The tumultuous mouth of the Columbia River, near Astoria, Oregon, is beautiful but deadly. Thousands of ships have capsized and wrecked on its shores over the centuries. 

That’s earned it the menacing nickname “Graveyard of the Pacific,” although that’s not the only gloomy moniker in the region. 

Cascade PBS’s resident historian Knute Berger explored some of this history in a recent episode of the Mossback’s Northwest video series, but there are more stories left to tell. 

In this episode of Mossback, Berger joins co-host Stephen Hegg to discuss the early explorers who coined so many of the area’s depressing names, from Cape Disappointment to Dismal Nitch; the natural forces that make the river's mouth so treacherous; some of the area’s most famous shipwrecks; and the deadliest tragedy to ever occur here and its uncanny parallel to Berger’s own family history. Plus, Berger shares his adventures from scouting and shooting the video for Mossback’s Northwest, including breathless hikes, sandy mishaps and barking sea lions.  

For more on all things Mossback, visit CascadePBS.org. To reach Knute Berger directly, drop him a line at [email protected]. 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 today.

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Credits

Hosts: Stephen Hegg, Knute Berger

Producer: Sara Bernard

Story editor: Sarah Menzies