109-405: " Cow tools " is a cartoon from The Far Side by American cartoonist Gary Larson , published in October 1982. It depicts a cow standing behind a table of bizarre, misshapen implements with the caption "Cow tools". The cartoon confused many readers, who wrote or phoned in seeking an explanation of the joke. In response to the controversy, Larson issued a press release clarifying that the thrust of
218-616: A temperate rainforest . Weeks may pass without a clear day. The western slopes of the Cascade Range receive some of the heaviest annual snowfall (in some places more than 200 inches or 5,100 millimeters water equivalent) in the country. In the rain shadow area east of the Cascades, the annual precipitation is only 6 inches (150 mm). Precipitation then increases again eastward toward the Rocky Mountains (about 120 miles (190 km) east of
327-408: A child but never thought he would become a cartoonist; thus, he never studied art in school outside of required classes. Larson had been inspired to draw comics when he was younger from the strip Alley Oop , and later drew further inspiration from MAD Magazine and the work of Don Martin . He also enjoys comics from Gahan Wilson , B. Kliban and George Booth where humor was derived more from
436-507: A crude hand saw , while the others are more abstract. The caption beneath the cartoon reads "Cow tools". Immediately upon the cartoon's publication, Chronicle Features , which syndicated The Far Side , was inundated with queries from readers and newspaper editors seeking an explanation of the cartoon. According to the general manager of Chronicle Features, "the phone never stopped ringing for two days." Larson himself received hundreds of letters about "Cow Tools", some of which were reprinted in
545-566: A horse over a fire because they are "hungry enough to eat one" and a bird eating scrambled babies. Generally, they also avoided publishing cartoons with scatological humor; Larson recalled that during the strip's first few years he was not even allowed to draw an outhouse. Larson often disagreed with his editors' decisions and was sometimes successful in getting rejected cartoons published, although he does admit most of their decisions likely saved his career. Larson also says he never tried to intentionally offend readers. While Larson frequently used
654-470: A large part of the top of the volcano. The eruption flattened the forest up to 20 km north of the volcano , killed 57 people, flooded the Columbia River and its tributaries with ash and mud, and blanketed large parts of Washington eastward and other surrounding states in ash, making day look like night. Washington is the northwesternmost state of the contiguous United States . It borders Idaho to
763-631: A large region experiences strong rain shadow effects. Semi-arid conditions occur in much of Eastern Washington with the strongest rain shadow effects at the relatively low elevations of the central Columbia Plateau —especially the region just east of the Columbia River from about the Snake River to the Okanagan Highland . Thus, instead of rain forests, much of Eastern Washington is covered with dry grassland , shrub-steppe , and dunes . The average annual temperature ranges from 51 °F (11 °C) on
872-489: A letter informing him Nature's Way had been canceled because it generated too many complaints; he attributes this to the fact it ran next to a crossword puzzle aimed at children. Larson believes had this happened a week before, he would not have gone to San Francisco. The next day, Arnold called Larson and told him the syndicate affiliate of the Chronicle decided to syndicate his work. The affiliate, Chronicle Features, coined
981-406: A letter that his work is too personal and important to him to have others "take control of it". For this reason, Universal's online service GoComics does not offer Far Side cartoons. In at least one case, he had sent out a cease and desist letter to a comics-aggregation site for reproducing The Far Side online. While an official Far Side site existed, it only offered information related to
1090-425: A low-pressure cyclone system takes over in the north Pacific Ocean. The air spiraling inward in a counter-clockwise fashion causes Washington's prevailing winds to come from the southwest, and bring cool and overcast weather and a predictably wet season . The term " Pineapple Express " is used colloquially to describe atmospheric river events, where repeated storm systems are directed by this persistent cyclone from
1199-490: A prehistoric lecturer refers to the then previously unnamed tail spikes of the Stegosaurus as the " thagomizer " because, according to the prehistoric lecturer, a caveman called Thag Simmons had been killed by those spikes. The arrangement of spikes originally had no distinct name, but Larson's neologism was adopted gradually by paleontologists, albeit only in a casual context. One of the most well known cartoons, School for
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#17328834810191308-455: A preliminary assessment of the risks and opportunities presented given the possibility of a rise in global temperatures and their effects on Washington state. Rainfall in Washington varies dramatically going from east to west. The Olympic Peninsula's western side receives as much as 160 inches (4,100 mm) of precipitation annually, making it the wettest area of the 48 conterminous states and
1417-466: A proposal to use the name "State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth", which would conflict with the current state of Washington. Residents of Washington (known as "Washingtonians") and the Pacific Northwest simply refer to the state as "Washington", and the nation's capital "Washington, D.C.", "the other Washington", or simply "D.C." The 9,300-year-old skeletal remains of Kennewick Man , one of
1526-476: A shirt featuring this cartoon go to the Jane Goodall Institute. Goodall wrote a preface to The Far Side Gallery 5 , detailing her version of the controversy, and the institute's letter was included next to the cartoon in the complete Far Side collection. She praised Larson's creative ideas, which often compare and contrast the behavior of humans and animals. In 1982, Larson published a comic in which
