The Pacific Northwest was said to be terrorized by a serial killer in the early 20th century. Bodies were floating to the surface of the Chehalis and Wishkah Rivers. A local police chief told reporters that he believed that they were dealing with “the greatest murderer of the age.” But the real story was a lot more complex. It’s about myth-making and working conditions, The Sailors' Union of the Pacific, and a man named William Gohl (often called Billy Gohl) who angered the wealthiest and influential people in town: “They saw him as a thorn in their side and as a person who needed to be removed.” Aaron Goings’ book is The Port of Missing Men: Billy Gohl, Labor, and Brutal Times in the Pacific Northwest. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Planes, trains, and automobiles, that's how we get around.
But it hasn't always been the case for agents.
Humans have been adapting and revolutionizing how we travel.
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That's what we're going to be exploring in our new special series on the future of travel.
Whether it's electric powered planes, trains that go at hyper speeds, or automobiles that are full self driving, someday they will be, even though Elon promises them far too early.
In any case, it's really important to talk about where we're going and what we're going to do about climate change and a range of things.
Tune in to the future of travel, a pivot special series brought to you by Virgin Atlantic.
You can find it on the pivot feed wherever you get your podcasts.
In the early 20th century, in an especially rainy part of Washington state called Grays harbor, bodies started floating to the surface of the Chehalis and Wisca rivers.
Police referred to the bodies as the floater fleet.
One paper described what was going on as a reign of terror, and even today, more than a century later, many people believe the bodies were the work of a serial killer, some say the worst serial killer in America.
He came to be known as the ghoul of Grays Harbor.