About the Film
Tarheels of the Northwest documents a remarkable transplanted Appalachian community in Darrington, Washington, where families from western North Carolina settled in search of work in the Pacific Northwest timber industry. Far from their Southern mountain homes, they brought with them a strong sense of community and the music, dancing, stories, and social traditions they had grown up with.
Filmed in 1979, the documentary shows how these North Carolina migrants maintained their cultural identity across generations and thousands of miles. Bluegrass and old-time music, flatfoot dancing, family gatherings, and memories of home reveal how traditions can travel with people and take root in a new landscape.
Produced by Jean Walkinshaw for Seattle public television station KCTS, Tarheels of the Northwest is both a portrait of a distinctive community and a record of the movement of Appalachian people and culture across America.