1635-615: A special exhibit of 527 black and white Far Side panels was shown in the Smithsonian Institution 's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. 127 of the panels were originals, displayed in the rotunda on boards that held 50 panels each. Later the display became a traveling exhibit that was shown in San Francisco , Washington, D.C., Orlando , Chicago , Toronto , New York City , Denver , and Los Angeles . There
1744-504: A state; the creation of Idaho Territory in 1863 established the final eastern border. A Washington state constitution was drafted and ratified in 1878, but it was never officially adopted. Although never approved by the United States Congress, the 1878 constitution is an important historical document that shows the political thinking of the time; it was used extensively during the drafting of Washington state's 1889 constitution,
1853-583: A three-man commission ruling in favor of the United States in 1872. The border established by the Oregon Treaty and finalized by the arbitration in 1872 remains the boundary between Washington and British Columbia . The growing population of Oregon Territory north of the Columbia River formally requested a new territory. As a result of the Monticello Convention , held in present-day Cowlitz County ,
1962-439: A varied range of bird species. This range includes raptors, shorebirds, woodland birds, grassland birds, ducks, and others. There have also been a large number of species introduced to Washington, dating back to the early 18th century, including horses and burros. The channel catfish , lamprey , and sturgeon are among the 400 known freshwater fishes . Along with the Cascades frog, there are several forms of snakes that define
2071-404: A week, which were sent to papers a few weeks in advance. By 1987, he was drawing seven cartoons a week. From October 1988 to January 1990, Larson took a hiatus from The Far Side to travel abroad and study jazz guitar with Jim Hall . When he resumed working on The Far Side in 1990, he negotiated an agreement in which he would only have to draw five cartoons a week. The final Far Side comic
2180-449: Is a single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Chronicle Features and then Universal Press Syndicate , which ran from December 31, 1979, to January 1, 1995 (when Larson retired as a cartoonist). Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world, logical fallacies, impending bizarre disasters, (often twisted) references to proverbs , or
2289-611: Is also recurring in the strip; The Far Side was produced in a time when horror comedy was becoming popular. Recurring themes in The Far Side include people stranded on desert islands, aliens , Heaven , Hell , the life of cavemen , and medieval dungeons. Animals—especially cows —are also common. Larson focused on subjects he considered taboo because he wanted his cartoons to be personal statements. Larson's editors refused to publish strips they found indecent , offensive, or hard to understand. Examples include cowboys roasting
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#17328834810192398-482: Is an extremely important business throughout much of Eastern Washington, as the soil is highly productive and irrigation , aided by dams along the Columbia River, is fairly widespread. The spread of population in Eastern Washington is dominated by access to water, especially rivers. The main cities are all located alongside rivers or lakes; most of them are named after the river or lake they adjoin. Farther east,
2507-528: Is primarily told through the use of a single, vertical, rectangular panel , occasionally split into small sections of four, six, or eight for storytelling purposes. A caption or dialogue usually appears under the panel as typed text, although speech balloons are sometimes used for conversations. Certain strips, mostly those published on Sundays, are double-sized, colored, and have handwritten captions. When Larson drew panels they were 6 in × 7.5 in (15 cm × 19 cm), he penciled until
2616-405: Is the only U.S. state named after a president. Confusion between the state of Washington and the city of Washington, D.C., led to renaming proposals during the statehood process for Washington in 1889, including David Dudley Field II 's suggestion to name the new state "Tacoma"; these proposals failed to garner support. Washington, D.C.'s, own statehood movement in the 21st century has included
2725-549: Is the second most populous state on the West Coast and in the Western United States, after California . Mount Rainier , an active stratovolcano , is the state's highest elevation at 14,411 feet (4,392 meters), and is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous U.S. Washington is a leading lumber producer, the largest producer of apples, hops, pears, blueberries, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries in
2834-445: Is unrelated to creator Gary Larson) for The New Yorker , The Far Side ' s initial run came at a time where newspaper comics were generally more grounded, such as Peanuts , Garfield , For Better or For Worse and Doonesbury . The comic also helped introduce more modern and surreal humor into the comic pages that influence other strips such as Calvin and Hobbes and Bloom County ; it also has brought nerd humor to
2943-499: The Blue Mountains and the eastern sides of the Cascades. Mammals native to the state include the bat , black bear , bobcat , cougar , coyote , deer , elk , gray wolf , hare , moose , mountain beaver , muskrat , opossum , pocket gopher , rabbit , raccoon , river otter , skunk , and tree squirrel . Because of the wide range of geography, the state of Washington is home to several different ecoregions, which allow for
3052-435: The Blue Mountains . The state of Washington has a temperate climate. The eastern half of Washington has a semi-arid to warm-summer mediterranean climate , while the western side of Washington as well as the coastal areas of the state have a cool oceanic climate or warm-summer mediterranean climate. Major factors determining Washington's climate include the large semi-permanent low pressure and high pressure systems of
