The Resident Historian Podcast

KIRO Newsradio Resident Historian Feliks Banel reports LIVE from the original Dick's Drive-In in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood for this year's 19-cent hamburger day, which is also the restaurant's 71st birthday.  

History of the last decade 

All over the map

Santa does so much more than just bring toys to kiddies around the world, he also hosts an evening news program on North Pole Newsradio called "North Pole Evening News." On the final broadcast of the season before Christmas, Santa and the elves give the headlines, traffic, weather, sports and a few holiday songs, too.

Feliks Banel joined Seattle's Morning News to provide updates on some recent historical stories throughout the Puget Sound region, including the teardown of a significant Everett gazebo, Historic Fort Vancouver and more. Banel also teases the upcoming Holiday Magic festivities on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.

MOHAI's WTO Exhibit

Fort Vancouver Bicentennial

On this week’s edition of All Over The Map for Seattle’s Morning News, we visited a pocket park on Mercer Island along the shores of Lake Washington. It was here where a "rich and creamy" reminder of the island’s history was recently discovered by a pair of divers. Franklin Landing is a tiny street-end park on the west side of Mercer Island, essentially opposite Seward Park over on the Seattle side of Lake Washington. A dock at this location was a key piece of the "Mosquito Fleet" transportation infrastructure from the late 19th century to 1940, when the first Lake Washington Floating Bridge (which crossed Mercer Island) opened to vehicle traffic. KIRO Newsradio was joined early Friday by Matt McCauley. He’s known to many as "Mr. Lake Washington History;" McCauley is an author, historian, underwater explorer and a good friend of Seattle’s Morning News.

It was 26 years ago this month when the iconic ferryboat Kalakala returned to the Seattle waterfront – after a long exile serving as a cannery in Alaska – to a glorious welcome home. The story of the vessel’s unlikely resurrection in November 1998 went downhill from there, of course, and the Kalakala was ultimately scrapped. However, thanks to two Seattle men, the spirit of the beloved streamlined vessel now lives on in song.

All Over the Map: What is the future of Camp Long after the fire?

The rain was falling and the wind was blowing on November 13, 2024, very much like it had done on this day 173 years ago. As many people learned as school children in Western Washington decades ago, it was way back on the morning of November 13, 1851, when the group considered to be the founders of Seattle landed at what’s now Alki Beach in West Seattle. KIRO Newsradio interviewed Ken Workman early Wednesday beside the founder's monument at Alki. Workman's great-great-great-great grandfather is Chief Seattle, the city's namesake.

A fire Monday night damaged the historic lodge at Camp Long in West Seattle. Resident historian Feliks Banel provided a report from the scene for "Seattle's Morning News."

The recent passing of a man from Seattle is shining new light on a forgotten chapter of modern Pacific Northwest mythology about a ubiquitous school accessory – which was derived from a critical piece of recreational gear. Seattle and Puget Sound are built on myths about local retailers that conquered the world. Some are true, and some are not. Take, for instance, the bogus "original" Starbucks at Pike Place Market, which is totally fake. Or, the story about Amazon being hatched in the garage of residential home in Bellevue, which is true. And who could forget the old chestnut about the guy who returned his snow tires to a store for a refund? The staff there considered him such a good customer, they gave him his money back – even though that store didn’t sell him the snow tires in the first place.

All Over the Map: How do you pronounce Umpqua?

Halloween has arrived and we've been collecting your Washington spooky stories about public places around Puget Sound where myths and legends have emerged over the decades about creepy goings-on and other miscellaneous things that go bump in the Puget Sound night.

In 2022, your favorite KIRO Newsradio voices presented a special live broadcast of the 1938 Orson Welles' version of "Dracula" - with a few minor updates here and there, of course.

In 2022, your favorite KIRO Newsradio voices presented a special live broadcast of the 1938 Orson Welles' version of "Dracula" - with a few minor updates here and there, of course.

Feliks Banel: Ghostly tales from the Northwest 

It was 100 years ago – way back in 1924, in the thick of the early roaring days of aviation history – when a giant U.S. Navy airship visited the Puget Sound and took the population by storm. This historic event is mostly forgotten now, but a local historian has found the hidden spot where history was made.

