It is an early autumn evening in 2008 when four Loggers hanging out on Sixth Avenue form a master plan to steal the University of Puget Sound’s beloved hatchet. This is the plot of Stewart Berg’s novel, “The Hatchlings of Fall ‘08: A Tale of Two Universities.”
With a degree in History, which ignited a passion for writing and storytelling, Berg is a 2014 graduate of Pacific Lutheran University — our rival liberal arts college about 20 minutes south of Puget Sound. Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s work, Berg felt called to compose his own novel. While originally from the South, Berg’s time in Washington made a lasting impression, and he draws upon his experiences, as well as stories from friends at both Tacoma universities, in crafting a tale of friendship, rivalry and tradition.
“I really loved walking through both campuses. I just gathered a bunch of potential scenes for stories that sat in my head,” Berg said.
Eventually, he began creating a story about a rebellious friend group that wanted to revisit an old tradition: stealing the University’s prized hatchet. The relic is a well-known symbol across the Puget Sound campus, signifying the beginnings of the logging town-situated University. According to the University’s archive, the carpenter’s hatchet was first uncovered in 1908 beneath a building that was under construction. It was then adopted as a symbol of Logger pride. The original tradition was for seniors to hand it off to the junior class after inscribing their graduating class numbers somewhere on the tool.
Archivist and Special Collections Librarian Olivia Inglin said, “This very cordial tradition existed, and then at some point it started to change. It becomes more about competition between classes.”
The theft of the hatchet was a tradition most popular at the University during the early 1900s, but it died down by the end of the 1950s. Over the decades, the tradition evolved, beginning as an activity between the junior and senior classes before other grades got involved. Seniors would hide the hatchet from the junior class until, eventually, it became nearly impossible to find. This unruly activity eventually was dubbed “hatchet running.” What started as a friendly passing of the torch slowly became a mysterious hunt for a beloved heirloom.
“This is an evolving trend. I would say it comes down to camaraderie within classes and some friendly competition between different years,” Inglin said.
After nearly four decades of shenanigans, the hatchet now permanently resides in a glass box located in the Student Union Building on the Puget Sound campus near the dining hall. It memorializes former students and their desire for tradition and connections, no matter how strange.
“The Hatchlings of Fall ‘08: A Tale of Two Universities” is a novel about protecting traditions and keeping them alive. Although Berg’s time at PLU succeeded the height of the hatchet tradition, the revered lore remained an integral, albeit distant, part of the lively connection between PLU and Puget Sound.
“I always wished that there was more rivalry between PLU and UPS,” Berg said.
With nostalgia for his college days, Berg began generating the first ideas for this story in the summer of 2021. He started with the simple concept of a story about a friend group with a conflict. He recalled the scenes from his time in the Pacific Northwest and began writing a story about the infamous hatchet tradition.
“I came up with writing a story that could be real, and written in history — the final theft of the hatchet,” he said.
Berg has decided to release this story chapter by chapter online, with the final installment releasing in December of this year. “I had this idea for a book, and I kind of wanted it to just be out, so I was like, I’m just going to self-publish.”
The author now resides in Marble Falls, Texas — his primary home since elementary school. There, he operates his own publishing house, cleverly named Falling Marbles Press. Interested readers can access the story of the Tacoma rivalry through his website, fallingmarbles.com.
As the sole editor of Falling Marbles Press, Berg spends his time reading, writing and editing — proof that a silly idea can turn into a new business venture. In a world that sometimes fails to see the value in creative avenues, Berg encourages writers to continue pursuing journalistic paths, no matter the hurdles.
“Send your work everywhere and keep writing,” Berg recommends. You might very well end up with your own story of friendship and tradition.