The official podcast companion to Mossback’s Northwest, a video series about Pacific Northwest history from Cascade PBS. Mossback features stories that were left on the cutting room floor, along with critical analysis from co-host Knute Berger. Hosted by Knute Berger and Stephen Hegg
Mary Vaux Walcott and the Vanishing Glaciers of the Northwest
As soon as Mary Vaux arrived in the Canadian Rockies in the 1880s, she began photographing and documenting one glacier in particular, year after year. The Illecillewaet Glacier, like so many of the world’s glaciers, is now a fraction of its original size.
Cascade PBS’s resident historian Knute Berger introduced viewers to Mary Vaux Walcott and her work in a recent episode (https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/mossbacks-northwest-2/episode/our-glaciers-the-long-goodbye-9llguh/) of the Mossback’s Northwest video series, but there’s much more left to learn.
In this episode of Mossback, Berger joins co-host Stephen Hegg to discuss Vaux’s life and legacy as Canada's first glaciologist, as well as the dramatic retreat of the Northwest’s many glaciers due to climate change. Plus, we tag along with the Mossback’s Northwest video team as they search for views of the most glaciated mountain in the lower 48: Mount Rainier.
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Credits
Hosts: Stephen Hegg (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/stephenhegg-crosscut-com/), Knute Berger (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/knute-berger)
Producer: Sara Bernard (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/sara-bernard)
Story editors: Sarah Menzies (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/sarah-menzies), Adam Brown (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/adam/)
Studio recording: Roger Basquette
Chief Seattle’s daughter, Kikisoblu, dubbed “Princess Angeline” by white settlers, could be considered one of Seattle’s first celebrities. Toward the end of her life, her portrait appeared on so many postcards and tchotchkes that she became, in many ways, the symbol of Seattle.
Cascade PBS’s resident historian Knute Berger introduced viewers to Princess Angeline in a recent episode (https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/mossbacks-northwest-2/episode/angeline-portrait-of-seattles-princess-jvcvol/) of the Mossback’s Northwest video series, but there is much more to her story.
In this episode of Mossback, Berger joins co-host Stephen Hegg to discuss Princess Angeline’s enduring legacy – how, for instance, she stayed near her birthplace, even after Indigenous people were banned by Seattle ordinance, and how her determination, generosity and resilience impacted those who knew her. Plus, we hear directly from three members of the Duwamish Tribe (https://www.duwamishtribe.org/) about what Princess Angeline means to them today.
For more on all things Mossback, visit CascadePBS.org (https://crosscut.com/mossback?ref=cascadepbs.org). To reach Knute Berger directly, drop him a line at knute.berger@cascadepbs.org (mailto:knute.berger@cascadepbs.org). And if you’d like an exclusive weekly newsletter from Knute, where he offers greater insight into his latest historical discoveries, become a Cascade PBS member (https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/134265/donate/1?ref=cascadepbs.org) today.
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Credits
Hosts: Stephen Hegg (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/stephenhegg-crosscut-com/), Knute Berger (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/knute-berger)
Producer: Sara Bernard (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/sara-bernard)
Story editors: Sarah Menzies (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/sarah-menzies), Adam Brown (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/adam/)
Studio recording: Roger Basquette
8 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
Seattle’s Most Iconic Foods, Then and Now
What are Seattle’s most iconic foods? There's a history to that! Mossback co-hosts Knute Berger and Stephen Hegg delve into the past and present of the Seattle food scene with Cascade PBS’s resident foodie Rachel Belle, host of the video series The Nosh (https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/the-nosh-with-rachel-belle/) and the podcast Your Last Meal (https://www.cascadepbs.org/podcasts/your-last-meal/).
Berger also joined Belle to discuss and taste local foods for a recent episode (https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/mossbacks-northwest-2/episode/upon-further-review-seattles-food-evolution-h9ih8j/) of the Mossback’s Northwest video series, but there was much more left to explore.
In this episode of Mossback, the three Seattleites dish on pho, seafood, how expensive Seattle restaurants are these days, nostalgia for the dives of old and more. Plus, we go behind the scenes of the Mossback’s Northwest video shoot to witness Knute Berger preparing lutefisk, struggling with a tough-crusted bagel and joking about the boons of clam nectar.
For more on all things Mossback, visit CascadePBS.org (https://crosscut.com/mossback?ref=cascadepbs.org). To reach Knute Berger directly, drop him a line at knute.berger@cascadepbs.org (mailto:knute.berger@cascadepbs.org). And if you’d like an exclusive weekly newsletter from Knute, where he offers greater insight into his latest historical discoveries, become a Cascade PBS member (https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/134265/donate/1?ref=cascadepbs.org) today.
---
Credits
Hosts: Stephen Hegg (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/stephenhegg-crosscut-com/), Knute Berger (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/knute-berger)
Producer: Sara Bernard (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/sara-bernard)
Story editors: Sarah Menzies (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/sarah-menzies), Adam Brown (https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/adam/)
Studio recording: Roger Basquette
Inside a recent episode
Mary Vaux Walcott and the Vanishing Glaciers of the Northwest
Published 22 Apr 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And – Where it ends is at a lake and it's so beautiful, so architectural. But I remember learning that it was just a small remnant of what it once was. What had been there. Yeah. Yeah. You know, for much of our lives, glaciers have been retreating or advancing. They move and they shape the landscape. And if you learn a little bit about the landscape, you can see the effect glaciers have had in the past. creating valleys, grinding around mountains, creating Matterhorn-type peaks when multiple glaciers are going in different directions. You get the sense that they're sort of the architects of a lot of the landscape. […]
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