3161-532: The Canadian province of British Columbia to the north. Washington is part of a region known as the Pacific Northwest , a term which always refers to at least Washington and Oregon, and may or may not include some or all the following, depending on the user's intent: Idaho, western Montana , northern California , British Columbia, and Alaska . The high mountains of the Cascade Range run north-south, bisecting
3270-559: The Cascade Mountains westward, Western Washington has a mostly Mediterranean climate , with mild temperatures and wet winters, autumns and springs, and relatively dry summers. The Cascade Range has several volcanoes , which reach altitudes significantly higher than the rest of the mountains. From north to south, these major volcanoes are Mount Baker , Glacier Peak , Mount Rainier , Mount St. Helens , and Mount Adams . All are active volcanoes. Mount Rainier—the tallest mountain in
3379-675: The Columbia District . Fur trapper James Sinclair , on orders from Sir George Simpson , Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, led some 200 settlers from the Red River Colony west in 1841 to settle on Hudson Bay Company farms near Fort Vancouver . The party crossed the Rockies into the Columbia Valley , near present-day Radium Hot Springs , British Columbia, then traveled south-west down
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3488-784: The Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean as part of the Anglo–American Convention of 1818 , which established the 49th parallel as the international boundary west from Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains . Resolution of the territorial and treaty issues west to the Pacific was deferred until a later time. In 1819, Spain ceded its rights north of the 42nd parallel to the United States. Negotiations with Great Britain over
3597-528: The Kootenai River and Columbia River. Despite such efforts, Britain eventually ceded all claims to land south of the 49th parallel to the United States in the Oregon Treaty on June 15, 1846. In 1836, a group of missionaries, including Marcus Whitman , established several missions and Whitman's own settlement Waiilatpu, in what is now southeastern Washington state, near present-day Walla Walla County , in
3706-595: The San Juan Islands is heavily inhabited by killer , gray, and humpback whales. In Eastern Washington, the flora is vastly different. Tumbleweeds and sagebrush dominate the landscape throughout large parts of the countryside. Russian olives and other trees are common alongside riverbanks; however, apart from the riversides, large swaths of Eastern Washington have no naturally existing trees at all (though many trees have been planted and are irrigated by people, of course). A wider variety of flora can be found in both
3815-792: The Santiago , part of a two-ship flotilla with the Sonora . He claimed the coastal lands up to Prince William Sound for Spain as part of their claimed rights under the Treaty of Tordesillas , which they maintained made the Pacific a "Spanish lake" and all its shores part of the Spanish Empire. Soon thereafter, the smallpox epidemic of the 1770s devastated the Native American population. In 1778, British explorer Captain James Cook sighted Cape Flattery , at
3924-522: The Seattle metropolitan area , the center of transportation, business, and industry on Puget Sound , an inlet of the Pacific Ocean consisting of numerous islands, deep fjords and bays carved out by glaciers. The remainder of the state consists of deep temperate rainforests in the west; mountain ranges in the west, center, northeast, and far southeast; and a semi-arid basin region in the east, center, and south, given over to intensive agriculture. Washington
4033-463: The U.S. Congress passed legislation to create Washington Territory . It was signed into law by President Millard Fillmore on March 2, 1853. The boundary of Washington Territory initially extended farther east than the present state, including what is now the Idaho Panhandle and parts of western Montana, and picked up more land to the southeast that was left behind when Oregon was admitted as
4142-601: The United States Congress during the creation of Washington Territory in 1853; the territory was to be named "Columbia", for the Columbia River and the Columbia District , but Kentucky representative Richard H. Stanton found the name too similar to the District of Columbia (the national capital, itself containing the city of Washington), and proposed naming the new territory after President Washington. Washington
4251-585: The "deep freeze" winters of 1883–1884, 1915–1916, 1949–1950, and 1955–1956, among others. During these events, Western Washington experienced up to 6 feet (1.8 m) of snow, sub-zero (−18 °C) temperatures, three months with snow on the ground, and lakes and rivers frozen over for weeks. Seattle's lowest officially recorded temperature is 0 °F (−18 °C) set on January 31, 1950, but low-altitude areas approximately three hours away from Seattle have recorded lows as cold as −48 °F (−44 °C). The Southern Oscillation greatly influences weather during
4360-433: The 1989 anthology The Prehistory of The Far Side . In one letter, a reader from Texas wrote that they had shown the cartoon to "40-odd professionals with doctoral degrees", and none could understand it. Reflecting on the cartoon's reception, Larson suggested he had erred in making one of the tools resemble a crude saw, which misled many readers into believing that to understand the cartoon's message, they needed to decipher
4469-520: The Gifted consists of a child trying to enter a schoolhouse by pushing the door when it clearly says "pull". The Complete Far Side and The Prehistory of The Far Side include letters from angry readers alongside the comics that prompted them. The letters were written to newspaper publishers and often demanded the removal of The Far Side . Despite these protests, The Far Side remained popular and continued to run in many newspapers. Larson often laughs at
