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American Countryside contact information:
Andrew McCrea, American Countryside host
(816) 351-2165
andrew@andrewmccrea.com

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(816) 294-2381
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October 29, 2021
29Oct21 Birdcage Theater Arizona
Over one hundred years ago it was a destination all the top entertainers hit while touring the southwest.  Today it stills draws plenty of crowds for lots of reasons…

October 28, 2021
28Oct21 Uncle Sam Boat Tour 4
They say there are one thousand islands here.  Ron knows the exact number though, a number that may surprise the visitors that come to see him and take a tour of a most scenic spot along a very important waterway…

October 27, 2021
27Oct21 Uncle Sam Boat Tour 3
Today the wealthy might take a jet to a private island in some sunny spot on the globe.  Over a century ago, the elite were taking a train to a very different type of island…

October 26, 2021
26Oct21 Uncle Sam Boat Tour 2
It’s an area of New York state and Canada known as the Thousand Islands region – a place that draws thousands of visitors each year.  For about a century now, Ron’s family has been showing people the place and telling them all about it…

October 25, 2021
25Oct21 Uncle Sam Boat Tour 1
Sometimes the name of a boat is a big deal.  Ron’s family had the perfect name for a boat, a name that brought plenty of tourists to board it.  But there was a problem – what to do when people didn’t want to ride the other boats…

 

October 22, 2021
22Oct21 Boldt Castle 2
It was a grand project that employed a hundred workers or more, building a castle on an island in New York’s Alexandria Bay along the border with Canada.  However, four years in to the massive project, work abruptly ceased.  Today the work is slowly being completed on a huge mansion with quite a story…

October 21, 2021
21Oct21 Boldt Castle 1
George immigrated from Prussia in the 1800s and settled in New York City.  His hard work paid off and he was able to amass a fortune, part of which he wanted to spend on his wife to show her just how much he loved her.  So what was the perfect gift?  Building a castle for her…

October 20, 2021
20Oct21 Betsy Ross
Americans are fond of their flag.  It is a symbol of freedom, of hope, and of bravery.  The flag unites us and gives us a sense of pride.  A simple flag says so much.  Today we go to where all of that flag waving began…

October 19, 2021
19Oct21 Barbed Wire Museum
Drive down just about any country road and you’ll see it.  You may have never thought it would be worthy of a large museum…but then again…you probably never imagined this had such a long and storied history…

October 18, 2021
18Oct21 Kokomo Sycamore Stump
Many folks enjoy trees in their yard that provide shade on a summer day and beauty with the fall colors.  But when a tree dies it is usually cut down and perhaps turned into fire wood.  A century ago, this tree provided lots of shade and beauty, but when a storm felled it, locals wanted to keep it alive so to speak so that generations to come could appreciate it…

 

October 15, 2021
15Oct21 Kokomo Glass Company 3
When your product is estimated to be found in seventy-five percent of the world’s churches, you know your company has quite a reach.  Perhaps what is more amazing is that the factory where it is made is much the same as it was in the 1880s…

October 14, 2021
14Oct21 Kokomo Glass Company 2
Dig into the photo archives around Kokomo, Indiana and you’re bound to find plenty of pictures, commonplace in the 1880s, but quite remarkable today.  Pictures of torches illuminating city streets, ball fields and more.  The torches aren’t the story though – it’s the way they are fueled…

October 13, 2021
13Oct21 Kokomo Glass Company 1
Jeff Shaw owns a company in which he has to answer two questions quite often – What is it and how do you spell it?  Despite that hurdle, they’ve been in business for well over a century…

October 12, 2021
12Oct21 Bartlesville Oil Well 2
George Keeler noticed his horses wouldn’t drink from this spot on the Caney River.  The location is today an important spot that draws visitors from around the world.  We go to the banks of that river…

October 11, 2021
11Oct21 Bartlesville Oil Well 1
William Johnstone and George Keeler were looking for a way to attract the railroad to their new town.  Who knew the method to lure them here would change the course of Oklahoma’s history yet today…

 

October 8, 2021
08Oct21 Balloon Bombs 2
It was a foreign attack on the U.S. mainland…yet few have heard the story of Japan’s balloon bombs and the deaths they caused in south central Oregon…

October 7, 2021
07Oct21 Balloon Bombs 1
Americans know of the bombs Japan dropped at Pearl Harbor…yet few have heard the story of the 9000 that were launched at the U.S. mainland in the last months of the war…

October 6, 2021
06Oct21 American Countryside 25th Anniversary
On October 6^th, 1996 I was away from home but called my mom early on a Saturday morning to put the phone up to radio so I could listen to a broadcast. It was the first of these American Countryside features.  Wow how times have changed…and it’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years…

October 5, 2021
05Oct21 Artichoke Lady 2
Some people turn up their nose at brussels sprouts.  Where do artichokes fare in comparison?  We head to a valley where the unusual crop is grown…

October 4, 2021
04Oct21 Artichoke Lady 1
Sometimes it’s hard to get kids to eat their vegetables.  Now imagine the vegetable looks like a hand grenade and people believe you can choke when eating it.  It’s a marketing challenge, but this lady will convince you, the problems are all in your head…

 

October 1, 2021
01Oct21 Arlington Ladies
On Memorial Day we remember our loved ones, but these ladies recognize our fallen soldiers this weekend and every day of the year…

September 30, 2021
30Sep21 Daves Metal Detecting 3.mp3
Remember the phrase “finders keepers, losers weepers?” That definitely does not fit this man. When you hear his story, you may come away thinking he has to be one of the most honest men on the planet…

September 29, 2021
29Sep21 Daves Metal Detecting 2.mp3
Have you ever had to go to a lost and found department? These days, those departments are often found online where people try to find a locate and reunite items with their owners. But there has to be someone finding those things if there’s any hope of getting those items back…

September 28, 2021
28Sep21 Daves Metal Detecting 1.mp3
Imagine having a job that is like trying to find the needle in the proverbial haystack. Now imagine that is your job every day. It’s a career Dave enjoys and one that keeps in much in demand…

September 27, 2021
27Sep21 Youngs Dairy 2.mp3
When is an ice cream cone more than just ice cream in a cone?  It is here.  It’s a family owned dairy with quite a story…

 

 

September 24, 2021
24Sep21 Young’s Dairy 1
North of Xenia, Ohio you’ll find a dairy farm with quite a history.  Not only have they been milking cows here for several generations, but they’ve become quite a draw for visitors who come for the dairy and much, much more…

September 23, 2021
23Sep21 Otesage Hotel 2
The Baseball Hall of Fame has an induction ceremony each year and when that event takes place, the baseball greats all stay at this hotel – a hotel that predates the Hall of Fame by several decades.  I’ll take you to the beautiful place on the lake in Cooperstown…

September 22, 2021
22Sep21 Otesage Hotel 1
Perhaps you remember the book and the movie, the Last of the Mohicans.  James Fennimore Cooper was the author of the tale, and it was his father who established this town – a town well known today for something that arrived well after the Coopers lived here…

September 21, 2021
21Sep21 Wyoming Homesteader Hester Currence
If you are a resident of Wyoming, a four or five hour drive to get somewhere may not seem too bad.  In a state where the tallest building is a dormitory at the university of Wyoming, cities and people are often far apart in distance.  But if it’s that way today, imagine what it was like about 100 years ago…

September 20, 2021
20Sep21 Museum of Advertising
If it were not for sponsors…daily broadcasts like this…and radio stations themselves for that matter would not be able to pay the bills.  So perhaps it’s only fitting that we go to the museum dedicated to advertisers themselves.  You’ll be intrigued by the timeline of radio advertising…

 

September 17, 2021
17Sep21 Union Pacific Railroad Museum 3
This company was created from scratch in the 1860s.  From the start, those founders knew that their work would be important to the building of the nation and they photographed and chronicled the story from the beginning.  The fascinating history is told here…

September 16, 2021
16Sep21 Union Pacific Railroad Museum 2
This is Mile Zero.  For several years mile zero of this railroad would only take you to the banks or a river with no bridge.  Yet this was the beginning of a rail line destined to link the nation…

September 15, 2021
15Sep21 Union Pacific Railroad Museum 1
Abraham Lincoln had an important decision to make.  Where would be the beginning point of a new railroad.  We don’t know the reasons for his choice, but his decision still makes an impact on this city today…

September 14, 2021
14Sep21 Russell Cave 2
Today you might get bad teeth from drinking too much soda…ten thousand years ago teeth were a problem as well…but archeologists tell us the problem was consuming something else that was even harder on one’s molars…

September 13, 2021
13Sep21 Russell Cave 1
It’s a cave in the national park system…yet it is far different that well known sites such as Mammoth Cave or Carlsbad Caverns…

 

September 10, 2021
10Sep21 Arbor Day Farm 2
You probably know this gentleman’s son for the salt company he founded that bears his name.  but the father was equally important, for it was he that gave us a day on the calendar, all from his efforts to promote agriculture.  This is the history behind that man and his day…

September 9, 2021
09Sep21 Arbor Day Farm 1
You may enjoy a tree for its beauty, it’s shade, or perhaps the fruit that comes from it.  But when it comes right down to it…most of us don’t think about the value of a tree that often…but this man did…

September 8, 2021
08Sep21 Applegate Trail
Most people have heard of the Oregon Trail…but few have come across the Applegate Trail…yet it was the latter that offered a different and some say, safer route to the fertile Willamtte Valley.  This is the story of that historic trail…

September 7, 2021
07Sep21 Chester Illinois History 2
Take a drive south of St. Louis on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River and you’ll find some very unique buildings.  In fact, it’s hard to find anything else like this in the entire nation.  The story of those old structures and why they are here is a fascinating tale…

September 6, 2021
06Sep21 Chester Illinois History 1
Chicago is by far the largest city in the state of Illinois.  But when settlement of that territory began, it was another city, far from Chicago, that was the jumping off point for many…

 

September 3, 2021
03Sep21 Chester Illinois Popeye 3
A lot of people don’t like spinach, but this guy did.  In fact he really liked spinach.  And when he ate spinach he could accomplish just about anything.  Today the town from which he hailed celebrates his life and many others most of us know…

September 2, 2021
02Sep21 Chester Illinois Popeye 2
There was no doubt this young man had talent.  He was operating motion picture as the local opera house in the early 1900s and drawing caricatures of local townspeople between the movies.  That led his boss to do something that perhaps set his future career in motion…

September 1, 2021
01Sep21 Chester Illinois Popeye 1
The name Elzie Segar doesn’t resonate with most folks, unless you happen to live in Chester, Illinois.  Folks there know the man who created characters most people still recognize today.  This is Elzie’s story…

August 31, 2021
31Aug21 Alton Illinois Underground Railroad 2
Imagine unearthing history from nearly two centuries ago to find the secret routes people used to gain their freedom.  That’s what this man does and he leads tours of the hideaways used to shuttle hundreds north to escape the bonds of slavery…

August 30, 2021
30Aug21 Alton Illinois Underground Railroad 1
Railroads spanned these two cities on opposite sides of the Mississippi River, but it was a secret railroad that had Eric Robinson most interested.  Today we take a look at the path to freedom that passed through this important site on the mighty waterway…

 

August 27, 2021
27Aug21 Andersonville Prison 2
Today’s rolling hillsides are serene and peaceful, yet it was this very place that was once one of the worst places on earth.  We remember a placed called Andersonville…

August 26, 2021
26Aug21 Andersonville Prison 1
By the end of the Civil War, the conditions inside this prison grew so bleak as to compel one soldier to write, it takes 7 of its occupants to make a shadow.  We go to a place they called Andersonville…

August 25, 2021
25Aug21 XIT Ranch 3
Just off the courthouse square in Dalhart, Texas you’ll find a small museum devoted to a very large subject – the XIT ranch.  The three-million-acre spread is the stuff of legends and larger story of the region is a fascinating tale you’ll find told here…

August 24, 2021
24Aug21 XIT Ranch 2
Imagine a ranch so large it took thousands of miles of wire just to fence the pastures.  It was a huge spread totally three million acres and you can still find traces of it in many points across the Texas panhandle…

August 23, 2021
23Aug21 XIT Ranch 1
When the state of Texas needed to build a new state capitol building they had a plan in place to raise money for construction.  That plan involved land about as far from the city of Austin as could still be found within the borders of the state…

 

August 20, 2021
20Aug21 Glorietta Pass
When you think of the American Civil War you probably don’t think of battlefields in states such as New Mexico??  We head to the land of enchantment for one such battle…

August 19, 2021
19Aug21 Harriet Tubman 4
You may soon see her face on our currency.  She is a lady who’s story inspires young and old – the story of escaping slavery and then risking one’s life to free others from those bonds as well…

August 18, 2021
18Aug21 Harriet Tubman 3
In the late 1850s there was a sale of a farm that was against the laws of the country.  Both the seller and buyer could have been fined and imprisoned, or worse.  Yet that sale was not contested.  This is the story of the buyer, the seller and the legacy here in Auburn, New York…

August 17, 2021
17Aug21 Harriet Tubman 2
She is one of the best known figures associated with he Underground Railroad.  Her courage led her to become well known within her own lifetime and still a very important figure in the history of this nation…

August 16, 2021
16Aug21 Harriet Tubman 1
At the age of five she was already being leased out by her slave owner to check muskrat traps in freezing temperatures.  She was whipped and beaten before the age of seven and by the age of twelve, a blow to the head by an irate master caused her head trauma that impacted the rest of her life…

 

August 13, 2021
13Aug21 Cooperstown Bat Company 3
Many of us played the game of baseball as a kid.  Perhaps you had a baseball hero…for me it was George Brett of the Kansas City Royals.  Now imagine that you were a very important part of your baseball hero’s career, yet the two of you had never met and that pro player didn’t even know you were helping them achieve greatness.  How could that be true?  It’s the case for Kyle Crispell…

August 12, 2021
12Aug21 Cooperstown Bat Company 2
A baseball bat is, of course, a critical part of the game – but did you ever wonder where those bats are made that so many professional players use.  Today I’ll take you to meet the man behind many of those bats – the guy who uses one machine to turn the bats that each pro player needs to get their hits

August 11, 2021
11Aug21 Cooperstown Bat Company 1
Major league baseball players are required to use wooden bats – aluminum bats are not allowed.  For many decades the wood bats have come from trees in this region of the country.  In a moment I’ll take you to that area and those trees to get the story behind those all-important bats….

August 10, 2021
10Aug21 Vice President Center 2
There are plenty of interesting stories to be found in the history of the U.S. presidency…and if you take a look at the vice-presidents…well you can probably multiply that be about 100.  We go just off the oval office…

August 9, 2021
09Aug21 Vice President Center 1
Elbridge Gerry, Rufus King, Schyler Colfax…they’re names probably not that familiar to both of us…yet at one time they were important to everyone in the country…

 

August 6, 2021
06Aug21 Herman Missouri 2
Why did one family move their piano making business from Philadelphia to a fledgling community in the Midwest?  In may seem odd to some, but there was something here that was a draw for many families just like theirs…

August 5, 2021
05Aug21 Herman Missouri 1
Today we might look at a travel guide for insights on where to take a vacation.  Those who looked at this man’s travel guide decided not to vacation here, but to move here.  This is the story of one river town and the families who came here nearly two centuries ago…

August 4, 2021
04Aug21 Pioneers of Flight
Today a transcontinental flight from New York to L.A. might take about five hours.  But do you know how long the first such flight took?  We celebrate the 100^th anniversary of flying coast-to-coast…

August 3, 2021
03Aug21 The Wild Center 3
Lots of people come to the Adirondacks of New York state to enjoy the fishing.  What may look common place though has changed much over the years.  While the fishing is still great, there is a story behind the fish being caught and how to help those species thrive in the future…

August 2, 2021
02Aug21 The Wild Center 2
There are plenty of creatures to be found in these woods.  Nicole’s job is to help tell their story, and in the process, help preserve the Adirondack culture.  It’s a place where you may be amazed at how much and what you’ll find…

 

July 30, 2021
30Jul21 The Wild Center
There is usually only misery that comes from living through a bad ice storm.  That was partly the case with such a storm that hit upstate New York, but from that storm came an idea for a place that today draws thousands of visitors to the Adirondacks…

July 29, 2021
29Jul21 Adirondack Adventures 2
You may recall that the Hudson River terminates in New York City.  Most of us wouldn’t think that swimming in the Hudson would be too much fun.  However, in a moment I’m going to take you to a place on the Hudson where the waters run cool and clear and the scenery of tall forests and rocky gorges is amazing…

July 28, 2021
28Jul21 Adirondack Adventures 1
Lindsey’s job is to “read” the water.  It’s an ever-changing task and her ability to read those waters correctly has a big impact on those making the trip with her…

July 27, 2021
27Jul21 Fairbault Paradise Center 2
Many small towns lost their old theatres and opera houses over the years.  It some cases they were torn down, sometimes they were converted into other uses…and occasionally they were restored and found new and expanded uses.  This town did the latter and now draws crowds and events throughout the year…

July 26, 2021
26Jul21 Fairbault Paradise Center 1
A theatre with a Moroccan-style courtyard may seem out of place in southern Minnesota, but this town has not only found a way to keep the place alive, but thriving with opportunities for people in the region…

 

July 23, 2021
23Jul21 St Genevieve Missouri 2
We’ve all seen a log cabin.  Such structures were the norm for many Americans early in the country’s history.  But did you ever see a log cabin with the logs arranged vertically instead of horizontally?  There are only a handful in the U.S…and most are here…

July 22, 2021
22Jul21 St Genevieve Missouri 1
When these French Catholics learned that the British Protestants had taken over, they weren’t pleased.  It may be the reason this city still exists today…

July 21, 2021
21Jul21 Pontiac WWII Home & Band Exhibit 2
Imagine a chance to get to hear one of the biggest bands of the day and dance with movie starlets.  It was a dream come true for soldiers on leave from World War II and it all happened at a place called the “stage door.”

July 20, 2021
20Jul21 Pontiac WWII Home & Band Exhibit 1
As time passes there are fewer Americans that can recall the life on the homefront during the years of World War II.  So a trip here might remind you of some things you once found at grandma’s house…or stuff you simply heard about but had never seen.  We step back 75 years and more…

July 19, 2021
19Jul21 Pontiac Civil War Music Museum 2
We’ve all heard plenty of stories about Abraham Lincoln, but today’s feature may uncover something you didn’t know about the sixteenth president. Just how good of a singer was he? You might say, “who cares?” You’ll probably find the story interesting, especially what others thought of his tunes…

 

 

July 16, 2021
16Jul21 Pontiac Civil War Music Museum 1
Many museums cover the history of the Civil War, but few cover this specific topic within that war.  That doesn’t mean its not important – in fact, many find it fascinating to learn of a “battle of the bands” so to speak…

July 15, 2021
15Jul21 Pontiac Titanic Museum
This ship never sailed to Pontiac, Illinois.  To our knowledge, no one from Pontiac, Illinois ever was aboard it.  So why does this town have an exhibit about it?  Well it all goes back to two dedicated folks sharing a story that still seems to captivate young and old…

July 14, 2021
14Jul21 Buddy Holly Museum 4
We sometimes say that famous folks forget their roots.  They become so engrossed in stardom that they lose site of where they began.  Not so for this musician, who took his earnings back home to help his parents and others like himself get their start…

July 13, 2021
13Jul21 Buddy Holly Museum 3
Many of us know the Buddy Holly sing, That’ll Be the Day.”  It was a hit that launched the young singer from his hometown of Lubbock, Texas on a path to stardom that would last but a year and a half before tragedy…

July 12, 2021
12Jul21 Buddy Holly Museum 2
Landing a record deal is a big step in a musician’s career.  But when this record company wanted their young star to sing his lyrics in a country and western style, it was far from a hit.  When he got to sing them the way he wanted, it was a hit, but also spelled trouble with the original record company…

 

July 9, 2021
09Jul21 Buddy Holly Museum 1
Ever rock ‘n roll star had to begin somewhere, and for this musician from Lubbock, TX it was playing at roller rinks and used car lots.  But it gave him exposure and eventually landed him the airplay that would rocket him to the top of the charts…

July 8, 2021
08Jul21 Silent Wings Museum 2
Imagine entering a heated ground battle simply slicing through the air on a glider.  It was a dangerous mission that pilots and troops were asked to perform during World War II and this place tells their story and much more…

July 7, 2021
07Jul21 Silent Wings Museum 1
When the United States entered World War II soldiers were asked to fight in places where it would be difficult to take conventional airplanes to get them supplies.  There were many ideas that were a result and one of them was developed here in the panhandle of Texas…

July 6, 2021
06Jul21 Dinosaur Valley
The animal tracks are three foot in width…and they are real…not made by an imaginary bigfoot…but plain to see to everyone that wades into this river.  So what is it?  This is the story of those tracks and who made them…

July 5, 2021
05Jul21 San Marcos Hotel
Phoenix, Arizona has plenty of golf resorts that attract thousands of visitors, but ask someone who established the first course in the state and they’ll be hard pressed to tell you it was actually a Midwestern veterianarian who had more grazing land than he could manage…

 

July 2, 2021
02Jul21 Paul Revere 2
Listen, my children, and you shall hear…Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. It’s the beginning to that famous Longfellow poem about a horse and rider racing to shout important news about the British.  But in a moment we’ll separate fact and fiction about Paul Revere’s ride…

July 1, 2021
01Jul21 Paul Revere 1
He’s probably the most famous dentist in the American Revolutionary War.  You might not know he cleaned teeth, but you do know his name?

June 30, 2021
30Jun21 KC Cattle Company 3
Patrick Montgomery had the world’s best hot dog, but he didn’t have enough them to sell to all those who wanted them.  So what does a cattle producer do when they can’t keep enough product on the shelf.  His solution has gained him loyal customers for hot dogs, steaks and more…

June 29, 2021
29Jun21 KC Cattle Company 2
Patrick Montgomery is in the business of delivering customers the best steaks they’ll ever eat.  Along the way, he may have just created the best hog dog anyone has ever tasted as well.  This is the story of what happened when a steak company’s hot dog sales went through the roof…

June 28, 2021
28Jun21 KC Cattle Company 1
Patrick Montgomery was an army ranger…and in 2014 he had a decision to make – reenlist or pursue another career option.  It was a choice between two things he loved, and in a sense, he’s found a way to bring both together in an exciting agricultural venture…

 

June 25, 2021
25Jun21 Leavenworth Historical Society 2
Some of us remember the photo negatives you used to get when you processed film.  But a century ago the negatives were on glass and this city wound up with several tons of them, making it quite a treasure trove for historians and others with ties to this area…

June 24, 2021
24Jun21 Leavenworth Historical Society 1
It is the “First City of Kansas.”  The reason it achieved that status was because of an important fort that was not initially destined for that side of the river.  This is the story of a fort, a river and a first city…

June 23, 2021
23Jun21 CW Park Carousel 3
A husband is supposed to give his bride a gift on her birthday, anniversary, Christmas…well, they should probably be giving gifts a lot of times.  But what do you do when you have 40 wives?  This man found the perfect gift and had it shipped half way around the world from Leavenworth, Kansas

June 22, 2021
22Jun21 CW Park Carousel 2
When most people think of this town they perhaps remember one of two things – a fort or a major prison.  Interestingly, one of the items that put this city on the worldwide map was as the leader for building this machine…

June 21, 2021
21Jun21 CW Park Carousel 1
CW Parker moved from Illinois to Kansas and his first career was hand digging wells.  However, he began to take note of what people did to relax or perhaps have a little fun with friends or family.  That notion led him to leave well digging and build a company building something you know today…

 

June 18, 2021
18Jun21 St Paul’s Church 2
Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran…there are many labels that may be placed on churches.  However, during the early years of this church, the label was either “British” or “Revolutionary” and those who stepped inside the building were most likely not going to hear a sermon…

June 17, 2021
17Jun21 St Paul’s Church 1
Just outside of New York City proper, yet well within the urban corridor, there sits a church in the suburb of Mt. Vernon, New York.  It looks out of place as business and industry surrounds it.  However, the reason it remains is because it is a symbol of the struggle for freedom that took place here…

June 16, 2021
16Jun21 The Dalton Gang 2
Today these streets and the adjacent alley are peaceful avenues lines with small town businesses.  The fall of 1892, it was the sight of citizens defending their town against one of the most notorious gangs of the 19^th century…

June 15, 2021
15Jun21 The Dalton Gang 1
Bob, Emmit and Grat…three brothers that returned to their hometown to do business…but the business to be transacted would cost the lives of some of the family and some of the town’s citizen’s as well…

June 14, 2021
14Jun21 The Boneyard 2
It’s the fifth largest air force in the world…but few of the planes here will fly…or even if they could, it may be years before they head back into the air.  So why are so many planes sitting here unused?

 

June 11, 2021
11Jun21 The Boneyard 1
If you were looking for some used parts to repair your car, you might go to a scrapyard to find what you need.  So what do you do if you have a military fighter jet that needs a spare piece of equipment?  You go here…

June 10, 2021
10Jun21 Hart Parr 2
Ask any farmer what is their favorite color on the farm and they most likely know you are asking them which brand of tractor they prefer.  Many of us are fond of one particular color from our earliest years, but what if your favorite manufacturer suddenly began painting the tractors you loved a different color?  There might be trouble…

June 9, 2021
09Jun21 Hart Parr 1
They were not the first to invent a tractor, but they were the first to call it that.  And a trip to north central Iowa will give you a glimpse of two college friends who turned their love of engines into one of the first and largest tractor building companies in the nation…

June 8, 2021
08Jun21 Soldier in the Field Monument 2
Near the town square in Memphis, Missouri you’ll find a monument to a soldier who died in Word War I.  The marker was recently relocated here, which is a story in itself.  And a look at the inscriptions on the pedestal of this tall obelisk reveals much about the man and his grieving family…

June 7, 2021
07Jun21 Soldier in the Field Monument 1
His name was Purnell Barnett.  He died in World War I before he ever reached the battlefields of Europe.  For generations after him though, they probably simply knew him as the “soldier in the field.”

 

June 4, 2021
04Jun21 Ella Ewing 2
Imagine getting paid $1000 per month just so people come and meet you.  It was an unusual request – a job of sorts that probably made this lady feel even more out of place than life already was for her – but nonetheless a career that helped bring in money to support her family’s farm…

June 3, 2021
03Jun21 Ella Ewing 1
Today we say hello to our listeners on KMEM in Memphis, Missouri.  Folks there know that there was once a lady who towered above everyone on earth.  We remember Miss Ella who grew to a height of over eight feet…

June 2, 2021
02Jun21 Clark’s Trading Post 2
Imagine an animal show where bears bolted from the stage and barreled past tourists to make a break from the ice cream stand. It’s just one of the many stories from a show that’s still drawing huge crowds after a half century…

June 1, 2021
01Jun21 Clark’s Trading Post 1
Along I-93 in northern New Hampshire, you’ll find a spot that’s been attracting familes for three and four generations now. In order to get those families to pull over, the place needed a “stopper.” What stopped so many customers?

May 31, 2021
31May21 Philips Manor Hall 3
When America won her independence, there were thousands of men and women who remained loyal to England during the war.  What happened to them?  In some cases, they perhaps fared far better than if they had supported the patriots…

 

May 28, 2021
28May21 Philips Manor Hall 2
Fifty-six men signed the declaration of Independence in July of 1776, but not everyone was pleased with the patriotic document.  Today’s American Countryside is from the home of one of the 200 signers of the Declaration of Dependence…

May 27, 2021
27May21 Philips Manor Hall 1
It’s rare to find a young married lady commanding a ship, crisscrossing the Atlantic multiple times each year.  Now imagine the story takes place in the 1600s.  It’s how this family built their wealth and became one of the wealthiest clans in America…

May 26, 2021
26May21 King Neptune the Pig 3
He was a hero of World War II.  And that’s saying something for a pig.  Yes, a pig named King Neptune who captured the hearts of his country – a pig with his own headstone here near the farm where he grew up…

May 25, 2021
25May21 King Neptune the Pig 2
It costs a lot of money to build a battleship.  The U.S. government was building all kinds of ships as fast as possible during World War II and they received help from an unlikely source – a pig you raised the money to construct an entire battleship..

May 24, 2021
24May21 King Neptune the Pig 1
Let’s face it – most hogs are destined to become pork chops and bacon.  But this hog had a change of course.  Perhaps it was just sheer luck that led him to become a 4-H project and then to wind up in a sale that would make him a national hero…

 

May 21, 2021
21May21 Rock Creek Station 2
Mention the name Wild Bill Hickok and many people have images of a western lawman not afraid to enter a  shootout to bring about justice.  However, when you look at the tale of his first such encounter, you begin to see there are two sides to every tale…

May 20, 2021
20May21 Rock Creek Station 1
If someone cuts ruts down a muddy dirt trail, someone else will probably need to come and fill them in before the road can be used.  However, here the ruts are never filled, for that would defeat the purpose of why people come to this spot…

May 19, 2021
19May21 Father Mike Gould 2
Buying a plane seemed like a good idea.  Then again, Mike Gould didn’t know how to fly.  It turned out to be one of his greatest tools in helping those in remote areas of South America…

May 18, 2021
18May21 Father Mike Gould 1
It’s been nearly seventy years since Mike Gould was assigned to work in Bolivia.  He’s spent almost all of those seven decades working in South America.  In the beginning many of his travels were visiting remote villages on horseback…

May 17, 2021
17May21 Ropp Jersey Cheese 3
When the Covid pandemic hit this country, this small business suddenly found half of its sales gone.  It was a staggering blow that caused them to wonder if they could survive.  Then a phone call came that changed full freezers to empty ones…

 

May 14, 2021
14May21 Ropp Jersey Cheese 2
It may be difficult for a small dairy producer to make a living.  However, just outside of Normal, Illinois, Ken Ropp is doing just that, milking 60 Jersey cows and building a business with many years of tradition…

May 13, 2021
13May21 Ropp Jersey Cheese 1
Ken laughs when people tell him he must be pretty famous to have a road named after him.  It is true the road bears the same last name, but it was probably one of the generations before him that first earned the title of the road as well.  That doesn’t mean though that Ken has an important story here in central Illinois…

May 12, 2021
12May21 Kermit Bell 3
Over two decades after he first entered the army…Kermit Bell was now on his way to Vietnam.  Not only would he serve in that conflict…but he had another degree and an entirely new career awaiting him after the war as well…

May 11, 2021
11May21 Kermit Bell 2
For Kermit Bell, the Korean was just the second of three world conflicts he would find himself in…

May 10, 2021
10May21 Kermit Bell 1
Kermit Bell never intended to make a career in the military…but by the time he retired from the army he had served in WW II, Korea and Vietnam…

 

May 7, 2021
07May21 Rough Terrain Unicycling
Many of us remember the struggle of learning to ride a bike as a kid.  Eventually we mastered it…and perhaps we’re still riding today.  Jed didn’t have the luxury of learning on a bike with two wheels though.  What happened next put him on the side of a mountain in a new sport with only half a bike…

May 6, 2021
06May21 Route 66 Cozy Dog
Route 66 is full of pieces of Americana…and in central Illinois you’ll find a drive in over 70 years old…and customers traveling from other continents just to experience it.  It’s a classic meal on a classic road…

May 5, 2021
05May21 Route 66 Pontiac Illinois 2
If you asked someone in the U.S. to name a famous foreign highway, maybe they’d mention the German Autobahn or the Chunnel underneath the English Channel.  Ask someone from outside North America about a famous highway here and this will be at the top of the list – and many of them make the trip to see it…

May 4, 2021
04May21 Route 66 Pontiac Illinois 1
It’s the museum of the Mother Road.  And you know you’ve got quite a historic route when there is an entire museum devoted to a highway…

May 3, 2021
03May21 Cave in Rock Illinois 2
It’s the end of the road in Illinois, and if you want to go further south on Route 1, you’ll be hopping the ferry across the Ohio River into Kentucky.  That ferry and this town have quite a story that brings a lot of people to a town of 300…

 

April 30, 2021
30Apr21 Cave in Rock Illinois 1
It was a dangerous portion of the Ohio River – not because of the current, but because of who might be waiting inside a cave.  To make matters worse, many pioneers had no idea the trouble they might encounter when the passed a place called Cave in Rock…

April 29, 2021
29Apr21 Cattlemen’s Steakhouse 2
You might go to a fancy clothing store to get measured for a suit.  But where do you go to measure your horse?  It still takes place here, in a portion of the city that has farm roots that date over a century

April 28, 2021
28Apr21 Cattlemen’s Steakhouse 1
Why are nurses on the night shift eating breakfast in the Oklahoma City Stockyards?  In a moment we’ll take you to a place popular for breakfast and great steaks, any time of the day…all at a café won with the roll of the dice…

April 27, 2021
27Apr21 Karlocks Cars Hannibal MO
Inside a building once used as a produce house way back in 1860, you’ll find a most interesting museum of sorts just a couple of blocks from the Mississippi River.  It’s called Karlock’s Kars and Pop Culture Museum.  With a name like that, well you could unearth a lot of interesting items…and the owners have made sure the visitors don’t’ come away disappointed…

April 26, 2021
26Apr21 Mark Twain Drug Store 3
When the Mark Twain boyhood home was working on some new exhibits over a year ago, they thought they were telling a story from the mid 1800s.  It turns out, the story had similarities to how life had suddenly changed for most of the world in 2020…

 

April 23, 2021
23Apr21 Mark Twain Drug Store 2
The events we experience as a child can have a big impact on our future.  That was the case for Sam – so much so that he turned them into books still widely read over a century later…

April 22, 2021
22Apr21 Mark Twain Drug Store 1
The second story of an old drug store may not seem to be a place of historical significance, and in many ways perhaps it wasn’t except for a few months in late 1846 and early 1847…

April 21, 2021
21Apr21 American Banjo Museum 2
When I was in fifth grade I wanted to play the trumpet.  My parents scratched together $300 for a used trumpet…the one I still play today.  It was  a lot of money back then…it’s just a good thing I didn’t play the banjo, for that may have cost the entire farm…

April 20, 2021
20Apr21 American Banjo Museum 1
You’ve heard of dueling banjos…now multiply it times several hundred.  It’s a unique convention of sights and sounds that entertains folks from coast to coast…

April 19, 2021
19Apr21 Macomb Illinois Monopoly 2
Charles Darrow had a great new board game he sold to Parker Brothers – Monopoly.  The only problem was, Charles didn’t invent the game.  Rather it was a lady from Macomb, Illinois who not only created it, but held a patent on it.  So what happened when she went to Parker Brothers?

 

April 16, 2021
16Apr21 Macomb Illinois Monopoly 1
If you invented something you might get a patent.  That’s what Lizzie did, but her patent was quite a story in itself, for she filed it in a day when very few women did so, and, what she filed a patent for ended up becoming something that you know very well…

April 15, 2021
15Apr21 Macomb Illinois Lincoln 2
It’s probably the most famous debate in American history – the Lincoln Douglas debates.  While the two where vying for a spot in the U.S. Senate, both may have realized this debate was about something much larger just down the road.  This is the story of one key meeting Abe Lincoln had that played a pivotal role in his future…

April 14, 2021
14Apr21 Macomb Illinois Lincoln 1
These days it’s not a bid deal at all to take a picture.  The bigger problem is figuring out what to do with all of them on your phone.  But once upon a time, getting your picture taken was a very big deal, and one of the first pictures of this very famous American told us a lot about who he really was…

April 13, 2021
13Apr21 Windmill Museum 4
It’s the largest museums of its kind, and I must say, the time I had to spend there was too short.  I never imagined this device would have such a history both on the farm and around the world, and wouldn’t you know, it takes a very large museum to show you the entire story…

April 12, 2021
12Apr21 Windmill Museum 3
Good salesman can sell you an item you need.  Great salesman find a way to sell you many items you need.  That was the plan that one company had to sell you more than just a windmill…

 

April 9, 2021
09Apr21 Windmill Museum 2
Many farmers purchased windmills to pump water for their livestock.  But there was someone else buying windmills for another purpose, and that demand meant farmers would have plenty of companies and models from which to choose…

April 8, 2021
08Apr21 Windmill Museum 1
Just about every farmstead had one at one time – many remain, although few still perform the task they were originally built to do.  That doesn’t mean they aren’t important though…

April 7, 2021
07Apr21 Fort Ticonderoga 2
Sometimes history makes people seem bigger than life.  That’s certainly true for a man named Ethan Allen and his band of Green Mountain Boys.  So what was fact and fiction?

April 6, 2021
06Apr21 Fort Ticonderoga 1
It was one of the most important forts of the late 1700s and interestingly, it changed hands twice without a shot being fired.  But it also possessed something dearly needed by George Washington’s army..

April 5, 2021
05Apr21 Fairbault Minnesota 4
The situation was bad, for all involved.  But what was about to take place in Minnesota was an injustice to the Dakota who the US Government sought to punish.  One man, risked his career to travel to meet Abraham Lincoln and set the record straight…

 

April 2, 2021
02Apr21 Fairbault Minnesota 3
Henry Whipple perhaps had no plans to move west as a young man.  But when he married, his wife encouraged him to become active in the church, and soon his role in the clergy would take him to a new state where his work would become known worldwide…

April 1, 2021
01Apr21 Fairbault Minnesota 2
Today the meeting of the Straight and Cannon Rivers is probably not as important as it was 200 years ago, when Native Americans and frontiersman regularly used the waterways as their highways.  But here, at the confluence of those two rivers, a man would found and generously give to a town that still bears his name…

March 31, 2021
31Mar21 Fairbault Minnesota 1
He was born on the frontier, and the frontier life is perhaps all he ever knew.  So it should be no surprise that when Alexander set out on his own as a fur trapper, he would earn the respect of people of all backgrounds and build a new town in the wilderness…

March 30, 2021
30Mar21 Hopewell Mounds 2
Cemeteries usually have headstones to make the spot of loved ones who have passed.  But this civilization used something far more elaborate…a process that is only beginning to be understood two centuries later…

March 29, 2021
29Mar21 Hopewell Mounds 1
History on this continent is young when compared to places like Europe…but that mentality is to forget about the centuries people lived here before the first Anglos arrived.  Today we look at clues to what life was like in North America long before Columbus…

 

March 26, 2021
26Mar21 Lehman’s Amish Store 2
If you lived without electricity…either by choice or simply because of the location you lived…where would you go to find modern conveniences that didn’t need kilowatts to make them run….There’s a good chance you’d come here.  It’s the shopping mall for those who don’t use electricity so to speak…

March 25, 2021
25Mar21 Lehman’s Amish Store 1
If you’re going to do well in business you have to stay up with the times…but for jay Lehman…doing the exact opposite…in a sense…has been his family’s route to success.  We take you to a most unique store…

March 24, 2021
24Mar21 Wright Brothers Kittyhawk 2
It was an event so important that it had to be captured on film…yet when it actually occurred, few would even mention it in the paper.  I’ll take you to an event that changed the world, but very few realized it at the time…

March 23, 2021
23Mar21 Wright Brothers Kittyhawk 1
It’s one of those locations that when you say the name of the place, there’s just one event that pops to mind.  That’s the case for today’s story.  It’s from Kitty Hawk, NC.  Perhaps you think you know the story…

March 22, 2021
22Mar21 Vincennes Rendevous
In 1779 soldiers of the American Revolution set foot here to capture lands for the new United States.  Over two centuries later, the revolutionaries are still arriving…

 

March 19, 2021
19Mar21 Osteology Museum 2
Jay has a lot of skeletons in his closet.  Oh, but there’s much more.  He has skeletons just about everywhere – and then he decided he needed a museum to display them.  Today it’s a place that is truly one-of-a-kind…

March 18, 2021
18Mar21 Osteology Museum 1
Jay’s father could have scolded him for what he’d unearthed.  Most parents would say, “Put down that filthy thing!”  His father didn’t do that though and because he didn’t, Jay went on to build a company and a museum about what he’d found…

March 17, 2021
17Mar21 Powhatan Arkansas 2
Today we welcome our listeners in southern MO and northern AR on 92.3 KSAR.  Folks there may know of a town called Pow-a-tan, a once thriving city now mostly a ghost town.  However it’s buildings have been preserved and the stories of its glory days still abound…

March 16, 2021
16Mar21 Powhatan Arkansas 1
There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Powhatan, Arkansas.  However, this was once a thriving city with steamboat traffic making it a unique port in the Ozarks…

March 15, 2021
15Mar21 Kaskaskia Illinois 3
Today we head west of the Mississippi River to the state of Illinois.  Yes, that is correct…we’re heading west across the great river to the state of Illinois.  The place where you can do that has some very unique history that’s still important today…

 

March 12, 2021
12Mar21 Kaskaskia Illinois 2
The Liberty Bell tolled for freedom in Philadelphia…or was it really in the state of Illinois.  The surprising answer to that question can be found in a place far from Pennsylvania, but very close to the fight for freedom…

March 11, 2021
11Mar21 Kaskaskia Illinois 1
Roll back the clock 250 years and this city’s population might rival some of the largest towns on the east coast…yet it was in the middle of the Midwestern wilderness.  Where is it?

March 10, 2021
10Mar21 Carrollton MO Hero’s Park
Many towns have memorials to veterans.  So, at first glance, the memorial in Carrollton, Missouri, while nice, may seem like a lot of others in the nation.  Take a close look at some of the trees and shrubs here and you might uncover something that makes this park unlike any other in the nation…

March 9, 2021
09Mar21 Tom Crosby POW 4
American troops had finally made it to Manilla and were attempting to free POWs like Tom Crosby.  Just when things seemed hopeful, the tables turned and this young boy found himself in the middle of a hostage negotiation…

March 8, 2021
08Mar21 Tom Crosby POW 3
It is difficult to imagine the conditions for POWs like Tom Crosby in the weeks leading up to their camps liberation.  Some had already died from malnutrition, and now they feared they might lose their life in the American forces attempted to free them…

 

March 5, 2021
05Mar21 Tom Crosby POW 2
In January of 1942, eight year old Tom Crosby, his brother, mother and grandmother, Americans living in Manilla, were taken prisoner by the Japanese who had invaded the Philippines.  For the next three years we would experience life as a child POW…

March 4, 2021
04Mar21 Tom Crosby POW 1
Life was good for eight year old Tom Crosby, an American living in Manilla in 1941.  Then December 7^th came, and his life changed forever.  This is the story of that young man and  the tumultuous life they were to endure…

March 3, 2021
03Mar21 Evel Knievel Museum 3
There was no stunt he wouldn’t consider.  And because of his daredevil nature, some have called him the first, real-life superhero.  After all, he was the first to have his own action figure, just like superman and batman..