With the annual Earshot Jazz Festival now underway, the ribbon is about to be cut on a new path in downtown Seattle highlighting the history and culture of the golden age of jazz in Seattle along and near Jackson Street. Paul de Barros is a longtime local journalist and author, and one of the founders of the Jackson Street Jazz Trail. De Barros, who wrote the seminal book about Seattle’s jazz history, the long out-of-print "Jackson Street After Hours," joined KIRO Newsradio live Friday morning from the "trailhead" at King Street Station.

"Unsolved Histories," from KSL Podcasts and a team led by Seattle historian Feliks Banel, is a podcast featuring three intersecting stories -- the mystery of how and why Flight 293 disappeared, an investigation into why the bureaucracy turned its back on families of the passengers, and a celebration of the resiliency of the human spirit.

The technology known as LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging, a laser-driven means of making precise measurements over large areas – has been helping scientists understand geology and natural history for many years. It turns out that LiDAR is also pretty useful for plumbing the depths of recent human history too, including a phantom lake on the Eastside.

As reported by KIRO Newsradio on last Friday’s edition of "All Over The Map," seismic activity at Mount Adams – known as Washington’s forgotten mountain for the way it’s tucked in behind Mount Saint Helens in a rural part of the state – picked up in September and got the attention of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It’s too early to tell what it all might mean, but KIRO Newsradio checked in with officials and business owners around the mountain to take the community’s pulse as the story, or non-story, slowly unfolds.

All Over the Map: How did Mount Adams get its name?

Mike Lombardi, in-house Boeing historian 

On this week edition of All Over The Map, a “lightning round” of updates on a number of recent stories about local history covered by KIRO Newsradio and MyNorthwest.

KIRO Newsradio caught up with a Seattle resident known for taking very long walks right here at home, seeing the city and the region from a unique perspective – and then sharing it with others through photos and tours. Austin Watson retired after a long career at Boeing, and he now lives with his wife in Downtown Seattle. He wears comfortable clothes and serious walking shoes because on a good day – which means pretty much every day – he’ll easily cover 10 miles on foot. He also owns decent rain gear, because he’ll often take his long walks rain or shine – which is something of a given in the Pacific Northwest.

Daniel J. Evans, who served three terms as governor of Washington, has died at the age of 98. He was the last Republican to serve as the state's governor. 

This week, the celebration of the centennial of the 1924 around-the-world flight is about to conclude with a series events around Seattle. Feliks Banel thinks there should be more of these events sooner rather than later.

The former Mama's Mexican Kitchen in Belltown to be demolished

The former Mama's Mexican Restaurant in Belltown to be demolished

Corn Maze 

Railroad history conferences in Everett 

Sumner plaques being given away stirs controversy 

All Over the Map: How does NOAA Weather Robot prononce names correctly?

It was 166 years ago this week that settlers in “Northern Oregon” decided to do something about their plight, and to work to create Columbia Territory on this side of that mighty river. What was their plight, exactly? Being cut-off from the Oregon Territory government (and important services) in Oregon City and Salem – which was a couple of days’ travel from Puget Sound in those years.

Jon Carp of Save Tacoma's Landmark Church (STLC) joined Dave Ross and Feliks Banel live on Seattle's Morning News to share details about his group's proposal to the Seattle Archdiocese to purchase and preserve Holy Rosary Church. A spokesperson for the Archdiocese told KIRO Newsradio Tuesday that the leadership team of the parish of Pope St. John XXIII in Tacoma will review STLC's proposal and those from other groups and will make a recommendation to the pastor there sometime in the next few weeks.

The Beatles legendary visit to Seattle

An iconic sign for a shop that once sold T-shirts and jeans – in the shape of a giant "cowgirl" – has been resurrected in the Thurston County town of Rainier.

All over the Map: Hawaii Mars Water Bomber 

Officials at Washington State University decided in July to eliminate annual funding for the school’s academic publisher WSU Press.

Boehm's Candies

Charley Royer, Seattle's longest-serving mayor, has died at age 84. Royer was Seattle’s 48th and longest serving mayor.

I was a fan of Driscoll’s work because he loved Tacoma and Pierce County history, and he often wrote about people, places, buildings, history and historic preservation. We never met in person, but I reached out to him in April to compare notes on some Pierce County stories, and the phone call we had turned into something of an interview (which he agreed to let me record for posterity's sake – and which now I’m so glad he did). Here are a few long quotes from Driscoll talking about historic preservation, history and his work – which really was all about community and a sense of belonging. He will be deeply missed.

Vanishing Seattle's new book 

Seafair Powwow