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4578-604: The Idaho border). The Olympic mountains and Cascades compound this climatic pattern by causing orographic lift of the air masses blown inland from the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the windward side of the mountains receiving high levels of precipitation and the leeward side receiving low levels. This occurs most dramatically around the Olympic Mountains and the Cascade Range. In both cases, the windward slopes facing southwest receive high precipitation and mild, cool temperatures. While
4687-644: The Interior had a different subsistence-based culture based on hunting, food-gathering and some forms of agriculture, as well as a dependency on salmon from the Columbia and its tributaries. The area has been known to host megathrust earthquakes in the past, the last being the Cascadia earthquake of 1700 . The first recorded European landing on the Washington coast was by Spanish Captain Don Bruno de Heceta in 1775, on board
4796-579: The Northwest Coast to explorers and traders from other nations, most notably Britain and Russia as well as the fledgling United States. American captain Robert Gray (for whom Grays Harbor County is named) then discovered the mouth of the Columbia River. He named the river after his ship, the Columbia . Beginning in 1792, Gray established trade in sea otter pelts. The Lewis and Clark Expedition entered
4905-768: The Oregon Trail, wandered north to settle in the Puget Sound area. Spanish and Russian claims to the region were ceded in the early 19th century through a series of treaties. The Spanish signed the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, and the Russians the Russo-American Treaty of 1824 and 1825 . The Oregon Question remained contested between the United Kingdom and the United States until the 1846 Oregon Treaty established
5014-481: The Pacific coast to 40 °F (4 °C) in the northeast. The lowest temperature recorded in the state was −48 °F (−44 °C) in Winthrop and Mazama . The highest recorded temperature in the state was 120 °F (49 °C) at Hanford on June 29, 2021. Both records were set east of the Cascades. Western Washington is known for its mild climate, considerable fog, frequent cloud cover, long-lasting drizzles in
5123-411: The Puget Sound lowlands are known for clouds and rain in the winter, the western slopes of the Cascades receive larger amounts of precipitation, often falling as snow at higher elevations. Mount Baker , near the state's northern border, is one of the snowiest places in the world. In 1999, it set the world record for snowfall in a single season—1,140 inches (95 ft; 29 m). East of the Cascades,
5232-561: The U.S., and ranks high in the production of apricots, asparagus, dry edible peas, grapes, lentils, peppermint oil, and potatoes. Livestock, livestock products, and commercial fishing—particularly of salmon, halibut, and bottomfish —are also significant contributors to the state's economy. Washington ranks second only to California in wine production. Manufacturing industries in Washington include aircraft, missiles, shipbuilding, and other transportation equipment, food processing, metals, and metal products, chemicals, and machinery. The state
5341-503: The border between British North America and the United States along the 49th parallel until the Strait of Georgia . Vague wording in the treaty left the ownership of the San Juan Islands in doubt; during the so-called Pig War , both nations agreed to a joint military occupation of the islands. Kaiser Wilhelm I of the German Empire was selected as an arbitrator to end the dispute, with
5450-412: The cartoon was simply that, if a cow were to make tools, they would "lack something in sophistication". It has been described as "arguably the most loathed Far Side strip ever" while also becoming a popular internet meme . "Cow tools" is a single-panel black and white cartoon depicting a cow standing on its hind legs at a table, with a barn in the background. On the table are four objects: one resembles
5559-417: The cartoon's caption "Cow tools". While most of the displayed tools had no apparent function, one was similar to a saw. The cartoon has been described as "arguably the most loathed" Far Side strip, with Reddit posters calling it the series' "notoriously confusing cartoon". Larson was frequently asked about the meaning of the cartoon by the media, and received numerous letters, some angry and questioning where
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#17328834810195668-518: The climate becomes less arid, with annual rainfall increasing as one goes east to 21.2 inches (540 mm) in Pullman, near the Washington–Idaho border. The Okanogan Highlands and the rugged Kettle River Range and Selkirk Mountains cover much of the state's northeastern quadrant. The Palouse southeast region of Washington was grassland that has been mostly converted into farmland, and extends to
5777-680: The cold season. During the El Niño phase, the jet stream enters the U.S. farther south through California, therefore late fall and winter are drier than normal with less snowpack. The La Niña phase reinforces the jet stream through the Pacific Northwest, causing Washington to have more rain and snow than average. In 2006, the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington published The Impacts of Climate change in Washington's Economy ,
5886-521: The comic and published books, but did not offer any of the strips. In 2003, Gary Larson drew a cover for the November 17 edition of The New Yorker magazine (the Cartoon Issue), a prestigious offer he said he could not refuse. On September 13, 2019, the official Far Side site was updated with a major redesign, teasing that "[a] new online era of The Far Side " would be forthcoming. The full site