March 2, 2021
02Mar21 Evel Knievel Museum 2
There was always something new he just had to try.  Something different that would excite and audience and bring out a crowd.  For years it was a draw for folks in person and on their television sets to watch a man attempt feats that were beyond dangerous…

March 1, 2021
01Mar21 Evel Knievel Museum 1
It all began with a motorcycle jump in a local parade that went awry.  Soon snakes were slithering towards spectators and a mountain lion was pulling at his leash.  And out of that mishap came years of amazement from a guy who got his name thanks to an overnight stint in the local jail…

 

February 26, 2021
26Feb21 Boise City Oklahoma Dust Bowl 3
It’s the only county in the nation that border’s five different states.  Some have called it “No Man’s Land” but I found it to be one of the most fun and adventurous spots I’ve visited in quite some time…

February 25, 2021
25Feb21 Boise City Oklahoma Dust Bowl 2
The date was April 14^th, 1935 in Boise City, Oklahoma.  What began as a beautiful Sunday morning turned into something known as Black Sunday.  The decades have passed but that date is still remembered here today…

February 24, 2021
24Feb21 Boise City Oklahoma Dust Bowl 1
You can’t pinpoint anyone place the Dust Bowl began.  However, one of the hardest hit locations was in the Oklahoma panhandle.  You can still see some of the scars on the land here and this museum holds many unique stories of how local residents struggled to survive…

February 23, 2021
23Feb21 Boise City Oklahoma 3
They made a mistake worthy of a court martial.  A bombing crew made a wrong turn and bombed their own country’s residents.  However, a mistake that could have ruined the careers of those aboard and cost lives on the ground actually challenged the team to become the best that ever flew.  They did just that by the end of World War II…

February 22, 2021
22Feb21 Boise City Oklahoma 2
During World War II, many cities along the U.S. coastline prepared for an invasion from the enemy.  However, after the attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941, the city that was bombed was not along the ocean, but in the center of the nation.  I’ll take you to the town that remembers being bombed by its own planes one night…

 

 

February 19, 2021
19Feb21 Boise City Oklahoma 1
There were giants roaming the panhandle of Oklahoma.  That’s what we can decipher from the clues they left behind.  Journey to the westernmost reaches of the state and you can track those giants as well…

February 18, 2021
18Feb21 Jerry Armstrong 2
The movie “Glory Road” shares the story of five black basketball players from Texas Western who beat an all-white Kentucky squad to win the NCAA championship in 1966.  It became a focal point for racial equality in sports.  Today we visit with a member of the team – a team that won far more than a title…

February 17, 2021
17Feb21 Jerry Armstrong 1
Jerry Armstrong was a farm kid from Eagleville, Missouri.  He excelled at basketball and took a chance to play Division I and Texas Western College in El Paso.  His story even became a movie.  Jerry passed away last week and so today and tomorrow we take a look back at the place he and his team holds in history…

February 16, 2021
16Feb21 Longfellow 3
George Washington is the father of the nation, but it’s this man’s name that is on the national historic site where Washington once lived and worked.  This is the story of the historic home and the renter who became famous…

February 15, 2021
15Feb21 Longfellow 2
Today Harvard is recognized as one of the top universities in the world.  In 1775, it became the home of men fighting for the cause of freedom.  This is the story of Washington and the soldiers of New England…

 

February 12, 2021
12Feb21 Longfellow 1
When the American revolution began, there were many living in the colonies that remained loyal to the king.  In many cases, they fled the new nation and had their property commandeered by the patriots.  This is the story of one of those men…

February 11, 2021
11Feb21 Kansas Salt Mine 3
It could be a cellar, an attic or even a storage unit.  Many of us have a place to keep those things that we just might need someday.  But what do you do when you have a large company that needs to store valuable items for long periods of time?  This place fits the bill…

February 10, 2021
10Feb21 Kansas Salt Mine 2
Movie companies have been shooting film for over a century and most of them didn’t want to get rid of what took so much time and money to produce.  But what to do with thousands upon thousands of movie reels

February 9, 2021
09Feb21 Kansas Salt Mine 1
During World War II a group of soldiers and civilians worked to locate and rescue valuable items confiscated by Hitler’s soldiers and whisked underground to salt mines.  They were known as the Monuments Men and the story of their work inspired this company’s mission today…

February 8, 2021
08Feb21 Hereford Texas 4
Many of our towns and cities in the country were founded by a mixture of immigrants.  This town has seen changes in its demographics over the years – a reflection of the changing role it’s played in the history of the nation…

 

February 5, 2021
05Feb21 Hereford Texas 3
This town wanted to help with the war effort however it could.  It ended up that its isolation made it a prime location for this.  This is the story of what the Army brought to this Texas panhandle town…

February 4 2021
04Feb21 Hereford Texas 2
It’s been dubbed the ‘’Town without a Toothache.”  However, you may know it by it’s other motto – a motto that denotes it has more of this kind of livestock than anywhere else in the country.  We’ll get to the bottom of those toothaches and these livestock…

February 3, 2021
03Feb21 Hereford Texas 1
Was Mr. Smith really deaf?  That answer perhaps depends on who you ask.  And the reason we don’t know that answer has a lot to do with Mr. Smith’s important roll in history…

February 2, 2021
02Feb21 Plant City Florida 2
Imagine attempting to grow a high value crop in the middle of one of America’s largest cities.  That’s exactly what happens in here.  This is the story of farms among freeways…

February 1, 2021
01Feb21 Plant City Florida 1
What does it take to grow great strawberries?  A good railroad of course.  That’s one of the reasons many of the strawberries you eat come from this location…

 

January 29, 2021
29Jan21 Portage at Portage
It is still revered as one of the most difficult canal building projects ever undertaken–a project to tame a rapidly descending river by building locks and dams to connect two important waterways. Much of it is still operational today, but there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of it…

January 28, 2021
28Jan21 Ben Hur 4
Some people fix up their office with pictures and knick-knacks that remind them of their favorite things in life.  This man went a step further.  He made sure his office allowed him to do the thing he most enjoyed in life at the same time – fishing.  I’ll take you to an office with a moat and fishing poles…

January 27, 2021
27Jan21 Ben Hur 3
Some people put a lot of thought into the names of their animals.  But would you be willing to pay a royalty for such a name?  That’s what some purebred stock growers did because this name, the name of a character in a book, was so big, well, it was bound to help market just about anything…

January 26, 2021
26Jan21 Ben Hur 2
You may have never heard the name Lew Wallace, but I bet you’ve heard of one of the books he wrote.  In fact, next to the Bible, it was the best selling book of the 19^th century…

January 25, 2021
25Jan21 Ben Hur 1
He was a wild child.  The son of a governor he was also a military veteran, artist, writer, lawyer…the list goes on an on, but his interesting early years perhaps set the stage for a career of work that still touches the masses today…

 

January 22, 2021
22Jan21 Alexandria MN Veterans Memorial
There is something about seeing someone’s name in stone.  That may be on a grave side marker, or in this case a memorial to those who served their country.  What took place here is an example to other communities of what can happen when a few local veterans decided they wanted to do something to honor service men and women…

January 21, 2021
21Jan21 Alexandria MN Legacy of Lakes 2
A lot of people enjoy heading to the lake.  In fact, some like it so much, they buy land or a home there.  But what if that just wasn’t an option, yet you really wanted to get away?  It’s just one o the stories told here at a place devoted to the lakes…

January 20, 2021
20Jan21 Alexandria MN Legacy of Lakes 1
Lots of people head to the lake for summer vacation.  That’s certainly the case in this county, but unlike a lot of places, they have hundreds of lakes from which to choose.  That’s why they have a museum devoted just to their lakes…

January 19, 2021
19Jan21 Charles Pinckney
You may not have heard his name…but the impact this young man left on our government is still felt today…even in things as simple as when you open your mailbox…

January 18, 2021
18Jan21 Arivaca Boys Ranch 3
The Bible’s parable of the prodigal son shares the story of a wayward young man that comes home to a father, who has every right to be livid with him, yet welcomes him with open arms.  Ron Searle sees the parable play out many times each year…

 

January 15, 2021
15Jan21 Arivaca Boys Ranch 2
The Arivaca ranch has been breaking horses since the late 1800s.  They’re still breaking horses…but today the horses are also used to break young men.  This is the story of horses that teach the lessons of life…

January 14, 2021
14Jan21 Arivaca Boys Ranch 1
For over a century, this ranch near Arizona’s border with Mexico has raised thousands of head of cattle, herded by generations of desert cowboys.  Today the ranch is raising more than cattle though…

January 13, 2021
13Jan21 Bob Slater 3
How do you spell pigeon?  You know that bird that you sometimes need to get rid of around buildings?  That was the dilemma facing one of Bob’s reporters at the newspaper and in the days before auto correct on your computer, well, getting that word right could take up most of you day…

January 12, 2021
12Jan21 Bob Slater 2
In his years as a newspaper reporter, Bob Slater shook hands with a lot of folks you’ve heard of…a who’s who of politics and popular culture.  Perhaps one of his most memorable meetings though was when he got to through a punch at one of them…

January 11, 2021
11Jan21 Bob Slater 1
It’s a big deal to meet the president of the United States.  Some people will do just about anything to travel to a place where they might get to shake the president’s hand.  That’s what Bob did.  He even hitchhiked to get there.  But what happened next was quite unexpected…

 

 

January 8, 2021
08Jan21 William Jennings Bryan
Over a century has passed since this man ran for president three times.  While he never held the oval office, his words, speeches and actions are still an example to all today, including those in his hometown of Salem, Illinois…

January 7, 2021
07Jan21 Hearthstone Mansion
Reports say the lights in this home made it seem like night had turned to day.  In fact, the lights were so bright, people from all across the city came to view the them.  So exactly how much light did they come to see?

January 6, 2021
06Jan21 Allerton Iowa 3
If you saw an advertisement for someone selling “swamp root” that could cure your ails, well, you might be a bit skeptical.  Step into this store and you’ll find that product and much more that may or may not be a remedy for just about anything.  It’s not for sale, but you’ll have a great time looking at the options from years ago…

January 5, 2021
05Jan21 Allerton Iowa 2
This small town was in danger of losing a treasured part of its past and present.  But who would step in to save it and restore it?  It called for a meeting in the park, and those that showed up did end up saving it and accomplishing much more…

January 4, 2021
04Jan21 Allerton Iowa 1
Perhaps you’ve heard of the World’s Fair.  Many editions of that global event have been held over the centuries.  But in this town you can find the world’s fair every year – the name even proclaims that fact…

 

 

January  1, 2021
01Jan21 Best of 2020 – Elephant Hotel
It’s the best of 2020!  It all began with a man who wanted to farm, not with a team of horses or mules, but rather with an elephant.  And from there, the opportunities were endless.  This is the story of an elephant that changed the course of American history…

December 31, 2020
31Dec20 Best of 2020 – Hawaii Cattle Rancher
It’s the best of 2020!  Robby Hind has the title of “Paniolo.”  For people living in one state, that’s a very recognizable name, a job title specifically for these hardworking people…

December 30, 2020
30Dec20 Best of 2020 – Park County Covered Bridges
It’s the best of 2020!  Park County, Indiana holds a record.  If you’ve ever traveled there, you probably know what that record is…and if you have not, well the claim to fame is well worth a visit…

December 29, 2020
29Dec20 Best of 2020 – Limpy Jack
It’s the best of 2020!  Today’s feature is about a man named Limpy Jack.  With a name like that, I suppose we already have you hooked…

December 28, 2020
28Dec20 Best of 2020 – Calamity Jane
It’s the best of 2020! Today, we look at the life of Martha Jane Canary.  If that name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ll certainly know here when I provide her nickname…

 

December 25, 2020
25Dec20 Father Xavier 4
Christmas is a time that we usually gather with family.  But what is Christmas like when you have no family and you have no home?  Today I take you to a place that seeks to be that home not just on Christmas but everyday of the year…

December 24, 2020
24Dec20 Father Xavier 3
Each year around Christmas we might attend a church service, or watch children portray the birth of Jesus.  It’s a story many of us have heard and seen countless times.  But when Roy encountered that story in a homeless shelter in the Bronx, the impact on those working the shelter was one still felt today…

December 23, 2020
23Dec20 Father Xavier 2
St. Francis of Assisi lived in Italy during the late 1100s and early 1200s.  His religious life of service, forgoing worldly trappings in order to give one totally in service to God, was a model others continue follow.  One kid from Kansas perhaps never imagined he would become a Franciscan, but today the journey has led him all the way to the Bronx…

December 22, 2020
22Dec20 Father Xavier 1
Chris was earning a degree in Animal Science from Kansas State University, but he felt a call to explore the world and help others.  That heavenly nudge had him leaving the sunflower state for adventures around the globe…

December 21, 2020
21Dec20 Graham Cave
One of the first men to farm this plot of land used the nearby rocky overhang to shelter his herd of hogs.  Then he discovered someone else had been living there for over 10,000 years…

 

December 18, 2020
18Dec20 Denver Sleigh Works 2
Before the days of cars, people uses horses and buggies or carriages to haul their families or goods.  But in the winter, you probably had a sleigh.  Today the owner of the most sleighs in the country fittingly lives in the city of Denver….Denver, Missouri that is.  He has nine buildings full of sleighs…

December 17, 2020
|17Dec20 Denver Sleigh Works 1
Did you ever go to a sale and purchase an item important to you, just so someone else didn’t get their hands on it?  Well, that’s what Bill has been doing for over two decades now.  When he found out what people were doing with a piece of history, he made it his personal mission to save it…

December 16, 2020
16Dec20 Fort Sumter
On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired on Ft. Sumter.  The man who returned fire for the Union became far more famous though for something unrelated to the war.  This is the story of those first shots and how they impacted another piece of history…

December 15, 2020
15Dec20 Fort Reno Oklahoma
At one time this fort raised and trained over 14,000 horses and mules at a time.  Many of those animals were shipped overseas, but there’s a good chance you remember one very famous horse…

December 14, 2020
14Dec20 Great Bend History 2
There are a couple of landmarks on the edges of Great Bend, Kansas that can tell you a lot about the first travelers who passed this way.  They are the markers of men and women on a trail of commerce, passing sites long sacred to those here centuries ago…

 

December 11, 2020
11Dec20 Great Bend History
Two centuries ago, it could be a long trip to find the merchandise you wanted or needed.  And that fact meant getting goods from one place to another could pay big dividends for those able to make it happen.  The need for commerce on the high plains led to an important spot here in central Kansas…

December 10, 2020
10Dec20 Great Bend Hotrod Dragstrip 2
Baseball fans may long of a trip to see Wrigley Field or Fenway Park.  Football fans probably want to visit historic Lambeau Field at some point.  And fans of hot rod racing…well they have some hallowed ground that we will visit…

December 9, 2020
09Dec20 Great Bend Hotrod Dragstrip 1
Today we say hello to our listeners on KVGB in Great Bend, KS.  Listeners there know that the old army air base found a new use after World War II, and that piece of history still draws people from all across the nation…

December 8, 2020
08Dec20 Kansas Cosmophere 2
You might pick up a bargain at a garage sale.  That’s kind of what the folks in Hutchinson, KS did, but the garage sales they were attending happened to be those from NASA and the Soviet space program…

December 7, 2020
07Dec20 Kansas Cosmophere 1
It all began in the poultry building at the Kansas State Fairgrounds.  That was the beginning of one of the best space museums you’ll find anywhere in the world.  Perhaps it’s an unexpected city to find such a place, but if you’ve ever visited there, you know that the experience is amazing…

 

December 4, 2020
04Dec20 Emerson Cary Underground Salt Mine 3
What shape is your salt? Not your salt shaker, but the salt itself that you put on your food. You probably never thought about it, but once upon a time, the shape of your salt may have influenced you to purchase one brand over another..

December 3, 2020
03Dec20 Emerson Cary Underground Salt Mine 2
He owned a railroad, construction company, ice, and cold storage business, a newspaper, and even a cemetery. But above and beyond those was one large company that put him on the map…

December 2, 2020
02Dec20 Emerson Cary Underground Salt Mine 1
Today, we say hello to listeners at KWBW in Hutchinson, Kansas. I was recently in their town to visit with folks above ground and do interviews below ground. Residents know why I was 650 feet below the Earth, and in a moment, the rest of you will as well…

December 1, 2020
01Dec20 Victory Ships 2020 2
During the 1940s 534 of these ships existed.  Today only three sail the waters.  Their past and present are a testimony to the lives that won wars and built America.  Today we go aboard a piece of history…

November 30, 2020
30Nov20 Victory Ships 2020 1
Imagine a ship over a football field and a half long and sixty-two feet wide.  Now imagine you need to build over 500 of them in just over one year.  That’s exactly what the United States did at the end of World War II…

 

November 27, 2020
27Nov20 ThanksgivingcBerkley Plantation
You may have thought Thanksgiving dates back to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in today’s state of Massaschusettes.  But, in a moment we’ll travel to the farm that claims to have held that first feast many years prior…

November 26, 2020
26Nov20 Thanksgiving Plymouth Rock
Each Thanksgiving we are likely to remember the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock.  But is that rock really the spot they disembarked?

November 25, 2020
25Nov20 Devil’s Lake Fishing 3
When you are a fishing guide in North Dakota, you better know how to ice fish, because that’s what half of your season may require.  Today’s guest has been fishing his entire life and it’s how he makes his living and meeting people from all across the country and internationally as well…

November 24, 2020
24Nov20 Devil’s Lake Fishing 2
When I did the interview that you will hear today, I thought I was in for a big fish story.  In fact, I was told they were catching Perch that looked like footballs.  That seemed a little hard to believe, but then I saw the pictures and realized these were some of the biggest such fish I’d ever seen…

November 23, 2020
23Nov20 Devil’s Lake Fishing 1
You’ve heard the cliché about being a big fish in a little pond.  Well, Zippy knows a lot about fishes of all sizes, and the pond he’s fishing in, it seems to be getting bigger all the time.  We’ll search for that big fish…

 

November 20, 2020
20Nov20 Devil’s Lake 2
Imagine a lake where just a few feet in rising water creates large amounts of new water acreage.  In fact, rising water here means lakes join with other lakes to create a huge waterway in the northern prairies of the United States…

November 19, 2020
19Nov20 Devil’s Lake 1
The name of this body of water is foreboding.  A name derived from an accident that took place centuries ago.  Yet, today it is a place that attracts people from hundreds and even thousands of miles….

November 18, 2020
18Nov20 Shickley Nebraska 2
Most of us give to charities.  Some of those organizations may be local, but many are national or even global.  One town began to focus on what they could do if people began to support more of what takes place in the world close to home in an effort to provide more opportunities for those growing up there…

November 17, 2020
17Nov20 Shickley Nebraska 1
There are 340 residents in Shickley, Nebraska.  If you count up all the folks living in the local school district, you get just over 600.  Most people would consider this place small.  Don’t tell that to the people living there, for they are one of the mightiest towns in the land…

November 16, 2020
16Nov20 Santa Anna’s Leg
It’s been over 150 years since IL soldiers faced Santa Anna in the Mexican War.  However traces of that battle fought over 1500 miles to the south can still be found in the names of cities and the relics in museums…

 

November 13, 2020
13Nov20 Big Oak Tree State Park
Today we say hello to KYMO in East Prairie, Missouri.  Listeners there know the Mississippi River bottomlands stretch for hundreds of miles.  Flat, fertile farmland producing a bounty of crops.  But today we turn back the clock two hundred years through a park designed to show what this area was once like…

November 12, 2020
12Nov20 Sullivan Brothers 3
One cannot fathom the thought of losing five children in one event, but that’s exactly what happened to the Sullivans.  From that tragedy came something quite remarkable, a story of a family honoring those they lost and inspiring others in the process.  It’s a story that still inspires today…

November 11, 2020
11Nov20 Sullivan Brothers 2
Veteran’s Day is a time we remember the sacrifices of those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy in the country.  Perhaps no family gave as much at one single moment, than one in Waterloo, Iowa…

November 10, 2020
10Nov20 Sullivan Brothers 1
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, many young men in the country rushed to join the military to fight for the freedoms of the nation and the world.  Among those who enlisted were five brothers from Waterloo, Iowa and their story is one remembered yet today…

November 9, 2020
09Nov20 Crowley’s Ridge 2
You’ll find the town of Kennett, Missouri in the state’s bootheel, about 15 miles west of the Mississippi River.  It’s hard to believe that mighty river was once on the other side of that town west of your town.  Most say that’s the case thanks to a very famous ridge of land stretching nearly 200 miles through Missouri and Arkansas…

 

November 6, 2020
06Nov20 Crowley’s Ridge 1
Lots of rivers, towns and mountains are named after people who settled in a specific area.  This man never imagined an important piece of land that would bear his name…

November 5, 2020
05Nov20 Hobo Museum 4
In Britt, Iowa you’ll find a section of the town’s cemetery that looks different than the rest.  The stones are unique and mark the place of people who often did not have a place to call home, but at least once per year, this town was their home…

November 4, 2020
04Nov20 Hobo Museum 3
Lots of cities work to lure conventions to town.  They may offer several amenities to take advantage of the economic impact from the attendees.  This town wanted to lure a unique convention to their small town in 1899.  How did they do it?  Offer free beer for all…

November 3 2020
03Nov20 Hobo Museum 2
It was quite an adventure.  Shorty and Frog caught and westbound train and were headed over the Rocky Mountains and they did it with no money in their pockets.  It’s not recommended you do it, but it does make for quite a story…

November 2, 2020
02Nov20 Hobo Museum 1
When I told my son on a recent trip that we were going to stop and visit with a couple of hobos, I think he wondered what we were really going to do.  We did stop and visit with two hobos, in a small park in Britt, Iowa.  What we learned I believe you will find interesting as well…

 

October 30, 2020
30Oct20 Hot Springs Gangsters
There aren’t too many peaceful stories about gangsters…but in a moment you’ll hear one.  A story of how one American city, in a sense, offered those ruthless men a chance to have a vacation…

October 29, 2020
29Oct20 Tippecanoe
Perhaps you’ve heard the presidential slogan Tippecanoe and Tyler too.  Today’s feature is at Tippecanoe.  What is it and why is it important?

October 28, 2020
28Oct20 Fort Ambercrombie 3
When you think of settlers traveling west, you might think of them crossing states like Kansas and Nebraska.  Perhaps we don’t think of crossing North Dakota.  This, however, was an important jumping off point for those making a long and sometimes dangerous journey

October 27, 2020
27Oct20 Fort Ambercrombie 2
In 1862 there were several battles between the U.S. military and Dakota Indians at Fort Abercombie, North Dakota.  Interestingly, what turned the tide of the conflict were Germans with cannons

October 26, 2020
26Oct20 Fort Ambercrombie 1
When you think of a fort from the 1800s, you probably envision high wooden walls with watchtowers.  This fort didn’t have them, but in retrospect, it would sure have helped if they did

 

October 23, 2020
23Oct20 Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesan 2
Ask an American who is the most famous architect in their country’s history and this man’s name is probably at the top of the list.  However, many can’t tell you much about the man’s life or home.  We go to his farm, a place where he designed many of the buildings we know him for today…

October 22, 2020
22Oct20 Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesan 1
Most people know him as a famous architect.  They don’t realize his early years and perhaps the inspiration for his own home, grew from his life on the farm.  We go to that farm…

October 21, 2020
21Oct20 De Soto National Memorial 3
Imagine walking all the way from Arkansas to Mexico City.  That’s what this expedition attempted to do.  When they finally reached their destination nearly 70% had perished.  The survivors were the first Europeans to see much of the interior of the United States…

October 20, 2020
20Oct20 De Soto National Memorial 2
It is hard to imagine the changes that took place in the American southeast during the 16^th century.  The Spanish came looking for gold.  However, they brought something else with them that transformed the area forever…

October 19, 2020
19Oct20 De Soto National Memorial 1
You may remember your history book told you of Ponce de Leon and his search for the “fountain of youth.”  His trip to Florida actually cost him his life and the lives of other explorers who followed him…

 

October 16, 2020
16Oct20 Mark Twain Birthplace
Little remains of the town of Florida, Missouri; or, depending on how you view history, a lot remains of Florida, Missouri. For while the town is gone, it was here that many of the most famous books in the nation got their start…

October 15, 2020
15Oct20 Annapolis Maryland 2
It is known as the sailing capital of the U.S.  It also happens to be a state capital…a former national capital…and home to some of the most prominent institutions in the country…

October 14, 2020
14Oct20 Annapolis Maryland 1
Just about any place you visit in this nation can spin quite a tale about it’s history…but this east coast city has done a remarkable job of preserving much of what took place two to three centuries ago…

October 13, 2020
13Oct20 Park County Indiana Covered Bridges 2
Park County, Indiana holds a record.  If you’ve ever traveled there, you probably know what that record is…and if you have not, well the claim to fame is well worth a visit…

October 12, 2020
12Oct20 Park County Indiana Covered Bridges 1
We’ve heard the cliché that it’s important “to have a good roof over your head.”  In this county, the good roof applies to farm more than where you live.  The roof could actually be an important part of your daily commute….

 

October 9, 2020
09Oct20 Lubbock Ag Museum 2
Cotton is an important crop in west Texas.  Not only is it vital for local farmers and industry, the story of that crop and agriculture as a whole, is critical to the region’s past, present and future.  That has led to the development of a place to make sure the importance of farming in the region is not lost as generations pass…

October 8, 2020
08Oct20 Lubbock Ag Museum 1
On some farmsteads you’ll find old machinery parked outside…pieces that have not been used for years that perhaps look more like a museum to agriculture than a fleet of machines ready to go to work. What one man in West Texas saw was a need to capture that history before it was lost to time…

October 7, 2020
07Oct20 Buddy Holly Performing Arts Center 2
It’s been over 60 years since Buddy Holly died, but his music and the work of inspiring other young people in the arts lives on in his hometown of Lubbock.  It’s led to the soon-to-be opening of a state-of-the-art facility that will do much more than just host events…

October 6, 2020
06Oct20 Buddy Holly Performing Arts Center 1
When we think of big name musicians, we often think of them only in their role as an entertainer.  We may not recognize them in another line of work.  That’s what happened to one of the biggest names of the 1950s when he went with his family to lay tile…

October 5, 2020
05Oct20 Triple XXX Cafe 2
Every college and university has a place students like to come and eat at just about any hour of the day.  At Purdue University, one of those places is near campus and has been serving up food for all ages for about a century…

 

October 2, 2020
02Oct20 Triple XXX Cafe 1
If something is rated “XXX” it might not be suitable for all eyes and ages.  However, the triple X here bills itself as a family place.  And I will attest, it is…

October 1, 2020
01Oct20 Mitchell Car Museum 3
Lewis Miller never set out to create a museum.  He was simply collecting cars with a tie to his family’s heritage.  When he was approached about opening it to the public, he had an idea of how he could not only share his collection with others, but also do something good for his town…

September 30, 2020
30Sep20 Mitchell Car Museum 2
This company began making cars in 1903.  While Henry Ford made automobiles for the masses, this company was making them for the top-end buyer and some of the designs are still amazing over a century later…

September 29, 2020
29Sep20 Mitchell Car Museum 1
You may recall that the Studebaker company began as a wagon maker and transitioned into making cars.  This company did the same thing, plus they made bikes and motorcycles, yet you may have never heard their name…

September 28, 2020
28Sep20 Lincoln Servant William Johnson
Few people know that on Abraham Lincoln’s return to D.C. from delivering the Gettysburg Address, he contracted a mild case of smallpox.  The president recovered, but one man in his party did not…

 

September 25, 2020
25Sep20 Calamity Jane 3
If you make a trip to Deadwood, South Dakota you’ll probably here about some infamous characters of the wild west.  One of those is a woman named Calamity Jane.  But a trip to her hometown might reveal a different side of Jane that what you thought you knew…

September 24, 2020
24Sep20 Calamity Jane 2
Today we look at the life of Martha Jane Canary.  If that name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ll certainly know here when I provide her nickname…

September 23, 2020
23Sep20 Calamity Jane 1
Hello to our listeners on KAAN radio serving northern MO and southern IA.  We are in Princeton, MO today to take a look at one woman celebrated with a festival there each year…

September 22, 2020
22Sep20 Lincoln Inauguration 2
On the surface, this old train station in Springfield, IL may not seem to be that important.  However, when you consider the bookends it represented to Abraham Lincoln’s presidency…

September 21, 2020
21Sep20 Lincoln Inauguration 1
When people move, they often put some items up for sale and place others in the trash.  Now imagine it is the president elect of the United States who is moving…

 

September 18, 2020
18Sep20 Osawatamie John Brown 2
The shots at Ft. Sumter in April of 1861 are often considered the first military action of the Civil War.  However, one could make a case that the battle in this Kansas town five years prior was the event that made the war inevitable…

September 17, 2020
17Sep20 Osawatamie John Brown 1
In the years just ahead of the Civil War, thousands of people came to Kansas ahead of a critical vote on whether the new state would accept or reject slavery…

September 16, 2020
16Sep20 North Platte WWII Canteen 3
Imagine getting engaged to someone you only knew through letters.  That’s what happened here, thanks to one young lady who helped make some food for a soldier who was passing through town…

September 15, 2020
15Sep20 North Platte WWII Canteen 2
It was a massive volunteer effort involving people from well over a hundred communities scattered across western Nebraska and beyond.  What they accomplished is still remembered today…

September 14, 2020
14Sep20 North Platte WWII Canteen 1
Rae Wilson went to the depot to give her brother a Christmas gift.  When he did not arrive, a new idea came to mind and what resulted impacted this town and the region for five years to come…

 

September 11, 2020
11Sep20 Golden Spike Tower 3
The population of North Platte, Nebraska is about 23,000 people.  That’s also about the number you might find working at one place in town.  It’s a city within a city…

September 10, 2020
10Sep20 Golden Spike Tower 2
It’s called the Golden Spike Tower, a platform that rises from the High Plains to provide a bird’s eye view of rails headed from sea to shing sea.  It’s a place that attracts thousands of visitors…

September 9, 2020
09Sep20 Golden Spike Tower 1
It’s the largest rail yard in the world and it sits in a small city in the middle of the Midwest.  I’ll take you to a place with 10,000 rail cars headed to all points in the nation…

September 8, 2020
08Sep20 Peculiar Clock Man
If time is money, then Larry Boucher has to be one of the wealthiest men alive.  We’ll try to make the most of our time…

September 7, 2020
07Sep20 Civil War Medicine 3
It is a place that uses the lessons of Gettysburg to save lives in places like Iraq and Afghanistan – a unique museum where history impacts the future…

 

September 4, 2020
04Sep20 Civil War Medicine 2
There are many museums dedicated to the Civil War, but this one covers a unique aspect that fascinates many visitors.  It’s the story of survival after the battle…

September 3, 2020
03Sep20 Civil War Medicine 1
Some people think Civil War medicine involved a saw and a patient biting a bullet to ease the pain.  The real story is found here….

September 2, 2020
02Sep20 Little Brown Church 2
If you sit down and do the math, this little country church has averaged over 500 weddings per year for about 150 years.  When that’s the case, you know there has to be something pretty special about this church on a rural road in Iowa…

September 1, 2020
01Sep20 Little Brown Church 1
It was a hymn written about a church that only existed in the writer’s mind.  You can imagine his surprise when year’s later he returned to the spot and found a church matching the description he penned in his hymn…

August 31, 2020
31Aug20 Benjamin Franklin 2
His first invention involved a kite, and perhaps his most famous discovery involved one too.  We look at the life of the inventor Benjamin Franklin…

 

August 28, 2020
28Aug20 Benjamin Franklin1
He’s the only founding father in a sports hall of fame.  This is the amazing story of the eldest signer of the Declaration of Independence…

August 27, 2020
27Aug20 Carhenge 3
In all of my travels I have found several themes that seem to hold true across many small towns.  One of those things I’ve observed is that people will drive across the country to see something that the very residents of that town may not realize is a very big deal…

August 26, 2020
26Aug20 Carhenge 2
Today we say hello to our listeners on KCOW in Alliance, Nebraska.  Look up that town in an atlas and there’s a good chance you’ll see a special note about a unique site that draws thousands here each year…

August 25, 2020
25Aug20 Carhenge 1
My son is in the 7^th grade.  Ask him what one of his favorite attractions was on any family vacation and your likely to get an interesting answer – a tale about a place in rural Nebraska where a family reunion brought forth a destination for our family and others…

August 24, 2020
24Aug20 Joshua Tree National Park 3
To some people a rock is just a rock, but to those who climb them, this place is special.  It doesn’t really matter though if you are into rock climbing though, these rocks are a draw for people from many walks of life…

 

August 21, 2020
21Aug20 Joshua Tree National Park 2
Summer heat and a lack of water have always made this a difficult place to make a living…yet evidence shows people inhabiting this area for centuries.  Today the climate is much the same, but people from around the world come to visit…

August 20, 2020
20Aug20 Joshua Tree National Park 1
Although it is called a tree by name, it certainly doesn’t look anything like an oak, elm or maple.  In fact, it really doesn’t look much like anything else you’ve ever seen.  Perhaps that’s why it has an entire national park named for it…

August 19, 2020
19Aug20 Iowa Hat Lady 2020 2
People always ask who is the most interesting person I’ve interviewed?  It’s a question with many answers, and most of the names are ones you don’t know, yet people with stories I’ll never forget.  One of those people was Alvina Sellers.  She never set out to be famous, yet her hats put Clarion, Iowa on the map

August 18, 2020
18Aug20 Iowa Hat Lady 2020 1
Dr. Suess wrote the cat in the hat, but he should have consulted an expert like Alvina Sellers for background information.  In 25 years of doing this show, she was certainly one of the most delightful souls I have met…

August 17, 2020
17Aug20 Eleanor Roosevelt
They were two of the most influential people to occupy the 20^th century White House.  I’m not talking about two different presidents, but a president and a first lady, both of which are still often quoted and remembered for their work yet today….

 

August 14, 2020
14Aug20 Ringing Rocks
People have been coming to this park north of Philadelphia to play rock music for decades.  They are unique sounds that don’t come from guitars but nature…

August 13, 2020
13Aug20 Yellowstone Confluence 2
Today little remains of Ft. Buford just inside North Dakota’s border with Montana. Yet it was one of the most important military outposts in the last half of the 19^th century…

August 12, 2020
12Aug20 Yellowstone Confluence 1
Today it is a point just inside North Dakota’s border with Montana. Then it was an important marker on the Lewis and Clark’s journey west…

August 11, 2020
11Aug20 Booker T Washington 2
When this man was born, he was barred from getting an education.  Remarkably, much of his life was spent making sure others had an opportunity to get the education he was originally denied…

August 10, 2020
10Aug20 Booker T Washington 1
He was one of the great leaders of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries and when you consider he began his life in slavery, what he accomplished is even more amazing…

 

August 7, 2020
07Aug20 Marceline Walt Disney 3
It’s just a cottonwood tree.  Well, to this man it was THE tree.  It was the place where his dreams would someday turn into reality.  And interestingly, it was a tree that he would come to visit for decades after he first found its shade on his boyhood farm…

August 6, 2020
06Aug20 Marceline Walt Disney 2
In the days when passenger trains crisscrossed the nation, the train depot in Marceline, Missouri saw plenty of traffic.  One of the regular passengers was a man who might slip in and out of town quietly, as he paused a few hours to visit the town where he got his star…

August 5, 2020
05Aug20 Marceline Walt Disney 1
In 1906 this man’s family moved from Chicago to a farm in northern Missouri.  That relocation may have made all the difference in the life of one of their young boys.  His time on the farm spurred a lifetime of creative thinking…

August 4, 2020
04Aug20 Ryan Staub Glass Blowing 2
It’s estimated that there are fewer than 5000 people still involved in this craft in the U.S.  Ryan believes the numbers are far lower than that.  In fact, he spends part of his time teaching his skills to others in order to keep the work alive…

August 3, 2020
03Aug20 Ryan Staub Glass Blowing 1
Maybe you think you have a hot summer time job.  I doubt you’ll deal with more heat than Ryan.  His shop has a furnace pumping out a fire that’s over 2000 degrees…

 

July 31, 2020
31Jul20 Endangered Pieces 2
Some people visit a store just to look at the merchandise. David’s store has a unique policy:  you are free to look all you like in the first room, but to see all the really cool stuff in the second room, you’ve got to purchase something in the first room first.  We’ll share a little of what you’ll find…

July 30, 2020
30Jul20 Endangered Pieces 1
We’ve heard of endangered species, but the name of David’s store is “Endangered Pieces.” He considers most of what he has to be rare and unique. The story of what he has to sell and how he acquired it is quite a tale…

July 29, 2020
29Jul20 Peter Luger Steakhouse 2
Across the East River on the Long Island side of the Brooklyn Bridge there is a place that has changed very little in over 100 years. It is a restaurant that looks much the way it did a century ago, and the steaks it serves up have remained tops for about a century now too…

July 28, 2020
28Jul20 Peter Luger Steakhouse 1
As long as there have been cattle on the range, there has been debate over who could serve up the best steak. Most folks would presume that a steakhouse in Brooklyn, New York might challenge that notion…

July 27, 2020
27Jul20 Sitting Bull
He is one of the greatest Indian chiefs ever to lead his tribes in peace and battle. Ironically, two different towns claim his burial spot…

 

July 24, 2020
24Jul20 Fort Raleigh 3
It’s known as the lost colony of Roanoke…a settlement of English that vanished between 1587 and 1590 in what is today North Carolina.  Over 400 hundred years later the fate of those men and women is still a mystery…

July 23, 2020
23Jul20 Fort Raleigh 2
In 1587 three ships set sail from England bound for Chesapeake Bay.  The voyage wouldn’t make that destination though…and the fate of those than landed in what is today North Carolina is still a mystery…

July 22, 2020
22Jul20 Fort Raleigh 1
Over 300 years before the Wright Brothers would make there first flight at nearby Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Europeans landed here to begin the first permanent settlement…

July 21, 2020
21Jul20 Boonville Missouri Thespian Hall 2
Where will you find the oldest working theater west of the Allegheny Mountains?  The answer may surprise you and the fact might have even surprised the folks who built it, given that the place had a Civil War battle fought at its front steps…

July 20, 2020
20Jul20 Boonville Missouri Thespian Hall 1
It dominates the skyline of Boonville, Missouri.  If you’re from Boonville, you might chuckle at that statement, given the buildings here aren’t too tall, but nonetheless, it’s a building with quite a story…

 

July 17, 2020
17Jul20 Boonville Missouri 2
You probably don’t give much thought to signing your name on a check or receipt. It’s something we’ve done thousands of times. But, you probably spell your name the same way each time you sign it. Not so for this man, and that means the towns named after him spell it differently as well…

July 16, 2020
16Jul20 Boonville Missouri 1
Today we say hello to our listeners on KWRT in Boonville, Missouri. Their town was founded in the early 1800s and became an important point for many settlers heading west. While you may think you know the namesake for this city, the founder was someone unusual for the time period…

July 15, 2020
15Jul20 Castillo de San Marcos 2
It’s the oldest fort in the nation’s oldest city, and that means it can tell plenty of stories about many different nations…

July 14, 2020
14Jul20 Castillo de San Marcos 1
It’s a place that has been attacked by the British, the army of the confederacy and even bands of Pirates. That’s quite a story for a fort on American soil…

July 13, 2020
13Jul20 Arkansas Post
It is here that the Arkansas, White and Mississippi Rivers meet, and it is here that European and Native American history intertwines for almost five hundred years…

 

July 10, 2020
10Jul20 Superstitions 2
On Friday the thirteenth, the superstitious might be especially careful not to walk under any ladders, or break any mirrors.  Of course if they did, lucky rabbits feet, horseshoes and knocking on wood might help.  They are all just a few of the legends that many regard as truth…

July 9, 2020
09Jul20 Superstitions 1
If a black cat crossed my way, I might knock on wood and send bad luck away.  But what if you walked under a ladder, or it was a mirror you broke, would misfortune find you and leave you broke.  Where do such superstitions reside…

July 8, 2020
08Jul20 Texas Railway History 3
When we think of troops in World War I and II we may have thoughts of the battlefields of the world.  We probably don’t think of troops standing guard over a rail line in southwestern Texas.  In a moment I’ll take you to a ranch where you will still find the artifacts of a lonely, but important duty protecting the nation…

July 7, 2020
07Jul20 Texas Railway History 2
The Southern Pacific rail line advertised it served fresh oysters on it’s run from Texas to California.  It was special service and an amenity that helped foil on of the last train holdups in the country’s history…

July 6, 2020
06Jul20 Texas Railway History 1
We may have heard of the golden spike driven to link the first transcontinental railroad in northern Utah.  The second such transcontinental route traverses the southern U.S. and that line passed on Kinley’s property.  It’s provided a treasure trove of artifacts that tell quite a story…

 

July 3, 2020
03Jul20 Robby Hind Parker Cattle Ranch 3
He was the lead cowboy on one of the largest ranches in the entire country – a spread that covered over 200,000 acres and a ranch with some very unique grazing ground…

July 2, 2020
02Jul20 Robby Hind Parker Cattle Ranch 2
When these animals first came to Hawaii, they were protected, but after thirty years and a lot of births, the king decided something just had to be done.  It created a career and a legacy for one man named Parker…

July 1, 2020
01Jul20 Robby Hind Parker Cattle Ranch 1
Robby Hind has the title of “Paniolo.” For people living in one state, that’s a very recognizable name, a job title specifically for these hardworking people…

June 30, 2020
30Jun20 Truth or Consequences
The name of this city is so long, most road signs abbreviate it. In fact, when you’re in state, it isn’t uncommon to see an arrow pointing toward something known as T or C…

June 29, 2020
29Jun20 Pinnacles National Monument
Geologists tell us this place began as a volcano, but you certainly wouldn’t know it by climbing it’s rock spires today. We head to one of the oldest national monuments in the country…

 

June 26, 2020
26Jun20 Custer State Park 3
It’s a place where the buffalo roam and herds of people come to watch them.  I’ll take you to a place that attracts visitors worldwide to see the wildlife that often comes right up to the car door…

June 25, 2020
25Jun20 Custer State Park 2
The purpose of a new road is usually to get people from one point to another more quickly and safely.  This man had another idea.  He wanted roads that forced you to drive slow.  In fact, he thought it might be preferred if you got out an walked instead…

June 24, 2020
24Jun20 Custer State Park 1
It is South Dakota’s first state park but when it was established over a century ago one man was worried the pristine place would be lost for generations to come…

June 23, 2020
23Jun20 Father Paul Turner 2
You may not think of John the Baptist as someone who would teach you a lot about music, but in just a moment, you’ll learn the story of how a song about him influenced the notes of our musical scale…

June 22, 2020
22Jun20 Father Paul Turner 1
Everyone knows that Christmas is celebrated on December 25^th, but at the opposite point of the year, another man’s birth is celebrated

 

June 19, 2020
19Jun20 Kellogg Cereal
Grocery stores devote plenty of shelf space to cereals, but the historic route those breakfast foods took to get there may just surprise you…

June 18, 2020
18Jun20 Copper Queen Mine
Under the earth in southern Arizona you’ll find a place that brought people to the dry, wide open stretches of this place…

June 17, 2020
17Jun20 Seeing Eye
They are some of the best known and most loved dogs in the world

June 16, 2020
16Jun20 South Dakota Air & Space 2
It’s a museum with some of the biggest artifacts you’ll find and you can walk right up to just about everyone of them. I’ll take you on a unique stop between the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore…

June 15, 2020
15Jun20 South Dakota Air & Space 1
When you think of an air force base you of course think of air planes.  But at this base, the main feature was something that could fly much higher and faster…

 

June 12, 2020
12Jun20 Catoctin Mountain Park 2
People have long recognized this place as a prime spot to get away from it all. During the term of FDR, the oval office realized it was a great place for a retreat as well…

June 11, 2020
11Jun20 Catoctin Mountain Park 1
There was a time when these hills were a seeming disaster area. Fires and erosion had driven farmers from the land and the once beautiful hills were barren. But the park that was formed here is probably better known to us for something else within its bounds…

June 10, 2020
10Jun20 Dark Tide 2
When a massive tank of molasses burst on Boston’s Commerical Street in 1919, 21 lives were lost in the resulting disaster. But many people don’t realize how the event actually affected lives across the nation…

June 9, 2020
09Jun20 Dark Tide 1
At first it may sound like a hoax, a wall of molasses moving through the city of Boston swallowing everything in its path. But the story is true, and we head to the city to uncover that unique bit of history…

June 8, 2020
08Jun20 Mojave Desert
It is truly an oasis in the middle of a desert, a place where rails, roads and range meet. We go to the Mojave Desert…

 

June 5, 2020
05Jun20 Gettysburg Battlefield Guide 2
He’s shared his knowledge with joint chiefs of staff, ambassadors and other high-ranking government officials. But when you lead tours here, some of the most memorable encounters come when you least expect them…

June 4, 2020
04Jun20 Gettysburg Battlefield Guide 1
Each of us probably remembers studying hours and hours for a big test. The test given here certainly requires plenty of study…and fewer than 10% will make the grade. We’ll meet a man with a title that is one of the toughest to attain…

June 3, 2020
03Jun20 Sterling Illinois Dillon Home Barbed Wire 3
You can still find a few steam engines in this country pulling tourist trains. But when was the last steam engine used for commercial work?  The date and location might surprise you…

June 2, 2020
02Jun20 Sterling Illinois Dillon Home Barbed Wire 2
Who won the west? Perhaps a better question is, “what” won the west? Erin Thompson says what won the west was a seemingly simple product that changed the way people lived and worked in what was proverbially called, “the west.”

