The adventures of Mark Twain in Seattle

Knute Berger

Knute Berger Jul 7, 2025

Jan 30, 2019

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          <article>
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                <h1>The adventures of Mark Twain in Seattle</h1>
                <h2><p>It was a trying time for Seattleites in the summer of 1895. The city was still reeling from the Panic of 1893, which threw the national economy into a tailspin, and the skies were hazy with wildfire smoke. Into this scene strolled Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. Reeling</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/knute-berger-crosscut-com/">Knute Berger</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Jan 30, 2019</time></p>
            </header>
            <p>It was a trying time for Seattleites in the summer of 1895. The city was still reeling from the Panic of 1893, which threw the national economy into a tailspin, and the skies were hazy with wildfire smoke. Into this scene strolled Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. Reeling from his own financial misfortune, America’s most celebrated author made his only visit to the Pacific Northwest as a part of a worldwide speaking tour intended to raise money to help pay off his debts. In this episode, Knute Berger recalls that memorable trip.</p><figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://player.pbs.org/partnerplayer/TgtYwVqsF18856OzRxgy3g==/?start=0&amp;end=0&amp;topbar=false&amp;autoplay=false&amp;endscreen=false" width="100%"></iframe></figure>
          </article>

It was a trying time for Seattleites in the summer of 1895. The city was still reeling from the Panic of 1893, which threw the national economy into a tailspin, and the skies were hazy with wildfire smoke. Into this scene strolled Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. Reeling from his own financial misfortune, America’s most celebrated author made his only visit to the Pacific Northwest as a part of a worldwide speaking tour intended to raise money to help pay off his debts. In this episode, Knute Berger recalls that memorable trip.

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By Knute Berger

Knute “Mossback” Berger is an editor-at-large and host of "Mossback’s Northwest" at Cascade PBS. He writes about politics and regional heritage.