5995-526: The comic's official website. Larson was recognized for his work on the strip with the National Cartoonist Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1985 and 1988, and with their Reuben Award for 1990 and 1994. The Far Side won the 2020 Webby People's Voice Award for Humor in the category Web. The Far Side was created by Gary Larson , a cartoonist based in Seattle , Washington . Larson enjoyed drawing as
6104-409: The comics' composition than dialogue, which Larson considered "something almost organic going on between the humor and the art that conveyed it". In 1976, Larson was working as a cashier at a retail music store when he realized how much he hated his job. Two days into this "career crisis", Larson sat down at his kitchen table and drew six cartoons. The next day, he showed the cartoons to an editor at
6213-693: The contiguous 48 states. Western Washington also is home of the Olympic Mountains , far west on the Olympic Peninsula , which support dense forests of conifers and areas of temperate rainforest . These deep forests, such as the Hoh Rainforest , are among the only rainforests in the continental United States. While Western Washington does not always experience a high amount of rainfall as measured in total inches of rain per year, it does consistently have more rainy days per year than most other places in
6322-468: The controversies as evidenced in The Prehistory of The Far Side , in which he writes that the people complaining have usually misunderstood the cartoon. There are 23 collected editions of The Far Side , which combined have sold over 45 million copies and have generated US$ 70 million in revenue. The books are published by Andrews McMeel Publishing , an affiliate of Universal. Andrews McMeel acquired
6431-524: The country. Eastern Washington —the part of the state east of the Cascades—has a relatively dry climate, in distinct contrast to the west side. It includes large areas of semiarid steppe and a few truly arid deserts in the rain shadow of the Cascades; the Hanford reservation receives an average annual precipitation of 6 to 7 inches (150 to 180 mm). Despite the limited amount of rainfall, agriculture
6540-530: The east, bounded mostly by the meridian running north from the confluence of the Snake River and Clearwater River (about 117°02'23" west), except for the southernmost section where the border follows the Snake River. Oregon is to the south, with the Columbia River forming the western part and the 46th parallel forming the eastern part of the Oregon–Washington border. During Washington's partition from Oregon,
6649-593: The encouragement of his girlfriend. In what he called a "daring plan to expand this 'publication empire'", Larson left a portfolio with his work at the headquarters of the San Francisco Chronicle . After several days, Larson was informed that editor Stan Arnold wanted to speak with him. Arnold was impressed by his work and mentioned that, should the Chronicle be interested in Larson's work, it could become syndicated . When Larson returned to Seattle, he received
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#17328834810196758-522: The entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca , but Cook did not realize the strait existed. It was not discovered until Charles William Barkley , captain of the Imperial Eagle , sighted it in 1787. The straits were further explored by Spanish explorers Manuel Quimper in 1790 and Francisco de Eliza in 1791, and British explorer George Vancouver in 1792. The British–Spanish Nootka Convention of 1790 ended Spanish claims of exclusivity and opened
6867-519: The forefront, reflected in series like The Simpsons . Washington (state) Washington , officially the State of Washington , is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington state to distinguish it from the national capital , both named after George Washington (the first U.S. president ). Washington borders the Pacific Ocean to
6976-594: The humor of the strip. In his first month of syndication, Larson made about US$ 100. The contract with Chronicle lasted four years. After it expired, Universal Press Syndicate picked up the syndication rights. The Far Side made its debut in the January 1, 1980, edition of the Chronicle , and a few months later, Chronicle Features began to offer it to other papers. While it was only in four papers by 1982, by 1983 that number had increased to eighty, and by 1985 it had reached two hundred. Initially, Larson drew six cartoons
7085-581: The humor was in the comic. Larson said in Prehistory of the Far Side that he had so much mail from this strip he had to issue a press release to explain that there was nothing to explain about the Cow Tools comic. One The Far Side cartoon shows two chimpanzees grooming. One finds a blonde human hair on the other and inquires, "Conducting a little more 'research' with that Jane Goodall tramp?" Goodall herself
7194-486: The identities of the other three tools. Several decades after its release, the cartoon became a popular Internet meme, with the drawing of the tools from the cartoon being edited into other images. Larson took the unusual step of issuing a press release, explaining the joke: The cartoon was intended to be an exercise in silliness. While I have never met a cow who could make tools, I felt sure that if I did, they (the tools) would lack something in sophistication and resemble
7303-494: The image "closely approximate[d]" his vision, and then he would ink it. The caption was handwritten in pencil underneath the cartoon. When Universal received a cartoon, it would set the caption to the usual typeface and add copyright and publication dates. The series is characterized by its unconventional, often surrealistic , style of humor. Brigham Young University professor Kerry Soper described it as "an anomaly" among other newspaper cartoons and ComicsAlliance wrote it
7412-422: The local magazine Pacific Search . The editor was impressed and paid him US$ 90, so Larson quit his job to start cartooning and created Nature's Way , a single-panel comic strip that served as the basis for The Far Side . Larson showed Nature's Way to the editor of the weekly newspaper Summer News Review , who began to publish it on a regular basis. Although Larson was initially excited to be published, he