June 1, 2020
01Jun20 Sterling Illinois Dillon Home Barbed Wire 1
In the 1870’s, a series of patents were first issued for this product that was destined to change the way people farmed and ranched. Washington Dillon purchased one of those patents and built a company that stood well over a century…

 

May 29, 2020
29May20 Buffalo Bill 4
On the eve of Word War I, the European portion of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show quickly found their operation shuddered.  Animals were confiscated for the war effort and some of the cast…well, they were interrogated by the German military and never seen again

May 28, 2020
28May20 Buffalo Bill 3
Was Buffalo Bill a good guy or a bad guy? Well, that all depends on who you talk to around here and even that depends on which person people knew best – Buffalo Bill or his wife…

May 27, 2020
27May20 Buffalo Bill 2
Where was the first rodeo held? Many may try to lay claim to that title, but we do know who popularized the sport and created many of the events surrounding it…

May 26, 2020
26May20 Buffalo Bill 1
This man became famous because he supplied food for railroad workers. Perhaps that doesn’t sound that extraordinary, but you certainly know his name…

May 25, 2020
25May20 Angel Fire Vietnam Memorial
The Westfalls had dreams of a ranch resort where they could retire.  Then tragedy struck and the plans for the ranch became a dream that inspires thousands who come here…

 

May 22, 2020
22May20 Lewis and Clark George Shannon
He was the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark expedition to begin the trip in St. Louis. At 18 years of age, he possessed skills far beyond his years, but he developed a reputation for getting lost…

May 21, 2020
21May20 Lewis and Clark Nez Perce 2
The Lewis and Clark expedition opened the way for many who would follow their trail to settle the west. But for those already living there, the story was much different…

May 20, 2020
20May20 Lewis and Clark Nez Perce 1
Sometimes a change in your diet produces unexpected consequences. That was the case for the Lewis and Clark expedition, as their starving men gorged themselves on some new foods the Nez Perce Indians provided them…

May 19, 2020
19May20 Lewis and Clark Sheheke
They were the first farmers in America, growing the crops, fruits and vegetables to sustain their tribe as well as some famous visitors in the fall of 1804…

May 18, 2020
18May20 Lewis and Clark Music
Sometimes people sing on a road trip. This was the biggest of road trips and no doubt there was plenty of singing…

 

May 15, 2020
15May20 Meriwether Lewis Mother 2
Only three years after his return to St. Louis, Meriwether Lewis, one of the leaders of the great expedition to the Pacific lay dead. The cause of his death is still disputed today…

May 14, 2020
14May20 Meriwether Lewis Mother 1
A mother can influence the life of her son for his entire life. That was definitely the case for one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark expedition…

May 13, 2020
13May20 Fort Lancaster 2
The west was won with horses and cowboys, right? Well, that wasn’t the plan at one time. In fact, if the army had their way, perhaps those TV westerns would show a whole lot more of these animals crossing the high plains than horses…

May 12, 2020
12May20 Fort Lancaster 1
What will you find halfway between San Antonio and El Paso, Texas? Well, to be honest, there’s not much out here, just open range country. But that “middle of nowhere” spot is exactly why this site was placed here..

May 11, 2020
11May20 Fort Bowie 2
Almost every American has heard of the Apache leader Geronimo, but few can tell you much about him. In a moment, we journey to the fort with a mission to capture him…a place that ironically gave Geronimo confidence when he waged war against the very soldiers stationed there…

 

May 8, 2020
08May20 Fort Bowie 1
At the same time the Civil War was being waged, another war occupied troops in southern Arizona. It was a conflict not between the union and confederacy, but between Americans and Apaches…

May 7, 2020
07May20 WD-40 Gary Ridge 3
When you walk into the offices of this company you’ll be greeted by someone with a unique title.  They are called the “Director of First Impressions.”  What company is it?  It may surprise you, but when you hear the CEO’s philosophy of business and life, it all makes sense…

May 6, 2020
06May20 WD-40 Gary Ridge 2
A cliché says, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” In this case, Gary Ridge hopes the squeaky wheel gets WD40.  The reason that brand continues to be so popular has a lot to do with how the guy at the top views his role…

May 5, 2020
05May20 WD-40 Gary Ridge 1
If you failed at something 39 times, would you attempt success with a 40^th try?  This company did, and of course, we all know what happened. Well, if you don’t, you will in a moment…

May 4, 2020
04May20 Jane Adams Hull House
She was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, a lady who helped establish a field of work that is important in strengthening people and communities everywhere…

 

May 1, 2020
01May20 Iran Hostage Tom Schafer 4
It was a stand-off that would consume parts of three calendar years. Today we take a look back at the story of one man thrust into the national spotlight, as his nation, and two different U.S. presidents worked to gain his freedom…

April 30, 2020
30Apr20 Iran Hostage Tom Schafer 3
During the current Covid-19 pandemic, some people may feel they are very confined compared to life a few months ago.  Today I put you in the shoes of Tom Schaefer, a man who was taken hostage for over a year…

April 29, 2020
29Apr20 Iran Hostage Tom Schafer 2
Tom was working at the U.S. embassay in Theran in the late 1970s, and soon he and fifty-one other Americans would be in the world’s spotlight for over a year…

April 28, 2020
28Apr20 Iran Hostage Tom Schafer 1
All Tom Schafer was looking for was a warmer place to work.  Unfortunately for him, he chose Iran in 1978…

April 27, 2020
27Apr20 Royal Peanut Vendor 3
Dan Nash has been selling peanuts at Kansas City Royals games for about three decades.  While the current season is on hold, I thought we’d look back at a well-known vendor who can launch peanuts to hungry fans sections from him…

 

April 24, 2020
24Apr20 Royal Peanut Vendor 2
Dan Nash has been known to launch drives into the upper decks of Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium.  While those shots don’t affect the scoreboard, they do affect the attitude of some baseball fans…

April 23, 2020
23Apr20 Royal Peanut Vendor 1
Dan Nash has thrown plenty of pitches at the ballpark.  He earns a nice living but he’s not throwing baseballs.  Rather he’s still pitching a product much the way he has done since 1980.  It should be baseball season right now so we take a look back…

April 22, 2020
22Apr20 Spanish Flu 3
Jonathan Casey reads a lot of letters.  Most of the letters are over a century old, but they are very interesting reading yet today and they perhaps can tell you a lot of similarities between life in the nineteen teens and the current virus affecting the world…

April 21, 2020
21Apr20 Spanish Flu 2
Over a century ago the world was struggling against what we call the Spanish flu.  However, the disease probably didn’t begin there.  In fact, it may have been far worse in other nations.  So how did it get that name?  It has a lot to do with World War I…

April 20, 2020
20Apr20 Spanish Flu 1
We are still traveling the countryside…although today’s interview was done by phone, a necessity of our current times.  We look back at another pandemic that struck the world as many countries were at war.  It’s a story that may have began on a farm in Kansas…

 

April 17, 2020
17Apr20 Ulysses Grant Farm 2
This future president, had a sitting president send spies to uncover the truth about the man’s life.  It’s a unique story about one of the most popular presidents in the years after the Civil War…

April 16, 2020
16Apr20 Ulysses Grant Farm 1
When a U.S. president finishes their term in office, retirement can be difficult.  What do you do after running a powerful nation?  This man who desired to create a farm in St. Louis

April 15, 2020
15Apr20 Stonewall Jackson
If I told you that today’s feature is about Thomas Jackson, you probably wouldn’t have a very good idea of why that name should be important.  That’s because we today know him by the famous nickname he earned during the Civil War…

April 14, 2020
14Apr20 Roger Maris 2
Records are made to be broken – or are they?  When it came to this record, many people wanted the title to remain with this legend.  So, what should have been a major milestone turned into a nightmare of sorts for this man….

April 13, 2020
13Apr20 Roger Maris 1
You might be surprised to find this museum in a shopping mall, but there’s a very good reason it’s there…and there’s much to see about a very big story that took place in 1961…

 

April 10, 2020
10Apr20 Last Supper Museum 2
Perhaps some husbands listening to this show have been told that if they want to bring a certain knick-knack home for a trip, then they must be responsible for dusting it.  That was the case for this couple.  Interestingly, what they brought home grew into quite a collection…

April 9, 2020
09Apr20 Last Supper Museum 1
In 1495 Leonardo Da Vinci began work on a painting that all of us have seen.  In fact, it’s his picture that most of us associate with one major event in Christianity.  During this Easter week I take a look back at a heartwarming story we aired just a few years ago, that’s certainly appropriate for this time of year…

April 8, 2020
08Apr20 William Seward 2
If he would have listened to most Americans, he would have run from the deal the moment he heard about it.  But William saw the promise in a great land deal…

April 7, 2020
07Apr20 William Seward 1
Political conventions were once places where presidential nominations were decided.  In a moment we catch the intriguing story of the man who led Abraham Lincoln for the presidential nomination…a man who could have very well become the great emancipator himself…

April 6, 2020
06Apr20 Desert of Maine
Deserts are supposed to be hot, dry and void of trees.  This desert is surrounded by timber, gets plenty of rainfall and sees snow and cold in the winter…

 

April 3, 2020
03Apr20 Pony Express 4
Bronco Charlie was a great horse rider.  He will forever hold a place in history as the youngest man to accomplish this feat, which is pretty amazing, but perhaps pales to what he would accomplish in his 90s….

April 2, 2020
02Apr20 Pony Express 3
If you were witnessing a historic event, you might try to take a picture, or grab a memento to remember it.  Pictures weren’t available when this occurred, so the spectators did the next best thing – they started taking hair from the horse’s tail…

April 1, 2020
01Apr20 Pony Express 2
160 years ago, this was express mail.  It was much slower and much more expensive that what we have today, but the method of delivery was one that still keeps it in the history books as one of the great accomplishments of taming the west…

March 31, 2020
31Mar20 Pony Express 1
Before railroads had tracks that traversed the entire nation, there was a place the rail lines came to an end.  In 1859, the tracks stopped here and that meant this city was an important place for settlers to change modes of transportation to make the trip westward…

March 30, 2020
30Mar20 Spy Museum
It’s often referred to as simply, “The Thing.”  That “thing” was a piece of equipment used to acquire secrets from the United States.  Today you can see it at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.  It’s story involves school children and even has a link to the U2 controversy of the 1960s

 

March 27, 2020
27Mar20 Nebraska Mealworm Farm 3
I was recently asked to eat an insect as part of these broadcasts.  I was probably like most people and wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea, but in the interest of truly understanding the topic I would share with you today, I did eat that insect…

March 26, 2020
26Mar20 Nebraska Mealworm Farm 2
Cheryl Powers may just have the more livestock on her operation than any other livestock owner in the state of Nebraska.  She has literally millions of head of these.  It’s a unique and profitable herd…

March 25, 2020
25Mar20 Nebraska Mealworm Farm 1
Some people don’t like bugs.  They might imagine they can creep and crawl and scare you when you least expect it.  In some ways, that was the case for Cheryl.  However, she found an insect to her liking and it launched a career…

March 24, 2020
24Mar20 Erie Canal
It’s a famous route that required a mule to pull you for fifteen miles.  This is one of the important early paths on the journey west…

March 23, 2020
23Mar20 Fort Union
It was the site of a vast trading network on the northern plains.  Its history spanned forty years and today, this fort has been reconstructed to remind us of its importance…

 

March 20, 2020
20Mar20 Times Beach Missouri 3
Just outside of St. Louis you can find Route 66 state park.  It’s a spot next to the Meramec River where the Mother Road once passed.  It’s also the site of a town that vanished from maps in the early 1980s.  Today we take a look back at a story I did nearly two decades ago…

March 19, 2020
19Mar20 Times Beach Missouri 2
Occasionally on this show we take a look back at stories from out nearly 25 year history.  A recent visit to eastern Missouri made me recall a place that is no longer on the map.  It’s the story of a town that vanished due to no fault of its own…

March 18, 2020
18Mar20 Times Beach Missouri 1
It’s been nearly 40 years since this town of over 1000 people suddenly vanished from maps. Today we dig into our audio vault for the story of what happened to a little town along a beautiful river…

March 17, 2020
17Mar20 Judge Roy Bean 4
There was no doubt Roy was in love with Lilly.  He did everything he could to catch her attention.  He wrote he letters, he sent her gifts, and he even named his business after her.  It was that attraction from afar that seemed to rule Roy’s life…

March 16, 2020
16Mar20 Judge Roy Bean 3
You won’t find many buildings in Langtry, Texas, so perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that two establishments needed to share a location due to the small size of the town.  But putting a courthouse inside a saloon was bound to produce unique results…

 

March 13, 2020
13Mar20 Judge Roy Bean 2
Over a century ago, boxing was outlawed in most states and territories.  Those who wanted to promote prizefighting, as it was known, had to be clever in holding those matches.  In 1896, it resulted in a most unique venue for the heavy weight title of the world…

March 12, 2020
12Mar20 Judge Roy Bean 1
Most lawyers must put in long hours of school, then spend years working cases in court, before they can ever think about becoming a judge.  But this man skipped all the prerequisites and had quite a fun time dispensing the law as he saw fit…

March 11, 2020
11Mar20 Kona Joe Coffee 3
Sometimes people not only want to hear a story, they’d like to see it.  That’s the case here – for seeing the story is vital to the success of this business…

March 10, 2020
10Mar20 Kona Joe Coffee 2
On this farm the harvest is still done by hand.  There is automation that may be used on some farms, the but the individual care is worth a lot – in fact, some say it’s what makes this product some of the best in the world…

March 9, 2020
09Mar20 Kona Joe Coffee 1
There’s only one state in the U.S. that can grow coffee commercially.  In a moment I’ll take you to the fields that have the right soil, temperature and altitude to produce some of the best tasting coffee on Earth…

 

March 6, 2020
06Mar20 Hawaii Macadamia Nuts 2
When someone runs into a difficult challenge they may say, “it’s a difficult nut to crack.”  Today I’ll take you to literally, the toughest nut to crack.  This man has been up to that challenge for over two decades now…

March 5,2020
05Mar20 Hawaii Macadamia Nuts 1
Harvesting this crop can require months of time.  A new harvest is ready every six to eight weeks requiring another pass through the fields to collect the fruits of the fields and transform it into a multitude of products…

March 4, 2020
04Mar20 James Miles Big Island Hawaii 3
You don’t often think of planting a tree as a way to draw tourists.  But that was the idea these residents had.  However, there weren’t ordinary trees and the folks planting them were far from average…

March 3, 2020
03Mar20 James Miles Big Island Hawaii 2
What is the tallest mountain on Earth?  Most of us would probably say Mt. Everest.  However, today’s guest and many scientists will tell you the tallest peak dwarfs Everest…

March 2, 2020
02Mar20 James Miles Big Island Hawaii 1
James lives in a land of water and fire.  That may sound like an oxymoron, but it’s true – his home can experience 200 inches of rain per year yet he can look out his window and see smoke and fire on the horizon…

 

February 28, 2020
28Feb20 Bayer Hawaii Corn Farming 3
Imagine farming in a place where a break down could cost you not hours, but weeks to get repairs.  When some parts are thousands of miles away, you have to till your fields with a new perspective…

February 27, 2020
27Feb20 Bayer Hawaii Corn Farming 2
When farmers put seed in the ground each spring, there’s a good chance that sometime during that corn hybrid’s past, it was growing here…

February 26, 2020
26Feb20 Bayer Hawaii Corn Farming 1
If you happen to be a corn or soybean farmer, perhaps you look forward to the warm Spring days when the seeds begin to emerge from the soil.  But what would it be like if everyday was like that weather wise?  Warm, sunny skies 365 days a year?

February 25, 2020
25Feb20 Stephen Douglas 2020
Abraham Lincoln led the country through the Civil War, but it was this man who defeated him for the senate just two years prior…

February 24, 2020
24Feb20 Saugus Ironworks 2020
It is a factory that began operation over a century before England’s colonies became the United State of America.  We go to a place where the water wheels still power the machines of that day…

 

February 21, 2020
21Feb20 George Washington Birthplace
George Washington’s birth date was always clear…February 22, 1732.  The location of his birth though was difficult to pinpoint.  It’s still a mystery to most Americans as well…

February 20, 2020
20Feb20 James Monroe
Thomas Jefferson’s home is one of the best known and most visited in the United States.  However, just drive down the hill a mile and you’ll find his neighbor–another president of the United States….

February 19, 2020
19Feb20 Blackstone Hotel 2
You many have heard of backroom political deals referred to as having taken place in a smoke-filled room.  Today I’ll take you to the original smoke-filled room, which interestingly, is today a non-smoking room in a famous landmark…

February 18, 2020
18Feb20 Blackstone Hotel 1
When it was constructed just over a century ago, it was the tallest building in Chicago.  It remains a landmark in the city and a place where you will find the old and the new intertwined in a place that still appeals to the public…

February 17, 2020
17Feb20 John Adams
His presidency was sandwiched between presidential greats George Washington and Thomas Jefferson…and unfortunately, much of his work in helping form this nation has been lost in the shadows of those two national heroes…

 

February 14, 2020
14Feb20 Andrew Johnson 3
When John F Kennedy wrote the book, “Profiles in Courage,” he wrote about several people who had decisive roles in American history.  One man profiled cast a vote in 1867…

February 13, 2020
13Feb20 Andrew Johnson 2
Abraham Lincoln’s face is on Mt. Rushmore because of the leadership he showed during the American Civil War.  However, in the middle of that war he changed vice-presidents, and that decision is regarded as one of his worst calls…

February 12, 2020
12Feb20 Andrew Johnson 1
During February we remember the birthday of Abraham Lincoln.  Today we take a look at a man who held the same office immediately after him – a man who is mostly forgotten…

February 11, 2020
11Feb20 Kansas City Union Station 3
If you’ve been around cattle for much of your life, you know there are times when one in the bunch just doesn’t want to cooperate.  That comes with the territory…but you usually don’t have to chase the animal down in a building crowded with thousands of people.  This is the story of the bull that got lose in the ladies waiting room…

February 10, 2020
10Feb20 Kansas City Union Station 2
Some say this event was the spark that created today’s FBI.  It was a crime that made national headlines and still leaves a literal mark today.  We’ll dive into the gangster era…

 

February 7, 2020
07Feb20 Kansas City Union Station 1
Grand Central Station is the largest train station in the country when measured by the actual size of the building. Who is second? The location might surprise you, but it’s still a place where trains and over 100,000 passengers arrive and depart annually…

February 6, 2020
06Feb20 National Buffalo Museum 3
When you think of athletic animals you probably don’t quickly choose a buffalo to fit the bill.  But in a moment we will try to amaze you with some facts about an animal that appears to simply slowing grazing on the high plains…

February 5, 2020
05Feb20 National Buffalo Museum 2
Are they bison or buffalo, or if there any difference?  In a moment you’ll hear why the names can make a big difference…

February 4, 2020
04Feb20 National Buffalo Museum 1
We’ve all heard of the vast herds of buffalo that once roamed the high plains.  At one time there numbers dwindled to a point some thought they would be lost to history…

February 3, 2020
03Feb20 Antietam National Battlefield 3
Even by today’s standards the cost of this battle was staggering.  It was a twelve hour conflict that saw a man wounded or killed every second. That’s every second for twelve straight hours…

 

January 31, 2020
31Jan20 Antietam National Battlefield 2
These fields were filled with ears of corn nearing the harvest during September.  The kernels would never be shelled though.  In fact, it was these fields that were not large enough to bury the dead from both sides of that Civil War battle…

January 30, 2020
30Jan20 Antietam National Battlefield 1
Imagine going into battle and having the enemy’s plan of attack in your hands.  It sounds like it would not be a fair fight, but that’s exactly what happened during a major battle of the Civil War…

January 29, 2020
29Jan20 Fear Facer Michelle Poler 2
It all began with a list of one hundred fears.  Some may not have seemed like fears for some – driving at night, visiting a new city on your own.  But when others heard what this young lady was doing they were inspired.  And now the fear facer is the one traveling the globe helping others do the same…

January 28, 2020
28Jan20 Fear Facer Michelle Poler 1
We’ve probably all heard the phrase that we must “Face our Fears.”  That can be easy to say and hard to do sometimes of course.  But for Michelle Poler, overcoming some of her fears became an important part of living a better life…

January 27, 2020
27Jan20 Town & Country Inn 2
Many hotels host important guests, but Scott Labnon’s family-owned property is guaranteed to see plenty of secret service and presidential candidates occupy his location every four years…

 

January 24, 2020
24Jan20 Town & Country Inn 1
The Northeastern U.S. is home to many long-time family owned resort motels.  One of the most famous properties began with just ten guest rooms left over from a former paper mill operation…

January 23, 2020
23Jan20 The Hermitage
Mt. Vernon and Monticello are well known presidential homes.  Along side those well known names is another home and plantation, not in Virginia, but instead in the Volunteer State…

January 22, 2020
22Jan20 Andrew County Museum 3
On the south edge of Savannah, Missouri you’ll find a tall brick building that once employed 500 and brought people here from across the country…

January 21, 2020
21Jan20 Andrew County Museum 2
You may not know the name, Nellie Tayloe Ross, but she holds a very important distinction in this country.  She has an amazing story of serving her country, when many women were shunned from such service…

January 20, 2020
20Jan20 Andrew County Museum 1
This state had a star on two flags at the same time – the U.S. flag and the confederate flag.  But to which side would the state be loyal?  This is the story of one man and his opinion that influenced his fellow citizens and the war…

 

January 17 2020
17Jan20 Pawnee Bill 2
It may have seemed this famous western showman had married the wrong woman.  After all, his bride was a city girl who didn’t grow up around horses and cowboy life.  It turned out that she might have been the better cowboy of the pair.  This is the story of the amazing couple…

January 16, 2020
16Jan20 Pawnee Bill 1
Many of us had childhood heroes, and for Gordon it was the famous showman Buffalo Bill.  What he might never have imagined was how he would eclipse the fame of the legend.  This is the story of a man named Gordon, but better known as someone else…

January 15, 2020
15Jan20 Duncan Doll Museum
You could say this museum began because a man did not want to inherit what his sister was wanting to give to him.  Thanks goodness he built a thriving restaurant chain so he had the cash to build a home for what was about to become his…

January 14, 2020
14Jan20 Sun Valley Ski Resort 3
The Union Pacific Railroad had the perfect new resort to sell to its passengers.  The only problem was convincing them to come to this remote area of Idaho…

January 13, 2020
13Jan20 Sun Valley Ski Resort 2
When you need new technology at a ski resort you of course look to someone in the railroad industry to fix the problem.  That’s what happened here.  It’s something commonplace at those winter resorts thanks to what may seem to be an unlikely source…

 

January 10, 2020
10Jan20 Sun Valley Ski Resort 1
This town got it’s start because a railroad was looking for a new destination to transport passengers.  What resulted is a well-known resort town.  This is the story of a resort built by the railroad…

January 9, 2020
09Jan20 John Deere Plow 3
When you hear the name John Deere you might think of tractors.  However, that is to think in modern terms.  Today I’ll take you on a visit to Deere’s blacksmith shop to visit with a man who shares his story with visitors just about every day…

January 8, 2020
08Jan20 John Deere Plow 2
We’ve all heard of John Deere equipment and you may know the company is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.  But that’s not where the operation began.  The reason it would up there has a lot to do with Sheffield, England…

January 7, 2020
07Jan20 John Deere Plow 1
He was just another blacksmith until some of his old friends convinced him to move from the northeastern U.S. to the Midwest.  Even then, his fame was unexpected, yet his worked revolutionized a task that had been performed in some form for centuries…

January 6, 2020
06Jan20 Pharm Dog USA 3
Many us have a “cause” that is close to our heart.  It could be an organization for which we volunteer, or perhaps we make a regular donation.  But when this lady found that her cause did not have an organization, well, she set out to create one on the farm…

 

January 3, 2020
03Jan20 Pharm Dog USA 2
A neighbor of mine has been using a dog to help her on the farm.  Perhaps that doesn’t sound like that big of a deal – but when you find out that she received her dog from an organization called PHARM Dog USA, you quickly realize this isn’t any ordinary dog…

January 2, 2020
02Jan20 Pharm Dog USA 1
Many farms have a farm dog.  Usually the dog is a well loved pet, but occasionally the dog is trained to assist with some work like herding.  But for this lady, the farm dog is the critical component that makes farms run…

January 1, 2020
01Jan20 Best of 2019 Deluxe Truck Stop
There are plenty of odors that will drive you away–after all that’s how a skunk protects itself. But today I’ll take you to a place where the smells can range from beyond awful to sweet and tasty–and many points in between. It’s our best of 2019 series…

December 31, 2019
31Dec19 Best of 2019 Wayne Cryts
Was it stealing grain, or just taking what was rightfully yours? The answer to that question depended on whether you were talking to a federal judge or a farmer.  It’s part of our best of 2019 series…

December 30, 2019
30Dec19 Best of 2019 Survival Cars
Have you ever watched one of those action movies with car chase scenes and wondered how many cars they destroyed making the film? Today I’ll give you some facts about the cars that survive and those that don’t. It’s our best of 2019 series…

 

December 27, 2019
27Dec19 Best of 2019 Lucas Kansas Restroom
A public restroom is usually not a thing of beauty.  It’s just designed to take care of the need at hand.  Not so in Lucas, Kansas.  Thousands of people come here just to use the public toilet.  It’s part of our best of 2019 series and the unique tale is this edition of the American Countryside…

December 26, 2019
26Dec19 Best of 2019 Elephant Hotel
When you run across a building named the “Elephant Hotel,” well, there’s probably going to be an interesting story behind the place.  It’s part of our best of 2019 series and the unique tale is this edition of the American Countryside…

December 25, 2019
25Dec19 Del Rio Nativity
Many people display a nativity scene at Christmas, but this one is truly amazing.  Certainly it’s size is something to behold, but the lady behind it and her love for her hometown truly set it apart from many others…

December 24, 2019
24Dec19 Twas the Night Before Christmas
We know the words of “’twas the night before Christmas;” words that helped solidify the image of Santa over 200 years ago. Here’s the the place that marks the beginning of their story…

December 23, 2019
23Dec19 Shakespeare Chateau 3
Some homeowners may decide to open their doors to guests and create a bed and breakfast.  This owner did so.  Her residence not only has a great story – it’s a story with ties to Christmas and a full length movie you can see right now…

 

December 20, 2019
20Dec19 Shakespeare Chateau 2
I recently had a lady suggest that I should wallpaper one of the rooms in my home.  In fact, she had the perfect paper for me.  Interestingly, the price to wall paper one room would buy a good house in many cities…

December 19, 2019
19Dec19 Shakespeare Chateau 1
A few years ago, a trip down Hall Street in St. Joseph, Missouri might have been depressing, with old homes unoccupied – shells of their glory days long since passed.  That story is changing and one home in particular has quite a story…

December 18, 2019
18Dec19 Antartica Cows 2
It’s a story hard to believe, yet it is true.  Four milk cows made a trip all the way to Antarctica where they were credited with saving the life of the expedition’s leader.  In the process the cows became stars and the feed and equipment used to care for them got prime-time advertising…

December 17, 2019
17Dec19 Antartica Cows 1
Today I’ll take you on a journey to milk cows in Antarctica.  It’s not a fictional trip.  In fact, it’s one that took place many years ago and made worldwide headlines…

December 16, 2019
16Dec19 Surge Milker
A century ago many farmers still went to the barn to milk their cows by hand.  It was the way things had been done for centuries.  But people were looking for a way to make that job easier.  Many had attempted creating a mechanical milking machine, but none seemed to do the job well.  When a better invention finally arrived, it spread in amazing numbers around the world…

 

December 13, 2019
13Dec19 Safari Museum 2
Osa Johnson was certainly not an imposing figure, but give her a gun and she could drop some of the most ferocious animals in the world…

December 12, 2019
12Dec19 Safari Museum 1
Many towns have a museum of local history…but why is Chanute, Kansas home to the Safari Museum?  It may seem like a piece of history from half a world away, but in a moment you’ll hear the story of a husband and wife who brought stories to life through the images they captured…

December 11, 2019
11Dec19 Alamo 3
It’s one of the most famous buildings at the center of one of the most famous battles in history.  A site of a defeat that became the rallying cry for the fight for independence…

December 10, 2019
10Dec19 Alamo 2
James Bowie and William Barrett Travis are two of the famous names to defend the Alamo.  Perhaps the most well known of those inside the walls on March 6, 1836…was a former congressman from Tennessee…

December 9, 2019
09Dec19 Alamo 1
Today we head to Mission San Antonio de Valero.  Most people believe they have never heard of the place…but it’s safe to wager just about every American will know what we are talking…

 

December 6, 2019
06Dec19 Sliced Bread
We like to think out program is the greatest thing since sliced bread…but if not…perhaps we can accomplish the next best thing.  We’ll tell you exactly where sliced bread came from…

December 5, 2019
05Dec19 Genghis Khan 2
What do hamburgers, pants, passports and eyeglasses all have in common?  One man.  The story of one man who affected your life – and you probably never knew it…

December 4, 2019
04Dec19 Genghis Khan 1
His empire would eventually stretch from Korea to Eastern Europe.  He was the mightiest ruler of his day and perhaps ever in the history of the world – a man some dubbed the “Man of the Millenium.”  His story is one that is traveling the nation right now…

December 3, 2019
03Dec19 Asian Swine Flu 2
On the surface it’s simply a story of supply and demand.  However, the story is one that is affecting millions of lives as one nation struggles the devastating impact of a disease that is ravishing herds of animals…

December 2, 2019
02Dec19 Asian Swine Flu 1
You may have heard about this disease in the news, but you may not know the impact it is having in one particular nation and how that devastation is affecting the agricultural economies of nations around the globe..

 

November 29, 2019
29Nov19 Mayflower 3
The original Mayflower that sailed with 102 Pilgrims back in 1620 is long gone.  But another ship by the same name still occupies a place on the Plymouth coastline…

November 28, 2019
28Nov19 Mayflower 2
Today we associate the Pilgrims with the town of Plymouth, MA.  However, the landing spot was a bit accidental.  This is the story of that famous voyage – a voyage for which they gave thanks…

November 27, 2019
27Nov19 Mayflower 1
It just happened to be a ship that was available to sail, but the ship that was chosen is still known by us all today.  Its name is synonymous for many with our celebration of Thanksgiving…

November 26, 2019
26Nov19 McRib Tom Brand 2
Competitors get scores in the Olympic games – so why not give scores in other areas of life?  For this man, he gives scores to sandwiches.  It was all in fun, but then people began playing along as well…

November 25, 2019
25Nov19 McRib Tom Brand 1
What’s your favorite sandwich?  That’s an easy question for today’s guest.  He’s an expert on a sandwich that only shows up every once a while and it certainly has a loyal following…

 

November 22, 2019
22Nov19 William Paca 2
Imagine a country with opposing sides that struggled to understand one another, let alone get along.  It’s not a new problem as evidenced by today’s story – for today I’ll take you to something called the hominy club – a group that worked to pull together when the country was tearing apart…

November 21, 2019
21Nov19 William Paca 1
His name is William Paca…and although most American can’t tell you much about this signer of the Declaration of Independence…there are many that are inquisitive about one subject – they want to know where was he from?

November 20, 2019
20Nov19 Unionville Plane Crash 2
A thunderstorm had just passed through Unionville, Missouri on the night of May 22^nd, 1962.  But as Ron Cook went to sleep that night, he heard something in the darkness.  It had to be the lingering storm, yet it sounded a bit different than a thunderclap…

November 19, 2019
19Nov19 Unionville Plane Crash 1
The situation was not good. It was the middle of the night and a commercial airliner was missing somewhere over northern Missouri or southern Iowa.  There was a chance it might have crashed on Ron Cook’s farm.  That was the task as and his father headed into the darkness to begin the search…

November 18, 2019
18Nov19 Unionville Feeder Cattle Sale
Imagine a sale so large it took eight days to sell everything.  It was an enterprise that took all ages in this small town to pull it off – an annual event that attracted buyers from across the nation…

 

 

November 15, 2019
15Nov19 Unionville Midgets
The most common high school mascot names are the Eagles, Bulldogs and Tigers.  But this school is unique with a small but mighty mascot leading the way…

November 14, 2019
14Nov19 Mike Rowe 2
Mike Rowe came to fame for the dirty jobs he was asked to perform.  But how many times did those jobs really scare him?  Plenty…

November 13, 2019
13Nov19 Mike Rowe 1
Some people believe they have bad jobs…dirty jobs…jobs no one else would want to have…so now they call this man to do them.  At least that’s how most of us came to know him…

November 12, 2019
12Nov19 Perryville Veterans Memorial 2
On the outskirts of Perryville, MO who will find a place once only to be seen in the nation’s capital.  It is a site that draws thousands of visitors – a memorial brought to life by a man who wanted a way to honor his friends and a place where others could come as well…

November 11, 2019
11Nov19 Perryville Veterans Memorial 1
Jim wanted to a way to remember and show appreciation for those with whom he served, but for many years he was not able to accomplish his dream.  Today that dream has become a reality in the field where he once raised corn…

 

November 8, 2019
08Nov19 Postal Foundation
Communication technology means people don’t mail as many letters as they once did, so you might think this hobby would be all but gone…but in a moment you’ll learn how those letters are still being used to not only send a message, but help students learn about the world around them…

November 7, 2019
07Nov19 Amana Colonies
You might see the name on a refrigerator…but the history runs much longer and deeper than any kitchen appliance…

November 6, 2019
06Nov19 Martin Van Buren
He served as the eight president of the United States, but that was not his favorite occupation.  How do we know something else was more important than the presidency?  He wrote it in his will…

November 5, 2019
05Nov19 Cherokee Strip 2
Imagine a train chugging south out of Kansas with people jumping from the cars all along its route.  Here’s the reason they jumped and the mass chaos took place that September day…

November 4, 2019
04Nov19 Cherokee Strip 1
It’s called the Cherokee Strip…a stretch of land in north central Oklahoma originally given to the Cherokee and later opened to settlement by the U.S. government

 

November 1, 2019
01Nov19 Tom Dittmer 7
They are two nations that trace their modern day roots to 1959.  The course of those nations had very different outcomes.  Today’s guest knows them both well.  It’s an interesting look at two leaders and what became of their nations…

October 31, 2019
31Oct19 Tom Dittmer 6
Perhaps you’ve hosted dinner parties, but I doubt you were ever asked to host one for a communist dictator.  That was what Tom was asked to do…

October 30, 2019
309Oct19 Tom Dittmer 5
There was a chance Tom was about to die at the hands of a Communist dictator.  At least that’s what he thought when he presence was summoned by the leader.  What happened next was an interesting request from a man that made world headlines on several occasions…

October 29, 2019
29Oct19 Tom Dittmer 4
Would you rather be good or lucky?  That’s the old cliché I’ve heard, and in Tom Dittmer’s case, he was probably both.  He was a good, even great commodity trader, but on one occasion, perhaps he was a little lucky and that luck paid off big time…millions of dollars big time…

October 28, 2019
28Oct19 Tom Dittmer 3
Tom Dittmer is a man who became CEO of the Refco Group, the largest clearing house and commodity trader on the Chicago Board of Trade.  He recently released his autobiography, Talkin’ Big…

 

October 25, 2019
25Oct19 Tom Dittmer 2
Many of us have perhaps watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.  What you may not know is the wide ranging responsibilities those officers may have…

October 24, 2019
24Oct19 Tom Dittmer 1
Every U.S. President hosts a variety of events at the White House throughout the year.  OF course it takes a lot of people to help stage those events.  One such group of individuals is composed of members of the military.  Tom Dittmer says it’s hard to get the job, yet his interview was easy…

October 23, 2019
23Oct19 Denali National Park 2
Denali National Park is home to north america’s tallest peak, and many types of wildlife.  Today, we venture there for a look at one of the animals people most like to see–as long as they are in a bus…

October 22, 2019
22Oct19 Denali National Park 1
Denali National Park is home to a peak for which the park is named–Denali, which means the great one.  Many people know it as Mt. McKinley, a name applied when William McKinley ran for president…

October 21, 2019
21Oct19 Coonskin Library
It’s called the Coonskin Library, a private library established on the American frontier.  But few people today would know the story of that forward thinking library association if it were not for one prominent man who checked out books there…

 

October 18, 2019
18Oct19 Old Drum 2
We’ve all heard of man’s best friend…but it was this dog that probably gave us the phrase so common today.  We’ll go to a county courthouse were a dog, his owner and a famous lawyer made history...

