https://www.historylink.org/file/212https://www.historylink.org/file/790https://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/exhibits-and-education/digital-document-libraries/denny-partyhttps://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/exhibits-and-education/seattle-historyhttps://www.nps.gov/articles/denny-party.htmhttps://www.history.com/topics/us-states/seattle-washingtonhttps://www.britannica.com/place/Seattle-Washingtonhttps://www.duwamishtribe.org/historyhttps://suquamish.nsn.us/home/about-us/history/https://www.washingtonhistory.org/research/collections/https://www.historylink.org/file/2952https://www.historylink.org/file/410https://www.historylink.org/file/401https://www.seattlepi.com/local/seattle-history/article/Seattle-history-Denny-Party-Alki-Point-1851-12521850.phphttps://www.pacificnwmag.com/the-denny-party-and-the-founding-of-seattle/
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Bonus: The Long Road to Oregon- The version we played
1w ago00:13:23Tap to summarizeFor this episode of The Long Road to Oregon, we’re looking at a version of the trail many of us remember a little differently.Before the research, before the real stories—for a lot of us, it started with The Oregon Trail. Decisions, supplies, river crossings… and the message we all remember.This episode looks at what the game got right, what it left out, and how that version compares to the reality behind it.Now streaming on all major podcast apps.#thelongroadtooregon #oregontrail #historypodcast #pnwhistory #nostalgia #edutainment #pnwpodcastSources: https://www.computerhistory.org/tdih/oregon-trail/https://www.oregontrail.com/history/https://www.mnhs.org/education/resources/the-oregon-trail-gamehttps://www.pbs.org/video/oregon-trail-game-history/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-oregon-trail-game-became-classroom-staple-180962833/https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/14/15291674/oregon-trail-game-history-education-minnesotahttps://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Oregon-Trail-computer-gamehttps://www.died-of-dysentery.com/stories/history-of-the-game.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/science/03trail.htmlhttps://www.gamehistory.org/oregon-trail/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71204/brief-history-oregon-trail-gamehttps://www.wired.com/2014/07/oregon-trail/
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The Long Road to Oregon: The Donner Party
1w ago00:23:53Tap to summarizeFor this episode of The Long Road to Oregon, we follow one of the most infamous stories of the overland journey—the Donner Party.What began as a hopeful crossing turned into a fight for survival in the Sierra Nevada, where early snow, starvation, and impossible choices reshaped every life in the camp.This episode traces the full story—from the decision to take the Hastings Cutoff to the winter that held them in the mountains, told through firsthand accounts and historical record.Now streaming on all major podcast apps.#thelongroadtooregon #donnerparty #oregontrail #pnwhistory #historypodcast #westwardexpansion #americanhistory #truehistorySources:https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/donner-history/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/donner-primary-sources/https://www.nps.gov/places/donner-memorial-state-park.htmhttps://www.nps.gov/articles/000/the-donner-party.htmhttps://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/donner-partyhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Donner-Partyhttps://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/donner_party/https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-donnerparty/https://www.utahhumanities.org/stories/items/show/96https://www.truckeehistory.org/donner-partyhttps://www.sierranevadageotourism.org/entries/donner-party/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/donner-reed-diary/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/donner-breen-diary/https://www.library.ucdavis.edu/special-collections/donner-party/https://digitalcollections.library.unlv.edu/donner-party
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The Long Road to Oregon: The Whitman Mission