7521-473: The manufacture of warships. Seattle was the point of departure for many soldiers in the Pacific, several of whom were quartered at Fort Lawton, which later became Discovery Park . In Eastern Washington, the Hanford Works atomic energy plant was opened in 1943 and played a major role in the construction of atomic bombs . After the end of World War II, and with the beginning of the civil rights movement ,
7630-494: The name The Far Side ; Larson joked Chronicle "could have called it ' Revenge of the Zucchini People ' for all I cared." Larson's initial contract for The Far Side called for it to have a cast of recurring characters (like how Peanuts had Charlie Brown ), because Chronicle believed newspaper comics needed familiar characters to be successful. However, Larson disagreed, feeling it would be limiting and diminish
7739-564: The next few decades failed to settle upon a compromise boundary and the Oregon boundary dispute was highly contested between Britain and the United States. Disputed joint occupancy by Britain and the U.S. lasted for several decades. With American settlers pouring into Oregon Country , Hudson's Bay Company , which had previously discouraged settlement because it conflicted with the fur trade, reversed its position in an attempt to maintain British control of
7848-459: The north Pacific Ocean, the continental air masses of North America, and the Olympic and Cascade mountains. In the spring and summer, a high-pressure anticyclone system dominates the north Pacific Ocean, causing air to spiral out in a clockwise fashion. For Washington, this means prevailing winds from the northwest bring relatively cool air and a predictably dry season . In the autumn and winter,
7957-480: The official site. Larson said that while he does not plan to draw regular Far Side comics, he may include new material every once in a while when updating the site. On July 7, 2020, Larson released new Far Side strips for the first time in 25 years on the website. Unlike his previous work with pen and paper, Larson transitioned to using a graphics tablet for the comic. In an accompanying post, Larson explained that frustration with his pens clogging from disuse on
8066-522: The oldest and most complete human remains found in North America, were discovered in Washington in the 1990s. The region has been home to many established tribes of indigenous peoples for thousands of years. They are notable for their ornately carved welcome figures, canoes, long houses and masks. Prominent among their industries were salmon fishing and, notably among the Makah , whale hunting. The peoples of
8175-527: The one and only official Constitution of the State of Washington. Washington became the 42nd state of the United States on November 11, 1889. Early prominent industries in the new state included agriculture and lumber. In Eastern Washington, the Yakima River Valley became known for its apple orchards, while the growth of wheat using dry farming techniques became particularly productive. Heavy rainfall to
8284-500: The original plan for the border followed the Columbia River east until the confluence with the Snake, and then would have followed the Snake River east; this was changed to keep Walla Walla 's fertile farmland in Washington. To the west of Washington lies the Pacific Ocean. Its northern border lies mostly along the 49th parallel , and then via marine boundaries through the Strait of Georgia , Haro Strait , and Strait of Juan de Fuca , with
8393-571: The production of electricity. This culminated in 1941 with the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam , the largest concrete structure in the United States and the largest dam in the world at its construction. During World War II, the state became a focus for war industries. While the Boeing Company produced many heavy bombers , ports in Seattle, Bremerton , Vancouver , and Tacoma were available for
8502-499: The rare occasions when he drew following his retirement (primarily for his annual Christmas card) led him to try working on a digital tablet. The new freedom and possibilities offered by the digital medium meant that he soon found he "was having fun drawing again". Larson made it clear that he was not resuming production of a daily cartoon, but was "exploring, experimenting and trying stuff." As of March 30, 2024, Larson has not uploaded any new work since December 7, 2023. The Far Side
8611-522: The rest of the country, and for a time, it possessed a large shipbuilding industry. The region around eastern Puget Sound developed heavy industry during the period including World War I and World War II , and the Boeing company became an established icon in the area. During the Great Depression , a series of hydroelectric dams were constructed along the Columbia River as part of a project to increase
8720-458: The rights to publish collected editions of the series in 1982, the year the first Far Side book was released. It was surprisingly successful, which influenced Larson's decision to sign on with Universal after his contract with Chronicle expired. In January 1985, the four Far Side books out at the time— The Far Side , The Far Side Gallery , Beyond the Far Side and In Search of the Far Side —were simultaneous bestsellers; Jim Davis 's Garfield
8829-424: The same stereotypical characters (such as a woman with a beehive hairdo ), he purposely did not name his characters nor imply they were the same characters from cartoon to cartoon. He did not want to have a character-based series, as the characters were there to help serve the humor of the comic. Cow Tools is the name of a 1982 Far Side cartoon. It shows a cow standing behind a table with strange objects, with
8938-566: The same time many white patients recovered, they held "medicine man" Marcus Whitman personally responsible, and executed Whitman and twelve other white settlers. This was called the Whitman massacre in 1847. This event triggered the Cayuse War between settlers and Indians. Fort Nisqually , a farm and trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company and the first European settlement in the Puget Sound area,
