Rudy Bretz interviewed about his father: J Harlen Bretz 

Nick Zentner and his incredible research team have in 2024 increased tenfold what is known about the geologist and professor J Harlan Bretz. The new findings - letters, photos, newspaper clippings, travels, interviews, maps, field notes - rewrite the story of Bretz's professional life and add substantially to the story of the Channeled Scablands of Washington. First class scholarship!

This is a huge privilege to be sure. My grateful thanks to the family for letting us see this and share something so private and special 😊❤

Thank you for this privilege, Great grandson Bretz!

It's so wonderful hearing words like "Columbia Plateau, Central Washington, scablands, Pacific Northwest, graveled roads, Grand Coulee Dam.." roll off the tongue so easily. A man who got to swim in the clear streams or rivers of Eastern Washington as a boy. I loved Rudolph's description of his father's teaching style!

We owe a huge debt to Rudy's grandson for making the decision to provide this interview with his grandfather; it caps off Nick's efforts to bring JHB and his decades of contributions to the Scablands flood story back into science's consciousness, and with any luck it'll result in a few young bucks somewhere picking up the torch and doing the painstaking research to answer many of the unanswered questions surrounding eastern WA's geography and geology. I imagine I would've been very protective of my forebears' work and their persona as well, and so I can sense the GGS's reluctance at first to put it out in the public domain; but we're all so grateful he made that sacrifice, because that plus Nick's work (and his collaborators') will serve not only advance the science but also bring the key players of this detective story to life, and put some context behind how difficult and inspired a job it was for Bretz et al to tell this Great Floods story _from the ground,_ without the benefit of the tech we have today and mostly take for granted -- and finally get his vindication in the end, which was what made the effort all the more worthwhile. Bretz is more or less a household name in these parts and for good reason. Hopefully this entire body of work by all involved will motivate another geologist somewhere to pick up the mantle and advance this research.

It’s a real treat hearing his voice. Thanks for the opportunity, and thanks for a great A-Z series. Well done!

Thank you Nick. It was an excellent A to Z series.

I knew of Bretz through his work on Speleologenesis , and had never really studied his earlier work on the Scablands prior to finding your channel . Nick , you have not only done another outstanding collaborative geology series , you have added a priceless component of historical humanistic insight . Thank you for all of it .

Such an amazing opportunity, thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you Nick for facilitating and being a stand for having this conversation available. Thank you to the Bretz family for allowing this video to be shown.

Thanks to the Bretz family for sharing this recording. And thank-you Nick Zentner for this A-Z series. Your creativity, energy and humanity is uplifting, provocative, amusing at times. To have a world, the world of geology, opened to many of us has been, well, wonderful, terrific! And a big thanks to the many guests who added to the depth of understanding.

Thank you, Bretz family, for sharing this compelling video.

Thanks so much for a fascinating view of your Dad and life in the 20s. Really fascinating and as an historian it is truly appreciated! Thanks for putting this together Nick! From Senoia, GA

It was such a treat to watch the clips of the interview last Sunday in Episode Z. Thank you for posting the entire interview, Nick, and thank you to the Bretz family for making it possible. Now Rudy's voice can accompany our readings of Bretz's field notes. Priceless.!

Amazing!!!! I would never guess that a geology class would traverse so many other disciplines and become a non-geology American history course at the same time. It's so cool to see streams with >1200 students who are invested in getting the geologic story but are just as invested in the Human side of this story. Hats off you to, Nick! You are a great professor.

Fantastic film! Many thanks to great grandson Bretz for allowing Nick to share this with us! What a treasure!

This is a wonderful privilege to hear such vivid memories of such a wonderful geologist and writer, and family experiences out in the field and growing up with him.

Thank you so much for allowing us to share these precious memories! It is a great honor and privilege that provides wonderful insight into J. Harlan Bretz and the wonderful Bretz family! Much love and gratitude to the Bretz Family and Nick for this!

The way he revised the title of the Holy Bible was an example of his great analytical ability. He was ahead of his time, cutting and pasting!

Love the Drrumheller comment. Just one kind of land-scabland!

Thank you Bretz family for sharing this. It's wonderful to Rudy talking about his dad.

Thanks for sharing this! So amazing to gather all these snippets and and perspectives to enrich our understanding of Bretz. A big thank you to the family for sharing this with us.

American History

That Doc Bretz can influence us today in this personal way is just incredible. I am grateful to the Bretz family (and Nick's foresight). We're honored to know more about this ingenious man's story. Thank you!!