2w ago00:11:40Tap to summarizeFor the next episode of The Long Road to Oregon, we follow the story of the Whitman Mission—a place many emigrants passed through at the end of the trail, and where rising tension, disease, and cultural misunderstanding came to a breaking point in 1847.This episode looks beyond a single version of the story, tracing what led to that moment and what followed—through firsthand accounts, historical context, and the realities of a region already deeply lived in.Now streaming on all major podcast apps.#thelongroadtooregon #pnwhistory #oregontrail #historypodcast #americanhistory #nativehistory #pnwpodcastSources:https://www.nps.gov/whmi/learn/historyculture/index.htmhttps://www.nps.gov/articles/whitman-mission.htmhttps://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/whitman_massacre/https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/cayuse_war/https://www.historylink.org/file/5296https://www.historylink.org/file/5297https://www.britannica.com/event/Whitman-Massacrehttps://www.loc.gov/item/2006679053/https://www.loc.gov/collections/oregon-trail-miscellany/articles-and-essays/whitman-mission/https://www.whitman.edu/whitman-mission-historyhttps://www.nps.gov/whmi/learn/historyculture/cayuse.htmhttps://www.nps.gov/whmi/learn/historyculture/measles.htmhttps://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/whitman-massacre/https://www.wsna.org/whitman-mission-historyhttps://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/whitman-massacrehttps://www.historylink.org/File/5192
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The Long Road to Oregon: Sovereign Lands- The Native Peoples of the Oregon Trail
2w ago00:18:13Tap to summarizeThis episode of The Long Road to Oregon, we’re tracing the trail through the homelands of the sovereign nations who lived along its length—Otoe-Missouria, Pawnee, Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Shoshone, Nez Perce, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Chinookan peoples, and many more.This episode honors their history, their endurance, and the world emigrants entered long before the trail had a name.Sovereign Lands: The Native Peoples of the Oregon Trail, is out now everywhere you listen to Podcasts!#thelongroadtooregon #oregontrail #pnwhistory #historypodcast #indigenoushistory #nativehistory #oregonhistory #pnwpodcastSources:https://www.oregontrailcenter.org/indianshttps://historicoregoncity.org/2019/04/02/disrupting-the-natives/https://pacificu.libguides.com/c.php?g=1050460&p=7794169https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/death-on-trails.htmhttps://pacificu.libguides.com/c.php?g=1050460&p=7636236https://www.historylink.org/file/10365https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/war-on-the-oregon-california-trails.htmhttps://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon_trail/https://www.human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/History/State_and_Local_History/Oregons_History%3A_People_of_the_Northwest_in_the_Land_of_Eden/01%3A_Chapters/1.04%3A_Native_Americans_in_the_Land_of_Eden-_An_Elegy_of_Early_Statehoodhttps://oregontrail101.com/native.htmlhttps://www.legendsofamerica.com/indians-emigrants/https://ndnhistoryresearch.com/2023/12/14/integrating-tribal-perspectives-into-an-oregon-trail-history/https://www.obbg.org/blog/2023/08/the-oregon-trail-and-indigenous-people-heritage/https://ctuir.org/about/brief-history-of-ctuir/https://www.oregontrailcenter.org/indianshttps://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon_trail/https://www.oregontrail101.com/native.htmlhttps://www.historyonthenet.com/american-old-west-in-depthhttps://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/narratives/this-land-oregon/the-first-peoples/the-first-peoples/https://online.ucpress.edu/ch/article/99/3/53/189887/Retracing-The-Oregon-Trailhttps://www.nps.gov/articles/000/war-on-the-oregon-california-trails.htmhttps://www.ndnhistoryresearch.com/2023/12/14/integrating-tribal-perspectives-into-an-oregon-trail-history/https://www.eugenecascadescoast.org/blog/post/native-peoples/https://www.history.com/articles/oregon-trail
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The Long Road to Oregon: Women of the Oregon Trail- Hands that carried the West
2w ago00:13:49Tap to summarizeFor this of The Long Road to Oregon, we’re following the women who walked the trail long before it became history. The women who delivered children between river crossings, drove wagons when tragedy struck, held families together through sickness, storms, loss, and miles of dust. Their stories, woven through diaries and memories, shaped the trail just as deeply as any wagon wheel. Women of the Oregon Trail: The Hands That Carried the West is out nowhere everywhere you stream Podcasts!