The Port of Missing Men: Billy Gohl, Labor, and Brutal Times in the Pacific Northwest

Aaron Goings

ISBN 10: 0295747412 / ISBN 13: 9780295747415

Published by University of Washington Press, 2020

About this Item

A compelling biography of the Ghoul of Grays HarborIn the early twentieth century so many dead bodies surfaced in the rivers around Aberdeen, Washington, that they were nicknamed the "floater fleet." When Billy Gohl (1873-1927), a powerful union official, was arrested for murder, local newspapers were quick to suggest that he was responsible for many of those deaths, perhaps even dozens-thus launching the legend of the Ghoul of Grays Harbor.More than a true-crime tale, The Port of Missing Men sheds light on the lives of workers who died tragically, illuminating the dehumanizing treatment of sailors and lumber workers and the heated clashes between pro- and anti-union forces. Goings investigates the creation of the myth, exploring how so many people were willing to believe such extraordinary stories about Gohl. He shares the story of a charismatic labor leader-the one man who could shut down the highly profitable Grays Harbor lumber trade-and provides an equally intriguing analysis of the human costs of the Pacific Northwest's early extraction economy.

Seller Inventory # 0109249

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Port of Missing Men: Billy Gohl, Labor, and Brutal Times in the Pacific Northwest
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0295747412
• ISBN 13: 9780295747415
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

A compelling biography of the Ghoul of Grays Harbor

In the early twentieth century so many dead bodies surfaced in the rivers around Aberdeen, Washington, that they were nicknamed the “floater fleet.” When Billy Gohl (1873–1927), a powerful union official, was arrested for murder, local newspapers were quick to suggest that he was responsible for many of those deaths, perhaps even dozens―thus launching the legend of the Ghoul of Grays Harbor.

More than a true-crime tale, The Port of Missing Men sheds light on the lives of workers who died tragically, illuminating the dehumanizing treatment of sailors and lumber workers and the heated clashes between pro- and anti-union forces. Goings investigates the creation of the myth, exploring how so many people were willing to believe such extraordinary stories about Gohl. He shares the story of a charismatic labor leader―the one man who could shut down the highly profitable Grays Harbor lumber trade―and provides an equally intriguing analysis of the human costs of the Pacific Northwest’s early extraction economy.

About the Author

Aaron Goings is associate professor of history and chair of the History and Political Science Department at Saint Martin’s University. He is coauthor of The Red Coast: Radicalism and Anti-radicalism in Southwest Washington and Community in Conflict: A Working-Class History of the 1913–14 Michigan Copper Strike and the Italian Hall Tragedy.