Mythology
Late 1700's-1865: Renegade members of the Duwamish and Tlingit tribes are laid off and restructure themselves as The Hacowies. They dwell on a knoll of heavily wooded and rocky land in what would later be downtown Seattle. Here the shaman of the sect conduct bizarre ritualistic killings, but also hold some killer salmon barbecues that attract visitors for miles. In opposition to Chief Sealth's warm welcome, they kill some new settlers but they are driven off the land when Chief Sealth sends them a sarcastic smoke signal. The land becomes a tribal burial ground, a forbidden zone and a great make out spot for lumberjacks.
1873: Washington Territorial College purchases the old tribal ground with useless Confederate currency and erects a simple wooden building as the schools’ Seattle City Planning headquarters. It burns to the ground with most of the city during the great fire of 1889.
1895: A new brick building is dedicated as the WTC School of Mining and Precious Ore Extraction. A massive school expedition in 1898 up Alaska's Chilkoot Pass ends with 167 deaths including the schools founder Emil Bugupski. The building is rededicated briefly as a special ward of the colleges newly formed Psychology school, where it examines and diagnoses the large number of mentally agitated in the city including displaced settlers, aggravated Indians, unhappy Civil war veterans, splintered local prostitutes and the like. The building is finally closed completely in 1902 and becomes an eyesore and is scary at night.
1921: Washington Territorial College happily extends a 100 year lease for the abandoned property to the Cascade Hotel Development Corp. headed by eccentric gold mine tycoon Joseph Von Higgenbatten. The College restructures itself the hell out of downtown.
1926: A 23 year old Irish immigrant worker, Paddy O’Keenan, is accused of stealing corned beef from the hotel developer. He is hung shortly after but is said to have cursed the building and its inhabitants with his Druid magic. His angry coworkers bury his wicker crafting tools in the buildings foundation and take extended lunches.
1927: The Cascade Hotel opens as scheduled but several guests at the gala opening take ill. Some blame the salmon pate but others say it is Paddy’s ghost, but all agree– the runs suck.
1928: A lottery is devised so only the luckiest bankers can end their lives by diving off the grand hotel. (The stock market crash– you get it?)
1933: As prohibition ends liquor and cigarettes begin mysteriously disappearing from the hotel. Management fires all Irish workers. Crazed spinster housemaid Elsie McDumpsey attempts to hide from termination in the Hotel freezer. Although frozen to death her body takes first prize as Best Ice sculpture at a cocktail hour function for Timber Company executives.
1938: The hotel has a new children’s amenity: Plague. 14 visiting tourist children die suddenly of unknown illness. As a cost cutting measure, the children’s menu is discontinued.
1942: Dreery Books publishes "The Cascade Hotel Curse" by James Viaduct. Due to the war effort, paper is rationed for comic books, GI Social diseases information booklets and girlie mags. It soon goes out of print and only three or so copies exist today. Viaduct dies of diarrhea in 1947.
1948: A 21 year old, Fred Dooley, thought to be missing since 1943 is found working quietly in the hotel laundry. He is disoriented and deaf and says he was told to stay by evil spirits. Mysteriously he has been promoted several times and was 1947 manager of the year. He later hangs himself with dirty sheets.
1954: "The Bar Mitzvah deaths" bring national attention to the hotel when a dozen children die from Kosher salmon pate that is stored in the Mcdumpsey freezer. The Jewish community decides that there is a witch present who is anti-Semitic, while the Washington State Nazis deny that Bar Mitzvahs really exist. The hotel immediately responds with heavy discounting and complimentary upgrades for all victims families or Nazis. The promotion is a big success.
1961: President Kennedy becomes the most prominent person to feel the presence of the hotel spirits- while speaking in a meeting room one morning. He only shares the strange story with his brother Robert and Marilyn Monroe. They all laugh it off, have sex and invade Cuba.
1966: Local Bruce Lee, after a visit to the Cascade Hotel restaurant, has a spiritual revelation which leads him to dedicate the rest of his life to kicking some serious ass. He dies mysteriously as does his son years later, but still- he kicked some serious ass.
1969: Local Musician Jimi Hendrix reserves an entire floor for fellow musicians during a break from some marathon recording sessions in Los Angeles. He is joined by Jim Morrison, The Who’s Keith Moon, Janis Joplin, John Lennon, Mama Cass and movie actress Sharon Tate. They report seeing spirits and hearing voices but report that "they are groovy!" They all go on to be featured in their very own segments of VH1 Behind the Music & E! The True Hollywood Story.
1973: Local student Ted Bundy works briefly as a stocker in one of the hotel restaurants but quits because the hotel "makes him crazy". He goes on to kill over 30 women and is executed in the electric chair in 1989.
1977: Justin Mahr, CEO for the Bong Corporation drafts a document laying off 8,000 employees while at the hotel, supposedly because of "a bad fiscal year and an evil witch that told me to." Once the document is delivered he allegedly says "I'm finally finished" and kills himself with a model airplane. Angry local Unions picket the witch and demand Gilroys' resignation.
1986: The Four Corners Resorts and Hotel corporate chain purchases the old Cascade and spends 26 million dollars to renovate it into a state of the art luxury, world class hotel. Several people get ill from the salmon pate during the grand reopening. Locals remark about strange rumors from the property & report seeing evil spirits that now sport yellow ties, suspenders, are into personal fitness and love Tex-Mex.
1995: Tad Galloway enters the Human Resources department and fills out an application for a reservations positions...this is his story....