Washington's largest counties

A few counties in Washington are pretty big. Okanogan County, up along the Canadian border in central Washington, is the largest of all. It's larger than three different states. Several other counties outrank states, too. For comparison's sake as you glance at the list below, Rhode Island is America's smallest state at 1,545 square miles; Delaware is next at 1,954; and Connecticut is 4,845 square miles in area.

-1. Okanogan, 5,268 square miles
-2. Yakima, 4,296
-3. Chelan, 2,921
-4. Grant, 2,681
-5. Stevens, 2,478
-6. Lewis, 2,408
-7. Lincoln, 2,311
-8. Kittitas, 2,297
-9. Ferry, 2,204
10. Whitman, 2,159

Note: No, Okanogan isn't the largest county in the United States. I suppose a region in Alaska would qualify as the largest, but Alaska doesn't exactly have a comparable county concept. Among counties in the Lower 48, though, San Bernadino County, California is largest: 20, 105 square miles -- almost four times the size of Okanogan.

The Whitman Massacre Tragedy

In what historians believe was retaliation against whites for Indian deaths, Cayuse tribesmen attacked the Whitman Mission at Waiilatpu (near the modern town of Walla Walla) 159 years ago today -- November 29, 1847. Measles had ravaged the Indian population but seemed to spare the whites. Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa, who had established the mission eleven years earlier, were unable to treat the sick Cayuse. Two Indians, Tilaukait and Tamsuky, struck Dr Whitman with a tomahawk in the kitchen of the house. Then they chased down and killed most of the others at the mission, including Mrs Whitman and several children. Dozens of settlers lived at Waiilatpu. By the end of the day, fourteen people were dead. Most of the others were captured and held for ransom.

This was no small incident. The Whitman Mission was a major stop for settlers travelling west, and the Whitmans themselves were well known and respected. The violence of their murders sparked great concern among Anericans in the Northwest and in the nation's capital thousands of miles away. It was no coincidence that Congress quickly decided to arrange a greater presence in the region and created the Oregon Teritory the following August 13.

Killed at Waiilatpu:

• Marcus Whitman, 44
• Narcissa Whitman, 39
• Crocket Bewley, 18
• Isaac Gilliland, adult
• Peter Hall, adult
• Jacob Hoffman, adult
• Nathan Kimball, adult
• Walter Marsh, adult
• Andrew Rogers, adult
• John Sager, 17
• Francis Sager, 15
• Amos Sales, adult
• W L Saunders, adult
• James Young, 24

Dying during the subsequent captivity:

• Helen Mar Meek, 10
• Louise Sager, 6

Note: There are three Sager children on this list. The story of their family -- even before Wailatpu -- is heart-wrenching. I'm sure to talk about them again.

Most Influential Americans: the Washingtonian edition

The Atlantic Monthly released its December issue last week with a list of the 100 most influential figures in American history. It's a decent list, I'd say. Sure, there are a few people that I'd add, subtract, or shuffle. You probably would, too. These sorts of lists invite that kind of discussion. But I'll refrain from that here only because this blog likes to focus on Washington state. So, who on the Atlantic's list have Washington connections? Just a few:

• 4. Franklin D Roosevelt. He got the concrete pouring on the big dam projects of the Columbia River.
• 12. Ulysses S Grant. The future war hero and president served in the army stationed in Vancouver before the Civil War.
• 28. Dwight D Eisenhower. Another war hero and future president got his feet wet with the first command job of his military career, serving at Fort Lewis on the eve of World War II.
• 54. Bill Gates. The only native Washingtonian on the list.
• 70. Lewis and Clark. The first to traverse the continent on foot. They saw the Pacific Ocean from Washington soil.

I could have stretched further to add more names here, but most of the others I'd name either just visited (e.g., Mark Twain) or imagined (e.g., Thomas Jefferson) the Northwest.

