One Hell of a Spirit

March 22, 2014. The deadliest landslide in U.S. history hits Oso, Washington.

8 years later, we visit the neighboring town of Darrington to see how a small town has picked up the pieces, with eyes set on the future. 

Take a tour through Darrington with us – from the passenger seat of the mayor’s Subaru. 

We’ll swing by downtown and see the Darrington of past, present, and future through the eyes of Mayor Dan Rankin.

We’ll talk to young people in Darrington who are deciding whether to leave town or stay. 

We’ll pass by the site of the deadliest landslide in U.S. history, a constant reminder that locals need to drive past regularly.

And we’ll cross over the Sauk River Bridge to visit the site of a future center that will produce a game-changing type of wood, cross-laminated timber.

This is a story about a small town with one hell of a spirit that may give other places ideas for how to breathe new life into their hometowns.