October 17, 2019
17Oct19 Old Drum 1
In the courthouse square in Warrensburg, Missouri you will find a statue in tribute to a dog named Old Drum.  He’s one of the few dogs who had a case go all the way to the state supreme court…

October 16, 2019
16Oct19 Roswell Flying Saucer 3
It’s a story over seventy years old, yet a story still talked about today.  In fact, it even had its own tv series linked to the incident.  It’s the story of a weather balloon that either was or wasn’t what it was said to be…

October 15, 2019
15Oct19 Roswell Flying Saucer 2
Today you’ll hear from Glenn Dennis a man who’s story you may believe or perhaps you’ll think it’s all a hoax.  Either way, it’s a topic that still gets a lot of publicity.  Glenn has now passed, but I went to our archives for a look back at a unique story…

October 14, 2019
14Oct19 Roswell Flying Saucer 1
The military issues press releases all of the time, but this one was certainly unique and still stirs controversy today.  We take a look back with my visit with Walter Haut and the message he was asked to share with the world about visitors from another world…

 

October 11, 2019
11Oct19 Henry Winkler 2
He’s played many parts, but he will forever be known as the Fonz, Arthur Fonzerelli, aka Henry Winkler…

October 10, 2019
10Oct19 Henry Winkler 1
Henry struggled with dyslexia as a child.  In fact, his challenge was not diagnosed until he was in his 30s.  Although reading and spelling were difficult….memorization was his forte…and that was a good skill to have when it came to auditioning for roles as an actor…

October 9, 2019
09Oct19 Missouri Mines 3
In Park Hills, Missouri you will find the old Powerhouse for one of the largest mines in the world.  Today that building and many others here contain a great museum that details the history of a place that touched lives around the world…

October 8, 2019
08Oct19 Missouri Mines 2
They were just some lead mining families from southeastern Missouri.  But if I told you the last name of the most prominent family of that group, it might sound familiar, for it was these families that helped found one of the states in the Union…

October 7, 2019
07Oct19 Missouri Mines 1
Today we say hello to our listeners on KREI in Farmington, MO.  Folks there know the industry that drew some of the first settlers to this area – an industry still important to a place today known as Park Hills…

 

October 4, 2019
04Oct19 Museum of Fur Trade 5
Being attacked by a grizzly bear was bad in itself.  Now imagine your friends left you for dead and you had to crawl 150 miles to save your life.  It was a real life story made for the big screen…

October 3, 2019
03Oct19 Museum of Fur Trade 4
If you know Hugh Glass, then you most likely know him for his run in with a Grizzly Bear.  There are many layers to a story that have been the subject of movies and tv…

October 2, 2019
02Oct19 Museum of Fur Trade 3
When you did business on the high plains in the 1800s, transactions often took place in trade items.  That was certainly the case at the trading posts in this area of the country and the story of what was traded and what one go in return is a fascinating story…

October 1, 2019
01Oct19 Museum of Fur Trade 2
Have you heard of Lewis and Clark or Alexander McKenzie?  Chances are you have heard of one but not the other and chances are if you live in the United States or Canada will determine which one you know

September 30, 2019
30Sep19 Museum of Fur Trade 1
Today we say hello to our listeners on KSCR in Chadron, NE.  They know of a long time museum that tells the story of the fur trade – a story that stretches from Columbus to the present and a story with many chapters unknown to many of us…

 

September 27, 2019
27Sep19 Canyon de Chelly
It is one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the nation…and a place who’s centuries old history provides a unique combination of the natural and historical…

September 26, 2019
26Sep19 Casey Illinois 3
The folks at Guinness Book World Records knows Casey, IL very well.  It seems they have to send someone there on a regular basis to keep up with what’s taking place in this small town…

September 25, 2019
25Sep19 Casey Illinois 2
It’s a beautiful rocking chair.  The kind of chair that would be the perfect place to relax.  There’s plenty of people coming by to see it, but no one is taking a seat…

September 24, 2019
24Sep19 Casey Illinois 1
They are the windchimes that changed the way people thought about this small town.  How could wind chimes do that you ask?  Well, then you haven’t seen Jim Bolin’s chimes…

September 23, 2019
23Sep19 Ashfall Fossil Beds 3
If you were going to a rhino barn, you’d of course expect to see rhinos, perhaps at a zoo.  This place has a huge rhino barn, but what you’ll see if far different that a zoo.  It’s a one-of-a-kind place that draws visitors from around the world…

 

September 20, 2019
20Sep19 Ashfall Fossil Beds 2
In sharing these stories with you for over two decades I’ve seen a lot of interesting places, but I recently visited an unexpected gem – a place that may seem out-of-place and a site that I think just about anyone would be amazed to see…

September 19, 2019
19Sep19 Ashfall Fossil Beds 1
When you think volcanoes spewing clouds of hot ash, you probably do not think of the state of Nebraska.  But in just a moment, I’ll take you to a stretch of prairie that tells the tale of an eruption that changes life on the high plains…

September 18, 2019
18Sep19 ML McCrea Rawhide 2
Today’s story involves a steer invited to eat at a Country Club, Clint Eastwood and one farm kid who found himself on the set of a very famous tv show.  I’ll reveal how all of those parts fit together from a story sixty years old…

September 17, 2019
17Sep19 ML McCrea Rawhide 1
He was an actor way out of his normal character roll.  But the most intriguing thing was the fact, this was no actor but rather an Angus steer asked to play the part of a Longhorn.  It all played out sixty years ago this month on the set of a well-known tv series…

September 16, 2019
16Sep19 Maggie Walker 2019
Her name may not be as prominent as Martin Luther King or Booker T. Washington…yet her impact is still felt in her city and the nation…

 

September 13, 2019
13Sep19 Elvis Birthplace
About 70% of the 100,000 visitors that come to this small home each year are from outside the U.S.  Yet the fame of this man keeps people coming to his birthplace, long after his death…

September 12, 2019
12Sep19 Pedal Pull 2
Every September kids from across the country come to the Corn Palace to compete in this national championship.  It’s a big deal for many and interestingly, it’s a long-time track coach that helps things run smoothly…

September 11, 2019
11Sep19 Pedal Pull 1
People decide to do a multitude of things with their retirement money.  Ken Meyers decided to invest his in something you pedal…

September 10, 2019
10Sep19 Barnacopia
What does a farmer do when he retires from working the land?  For Gary Bocker he really wasn’t looking to get away from agriculture.  Instead, he began to recreate what he had known from a youth and in the process created a place that many are clamoring to see…

September 9, 2019
09Sep19 Winthrop Washington 2
When you drive into Wintrhop, Washington…it appears time has passed it by…but a closer look will show you that what appears to be old…may be a lot newer than one thinks.  It is a unique town that changed it’s appearance when a new road was blazed through the mountains…

 

September 6, 2019
06Sep19 Winthrop Washington 1
At one time, this town was the end of the road, with the mighty Cascades a barrier to travel further west.  But it 1972, a new road was blazed and travel and tourism began to boom…

September 5, 2019
05Sep19 Auctioneer Jared Miller 2
What’s the most difficult genre of items for an auctioneer to sell?  That depends on the auctioneer you ask but for this world champion, he has some items in mind that would leave him baffled

September 4, 2019
04Sep19 Auctioneer Jared Miller 1
The chant of an auctioneer – it is the sounds that calls for bids and brings items to their top amount on any given day.  So what’s the best auctioneer in the land sound like?  I’ve found him…

September 3, 2019
03Sep19 Mahindra Roxor
Some say it was the iconic vehicle of World War II.  A vehicle that General Esienhower said was one of the most important weapons in the war.  And today…well, that vehicle has gone through a few changes, but it might just be an item turning heads on the farm or in the off-road market…

September 2, 2019
02Sep19 Stuttgart Arkansas Ducks
Every year thousands of people come to Stuttgart, Arkansas to listen to calls from the wild that are worth thousands of dollars in prize money.  We’ll go there and take a listen to the competition…

 

August 30, 2019
30Aug19 Deluxe Truck Stop 4
There’s an association for just about everything, so it should not be a surprise there is an organization for truck stops.  The president of that group is perhaps a surprise for he is far from being one of the mega firms with hundreds of locations, yet he helps represent all who own and operate those facilities…

August 29, 2019
29Aug19 Deluxe Truck Stop 3
We’ve probably all seen Kosher foods in the grocery store which means those foods have been handled in accordance with Jewish law.  But did you know the Kosher process requires a Rabbi to bless some trucks as well?  Here’s a trip to a truck stop that has a visiting rabbi…

August 28, 2019
28Aug19 Deluxe Truck Stop 2
There are plenty of odors that will drive you away – after all that’s how a skunk protects itself.  But today I’ll take you to a place where the smells can range from beyond awful to sweet and tasty – and many points in between…

August 27, 2019
27Aug19 Deluxe Truck Stop 1
Folks in the four-state area and beyond may know of a single truck stop that has quite a story.  It goes way beyond gas and diesel to a niche they’ve found with the many trailers those trucks are pulling

August 26, 2019
26Aug19 Funeral Customs 2
When someone close to us passes, we mourn.  While it’s not a topic we usually want to dwell upon…this man provides some insights into the nation’s traditions behind the grieving process…

 

August 23, 2019
23Aug19 Funeral Customs 1
Today’s topic is one people don’t often like to discuss, yet it’s one with which all of us must deal at times in life.  We get some insights on the history of a difficult subject…

August 22, 2019
22Aug19 Arcadia Academy 3
Lots of places can tout great food, but few can say they have a recording artist who wrote a song about a specific item on their menu…

August 21, 2019
21Aug19 Arcadia Academy 2
Most people do not go in search of a new home while driving a large, new school bus.  That’s what this family did…

August 20, 2019
20Aug19 Arcadia Academy 1
Drive through Ironton, MO and you’ll find a campus of buildings that dates to the days prior to the Civil War.  Why they are here and what they became is quite a story…

August 19, 2019
19Aug19 KKOW Radio
Sometimes a station’s call letters can tell you a lot about the city or area from which it broadcasts.  Today we say hello to our listeners in Alliance, NE and share with you the story of their station’s 70^th anniversary and interesting call letters…

 

August 16, 2019
16Aug19 Battle of the Hemp Bales 1
The bullet holes still scar the inside and outside of this home–a place that was a hospital during a skirmish known as The Battle of the Hemp Bales…

August 15, 2019
15Aug19 Eisenhower Birthplace
This President was born in Texas, but always claimed Kansas as his home…

August 14, 2019
14Aug19 Hamilton MO Star Quilt 2
You might expect a town of less than 2000 people to not have too many stores when compared to much larger cities.  However a trip here will reveal 12 stores in this small town, all devoted to the same item…

August 13, 2019
13Aug19 Hamilton MO Star Quilt 1
Jenny Doan is perhaps the most famous one of these in the world.  And due to that fact, there are thousands of people visiting this small town each month?  Don’t know her?  Many do and I’ll take you to her business…

August 12, 2019
12Aug19 Hamilton MO JC Penney
He had one of the premiere Angus herds in the country.  In fact, his prize winners could be found at livestock shows across the nation.  However, you probably don’t know him for that, but rather a store that bears his name…

 

August 9, 2019
09Aug19 Wayne Cryts 5
Wayne Cryts future was in the hands of a jury.  If he was found guilty he would most likely spend the next twenty years in prison.  He would miss seeing his kids grow up and he would be away from his beloved farm…

August 8, 2019
08Aug19 Wayne Cryts 4
If you believed you were innocent and your stance was lawful, would you go to jail to defend that decision?  That was the choice Wayne Cryts had in front of him…

August 7, 2019
07Aug19 Wayne Cryts 3
Was it stealing grain, or just taking what was rightfully yours?  The answer to that question depended on whether you were talking to a federal judge or a farmer

August 6, 2019
06Aug19 Wayne Cryts 2
This farmer was ready to defy a court order, cross a line of federal marshalls, and perhaps give his life in an attempt to do so…

August 5, 2019
05Aug19 Wayne Cryts 1
When Wayne Cryts finished his soybean harvest in 1979 he had no idea the role those bushels of beans would play in his life and the storyline’s of newspapers coast to coast…

 

August 2, 2019
02Aug19 Petersburg Battlefield 3
The city had been surrounded for almost ten months.  Although the citizens and soldiers of Petersburg had held on to their town valiantly…the Union was finally ready to make the last push toward taking the city and the war…

August 1, 2019
01Aug19 Petersburg Battlefield 2
Most people have trouble sorting the details of the skirmishes that took place at some of America’s battlefields.  But in southern Virginia there is a place with feature so unique…people drive here just to see it…

July 31, 2019
31July19 Petersburg Battlefield 1
Today Petersburg, Virginia might be considered a suberb to larger Richmond to the north.  However, during the 1860’s, this was a very important city on the Union’s march to take the confederate capital…

July 30, 2019
30July19 Lincoln and Alexander
Americans are taught in elementary school of the leadership of Abraham Lincoln who worked to end slavery and hold a nation together.  But many do not know the story of another leader on the opposite side of the globe who was working to accomplish the same thing at the same time…

July 29, 2019
29July19 Growing Up Amish 3
Sometimes rules and laws just don’t make sense.  David wondered why he couldn’t have a telephone but he could borrow one from someone else, why he could ride in a car but not own one…the list went on and on.  The answers to those questions would lead him to accept or reject an Amish way of life…

 

 

July 26, 2019
26July19 Growing Up Amish 2
As an Amish youth, David saw a vastly different world with modern conveniences all around him.  As he became a teenager, he knew that someday he would have to make a decision about his own future…

July 25, 2019
25July19 Growing Up Amish 1
David Mast had to repeat the eighth grade…along with just about everyone else in his class.  In a moment you’ll hear why this community looks at life a little differently than the rest of the world…

July 24, 2019
24July19 Illinois Popcorn & Pumpkins
Popcorn, pumpkins and more.  Colin just thought every farm in American grew those crops, but then he took a look around and found his county was a leader in the country and the world

July 23, 2019
23July19 Illinois Oil Field 2
Most farmers take on some risk when they put a crop in the ground.  This farmer sees the risk in what is below ground – that’s way below ground…

July 22, 2019
22July19 Illinois Oil Field 1
When you think of American oilfield you perhaps think of Texas, North Dakota or the fields on the north slope of Alaska.  But here you’ll find fertile fields above ground and potential fortunes below ground.  Lane Harvey lives and works in agriculture, oil and much more…

 

July 19, 2019
19Jul19 Frank Phillips Oil Company
When Frank bought a plane he needed a hangar in which to park it. Soon the plane wasn’t the only thing in the building. In fact, visitors still come here to see that plane an much, much more…

July 18, 2019
18Jul19 Movie Car Museum 4
Some people have trouble distinguishing television from real-life.  That can create some interesting situations inside a museum like this.  I’ll take you to a place where what you see is and is not reality at the same time…

July 17, 2019
17Jul19 Movie Car Museum 3
Have you ever watched one of those action movies with car chase scenes and wondered how many cars they destroyed making the film?  Today I’ll give you some facts about the cars that survive and those that don’t…

July 16, 2019
16Jul19 Movie Car Museum 2
Rusty Robinson’s father was a plumber and Rusty himself helps manage rental properties.  So he taught himself a skill that was vital in his hobby…a hobby people now travel thousands of miles to see…

July 15, 2019
15Jul19 Movie Car Museum 1
Rusty just couldn’t get enough of some of those tv shows back in the 1980s, so he did his best to recreate some of what he saw during his youth…

 

July 12, 2019
12Jul19 Mastodon Park
Imagine you unearthed the bones of an animal and had little idea of what you found. Now imagine making up a tale about the creature and traveling the nation to tell its story. That’s exactly what happened just south of St. Louis…

July 11, 2019
11Jul19 Arizona Trail Ride 2
Devin loves his job, but he admits the pay isn’t always the best. Sometimes the rewards come in tips; not just monetarily, but in a job well done…

July 10, 2019
10Jul19 Arizona Trail Ride 1
Horses helped settle the west and for Devin’s family, it’s those horses that people still come to see in order to relive a little bit of that past and present-day adventure…

July 9, 2019
09Jul19 Young Arizona High School
The high school in Young, Arizona recently held it’s high school graduation.  It’s a ceremony just about every high school in America holds every Spring, but here at Young, it’s most likely the last one they’ll have for three years…

July 8, 2019
08Jul19 Arizona Quail Eggs
Maybe you enjoy some bacon and eggs for breakfast, but if you get your eggs from Elery Martin, well, your meal may be a little different than any you’ve experienced…

 

 

July 5, 2019
05Jul19 James Madison Constitution 2
He was nicknamed the Great Little Madison by his peers…and great his work was to this nation.  We’ll head to Philadelphia were the work of James Madison still governs the U.S…

July 4, 2019
04Jul19 James Madison Constitution 1
The United States was just eleven years old, but it was a nation in crisis.  James Madison was the man who was going to step in to help save a nation born on the 4^th of July…

July 3, 2019
03Jul19 Dave Roever 3
His name is Dave Roever, spelled R-o-e-v-e-r.  If you’ve not heard or seen his message, you need to watch him online…

July 2, 2019
02Jul19 Dave Roever 2
What do you see when you look in the mirror?  What Dave Roever saw was far from himself.  In fact, he wondered if anyone would love or care for him again.  Perhaps life was not even worth living…

July 1, 2019
01Jul19 Dave Roever 1
Dave Roever was serving his country in Vietnam when a sniper’s bullet would change his life forever.  And in turn Dave helps change the lives of others forever…

 

 

June 28, 2019
28Jun19 Pickler Mansion 2
It’s known as the “Pink Castle.”  You’d be surprised how many notable figures passed through these halls and the importance the home and family living here would have in state and national history…

June 27, 2019
27Jun19 Pickler Mansion 1
They built their home so far from civilization, they put stakes in the ground so they could find their way back.  They stayed and created a mansion that became a very important place in this state…

June 26, 2019
26Jun19 Kermit Bell
Over 2 decades after he first entered the army, Kermit Bell was now on his way to Vietnam. Not only would he serve in that conflict, but he had another degree and career awaiting him after the war as well…

June 25, 2019
25Jun19 Sunset Crater
Although it’s been about a millennium since this place rumbled to life…the mountain still speaks of the event that took place here.  We head to northern Arizona

June 24, 2019
24Jun19 Three Island State Park
The Oregon Trail had plenty of  dangers for the many emigrants who traversed its path…but here in southern Idaho lied one of the greatest choices travelers had to make.  A choice that could greatly impact their chances for a safe journey to the west…

June 21, 2019
21Jun19 Methodist Museum 2
If you do something the same way day after day, you might be said to have a method to your work.  The method these brothers used in their work is still copied today. In fact, the method is still in the name…

June 20, 2019
20Jun19 Methodist Museum 1
On the southeast coast of Georgia you can find the place were these brothers encountered one of their most trying times.  However those challenges helped them encounter God and lead a reform movement that is still witnessed today…

June 19, 2019
19Jun19 JFK Birthplace 2
There was no doubt in Fitz’s mind, Joe was not the man for his daughter.  This is the story of what happened when they married anyway…

June 18, 2019
18Jun19 JFK Birthplace 1
Beals street looks to be just another street in suburban Boston.  But one house here is special…

June 17, 2019
17Jun19 D-Day Higgins Boat 3
Perhaps landing at D-Day would be the biggest event in one’s military career. But for Marvin Perrett, he was just getting started.  It’s a special look back 75 years after D-Day…

 

June 14, 2019
14Jun19 D-Day Higgins Boat 2
It was early June of 1944 and for the American GI’s along the coast of England, they knew the time was close at hand to make an assault on the European mainland.  We look back 75 years after the D-Day invasion…

June 13, 2019
13Jun19 D-Day Higgins Boat 1
Marvin Perrett can still take you on a ride on a Higgins boat today.  If you don’t know what that is, some say it may have been the most important piece of equipment in winning world war II.  We take a look back 75 years after D-Day…

June 12, 2019
12Jun19 Smokey Mountain National Park
It’s America’s most visited National Park and although masses to come to enjoy its wooded mountains, you can still find peace and serenity in the famous place…

June 11, 2019
11Jun19 Jackson Old Country Store 2
Some folks may just stop by for the well-known buffet.  But take a stroll around this place and you’ll be amazed by the story of rural and agricultural America in the south.  I’ll introduce you to the man preserving the history and even bringing it back to life…

June 10, 2019
10Jun19 Jackson Old Country Store 1
Clark Shaw oversees a very old store.  In fact, it’s so old, some people probably thought he was a little crazy to try and bring it back to life.  But you see, this was much more than a store.  It was part of his family…

 

June 7, 2019
07Jun19 Casey Jones 3
If you know his name, it is perhaps from a ballad sung by Johnny Cash.  This is the story of a famous engineer and the song that made him famous…

June 6, 2019
06Jun19 Casey Jones 2
The train was late – very late.  But the crew was determined to make up time.  Conditions were perfect to fly down the tracks and get back on schedule.  But the story would take a tragic turn…

June 5, 2019
05Jun19 Casey Jones 1
Perhaps you know his name – Casey Jones.  Whether you do or you don’t, his story of a making up time in an old locomotive is a true life tale that has survived for well over a century now…

June 4, 2019
04Jun19 Missouri Capitol
As a senior in college, I used to give tours of this building.  It’s still one of my favorite places to visit…

June 3, 2019
03Jun19 Cathedral of the Plains 2
When this presidential candidate saw the building, he dubbed it the cathedral of the plains.  That’s the name that still draws people from states away to visit and worship…

 

May 31, 2019
31May19 Cathedral of the Plains 1
Victoria, Kansas has just over one thousand residents, but it’s always been noteworthy for the cattle that were raised here and the church that grew here…

May 30, 2019
30May19 Water Valley North Mississippi Herald
The North Mississippi Herald is like many other small town newspapers.  However, the story it’s been reporting lately is one that has hit national press.  It’s the story of a rural town making a name for itself…

May 29, 2019
29May19 Water Valley Base Camp Coding Academy 2
Imagine being nineteen years old, with no school debt and stepping into a career in a rural area that pays over $50,000 per year.  And it’s not just one student, but many.  This community figured out a way to make it happen and much more…

May 28, 2019
28May19 Water Valley Base Camp Coding Academy 1
A milkshake and a 30-minute conversation.  That was the recipe that brought one young couple to a small town in Mississippi.  That town and that couple have both changed since their encounter…

May 27, 2019
27May19 Vietnam War Memorial 2019
Every Memorial Day we pay tribute to our family members and servicemen and women who have passed.  We honor their lives and the example they have given to us.  We thought it only appropriate to go back and revisit an interview that we conducted on a park bench beside one of Washington D.C.’s most famous landmarks.  We visit with a man who made sure the veterans of Vietnam were honored, a man who helped build their wall…

 

May 24, 2019
24May19 Grouseland
Imagine building a structure that needed to serve as the seat of government, a family home and a fort all rolled into one…and you had to make it look like one of the finest structures of the day.  They called it Grouseland…

May 23, 2019
23May19 American Whistle Company
You might hear it because someone is in danger, or you could hear it when you’ve done something wrong. Whatever the case, Ray Geesee’s company makes the product…

May 22, 2019
22May19 Ellsworth Kansas 2
When settlers moved west some towns hailed prospective residents with the lure of free land.  That’s still the case in some places…

May 21, 2019
21May19 Ellsworth Kansas 1
The word “Free” can be a very powerful word.  In the early 2000s, that word, “free” brought plenty of attention and several new residents to a sparsely populated county in central Kansas.

May 20, 2019
20May19 Empire State Building 2
On many evenings, high above the lights of America’s largest city, couple have long come here to enjoy the view and on some occasions, propose marriage.  The top of the Empire State is a special spot…

 

May 17, 2019
17May19 Empire State Building 1
When people visit New York City there are often two landmarks at the top of their tour list.  The Statue of Liberty and this building that has been a staple of the skyline for decades…

May 16, 2019
16May19 Rapid City Flood
Today it is a peaceful park, with plenty of green open spaces.  Turn back to the clock to the early 1970s and this area looked much different and nearby creek that still flows here was a deadly force to be reckoned with…

May 15, 2019
15May19 Rapid City Stratosphere 2
Imagine current day astronauts heading down to the local high school to get a couple of football helmets to wear for safety on a trip to outer space.  Sounds crazy, but that’s what two of the country’s first high fliers did…

May 14, 2019
14May19 Rapid City Stratosphere 1
What state do you associate with the birth of the American space program?  Did you say South Dakota?  I’ll tell you why it might be a good answer…

May 13, 2019
13May19 Patrick Henry 3
They are perhaps the most famous words of the American revolution – and arguably the most important speech delivered in American History.  The words and there delivery inspired people to take action…

 

May 10, 2019
10May19 Patrick Henry 2
When Virginians colonial leaders gathered in the Spring of 1775, they were considering actions that could provoke war with their mother country.  Would it take armed conflict to bring about change, or could rights be secured through more diplomatic means?

May 9, 2019
09May19 Patrick Henry 1
Before the colony of Virginia became one of thirteen states in a new country, its citizens were required to regularly attend the state church.  One of those churches not only played an important role in worship, but is also well known for a political gathering held there…

May 8, 2019
08May19 Beverly Hillbillies Car 2
Every once in awhile you uncover a hidden gem of a place.  That’s what today’s feature is all about.  And this feature is one you can see on video as well.  Just follow the American Countryside on Facebook to see us discuss a very famous truck and much more…

May 7, 2019
07May19 Beverly Hillbillies Car 1
Some people love to have the newest car.  In fact, they may spend plenty of time looking for just the right model.  Quite the opposite is true here, for it’s one of the oldest, beat up vehicles around that gets many people in the door…

May 6, 2019
06May19 Kingsley Plantation 2
The story of Kingsley Plantation is certainly fascinating…and when you factor in the life’s journey of the land owner’s wife…it makes this a most unique plantation that you might visit…

 

May 3, 2019
03May19 Kingsley Plantation 1
The ground where this plantation stands passed from Spanish to English and then back to Spanish control before it ever became a part of the new United States.  It’s history also reflects the changing national laws that governed this part of the world…

May 2, 2019
02May19 Boulder City 2
It took men from every state in the nation and many nations of the world to build Hoover Dam…

May 1, 2019
01May19 Boulder City 1
It’s still an engineering wonder of the world – a feat some thought impossible, yet something that became a reality in a place that looked a bit like a desert…

April 30, 2019
30Apr19 The Honey War
War never tasted so sweet, at least that’s what some say when they speak of a conflict waged between Iowa and Missouri over exactly were their state line was to be drawn…

April 29, 2019
29Apr19 Castillo de San Marcos 2
It’s the oldest fort in the nation’s oldest city…and that means it can tell plenty of stories about many different nations.  We recapture some of those tales…

 

 

April 26, 2019
26Apr19 Castillo de San Marcos 1
It’s a place that has been attacked by the British, the army of the confederacy and even bands of Pirates. That’s quite a story for a fort on American soil. We’ll go there and sort out it’s unique history…

April 25, 2019
25Apr19 Lucas Kansas Post Rock
You can find a rock just about anyplace on earth, but if you want to see this particular type of rock, you’ll probably find yourself in one of 17 counties in Kansas.   It’s more than a rock though – it was the foundation of settling the area…

April 24, 2019
24Apr19 Lucas Kansas Grassroots Arts Center
Many people take up or expand a hobby once they retired.  Many of the people living in and around this small Kansas town seemed to be in involved in the same pastime and that’s why this site exists…

April 23, 2019
23Apr19 Lucas Kansas Public Toilet
A public restroom is usually not a thing of beauty.  It’s just designed to take care of the need at hand.  Not so in Lucas, Kansas.  Thousands of people come here just to use the public toilet.  In fact, so many people come to see and use it, they have their own guestbook…

April 22, 2019
22Apr19 Brant’s Meat Market 1
Maybe some of your favorite food involves a recipe that was handed down from your grandma, or even generations before that.  Here it was great grandpa that handed down the recipe and it’s a combination that has people driving long distances to get the product….

 

 

April 19, 2019
19Apr19 Brant’s Meat Market 1
Some stores lure customers with the flashy signs and the latest technology.  That’s not the case here, and that’s what has people stopping by this store.  The way it was a century ago is what sells here…

April 18, 2019
18Apr19 Sycamore Illinois Civil War History
In the days after the Civil War, some African American families moved north with the Union troops with which they fought.  But the story of this family is particularly unique since their moved resulted in them learning Swedish…

April 17, 2019
17Apr19 Campbell’s Resort 2
There are lake resorts all across this nation…but it’s not everyday that you encounter a family owned operation that has been in business for over a century…

April 16, 2019
16Apr19 Campbell’s Resort 1
Today we have another installment of our American Countryside Café feature.  Although  today’s feature is as much about a hotel as it is the restaurant on the premises…we thought this century old resort and eatery certainly fit the description of what it means to be a long time and well known family run enterprise…

April 15, 2019
15Apr19 Grand Coulee Dam
It is the largest hydroelectric dam in the nation…spanning just a few feet shy of one mile across and over five hundred feet high…yet this impressive structure is located in a place where few people live and tourist usually must drive hours to visit…

 

April 12, 2019
12Apr19 Downs Kansas Railroad 2
Maybe you live in a town that still has a train depot – or one that preserved the one they had when passenger trains discontinued their service.  Downs, Kansas still has their depot thanks to some citizens who were determined it did not fall into ruin…

April 11, 2019
11Apr19 Downs Kansas Railroad 1
Today we say hello to our listeners in Beloit, KS on KVSV.  One loyal listener there knows much about the rails that still pass through central Kansas.  You could say it’s in his blood…

April 10, 2019
10Apr19 Bill Shuck B-17 3
By the end of WW II, Bill Shuck was in  POW camp with 9000 other English and American airman.  This is his story of time in that camp and his route to freedom…

April 9, 2019
09Apr19 Bill Shuck B-17 2
Bill Shuck’s B17 bomber had been struck by flack…and now he and the crew had to bail out of the burning plane to save their lives.  This is the story of that jump into the hands of the Germans…

April 8, 2019
08Apr19 Bill Shuck B-17 1
Today we say hello to listeners on two new affiliates, KBRF in Fergus Falls, MN and KIMn Gilette, WY.  Today’s features takes a look back to WW II and a pilot getting his first taste of the war in a B-17…

 

April 5, 2019
05Apr19 Country of Vermont
When this state joined the union, it was already operating as its own country – and no, I’m not talking about Texas.  It’s a fascinating part of American history that almost no one has heard about…

April 4, 2019
04Apr19 Lexington Missouri History
It was a slice of the south embedded in the north.  A place where one notorious bank robber even returned some of his loot a cannonball is still lodged in the pillar of the county courthouse…

April 3, 2019
03Apr19 Arizona Biltmore
When every U.S. president since Herbert Hoover has stayed at your hotel…you know you’ve got a masterpiece.  We’ll head to the desert…

April 2, 2019
02Apr19 Hoosiers Gym 2
They stopped playing high school games in the gym in 1966 and for well over two decades it never hosted a meaningful game.  Today that old gym hosts over one hundred high school games and all star games every year.  The story that has everyone coming here…

April 1, 2019
01Apr19 Hoosiers Gym 1
It’s just an old high school gym – built in 1921 and replaced in 1966, but it never was torn down, thanks to the efforts of one mom who’s son played on the last high school team to call the place home.  Now it’s a shrine of sorts…

 

March 29, 2019
29Mar19 Denny Matthews 3
A major league baseball team plays 162 games in a season, but it’s rare any one player will play all of those contests.  However, today’s guest has been a part of hundreds of games for decades of seasons.  It’s his job.  We’ll head to the stadium to catch a game with him…

March 28, 2019
28Mar19 Denny Matthews 2
When a baseball broadcaster has to describe a game that is lackluster at best, they may resort to talking about all kinds of things to keep a listener interested.  Perhaps they even talk about things like utility poles…

March 27, 2019
27Mar19 Denny Matthews 1
Some of you know that one of my favorite times of the year is when baseball season begin.  So, with that season upon us once again, we visit with a man whose entire career has been telling us about that game…

March 26, 2019
26Mar19 Haines City Florida Citrus 2
There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of the Asian Citrus Psyllid. It’s one of those names that’s hard to say once, let alone several times in a row, but make no doubt about it, it effects rows upon rows of this crop, and that effects you and me…

March 25, 2019
25Mar19 Haines City Florida Citrus 1
Perhaps you have a glass of orange juice in the morning; but did you know the state known for producing that product has had many challenges to overcome out in the orange groves…

 

 

March 22, 2019
22Mar19 Palm Springs History
When the rails came through this stretch of dry wilderness, the only people living here were the Cahuilla Indians. What became of the train depot and the city built in the middle of the desert?

March 21, 2019
21Mar19 Phoenix Shot Tower 2
When the Phoenix Shot Tower was constructed in 1828, it was the tallest building in the nation.  It still stands today…and many residents of this city know the stories of its intriguing past.

March 20, 2019
20Mar19 Phoenix Shot Tower 1
It was the tallest building in the country in 1828…a skyscraper of its day.  We’ll go there and take a look at what helped make Charles Carroll the wealthiest man in America and put Baltimore on the map…

March 19, 2019
19Mar19 Charles Poston – Father of Arizona
On the north edge of Florence, AZ you’ll find a small outcropping once known as Primrose Hill.  Today there is a small pyramid of stones on top of the butte, the resting place of the man who helped make this a state…a man who actually hoped there would be a much larger temple built here…

March 18, 2019
18Mar19 Yuma Territorial Prison
Most high school’s hope to turn out classes of top notch students.  This school consistently produces a new crop of criminals…but that’s all right with them.  We head to the cell-blocks for a graduation of not-so-ordinary criminals…

 

March 15, 2019
15Mar19 Jerry Miller FarmersOnly 3
You’ve seen their corny yet funny commercials on tv and you may their jingle stuck in your head.  How did it all begin?  Join me on a visit with Jerry Miller – a man from rural America who simply wanted to help farmers get in touch with one another…

March 14, 2019
14Mar19 Jerry Miller FarmersOnly 2
Imagine meeting someone for the first time and getting married to them two week later.  It’s just one of the amazing stories Jerry Miller has to share from a life spent connecting people with each other…

March 13, 2019
13Mar19 Jerry Miller FarmersOnly 1
People often ask, do you really travel to all the places you feature on the show.  The answer is yes, but today, we make an exception.  I had a chance to catch up with a guy named Jerry Miller via the phone.  Don’t think you know him?  Yes, you do.  You know his website…

March 12, 2019
12Mar19 Lakota Museum 2
There was a time when one’s heritage and culture was repressed in school.  As time passed, many places realized that it was important not to lose that history and heritage, for it could and should be celebrated among the many citizens of this nation…

March 11, 2019
11Mar19 Lakota Museum 1
This museum tells of the heritage of a people…but one of the most striking things to me is the ability to make something out of just about anything.  For that was how they survived…

 

March 8, 2019
08Mar19 Louis L’amour
If you’re like me, you probably heard many fascinating tales from your grandparents when you were a kid.  Their stories of living history were something I always enjoyed. Today’s feature is about a man who turned those stories into a well-known career…

March 7, 2019
07Mar19 Limpy Jack
Today’s feature is about a man named Limpy Jack.  With a name like that, I suppose we already have you hooked.  This is the story behind that limp…

March 6, 2019
06Mar19 Jamestown History
Many forts on the high plains came and went as needs for protection passed.  One such fort can be found in Jamestown, North Dakota and it has an interesting link to Custer’s infamous trip to the Little Bighorn…

March 5, 2019
05Mar19 Jamestown ND Courthouse 2
In Jamestown, North Dakota you will find a grand old courthouse that was an important part of the statehood process.  The fact his courthouse is still here is thanks to one woman’s efforts to not allow history, and the beauty of the building, to be taken from the landscape…

March 4, 2019
04Mar19 Jamestown ND Courthouse 1
How did Bismarck become the capital of North Dakota?  Someone made sure the committee making the decision didn’t get to see the other town vying for the title

 

March 1, 2019
01Mar19 Confederate Memorial 2
The Civil War ended in 1865…but how long did the veterans of that war live?  There is some controversy over who was the last man standing…but we do know this retirement home was caring for vets during the Truman administration….

February 28, 2019
28Feb19 Confederate Memorial 1
Today veterans hospitals and retirement homes are common place, but in the years after the Civil War, grassroots efforts began to establish and fund the first such facilities.  This is the story of the north and south and the care of their former soldiers…

February 27, 2019
27Feb19 Yuma Date Farmer 2
Some farmers need expensive, high tech equipment to harvest their crops.  This crop requires a very low-tech method of harvest…but it does help if you aren’t afraid of heights….

February 26, 2019
26Feb19 Yuma Date Farmer 1
David’s farm is just 2 ½ acres in size…but that does not mean he’s not busy.  In fact, the crop he grows will require full time labor and nice earnings as well.  Where is the farm and what crop is it…

February 25, 2019
25Feb19 Palm Springs Best of the Best Tours
Before Palm Springs was a resort town…before Palm Springs was really even a town for that matter, movie stars began building their second homes here.  So why did the rich and famous settle in the middle of a desert?

 

February 22, 2019
22Feb19 Jackie Cochran
Most people have heard of Chuck Yeager, but most have not heard of his good friend Jackie…a pilot who set more aviation records that any other aviator…

February 21, 2019
21Feb19 Minuteman Missle National Historic Site 3
You can find plenty of silos in South Dakota, but there are only two of this type still around.  We’ll take you to a silo for something other than to store feed…

February 20, 2019
20Feb19 Minuteman Missle National Historic Site 2
When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik into space in the late 1950s, it put the U.S. on notice that the realm of outer space was now a place to not only be explored, but perhaps used to launch weapons that could destroy vast cities.

February 19, 2019
19Feb19 Minuteman Missle National Historic Site 1
The first minutemen where the soldiers at Lexington and Concord – those who fired those shots heard ‘round the world.  About two centuries later there were other minutemen…

February 18, 2019
18Feb19 Bolivia Movie Maker 2
It’s tough balancing school with acting in the movies.  But that’s exactly what today’s guests are doing – and they are speaking two languages as they do it…

 

February 15, 2019
15Feb09 Bolivia Movie Maker 1
Today’s guest has a most interesting job.  He gives many kisses to many ladies and people like to follow his intriguing life.  What’s his story?

February 14, 2019
14Feb09 Tom Mix 2
Tom Mix was known as the King of the Cowboys, starring in over 300 films from 1910 to 1935. He might also be the king of marriage, having tied the knot five times…

February 13, 2019
13Feb09 Tom Mix 1
He was king of the cowboys, a real-life ranch hand that won the hearts of the nation with his amazing feats on Tony the Wonder Horse. In fact, he was such a daredevil, movie companies pleaded with him to stop doing his own stunts so they could insure he would stay healthy and keep his starring role…

February 12, 2019
12Feb09 Bagg Bonanza Farm 2
It was quite an opportunity – manage a farm for two decades and then be given nearly 10,000 acres of land in return.  That was the decision facing this man…

February 11, 2019
11Feb09 Bagg Bonanza Farm 1
They were some of the largest farms on the continent.  Called bonanza farms, they stretched for thousand of acres and employed hundreds to till the ground.  The story of who owned them and how they were formed is a fascinating story…

 

February 8, 2019
08Feb19 Spencer Citrus 2
When life throws you a lemon, you make lemonade.  Mark certainly has plenty of lemons…but he doesn’t have to make them into lemonade to compete.  Meet a family istill finding ways to thrive in growing lemons…

February 7, 2019
07Feb19 Spencer Citrus 1
You’ve probably bought their fruit and not even realized it.  This is a family owned citurs packer that grows, packs, markets and ships around the world…and today we head to southwestern Arizona for a look ourselves…

February 6, 2019
06Feb19 Jason Brown 2
Jason loves singing music all across the Midwest.  But there was something on his mind.  He kept seeing towns that needed a little extra help with a community project.  That’s when an idea came to him.  What if he used his concerts to give back to small towns?

February 5, 2019
05Feb19 Jason Brown 1
Jason grew up singing on the farm and in church each Sunday.  It led him to make it a career.  But there’s much more to his story…

February 4, 2019
04Feb19 Sequoyah 2019
His work helped teach an entire nation to read and write within a matter of just a few years.  In a moment we introduce you to one of the most famous Americans…

 

February 1, 2019
01Feb19 St Louis History 2
Daniel Boone is one of the most famous American frontiersman.  But when he crossed the Mississippi River, he went to work for a country other than the newly founded United States…

January 31, 2019
31Jan19 St Louis History 1
It’s one of the oldest and largest cities on the Mississippi River…and although some may have heard of names like Laclede and Chateau…why did they choose this spot for a town and why did it become the city it is today?

January 30, 2019
30Jan19 Rob Fraley CTO 2
What the Oscars and Emmys are to movie and tv, the World Food Prize is to the world of agriculture.  It is awarded to those who make advances in producing food…

January 29, 2019
29Jan19 Rob Fraley CTO 1
You’ve heard of a CEO or a COO, but what’s a CTO?  It’s a very big and important title to the entire world when you work here…

January 28, 2019
28Jan19 Aberdeen Pheasant Canteen 2
It was a tremendous meal that had to be prepared, every day, for about three years.  And it was all provided free of charge by a community that truly valued those simply passing through town…

 

January 25, 2019
25Jan19 Aberdeen Pheasant Canteen 1
When the Unites States when to war in the 1940, thousands of troops began to criss-cross the country headed to Europe or perhaps headed west to the Pacific theater of the war.  Those trips could take countless hours and many along the route wanted to do their part of support those going abroad.  One such place was Aberdeen, South Dakota…

January 24, 2019
24Jan19 John Jay 4
Perhaps you’ve visited places like Mt. Vernon and Monticello, homes of founding fathers Washington and Jefferson.  If you travel to Katonah, New York you’ll find another home of a founding father…

January 23, 2019
23Jan19 John Jay 3
Imagine being pregnant, enduring a shipwreck, being away from your home for several years, and then, being present to see the signing of a treaty to form a new nation in which you would reside…

January 22, 2019
22Jan19 John Jay 2
Who was the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court?  It was a position this man coveted, until he actually got the job…

January 21, 2019
21Jan19 John Jay 1
Some have called him the forgotten founding father.  Have you too forgotten about the man who was president before George Washington?  We dig into our history books to the founding of the nation…

 

January 18, 2019
18Jan19 University of Arizona Old Main
When you walk across the center of this large university campus as I did, you’ll find a wide, permanent line stretching several hundred yards.  The story behind it is one you know from history…

January 17, 2019
17Jan19 Goodyear Arizona FFA
Imagine a school teaching agriculture in a place where few students have seen a farm animal.  It’s a unique setting that’s making a large impact on the lives of students…

January 16, 2019
16Jan19 Jeffrey Thimgan 2
It’s called “KINEKS.”  It’s an acronym for positive personal characteristics each of us should possess and it’s the name of a foundation working to help young people in agriculture…

January 15, 2019
15Jan19 Jeffrey Thimgan 1
There is probably someone in each of our lives that truly inspires us.  Jeffrey Thimgan was one such young man.  But in his absence, his friends and family are working to accomplish all he had dreamed and more…

January 14, 2019
14Jan19 John Brown Osawatamie 2
The shots at Ft. Sumter in April of 1861 are often considered the first military action of the Civil War.  However, one could make a case that the battle in this Kansas town five years prior was the event that made the war inevitable…

 

January 11, 2019
11Jan19 John Brown Osawatamie 1
In the years just ahead of the Civil War, thousands of people came to Kansas ahead of a critical vote on whether the new state would accept or reject slavery…

January 10, 2019
10Jan19 Elephant Hotel 3
When you run across a building named the “Elephant Hotel,” well, there’s probably going to be an interesting story behind the place.  That is the case…

January 9, 2019
09Jan19 Elephant Hotel 2
Just about everyone one of us has visited a zoo and seen a circus.  Now let me take you to a time when neither existed.  It was a farmer from Sommers, New York, Hachaliah Bailey, that perhaps introduced many to those exotic animals…

January 8, 2019
08Jan19 Elephant Hotel 1
It all began with a man who wanted to farm, not with a team of horses or mules, but rather with an elephant.  And from there, the opportunities were endless.  This is the story of an elephant that changed the course of American history…

January 7, 2019
07Jan19 Fort Bridger 3
This fort serviced the Pony Express, the Oregon Trail and was around so long it even slept travelers by car.  It’s a big history in a place with a lot of stories to share…

 

January 4, 2019
04Jan19 Fort Bridger 2
You usually don’t think of a fort coming under new ownership.  But that’s what happened to this site that bears the name of a frontier legend…

January 3, 2019
03Jan19 Fort Bridger 1
He was one of the best known mountain men of the early 19^th century.  A man who was skilled in the fur trade and later established a fort that still bears his name…

January 2, 2019
02Jan19 Remembering Fred Mares
Image a man who speaks over ten languages, can play multiple musical instruments and serenade customers with his wonderful voice.  Today we remember the life of a friend of northwest Missouri – Fred Mares, who passed away a few days ago…

January 1, 2019
01Jan19 Best of 2018 – Hartsdale Pet Cemetary
Ed Martin Jr. has helped bury dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs and he’s even heard of a lion cub on the grounds.  It’s just part of the day-to-day life of the overseer of the world’s oldest pet burying ground…

December 31, 2018
31Dec18 Best of 2018 – Dan Meers KC Wolf
Dan Meers has nearly a dozen suits he wears to work.  The odd thing is, all the suites are alike.  It’s an odd suit for a very unique job…

 

December 28, 2018
28Dec18 Best of 2018 – Wall Drug
What’s the first thing a father teaches his son about being a good businessman?  How to make donuts of course!  It’s one of the most important jobs around here and 20,000 people per day may show up…

December 27, 2018
27Dec18 Best of 2018 – Todd Syrup Farm
Lots of people enjoy pure maple syrup.  But if you ask this farmer what he thinks of it, well you’ll quickly find that he doesn’t think it is even close to the right type of syrup you need for breakfast…

December 26, 2018
26Dec18 Best of 2018 – Billy the Kid
When two different cities, in two different states claim to have the body of the same man, well, you know there’s going to be a tale to tell.  We won’t tell you which place has the story right, but we will share the story nonetheless…

December 25, 2018
25Dec18 Holiday Christmas Store
If Santa Claus needed a place to buy all of his decorations, this would be it. It’s big business in small town Michigan and it brings Christmas cheer every day of the year…..