First ascents of Washington's volcanoes

Five volcanoes rise above the Cascade Range in Washington state and all are popular among mountaineers. In fact, all five were climbed before the end of the nineteenth century, when mountain climbing had not yet fully matured as a sport. William Fraser Tolmie, chief factor at Fort Nisqually, a British outpost near modern DuPont, made the first attempt to reach one of these peaks in the 1830s when he worked his way onto the lower slopes of Mt Rainier. But it would be more than a decade before the first Washington volcano was summited, and more than three decades before two men -- one the son of our first territorial governor -- finally stood atop Rainier.

1. Mount St Helens (9,677 feet*): Dryer, Wilson, Smith, and Drew, 1853 Aug 27
2. Mount Adams (12,276 feet): Aiken, Allen, and Burge, 1854 late summer
3. Mount Baker (10,778 feet): Coleman, Tennant, Ogilvy, and Stratton, 1868 Aug 17
4. Mount Rainier (14,111 feet): Hazard Stevens & Philemon B. Van Trump, 1870 Aug 17
5. Glacier Peak (10,541 feet): Gerdine, Strom, Dubar, and Bard, 1897 early summer

*All elevations given here are thought to be accurate for the actual climbs. St Helens is 8,364 feet high since its 1980 eruption, but was 9,677 feet before that. The climbers of the other peaks either had incorrect or no elevation estimates at all.

Washington ski areas

Several of the ski areas in Washington opened this week. The rain in the lowlands usually means snow in the mountains. And plenty of it, I hope. Current conditions and more information are available at www.skiwashington.com. Here are most of Washington's downhill ski areas, sorted north to south:

• Mount Baker (Whatcom County) on State Route 542
• Sitzmark (Okanogan County) southeast of Oroville
• Loup Loup (Okanogan County) east of Twisp
• 49 Degrees North (Stevens County) east of Chewelah
• Hurricane Ridge (Clallam County) south of Port Angeles
• Echo Valley (Chelan County) north northwest of Chelan
• Mount Spokane (Spokane County) northeast of Spokane
• Stevens Pass (King/Chelan Counties) on Highway 2
• Leavenworth (Chelan County) north of Leavenworth town
• The Summit at Snoqualmie (King/Kittitas Counties) at Snoqualmie Pass
• Squilchuck (Chelan County) south southwest of Wenatchee
• Mission Ridge (Chelan County) south southwest of Wenatchee
• Crystal Mountain (Pierce County) east of Mt Rainier
• White Pass (Lewis/Yakima counties) on Highway 12
• Ski Bluewood (Columbia County) south southeast of Dayton

An historic voting roll

The list of names below is historic in two ways: big and gigantic.

It was big because it's the voting roll for the first vote on land that would eventually become Washington State. On the evening of November 24, 1805, Captains Lewis and Clark polled the members of their expedition on the matter of where the winter camp should be. They decided to examine the south side of the Columbia River (eventually settling on Fort Clatsop near modern Astoria), but the actual vote was held on the north side of the river at 'Station Camp' near modern community of Megler, Washington.

It was gigantic because of the last two people on the list. York, a black slave, and Janey, better known to us as Sacagawea, were invited to vote with the other men of the expedition. Since the military expedition was officially sanctioned by the United States government and Lewis and Clark were the de facto executives on site, this vote was significant. The votes of York and Janey were the first official votes cast by an African American or a woman in American history.

And it happened on Washington soil 201 years ago today.

Sergt J. Ordway
Serjt. N. Pryor
Sgt. P. Gass
Jo. Shields
Go. Shannon
T. P. Howard
P. Wiser
J. Collins
Jo Fields
Al. Willard
R Willard
J. Potts
R. Frasure
Wm. Bratten
R. Fields
J: B: Thompson
J. Colter
H. Hall
Labeech
Peter Crusatte
J. B. Depage
Shabono
S. Guterich
W. Werner
Go: Gibson
Jos. Whitehouse
Geo Drewyer
McNeal
York
Janey

Counties with two-word names

Here's one of those meaningless lists. Of the 39 counties in Washington, four require two words to identify them. Walla Walla, of course, using the same word twice. It's county seat, also Walla Walla, doubles even that, producing a remarkable "address": Walla Walla, Walla Walla, Washington.

