The Ouija Broads: Tales from the Pacific Northweird

GOATED: Spokane's Most Beloved Sculpture, the Garbage Goat

Liz tells Devon about Spokane's Garbage Goat, an interactive, trash-eating sculpture from Expo '74 that has transcended its original purpose to welcome folks to the fair and encourage people to pick up trash and become a beloved icon of the city. 

The Garbage Goat--Billy--is a steel sculpture that was created by Sister Mary Turnbull, aka "the welding nun," for Expo '74. Thanks to an internal vacuum system, visitors to Riverfront Park can "feed" the goat trash, which gets sucked up into a giant waste container. While goat farmers originally protested the sculpture because it perpetuated a potentially harmful stereotype that goats can eat trash, it has since inspired generations of visitors to pick up litter, as well as a host of businesses and artists to uphold the goat as a positive symbol of Spokane. 

Side quest topics include: ADA issues in Riverfront Park, a hot rat summer update, a wet rat winter news bulletin (a month late--sorry!), and psychic abilities. No major content warnings on this one: it's a fun, family-friendly listen (if you don't mind swear words). 

Spokane's Forgotten Axe Murder

Liz tells Devon about the 1906 murder of Spokane resident James Sloane, and his 17-year-old son, Sidney, who confessed to the killing. 

On August 28, 1906, a body was discovered in a Spokane alley. The victim had been murdered with an axe, and was soon identified as James Sloane, proprietor of the local Sloane, Paine and Richmond grocery store. His older son, Sidney, confessed to the crime and was put on trial. Not only was the crime sensational, so too was the plea: not guilty by reason of insanity. 

This is a rare example of the Broads covering true crime. While we do not focus on gore, content warnings include discussions of alcoholism, abusive family situations, incarceration, discussions on mental health, mention of sexual assault, some mention of blood, and, of course, murder.

Stump Houses of the Pacific Northwest

Devon tells Liz about some of the unique structures settlers in the PNW built out of the massive stumps left behind from logging, with a focus on The Stump House at Guillemot Cove in Washington. Devon also tells Liz about one stump that the fire chief blew up with an old shell left from the Battle for Seattle, and how he almost caught the banker on fire. We also try to track down the origins of a criminal known as "Dirty Thompson" and share the location of a current stump-turned-LFL in Idaho.

Grant Chesterfield, Confidence Man

Liz tells Devon about Grant Chesterfield, the confidence man reading palms and conning crowds up and down the west coast (and then beyond) in the early 1900s. With several wives and a lotta lies, we're confident you'll be interested in this man. (Bonus: Liz tees up a future episode on Sidney Sloane, the Spokane teen who confessed to killing his father with an axe in 1906.)

CW: DV, alcoholism, SW

Hot Rat Summer

Devon tells Liz about Seattle's current controversy with a feel-good ending: the story of the Hot Rat Summer mosaic in Capitol Hill's Cal Anderson Park.

AKA "Saint Rat", Hot Rat Summer is a mosaic that has won the heart of its community while getting caught in city's larger push for tougher graffiti laws and punishments, as well as continuing the conversation about the importance of trans visibility. With the controversy heating up in June and July of 2025 and a resolution on our about August 4, this is our most current Pacific Northweird story covered to date. 

We talked for over an hour and a half on and around Hot Rat Summer, going over public art, community rights and roles, trans visibility, laws and policies, art history, and more: editing this episode down to just about 40 minutes was a challenge. If you'd like the 60 minute version, join us over on Patreon where we left in bits about Liz's work on Expo '74, Devon's experience editing, a deeper dive into public policy thanks to Liz, and a small aside about big balls.

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The Man With The Mustache: Peter Max and the Expo '74 Stamp

Liz tells Devon about Peter Max, the German-American artist who designed the iconic US Expo '74 stamp, which features the “Cosmic Runner" or "Cosmic Jumper" traveling through a colorful world, and the controversy surrounding his false claim that he also illustrated The Beatles' film, "Yellow Submarine". 

And just in time to close out Gay Wrath Month, Liz throws in a little bonus connection between Expo '74 and José Julio Sarria, aka Mama José, the celebrated gay rights activist, drag queen, and the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States. A rough-cut edit with extended Expo '74 content is on our Patreon for subscribers, too! 

Images and more info can be found on Liz's website, Visit Expo '74, at https://www.visitexpo74.com/art-and-music. 

Fearsome Critters

Devon tells Liz about "fearsome critters"--characters from American logging camps that are not cryptids, despite often appearing on cryptozoological lists. We sneak in a Pride Month tie-in (are you a Squink or a Gumberoo? Bisexuals claim Ball-Tailed Cats, FYI), and Liz quizzes Devon on some old timey logging terms. 

Spokane Was a Railroad Town

Liz tells Devon the meaning behind the mysterious (and vaguely combative) SPOKANE WAS A RAILROAD TOWN billboards recently spotted in Spokane. She shares the cast of characters behind the boards, and ties the story in to Expo '74's legacy: "The best of what Expo was is the best of what Riverfront Park still is, which is a place where every body can come, and you don’t have to have a specific membership or whatever: you just show up."

 

Spokane was a railroad town? No, darling: Spokane is a railroad town. 

 

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Far From Home: The Masculine Urge To Become A Cloud

The story of Oregonian Kent Couch's adventures in cluster ballooning.  

Far From Home: A Quarter To Five

We discuss the case of William Toomey, a man who ended his journey in a church in Boise, Idaho and left quite a mystery behind. 

It's mentioned at the top, but this episode is all about somebody who died from suicide, so skip it if needed. We also touch briefly on the issue of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, but don't go into any particular detail, just acknowledging that it happened and became a part of the public consciousness. 

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