I'd also recommend Phil Thomas as a rich source of Pacific NW songs and history. I recently bought a copy of his songbook (out-of-print) from a online used book store in B.C. When I saw Phil a few weeks ago he kindly gave me all the corrections. And when I told him the used copy I got was from a school library in B.C., he said "those b*****ds! we gave away the book free to local schools." Anyway, Phil is a great person and will talk to you at no end about Canadian songs and history.

A second recommendation would be songs by Bill Gallaher and his group "Harmony Road." Bill is a history buff and great songwriter. Most of his songs are about Pacific NW history. Charlie Baum, post #3, mentioned the train robber, Bill Miner. Gallaher has a song about him titled "The Hold Up" on his CD "The Last Battle." He also has a great songbook with 33 of his songs along with background information and much history.

Cheers, S. in Seattle