• Grays Harbor
• Pend Oreille
• San Juan
• Walla Walla

Washington places appropriate for the holiday

As we break for the Thanksgiving holiday, I scrounged around for a list of feast-related Washington place names. Some were familiar to me already -- including my sixth grade campground! Others took a little searching. But that's not surprising considering this area was settled 250 years and 2500 miles away from the site of the first Thanksgiving. It was, in many ways, a world apart.

• Plymouth. A small settlement in Benton County across from Umatilla, Oregon.
• Pilgrim Firs. A campground near Port Orchard in Kitsap County.
• Mayflower Park Hotel. Luxury accomodations in Seattle.
• Gobbler's Knob. A small peak in Mount Rainier National Park.
• Cranberry Lake. I found four of them: one in Mason County, one in Skagit County, and two in Island County. A second helping of cranberries, I suppose!
• Cranberry Slough. In King County near Black Diamond.
• Home. A community in Pierce County.

That's probably enough. If I was desperate, I'd reach into Oregon place names and bring out the Yam[hill], too.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

The wettest days in Seattle history

We've had so much rain lately that I thought I'd put all that water in context. Sure enough, one day earlier this month shows up on the list at #3. I remember #1 vividly, too. It wasn't that long ago.

-1. 5.02 inches: October 20, 2003
-2. 3.41 inches: November 20, 1959
-3. 3.29 inches: November 6, 2006 RECENT
-4. 3.06 inches: February 8, 1996
-5. 3.04 inches: November 25, 1998
-6. 2.98 inches: January 18, 1986
-6. 2.98 inches: February 9, 1951
-8. 2.95 inches: November 9, 1990
-9. 2.92 inches: November 24, 1990
10. 2.83 inches: January 9, 1990

Most popular Washington high school mascots

I've long collected the names of interesting high school mascots during my travels, but Mark Sheehan has compiled the most comprehensive list I've ever seen. You'll find it at http://www.halcyon.com/marcs/MascotsWA.html. Based on his list, here are the most common mascots among Washington high schools.

-1. Eagles (24 schools)
-2. Tigers (16)
-3. Bulldogs (15)
-4. Panthers (14)
-4. Vikings (14)
-6. Lions (12)
-6. Wildcats (12)
-8. Cougars (11)
-8. Warriors (11)
10. Falcons (9)

Apple Cup games: Huskies vs. Cougars

UW Husky victories in Purple,
WSU Cougar victories in Crimson,
ties in black italics
game locations follow the year

---

1900, Seattle- Huskies 5, Cougars 5
1901, Pullman- Cougars 10, Huskies 0
1902, Seattle- Huskies 16, Cougars 0
1903, Pullman- Huskies 10, Cougars 0
1904, Seattle- Huskies 12, Cougars 6
1907, Seattle- Cougars 11, Huskies 5
1908, Seattle- Huskies 6, Cougars 6 (1900s: UW 3-2-2; overall: UW 3-2-2)

1910, Pullman- Huskies 16, Cougars 0
1911, Seattle- Huskies 30, Cougars 6
1912, Seattle- Huskies 19, Cougars 0
1913, Seattle- Huskies 20, Cougars 0
1914, Seattle- Huskies 45, Cougars 0
1917, Seattle- Cougars 14, Huskies 0
1919, Pullman- Huskies 13, Cougars 7 (1910s: UW 6-1; overall: UW 9-3-2)

1921, Seattle- Cougars 14, Huskies 0
1922, Pullman- Huskies 16, Cougars 13
1923, Seattle- Huskies 24, Cougars 7
1924, Seattle- Huskies 14, Cougars 0
1925, Pullman- Huskies 23, Cougars 0
1926, Seattle- Cougars 9, Huskies 6
1927, Seattle- Huskies 14, Cougars 0
1928, Seattle- Huskies 6, Cougars 0
1929, Pullman- Cougars 20, Huskies 13 (1920s: UW 6-3; overall: UW 15-6-2)

