"Dune" Author Frank Herbert's PNW Roots: How Tacoma's Environment Shaped Arrakis

Tacoma, WA – The iconic science fiction saga "Dune" by Frank Herbert, first published in 1965, drew profound inspiration from the author's formative years in the Pacific Northwest. Herbert, born in Tacoma in 1920, grew up near the American Smelting and Refining Corporation (ASARCO) smelter, an industrial site known for its significant pollution. According to a 2021 New York Times article, Herbert's son, Brian, revealed that his father was deeply influenced by the environmentally conscious practices of local indigenous tribes, such as the Ho and Quiliute, who had long warned against industrial destruction. Herbert's novel introduced ecology as a central theme, exploring the interdependent effects of environmental damage and the struggle for survival and profit from scarce resources. This was mirrored in the antagonist House Harkonnen's pursuit of power through control of "the spice" (melange) on the desert planet Arrakis. In a remarkable real-world parallel, Tacoma residents have transformed the former smelter site, once described as "a waterfront slag heap of piled up arsenic and other contaminants," into the vibrant Dune Peninsula Park, which opened in 2019. Erik Hanberg, a science fiction author and former president of Metro Parks Tacoma, noted the striking resemblance between this ecological restoration effort and the Fremen's goal in "Dune" to transform Arrakis into a green planet. Herbert's vision of Earth potentially becoming a "big Dune" if environmental issues were not addressed continues to resonate today.