Episode Details

In this week’s episode of Off the Rails with Rowdy and Bethan, Rowdy and Bethan do what they do best - talk - a lot....while "sipping tea."

Both self-proclaimed history nerds, they dig into their ongoing effort to broaden the story told at the museum by shifting the focus to include the people who lived along, worked on, and were impacted by the railroad and logging industries in the Pacific Northwest. They touch on topics they could easily spend hours on, including Japanese loggers, millworkers, and railroaders prior to 1942, the railroads' roles in internment, and the lasting impacts that followed.

They also wander (enthusiastically) into stories about some of the larger-than-life personalities who helped shape the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad - Blackie Mosier and Tiny Freeman. Think today’s crew has personality? Turns out, we’re just carrying on a long-standing tradition.

Listener questions and an “In the News” segment round things out—so climb aboard.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

David Sakura Interview – Densho Archive (Eatonville resident)
https://ddr.densho.org/interviews/ddr-densho-1000-498-1/

Photo of Japanese Americans relocating camps to Tule Lake, CA
https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-37-288/

Tiny Freeman – Seattle PI Article
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/maybe-big-living-tiny-can-bring-character-back-1241413.php

Tiny Freeman – Bio/Blog
http://zelsj.mlblogs.com/2013/09/16/j-j-tiny-freeman-larger-than-life/

Blackie Mosier Article
http://www.bigbendrailroadhistory.com/2023/01/fred-blackie-moser-obit.html

Got a question or topic you want us to cover? Send it our way- we’d love to hear from you.

So grab your coffee, crank up the phonograph, and let’s go Off the Rails.

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