1930, Seattle- Cougars 3, Huskies 0
1931, Seattle- Huskies 12, Cougars 0
1932, Seattle- Huskies 0, Cougars 0
1933, Pullman- Cougars 17, Huskies 6
1934, Seattle- Huskies 0, Cougars 0
1935, Pullman- Huskies 21, Cougars 0
1936, Seattle- Huskies 40, Cougars 0
1937, Pullman- Huskies 7, Cougars 7
1938, Seattle- Huskies 26, Cougars 0
1939, Pullman- Cougars 6, Huskies 0 (1930s: UW 4-3-3; overall: UW 19-9-5)

1940, Seattle- Huskies 33, Cougars 9
1941, Pullman- Huskies 23, Cougars 13
1942, Seattle- Huskies 0, Cougars 0
[1943, Seattle- Cougars 9, Huskies 6]
[1945- Huskies 6, Cougars 0]
1945, Seattle- Cougars 7, Huskies 0
1946, Pullman- Huskies 21, Cougars 7
1947, Seattle- Huskies 20, Cougars 0
1948, Pullman- Cougars 10, Huskies 0
1949, Seattle- Huskies 34, Cougars 21 (1940s: UW 6-2-1; overall: UW 25-11-6)

1950, Spokane- Huskies 52, Cougars 21
1951, Seattle- Cougars 27, Huskies 25
1952, Spokane- Huskies 33, Cougars 27
1953, Seattle- Cougars 25, Huskies 20
1954, Spokane- Cougars 26, Huskies 7
1955, Seattle- Huskies 27, Cougars 7
1956, Spokane- Huskies 40, Cougars 26
1957, Seattle- Cougars 27, Huskies 7
1958, Spokane- Cougars 18, Huskies 14
1959, Seattle- Huskies 20, Cougars 0 (1950s: UW/WSU 5-5; overall: UW 30-16-6)

1960, Spokane- Huskies 8, Cougars 7
1961, Seattle- Huskies 21, Cougars 17
1962, Spokane- Huskies 26, Cougars 21
1963, Seattle- Huskies 16, Cougars 0
1964, Spokane- Huskies 14, Cougars 0
1965, Seattle- Huskies 27, Cougars 9
1966, Spokane- Huskies 19, Cougars 7
1967, Seattle- Cougars 9, Huskies 7
1968, Spokane- Cougars 24, Huskies 0
1969, Seattle- Huskies 30, Cougars 21 (1960s: UW 8-2; overall: UW 38-18-6)

1970, Spokane- Huskies 43, Cougars 25
1971, Seattle- Huskies 28, Cougars 20
1972, Spokane- Cougars 27, Huskies 10
1973, Seattle- Cougars 52, Huskies 26
1974, Spokane- Huskies 24, Cougars 17
1975, Seattle- Huskies 28, Cougars 27
1976, Spokane- Huskies 51, Cougars 32
1977, Seattle- Huskies 35, Cougars 15
1978, Spokane- Huskies 38, Cougars 8
1979, Seattle- Huskies 17, Cougars 7 (1970s: UW 8-2; overall: UW 46-20-6)

1980, Pullman- Huskies 30, Cougars 23
1981, Seattle- Huskies 23, Cougars 10
1982, Pullman- Cougars 24, Huskies 20
1983, Seattle- Cougars 17, Huskies 6
1984, Pullman- Huskies 38, Cougars 29
1985, Seattle- Cougars 21, Huskies 20
1986, Pullman- Huskies 44, Cougars 23
1987, Seattle- Huskies 34, Cougars 19
1988, Pullman- Cougars 32, Huskies 31
1989, Seattle- Huskies 20, Cougars 9 (1980s: UW 6-4; overall: UW 52-24-6)

