Some would say the 1956 movie, The Conqueror, was cursed from the beginning. It had a terrible script, an unhappy crew, and a producer, in Howard Hughes, who would soon lose his mind to obsessive compulsive disorder and any n...
This episode will be a little different in that we’ll be taking you deep underground in Virginia City. This is the city where Mark Twain worked at a local paper in his younger years and became the writer we know and love toda...
From the same team that brings you Hometown History, we want to introduce you to Shane's new show Mystery Inc. If you enjoy talking about shady mysteries, Aliens, murder, legends, and of course the occasional tea - then Myste...
In this episode, Shane visits the former lumber town of Crescent City, California, right at the edge of the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Among other things, this quiet coastal village is known for having been hit by mu...
When things go as well as they did during the Pig War, it can be easy to forget just how wrong they could have gone. I asked former Chief of Interpretation and Historian for the San Juan Island National Historical Park, Mike ...
Have you ever had a fight with a family member over something stupid? Better yet, have you ever had that fight, only to realize it wasn’t so stupid after all? That behind that excuse for a fight was a real fight just waiting ...
After writing "On The Road," and before it was published, Jack Kerouac spent a long summer on Desolation Peak in what is now the North Cascades National Park. We'll be hearing from Kerouac and also our favorite Ranger, Jim Bu...
Before we explore Crater Lake National Park, I’d like to share a few pieces of general advice. I hope this series has inspired you to see more of our national parks, so I asked Jim and Will from More Than Just Parks to offer ...
The Civilian Conservation Corps was founded by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, and operated for roughly a decade until the program was ended in 1942. In this episode, Jim and Will Pattiz, from More Than Just Parks , explain why t...
If you're looking to learn about the history of the Lake Mead National Recreational Area and what to expect if you go, this will be an episode you won't want to miss. Ad-free episodes are available on our Apple Premium Channe...
…1 campfire… …1 dark forest… …31 bone-chilling stories… …Will YOU survive the night? This Halloween season, enter the woods for a unique and truly epic podcast experience! Around the campfire Shane Waters will introduce 31 cr...
…1 campfire… …1 dark forest… …31 bone-chilling stories… …Will YOU survive the night? This Halloween season, enter the woods for a unique and truly epic podcast experience! Around the campfire Shane Waters will introduce 31 cr...
In 1820, the well-known British writer, Sydney Smith, mocked the United States for its lack of culture and sophistication: In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book? or goes to an American play? or looks a...
From the team behind Hometown History, we thought you might enjoy our podcast Rotten to the Core hosted by Josh Waters! (Shane's brother) You can find Rotten to the Core here: https://link.chtbl.com/Rotten
There’s a scene in the show Mad Men that shook me up the first time I saw it. It’s probably not the one you think. In the very first episode, the Draper family picnics along the interstate. The grass is green, the birds are o...
One of my favorite movies as a kid was The Lorax. When I first saw The Lorax, I had some sense that it was about protecting the environment. But it’s more than a cartoon. It’s a thinly veiled environmental manifesto. I didn’t...
Have you ever heard the saying that “Life imitates art”? The person who coined this phrase was Oscar Wilde, the 19th century poet. Some say he was the first modern celebrity. What Wilde meant was simply that art often shows u...
There’s not much in life you can understand without context. When it comes to the systematic destruction of our planet during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, the context is this – for the first 300,000 years of human histo...
In my opinion, the single best online resource for visiting America’s national parks, or even appreciating them from afar, is a site called More Than Just Parks. You can find it at morethanjustparks.com . This site is run by ...
Before we jump back into the story of the Levi and Catharine Coffin, the so-called “President” and first-lady of the Underground Railroad, I thought it’d be helpful to review some of the code words common to the movement. Mos...
Central Region Director of the Indiana State Museum system. Joanna also manages the Levi & Catharine Coffin State Historic Site, which is where we are today. This small brick home has been called the Underground Railroad's "G...
If you were with us last episode you’ll recognize the voice of Erin Adams, Director of Education at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, the former home of our 7th President, and current museum dedicated to preserving his life story. ...
What’s the first step in becoming the most powerful man in America? For our 7th president, Andrew Jackson, the first step in his journey to prominence began with the purchase of his first slave. I sat down with Erin Adams, Di...
