Growing Up in Washington During the 50s, 60s, and 70s

Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. Many of their parents endured World War II and spent the next few decades giving birth to children and living the American dream. The Baby Boomers grew up in a world before smartphones, processed foods, and Netflix. Their formative years were filled with fun and adventure.

Here's a nostalgic hit list of those PNW hallmarks that'll fade with them.

As TV was in its infancy. Kids in the mid-to-late 1950s would tune into the wildly popular show, The Howdy Doody Show, which aired weekdays at 5:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. Buffalo Bob and Clarabelle hosted it. Flubbadub was the show’s mascot. For some stations across the Northwest, the Howdy Doody show was the first program to air after the daytime test patterns. 

The powerful Mount St. Helens eruption, which caused the Sunday morning boom. Ash blanketed cars, playgrounds, and our front yard for weeks. We shoveled driveways in surgical masks. Does anyone else remember how big the apples were, the following autumn?

West of the Cascades, there was the Endless Rainy Recess: Puddles as deep as your sneakers, but recess never canceled—huge jumps across flooded fields, building "forts" from soggy cardboard. NO umbrellas and plastic bread bags over socks kept feet semi-dry.

Ferry Rides to the Pilots, Mariners, and Seahawks games

Loading the family into the 1976 Ford Country Squire with wood paneling and a hint of gasoline in the back luggage area, where their kids sat with their cousins. Upon arriving in Seattle, the family made a pitstop at Ivar's on the waterfront before the game.

The 1962 World's Fair featured the NASA orange top of the Space Needle. The Seattle monorail zipping overhead, bubbling fountains. Elvis on Channel 95 KJR and Royal Brougham’s daily articles in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer sports section. 

Bon Marche Bargains: Downtown department stores had an energy that will forever live in their memory. Holiday windows rivaled those at Rockefeller. Elves at Frederick & Nelson's Santa throne. Magic from decades past.

Pre-grunge Jimi: Hearing Hendrix wail at local dives before Woodstock fame. Seattle's music scene was raw garages and coffeehouses. Even Led Zeppelin visited Seattle, playing a live show at the Green Lake Aqua Theater in 1969. 

Apple Orchards and Tiny’s Fruit Stand: Wenatchee Valley road trips for U-pick apples, stopping in to see Tiny’s monkey in Cashmere. Cider presses churning, and hayrides were the thing.

Younger generations scroll TikToks of vintage Seattle; Baby Boomers lived it, mud boots and all. What'd I miss? Here are 12 more things Boomers will remember