1990, Pullman- Huskies 55, Cougars 10
1991, Seattle- Huskies 56, Cougars 21
1992, Pullman- Cougars 42, Huskies 23
1993, Seattle- Huskies 26, Cougars 3
1994, Pullman- Cougars 23, Huskies 6
1995, Seattle- Huskies 33, Cougars 30
1996, Pullman- Huskies 31, Cougars 24
1997, Seattle- Cougars 41, Huskies 35
1998, Pullman- Huskies 16, Cougars 9
1999, Seattle- Huskies 24, Cougars 14 (1990s: UW 7-3; overall: UW 59-27-6)

2000, Pullman- Huskies 51, Cougars 3
2001, Seattle- Huskies 26, Cougars 14
2002, Pullman- Huskies 29, Cougars 26
2003, Seattle- Huskies 27, Cougars 19
2004, Pullman- Cougars 28, Huskies 25
2005, Seattle- Cougars 26, Huskies 22
2006, Pullman- Huskies 35, Cougars 32 (2000s: UW 5-2; overall: UW 64-29-6)

[I have been unable to verify two games, shown here in brackets for 1943 and 1945. Each is mentioned by one source but not another.]

Washington college mascots

Anchormen: Puget Sound Christian College
Bulldogs: Gonzaga University
Cougars: Washington State University
Eagles: Eastern Washington University
Eagles: Northwest College
Falcons: Seattle Pacific University
Geoducks: The Evergreen State University*
Huskies: University of Washington
Loggers: University of Puget Sound*
Lutes: Pacific Lutheran University*
Minutemen: Heritage College
Missionaries: Whitman College*
Pirates: Whitworth College
Redhawks: Seattle University
Saints: Saint Martin's College
Vikings: Western Washington University
Wildcats: Central Washington University
Wolves: Walla Walla College

*Some of the mascots in this list are unique among American colleges. Washington is home to the only Geoducks, Loggers, Lutes, and Missionaries.

Additional nicknames:
Cougs: Washington State University (informal)
Dawgs: University of Washington (informal)
Sun Dodgers: University of Washington (former name)
Zags: Gonzaga University (informal)

Seattle Supersonics' seasons

1967-68- 23-59, .280
1968-69- 30-52, .366
1969-70- 36-46, .439
1970-71- 38-44, .463
1971-72- 47-35, .573
1972-73- 26-56, .317
1973-74- 36-46, .439
1974-75- 43-39, .524
1975-76- 43-39, .524
1976-77- 40-42, .488
1977-78- 47-35, .573
1978-79- 52-30, .634
1979-80- 56-26, .683
1980-81- 34-48, .415
1981-82- 52-30, .634
1982-83- 48-34, .585
1983-84- 42-40, .512
1984-85- 31-51, .378
1985-86- 31-51, .378
1986-87- 39-43, .476
1987-88- 44-38, .537
1988-89- 47-35, .573
1989-90- 41-41, .500
1990-91- 41-41, .500
1991-92- 47-35, .573
1992-93- 55-27, .671
1993-94- 63-19, .768
1994-95- 57-25, .695
1995-96- 64-18, .780
1996-97- 57-25, .695
1997-98- 61-21, .744
1998-99- 25-25, .500
1999-2000- 45-37, .549
2000-01- 44-38, .536
2001-02- 45-37, .549
2002-03- 40-42, .488
2003-04- 37-45, .451
2004-05- 52-30, .634 1st
2005-06- 35-47, .427 3rd
2006-07- 4-6, .400 4th CURRENT SEASON

Recent playoffs:

2001-02 1st Round: lost to San Antonio, 3 games to 2.

2004-05 1st round: defeated Sacramento, 4 games to 1.
2004-05 2nd round: lost to San Antonio, 4 games to 2.

