The small community of Roslyn, Washington, rests on the eastern edge of the Cascades. It was also the setting for the 1990’s television series, Northern Exposure. Renamed for the show as Cicely, Alaska, the series drew millions of viewers. As Cicely, a myth was formed, perhaps surpassing the historical story of Roslyn itself.


The salutary moral character of this remarkable series, is seems to me, is one where people of diverse cultural values, attitudes, and backgrounds simply get along with one another by means of their shared common decency and mutual respect.


As the series was undoubtedly popular with the local residents of Roslyn, many of who were extras in the series, one might wonder if the human values exemplified in the series had a positive formative effect upon the community itself. During my visit, this small community of about one thousand was undergoing rapid transformation.


At Suncadia, an extensive golf course and ‘life style’ development on the outskirts of Roslyn, as many as three thousand expensive homes were being built. The traditional character of Roslyn will adjust and change. In doing so, Maurice Minnifield’s dream for Cicely is at last tangible.