#thelongroadtooregon #oregontrail #pnwpodcast #historypodcast #pnwhistory #oregonhistory #womenofthetrail #americanhistorySources:The Oregon Trail Was Filled with Hardship and Surprises, these 16 Facts Prove It - History CollectionMatilda and Elizabeth Sager, the Oregon Trail (U.S. National Park Service)Portland Center Stage | Portland Center Stagehttps://www.nps.gov/oreg/learn/historyculture/womenonthetrail.htmhttps://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/women_in_oregon_history/https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/two/women.htmhttps://www.loc.gov/item/2007664658/https://www.fwhistory.com/portfolio/women-on-the-oregon-trail/https://www.jstor.org/stable/4308423https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/owh/id/47577https://www.octa-trails.org/women-of-the-trailhttps://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Oregon_Trail:_Women_on_the_Trailhttps://www.historynet.com/oregon-trail/https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6dj8fx6https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/abigail-scott-duniway/#.XxpfcyhKiUkhttps://www.sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/duniwayhttps://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/two/sager.htm
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The Long Road To Oregon: The Meek Cutoff
3w ago00:12:32Tap to summarizeWe’re launching a brand new Oregon Trail series—digging into the real stories behind the wagon ruts, the dangerous shortcuts, the lost parties, and the moments where hope and survival collided on the road west.Our first episode drops this week, starting with the Meek Cutoff, often called Oregon’s “other Donner Party.” A massive wagon train. A promised shortcut. A deadly desert passage. And a winter that nearly broke them long before the Willamette Valley came into view.Step into the trail with us. The Oregon Trail wasn’t just a road… it was a gamble—one many never returned from.#oregontrail #pnwpodcast #historypodcast #spookypodcast #truehistory #meekcutoff #oregonsdonnerparty #pacificnorthwest #graveyardofthepacific #podcastseries #historynerds #westwardexpansion #pnwhistory #americanhistory #storytellingpodcastSources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meek_Cutoffhttps://www.oregonpioneers.com/CooleyDiary.htmhttps://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Meek_Cutoffhttps://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/king-burial-and-a-letter/https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295993096/the-meek-cutoff/https://www.historylink.org/File/10727https://oregonoverland.com/4-new.pdfhttps://en.wikisource.org/wiki/en%3AOregon_Historical_Quarterly/Volume_35/Route_of_Meek_Cut-Off%2C_1845https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvcwnmpghttps://historicoregoncity.org/2019/04/02/free-emigrant-road-1853/https://oregontic.com/oregon-historical-markers/cutoff-fever/https://www.oregonpioneers.com/CooleyDiary.htmhttps://www.oregonoverland.com/4-new.pdfhttps://en.wikisource.org/wiki/en%3AOregon_Historical_Quarterly/Volume_35/Route_of_Meek_Cut-Off%2C_1845https://thatoregonlife.com/2023/06/meek-cutoff-oregon-trail-1845/https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Meek_Cutoff
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The Long Road to Oregon: The blue death, Cholera on the Oregon Trail
3w ago00:14:04Tap to summarizeFor our next episode on The Long Road to Oregon, we’re digging into one of the harshest realities emigrants faced on the trail: cholera.The sudden sickness that moved through camps without warning, took lives in hours, and left miles of quiet graves along the roadside. This chapter follows the real stories, the medical truth, and the families who tried to outrun a disease they didn’t understand.A hard piece of Oregon Trail history — but one that shaped every wagon that followed.The long road to Oregon: The blue death, Cholera on the Oregon Trail is out nowSources:https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/cholera-a-trail-epidemic.htmhttps://www.cdc.gov/cholera/index.htmlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2706430/https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon_trail_health/#.Vt2U9_krKUkhttps://www.nps.gov/oreg/learn/historyculture/disease.htmhttps://history.nebraska.gov/blog/cholera-platte-1849/https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/cholera-on-the-kansas-frontier/16825https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/one/odrsettl.htmhttps://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbtn.wr0693100/?st=galleryhttps://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/collection/ttp/id/52318https://oregonpioneers.com/ortrail.htmhttps://www.historynet.com/cholera-and-the-oregon-trail/https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/oregon-trail-disease.htmhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/20613800https://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/resources/essay_trail_health.htmlhttps://www.legendsofamerica.com/cholera/https://www.octa-trails.org/cholera_on_the_trail
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