Dec 5, 2018

Underground Newspapers: Helix (Seattle)

Seattle’s first underground newspaper, the Helix, was published bi-weekly (and sometimes weekly) from 1967-70. The paper’s editor and driving force was Paul Dorpat. Much of the visual voice of the paper was created by Walt Crowley, who illustrated many covers and comics.

The selection of covers here comes from the Independent Voices collection. They have a good, although incomplete set of full-issue scans of the Helix. You can find more covers via Seattle’s Jive Time Records, and complete issue scans with revealing background info at Paul Dorpat’s blog.

As with most underground papers from this period, illustration and photo credits are scarce; we’ll try to update these as we learn more.

(Above): July 1, 1967. Illustration by Wm. Ward.

July 27, 1967

September 26, 1968

October 31, 1968

January 23, 1969

July 1969

November 21, 1968

January 15, 1970

December 4, 1969

July 31, 1969

February 13, 1969

April 3, 1969

December 1968

Further reading

Underground newspapers: The Berkeley Tribe