9047-515: The search for meaning in life. Larson's frequent use of animals and nature in the comic is popularly attributed to his background in biology . The Far Side was ultimately carried by more than 1,900 daily newspapers, translated into 17 languages, and collected into calendars, greeting cards, and 23 compilation books, and reruns are still carried in many newspapers. After a 25-year hiatus, in July 2020, Larson began drawing new Far Side strips offered through
9156-451: The sorry specimens shown in this cartoon. I regret that my fondness for cows, combined with an overactive imagination, may have carried me beyond what is comprehensible to the average Far Side reader. Years later, in The Prehistory of the Far Side, Larson further explained that he was inspired by the idea that tool use was the characteristic that separated mankind from the rest of the animal kingdom. The Far Side The Far Side
9265-497: The state on October 10, 1805. Explorer David Thompson , on his voyage down the Columbia River, camped at the confluence with the Snake River on July 9, 1811, and erected a pole and a notice claiming the territory for Great Britain and stating the intention of the North West Company to build a trading post at the site. Britain and the United States agreed to what has since been described as "joint occupancy" of lands west of
9374-457: The state's growing Black or African American population's wages were 53% above the national average. The early diversification of Washington through the Great Migration led to successful efforts at reducing discrimination in the workplace. In 1950, Seattle's first black representative for the state's legislature was elected. At the 1970 U.S. census , the black population grew to 7.13% of
9483-485: The state's land area, mostly west of the northern Cascades. Approximately two-thirds of Washington's forested area is publicly owned, including 64 percent of federal land. Common trees and plants in the region are camassia , Douglas fir, hemlock, penstemon , ponderosa pine, western red cedar , and many species of ferns. The state's various areas of wilderness offer sanctuary, with substantially large populations of shorebirds and marine mammals. The Pacific shore surrounding
9592-407: The state. In addition to Western Washington and Eastern Washington , residents call the two parts of the state the "Westside" and the "Eastside", "Wet side" and "Dry side", or "Timberland" and "Wheatland", the latter pair more commonly in the names of region-specific businesses and institutions. These terms reflect the geography, climate, and industry of the land on both sides of the Cascades. From
9701-505: The state— is 50 miles (80 km) south of the city of Seattle, from which it is prominently visible. The U.S. Geological Survey considers 14,411-foot-tall (4,392 m) Mount Rainier the most dangerous volcano in the Cascade Range, due to its proximity to the Seattle metropolitan area , and most dangerous in the continental U.S. according to the Decade Volcanoes list. It is also covered with more glacial ice than any other peak in
9810-622: The territory of both the Cayuse and the Nez Perce Indian tribes. Whitman's settlement would in 1843 help the Oregon Trail , the overland emigration route to the west, get established for thousands of emigrants in the following decades. Whitman provided medical care for the Native Americans, but when Indian patients—lacking immunity to new, "European" diseases—died in striking numbers, while at
9919-459: The time of its conclusion, the series was carried in more than 1,900 papers and translated into 17 languages. Universal briefly re-syndicated The Far Side for a three-month period in late 2003 to promote the release of the anthology The Complete Far Side: 1980–1994 , and many newspapers still publish reprints. Larson has expressed disapproval of the distribution of his cartoons on the internet and has requested that fans do not do so; he wrote in
10028-526: The time was the most expensive New York Times bestseller . A new, lighter edition of The Complete Far Side was released in 2014. A large amount of Far Side merchandise was produced, ranging from greeting cards , posters , t-shirts , and mugs . For many years, Larson produced a yearly calendar that contained a Far Side cartoon for each day of the year. He stopped making them annually in 2002, but created another edition in 2006; all proceeds from this edition went to Conservation International . In
10137-469: The total population. In 1970, the state was one of only four U.S. states to have been providing legal abortions before the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade which loosened abortion laws nationwide. On May 18, 1980, following a period of heavy tremors and small eruptions, the north face of Mount St. Helens slid off in the largest landslide in recorded history before erupting violently , destroying
10246-415: The tropical Pacific regions a great distance into the Pacific Northwest. Western Washington is very cloudy during much of fall, winter, and early spring. Seattle averages the least sunshine hours of any major city in the United States. Despite Western Washington's marine climate similar to many coastal cities of Europe, there are exceptions such as the "Big Snow" events of 1880, 1881, 1893, and 1916, and
10355-404: The two-volume, twenty-pound anthology The Complete Far Side: 1980—1994 . The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon syndicated and, when it was initially published, retailed for US$ 135. Larson spent three years working on it; the majority of work went into redrawing characters' eyeballs because he was unhappy how they looked when transferred digitally. It sold 350,000 copies and at
10464-487: The west of the Cascade Range produced dense forests, and the ports along Puget Sound prospered from the manufacturing and shipping of lumber products, particularly the Douglas fir . Other industries that developed in the state included fishing, salmon canning and mining. For a long period, Tacoma had large smelters where gold, silver, copper, and lead ores were treated. Seattle was the primary port for trade with Alaska and