December 24, 2018
24Dec18 Twas the Night Before
We know the words of “’twas the night before Christmas;” words that helped solidify the image of Santa over 200 years ago. Here’s the the place that marks the beginning of their story…

 

December 21, 2018
21Dec18 Stones River National Battlefield 1
The Union army was defeated at Fredricksburg, Virginia in mid December 1862.  President Lincoln needed a victory to bolster the north and the Emancipation Proclamation that came into effect on January 1^st.  What resulted was a winter battle here…

December 20, 2018
20Dec18 College of the Ozarks Fruitcake 2
The college president smelled something.  It was not a bad odor, but rather something pleasant.  And soon his nose led his mind to an idea that is still a very important part of this place yet today…

December 19, 2018
19Dec18 College of the Ozarks Fruitcake 1
Many of us have Christmas traditions.  At this college there is a Christmas tradition that has raised money for these students and this campus for closing in on a century now…

December 18, 2018
18Dec18 St James Coffeehouse 2
It’s a business that is run totally by volunteers.  What’s interesting is many of the volunteers are middle and high school students who give of their time to work here and, in turn, the profits they generate are helping others in their community…

December 17, 2018
17Dec18 St James Coffeehouse 1
Many towns have one or more coffee houses.  But in St. James, Missouri the local coffeehouse may have a familiar look, but those running it have a story that will inspire a small town and school to action…

 

December 14, 2018
14Dec18 Vacuum Museum 4
Perhaps today’s edition of our show is advice for husbands who need to purchase an anniversary gift.  If you make this buy, well, the gift might wind up in a very unique collection…

December 13, 2018
13Dec18 Vacuum Museum 3
Today’s topic is the history of vacuum cleaners during the 1920s and 30s.  Think it sounds boring?  Hold on and I think you’ll find Tom Gasko will spin some tails that will fascinate you…

December 12, 2018
12Dec18 Vacuum Museum 2
I have a feeling today’s subject is really going to suck you in.  In a moment you’ll see what a pun that it, but I have a feeling, our guest will truly suck you into a topic you probably didn’t think could be that interesting…

December 11, 2018
11Dec18 Vacuum Museum 1
How much money can a high school kid make working a summer job?  For Tom Gasko, he made enough cash to buy a new Trans Am.  What did he do?

December 10, 2018
10Dec18 Dinosaur National Monument 2
Perhaps we’ve seen a dinosaur skeleton on display at a museum.  This stretch of land in eastern Utah might well be the closest thing to seeing such a exhibit in real life.  It’s called Dinosaur National Monument…

 

December 7, 2018
07Dec18 Dinosaur National Monument 1
We’ve all lost something and then spent lots of time looking where we placed it.  You could say that was somewhat the case for this National Monument.  An archaeologist knew the bones were here…it just took a long time to figure out exactly where they were…

December 6, 2018
06Dec18 Leon Belmont
Criminals may do just about anything to get their hands on what they want.  But in western Kansas in 1879, one cattleman was duped by a scheme far different that anything anyone has ever seen–before or since…

December 5, 2018
05Dec18 Thomas Stone 2
He was one of the youngest men to the sign the Declaration of Independence.  He was also the first to die from natural causes after the new nation was born…

December 4, 2018
04Dec18 Thomas Stone 1
When you think of the men behind the Declaration of Indpendence you don’t think of people like Thomas Stone.  However, one could argue it is men like Stone who made up the majority of the 56 men to sign the document…

December 3, 2018
03Dec18 Rock Café
It’s not the Hard Rock Café…and frankly…that is just fine with about everyone that stops here.  It’s been called the Rock Café since it was built in the depression…rock, not because of the music, but because of the material used to build it…

 

November 30, 2018
30Nov18 Jack Stahlman 3
Did you ever meet someone famous and then tell everyone about your encounter?  That’s in a sense what Jack does for a living.  But it’s more than just telling a story about some well-known celebrity…

November 29, 2018
29Nov18 Jack Stahlman 2
How to you become a well known actor in Hollywood?  Well, that’s what Jack had to figure out, but it was his dream to head west and make a go of it on screen…

November 28, 2018
28Nov18 Jack Stahlman 1
Sometime you just need a break, a stroke of luck, the ball to bounce your way.  Jack Stahlman got it.  He just happened to run into a man who could help him, but he had no idea who he was.

November 27, 2018
27Nov18 Ethanol Technology 2
We often think of ethanol as a home grown and domestically consumed product.  That statement is true, but there is a growing export market for the fuel and that may have a big impact on economies here and abroad…

November 26, 2018
26Nov18 Ethanol Technology 1
Once upon a time, I gave a speech as a FFA member titled, “Ethanol, the Farmers Link to Solving the Energy Crisis.”  I’m don’t know if my speech still holds water today, but with a lot of talk lately about E15 blended gas…well, I thought if time to learn more…

 

November 23, 2018
23Nov18 Plymouth Plantation 2
His name is one from our history books, but perhaps we have forgotten just how important his role was in saving the lives of the Pilgrims.  We know him as Squanto, a native American that made six trips across the Atlantic in his lifetime and a man who those first settlers said was sent from God to guide them into growing the food to sustain their colony…

November 22, 2018
22Nov18 Plymouth Plantation 1
Some regions of the country are better suited for specific crops.  That was the case for the Pilgrims who established Plymouth Colony.  They brought lots of seeds with them, but it was a crop that was new to them, that was actually best suited for their new home…

November 21, 2018
21Nov18 Squanto
In 1620, the men and women we call the “Pilgrims” landed near Cape Cod, and eventually established Plymouth Colony.  As we near Thanksgiving, we take a look at the fact and fiction about the story of their survival in a new land…

November 20, 2018
20Nov18 Tom Hoy 3
When Tom Hoy was a newspaper man in Washington D.C. he had the thrill of covering two of the most influential men of the twentieth century…Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.  He sat down with us and recounted some of those memorable stories…

November 19, 2018
19Nov18 Tom Hoy 2
His pictures have appeared in newspapers and books from coast to coast and around the world…and even though you may have never heard of his name, you have certainly heard of the people who’s lives he covered…

 

November 16, 2018
16Nov18 Tom Hoy 1
When you sit down with Tom Hoy you will get a behind the scenes look at some of the biggest events of the 1950s and 60s.  So how did he get access to some world changing moments?

November 15, 2018
15Nov18 Utah Territorial Captiol
If you know your fifty states and their capitals…you of course remember that Fillmore is the capital of deseret…at least that was the way it was supposed to be…

November 14, 2018
14Nov18 Kate Shelley 2
If you live in the state of Iowa you perhaps know the name of Kate Shelly.  At one time she was known the world ‘round, and certainly her act of bravery is one that still brings visitors to this small town to relive the heroic deed that saved so many…

November 13, 2018
13Nov18 Kate Shelley 1
There was a disaster lurking in the darkness.  A rail bridge had washed out and a passenger train would soon be passing this way.  Certainly the tragedy would kill many.  But then, a fifteen year old girl risked her own life for a chance to save many…

November 12, 2018
12Nov18 Cherokee Strip Land Rush 2
Imagine a train chugging south out of Kansas with people jumping from the cars all along its route.  This is the reason they jumped and mass chaos took place that September day…

 

November 9, 2018
09Nov18 Cherokee Strip Land Rush 1
It’s called the Cherokee Strip…a stretch of land in north central Oklahoma originally given to the Cherokee and later opened to settlement by the U.S. government…

November 8, 2018
08Nov18 Benedict Arnold 6
There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of John Paulding, Isaac Van Wart or David Williams.  Yet, each has a county in Ohio named after them.  The trio arguably saved the nation and the life of our first president….

November 7, 2018
07Nov18 Benedict Arnold 5
If you’re going to be a spy, it’s best to not be carrying incriminating evidence.  So when this man took off his boots and secret papers began to appear, well, this story was going to have a most interesting ending…

November 6, 2018
06Nov18 Benedict Arnold 4
If you are a soldier in battle, you usually don’t want to be trapped behind enemy lines.  Yet that is exactly what had happened to John by his own fault.  Now the race was on to see if he could wiggle his way back to safety without being discovered…

November 5, 2018
05Nov18 Benedict Arnold 3
There is a cliché that says, “We are known by the friends we keep.”  One of the friends of this couple was up to no good – at least in the eyes of many, and soon that friendship would blossom into a story we still know well from history…

 

November 2, 2018
02Nov18 Benedict Arnold 2
It’s a story that involves war heroes, love and espionage.  It may sound like a novel, but it was real life and the outcome changed the course of American history…

November 1, 2018
01Nov18 Benedict Arnold 1
Today I’ll introduce you to an American war hero – a man who had a great hand in this country’s independence.  However, you’ll probably be surprised by his name, for we all know him for something else…

October 31, 2018
31Oct18 Sleepy Hollow 3
It’s a story fitting of Halloween.  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the headless horseman.  Today we go to the location where the tale was set…

October 30, 2018
30Oct18 Sleepy Hollow 2
Mention the name Sleep Hollow and our minds quickly jump to tales of a headless horseman.  It’s quite a tale but some of the pieces of that story have roots in truth in this town…

October 29, 2018
29Oct18 Sleepy Hollow 1
You don’t think of a graveyard as a place where children would play.  But here that was the case, and because of who was playing around those stones gave us some of the classic stories we still know today…

 

October 26, 2018
26Oct18 Fort Fredrica
When European nations sailed to America, each began to lay claim to new lands.  Many built forts to protect their new empire.  Today many of those sites are ruins at best…but here on the coast of Georgia…you can still see where one superpower changed the course of history when it defeated its rival…

October 25, 2018
25Oct18 Dana Hee 2
Their names are often not known to the world, however the people they represent are some of the biggest stars on screen.  Today we go behind the scenes for a dangerous yet thrilling line of work…

October 24, 2018
24Oct18 Dana Hee 1
She is a gold medal winner – and that’s quite an accomplishment no matter the sport.  However, while you may not know her name, there’s a chance you’ve seen her and just didn’t know it…

October 23, 2018
23Oct18 Freedom House Museum 2
It is called the Freedom House.  This free museum is housed in what used to be the headquarters of one of the largest slave trading companies in the U.S.  The stories you’ll find here are of tragedy and triumph…

October 22, 2018
22Oct18 Freedom House Museum 1
I always enjoy the chance to explore Alexandria, Virginia.  It’s a historic city and I  recently happened upon a museum that’s unfortunately a bit of a secret…a place I recommend all to visit…and the price is free…

 

October 19, 2018
19Oct18 Wahpeton North Dakota 2
We’ve probably all been to the zoo sometime in our lives.  It usually requires a drive to a large city to see it.  Not so here.  For the premiere zoo dates back over eight decades and it serves a town of under 10,000 in rural America…

October 18, 2018
18Oct18 Wahpeton North Dakota 1
We’ve all heard of fish stories – maybe you’ve even told one.  But today I will tell you the biggest fish story of them all, because it is the biggest fish…

October 17, 2018
17Oct18 Chicago Fire 3
Bells rang the warning.  Prison cells were opened to allow inmates to save their own lives ahead of the coming disaster.  No one had see anything like it, and hopefully we never will again…

October 16, 2018
16Oct18 Chicago Fire 2
It was a fast moving fire. In fact, it was moving so quickly that people could not find aware to avoid it.  Some thought the river would offer protection, but when the first jumped that barrier, it was clear, this would be a destructive and deadly tragedy…

October 15, 2018
15Oct18 Chicago Fire 1
No doubt, she is one of the most famous cows in history…but is she really to blame for the problems she caused?  This is the story of a cow that caused quite the disaster…

 

October 12, 2018
12Oct18 Jesse Owens Museum 2
He won four gold medals in track and field at the 1936 Olympics, a feat that would not be duplicated until 1984.  His name is still well known, but life had its struggles for this amazing athlete…

October 11, 2018
11Oct18 Jesse Owens Museum 1
He was born into a family of sharecroppers in northern Alabama.  His time on this farm lasted until the age of nine, but people remembered him here and decades later they would build a museum in his honor…

October 10, 2018
10Oct18 Dick’s Five and Ten Branson 2
Imagine a place where you can purchase some thread, a lava lamp, a stuffed unicorn and some pencils and paper all in one stop and it’s not some store with a hundred aisles.  This place still thrives as an ol’ five and ten store…

October 9, 2018
09Oct18 Dick’s Five and Ten Branson 1
Many of you have been to Branson, but have you been downtown to the old dime store that’s been there for over five decades?

October 8, 2018
08Oct18 Ketchum Sheep Festival 2
Today the number of snow skiers to this valley outnumbers the sheep that graze the summer mountainsides.  However, the sheep still get the right of way…and this autumn’s festival proves it…

 

October 5, 2018
05Oct18 Ketchum Sheep Festival 1
When the silver ran out, the sheep moved in…thousands of them in fact.  This place became one of the largest sheep exporting cities in the world.  You’ll be surprised by the location and the real-life festival that is held every autumn…

October 4, 2018
04Oct18 Custer Battlefield 2
You’ve probably heard of Custer’s last stand at the Little Bighorn, but do you know the real story of what happened there?  We’ll uncover some of the truths…

October 3, 2018
03Oct18 Custer Battlefield 1
You probably know his name because of his famous last stand.  But before that battle in today’s state of Montana, there was much more to a man known by his men as General Custer…

October 2, 2018
02Oct18 Hartsdale Pet Cemetery 4
Ed Martin Jr. has helped bury dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs and he’s even heard of a lion cub on the grounds.  It’s just part of the day-to-day life of the overseer of the world’s oldest pet burying ground…

October 1, 2018
01Oct18 Hartsdale Pet Cemetery 3
Walk into this funeral parlor and it may look like others you’ve seen.  But soon you’ll notice some difference that set it apart from probably any other place you’ve been…

 

September 28, 2018
28Sep18 Hartsdale Pet Cemetery 2
You can find many monuments dedicated to soldiers who have fought in national and world conflicts.  However, it’s fairly rare to find a monument to these important medics, so to speak, who risked their lives in battle…

September 27, 2018
27Sep18 Hartsdale Pet Cemetery 1
This is the oldest cemetery of its kind.  Of course, that begs the question, what “kind” of cemetery could it be?  Well, it traces it’s roots back a over a century to a woman who’s name has been lost to history, but her act has impacted many lives since…

September 26, 2018
26Sep18 Fort Hays 3
For an enlisted man at Fort Hays, it wasn’t enough to win a woman’s heart and ask her hand in marriage.  You needed the permission of your commanding officer and a few other key logistics to make the wedding take shape…

September 25, 2018
25Sep18 Fort Hays 2
The army certainly needs strong, upstanding young men and women to fill its ranks…but in the late 19^th century, the reasons folks enlisted may have been for reasons far from defending one’s nation…

September 24, 2018
24Sep18 Fort Hays 1
As Americans moved from east to west, a network of forts sprang up on the high plains to protect travel and commerce.  A few of those outposts remain, not as military installations, but rather a testament to the communities that thrived around them…

 

September 21, 2018
21Sep18 Dan Meers KC Wolf 4
Dan Meers has nearly a dozen suits he wears to work.  The odd thing is, all the suites are alike.  It’s an odd suit for a very unique job…

September 20, 2018
20Sep18 Dan Meers KC Wolf 3
Maybe you’ve conquered fear and made a bungee jump in your life.  Or perhaps you’ve rode a zip line on some adventure.  Imagine combining both and doing it in a 70,000 seat stadium.  That’s what this man attempted to do…

September 19, 2018
19Sep18 Dan Meers KC Wolf 2
If a football player makes it to the NFL, chances are their career may last three or four years on average.  This man’s career has stretched about three decades and that has many people asking him a lot of questions about how’s been able to make it that long…

September 18, 2018
18Sep18 Dan Meers KC Wolf 1
Dan had a potential problem.  He had a four-year college degree from a major state university, but he was concerned his resume might not be strong enough to land a great job.  Fortunately, he had another resume…

September 17, 2018
17Sep18 British Barracks Trenton New Jersey 3
The battle George Washington waged against this invisible enemy may not seem that glamorous and it certainly doesn’t get much space in any history book.  Yet the decision he made here in central New Jersey saved hundreds and perhaps thousands of lives…

 

September 14, 2018
14Sep18 British Barracks Trenton New Jersey 2
When Washington made his famous crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776, he was of course headed somewhere.  That “where” was right here …

September 13, 2018
13Sep18 British Barracks Trenton New Jersey 1
On the surface this place might not seem that important.  It’s just an old military barracks.  Yet it is the groups of men who lived here and the time period in which they did so, that makes this an important historic site in the nation…

September 12, 2018
12Sep18 Rural Development 2
Are small towns full of opportunities of full of overwhelming challenges?  Certainly the answer can be both, but Deb Markley is hoping rural America will take the lead in showing others what a great place it can be to call home…

September 11, 2018
11Sep18 Rural Development 1
Drive into farm country and you’re likely to see some silos.  Deb Markley talks about silos a lot when she is in Rural America.  However she has a different picture in her mind

September 10, 2018
10Sep18 Siena Italy 2
The first Kentucky Debry was run in 1875.  The first edition of this annual horse race was run over two centuries before that.  Hang on to your hats for a horse race you won’t want to miss…

 

September 7, 2018
07Sep18 Siena Italy
It’s called a “contrada” and unless you are from this city, you probably can’t fully understand the power of something akin to a family.  The contrada is your identity and perhaps your life…for it’s a powerful unit that governs life in this centuries old city…

September 6, 2018
06Sep18 Assisi Italy
He said, “It is no use walking somewhere to preach unless your walking is your preaching.”  It’s just one of the quotes from a man who simply set out to live God’s call for his life and in so doing found many who wanted to emulate his path for following Christ…

September 5, 2018
05Sep18 Tuscany Italy
We continue with our recent listener trip to Italy with a stop today to taste a real delicacy.  You’ve perhaps heard of this very expensive treasure that some liken to a mushroom, but it takes quite a nose to find it…

September 4, 2018
04Sep18 Milan Italy
What is an appropriate bedtime for a kid in Kindergarten?  For this family it’s 10:30 at the earliest.  We go to a place where the hours may seem to run much different that our norm…

September 3, 2018
03Sep18 Golden Nugget Casino
Ask someone to name a casino in Vegas and they can rattle off names like the Belagio, Stratospher, MGM and others.  But ask someone about the casinos that built Vegas into the gaming center it is today…and this one will certainly rise to the top…

 

August 31, 2018
31Aug18 Italian Winery 4
Living inside a castle may sound like a posh lifestyle, but the reality is that it can be a bit rough at times.  Structures built in the middle ages sometimes lack the comforts of today.  We’ll peak inside and outside once such place today for a view of a most unique farm…

August 30, 2018
30Aug18 Italian Winery 3
It’s not everyday you find a farm growing olives, so today we take you to a place with 10,000 such trees and we learn a bit about the cryptic terms on the outside of the bottles…

August 29, 2018
29Aug18 Italian Winery 2
We had several listeners recently join us on our American Countryside tour of Italy.  We hope you’ll join us on future trips, but for now, we’ll take you along on this most recent adventure to a farm with roots that go back centuries…

August 28, 2018
28Aug18 Italian Winery 1
There’s a cliché that says your home is your castle.  For the owners of this farm, it’s one in the same, for the castle is the family home – a home that has stood for centuries now…

August 27, 2018
27Aug18 Hildene 2
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky and lived most of his adult years in Illinois.  But where did future generations of the Lincolns reside.  Most people don’t know it was in this beautiful stretch of mountains far from Abraham’s Midwestern roots…

 

August 24, 2018
24Aug18 Hildene 1
Being the son of a U.S. president has its perks.  However, it does provide a very high bar of achievement for that second generation.  Which presidential child did the best?  It might just be the son of one of the nation’s greatest presidents

August 23, 2018
23Aug18 Arizona Hot Air Balloon Pilot 2
She’s the youngest pilot of her kind in the state of Arizona.  If you think flying a plane is hard, this may be far more difficult, for while it’s relatively easy to get into the air, you have very little control over where you will go…

August 22, 2018
22Aug18 Arizona Hot Air Balloon Pilot 1
You must admit, today’s story about how one couple met and fell in love is certainly unique.  Now add the fact that the place of their meeting has influenced the life and unique hobby of their daughter and you’ve got quite a story…

August 21, 2018
21Aug18 Calument Copper Mines 5
It’s a relatively new site in the National Park Service and for most of us, you’ll have to drive a ways through the woods to reach it.  However, a venture to Michigan’s Upper Pennisula will reveal a wealth of history and natural beauty…

August 20, 2018
20Aug18 Calument Copper Mines 4
A trip here will reveal some of the longest and deepest holes dug into the earth.  In fact, some of the tunnels are so long, it took the world’s largest winch to move men and supplies up and down the line…

 

August 17, 2018
17Aug18 Calument Copper Mines 3
Carl can trace his lineage back several generations to family members who came here from Findland.  They were farmers, but their destination in this country was not to begin tilling the soil, but rather tilling far underneath it…

August 16, 2018
16Aug18 Calument Copper Mines 2
It’s called the Ontonagan Boulder – a rock of pure copper that reports said was larger than a canoe.  Native Americans knew of it’s existence and Europeans had to find it. Until then, the newspaper reports of that rock had it growing in size with each report…

August 15, 2018
15Aug18 Calument Copper Mines 1
There’s an old cliché that says if something is not hard to do, “It’s as easy as pie.”  I guess that means as easy as eating pie and not baking one.  But when it comes to mining for metals, what folks found here had to be as easy as pie, for it was just laying on top of the ground…

August 14, 2018
14Aug18 AH Stephens
You’ve heard of Jefferson Davis, president of the confederacy. But who was his vice president?

August 13, 2018
13Aug18 Jefferson Davis Capture 2
As Union troops advanced on Richmond, Virginia, the president of the Confederacy was on the move.  The story of the Union and the pursuit of Jefferson Davis…

 

August 10, 2018
10Aug18 Jefferson Davis Capture 1
He was the president of the confederacy…and in the Spring of 1865…he and members of his cabinet were trying to stay a step ahead of the Union troops who hoped to capture them…

August 9, 2018
09Aug18 Fort Pulaski 2018
It was the first emancipation proclamation of the Civil War and it wasn’t issued by Lincoln.  We’ll go to the site of that famous battle and edict of the war…

August 8, 2018
08Aug18 Wilbur Wright Birthplace 3
At the Wilbur Wright Birthplace in Indiana you’ll find a nearly exact replica of the first plane the famous brothers got into the air at Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903. This one would probably fly as well but there’s a good reason it has not…

August 7, 2018
07Aug18 Wilbur Wright Birthplace 2
It was not a big or fancy gift.  In fact, most kids today would play with it for a few minutes and then forget about it.  Not so for these two kids.  What they saw made them want to learn more about it for the rest of their lives…

August 6, 2018
06Aug18 Wilbur Wright Birthplace 1
As a kid, what was your punishment for not doing what you were told?  These boys were sent to the closet and what happened there may just be the beginning of a story that changed all of our lives…

 

August 3, 2018
03Aug18 Gettysburg Christian Commission 2
Today someone might drive through Starbucks to get a cup of coffee.  During the Civil War…this group instead brought the coffee to you.  This is the story of a cup of coffee and much more…

August 2, 2018
02Aug18 Gettysburg Christian Commission 1
When a soldier heads to battle, there are many organizations that volunteer their services to help he or she and their families.  During the Civil War, this organization grew from the YMCA to fill those needs.  It’s a piece of history that few know…

August 1, 2018
01Aug18 Adamantine Guard
It was called the Adamantine Guard…a military unit formed in one Pennsylvania County with over a century of service to the country.  But when it came time to preserve their history, the most important artifact was missing…or at…it just hadn’t yet been found…

July 31, 2018
31Jul18 Dixon Mounds 2
Long before there were cities like New York and Chicago…these giant cities were scattered across the nation.  Today we try to uncover their link and learn about those who live there…

July 30, 2018
30Jul18 Dixon Mounds 1
Havana, Illinois is located on the Illinois River but is far from the first city that’s stood here.  In fact, we know of a large city here about 1000 years ago…

 

July 27, 2018
27Jul18 Santa Fe Trail 2
The first building in this town didn’t begin its life here.  In fact i’s route to this city is a story in itself.  This is the tale of the little red house in western Kansas…

July 26, 2018
26Jul18 Santa Fe Trail 1
It was a superhighway of the 1800s…a thruway carrying people and cargo from two ends of the country.  It may not have been here though if it wasn’t for one country’s attempt to thrwart Lewis and Clark’s journey to the Pacific

July 25, 2018
25Jul18 Fort Leonardwood History 3
What’s a steel fence post and a diesel glow plug have to do with saving lives?  It was just one of the creative ideas you’ll find at this museum – a place dedicated to using the past to train people for the future…

July 24, 2018
24Jul18 Fort Leonardwood History 2
It may seem odd to take young men and women to a museum to help prepare them for the future.  But that’s exactly what happens here and our country’s military is better for it…

July 23, 2018
23Jul18 Fort Leonardwood History 1
It’s a place carved from the woods – a place created from the necessities of World War II.  Yet, it remains today, an important place in the past, present and future of our country…

 

July 20, 2018
20Jul18 Mastadon Park 2018
Imagine you unearthed the bones of an animal and had little idea of what you found. Now imagine making up a tale about the creature and traveling the nation to tell its story. That’s exactly what happened just south of St. Louis…

July 19, 2018
19Jul18 Red Delicious Apples 2018
It’s one of the world’s most popular varieties of fruit and we have it because one farmer couldn’t get a nasty spout to go away.  It’s a story that will take us to two state fairs  before a delicious taste is discovered…

July 18, 2018
18Jul18 Aligator Farm 2018
Farms come in many shapes and sizes, raising crops, livestock and many other combinations.  But in central AR, there is a centuries old farm that has been raising an unusual herd that people just keep coming back to see…

July 17, 2018
17Jul18 Queen Mary 2018
The Queen Mary II, the largest and most luxurious ship to ever sail, recently left Britain for Ft. Lauderdale.  That voyage had ironically increased the passenger list on her predecessor that hasn’t left the dock in over thirty years…

July 16, 2018
16Jul18 Faulkton Carousel 2
Bob Ketterling never set out to be famous or have others recognize his deeds.  He just wanted to do something nice for his community.  But drive into this town today and you’ll quickly see what people thought of Bob.  They painted it on their water tower…

 

July 13, 2018
13Jul18 Faulkton Carousel 1
Bob had a secret.  Not a bad secret, but a secret nonetheless from his childhood.  When his wife learned what it was, she found crowds flocking to their backyard…

July 12, 2018
12Jul18 Annie Oakley 4
If the tabloids report it, is the story really true?  Over a century ago, many American believed this star had robbed a man to get the money she needed to support a drug habit.  It’s a story of one woman’s fight against the largest newspapers of the day…

July 11, 2018
11Jul18 Annie Oakley 3
Perhaps you’ve heard of someone shooting an apple off of someone’s head or hitting a cigarette in someone’s mouth.  It was real life for this talented family…

July 10, 2018
10Jul18 Annie Oakley 2
Her skills were amazing and totally unexpected.  A young lady from the frontier was outshooting men of all ages and that fact had crowds flocking to see the talents of that girl and her gun…

July 9, 2018
09Jul18 Annie Oakley 1
She is arguably the most famous person to grow up in Greenville, Ohio.  You’ve most likely heard of her and the skill that took her around the world to perform in front of packed crowds…

 

July 6, 2018
06Jul18 Smokey Mountain Railroad 1
His name was Daddy Bryson…and he became one of the best-known train engineers in the Smoky Mountains…not because of his skill on the rails, but instead for the unfortunate accident that cost him his life…

July 5, 2018
05Jul18 Smokey Mountain Railroad 1
Visitors to Smoky Mountain National Park can wander miles of trails that meander through endless forests.  It wasn’t that long ago many of these forests had been cut.  This is the story of the man who logged much of that timber and then gave the land to create a park…

July 4, 2018
04Jul18 Liberty Bell
July 4^th, 1776.  It’s Indpendence Day in the United States and one of the symbols of our freedom is the Liberty Bell.  But most folks don’t know the real story behind that bell…a bell that really was not famous at all until more than a half century after that famous July 4^th in Philadelphia…

July 3, 2018
03Jul18 Fort Necessity 2
It was the only time General Washington ever surrendered an army…and that just may have everything to do with July 4^th being our Independence Day…

July 2, 2018
02Jul18 Fort Necessity 1
It’s a war most American know little about, yet it’s a conflict that shaped America’s war for Independence just a few years later…

 

June 29, 2018
29Jun18 John Muir 2
Over a century ago, President Roosevelt was so interested in preserving natural wonders, he traveled all the way to California to take a camping trip with this well known naturalist.  The result of that outing would be the protection of some of this nation’s most loved landmarks…

June 28, 2018
28Jun18 John Muir 1
When this man’s trip to the Amazon fell through, he instead began to travel this country to see all that nature held closer to home.  It was his vision of protecting a portion of that beauty that led him to become the father of the national park system…

June 27, 2018
27Jun18 Vinegar Museum 3
When you pull up to this small building, you may be surprised to learn that people are making detours just to see what’s inside.  In fact, some are so inspired, they decide to take up residence here.  Not bad for a place this little town willed into existence a couple of decades back…

June 26, 2018
26Jun18 Vinegar Museum 2
It’s a product you can find named in the Bible and in ancient texts.  However, it’s something that is familiar yet unknown to most of us.  This small town hopes to make you more knowledgeable about it…

June 25, 2018
25Jun18 Vinegar Museum 1
Lawrence Diggs is not you average citizen.  If he seemed out-of-place here, he certainly wasn’t for long as the residents of this community of under 200 soon embraced his ideas to put the place on the map…

 

June 22, 2018
22Jun18 American Idol Garett Miles
You never know who you might meet when doing an interview.  On a recent trip to Alabama to a historic recording studio, I was asked if I would like to interview they guy recording next door.  You may have just seen and heard him on tv…

June 21, 2018
21Jun18 Traveler’s Rest 2
It was a meeting place, a point were Lewis and Clark twice stopped during very important points in their journey…

June 20, 2018
20Jun18 Traveler’s Rest 1
It was the most difficult climb in their journey west–the Rocky mountains of Montana and Idaho.  We hit the Lolo trail…

June 19, 2018
19Jun18 Rapid City 3
She was simply known as Poker Alice.  She was an expert card player who used to begin each game by proclaiming, ““Praise the Lord and place your bets. I’ll take your money with no regrets.”  And she did take plenty of money…

June 18, 2018
18Jun18 Rapid City 2
Perhaps you’ve heard of Black Hills gold.  Its discovery rapidly changed life in today’s western South Dakota…

 

June 15, 2018
15Jun18 Rapid City 1
Today we say hello to our listeners on KOTA in Rapid City, South Dakota.  Residents there know of an amazing local museum that tells the story of the history of this area…

June 14, 2018
14Jun18 Alibates Flint
It’s called Ala-bates flint…and this spot in the panhandle of Texas is the only place in the world where you can find it.  Not only was it valuable as a tool, but it was so important that it was even used as currency in a sense…

June 13, 2018
13Jun18 Drake Oil Well Museum
In a moment we head to oil country in the U.S…but this isn’t a trip to Oklahoma, Texas or even Alaska…but a journey rather to one of the first oil boom towns in the country…

June 12, 2018
12Jun18 Kool Aid 3
Marketing and advertising are keys to getting a product known and bought by consumers.  Perhaps no one did it better than a gentleman from Hasting, Nebraska whose marketing plans had kids lining up at the grocery store for repeat purchases…

June 11, 2018
11Jun18 Kool Aid 2
It was a part of some meals served to U.S. troops during World War II.  However, you probably don’t associate this drink with life in combat…

 

June 8, 2018
08Jun18 Kool Aid 1
Today we say hello to our listeners on KHAS in Hastings, Nebraska.  Residents have probably heard of a man named Edwin Perkins, but have you?

June 7, 2018
07Jun18 Oklahoma Land Rush 2
If a city grows quickly, we might say it sprang up overnight.  This state capital literally sprang into existence in just one night…

June 6, 2018
06Jun18 Oklahoma Land Rush 1
If you found a great deal on a house of a piece of land, we might say that we ran to get the deal.  In 1889, thousands literally ran to get a deal…

June 5, 2018
05Jun18 Bud Fowler Keokuk Baseball 2
Who was the first African American major league baseball player.  Most say Jackie Robinson.  However, residents of this town say it was another man who did it decades earlier…

June 4, 2018
04Jun18 Bud Fowler Keokuk Baseball 1
You probably don’t think of Keokuk, Iowa as a town that could support a Major League Baseball team.  But that was once the case and that team has an important place in history…

 

June 1, 2018
01Jun18 Fountain City IN Levi Coffin 4
Many fourth graders are required to study their states history.  If you live in Indiana you probably studied this name.  Perhaps all of us should know the name and story behind this couple…

May 31, 2018
31May18 Fountain City IN Levi Coffin 3
Perhaps you’ve heard of “fair trade” products you can purchase in this country that guarantee the producers in developing nations are paid a fair wage for their work.  We may think it’s a relatively new idea, but you can find the idea being practiced before the Civil War…

May 30, 2018
30May18 Fountain City IN Levi Coffin 2
The work of the Underground Railroad needed to be secretive of course.  But it seems many in this town knew what was going on, yet there was good reason to simply carry on without saying a word…

May 29, 2018
29May18 Fountain City IN Levi Coffin 1
In Fountain City, Indiana you will find an older brick home with quite a story.  If you step inside you’ll learn the secretive, yet important work of the couple you lived there…

May 28, 2018
28May18 Vietnam Wall 3
It’s a simple memorial.  140 black granite panels containing over 58,000 names.  A simple memorial with deep meaning.  A place where people come to reflect and a place where people often leave things behind…

 

May 25, 2018
25May18 Vietnam Wall 2
This Washington D.C. memorial is just a kid when compared to monuments to Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson that are nearby.  But in it’s short life, this has become a place where thousand come to pay respects and remember the price of freedom…

May 24, 2018
24May18 Vietnam Wall 1
A few years ago I sat on a park bench and visited with a man about a wall he helped build.  This isn’t any ordinary man and this is far from “just” a wall…

May 23, 2018
23May18 Cannonball House 2
By 1864 the situation the situation in Macon, Georgia was so dire that men in the hospital were asked to leave their beds and defend the city.  The marks of that battle can still be seen on some of the buildings here…

May 22, 2018
22May18 Cannonball House 1
The city of Macon, Georgia is still a place where you can find elegant plantation mansions…homes of some of the wealthiest southerners built in the years before the Civil War. There’s one nicknamed the Cannonball House…

May 21, 2018
21May18 Atomic Clock 3
If I said I’d be back in a second…I’d literally be back in 9,192, 631,770 cycles of a cesium atom.  Why is that important…well, the cycles of that cesium atom have a lot more to do with life that you ever imagined…

 

May 18, 2018
18May18 Atomic Clock 2
For most of human history…the movement of the sun, moon and planets has been used to measure time.  But even the ancients knew that the rotating earth was not 100 percent accurate.  That’s where Tom O’Brien comes in…

May 17, 2018
17May18 Atomic Clock 1
It’s the most accurate clock on earth…and it doesn’t even have hands to tell the time.  It’s an unusual but very important clock…

May 16, 2018
16May18 Boots Court Motel 3
This motel advertisers a “radio in every room.”  Perhaps it doesn’t sound too elegant, but it’s doing a nice business on the same spot for the last 80 years or so…

May 15, 2018
15May18 Boots Court Motel 2
There was a time when the movie stars of the day did not fly to their destination, but rather drove their own expensive cars on the wide-open roads.  This story is about one such star on a trip…

May 14, 2018
14May18 Boots Court Motel 1
He was a man in search of the crossroads of the nation.  For of course, that would be the best place to build a business – a site where traffic from all directions would meet…

 

May 11, 2018
11May18 John J Audobon 2
It was a massive book, both in cost and sheer size…yet it’s pages are some of the most recognized yet today.  This is the story of the book that took 13 years to complete…

May 10, 2018
10May18 John J Audobon 1
Frankly, he had the makings of a man who would squander his family’s money and accomplish little in life.  But his passion for walking the forrest and drawing the birds he saw would make him a well-known name in America…

May 09, 2018
09May18 Lawrence Welk
His music entertained millions of listeners both over the radio and later via TV.  Today we head to his homestead on the plains of North Dakota…

May 08, 2018
08May18 Tombstone Arizona 3
Most cemeteries don’t offer a guidebook with brief stories of those you’ll find buried there, but this one does.  And while this is a respectful place, it’s also a site where you may be amazed at those tales surrounding the life in the wild west…

May 07, 2018
07May18 Tombstone Arizona 2
This cemetery perhaps looks the exact opposite of Arlington National in D.C.  The dusty landscape is mostly barren of lush grass and tall trees.  The shallow graves here are marked with piles of stones.  Yet, this place, like Arlington, is a well visited cemetery

 

May 4, 2018
04May18 Tombstone Arizona 1
It’s a town named for what others thought would happen to its founder.  It may sound like a strange way to title a place, but today that city it synonymous with the wildest of the wild west…

May 3, 2018
03May18 Old Drum 2
We’ve all heard of man’s best friend…but it was this dog that probably gave us the phrase so common today.  We’ll go to a county courthouse where a dog, his owner and a famous lawyer made history…

May 2, 2018
02May18 Old Drum 1
In the courthouse square in Warrensburg, Missouri you will find a statue in tribute to a dog named Old Drum.  He’s one famous canine who had a case go all the way to the state supreme court…

May 1, 2018
01May18 New Market Virginia 2
There was nothing left to do.  A group of 15-21 year old students would be forced  into battle if there was any hope of defending this fertile farm valley in Virginia.  What resulted is an event still commemorated annually…

April 30, 2018
30Apr18 New Market Virginia 1
Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is one of the most scenic farming regions in the world.  The fertile valley is flanked by tree-lined ridges nears the states border with West Virginia.  It’s also the place where northern and southern soldiers clashed over control of what was then the nation’s breadbasket…

 

April 27, 2018
27Apr18 Monterey Aquarium
It’s one of the few places where you can see a white shark…safely.  Although these sharks make but a rare appearance here…it has put this place on cannery row on the map as a premier viewing spot in the world…

April 26, 2018
26Apr18 Cherry Mash 3
Barry Yantis’ family has been in this family business since the days of World War II.  It’s a career that brings smiles to people’s faces around Valentines Day, perhaps even some romance…

April 25, 2018
25Apr18 Cherry Mash 2
When you rank candy bars by the date they were first introduced, this would be the third oldest in the nation.  It’s celebrating it’s one hundredth birthday this year and we go to the birthplace…

April 24, 2018
24Apr18 Cherry Mash 1
It was in 1876 a new mercantile company began business.  It may not sound that significant if not for one of the products they would end up inventing…

April 23, 2018
23Apr18 Prohibition Party 2018 2
Before there was a Got Milk slogan…some dairymen used an amendment to the constitution to help keep their product ahead of a more evil beverage of the day…

 

April 20, 2018
20Apr18 Prohibition Party 2018 1
You may have thought this political party died when this became legal again back in the 1930s.  You’ll be intrigued by the history of the political party most think is dead…

April 19, 2018
19Apr18 Wall Drug 4
What’s the first thing a father teaches his son about being a good businessman?  How to make donuts of course!  It’s one of the most important jobs around here and 20,000 people per day may show up…

April 18, 2018
18Apr18 Wall Drug 3
If you’ve heard of Wall, South Dakota then you’ve heard of Wall Drug.  But there was a time when a young man from that small town did not want to be associated with the place.  His story is one that impacts travelers yet today…

April 17, 2018
17Apr18 Wall Drug 2
If someone is thirsty you might offer them something to drink.  What seems commonplace served as a business inspiration that brought customers in droves.  The store that offered that free drink is our story…

April 16, 2018
16Apr18 Wall Drug 1
The Depression was in full swing and a young family was looking for a place to put down roots and begin a new business.  It was the backdrop for a new pharmacist looking to open his new drug store…

 

April 13, 2018
13Apr18 Denny Matthews 50th Season 2
162 games a year for 50 years…that’s over 8000 baseball games…and this man has seen virtually every single one of them.  Then again…that’s his job.  We’ll head to the stadium to catch a game with him …

April 12, 2018
12Apr18 Denny Matthews 50th Season 1
When a baseball broadcaster has to describe a game that is lackluster at best, they may resort to talking about all kinds of things to keep a listener interested.  Perhaps they even talk about things like utility poles…

April 11, 2018
11Apr18 Wilbur Taylor Mules 3
Mules can be stubborn.  So what do you do with a mule that simply won’t obey?  Wilbur was told what he should do, but whether he’d ever follow that advice again is very much in question…

April 10, 2018
10Apr18 Wilbur Taylor Mules 2
Medics are an important part of an army, taking care of the wounded on the front lines, risking their own lives to save those of others.  This man had that job, but those he cared for had four legs…

April 9, 2018
09Apr18 Wilbur Taylor Mules 1
Like many young American men in the 1940s, Wilbur Taylor was headed to war.  But his job would be a unique one requiring some of the skills he knew from the farm…

 

April 6, 2018
06Apr18 Edgar Allen Poe 2
Edgar Allen Poe could write some amazing fictional tales…but perhaps some of most intriguing fiction was that he told about his own life.  We’ll try to sort some of the facts and myths…

April 5, 2018
05Apr18 Edgar Allen Poe 1
He is one of the nation’s most famous writers and although he bounced from city to city, it was here in Philadelphia that his work began to be appreciated by all Americans…

April 4, 2018
04Apr18 Biosphere II 3
You don’t often this of a science laboratory as a tourist attraction.  While it wasn’t built for that purpose, it certainly does get plenty of interested people wanting to see the novel experiments being conducted…

April 3, 2018
03Apr18 Biosphere II 2
For the folks who work here, we don’t live on earth but rather Biosphere 1.  That’s why their facility is called Biosphere 2, and while not nearly as big as the earth, it’s mighty impressive…

April 2, 2018
02Apr18 Biosphere II 1
Some might call it a greenhouse, but it’s far more that plants under glass.  It’s a amazing facility doing cutting edge research…

 

March 30, 2018
30Mar18 Greenburg Carl Fisher
He made millions with an important invention for an automobile.  But his life was far bigger than just that patent he received.  His life is quite a tale…

March 29, 2018
29Mar18 Treaty of Greenville Ohio 3
The years was 1795 and on what was then the western frontier of the United States, a meeting of some of the most notable people on the continent took place in the wilderness…

March 28, 2018
28Mar18 Treaty of Greenville Ohio 2
It was one the largest forts of its day, yet a place hard to find a trace of today.  The events are still remembered though

March 27, 2018
27Mar18 Treaty of Greenville Ohio 1
It is a story of westward expansion and the inevitable confrontation of those heading west and those already on the land.  The story is one told at this important city

March 26, 2018
26Mar18 Pipestone
This place is so important in native American culture, that even when warring tribes arrived here, they put down their weapons and worked together…

 

March 23, 2018
23Mar18 Henry Ford World War II Gliders 2
There are under ten original World War II gliders to be found in the nation.  People bought hundreds of surplus gliders after the war, but the plane is not what they desired…

March 22, 2018
22Mar18 Henry Ford World War II Gliders 1
When World War II began, automakers suddenly switched from making cars to the equipment needed to win a war.   The changeover here made this factory the biggest glider maker in the world…

March 21, 2018
21Mar18 Henry Ford Iron Mountain
We know Henry Ford as an early Detroit auto maker.  So what was he doing buying a huge tract of land in the state’s Upper Peninsula?

