S9E6: Municipal Records with Frederick L. Brown

In this episode we continue our focus on methodology by talking with Frederick L. Brown about how he used municipal archives to conduct his more-than-human history of Seattle. We discuss everything from petitions to bylaws, pound records, council minutes, public health reports, property tax assessments, and city directories.  Topics Covered: why urban animal history matters and why cities are always more than human how Seattle’s city archives make animal searching possible through indexing a quick taxonomy of archives including government, historical societies, companies, and personal collections why archives are not neutral and how bias enters through preservation practices salmon, treaty rights, racial covenants as tools of spatial power Sanborn insurance maps, council minutes, and the money logic behind record keeping Frederick’s next book on importing European songbirds and the challenge of scattered sources Animal highlight: Kingston dogs, shifting freedom, and changing control over time Date Recorded: 2 April 2026 Frederick L. Brown is an independent scholar, book indexer, and retired National Park Service historian. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Washington. He is the author of the award-winning book, The City is More Than Human: An Animal History of Seattle (University of Washington Press, 2016). He is currently finishing up the manuscript for his second book, Birds of Home: How House Sparrows, Starlings, and Other European Songbirds Became American (University of Washington Press, 2027). He divides his time between Seattle, Washington, and Corvallis, Oregon. Featured:  The City is More Than Human by Frederick L. Brown Birds of Homeby Frederick L. Brown  The afterlives of the lively commodityby Kathryn Gillespie  Taming Manhattanby Catherine McNeur The Salmon People Podcast with Sandra Bartlett on The Animal Turn Biodiversity Heritage Library Newspapers.com Dogs on the Move on Stones Animal Highlight: “Dogs on the Move” Credits: Sponsor: Animals in Philosophy, Politics, Law and Ethics (A.P.P.L.E) Guests: Frederick L. Brown Host: Claudia Hirtenfelder Editing and Production: Claudia Hirtenfelder Episode Artwork: Rebecca Shen Content Creation and Support: Herre de Bondt and Carlo Salzani Animal Highlight: Stones Walking Tour Sound Effects: Epidemic Sound Bed Music: Gordon Clarke Logo: Jeremy John Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify A.P.P.L.E Animals in Politics, Law, and Ethics researches how we live in interspecies societies and polities. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show The Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of the  iROAR Network. Learn more on our website.