10573-447: The west, Oregon to the south, Idaho to the east, and shares an international border with the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north. Olympia is the state capital , and the most populous city is Seattle . Washington is the 18th-largest state , with an area of 71,362 square miles (184,830 km ), and the 13th-most populous state, with more than 7.8 million people. The majority of Washington's residents live in
10682-771: The winter and warm, temperate summers. The eastern region, which does not benefit from the general moderating effect of the Pacific Ocean, occasionally experiences extreme climate. Arctic cold fronts in the winter and heat waves in the summer are not uncommon. In the Western region, temperatures have reached as high as 118 °F (48 °C) in Maple Valley during the June 2021 heat wave , and as low as −6 °F (−21 °C) in Longview , and even -8 F (-22 C) in Sammamish . Forests cover about half
10791-401: The years they were available, Far Side greeting cards and calendars sold 110 million and 45 million copies, respectively. Larson stated in 1987 he was personally embarrassed by how much money he made from Far Side merchandise. In 1994, Larson produced an animated special, Tales from the Far Side , featuring his art style and gags from the strips. He produced a sequel in 1997. In 1987,
10900-459: Was "surreal, random, and occasionally very dark". Larson was influenced by his family's "morbid" sense of humor. His older brother Dan, who would often play pranks on him that took advantage of his fears, was a particular influence. He also drew inspiration from personal experience, Mad , and his favorite childhood book, Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat . Larson sought to mock the human condition , often by placing animals in human positions. Fear
11009-472: Was a Far Side gallery at the California Academy of Science that featured some of Larson's panels. The exhibit included a giant microscope under which visitors could stand, based on one of Larson's cartoons. Looking up through the objective lens revealed a giant blinking eyeball. The building was torn down and replaced and the exhibit is no longer in the new facility. As described by Sarah Larson (who
11118-412: Was among the first states to introduce same-sex marriage , and was one of only four states to have provided legal abortions on request before Roe v. Wade in 1973. Washington voters also approved a 2008 referendum on the legalization of physician-assisted suicide , making it one of 10 states to have legalized the practice. Washington was named after President George Washington by an act of
11227-643: Was formed from the western part of the Washington Territory , which was ceded by the British Empire in the Oregon Treaty of 1846. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. One of the wealthiest and most socially liberal states in the country, Washington consistently ranks among the top states for highest life expectancy and employment rates. It was one of the first states (alongside Colorado ) to legalize medicinal and recreational cannabis ,
11336-483: Was founded in 1833. Black pioneer George Washington Bush and his Caucasian wife, Isabella James Bush, from Missouri and Tennessee , respectively, led four white families into the territory and founded New Market, now Tumwater , in 1846. They settled in Washington to avoid Oregon 's black exclusion law , which prohibited African Americans from entering the territory while simultaneously prohibiting slavery . After them, many more settlers, migrating overland along
11445-610: Was in Africa at the time, and the Jane Goodall Institute felt the cartoon was in bad taste; the organization had its lawyers draft a letter to Larson and his distribution syndicate, in which the cartoon was labeled an "atrocity." These efforts were stymied by Goodall herself when she returned and saw the cartoon and stated that she found it amusing, commenting "It all helps to put us humans in our place, and we desperately need putting in our place." Since then, all profits from sales of
11554-410: Was launched on December 17, 2019. It features a "daily dose" of several randomly selected Far Side comics, a weekly themed collection, and additional material including art from Larson's sketchbooks. Larson wrote in an open letter announcing the site that he hoped that the official online presence of The Far Side would encourage sites presently hosting his comics to take them down and direct readers to
11663-567: Was only paid US$ 3 a cartoon. Eventually, he stopped and became an investigator for the local humane society . In 1979, a reporter for the Seattle Times who had met Larson while investigating "pony abuse" showed Nature's Way to her editor. It was revived and began appearing in the Saturday edition of the paper. Larson was paid US$ 15 a cartoon. After about a year, Larson took a vacation from his humane society work to drive to San Francisco at
11772-470: Was run in newspapers on January 1, 1995. Larson wrote a letter to his followers in October 1994 that explained he was ending the series due to "simple fatigue" and avoid having The Far Side fall into the "Graveyard of Mediocre Cartoons" if he continued. Larson also later stated he wanted to pursue a career as a jazz guitarist. During its 15-year run, Larson produced a total of 4,337 Far Side cartoons. By
11881-551: Was the only newspaper comic that had previously accomplished this feat. New Far Side books continued to be published after the series concluded and remain in print and popular today. During his 14-month hiatus, Larson produced The PreHistory of The Far Side: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit , a Far Side anthology that commemorates the series' 10th anniversary. It contains commentary on individual strips, letters from angry readers, unpublished cartoons, and some of Larson's personal favorite Far Side s. In 2003, Andrews McMeel released
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