March 20, 2018
20Mar18 Cornish Pump 2
In Iron Mountain, Michigan you’ll find a museum with a very large exhibit – so large in fact, that the museum had to be built around it…

March 19, 2018
19Mar18 Cornish Pump 1
It is quite possibly the largest steam powered engine on the continent and its job was the only think that allowed work to continue here…

 

March 16, 2018
16Mar17 Cape Girardeau River Mural 2018
Michelangelo had a very large canvass when he began work on the Sistine chapel.  Make a trip to this river town and you’ll find a man who had two and a half blocks of canvass to fill…

March 15, 2018
15Mar17 Cape Girardeau Civil War 2018
Civil War engineers were simply running out of names…but that doesn’t mean the forts here were not important.  It’s a place where the Union troops simply named their forts for the letters of the alphabet…

March 14, 2018
14Mar17 Pulaski County Route 66 2
Many of us have heard of the Trail of Tears.  This community chose to honor those who were forced to make that journey.  It turn a group of individuals comes here every year on bicycles in remembrance as well…

March 13, 2018
13Mar17 Pulaski County Route 66 1
Old Route 66 is a major tourist attraction in many communities along the highway.  But here you’ll find some of the longest stretches of original road anywhere in the nation…

March 12, 201812Mar17 Pulaski County Wildlife 2
Deer, turkey, black bear and mountain lion – they are just a few of the creatures roaming these woods and that has made this place a draw…

 

March 9, 2018
09Mar18 Pulaski County Wildlife 1
When you grow up with something all of your life, you may not realize exactly how special it is.  That was a bit the case for Dave, who learned that what he found outdoors was a truly unique piece of our world…

March 8, 2018
08Mar18 Shickly Nebraska 3
Shickley, Nebraska is a small town that’s made a big investment in its future.  It’s been an important journey in sharing a story now that’s will impact what takes place here in coming years…

March 7, 2018
07Mar18 Shickly Nebraska 2
Taxes are one of the ways our cities and counties carry out their business.  Citizens here do pay taxes, but the impressive story is what they’ve accomplished by raising money on their own to take care of the needs of where they live…

March 6, 2018
06Mar18 Shickly Nebraska 1
Today we return to a small town in Nebraska, five years after we first shared their story of how dedicated local citizens can create amazing positive changes in their location…

March 5, 2018
05Mar18 Old Chicago Library
Chicago’s Michigan Avenue has long been a place noted for fine shops, hotels and attractions.  Many people though, pass by one of the great gems along that thoroughfare…a place originally designed as the city library…a place today open free of charge to come and explore…

 

March 2, 2018
02Mar18 Chicago Cultural Center
Chicago’s Michigan Avenue has long been a place noted for fine shops, hotels and attractions.  Many people though, pass by one of the great gems along that thouroughfare…a place originally designed as the city library…a place today open free of charge to come and explore…

March 1, 2018
01Mar18 Barbara Law 3
As a Japanese teenager, Barbara was taught to defend herself from American soldiers arriving in her country.  She ended up marrying one of them.  But there were far more surprises when she landed in the United States…

February 28, 2018
28Feb18 Barbara Law 2
This week we are featuring Barbara Law who recently passed away.  She was a teenager living in Japan when World War II ended.  Her country’s surrender signaled many changes in her life…including instruction on how to deal with the American GI’s that would soon land on her homeland’s soil…

February 27, 2018
27Feb18 Barbara Law 1
This past week Barbara Law of King City, Missouri passed away at the age of 87.  I had the honor of knowing her and even interviewing her several years ago.  Join me as we take a look back at someone who saw WW II from the side of one of our foes…

February 26, 2018
26Feb18 Grant City Library
Many of us use a library, not only for books, but for many other resources as well.  But in this small town, the school and county library were both faces challenges.  With some creative thinking they came up with an idea that was the first of it’s kind in their state…

 

February 23, 2018
23Feb18 Grant City Dollar General 1
When you live in Missouri’s smallest county, both in land area and population, you sometimes need to be resourceful in meeting the needs of your community.  This town has done just that, developing some clever ways to meet the needs of the area…

February 22, 2018
22Feb18 Turner Joy Night Tour
You can visit a lot of retired Naval ships in the U.S.  But here you can get a very rare tour, because the experience is one that has you staying on board overnight.  We climb on the ship…

February 21, 2018
21Feb18 Fayetteville Historical Society 3
He was the second governor of Arkansas – a U.S. Senator and a man who led troops in battle.  However he may best be known for his burials…that’s plural.   We uncover the story behind the namesake of Yellville, Arkansas…

February 20, 2018
20Feb18 Fayetteville Historical Society 2
During the Civil War, some states along the border of north and south had two state governments, one aligned with the union and the other with the confederacy.  If you head to this city, you’ll learn the story of one man who voted to stay with the Union…

February 19, 2018
19Feb18 Fayetteville Historical Society 1
It’s one of the oldest homes in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  When you know the list of occupants, you really get a snapshot of the history of this place…and it’s a home you can still see today…

 

February 16, 2018
16Feb18 Willa Cather Red Cloud Nebraska 2
This place owes much of it’s identity to someone who passed away in 1947.  As the years passed, holding on to that history became more challenging.  But if you come here today, the town and the story are as vibrant as ever…

February 15, 2018
15Feb18 Willa Cather Red Cloud Nebraska 1
Perhaps you’ve never heard of Willa Cather.  If not, you should.  She’s a Pulitzer Prize winning author who penned many novels based on her life on the high plains.  They are stories for all, but stories especially important in one small town…

February 14, 2018
14Feb18 Todd Syrup Farm 3
Lots of people enjoy pure maple syrup.  But if you ask this farmer what he thinks of it, well you’ll quickly find that he doesn’t think it is even close to the right type of syrup you need for breakfast…

February 13, 2018
13Feb18 Todd Syrup Farm 2
Joe’s farm is so old he has his own museum.  He’ll show it to you if you come to visit.  The items are quite remarkable, not only to his own land, but the heritage of farming in the south…

February 12, 2018
12Feb18 Todd Syrup Farm 1
In some parts of the country having a farm that is over a century old is quite an accomplishment.  For Joe, well, he can trace his farms lineage to before the founding of this country…

 

February 9, 2018
09Feb18 Fulton Churchill Iron Curtain 3
Fulton, Missouri is today a town of about 10,000 people.  When compared to the cities of the world it is quite small.  However for one day in 1946, all ears where listening to a speech that would prove prophetic – words delivered by a world leader about the rise of a new world power…

February 8, 2018
08Feb18 Fulton Churchill Iron Curtain 2
Many colleges invite dignitaries to their campus to give a lecture.  But this was no ordinary speaker and this was not a simple lecture in a classroom.  This was a big name and an even bigger speech…

February 7, 2018
07Feb18 Fulton Churchill Iron Curtain 1
He was a symbol of determination in the face of crisis – a man who led one of the great nations of the world against a dictator hungry for global domination.  We look back on the life that led him to the world stage…

February 6, 2018
06Feb18 Hoosiers Hickory Indiana 2
Once upon a time, I started for my high school basketball team in the smallest class of schools at King City, Missouri.  We were one game shy of making it to the state’s final four.  Back then, many of us could draw inspiration from another small town that beat the biggest of schools to win the prize…

February 5, 2018
05Feb18 Hoosiers Hickory Indiana 1
There’s a chance you’ve heard of Milan, Indiana, but many of you have not.  Or maybe you did but you know it by a different name.  For if you have watched one very well-known sports movie, then you may know this town as Hickory…

 

February 2, 2018
02Feb18 Old Pulaski County Stagecoach 2
Sometimes all it takes is one determined person.  That was the case in Waynesville, MO.  If not for one such lady, this well visited spot would not exist…

February 1, 2018
01Feb18 Old Pulaski County Stagecoach 1
It’s simply known as the “Old Stagecoach Stop.”  That title gives you an idea of what the building might have been used for, but stop by and you’ll find much, much more…

January 31, 2018
31Jan18 Calico Rock 3
You think of a museum as a place that preserves the old.  Here, the museum curates the old, but it’s also a link to this small town’s future…

January 30, 2018
30Jan18 Calico Rock 2
Storefronts that were once full, were empty.  What could be done?  How could a small town of 1000 turn it around?  Here’s one place making it happen…

January 29, 2018
29Jan18 Calico Rock 1
Today we say hello to our listeners on KTLO in Mountain Home, Arkansas.  Today’s feature is all about a town in there area making a turn around…

 

January 26, 2018
26Jan18 Palm Springs Tour
Before Palm Springs was a resort town–before Palm Springs was really even a town, for that matter; movie stars began building their second homes here. So why did the rich and famous settle in the middle of a desert?

January 25, 2018
25Jan18 Date Farming 2
Some farmers need expensive, high tech equipment to harvest their crops.  This crop requires a very low-tech method of harvest…but it does help if you aren’t afraid of heights…

January 24, 2018
24Jan18 Date Farming 1
David’s farm is just 2 ½ acres in size…but that does not mean he’s not busy.  In fact, the crop he grows will require full time labor and nice earnings as well…

January 23, 2018
23Jan18 Mercury Women Program 2
In the early 1980s, the United States put its first woman into space, a full two decades after space travel began.  So why didn’t women get their chance even though they had undergone astronaut testing as early as 1961…

January 22, 2018
22Jan18 Mercury Women Program 1
The first man in space, the first man to orbit the earth, the first man to walk on the moon…you may know those pioneers and you may have never have given a second thought to the fact they are all men.  This U.S. researcher thought it should perhaps be the other gender who made those missions…

 

January 19, 2018
19Jan18 Mt Washington Weather Observatory 3
If you are ever tempted to think the winter weather where you live is bad…just wait until you hear Brian Clark’s story.  Chances are he’ll easily be able to top the worst blizzard tale you have every experienced…

January 18, 2018
18Jan18 Mt Washington Weather Observatory 2
The warmest temperature ever recorded here was 72 degrees.  It once got down to 47 below.  Brian Clark’s job is to be stranded here a week at a time every winter…

January 17, 2018
17Jan18 Mt Washington Weather Observatory 1
This lookout sees an average of 237 days of fog each year…but on a clear day you can see up to 130 miles.  It’s a place that draws huge crowds in the summer and a place that sets some chilly records in the winter…

January 16, 2018
16Jan18 Purdy Missouri Recycling 2
We’ve all heard of recycling programs, but this one in a small town in southern Missouri has a bit of a twist.  Sure it kept items from going in a landfill, but in inspired a lot of positive changes…

January 15, 2018
15Jan18 Purdy Missouri Recycling 1
If you have kids or grandkids in school, you’ve probably been asked to buy something as part of a school fundraiser.  Such was the case at this school, but a teacher and some students stepped forward with a unique way to raise money, and help the community without asking for donations…

 

January 12, 2018
12Jan18 Pawnee Bill 2018 2
It may have seemed this famous western showman had married the wrong woman.  After all, his bride was a city girl who didn’t grow up around horses and cowboy life.  It turned out that she might have been the better cowboy of the pair…

January 11, 2018
11Jan18 Pawnee Bill 2018 1
Many of us had childhood heroes, and for Gordon it was the famous showman Buffalo Bill.  What he might never have imagined was how he would eclipse the fame of the legend…

January 10, 2018
10Jan18 Billy the Kid 1
When two different cities, in two different states claim to have the body of the same man, well, you know there’s going to be a tale to tell.  We won’t tell you which place has the story right, but we will share the story nonetheless…

January 9, 2018
09Jan18 Billy the Kid 1
His name was William Henry Roberts Jr.  Or was it?  In fact, could you really believe any name this man said was his own?  He had a string of names that followed him and a long line of folks looking to apprehend him as well…

January 8, 2018
08Jan18 Ybor City Florida 2018 2
When U.S. soldiers crossed the Atlantic to fight in World War I, they not only preserved freedom, they also discovered something that transformed a working class neighborhood in Tampa…

 

January 5, 2018
05Jan18 Ybor City Florida 2018 1
Mention Ybor City to someone in Tampa, FL and they will probably tell you about all the great restaurants and clubs. However this neighborhood began over a century ago thanks to a man avoiding a death sentence…

January 4, 2018
04Jan18 Lauriam Michigan 3
Some people measure snow in inches.  Here it is measured in feet.  Many years it’s measured in many dozens of feet that does not go away for a very long time…

January 3, 2018
03Jan18 Lauriam Michigan 2
There is a lot of work that goes into restoring a home.  Now imagine you have an abondeded 13,000 square foot property that needs to be ready for visitors in one month…

January 2, 2018
02Jan18 Lauriam Michigan 1
Some people need large homes to accommodate growing families.  For this builder, part of the motivation may have been to say, “I told you so” to his neighbors…

January 1, 2018
01Jan18 Best of 2017 Pops
Most people travel Old Route 66 for the nostalgia.  So on the surface, this convenience store might not seem to fit in, because it was built well after the heyday of the Mother Road.  However, it’s a place that draws many locals and tourists alike…

 

December 29, 2017
29Dec17 Best of 2017 Enterprise Boll Weevil
Cotton was king in the southern U.S. in the early 20^th century.  However it was one of the tiniest of creatures that dethroned the crop as supreme in the south…

December 28, 2017
28Dec17 Best of 2017 Coon Dog Cemetery
It looks like many cemeteries in the U.S.  There are grave markers and flowers surrounding by many trees.  But this is not like any other cemetery in the U.S. And that’s because of who is buried here…

December 27, 2017
27Dec17 Best of 2017 Ishpeming Ski Jump
Depending on where you live in the nation, certain sports may be more popular than others.  When you live in the upper peninsula of Michigan, there’s a good chance the sports you love have much to do with snow…

December 26, 2017
26Dec17 Best of 2017 Iraan Texas
This land in southwest Texas appeared to be barren ranch country.  You could buy it for a relatively cheap price and the stock could roam for miles to graze on a little grass and water.  But Ira Yates noticed something that changed the area…

December 25, 2017
25Dec17 Washington Crossing 3
It was Christmas Day 1776…the first Christmas for the young United States of America.  If not for the bravery of General Washington and his men…it might have been the only Christmas the new nation celebrated…

 

December 22, 2017
22Dec17 Washington Crossing 2
On Christmas Eve 1776…a general and his men did not prepare for a meal or gift giving…but rather they prepared ammunition, supplies and boats for a pivotal point in the Revolution…

December 21, 2017
21Dec17 Washington Crossing 1
On Christmas Eve 1776…a general and his men did not prepare for a meal or gift giving…but rather they prepared ammunition, supplies and boats for a pivotal point in the Revolution…

December 20, 2017
20Dec17 Noel Missouri
It’s one of the most famous battles of the American Revolution…and it all began with the crossing of an icy river at Christmas…

December 19, 2017
19Dec17 Cave Caroling
Around Christmas you’re sure to hear Christmas carolers.  But we doubt you’ve ever heard caroling performed in this venue…

December 18, 2017
18Dec17 Kansas City Union Station Christmas
It’s one of those places you love to see at Christmas.  The century old building with its magnificent architecture plays host to many holiday events and serve as the background of many a photo…

 

December 15, 2017
15Dec17 Okefenokee Swamp 1
You might not think of a swamp as the best place to grow a corn crop.  But here is was the perfect place for a peculiar operation…

December 14, 2017
14Dec17 Puget Sound Navy Museum 4
It was a world series, that wasn’t the real world series.  Then again, maybe it was, for the biggest names in baseball were a part of a contest that drew a lot of attention…

December 13, 2017
13Dec17 Puget Sound Navy Museum 3
It was one American president and his connection to one particular ship that made this a well known craft in the U.S. navy.  It’s still and important boat built here…

December 12, 2017
12Dec17 Puget Sound Navy Museum 2
Sometimes cities grow so quickly, it’s hard for people to find a place to live.  Here the rush was so great, some began living in chicken coops just to have a roof over their head…

December 11, 2017
11Dec17 Puget Sound Navy Museum 1
If you drive to this town, you’re likely to see many vessels, both new and old, from the U.S. Navy.  The reason for that goes back over a century…

 

December 8, 2017
08Dec17 Denver Sleigh Works 2017
Santa needs a sleigh to make deliveries around the world. This man makes sure he will never run out of transportation…

December 7, 2017
07Dec17 Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum 3
If not for a song, this tragedy could have been forgotten by many.  However, when you hear the lyrics you’ll immediately know the tale of a ship and her crew…

December 6, 2017
06Dec17 Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum 2
A harbor is not only a place to load and unload cargo, but it can provide shelter in the face of a storm.  But that’s the problem, there just aren’t any safe harbors here and that makes this a particularly treacherous place to sail…

December 5, 2017
05Dec17 Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum 1
If you don’t slow down, you might have a wreck.  Here, if you don’t slow down, heed the weather, the fog, the gale force winds and much more…well, you’ll be lucky if you don’t eventually have a wreck.  Many have and that’s why there’s a museum devoted to the subject…

December 4, 2017
04Dec17 Valley Camp Sault Ste Marie 3
If you venture to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, you may go to see the Soo Locks.  Some folks also want the experience of climbing on board one of the big ships that pass thru that waterway and for that, they may come here…

 

December 1, 2017
01Dec17 Valley Camp Sault Ste Marie 2
It’s called the Valley Camp, and no it’s not a campground and no it’s not in a valley.  But that’s the name and it’s one of the biggest draws here…

November 30, 2017
30Nov17 Valley Camp Sault Ste Marie 1
What is the oldest city in Michigan?  We’ll give you a moment to ponder the answer and the founder and then return…

November 29, 2017
29Nov17 Achy Breaky Heart 3
You probably either loved it or hated it – the song Achy, Breaky Heart.  It was a song that Don Von Tress thought was pretty good, but he could have never imagined how far it would go…

November 28, 2017
28Nov17 Achy Breaky Heart 2
It all began in the drive thru line at Hardee’s.  That was the place that inspired one of the most well-known songs in country music…

November 27, 2017
27Nov17 Achy Breaky Heart 1
We often know songs by who sings them instead of who writes them.  Today we visit with one very skilled writer…

 

November 24, 2017
24Nov17 Thanksgiving Berkley Plantation
You may have thought Thanksgiving dates back to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in today’s state of Massaschusettes.  But, in a moment we’ll travel to the farm that claims to have held that first feast many years prior…

November 23, 2017
23Nov17 Thanksgiving Plymouth Rock
Each Thanksgiving we are likely to remember the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock.  But is that rock really the spot they disembarked?

November 22, 2017
22Nov17 Mummy Exhibit 2
Today’s show is about something called mummy bundles.  That term may give you scary visions of Halloween goblins, but it may be quite the opposite…

November 21, 2017
21Nov17 Mummy Exhibit 1
When you think of mummies, you perhaps have pictures of Eqyptian mummies and the pyramids. But today’s program will take you far beyond what you probably know…

November 20, 2017
20Nov17 Lock N Lube
It’s said the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Russell’s problem was that he had plenty of squeaking wheels and none of them were getting any grease…

 

November 17, 2017
17Nov17 Laila Ali 3
It was Ali versus Frazier. Not that Ali versus Frazier, but their kids…

November 16, 2017
16Nov17 Laila Ali 2
Sometimes parents influence their children in a direction they think best for them.  In this case, the father encouraged the daughter not to follow in his footsteps.  She didn’t listen and became a champ herself…

November 15, 2017
15Nov17 Laila Ali 1
He was simply known as “the champ.”  He had the physical abilities to take him to the top of his sport and the social abilities that drew large crowds…

November 14, 2017
14Nov17 Helen Keller 4
Imagine a world in which you could not see anything nor hear a sound.  That was this lady’s world, yet she overcome the obstacle to touch lives around the world…

November 13, 2017
13Nov17 Helen Keller 3
Sometimes teachers encounter challenging students.  This student went so far as to lock their teacher in the classroom and throw away the key…

 

November 10, 2017
10Nov17 Helen Keller 2
Today there are resources to help those with physical challenges, but a century ago that was often not the case.  That is what makes this lady’s story even more remarkable…

November 9, 2017
09Nov17 Helen Keller 1
In Tuscumbia, Alabama you’ll find a homestead named Ivy Green.  And if you don’t know that name, you certainly know the little girl who grew up there…

November 8, 2017
08Nov17 Gipper 3
You most likely know this football player, not for what he did on the gridiron, but instead for what he said just before he died…

November 7, 2017
07Nov17 Gipper 2
He was one of the nation’s first multi-sport stars but you know him for football and the movie that helped tell his story…

November 6, 2017
06Nov17 Gipper 1
He went to Notre Dame, despite the fact he did not have a High School diploma.  And once he got there, his original plans changed and made him quite well known…

 

November 3, 2017
03Nov17 Belle Grove Plantation
Our history books tell us the south had many slave holding plantations in the years leading up to the Civil War. So it may be a little surprising to find such an operation here…..

November 2, 2017
02Nov17 Cowpens National Battlefield 2
It was once known as just a giant pasture, but today it’s also the site of an important battle in the Revolutionary War…

November 1, 2017
01Nov17 Cowpens National Battlefield 1
Imagine being captured during a war and then forced to fight against the army from which you came. What would you do to get back to the right side of the battle?

October 31, 2017
31Oct17 Fort Mose 2
Long before there was an American Civil War waged over the issue of slavery, there was the struggle for slaves to find freedom. The first chapters of that story are ones few have ever heard, with slaves escaping, not north, but south…

October 30, 2017
30Oct17 Fort Mose 1
In the marshlands on the northern edge of one of America’s oldest city, you’ll find an amazing story of the struggle for freedom. It’s an important piece of history that is being uncovered yet today…

 

October 27, 2017
27Oct17 Circus Museum
It all began with Albert, Otto, Alfred, Charles, and John. Without their last names, those first names might not mean anything to you. Put together with the phrase “prepare to be amazed,” and you’ll definitely recognize the names…

October 26, 2017
26Oct17 Fort Hays 3
For an enlisted man at Fort Hays, it wasn’t enough to win a young woman’s heart and ask her hand in marriage. You needed the permission of your commanding officer and a few other key logistics to make the wedding take shape…

October 25, 2017
25Oct17 Fort Hays 2
The Army certainly needs strong, upstanding young men and women to fill its ranks today. But in the late 19th Century, the reasons men enlisted may have been for reasons far from defending one’s nation…

October 24, 2017
24Oct17 Fort Hays 1
As Americans moved from east to west, a network of forts sprang up across the high plains to protect travel and commerce. A few of those outposts still remain today, not as military operations, but as a testament to the communities that thrived around them…

October 23, 2017
23Oct17 Iraan Texas 2
Andrew travels on-location for each of the features you hear on this program. Today, we journey to a spot that many of us have heard of but few would venture to go.  We find ourselves inside Iraan.  If it sounds a bit ominous, give us a moment to explain…

 

October 20, 2017
20Oct17 Iraan Texas 1
This land in southwest Texas appeared to be barren ranch country.  You could buy it for a relatively cheap price and the stock could roam for miles to graze on a little grass and water.  But Ira Yates noticed something that changed the area…

October 19, 2017
19Oct17 Alaska Riverboat 3
To many of us, salmon are just another type of fish we might eat. But to the people of Alaska, this is a fish that may have even a spiritual meaning…

October 18, 2017
18Oct17 Alaska Riverboat 2
When the city of Fairbanks swelled with the Klondike gold rush in the late 1800s, a fleet of riverboats began to sail the river waters hauling supplies. When the riverboats came, something else began to change…

October 17, 2017
17Oct17 Alaska Riverboat 1
When you think of a riverboat captain, you probably think of life on the Mississippi, Ohio or Missouri. Instead, we’ll ride a river in Alaska…

October 16, 2017
16Oct17 Jean Richardson 2
It’s a chore for most states to build and repair roads and bridges. Mary Carey fought with her state for ten years to simply get a road…

 

October 13, 2017
13Nov09 Jean Richardson 1
Jean Richardson’s mother had always dreamed of moving to Alaska and teaching school there. When she did move north, the opportunity she was given was one most people would not accept, but it still turned out to be a place she put down roots…

October 12, 2017
12Nov09 Alaska Glaciers 2
If there is such a thing as a famous iceberg, it would probably be the chuck of ice that sunk the Titanic. If there is such a thing as an expert on icebergs, it would probably be Mary Bloom…

October 11, 2017
11Nov09 Alaska Glaciers 1
Alaska has plenty to offer visitors when it comes to natural beauty. One of the most popular attractions for tourists is to board a ship and see the ice that the state is famous for…

October 10, 2017
10Oct17 Noah’s Ark 2
It is a place that really must be seen to be fully appreciated.  It’s the largest wooden frame structure in the world and a place that will help unlock the mysteries of a story we’ve known since childhood…

October 9, 2017
09Oct17 Noah’s Ark 1
Maybe you have a boat you enjoy taking on the water to fish, ski or just relax.  It’s safe to say you don’t have a boat like this.  In fact, there’s only one person that ever did have this boat and the folks here want you to learn all about it…

 

October 6, 2017
06Oct17 Whitewater Canal 3
Most people see this structure and think it’s just a covered bridge.  That answer is partially correct.  When you uncover the details about what you are looking at, you’ll realize you are gazing at the last one of these in the entire nation…

October 5, 2017
05Oct17 Whitewater Canal 2
Today we flip a switch and use electricity to run most conveniences around our homes and businesses.  However, before the days of electricity, this power source was one of the most important in early America…

October 4, 2017
04Oct17 Whitewater Canal 1
In the days before roads crisscrossed the nation, rivers served as one of the best ways to get from one point to another.  And when a river wasn’t available, some locations made their own waterway to spur growth…

October 3, 2017
03Oct17 Hatch Chile
If you play with fire your liable to get burned.  But on Jim Lidle’s farm, fire is what they grow.  It’s fire in the form of vegetables…

October 2, 2017
02Oct17 Stepen Douglas
Abraham Lincoln led the country through the Civil War…but it was this man who defeated him for the senate just two years prior.  We’ll go to the home of the man known as the little giant…

 

September 29, 2017
29Sept17 Keokuk Famous People
Whether you are a student of history or not, we each know something about the Civil War.  However, the next chapter is one few have heard about yet it’s one that is very important.  It’s the tale of a very determined lady who worked tirelessly to help those in need…

September 28, 2017
28Sept17 Keokuk Geodes 2
A lot of cities will hold a festival centered around rock – but we’re not talking about rock music.  For it’s a real rock that will fill all the hotel rooms in this city in the fall and have people driving from states away…

September 27, 2017
27Sept17 Keokuk Geodes 1
The name of this rock is just as odd as it looks.  Yet it is a rock that puts this place on the map.  We go in search of the unusual and beautiful…

September 26, 2017
26Sept17 Dozens of Currencies
One, five, ten, twenty? Those are the denominations of bills we normally see when paying for items. Now imagine that not only were there more denominations, but there were dozens of different types of bills in circulation. What you would have is a major mess–and that’s exactly what banking could be like in the 1850’s…

September 25, 2017
25Sept17 Lincoln Park’s Lilly Pool
This famous architect was hired to design one of Chicago’s famous park landscapes.  No sooner did he design it than park employees began mowing down all of his flowers.  What Alfred Caldwell did next perhaps made this the well-known spot it is today…

 

September 22, 2017
22Sept17 Smokejumper 3
You might be a little crazy to jump out of an airplane and fight a fire.  So what does it mean if you’ve done it over 800 times?  We speak with a smokejumper and discuss the king of the career…

September 21, 2017
21Sept17 Smokejumper 2
When a forest fire flames up in a remote area, it may be Dan Ryan’s crew that is called in to fight the blaze. This is the story of the smokejumpers…

September 20, 2017
20Sept17 Smokejumper 1
Imagine a job that combines jumping out of airplanes and fighting fires.  Now imagine you want to make it your career.  We visit with one of those men, a forest service smokejumper…

September 19, 2017
19Sept17 Missouri River 340 2
Imagine a race that might last over three days and in that time, you may not sleep at all, or very little, with the ground for a bed.  It may not sound that appealing, but it’s a race that draws plenty of participants for the biggest of its kind.

September 18, 2017
18Sept17 Missouri River 340 1
Folks in Clinton, Missouri know there is quite a racer in their midst, a man who’s sprint was not measured in minutes or seconds, but rather in days…

 

September 15, 2017
15Sep17 Wright Brothers 2
The Wright Brothers made their first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.  However, it was the farmers around Dayton that helped them perfect the plane.  However, those pastures were they trained were full of dangers…

September 14, 2017
14Sep17 Wright Brothers 1
Although Kitty Hawk, North Carolina received most of the attention regarding the Wright Brothers first flight, it was this Ohio city were much of the work took place before and after that inaugural flight.  It’s a place where Orville Wright was skipping school at the age of six…for what he thought was a very good reason…

September 13, 2017
13Sep17 French Lick 3
Clean water is an important part of maintaining good health.  So it may seem odd to us today that thousands of people once drank some of the nastiest smelling water on Earth, all in an effort to promote better health…

September 12, 2017
12Sep17 French Lick 2
For most of us, the name Pluto is recognized as the name of a planet, or whatever they are calling it these days, or a Disney character.  But in the mid 1800s, Pluto was something far different in this town…

September 11, 2017
11Sep17 French Lick 1
It’s one of the most unusual town names you’ll find in the nation.  But when you dig a little deeper you’ll see there was good reason it earned that title.  And no doubt you’ve heard of it, or maybe even traveled there…

 

September 8, 2017
08Sep17 Nathan Boone 2
Before their was a U.S. cavalry, this man was noted to be the top mounted military man in the nation.  His skills were so impressive that the future president of the confederacy wrote of his keen ability to lead men on the high plains.  However, few have heard of him, mostly due to the huge shadow cast by his prominent father…

September 7, 2017
07Sep17 Nathan Boone 1
Most of us remember the frontiersman and explorer, Daniel Boone from our history books.  However, we may not be familiar with his children and their equally impressive contributions to building America.  The baby of the family was perhaps the most successful…

September 6, 2017
06Sep17 Lathrop Missouri Mules 2
Imagine a small U.S. farm town with British soldiers who had residences there.  No, we are not talking about the Revolutionary War, but rather World War I, and there was a very good reason why those Brits spent a lot of time in that place…

September 5, 2017
05Sep17 Lathrop Missouri Mules 1
It was once the mule capital of the world.  You can still find some mules there and if you go to the school, well, they are the mules too.  We dig into a story about those animals and exactly why they were so important here…

September 4, 2017
04Sep17 Strongman Steve
Every dentist that has ever advised not to crush ice or hard candy with one’s teeth will not want to meet Steve Schmidt. His teeth are the main attraction and what results from each of his shows is sure to make a dentist squirm–and perhaps you as well…

 

September 1, 2017
01Sep17 World War I Mules 2
My grandfather was born in 1903 and remembered the nation’s fight to win World War I.  In fact, my grandfather was pretty angry when his father sold one of their best mules to be sent to Europe during the war…

August 31, 2017
31Aug17 World War I Mules 1
Even before the United States entered World War I, American farms were important in helping the allies win the conflict.  In particular, it was one type of livestock that became a coveted tool in the work to defeat the enemy…

August 30, 2017
30Aug17 Laura Ingels Wilder Home 2
It is hard to imagine it happened mostly by accident…eight books and a ten year television series all based on one young pioneer girl’s memories of growing up.  The stories were written here, and people from around the world still come to visit…

August 29, 2017
29Aug17 Laura Ingels Wilder Home 1
She never set out to become a famous author…she was simply writing down some stories from her childhood.  But those memories became one of the best known series of children’s books, a series still popular today…

August 28, 2017
28Aug17 Arizona Pheasant Grower
Most people don’t go pheasant hunting in Phoenix, AZ.  But if you to come to Molly’s farm, you will perhaps see more pheasants than you’ve seen in your entire lifetime…

 

August 25, 2017
25Aug17 Port Townsend Washington Race to Alaska
It’s called the “Race to Alaska,” a trek for teams from Washington state to Alaska.  Winning the contest will earn you a big prize, second place, well, not so much…

August 24, 2017
24Aug17 Port Townsend Washington Kinetic Race
You’ve likely never heard of a kinetic sculpture race.  Neither had I and I had no idea what it was, but it’s just one of the interesting events held here…

August 23, 2017
23Aug17 Port Townsend Washington 3
These forts were designed to protect a critical waterway in the U.S.  While they never had to fire on an enemy, when they did fire, they did damage to their own community…

August 22, 2017
22Aug17 Port Townsend Washington 2
You could say it’s a story of boom and bust.  But while the fortunes of this city did sour over a century ago, it was far from dead…

August 21, 2017
21Aug17 Port Townsend Washington 1
We’ve all heard of Seattle, Washington, but in the mid 1800s, it was this town that was to be the large city in the Pacific Northwest.  You can still find it, but it’s not nearly the size some had projected…

 

August 18, 2017
18Aug17 Wagon Wheel Motel
Connie Echols admits she was crazy when she purchased the business just down the street.  She had no idea what she’d gotten herself into.  That’s what happens when buy a 70 year old motel that rents rooms for $11 a night…

August 17, 2017
17Aug17 Appalachian Trail Bruce Sweet 4
I have seen Maine’s Mt. Katahdin from afar and I’ve always wanted to venture the top.  Today we meet a man who not only walked to the top, he took another 2189 miles to get there…

August 16, 2017
16Aug17 Appalachian Trail Bruce Sweet 3
It’s a task that takes most people five or six months.  A process guaranteed to increase your metabolism and hopefully make you stronger and healthier.  That said, it can be a grueling process for those who take on the challenge…

August 15, 2017
15Aug17 Appalachian Trail Bruce Sweet 2
No one likes to be labeled a “quitter.”  However, just up the trail from Spring Mountain, Georgia you’ll find a place of reckoning.  It’s a store where many people with big dreams have a change of heart…

August 14, 2017
14Aug17 Appalachian Trail Bruce Sweet 1
Bruce Sweet recently retired from his job, but he had a very big idea in mind.  It was something that would challenge him mentally, physically and spiritually.  What resulted is a task many say they’ll try, but few complete…

 

August 11, 2017
11Aug17 Iron Mine Tour 2
There was something glittering on the ground after a big rain.  It wasn’t gold, but it was certainly interesting.  So interesting in fact, that men would take seven years of time in a quest to find the source…

August 10, 2017
10Aug17 Iron Mine Tour 1
Many a business has thought of unique ideas to drum up new customers.  So what did one group of hotel owners decides to do to increase occupancy?  Begin an iron mine…

August 9, 2017
09Aug17 Ishpeming Ski Jump 5
It would be hard to identify the very person that ever began snow skiing.  The concept has been around for a long time.  But one club lays claim to a very important part of the story…

August 8, 2017
08Aug17 Ishpeming Ski Jump 4
For centuries humans have desired to zoom into the air like birds.  But how do you get that feeling when you don’t have wings?  Some young people in northern Michigan have found one answer, but you may need a little bravery to try it…

August 7, 2017
07Aug17 Ishpeming Ski Jump 3
Many people say that kids need to be more active.  And, if you want a kid to excel in sports you need to start them young.  That’s why this story caught our eye, because you may be surprised the age of kids who are flying above the ground in pursuit of this winter and even summertime sport…

 

August 4, 2017
04Aug17 Ishpeming Ski Jump 2
Kids can sometimes come up with fantastic and perhaps, unwise stunts to pass their time around home.  Such was the case for Gary and his dad.  Maybe it wasn’t that unwise, but using the doghouse for this purpose was certainly something I would have never thought of…

August 3, 2017
03Aug17 Ishpeming Ski Jump 1
Depending on where you live in the nation, certain sports may be more popular than others.  When you live in the upper peninsula of Michigan, there’s a good chance the sports you love have much to do with snow…

August 2, 2017
02Aug17 Mackinaw Fort 3
Forts are often built to defend a military position.   But when your fort is not in the best location for that purpose, what do you do?  In this case, they simply picked up the fort and moved it to a place you have probably heard of…

August 1, 2017
01Aug17 Mackinaw Fort 2
It seemed like an innocent game of lacrosse.  A group of men invited locals to come watch what was billed as an important game between two top teams.  What resulted was an amazing use of trickery to flip the odds in a military conquest…

July 31, 2017
31Jul17 Mackinaw Fort 1
Today it is a well-known summer vacation spot.  Turn back the clock about three centuries and people would have known it as one of the most strategic water routes in the nation.  That fact made this a very important place for countries to stake their claim…

 

July 28, 2017
28Jul17 Hunter Dawson Home
In the days just ahead of the Civil War, one prominent young lady in New Madrid, Missouri built a grand mansion for her family.  Perhaps no one could imagine the turmoil she would see before that home was complete…

July 27, 2017
27Jul17 Wishbone Studios 2
Directly across the street from the airport in Muscle Shoals, Alabama you’ll find a simple square building with some cabins across the lane.  Most people wouldn’t give it a second thought.  But if you get the name of the place you’ll soon find some amazing history that’s once again on display…

July 26, 2017
26Jul17 Wishbone Studios 1
His name is Billy Lawson…and if the name sounds familiar…well, you’ve certainly heard his work.  He’s one of those names behind the big names…but if Billy wasn’t around, well the big guys wouldn’t be so big either…

July 25, 2017
25Jul17 George Lair 3
Did you ever meet someone famous? Did you immediately recognize them, or did someone have to nudge you and point out the fact? Today’s story is about one of those encounters and the delightful story that can evolve when you never knew you were talking to a “big shot…”

July 24, 2017
24Jul17 George Lair 2
We all listen to music, but we often don’t give much thought to where that music was recorded and the process it takes to get those songs just right for us to hear on the radio. Today, we venture into one of the long-time great sights in the music production world…

 

July 21, 2017
21Jul17 George Lair 1
You’ve perhaps heard of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, but maybe you don’t know just how big a deal this place is in the music world.  We dive into the industry both past and present…

July 20, 2017
20Jul17 Coon Dog Cemetery 2
Not just anyone gets to buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  The same holds true for this little cemetery down some backroads in northwestern Alabama.  It’s a who’s who that’s here…

July 19, 2017
19Jul17 Coon Dog Cemetery 1
It looks like many cemeteries in the U.S.  There are grave markers and flowers surrounding by many trees.  But this is not like any other cemetery in the U.S. And that’s because of who is buried here…

July 18, 2017
18Jul17 Cle Elum Washington 3
This is a city that was last.  And in this case, being last isn’t all that bad, for what came here last made this museum one of the first and only places to find a once very standard piece of hardware…

July 17, 2017
17Jul17 Cle Elum Washington 2
It was the grandest of homes in one of the most remote towns in America.  But there’s a good reason this house was built in this Cascades mountain town…

 

July 14, 2017
14Jul17 Cle Elum Washington 1
It’s one of the more unusual town names in the nation and it has an equally interesting history to boot.  We venture to a place named Cle Elum…

July 13, 2017
13Jul17 Mary Todd Lincoln 4
She may well be the most studied first lady in American history.  A highly educated young woman that road the ups and downs of a nation in crisis…

July 12, 2017
12Jul17 Mary Todd Lincoln 3
During the Civil War many families were split over the issue of slavery.  In some cases, brothers fought against each other on the battlefield.  It was a situation that hit close to home for none other than the president himself…

July 11, 2017
11Jul17 Mary Todd Lincoln 2
They might seem to be opposites.  A rural, self-educated farm boy and a formally educated, French speaking young lady.  But the two met and became a first family…

July 10, 2017
10Jul17 Mary Todd Lincoln 1
You can find several presidential homes devoted to the story of one of our country’s leaders.  But it’s more difficult to find a home devoted to a first lady…

 

July 7, 2017
07Jul17 Ernie Pyle 3
When this journalist died, the president of the United States personally took to the airwaves to announce his death to the nation.  The beloved correspondent lives on through his writings…

July 6, 2017
06Jul17 Ernie Pyle 2
When America sent troops to war during World War II, this man was there, alongside the infantry and reporting the role of the common man in winning a global conflict…

July 5, 2017
05Jul17 Ernie Pyle 1
I must admit, I feel a kinship with the person we feature today.  For he too was a traveler of the American Countryside.  Someone who had a career this broadcaster can take a lesson or two from…

July 4, 2017
04Jul17 Independence Day 2
Thomas Jefferson helped write the Declaration of Independence…but he wasn’t happy with the final product.  Why was Jefferson grinding his teeth and not talking to his fellow delegates?