After watching Nick's "A to Z" episodes, this is a very personal and intimate recollection of an extraordinarily prescient scientist by his son. It humanizes those very significant summer field explorations in Washington and the Okanagan in the 1920s and '30s that play such an important role in Nick's magnificent series on Bretz's work. I'm definitely not a geologist. I barely survived Geology 101 at the University of Washington in 1966 as I struggled to discriminate between lab specimens of orthoclase and plagioclase feldspar. I confess that before I stumbled upon Nick Zentner's compelling video lectures and got completely hooked on the "A to Z" saga, I had never heard of Professor J. Harlan Bretz. I'm so grateful that I did not see this wonderful interview with his son until after Nick's fabulous exposition on Bretz, dissecting his compelling understanding of the geological history of the Columbia Plateau and the Channel Scablands. This interview put the flesh on the bones of this remarkable man, seen through the respectful eyes of a devoted son, just marvelous!

This is a treasure. Thank you, great grandson for sharing this. There is indeed a Bretzville in Indiana! I found it thru Google maps. Amazing. Again, this is a real treasure.

I ❤ this. Listening to older generations talk about the pass is such a great treat. They never get old. Thank you Nick. I really appreciate you and everything you have done. A toast to you. 🍻

Thank you Nick. I was looking forward to this interview. I appreciate your time and effort always

What a fantastic video! My Dad sat down with my Grandfather and Grandmother to record their years. I plan on doing that with my Mom and Dad. If they're still alive, you should try to get your elders on video. You'll appreciate it after they're gone.

A treasure for the archives that truly humanizes the man and his work. To re-watch the entire A-Z series with this in the back of our minds will surely add color to the story

Bretzville, Indiana

This is a National Treasure!🎉🎉

What a good sport Rudolph was to do this. The love and pride in his father shines out of his eyes, especially when it is a fun memory.

Bretzville, IN 130 miles SW of Indianapolis. Amazing insight into the man. We are so lucky to have this. Thanks to all responsible.

Fantastic glimpse into the life of the legendary Harley, Rudy is a legend in his own right. Thanks to all who facilitated publishing this! Interesting that Rudy Bretz was a pioneer in television, RU-vid is directly descended. Rudy would be honored to learn that Bretzville is now easily found thanks to the medium.

Thank you for sharing. Love to watch videos of elders. We spent Sunday afternoon having dinner & playing Pinochle.

How wonderful!!! Thank you so much!!

Thank you to all and especially Nick for a great series. It’s going to feel strange Thursday…

Can't help but smile. 😊 Nick you done good. 😉

Wow, what a treasure! Thank you for this gem, Mr. Bretz.

What a treasure this is. Thank you so much for sharing with us.

Thank-you Nick and thanks to the Bretz family for sharing this! I wonder what JHB learn about caves, that would be interesting. Nick….....

Thank you to the Bretz family for granting this viewing. Thank you, Nick, for posting it.

Awesome interview!! But hard to believe they could have managed 300 miles / day in 1924, on the roads Rudy described!!! Thanks for sharing, Nick! And 'Bretz Family'!!!

Thanks for the wonderful winter education!!! Truly grateful for your efforts and the inspiration you gave to the community of folks that added so much to our understanding!!!

❤❤❤❤❤ Thank you! Fun... would be nice to have been there, in time.

Wow. What a treasure.

Thank you , Nick and all your contributors, for the great series!

Thank you Family! The sharing is poignant and timely. Nick/Ned. Mr Zentner. There's really no words for the appreciation. Really just can't find one good enough to explain my personal gratitude much less bespeak to others more eloquent.. 👍

Wonderful. Thank you Nick and company for sharing.

Firstly, thank you to the Bretz family. Secondly, thank you to Nick and the hive-mind collective! One thing that really stands out to me from this interview was the parallel between Darwin & Bretz ... each in their own unrelated (largely) fields, struggling with dissonance that contemporary dogma shackles their fervent minds with. The stigma associated with 'straying from the path' back in those days was intense; so much so that it could be social and career suic1de. I'm wondering if the USGS ambush meeting was subliminally, or overtly, driven by this context?

Thank you to the Bretz family for sharing this private and fascinating treasure, and thank you Nick and all contributors for another great A-Z series. Loved every minute of it.

As a Bretz fan ... great post, thx many times 🍺

This is awesome seing and hearing the son of Bretz ❤

Love this - Thank you!

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

Priceless video.

Very cool! Thank you for sharing.

Would like to see someone do a polished professional documentary about this story, I think the general populous would Really enjoy this story with its twists and turns , a real character at the center, and the vindication from all the effort and hard work despite the strong opposition .

What a great coda to the a-z - thanks ned.

Wow~

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This video could be used to train an AI voice. And I hope all of these archival materials will be properly housed in Special Collections at Central …

Bretzville, Jackson Township, Dubois County, Indiana -- just south of intersection of state routes 162 & 64. pop 47,542 now. Smack on E550S at 162. Wiki says 1850 settled by William Bretz, Sr n William Bretz, Jr mapped it in 1866. Renamed from "Newton" to Bretzville in 1873. Even now unicorporated community...

Bretzville Indiana 47542

Thank you Nick and thank you Bretz family for allowing us to know him a just a little. How many of us have fond memories and are greatful to have had a professor like him. Lol