County seats and their counties

Asotin (Asotin County)
Bellingham (Whatcom County)
Cathlamet (Wahkiakum County)
Chehalis (Lewis County)
Colfax (Whitman County)
Colville (Stevens County)
Coupeville (Island County)
Davenport (Lincoln County)
Dayton (Columbia County)
Ellensburg (Kittitas County)
Ephrata (Grant County)
Everett (Snohomish County)
Friday Harbor (San Juan County)
Goldendale (Klickitat County)
Kelso (Cowlitz County)
Montesano (Grays Harbor County)
Mount Vernon (Skagit County)
Newport (Pend Orielle County)
Okanogan (Okanogan County)
Olympia (Thurston County)
Pasco (Franklin County)
Pomeroy (Garfield County)
Port Angeles (Clallam County)
Port Orchard (Kitsap County)
Port Townsend (Jefferson County)
Prosser (Benton County)
Republic (Ferry County)
Ritzville (Adams County)
Seattle (King County)
Shelton (Mason County)
South Bend (Pacific County)
Spokane (Spokane County)
Stevenson (Skamania County)
Tacoma (Pierce County)
Vancouver (Clark County)
Walla Walla (Walla Walla County)
Waterville (Douglas County)
Wenatchee (Chelan County)
Yakima (Yakima County)

Earthquakes in Washington

Listed by magnitude (on the Richter scale).

7.1 (1949- 4-13, 19:55:43),
12.3 km ENE of Olympia (47.09N 122.75W), 54 km deep

6.8 (2001- 2-28, 18:54:32),
17 km NE of Olympia (47.14N 122.72W), 51.9 km deep - "The Nisqually Earthquake"

6.8 (1872-12-15, 5:40),
14.5 km SE of Chelan (47.75N 119.87W)

6.5 (1965- 4-29, 15:28:43),
18.3 km N of Tacoma (47.40N 122.40W), 57 km deep

6.2 (1939-11-13, 7:45:54),
18.7 km S of Bremerton (47.40N 122.59W), 31 km deep

6.1 (1936- 7-16, 7:07:49),
8.1 km SSE of Walla Walla (46.00N 118.30W)

6.0 (1909- 1-11, 23:49),
23.8 km NE of Friday Harbor (48.70N 122.80W), 31 km deep

6.0 (1880-12-12, 20:40),
12.3 km SE of Bremerton (47.50N 122.50W)

Dates (yyyy-mm-dd) and times of earthquakes are listed for Universal Time. Subtract 8 hours for local standard time, or 7 hours for local daylight time.

Data source: http://www.geophys.washington.edu/SEIS/PNSN/HIST_CAT/catalog.html

Seattle Seahawks games, 1976

In this, their first season, the Seahawks suffered their first loss (to St Louis) and celebrated their first win (over fellow expansion team Tampa Bay).

L- 24-30, St Louis Cardinals
L- 7-31, at Washington Redskins
L- 21-37, San Francisco 49ers
L- 13-28, Dallas Cowboys
L- 20-27, at Green Bay Packers
W- 13-10, at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
L- 14-41, Detroit Lions
L- 6-45, at Los Angeles Rams
W- 30-13, Atlanta Falcons
L- 21-27, at Minnesota Vikings
L- 27-51, New Orleans Saints
L- 16-28, at New York Giants
L- 7-34, Chicago Bears
L- 10-27, at Philadelphia Eagles

2-12
PF: 229, PA: 429

Any suggestions or comments?

I'm always open to suggestions. Feel free to leave your ideas for future lists.

Seattle Supersonics' best seasons

-1. 1995-96 (64-18, .780)
-2. 1993-94 (63-19, .768)
-3. 1997-98 (61-21, .744)
-4. 1996-97 (57-25, .695)
-5. 1994-95 (57-25, .695)
-6. 1979-80 (56-26, .683)
-7. 1992-93 (55-27, .671)
-8. 2004-05 (52-30, .634)
-9. 1981-82 (52-30, .634)
10. 1978-79 (52-30, .634)