July 3, 2017
03Jul17 Independence Day 1
Thomas Jefferson took an important role in writing our Declaration of Independence, but most people don’t know he wasn’t even supposed to be in Philadelphia for the meeting that drafted the document…

 

June 30, 2017
30Jun17 Mt Washington Auto Road 3
Imagine running the Daytona 500 on a mountain road with steep grades and no guardrails.  The cars may not be the same…but autos have been racing here since they day’s just after their invention…

June 29, 2017
29Jun17 Mt Washington Auto Road 2
It’s a mountain road with hairpin curves, no guardrails and an average grade of 12%.  That makes it one of the most popular and perhaps hair raising attractions in the northeast…

June 28, 2017
28Jun17 Mt Washington Auto Road 1
It was big news when this mountain road opened…not because it linked two cities, but rather because it linked tourists with one of the most scenic spots in the northeast…

June 27, 2017
27Jun17 Selma Church 5
Did you ever think you might need a ticket to get into your church?  It happens here, but that’s a good thing since this is a house of worship that many folks want to attend…

June 26, 2017
26Jun17 Selma Church 4
Today you can drive over this bridge and perhaps never know its important place in American history.  But today we will take you back to the events that will always make this span a site that still draws many visitors…

 

June 23, 2017
23Jun17 Selma Church 3
Many of us take the right to vote for granted. It may be something we do when there is an election, but the process of actually registering to vote is a right guaranteed.  Or so was it?

June 22, 2017
22Jun17 Selma Church 2
Most parents would not wanting their children skipping school.  But in this case, there was something far more important – so important it should not even be considering missing school but doing to learn…

June 21, 2017
21Jun17 Selma Church 1
It’s one of the most famous churches in the nation – a place that is about more than just a place to worship, but a place that put people into action…

June 20, 2017
20Jun17 Eleos Coffee 1
For Rich Casebolt it’s always been about going to where the need is, not waiting for the need to come to you…

June 19, 2017
19Jun17 Eleos Coffee 1
A lot of people enjoy a good cup of coffee every morning, but here it was hard to find such a thing.  This shop opened to fill much more than that need…

 

June 16, 2017
16Jun17 Missouri State Prison 5
It’s a story that will probably make you mad, make you laugh and shake your head AND a story you’ll probably pass along to someone else because it seems so unbelievable…

June 15, 2017
15Jun17 Missouri State Prison 4
It’s a job that can be a real balancing act.  A place where you have to manage the best and worst of people and somehow try to keep things running smoothly…

June 14, 2017
14Jun17 Missouri State Prison 3
When this man became heavy weight champion of the world, one of the first men he thanked was a prison boxing coach.  It’s the tale of an unlikely route…

June 13, 2017
13Jun17 Missouri State Prison 2
It was once the largest prison in the nation and quite possibly the world.  A place housing criminals from a huge swath of the US…

June 12, 2017
12Jun17 Missouri State Prison 1
This week we focus on a man who spent over three decades of his life in a SuperMax state prison…

 

June 9, 2017
09Jun17 Brices Crossroads Tupelo
His cavalrymen fought like none other…and their maneuvers are still the topic of military studies today. That has many history buffs and even the general public stopping at a small site with a big story…

June 8, 2017
08Jun17 Dublin Bottling Works 3
One would think the title of “Patriotic Girl” would be a good thing.  However, the general public was appalled by her – so much so it’s hard to find her anywhere – except for here of course…

June 7, 2017
07Jun17 Dublin Bottling Works 2
There is a cash register in Dublin, Texas that many might simply pass off as a unique antique.  However, when you hear the story of its age and the product it was ringing up, you’ll stop and find a true piece of history…

June 6, 2017
06Jun17 Dublin Bottling Works 1
If someone said, “Shot me a Waco” what would they want from you?  It may sound like an odd request but you simply know it by another name…

June 5, 2017
05Jun17 Ohio Food Bank 2
If you were dropped inside this building and had no idea what it was, it might take you awhile to figure out what business operated here.  That’s because this place looks at its role of feeding Americans in a unique and proactive way…

 

June 2, 2017
02Jun17 Ohio Food Bank 1
What can you do with an old mattress warehouse?  Use it to feed thousands of people in twenty counties.  That’s what this organization is doing…

June 1, 2017
01Jun17 Pilgrim Burials 2
How old is old?  Well, it may depend on who or what you are talking about, but when it comes to museums, this one has some of the oldest artifacts from early Europeans settlers that you will see in the country…

May 31, 2017
31May17 Pilgrim Burials 1
They are some of the oldest graves of Europeans settlers you can find in this nation.  It’s Steven’s job to study those burials to tell us more about life 400 years ago…

May 30, 2017
30May17 Arlington Cemetery 3
It was a village inside Arlington National Cemetery…a place where people found refuge during the Civil War.  This is the story of the unique city and the history behind those buried in this section of the grounds…

May 29, 2017
29May17 Arlington Cemetery 2
Although most visitors to Arlington National Cemetery simply see the Tomb of the Unknowns and perhaps the JFK grave site…there are many interesting areas of these grounds…including what is perhaps the most historic spot…section 27…

 

May 26, 2017
26May17 Arlington Cemetery 1
Tom thought he was coming here simply to fill a summer job.  Over 30 years later, he’s still here…but that’s fine with him.  It’s a role that has him sharing history of a place we remember on Memorial Day…

May 25, 2017
25May17 Greenup Illinois 3
It’s hard to imagine a U.S. president taking time to check into a hotel, sign their name to the registration card, complete with their home address.  That’s exactly what happened in this small town…THREE times…

May 24, 2017
24May17 Greenup Illinois 2
Today interstate highways provide the roads for multistate trips, but when this country was founded, any road at all was quite a feat.  But there was always the idea that trail of some sort should link the two ends of the nation and it was this road that resulted…

May 23, 2017
23May17 Greenup Illinois 1
Some say this small Midwestern town has the look of New Orleans’ French Quarter.  When you drive down Main Street you’ll see what people mean and today we will tell you why it has had that appearance for over a century…

May 22, 2017
22May17 Clara Barton 2
Today we see these volunteers helping others around the world after natural disasters and other tragedies.  It all began with one woman who left her job at the patent office…

 

May 19, 2017
19May17 Clara Barton 1
Today it is one of the most recognized organizations helping those in need…and its story began with one women helping the soldiers of the Civil War…

May 18, 2017
18May17 Solar Eclipse 4
St. Joseph, Missouri is a town of about 75,000 people.  However, this August, there are estimates that up to a half million people may jam the city within a couple of hours.  How do you prepare for such a crowd?

May 17, 2017
17May17 Solar Eclipse 3
God willing, I know where I will be at 1PM on August 21^st.  I’ll be outside our home looking at the stars in the sky.  And you too can see the stars in the middle of the day…on that day only…

May 16, 2017
16May17 Solar Eclipse 2
Some people will travel the nation and world to hear or see their favorite band or team.  Jackie has made similar trips, but her journeys are not to see a person, place or animal, but something even more elusive…

May 15, 2017
15May17 Solar Eclipse 1
The last time this event took place in the continental United States was 1979.  Now, thirty-eight years later, it’s back and many people will make plans for what is a once-in-a-lifetime event for many…

 

May 12, 2017
12May17 George Washington Carver Museum 3
There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Garret Morgan, but you’ve been impacted by his inventions.  But incredibly, there were some who would not use his products, not because they didn’t do their job, but for another reason…

May 11, 2017
11May17 George Washington Carver Museum 2
When I went to this building to do today’s feature, I was a little confused.  There were two front doors and it was difficult to figure out where to enter.  What was confusing to me, was commonplace a few decades ago…

May 10, 2017
10May17 George Washington Carver Museum 1
In the days when it was difficult for some to come to school, the school went to the students.  And in this case, the teacher was one a renowned scientist teaching practical tips for farmers to survive…

May 9, 2017
09May17 Two Story Outhouse
You may be tempted to believe this small building in central Illinois is just a gimmick devised for people to stop and take a look.  However, dig a little deeper and you’ll find a piece of history that’s over a century old, and a piece of technology quite imaginative for its time…

May 8, 2017
08May17 Little Jail
The need for maximum security prisons is an unfortunate reality of life.  On the other end of the spectrum is the jail in Gardner, Illinois.  Its residents were far from hardened criminals, yet the small place served its purpose well…and continues to attract folks yet today…

 

May 5, 2017
05May17 Spruce Goose 2017
This plane made but one flight – a trip that lasted about one mile just a few yards off of the surface.  Yet, it remains one of the most historic and most visited aircraft in the nation.  Perhaps that’s because it was the largest ever constructed…..

May 4, 2017
04May17 El Dorado Mine 4
All Shawna’s father wanted was a five acre patch of land to access the Colorado River.  He soon learned that if he wanted that land, there would be a catch.  He’d actually have to buy a larger tract and take what came with it.  That decision changed the course of one family’s history…

May 3, 2017
03May17 El Dorado Mine 3
The proposal had to sound ridiculous to just about everyone who heard it, save the men who sprang the idea.  Their offer was to pay for the transportation of women to come and inhabit their boom town since there were currently only men residing there

May 2, 2017
02May17 El Dorado Mine 2
This canyon was once a bustling place full of men looking to make big money in the gold mines.  The mine is still here and there are some miners around, if you count Shawna’s family that is…

May 1, 2017
01May17 El Dorado Mine 1
A place can be deceiving.  That was exactly the case here in what is today’s desert south of Las Vegas. There appeared to be little of interest except for a rumor about an unusual white rock…

 

April 28, 2017
28Apr17 New Bedford Seaman’s Bethel
You’ll find many churches in New Bedford, Massachusetts, but you’ll have to look far and wide to find one with a history quite like this one.  It was just a simple chapel but it made its way into novels and movies and still draws many visitors today…

April 27, 2017
27Apr17 New Bedford Whaling Museum 4
The ship’s name was the Dartmouth.  When it took a cargo of whale oil to England no one perhaps thought much of it.  However, what the Dartmouth loaded as a return cargo for the American colonies made history…

April 26, 2017
26Apr17 New Bedford Whaling Museum 3
Did you ever leave home for a while, then return and find that lots had changed?  That was commonplace in this town.  Men would head to work only to return and find their family and town was much different than it was when they departed…

April 25, 2017
25Apr17 New Bedford Whaling Museum 2
It’s called a Nantucket sleigh ride.  Sounds like a nice winter ride, but it’s actually far from a peaceful dash through the snow.  For the person in the sleigh was not on the land, and their chances of surviving the ride were very doubtful…

April 24, 2017
24Apr17 New Bedford Whaling Museum 1
If you made good revenue from a field you might call it your “cash crop.” Here the cash crop doesn’t grow in the soil, but rather in the water…

 

April 21, 2017
21Apr17 Postville Courthouse 2017
Americans regard him as one of their most beloved presidents…a man that pulled a nation together as civil war tore it apart.  When you look at the life and accomplishments of Abraham Lincoln, one should make a stop here…to a simple courthouse that may have laid the foundation for an American hero…

April 20, 2017
20Apr17 Osama of Jordan 4
If you were ever fascinated in the adventures of Harrison Ford playing Indiana Jones, then you have definitely seen this place.  It was the supposed home of the Holy Grail.  The place does exist, you just won’t find the Grail there…

April 19, 2017
19Apr17 Osama of Jordan 3
It’s estimated that about 40% of American do not know how to swim.  Today I’ll take you to a place perfect for those nonswimmers, for here you can swim and not sink.  We’ll bob on the water…

April 18, 2017
18Apr17 Osama of Jordan 2
Today we interview a gentlemen named Osama.  He laughs because that name may bring certain images to mind for an American.  However this Osama is a Christian living in a predominately Muslim nation and he’s very happy to take you to some sites that are too often overlooked…

April 17, 2017
17Apr17 Osama of Jordan 1
The country of Jordan is bordered by Syria on the north and Iraq on the east.  Despite the unrest in those countries, Jordan has remained peaceful – a place where tourists still come to explore many sites…

 

April 14, 2017
14Apr17 Isreal Easter 3
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher contains the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection.  Several denominations have a presence in this church, each claiming a bit of the property if you will.  So who then has the keys to the place?

April 13, 2017
13Apr17 Isreal Easter 2
Holy Week is a time when Christians reflect on the death and resurrection of Christ.  The events of Easter week come to life on the streets of the old city of Jerusalem…

April 12, 2017
12Apr17 Isreal Easter 1
Most people would consider the country of Syria to be a dangerous place right now.  However, here, along this country’s border with Syria, the scene is peaceful – even scenic.  It’s a place of irony, beautiful plateaus next to bunkers and mine fields…

April 11, 2017
11Apr17 Ocmulgee 2
It this country…the U.S. Capitol is the place where laws are made…but 1000 years ago…it was perhaps this earth lodge where the most important decisions of the area where handed down.  We visit a remarkable piece of history uncovered by archeologists…

April 10, 2017
10Apr17 Ocmulgee 1
Most of what we know about this group of people comes from the mounds they built all across the U.S.  In the state of Georgia though, some of these mounds and lodges are unique to the rest of the country and give us extra insight into life a millennium ago…

 

April 7, 2017
07Apr17 Oblong Illinois Oil Museum 2
Just south of Interstate 70 in southeast Illinois, you may begin to see some unusual sights popping up and down in corn and soybean fields.  This is the industry that brought an unexpected boom here over a century ago…

April 6, 2017
06Apr17 Oblong Illinois Oil Museum 1
There was a time when the farmers of southeastern Illinois found something far more profitable on their land than corn or livestock.  In fact, the money to be made was so lucrative, many simply quite farming and built a big house in town…

April 5, 2017
05Apr17 Hico Texas Chocolatier 3
What is the busiest time of year for a chocolate shop?  You can probably guess a couple of holidays will be at the top of the list.  However, the “who” and “how” people shop on those days can be very different and that can cause Kevin to have to do some serious planning…

April 4, 2017
04Apr17 Hico Texas Chocolatier 2
It is perhaps an unexpected business to find on the streets of Hico, Texas.  It is a place some might find in a metropolitan area or even a high dollar neighborhood in Europe.  Yet, here it is, a place causing people to make detours to a town of about 1000…

April 3, 2017
03Apr17 Hico Texas Chocolatier 1
It all began with a 4-h project in a rural area about an hour outside of Texas.  Fast forward about two decades and some of the lessons learned as a kid turned into an unexpected business…

 

March 31 ,2017
31Mar17 USS Turner Joy 4
Many of you listening to our broadcasts lived through the Vietnam War.  No doubt, some of you fought in that conflict.  Today we meet a man who played a part in firing the very last round of that war…

March 30 ,2017
30Mar17 USS Turner Joy 3
Why would a small fishing boat try to stand in the path of a U.S. Navy Destroyer.  This sailor knew exactly what they were up to and it was the men aboard his ship who were responsible for keeping the fisherman at bay…

March 29 ,2017
29Mar17 USS Turner Joy 2
Sometimes you’ll looking for a name that will intimidate your enemy.  Therein was the problem.  The latest ship due to roll off the line for the U.S. Navy was honoring an important admiral, however the name just didn’t sound right.  It needed to sound bigger and badder so to speak…

March 28 ,2017
28Mar17 USS Turner Joy 1
Many ships, both military and otherwise are named for a person or place.  Often the story behind those namesakes it quite a tale in itself…

March 27 ,2017
27Mar17 Greensburg Courthouse Tree 2
At first people thought it was as nuisance.  But there was little anyone could do about it.  And after awhile, the nuisance seemed to grow on people, so they’ve just kept it around for about a century and a half now…

 

March 24, 2017
24Mar17 Greensburg Courthouse Tree 1
The county courthouse is the centerpiece of many town squares across the country.  But the square in Decatur County, Indiana is one that has many people looking up…up at one of the more unusual sites you’ll see in anywhere…

March 23, 2017
23Mar17 Last Supper Museum 3
Today may be a first in the 20 plus years of our broadcasts.  A recent interview took an interesting twist when I learned that one beautiful little museum was looking for a new home.  It’s a heartwarming story and perhaps you can help find its new location…

March 22, 2017
22Mar17 Last Supper Museum 2
Perhaps some husbands listening to this show have been told that if they want to bring a certain knick-knack home for a trip, then they must be responsible for dusting it.  That was the case for this couple.  Interestingly, what they brought home grew into quite a collection…

March 21, 2017
21Mar17 Last Supper Museum 1
In 1495 Leonardo Da Vinci began work on a painting that all of us have seen.  In fact, it’s his picture that  most of us associate with one major event in Christianity…

March 20, 2017
20Mar17 Saxony Horse Farm 3
A lot of people enjoy the beach.  Some people might even bring their dog with them.  But what about bringing a horse, no for pleasure but rather for high dollar training…

 

March 17, 2017
17Mar17 Saxony Horse Farm 2
If you’ve ever had a chance to drive the country roads around Lexington, Kentucky, you’ve probably been amazed and the beautiful green pastures, and the well groomed grounds of the world’s premiere horse farms…

March 16, 2017
16Mar17 Saxony Horse Farm 1
Just about any land in the country can grow some kind of grass.  But the grass here is special.  In fact, it’s so unique that an industry sprang up in the area just because of the extraordinary benefits that grass could provide…

March 15, 2017
15Mar17 Underground Railroad 2
You can go to many spots around the country and see homes, barns and businesses that served as stops on the underground railroad.  What most people don’t realize is that railroad is not just history but a present day phenomenon as well…

March 14, 2017
14Mar17 Underground Railroad 1
It is one of the most famous railroads in this country’s history…yet it ran without a published schedule.  For some it was a source of hatred…for others a route to freedom…

March 13, 2017
13Mar17 Hank Williams Home 3
His life and career ended way too soon.  A promising life in country music was cut short before he reached the age of 30.  Yet his music still resonates with fans of all ages…

 

March 10, 2017
10Mar17 Hank Williams Home 2
Today we feature the story of Hiram King Williams.  Not heard of him?  You probably have, but you just know him by another name…

March 9, 2017
09Mar17 Hank Williams Home 1
Wind onto a side street in tiny Georgiana, Alabama and you’ll find a home with a broad covered wraparound porch.  It’s a beautiful place in its own right.  Then add to that fact the boy who lived here, and now you’ve got visitors from around the globe…

March 8, 2017
08Mar17 Dianne Harris Selma 5
Today, many Americans don’t think much about the right to vote.  Yes, we do vote, and we should vote – but actually having the right to vote – well, we don’t think about so much about it since it’s a right all adults in the country have.  However, to this lady, it means much more.  For she led the fight for that right for all of us…

March 7, 2017
07Mar17 Dianne Harris Selma 4
Today’s story is one that will stir your emotions.  It is a story that can bring a tear but also make you angry.  It’s the story of one young woman’s challenge wrapped inside a much bigger event…

March 6, 2017
06Mar17 Dianne Harris Selma 3
Normally our parents would not like the idea of their children being arrested by the police.  In this case, one mother understood why her daughter got arrested three times…

 

March 3, 2017
03Mar17 Dianne Harris Selma 2
The year was 1965.  Diane’s mother wanted to be a part of the civil rights marches in town, but her participation might cost her her job.  That’s when Dianne and her brother found themselves a part of a movement to win the voting rights of their parents generation and much more…

March 2, 2017
02Mar17 Dianne Harris Selma 1
Dianne Harris grew up in Selma, Alabama.  The city is still her home today.  Perhaps she could never have imagined the turmoil that she would see though as a teenager in this Alabama town…

March 1, 2017
01Mar17 Enterprise Boll Weevil 3
In the middle of a busy intersection you will find one of the most unique monuments in the world.  While some cities honor a city founder or a local hero, this city honors a bug – yes a real life insect that helped the area get back on its feet…

February 28, 2017
28Feb17 Enterprise Boll Weevil 2
Certain crops grow better in specific climates.  That was certainly the case for farmers in southern Alabama.  However, when their cash crop was suddenly decimated, they had to find something else to take its place…

February 27, 2017
27Feb17 Enterprise Boll Weevil 1
Cotton was king in the southern U.S. in the early 20^th century.  However it was one of the tiniest of creatures that dethroned the crop as supreme in the south…

 

February 24, 2017
24Feb17 President’s Week – Calvin Coolidge
It all happened in the middle of the night.  The citizens of the United States went to bed on August 2^nd, 1923 with Warren Harding as president.  The awoke to find find Calvin Coolidge had become 30^th president of the United States…

February 23, 2017
23Feb17 President’s Week – Herbert Hoover
It’s Presidents Week on the and today’s feature focuses on a graduate of Stanford who used his engineering degree to travel the world…

February 22, 2017
22Feb17 President’s Week – Woodrow Wilson
He was the son of a Presbyterian minister who went on to teach school and lead the nation during a time of world conflict…

February 21, 2017
21Feb17 President’s Week – Theodore Roosevelt
To date, no U.S. president has been born in North Dakota…but this commander-in-chief’s experiences there may be the reason he achieved the office…

February 20, 2017
20Feb17 President’s Week – William McKinley
Some history students will remember the slogan “Remember the Maine”, a war cry that sent the U.S. into battle against Spain.  It was this president who was in office at the time…

 

February 17, 2017
17Feb17 Jefferson Highway 2017
In the nineteen teens and early 20s motorists did not find their route by a highway number but rather a name.  They were a narrower and slower version of today’s interstates…

February 16, 2017
16Feb17 Cawhawba 3
Some people who come here will say there’s nothing to see. However, others will find things everywhere both from the past and in the present.  It’s unique place that will bring about your imagination and much more…

February 15, 2017
15Feb17 Cawhawba 2
Maybe you had to memorize the state capitals when you were in elementary school.  Today’s feature is about one that just about everyone had forgotten…until now…

February 14, 2017
14Feb17 Cawhawba 1
When the thirteen colonies began to grow into more states, those new governments had to establish capitals.  Many of those spots already had some sort of town or city in existence, but that was not the case for this new town carved out of the wilderness to serve that role…

February 13, 2017
13Feb17 Refuge KC 4
When you arrive in a place you’ve never been before, it make take awhile to figure things out. In fact, you might quickly find you’re without some things you really need. That’s where Rich steps in, to help fill people’s needs and help people find their place…

 

February 10, 2017
10Feb17 Refuge KC 3
Our travels intentionally try to steer clear of controversy and today’s topic is one we had planned for several months.  Who knew that interviewing a former state FFA officer and her husband about their ministry might wind up as an international hot topic…

February 9, 2017
09Feb17 Refuge KC 2
Just a block down the street from Rich’s office is a grocery store catering to the needs of folks from the country of Burma.  It may not be what you’d expect to find in the heart of the Midwest, but to Rich, it’s just one example of the diverse neighbors he encounters every day…

February 8, 2017
08Feb17 Refuge KC 1
Richard Casebolt is the Founder and president of something called Refgue KC.  It’s a ministry both in word and deed, living a Christian example while ministering to the basic needs of some of this nation’s newcomers…

February 7, 2017
07Feb17 David Rice Atchison 2
President Trump was recently sworn in as this nation’s 45^th president.  Or was he?  That question is not a debate about the new president, but a debate about an additional name to the list that would make the new commander the 46^th chief…

February 6, 2017
06Feb17 David Rice Atchison 1
His name is David Rice Atchison.  If you know the name, you probably know his unique and sometimes debated place in history.  But there’s much more to the story and today we uncover the details behind a leader and politician on the western frontier…

 

February 3, 2017
03Feb17 Maasdan Barns 2
At one time these old barns were hard to see because of the trees and weeds that attempted to engulf them.  However, with a little time and care, a unique story unfolded that had been lost to many in the community.  These barns had an important link to the past…

February 2, 2017
02Feb17 Maasdan Barns 1
Sometimes communities wrestle with the challenge of preserving history while trying to stay progressive at the same time.  Such was the problem facing one small town the effort to save some old barns from the path of a new highway…

February 1, 2017
01Feb17 Pops on Route 66 3
The next time you think about getting a soft drink, think about reaching for a bacon-flavored soda or even a key lime pie pop.  It sounds odd but those are real options here…

January 31, 2017
31Jan17 Pops on Route 66 2
Just about every convenience store sells soft drinks and you can usually find a selection to fit just about anyone.  However, a trip to this store is far different, because all of the pop comes in bottles and you’ve got over 700 unique choices from which to select…

January 30, 2017
30Jan17 Pops on Route 66 1
Most people travel Old Route 66 for the nostalgia.  So on the surface, this convenience store might not seem to fit in, because it was built well after the heyday of the Mother Road.  However, it’s a place that draws many locals and tourists alike…

 

January 27, 2017
27Jan17 Morristown 2
We may complain about winter weather at times…but there has perhaps never been a winter like that of 1779-80…a winter that produced amazing feats of frigidness…

January 26, 2017
26Jan17 Morristown 1
Most American’s have heard of the winter Washington’s men endured at Valley Forge…but few it seems have heard the story of Morristown.  Yet it’s the story of Morristown that was equally if not more challenging…

January 25, 2017
25Jan17 Marine One Pilot 3
We often see pictures of presidents boarding or deplaning Air Force One, or the Marine One helicopter.  However, you often don’t get to meet the person at the controls of those aircraft…

January 24, 2017
24Jan17 Marine One Pilot 2
There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of something called HMX-1.  However, you’ve most likely seen it – or at least one of the most notable parts of it…

January 23, 2017
23Jan17 Marine One Pilot 1
Vincent, like many young men in the 1970s, fought in Vietnam.  However, during his tour of duty he received a promotion that brought him back to this side of the globe for a most interesting role in the Marines…

 

January 20, 2017
20Jan17 Shawnee Mission 1
As Europeans crossed the Atlantic, those who had been living on the eastern seaboard for centuries were often forced to leave their homes…

January 19, 2017
19Jan17 Napa Valley 4
This place quickly became a playground for the well-to-do to escape the city during the summer.  In fact, the tales of the place perhaps began to stretch the truth, but there’s no doubting it was, and remains, a premiere place for people to get away…

January 18, 2017
18Jan17 Napa Valley 3
California’s Napa Valley has long been associated with wine.  However, wine is newcomer when compared to all this area grows…

January 17, 2017
17Jan17 Napa Valley 2
If you tell someone you’re headed to Napa, they probably expect you to be sampling some wine and perhaps staying at a resort.  In 1850 if you told someone you were headed to Napa, chance are you had a much different trip in mind…

January 16, 2017
16Jan17 Napa Valley 1
You’ve probably never heard of a man named Nathan Combs.  However, you have heard of the place he helped create.  The young pioneer landed in California, and through hard work and some vision, he established a town that draws many yet today…

 

January 13, 2017
13Jan17 Fort Union 2017
It was the site of a vast trading network on the northern plains.  It’s history spanned forty years and today, this fort has been reconstructed to remind us of its importance…

January 12, 2017
12Jan17 Ryman Auditorium 4
If you’ve ever been to the Grand Ole Opry, you have seen a circular piece of wood that’s been inserted into the stage.  The circle of course is from the Opry’s previous home, across town at the Ryman Auditorium…

January 11, 2017
11Jan17 Ryman Auditorium 3
It was one of the largest venues in the nation when it was constructed – Union Gospel Tabernacle.  But just about a decade after it opened, one prominent man’s funeral was held inside the building and at the conclusion of the service, the audience decided the place should bear his name…

January 10, 2017
10Jan17 Ryman Auditorium 2
You’ve probably not heard of the evangelist, Samuel Jones.  However, there’s a decent chance you know at least the last name of the man determined to ruin Rev. Jones’ tent revival.  What happened next is still a storied piece of history…

January 9, 2017
09Jan17 Ryman Auditorium 1
Tom was quite the entrepreneur.  He built a great steamboat line and became quite wealthy.  But he was also a bit rough around the edges, willing to mix things up and find his way into an occasional fight.  His story is one well-known in this town…

 

January 6, 2017
06Jan17 Knife River Indian Village
Two centuries ago, these villages contained more people than the city of St. Louis…yet only a handful of Europeans and Americans had ever seen them…

January 5, 2017
05Jan17 Flip This Town 4
It’s important that your heart is healthy if you want to live a long and productive life.  The same can be said for the life of a town.  So what is at the heart of a town?

January 4, 2017
04Jan17 Flip This Town 3
Turn on the tv and you can find shows about flipping properties, but in a moment we’ll take you to meet a man who wants to flip your town.  His mission is to help America’s small towns come back to life

January 3, 2017
03Jan17 Flip This Town 2
It’s a common story in many small towns and big cities across America.  Many places have downtown buildings that are vacant and in disrepair.  This man decided to do something about it and he began in a place most overlook – rural America…

January 2, 2017
02Jan17 Flip This Town 1
You’ve heard of people flipping homes for a living.  For many years, that’s how Ron Drake made part of his living.  However Ron has a passion to do more for rural America that simply buy, renovate and sell homes…

 

December 30, 2016
30Dec16 Best of 2016 – Battle of New Orleans
What you know about this battle probably comes from a song you’ve heard.  So today we’ll “Take a little trip along with Colonel Jackson” to see how much is fact and fiction…

December 29, 2016
29Dec16 Best of 2016 – Judge Roy Bean
We may not like the rules, but every place needs them.  And with the rules comes a person to enforce them.  But Langtry, Texas had few rules and no one to lay down the law.  That changed with a man named Roy Bean….

December 28, 2016
28Dec16 Best of 2016 – Idaho National Laboratory
It was an attention getter.  A statement that showed the world the United States was serious about using nuclear energy for peace.  But when you dig a little deeper, you’ll find the humor in the event…

December 27, 2016
27Dec16 Best of 2016 – Boundary Oak Distillary
Sometimes people will use secret codes to keep vital information from slipping into the wrong hands.  General Patton used such a code in World War II, just so he had something to drink…

December 26, 2016
26Dec16 Best of 2016 – Peoria Penicillin
You could call it the “moldy cantaloupe that saved the world.”  It was an unlikely find, but one that indeed help save thousands of lives

 

December 23, 2016
23Dec16 Bethlehem 3
The Bible tells us that after Jesus’ birth, wise men from the east came to honor the child.   Interestingly, those visitors not only came bearing gifts in their day, but their journey may have saved the very church marking the spot of their destination…

December 22, 2016
22Dec16 Bethlehem 2
At Christmas time we may sing, “Away in a manger no crib for a bed.”  While the phrase may be true, the picture we have in our minds, or the vision depicted in nativity scenes may be different than the real things…

December 21, 2016
21Dec16 Bethlehem 1
It’s a “little” town forever associated with Christmas.  In a moment you’ll see that town is today a large city, but it remains a place honored for a most important birth…

December 20, 2016
20Dec16 Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland
If Santa Claus needed a place to buy  all of his decorations, this would be it.  It’s big business in small town Michigan and it brings Christmas cheer everyday of the year…

December 19, 2016
19Dec16 Cedar Rapids Ice House 3
These days we don’t give a second thought to getting ice out of a machine to cool our drinks.  There was a time though when much of the world had never seen ice, and transporting it to those warm places was big business…

 

December 16, 2016
16Dec16 World War I Christmas Truce 3
For parts of five years, opposing soldiers dug into trenches all across Europe.  World War I would claim the lives on nearly one million military men, but on Christmas Day of 1914, those two sides seemed to forget what all the fighting was for…

December 15, 2016
15Dec16 World War I Christmas Truce 2
Christmas is not only a time for remembering the birth of Jesus, but it’s also a time when many of us get together with family and friends.  Even in the middle of a World War, Christmas Day had special meaning in 1914…

December 14, 2016
14Dec16 World War I Christmas Truce 1
1914 marked the beginning of a war unlike anything the world had ever seen.  Soon thousands of troops had amassed on the front lines across Europe and a line of trenches provided a place for all to dig in, for what they hoped would be a quick war

December 13, 2016
13Dec16 Cedar Rapids Ice House 2
Some crop farmers may take on extra work in the winter once the harvest is complete.  For farmers near Waterloo, Iowa, they came to work with the tools of the summer, for a job that could only be done in the middle of the winter…

December 12, 2016
12Dec16 Cedar Rapids Ice House 1
The state of Iowa is well known for harvesting a strong percentage of the nation’s corn and soybeans.  Once upon a time, the state had a big harvest to conduct in the middle of the winter as well…

 

December 9, 2016
09Dec16 Jason Brown NFL Farmer 2
Jason Brown had no experience on the farm.  In fact, his job seemed far removed from tilling the land.  But then he felt a call to grow food for those in need…

December 8, 2016
08Dec16 Jason Brown NFL Farmer 1
He was one of the best players at his position in the National Football League.  At the height of his career though, he decided to change professions, not because of an injury, but a calling he heard to help others…

December 7, 2016
07Dec16 Sullivan Brothers 3
In the fall of 1942, the USS Juneau was sunk in the Pacific.  On board were some young men from Waterloo, Iowa and their story would soon become national news – a story that is still well known today…

December 6, 2016
06Dec16 Sullivan Brothers 2
The captain of the USS Juneau saw a potential problem.  He had several members of the same families serving on his ship.  He decided to do something about that situation…

December 5, 2016
05Dec16 Sullivan Brothers 1
Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, many young men across the nation immediately volunteered for the armed forces.  That was the case for some brothers in Waterloo, Iowa and their story would become nationally known…

 

December 2, 2016
02Dec16 Mark Sanborn
If you go by your local bookstore’s business section, you might just find his name on several best sellers.  Many readers don’t realize that his success as an author and speaker all began on a farm in Ohio…

December 1, 2016
01Dec16 Blue Owl Bakery 4
Mary simply wanted to honor those who had helped save the homes and businesses in the small town of Kimmswick.  What resulted was a creation that’s gained her worldwide fame…

November 30, 2016
30Nov16 Blue Owl Bakery 3
You often don’t think about making a dessert that resembled a 50 foot high flood levee.  That’s what this bakery did though, and what resulted was a lot of folks coming through the doors…

November 29, 2016
29Nov16 Blue Owl Bakery 2
It all began when Mary Hostetter had to bake 30,000 cookies for Christmas.  When she survived that challenge, she figured she might just be able to handle anything – that is until a 50 foot wall of water headed her way…

November 28, 2016
28Nov16 Blue Owl Bakery 1
Some of the nation’s most successful businesses began in someone’s home.  That’s the case for Mary, who turned her need to provide for two young children into an opportunity to serve people dessert…

 

November 25, 2016
25Nov16 Pilgrim Hall 2
We often trace our Thanksgiving holiday back to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony.  It’s true they did have a feast of thanksgiving, but it seems to have been a one time event – an event about which we have very few clues…

November 24, 2016
24Nov16 Pilgrim Hall 1
Where is the oldest museum in the nation?  You might guess New York or Washington, D.C., but the town is much smaller, yet still very significant in American history…

November 23, 2016
23Nov16 Mayflower 3
The original Mayflower that sailed with 102 Pilgrims back in 1620 is long gone.  But another ship by the same name still occupies a place on the Plymouth coastline…

November 22, 2016
22Nov16 Mayflower 2
Today we associate the Pilgrims with the town of Plymouth, MA.  However, the landing spot was a bit accidental…

November 21, 2016
21Nov16 Mayflower 1
It just happened to be a ship that was available to sail, but the ship that was chosen is still known by us all today.  Its name – The Mayflower.

 

November 18, 2016
18Nov16 Vernal Bank 1
If you need to ship 40 tons of bricks, you of course use…parcel post.  That’s what one man did to construct a two story bank building in 1916…

November 17, 2016
17Nov16 Iran Hostage Rocky Sickmann 7
When someone in our military dies in the line of duty, we often memorialize them and their service, and rightly so.  But life must somehow go on for the service member’s family.  That’s where this organization steps in…

November 16, 2016
16Nov16 Iran Hostage Rocky Sickmann 6
In the middle of his most try time, Rocky Sickmann wondered if God was still there – if God would get him out of a horrible situation.  It was then a prayer was answered in a most interesting way…

November 15, 2016
15Nov16 Iran Hostage Rocky Sickmann 5
January 20^th, 1981 was inauguration day in the U.S.  It was also the day a 444 day hostage crisis ended in Iran…

November 14, 2016
14Nov16 Iran Hostage Rocky Sickmann 4
For those of use old enough to remember the events of 1979 and 1980, we may recall the plight of 52 U.S. hostages held in Iran.  Rocky Sickmann was one of those held for 444 days…

 

November 11, 2016
11Nov16 Iran Hostage Rocky Sickmann 3
Rocky Sickmann was in a position to change the course of U.S. history.  If he had pulled the trigger on his weapon, perhaps the last three plus decades of America’s involvement overseas would be far different…

November 10, 2016
10Nov16 Iran Hostage Rocky Sickmann 2
In 1979 Rocky Sickmann received his first assignment at a Marine Security Guard.  He knew it could be a challenge, but perhaps he didn’t fully realize what was ahead of him until he landed half way around the world…

November 9, 2016
09Nov16 Iran Hostage Rocky Sickmann 1
Rocky Sickmann grew up in a rural area not far from St. Louis.  He had never ventured too far from home, but then he saw an ad for a job that seemed to be just perfect for him…

November 8, 2016
08Nov16 VLA 2
In the early 1980s this flat, desolate rangeland saw a major change.  Now it is not only home to herds of cattle, but it is also home to some of the world’s leading astronomers…

November 7, 2016
07Nov16 VLA 1
Being able to see far ahead helps one plan for the future.  Here on the barren plains of New Mexico they can see for  12 to 13 billion light years…

 

November 4, 2016
04Nov16 The Final Duel
Dueling was a way to solve serious disputes early in our nation’s history.  However it’s this duel in 1859 that’s said to have ended the practice and changed American history in its wake…

November 3, 2016
03Nov16 A Ship Turned Building
Many 19^th century immigrants came to the U.S. on ships.  When these enterprising men arrived, they found a unique use for their boat…

November 2, 2016
02Nov16 West End of the Pony Express
The eastern end of the Pony Express was in St. Joseph, Missouri.  You can still go and see the stables yet today.  So where was the other end of the route?

November 1, 2016
01Nov16 Sacramento History Underground 3
If your home or business flooded, you might seek higher ground.  Here, the people didn’t go somewhere else, they just began raising all of their buildings…

October 31, 2016
31Oct16 Sacramento History Underground 2
It was just an ordinary field until the winter of 1862.  That’s when floodwaters pushed onto the land and a town sprang up that would become one this state’s largest cities…

 

October 28, 2016
28Oct16 Sacramento History Underground 1
You’ve heard of Noah’s flood.  This city had it worse it terms of numbers of straight days of rain.  What resulted is an event still a part of the lore of this place…

October 27, 2016
27Oct16 They Also Ran Museum 3
On the day the latest U.S. president is sworn into office, the runner-up will receive their own ceremony just a few hours prior.  It’s a small event you can attend free of charge, although it’s doubtful the presidential runner-up will show…

October 26, 2016
26Oct16 They Also Ran Museum 2
This man ran for president five times and never won.  Some may call him the “biggest loser.”  Here it just means he gets his picture on the wall more often…

October 25, 2016
25Oct16 They Also Ran Museum 1
If you competed in a race and didn’t win, you might be labeled an “also ran.”  But in this town, it’s the “also rans,” not the winners who are celebrated…

October 24, 2016
24Oct16 June McCarrol
Today you could get a ticket if you don’t drive on your side of the road.  But in 1917, Dr. June McCarroll could not get drivers to understand what seems so obvious today…

 

October 21, 2016
21Oct16 Museums in a Museum
Did you ever imagine you might turn a collection into your own museum?  This man has museums within museums.  In fact, you might call him a collector of museums…

October 20, 2016
20Oct16 Harold Bell Wright
There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Harold Bell Wright.  He was one of the top author’s a century ago, selling books at an amazing pace, and helping found a city in the…

October 19, 2016
19Oct16 Branson World’s Largest Toy Museum 2
The parents of every young kids, and some old ones, know they love their toys.  Tom Beck set out to put as many of those toys in one place as possible…

October 18, 2016
18Oct16 Branson World’s Largest Toy Museum
What should you do with your time when you retire?  Tom and Wendy Beck took an adventure that resulted in the largest collection of its kind…

October 17, 2016
17Oct16 Sacagawea 2016
She is probably the most well known Native American woman in our country’s history…a lady vital to the success of an incredible journey two centuries ago…

 

October 14, 2016
14Oct16 Dick’s Five and Ten 3
This is the type of store you can get lost in.  Not because the layout is a maze, but rather because you just don’t know what you may find around the next corner.  It’s a unique blend of new and nostalgic…

October 13, 2016
13Oct16 Dick’s Five and Ten 2
An average Wal-Mart SuperCenter has 142,000 items.  Steve Hartley runs a store much smaller in size, yet carries over 75,000 items…and he’s competed and succeeded in a town with a Wal-Mart for several decades…

October 12, 2016
12Oct16 Dick’s Five and Ten 1
You might think Steve is operating a business that died long ago.  After all, almost all the other similar stores have disappeared.  But Steve is not only surviving, he’s prospering…

October 11, 2016
11Oct16 Christopher Columbus 2
If you told Columbus’ crew to hang on to the “bitter end,” they probably would not take you up on that offer.  That’s because the definition has changed in the 500 plus years since the explorer made his first trip to the Americas…

October 10, 2016
10Oct16 Christopher Columbus 1
We’ve all learned that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 14 hundred and 92.  We know he had three ships, the largest of which was the Santa Maria.  But most people do not know the story of what happened to that ship and her crew…

 

October 7, 2016
07Oct16 Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop 2
His business is truly a time capsule.  When Matthew Edel died in 1940, the doors were closed and no one entered until decades later…

October 6, 2016
06Oct16 Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop 1
You most likely have never heard of Matthew Edel.  You might never have known him if not for the business he left behind…

October 5, 2016
05Oct16 Meers Oklahoma 3
Just northwest of Lawton…in the Wichita Mountains of Okalahoma, you will find a town named Meers.  Its one business is a restaurant that has people coming back time and time again…

October 4, 2016
04Oct16 Meers Oklahoma 2
If you can find your way to Meers, Oklahoma you won’t have a problem spotting the restaurant…it’s just about the only thing there…but it’s mighty good eating…

October 3, 2016
03Oct16 Meers Oklahoma 1
Like the buffalo that roamed the great plains, longhorn cattle are an icon of the old west.  But by the early 20^th century most of the herd had vanished.  So how did the Longhorn survive?

 

September 30, 2016
30Sep16 Battle of New Orleans 5
There is power in prayer.  For the residents of this city, the results of their prayers are still celebrated every year to commemorate an event that took place over two centuries ago…

September 29, 2016
29Sep16 Battle of New Orleans 4
What you know about this battle probably comes from a song you’ve heard.  So today we’ll “Take a little trip along with Colonel Jackson” to see how much is fact and fiction…

September 28, 2016
28Sep16 Battle of New Orleans 3
It was Christmas of 1814 and the residents of New Orleans knew the British were heading their way.  Soon they’d be on the ground intent on invading their city.  But could they repel the larger army and keep their freedom?

September 27, 2016
27Sep16 Battle of New Orleans 2
Before you can get a group to move toward a goal, you have to get them working together.  That was the biggest challenge facing this leader in his effort to save an American city from falling to the enemy…

September 26, 2016
26Sep16 Battle of New Orleans 1
We think of Yorktown as the place where the United States secured its independence.  However, this battle over three decades later kept the young nation from losing the freedoms for which it had fought…

 

September 23, 2016
23Sep16 Fort Walla Walla 2
We’ve all heard of General Custer and the battle at the Little Bighorn, but you’ve most likely never heard of Lt. Colonel Edward Steptoe.  In a moment you’ll learn why it was Steptoe, rather than Custer, that almost made it in your history books…

September 22, 2016
22Sep16 Fort Walla Walla 1
When James Payne was told of an elderly lady who wanted to donate items to his museum, he headed to her home to see her collection.  The biggest find turned out to be a box she was ready to throw in the trash…

September 21, 2016
21Sep16 Walt Coleman NFL Referee 3
Walt Coleman has the type of job where he hopes no one even notices he’s there.  That means he’s had a really good day…

September 20, 2016
20Sep16 Walt Coleman NFL Referee 2
He doesn’t wear a helmet, but he’s running alongside the biggest guys in the NFL every football Sunday.  He’s the man in stripes and he’s got quite a story to tell…

September 19, 2016
19Sep16 Walt Coleman NFL Referee 1
Some folks take a second job to make ends meet.  Sometimes that second job is something folks are really passionate about, that makes it not seems like work at all.  Perhaps that’s the case for Walt…

 

September 16, 2016
16Sep16 Danish American Museum 3
Many people like reminders of their heritage.  For the residents of this small town, the reminders is one very large…windmill…

September 15, 2016
15Sep16 Danish American Museum 2
When a couple marries they often incorporate traditions from both of their families.  But for the immigrants from this nation, they found they were losing centuries old customs within one generation of coming here…

September 14, 2016
14Sep16 Danish American Museum 1
Immigrants from many countries came to the U.S. during the 19^th century, but the young men from this country often came because the farms in their homeland were simply too small to support more people…

September 13, 2016
13Sep16 1904 Worlds Fair 4
Some say this event was the beginning of the ice cream cone and iced tea.  Those facts may be debated, but there’s no doubt it was a world gathering that still impacts us today…

September 12, 2016
12Sep16 1904 Worlds Fair 3
It was a race like none other.  The Olympic marathon of 1904 featured a runner who hoped a ride, two runners without shoes and a winner who was carried for part of the race…

 

September 9, 2016
09Sep16 1904 Worlds Fair 2
You would think hosting the World’s Fair would have been a large enough event to keep a city busy.  But then they decided to host the Olympics at the same time.  What happened when the two events crossed paths is still talked about today…

September 8, 2016
08Sep16 1904 Worlds Fair 1
Today, St. Louis’ Forrest Park is home to several museums and plenty of green space.  Roll back the clock over a century and you would have found one of the busiest showcases on earth…

September 7, 2016
07Sep16 Del Rio Texas Cemetery
Most cemeteries are peaceful memorials to those who have passed.  That was the case here, until one of the newly interred brought so many visitors, he had to be moved…

September 6, 2016
06Sep16 Del Rio Texas Water
When the first pioneers set about buildings homes and towns they often looked for a good water source to sustain the settlement.  That’s the case here, and the water source even became the very name of the town…

September 5, 2016
05Sep16 Del Rio Texas Dr Brinkley 2
You can still find the mansion and the hotel here in Del Rio, Texas of a once prominent and controversial doctor who touted his cures around the world.  His chicanery brought him riches, but also brought him to the courts…

 

September 2, 2016
02Sep16 Del Rio Texas Dr Brinkley 1
We are thankful for the many stations that air our broadcasts every day, but nothing could match the power of this renegade station and the man behind it.  He was the doctor with a million watt signal…

September 1, 2016
01Sep16 Black Seminole Scouts
At one time, this group of people left the US for Mexico to find a safe haven.But in the years following the Civil War, the military recruited them for a special and important duty…

August 31, 2016
31Aug16 Yellowstone Grizzley Bears 3
If you love the smell of food, nothing can match this creature’s sense of smell to find a good meal.  When they’re hungry they can pick up a scent 18 miles away…

August 30, 2016
30Aug16 Yellowstone Grizzley Bears 2
Anyone who’s camped in bear country knows that you need to keep your food in air tight containers – otherwise you could have some very large visitors show up.  But what happens when they do find that food?

August 29, 2016
29Aug16 Yellowstone Grizzley Bears 1
You may have seen those cute pictures of people feeding bears out their car windows at Yellowstone National Park.  That’s a rare scene these days and there’s good reason for that…

 

August 26, 2016
26Aug16 St Paul’s 2
Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran…there are many labels that may be placed on churches.  However, during the early years of this church, the label was either “British” or “Revolutionary” and those who stepped inside the building were most likely not going to hear a sermon…

August 25, 2016
25Aug16 St Paul’s 1
Just outside of New York City proper, yet well within the urban corridor, there sits a church in the suburb of Mt. Vernon, New York.  It looks out of place as business and industry surrounds it.  However, the reason it remains is because it is a symbol of the struggle for freedom that took place here…

August 24, 2016
24Aug16 Corrine Utah 3
If in heaven the streets are paved in gold, then perhaps this town was pretty close to paradise.  For a century ago, their streets were literally paved in gold.  In fact, there was so much gold in the streets they eventually dug them up to get their hands on more of it…

August 23, 2016
23Aug16 Corrine Utah 2
You can buy a lot of things out of a vending machine, but this town had perhaps the most unique such device anywhere in the nation.  For at this vending machine, you could get the paperwork filed for your own divorce…

August 22, 2016
22Aug16 Corrine Utah 1
Sometimes people and towns like to go against the grain and live life differently.  For the folks in Corrine, Utah that was definitely the case when it was founded over a century ago.  In fact, it was such a unique town in the state…some wanted it to leave its borders…

 

August 19, 2016
19Aug16 Rock of Ages
me, let me hide myself in thee.”  It’s the chorus of a well-known church hymn, but it’s also the name of one rock-solid business who’s product has stood the test of time in locations throughout the nation…

August 18, 2016
18Aug16 Paraolympian John Gilbert 3
As we all know, you have to be at the top of your sport to compete in the Olympics.  John Gilbert is a high school chemistry and physics teacher who spends most of his spare time preparing to compete against the best in the world…

August 17, 2016
17Aug16 Paraolympian John Gilbert 2
Perhaps we remember some of the things our mom said or did that inspired us to do good or work hard.  For John Gilbert, it was the fact his mother hit a basketball free throw while sitting on the ground…

August 16, 2016
16Aug16 Paraolympian John Gilbert 1
What happened to John Gilbert at the age of nine would be devastating to most.  The physical challenge dealt to him became a challenge but also motivation to excel at something at which today he is one of the best in the world…

August 15, 2016
15Aug16 Pompey’s Pillar 2
If someone makes a difference in the world, we may say they’ve left their mark.  Well this spot is known today for the literal mark one man made on it.  It’s the equivalent of graffiti in the early 1800s, but because of who wrote it…it’s historic.

 

August 12, 2016
12Aug16 Pompey’s Pillar 1
He was the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark journey.  Although he didn’t make the entire trip, he ended up having one of the biggest landmarks on the trip named for him…

August 11, 2016
11Aug16 Olympic Basketball 4
Eighty years ago the first Olympic gold medal basketball match was played.  You can bet the scene back then is far different than anything you’ll find now.   It was all a surprise the to Americans when they arrived in Berlin back in 1936…

August 10, 2016
10Aug16 Olympic Basketball 3
What would the game of basketball be without the dunk?  You have some unlikely folks in central Kansas and one New York sports writer to thank for the rim bending slam that is commonplace today…

August 9, 2016
09Aug16 Olympic Basketball 2
Today’s Olympic athletes may be able to devote many hours to training for their big event.  Eighty years ago, this group of Olympians was first simply focused on having a job during the Depression…

August 8, 2016
08Aug16 Olympic Basketball 1
Businesses may use a variety of ways to get their name out to the public.  In the first half of the 20^th century, one sport provided a way for companies, large and small, to advertise via the teams they backed…

 

August 5, 2016
05Aug16 Lost Luggage 3
Some describe it as a hunt for lost treasure.  Others think it would be like hitting the lottery.  It’s a unique hunt through the lost luggage of the airlines to see the valuable and not-so-valuable items we’ve left behind…

August 4, 2016
04Aug16 Lost Luggage 2
Who would pack a surfboard in their luggage to go on an airplane?  Someone did, and then lost the surfboard.�� Someone else took a pair of McDonalds golden arches – and then there’s the person that lost the guidance system to a F16.  The unique menagerie all wound up here…

August 3, 2016
03Aug16 Lost Luggage 1
Where does lost luggage go?  Perhaps you’ve wondered that if you’ve ever landed at an airport and your bags didn���t arrive.  Today we tell you where that luggage most likely gone if you don’t soon locate it…

August 2, 2016
02Aug16 Elvis Presley Birthplace
About 70% of the 100,000 visitors that come to this small home each year are from outside the U.S.  Yet the fame of this man seems to keep growing…long after his death…

August 1, 2016
01Aug16 Civil War Reenactment 3
Jacob Thomson is in one sense, immortal.  It may appear that he has met his demise, but soon he will come back to life again.  It’s all a part of his favorite pastime…

 

July 29, 2016
29Jul16 Civil War Reenactment 2
Jacob has the best of both worlds.  Hindsight is 20/20 and he can predict the future.  So you’d think he’d have it made in his role…but in a moment you’ll see things don’t always turn out like you’d think…

July 28, 2016
28Jul16 Civil War Reenactment 1
Today’s guest has not spent time fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan, yet he has fought some of the most important military battles in this nation’s history…

July 27, 2016
27Jul16 EBR Atomic Energy 3
It was an attention getter.  A statement that showed the world the United States was serious about using nuclear energy for peace.  But when you dig a little deeper, you’ll find the humor in the event…

July 26, 2016
26Jul16 EBR Atomic Energy 2
Arco, Idaho is a town that made history, but no one knew it when it happened.  Yet what happened here became worldwide news and makes it a historic landmark today…

July 25, 2016
25Jul16 EBR Atomic Energy 1
The Manhattan Project helped produce the first atomic weapons used at the end of World War II.  But when the war was over, many of those scientists went separate ways.  Some came here…

 

July 22, 2016
22Jul16 Elizabethtown Singer Jenny Lind 2
Imagine Taylor Swift was forced to stay in a small town and put on a free concert for the local citizens.  That’s what happened to this world famous star and the town still hasn’t forgotten it over 150 years later…

July 21, 2016
21Jul16 Elizabethtown Singer Jenny Lind 1
Name any female music star today and this Sweedish star of the mid 1800s would eclipse them all.  Her fame brought her to America where she made millions of dollars in today’s money…

July 20, 2016
20Jul16 Elizabethtown Diamond Hoax 3
If something seems too good to be true, then you might ask a lot of questions.  But what happens when your experts are even fooled by the story?  It results in a con for the ages…

July 19, 2016
19Jul16 Elizabethtown Diamond Hoax 2
It was one of the greatest swindles of its day.  A wild mining scheme that fooled some of the nation’s richest investors who placed their money behind finding diamonds…

July 18, 2016
18Jul16 Elizabethtown Diamond Hoax 1
You’ve heard of California prospectors that discovered silver and gold, but did you ever hear of one that struck diamonds?  Two men said they did…

 

July 15, 2016
15Jul16 Elizabethtown Kentucky 3
When several tragedies strike within a short period of time, people might say “the world is coming to an end.�������  That’s what the folks thought in this small town when a rare celestial occurrence coincided with raging fire…

July 14, 2016
14Jul16 Elizabethtown Kentucky 2
We all know Custer and his men met their fate at the Little Big Horn.  However, a chapter of the story you’ve probably not heard is how a town in Kentucky played an important role in that event…

July 13, 2016
13Jul16 Elizabethtown Kentucky 1
One day they would both become president of the United States, but when the two spent the summer in the same town passing each other on the street, you wonder if they ever noticed each other…

July 12, 2016
12Jul16 Craters of the Moon
It is a place on earth that looks like it doesn’t belong on the planet…perhaps that’s the reason they call it Craters of the Moon…

July 11, 2016
11Jul16 Boy Named Sue
You’ve probably heard of a boy named Sue thanks to Johnny Cash.  But was there really a boy named Sue?  The answer is yes, and he played an important role in history…

 

July 8, 2016
08Jul16 Scopes Trial 3
Imagine a packed crowd in a sweltering courtroom.  Refreshment vendor are allowed inside during recesses and chimps perform on the lawn outside.  It was a spectacle that drew worldwide attention…

July 7, 2016
07Jul16 Scopes Trial 2
His last name is forever linked to one of the most publicized trial in American history.  It was John Scopes that probably did not teach evolution, yet was tried for violating an act that polarized the nation…

July 6, 2016
06Jul16 Scopes Trial 1
Cities might devise many plans to help increase commerce and spur business growth.  Bringing a trial to your town would seem to be an odd choice, but nearly a century ago, that’s exactly what this town did…

July 5, 2016
05Jul16 Gettysburg George Pickett
Every Independence Day we remember those who have fought for our freedom.  One well known battlefield still draws thousands of visitors who learn about a man who made an ill fated charge…

July 4, 2016
04Jul16 Gettysburg John Burns
Imagine hitting the age to retire and then deciding to volunteer for the army.  That is what John Burns did.  The military rejected him. but then the battle came to him…

 

July 1, 2016
01Jul16 Jack Juett 3
You no doubt have heard of Paul Revere.  However, you’ve probably not heard of Jack Jouett.  When you hear the two stories, you’ll wonder why the history books remember Revere and not Jouett…

June 30, 2016
30Jun16 Jack Juett 2
It was June of 1881 and British troops were advancing on the home of future president Thomas Jefferson – in fact, they were under a mile away…

June 29, 2016
29Jun16 Jack Juett 1
There’s a good chance you���ve not heard of Jack Jouett, yet he may have been the man who saved some of the founding fathers in their revolution against England…

June 28, 2016
28Jun16 Huntington’s Disease 2
In the Bible, Jesus is referred to as “The Good Shepherd” who is willing to lay down his life for his sheep.  Today’s feature is also about the “good Shepherd,” which in this case, is the story of a specific type of lamb that might provide life to people who are suffering…

June 27, 2016
27Jun16 Huntington’s Disease 1
At first glance, today’s story will seem to be one of little hope.  Yet, there hope and it’s coming from the livestock industry for people afflicted with a rare but debilitating and fatal illness…

 

June 24, 2016
24Jun16 Marielle Tsukamoto 5
The Tsukamoto school in Sacramento is a place of triumph.  Some may not know the story behind the name, but when you dig deeper, you find a farm family who worked to make the best of a bad situation…

June 23, 2016
23Jun16 Marielle Tsukamoto 4
When Marielle arrived in Arkansas, she found her new home must have been constructed for a group of second graders.  It was a humorous incident wrapped inside a regrettable chapter in American history…

June 22, 2016
22Jun16 Marielle Tsukamoto 3
Bob Fletcher is a hero to many around Sacramento.  When others were wronged, he stepped in to make things right – giving of his time and money to help save their farms and preserve family’s homes…

June 21, 2016
21Jun16 Marielle Tsukamoto 2
Why would anyone sell a perfectly good car for just five dollars?  It was the sad truth that was happening in many areas around Sacramento…

June 20, 2016
20Jun16 Marielle Tsukamoto 1
Farming in California’s central valley can have it’s challenges, however it can also provide the right soil and climate for bountiful crops.  However, this family faced a new obstacle directed at a specific group of people…

 

June 17, 2016
17Jun16 New Bedford Whaling 3
The residents of this city were so wealthy, their annual per capita income was the equivalent of purchasing two homes in the town.  It may take you awhile to guess the identify of that place…

June 16, 2016
16Jun16 New Bedford Whaling 2
A slave escaping his master needed a good place to hide.  Perhaps that what made this job perfect for those willing to accept the risks of dangerous profession…

June 15, 2016
15Jun16 New Bedford Whaling 1
Oil has long been big business for certain areas of the country.  Two centuries ago this city was known for oil, although it was much different than what you might think of today.

June 14, 2016
14Jun16 Old Faithful of California 2
Earthquakes are unpredictable and often very deadly.  So how could one predict those events to help save lives?  This man says he has a way that’s been proven effective…

June 13, 2016
13Jun16 Old Faithful of California 1
Old Faithful geyser is in Yellowstone National Park.  Well, one of the nation’s “old faithfuls” is in the park, the other is owned by this man who has quite a story….

 

June 10, 2016
10Jun16 Kokee State Park
Most people head to Hawaii for the balmy weather, so it’s quite unexpected to find this place has beautiful ocean views and temperatures that can dip below freezing…

June 9, 2016
09Jun16 Mount Sunflower 3
You can see for many miles from the summit, but it helps when you’re looking across the flattest state.  Still it’s a view people from around the world come to see…

June 8, 2016
08Jun16 Mount Sunflower 2
They’re called “highpointers” – people who seek to summit the highest point in each of the 50 states.  There’s not much climbing to do here, but it seems to be one of the most fun places to reach…

June 7, 2016
07Jun16 Mount Sunflower 1
It was a great place to check on his herd.  Who knew it would one day be a place that would attract over two visitors a year…to the middle of seemingly nowhere…

June 6, 2016
06Jun16 New Orleans Cemetery 5
You’ve heard the song “When the Saints Go Marching In” but did you know it’s still a very important part of many funerals today.  We head to a most unique celebration of life…

 

June 3, 2016
03Jun16 New Orleans Cemetery 4
People often enjoy a chance to tour the sets of famous movies.  Some of those backdrops are public places easily accessible most of the year, but this spot may seem a bit unusual as a prime spot to put on the camera…

June 2, 2016
02Jun16 New Orleans Cemetery 3
A funeral is often an tearful occasion.  While we honor and respect loved ones, it is an emotional time for family and friends.  However, this city proclaims it puts the “fun” in funerals…

June  1, 2016
01Jun16 New Orleans Cemetery 2
In New Orleans you’ll find what many consider an unusual way to bury the dead.  It involves moving bodies over a year after their death and throwing the caskets in the dumpster.  It commonplace here…

May 31, 2016
31May16 New Orleans Cemetery 1
Once a casket is buried, you probably expect it to stay in the ground.  The fact that the caskets here didn’t do that, created a unique situation in this city…

May 30, 2016
30May16 Campbell’s Resort 2
There are lake resorts all across this nation…but it’s not everyday that you encounter a family owned operation that has been in business for over a century…

 

May 27, 2016
27May16 Campbell’s Resort 1
In an age of hotel chains boasting hundreds of locations, it is still nice to find some lodgings with the comforts of today, with roots running over a century old.  Such is the case for this vacation spot special to many…

May 26, 2016
26May16 Judge Roy Bean 4
Housing a bar and a courtroom in the same location may seem a bit odd today.  It was unusual back then as well.  But if your name was Judge Roy Bean, well, it was just the way you lived life.�� We head to the Jersey Lilly…

May 25, 2016
25May16 Judge Roy Bean 3
He was the man who dispensed law “West of the Pecos.”  His unique way of ruling on legal questions is just part of the mystique that continues to draw visitors to his courtroom yet today.  We head to Langtry, Texas…

May 24, 2016
24May16 Judge Roy Bean 2
We may not like the rules, but every place needs them.  And with the rules comes a person to enforce them.  But Langtry, Texas had few rules and no one to lay down the law.  That changed with a man named Roy Bean…

May 23, 2016
23May16 Judge Roy Bean 1
Roy Bean found a steady job supplying railroad work camps.  Then he discovered something rail workers really wanted…something to drink…

 

May 20, 2016
20May16 Farmer’s Branch
The name Farmers Branch sums up the beginning of this place.  A rich ag community along a north Texas stream.  Today the landscape has changed…but you can still find those roots…

May 19, 2016
19May16 Fort Lancaster 4
You might think of a “fort” as a place with high, secure walls that could repel an attack.  The reality in the west was few forts had such walls because it was very rare there was ever a direct attack.  The exception was this place…

May 18, 2016
18May16 Fort Lancaster 3
When the Civil War began, U.S. troops at some forts suddenly found men headed two different directions, north or south.  The fate of those forts was also in question…

May 17,2016
17May16 Fort Lancaster 2
Before the days or cars and trucks, horses and mules were often called upon to bear the load.  But at one point, the army had a different idea on the best way to transport its supplies here in the southwestern U.S…

May 16, 2016
16May16 Fort Lancaster 1
Today’s traveler might meet the occasional challenge of a traffic jam or a flat tire, but the travelers here back in the 1850s had a lot more on their minds.  That’s in part, why this place was constructed…

 

May 13, 2016
13May16 Missouri Star Quilt 2
It’s a nice sunny day in Hamilton, Missouri, with a population of not even 2000, but unlike a lot of small cities, you may have a hard time finding a place to park.  It’s a good problem to have…

May 12, 2016
12May16 Missouri Star Quilt 1
What kind of businesses help bring small towns to life?  Today’s example may surprise you, but it has folks from literally around the world coming here…

May 11, 2016
11May16 Warpaint 2
Imagine you could run so fast that you lost your boots!���� That’s what happened here.  This is the lady who had to go get that boot…in front of a lot of people…

May 10, 2016
10May16 Warpaint 1
There are many teenagers that like to ride horses, but few get the chance to train a horse that’s seen by over 80,000 people at once…

May 9, 2016
09May16 Moore’s Creek
It is a small bridge over a small creek.  It was a big victory in an even larger war…

 

May 6, 2016
06May16 Multiple Currencies
One, five, ten, twenty? Now imagine there were more denominations and dozens of different types of bills in circulation. What you would have is a major mess–and that’s exactly what banking could be like in the 1850’s…

May 5, 2016
05May16 Home on the Range Cabin 3
It’s a place so important, the owners were once offered a blank check if they would sell.  It’s a story you can hear on radio and catch on TV this weekend on U.S. Farm Report…

May 4, 2016
04May16 Home on the Range Cabin 2
It’s one of the best known songs of that past century.  In fact, one president said it was his favorite.  But then a lawsuit stopped it from being played…

May 3, 2016
03May16 Home on the Range Cabin 1
You may not fancy yourself a poet, and you may have forgotten a poem called My Western Home.  But in a moment you’ll find that you do know those words quite well…

May 2, 2016
02May16 Dalles Oregon 4
It���s said to be the most dangerous route a postman ever took.  In fact, the route was eventually removed from the earth in order to keep people safe…

 

April 29, 2016
29Apr16 Dalles Oregon 3
He did not want to come to America and once he got here he quickly made arrangement to go back from wince he came.  But then something got in his way and changed his life and the history of this area…

April 28, 2016
28Apr16 Dalles Oregon 2
Life at a frontier outpost could sometime be isolated and lacking the amenities of affluence.  This commander had a plan to remedy that problem…

April 27, 2016
27Apr16 Dalles Oregon 1
It’s one of the more unusual place names in America.  The Dalles.  Where is it and what is it?  If you were a westward traveling pioneer, you probably knew the name well…

April 26, 2016
26Apr16 Jesse James Train Robbery
Great train robberies are the stuff of some great wild west movies.  In real life though, they say the first such event occurred here.  Today we travel to the spot were an infamous gang pulled the rails and waited for a big pay day…

April 25, 2016
25Apr16 Walter Kronkite Museum 3
How fast do you speak?  You’ve probably never thought about it, but this man knew the exact pace he needed to become one of the best in his profession

 

April 22, 2016
22Apr16 Walter Kronkite Museum 2
He was known as “the most trusted man in America.”  That’s a big title to live up to, but one this newsman filled for several decades…

April 21, 2016
21Apr16 Walter Kronkite Museum 1
This man made a name for himself as a war correspondent.  In fact, he even flew into the front lines on a glider just to get the story from the perspective of the soldiers in the heart of the battle…

April 20, 2016
20Apr16 Fort Knox 5
When most of us hear of Fort Knox, we think of gold.  While gold is there, there is much more to the story, for this is a military post with a very long and storied history…

April 19, 2016
19Apr16 Fort Knox 4
Whether you have any or not, many of us are fascinated by gold.  It’s the storyline of many a tv show and movie.  Where can you find the biggest vault of it?  The answer may surprise you…

April 18, 2016
18Apr16 Fort Knox 3
Everyone knows that much of the nation’s gold is at Fort Knox.  Or is it?  That’s the question many wondered a few decades back…

 

April 15, 2016
15Apr16 Fort Knox 2
You’ve heard of the gold at Fort Knox, and while we can’t go inside the vault, we do know much about the beginnings of that heavily fortified treasury and its contents.  We visit with a  man who lives just next door…

April 14, 2016
14Apr16 Fort Knox 1
During the depths of the US Depression in the 1930s, the federal government took several steps to spur the economy.  One was forcing the sales of all gold to the federal government…

April 13, 2016
13Apr16 Boundary Oak Distillery 3
Sometimes people will use secret codes to keep vital information from slipping into the wrong hands.  General Patton used such a code in World War II, just so he had something to drink…

April 12, 2016
12Apr16 Boundary Oak Distillery 2
When the U.S. adopted prohibition in 1920, most alcohol production ceased, but when production resumed in the 1930s, it seems some of the old recipes, so to speak, had been lost.  This man combines history and a distillery to unlock some unique products…

April 11, 2016
11Apr16 Boundary Oak Distillery 1
You can still find some old deeds that use a large tree to mark a property boundary.  Such was the case for Brent Goodin’s farm.  But their Boundary Oak is much more that simply a marker – it’s their business…

 

April 8, 2016
08Apr16 Tuckaleeche Caverns
For centuries, people have recognized the natural beauty along the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. We call it the Smokie mountains, but Steven Fananda’s family is hoping visitors want to see what is below ground as well…

April 7, 2016
07Apr16 Docville Farms 3
It���s only five stories tall, but it might as well be a skyscraper when you consider the view you get from the top.  It’s one of the few vantage points of a vital link connecting mid America to the rest of the world…

April 6, 2016
06Apr16 Docville Farms 2
It’s called Docville Farms, a working farm that is really just a portion of the vast acreage owned by one family.  Yet it was that family who had a dream to give that farm, in a sense, to the citizen’s surrounding it…

April 5, 2016
05Apr16 Docville Farms 1
The plantations east of New Orleans once grew indigo as a cash crop.  Today, some of that land has been swallowed by development, or lost due to the mighty Mississippi River, but look closely and you’ll find  a unique story dating to the families of a century ago…

April 4, 2016
04Apr16 Streator Illinois 3
You’ve most likely never heard his name, but you’ve likely heard his music.  His family tried to dissuade him from majoring in music, but it turned out this small town musician hit it big with a new movie company…

 

April 1, 2016
01Apr16 Streator Illinois 2
Many people like to be patriotic and support our troops.  This small town went well above and beyond, helping over 1.5 million soldiers all with volunteer labor and food…

March 31, 2016
31Mar16 Streator Illinois 1
He was a farm kid who discovered one of the most distant objects in our solar system.  And recently, his ashes were sent to that speck of light he discovered way back in 1930…

March 30, 2016
30Mar16 Sutters Fort 5
It was all quite by accident.  A mechanic installing a water powered sawmill discovered gold in the process.  But the man you may have thought would get the richest, left the state and many say he died poor…

March 29, 2016
29Mar16 Sutters Fort 5
You may know the state of California’s flag has a bear on it.  But did you know that before it was a state, some knew it as the Bear Flag Republic?

March 28, 2016
28Mar16 Sutters Fort 4
California had an immigration problem.  There were simply too many Americans coming to Mexico illegally.  Sounds strange today, but that’s what happened when this man came to California…

 

March 25, 2016
25Mar16 Sutters Fort 3
If it were not for this Captain of the Swiss Guard, the history of California might be much different.  Never mind the fact he was never in the Swiss Guard and he abandoned his wife and kids for 15 years to make it all happen…

March 24, 2016
24Mar16 Sutters Fort 2
The right title can open doors sometimes closed to an average person.  So what do you do if you don’t have the best name?  Just make it up of course…

March 23, 2016
23Mar16 Sutters Fort 1
He had California on his mind but he had a lot of trouble getting there.�� It was an adventure that would take just about everywhere but that state-to-be…

March 22, 2016
22Mar16 Albert the Bull 2
He is the biggest of his kind and you certainly won’t miss him if you drive into Audobon, Iowa.  He’s been in the movies and even an answer on Jeopardy.  We’ll take you to meet Albert…

March 21, 2016
21Mar16 Albert the Bull 1
It’s called Operation T-Bone and for over six decades it’s had an impact on west central Iowa.  It’s a mission that has changed over the year’s but is still very relevant today…

 

March 18, 2016
18Mar16 Walla Walla 4
By the end of 1847, the Cayuse Tribe had lost half of their members due to a measles outbreak.  The mounting deaths brought increased tensions between whites and natives.  What happened next still affects lives here today…

March 17, 2016
17Mar16 Walla Walla 3
In 1847 there was a measles outbreak in Oregon country.  The disease hit both whites and natives, but the death rate was much higher among the local tribes.  What happened next changed the course of history here…

March 16, 2016
16Mar16 Walla Walla 2
As white settlers moved westward, missionaries often moved ahead of them.  Their faithful goal was to evangelize to the native Americans and travelers alike and to assist with day-to-day life…

March 15, 2016
15Mar16 Walla Walla 1
It’s one of the most unique city names in the nation:  Walla Walla, Washington.  So what’s behind the name?

March 14, 2016
14Mar16 Sloss Furnaces 2
It’s the kind of place kids would love to climb around, on and through.  It’s also a place that tells and important part of America’s industrial age…

 

March 11, 2016
11Mar16 Sloss Furnaces 1
It’s hard to imagine today’s largest city in Alabama didn’t even exist at the time of the Civil War.  However, in the years following that conflict, factors converged to spur quick growth…

March 10, 2016
10Mar16 St Bernard Parish 4
Imagine moving from a place of volcanic rock and only two inches of rain per year, to a swamp.  It’s quite a change, but one that they folks made quite successfully…

March 9, 2016
09Mar16 St Bernard Parish 3
St. Bernard Parish is not on the way to anywhere. And that fact, makes this story one to be told today, for it left a culture mostly intact for over two centuries…

March 8, 2016
08Mar16 St Bernard Parish 2
Where did the bulk of the early settlers east of New Orleans originally call home?  The answer will probably surprise you, but their story is very important to our history…

March 7, 2016
07Mar16 St Bernard Parish 1
When Spain acquired New Orleans and the Louisiana Territory, they had several challenges.  One of the biggest was finding folks to settle there who could keep out the British…

 

March 4, 2016
04Mar16 Boys Town 6
The goal of just about every coach is to win a game.  That certainly true of this coach, but he’ll tell you the definition of winning might be a little different for his group of football players…

March 3, 2016
03Mar16 Boys Town 5
When this coach took over his new team, they hadn’t won a game the season prior.  In his first season at the helm, they won only one game.  Then things changed…a lot!

March 2, 2016
02Mar16 Boys Town 4
Kevin Kush grew up with the game of football, and today football remains a big part of his life.  However, he could have never imagined where his desire to coach would lead him…

March 1, 2016
01Mar16 Boys Town 3
It’s a home away from home…a place to come when homelife has a formidable set of challenges that keeps a young person from finding hope for the future.  It’s century-old story…

February 29, 2016
29Feb16 Boys Town 2
You may have heard the phrase, “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.”  It became the motto of this place based on a real-life event that sums up it’s mission…

 

February 26, 2016
26Feb16 Boys Town 1
When this man saw a need about a century ago, he began his own town to help young men succeed.  Today the name of the place is synonymous with helping the most challenged find a place to call home…

February 25, 2016
25Feb16 Cheena Hot Springs
There are many natural hot springs around the world, but it’s safe to say the man behind this one is one of the most unique you’ll ever find.  He has hot thermal baths, the best hay in the world and an ice museum to boot…

February 24, 2016
24Feb16 Peoria Penicillin 5
It’s called “Super Slurper.”  If you’ve had very young kids, you’ve probably used it and never realized it.  Even more folks don’t realize it was developed in what seems a most unlikely place…

February 23, 2016
23Feb16 Peoria Penicillin 4
You could call it the “moldy cantaloupe that saved the world.���  It was an unlikely find, but one that indeed help save thousands of lives…

February 22, 2016
22Feb16 Peoria Penicillin 3
Early in World War II, the US Army Air Corp was traveling worldwide looking to help find a wonder drug that could save thousands of lives…

 

February 19, 2016
19Feb16 Peoria Penicillin 2
You may have heard of Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin back in the 1920s.  However, most folks don’t know the important role agricultural scientists played in bringing us that miracle cure…

February 18, 2016
18Feb16 Peoria Penicillin 1
It was a miracle drug.  Penicillin.  However Dr. Alexander Fleming’s discovery was far from an immediate success as the world’s supply could be used up on just one patient…

February 17, 2016
17Feb16 Greensboro Lunch Counter 2
Earl Jones was a lawyer and state legislator who just happened to have an office across the street from a very important and historic site.  When that building was threatened, he soon found himself owning a department store

February 16, 2016
16Feb16 Greensboro Lunch Counter 1
We don’t think much these days about going into any restaurant and ordering a meal.  But in 1960, some were not served.  That story came to a head at this lunch counter…

February 15, 2016
15Feb16 Fort Madison Big House
It’s one very large and empty house.  It’s what some call “The Big House.”  But this historic and currently empty place could soon be changing…

 

February 12, 2016
12Feb16 Fort Madison Prison
Most people would say this river town is a pleasant place to live.  However, for those who happened to find themselves inside the walls, it may not have been so pleasant of a stay here…

February 11, 2016
11Feb16 Fort Madison Ross House
In Ft. Madison, IA you will find the Betsy Ross house.  But hold on you say…American flag maker Betsy Ross lived in Philadelphia and never came to Iowa.  There’s a good reason such a house is in Iowa…

February 10, 2016
10Feb16 Fort Madison 3
It’s a long walk from Fort Madison, Iowa to St. Louis, Missouri.  However, that’s exactly what was facing a few dozen men if they didn’t receive food very soon…

February 9, 2016
09Feb16 Fort Madison 2
When the native Americans laid siege to this remote American outpost, it was a part of a coordinated effort to retake the middle of the continent.  Interestingly, their sights may have been set on taking a symbolic prize rather than taking lives…

February 8, 2016
08Feb16 Fort Madison 1
What is the oldest city in the state of Iowa?  The answer has a lot to do with the fight to keep a young nation independent and free…

 

February 5, 2016
05Feb16 Clabber Girl 2
Maybe you’ve heard of the Clabber Girl brand of baking powder.  It’s been around for over a century.  But perhaps you didn’t know it’s connection to one of the largest annual sporting events in this country…

February 4, 2016
04Feb16 Clabber Girl 1
Perhaps you think a story about baking powder would be quite bland, but the tale of these two brothers is one that still very much touches our world today…

February 3, 2016
03Feb16 Angel Fire 3
My in-laws had been telling me about a place called Angel Fire for many years.  They make an annual trip there to remember friends and family lost in the Vietnam War.  I was inspired when I recently made my first trip there as well…

February 2, 2016
02Feb16 Angel Fire 2
When Doc Westfall lost a son to the Vietnam War, the event changed his plans for the future.  His new dream was one that honored all who fought…and we do mean ALL who fought.  Come meet his dream…

February 1, 2016
01Feb16 Angel Fire 1
The Westfalls had dreams of a ranch resort where they could retire.  Then tragedy struck and the plans for the ranch became a dream that inspires thousands who come here…

 

January 29, 2016
29Jan16 Clinton House 3
When Kate Johnson began her babysitting job, she had no idea that the folks she was working for would one day become the nation’s first family.  Today she helps oversee one of the museums that tells their story…

January 28, 2016
28Jan16 Clinton House 2
What’s Sinclair Oil, the invention of the chicken pot pie and a former U.S. president have in common?  It may sound like a joke, but they all have a connection to one specific house…

January 27, 2016
27Jan16 Clinton House 1
Regardless your politics, it’s often interesting looking back on the lives of our presidents.  One such place is drawing plenty of attention as the home of a president and the home of a presidential candidate…

January 26, 2016
26Jan16 Medicine Lodge 2
A three-day event dedicated to an old peace treaty may sound a bit odd.  However, this town’s event draws thousands and can be traced back nearly a century…

January 25, 2016
25Jan16 Medicine Lodge 1
About as long as there have been banks, there have been bank robberies.  The one that took place in Medicine Lodge, KS over a century ago proved deadly for both bank officials and the robbers…

 

January 22, 2016
22Jan16 College of the Ozarks Milam Smith 2
I recently visited a college campus unique from many others.  It’s a place where students work on campus to pay for their education.  A place where honoring God and country is even more important than the learning taking place here…

January 21, 2016
21Jan16 College of the Ozarks Milam Smith 1
Today we hear a lot about the rising costs of higher education.  While that may be true, students here have found that some hardwork on campus can get you a top flight degree…

January 20, 2016
20Jan16 Carry Nation 2
This lady was known to back up her words with her hatchet.  And that hatchet is still well known over a century later.  In fact, you can come here to see it…

January 19, 2016
19Jan16 Carry Nation 1
If you attended David Nation’s church in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, many would say the real sermon began when David’s wife began the after-sermon lecture…

January 18, 2016
18Jan16 Medicine Lodge History
In south central Kansas you’ll find a place long important to Native Americans – a place where they and later white settlers would meet to discuss peace on the High Plains…

 

January 15, 2016
15Jan16 Mendenhall Plantation 3
In the heart of the south, there was one Quaker community determined to not only bring an end to slavery, but to help former slaves get the education they needed to build successful businesses.  The homesteads they built remain…

January 14, 2016
14Jan16 Mendenhall Plantation 2
We might imagine that prior to the Civil War, most large farming operations in the south used slave labor.  Today we take you to a homestead in the south that was working to abolish the practice…

January 13, 2016
13Jan16 Mendenhall Plantation 1
Major highways can be a very important way to get people to your business.  What do you do when your competitor moves the road?  Well this man had a solution that brought him even more prosperity…

January 12, 2016
12Jan16 Ralph Foster Museum 2
What is the most famous truck in the nation?  There are a variety of answers, but no doubt this old time ride is still in the minds of many, on the screens of many a tv rerun…

January 11, 2016
11Jan16 Ralph Foster Museum 1
At one point, this museum might have begun to look a bit like your grandmother’s attic – full of just about anything and everything from yesteryear.  Today it’s a wealth of interesting exhibits that draws visitors from across the country

 

January 8, 2016
08Jan16 Crowley’s Ridge
The Mississippi River has formed many new channels over the centuries. One of those old routes places it many miles from its location today and it’s all because of a ridge of land that stretches over 200 miles through Missouri and Arkansas…

January 7, 2016
07Jan16 Jerry Armstrong 4
The movie “Glory Road” shares the story of five black basketball players from Texas Western who beat an all-white Kentucky squad to win the NCAA championship in 1966.  It became a focal point for racial equality in sports.  Today we visit with a man who propelled Texas Western to the championship, but then sat the bench for that final game

January 6, 2016
06Jan16 Jerry Armstrong 3
Jerry Armstrong was a farm kid from Eagleville, Missouri.  He excelled at basketball and took a chance to play Division I and Texas Western College in El Paso.  What he encountered was a coach and a general public that were a bit foreign to the small town teen from northern Missouri…

January 5, 2016
05Jan16 Jerry Armstrong 2
Depending on your age, you either lived through or have heard about the racial tensions of the 1960s.  While prejudices still are found today, that decade was one in which all aspects of daily life struggled with equality…

January 4, 2016
04Jan16 Jerry Armstrong 1
When a small town school produces a big-time athlete, the entire community might rally around them.   Jerry was one such basketball player.  However his route to collegiate athletics would lead him far from home to a place few knew much about.  His story became a national story…

 

January 1, 2016
01Jan16 Best of 2015 – Edmund Fitzgerald
It’s a mystery that is now 40 years old…a mystery that lives on through a song that tells the story of a grand ship and a storm that sent her to the bottom of Lake Superior.  We remember her and the crew…

December 31, 2015
31Dec15 Best of 2015 – Tombstone
When this man set out to find his fortune he was told he’d need to dig his grave when he got there.  He decided to mock those who made fun of him with the name of his new town…

December 30, 2015
30Dec15 Best of 2015 – Rex Hudler
Today’s sports stars often have high powered agents who negotiate their contracts.  However, this first round draft pick simply turned to his mom for help with that important job…

December 29, 2015
29Dec15 Best of 2015 – Titan Missle Silo
Over the year’s we’ve done some of our interviews underground.  That’s the case for today’s feature…situated on “level seven” of one of the most important sites of the late 20^th century…

December 28, 2015
28Dec15 Best of 2015 – Jim the Wonder Dog
Many people have dogs and some of us have even taught our dogs to do tricks. But Sam had a very unusual dog, for it seemed the dog learned all of the amazing tricks by himself, and no one could ever figure out how he did it…

 

December 25, 2015
25Dec15 North Pole Alaska 3
As the father of a first and second grader, it’s fun to see our kids write a letter to Santa.  Maybe you did the same thing once upon a time.  Where did that letter go that you mailed?  There���s a chance it may have wound up in this small town where it was indeed read by Santa…

December 24, 2015
24Dec15 North Pole Alaska 2
We all know that Santa lives at the North Pole.  But for awhile, Santa was living at the Davis Railroad Siding.  No it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, so something just had to be done about the name of the place St. Nick called home…

December 23, 2015
23Dec15 North Pole Alaska 1
A lot of communities in the U.S. will have a visit from Santa.  It’s a chance for the kids in the area to come meet St. Nick and make their requests known.  So perhaps it’s not that unusual the situation occurred here around Fairbanks, Alaska.  But what resulted is a place that people worldwide recognize as Santa’s true home…

December 22, 2015
22Dec15 Barrow Alaska 4
Do Eskimos live in igloos?  A lot of people who visit here are expecting to see that.  Some are disappointed and others are surprised at what they’ll find.  It’s all a part of the mystique of living as far north as one can go in this country…

December 21, 2015
21Dec15 Barrow Alaska 3
Some of us might celebrate a big occasion by going out to dinner.  If you live in Barrow, Alaska, there’s a chance your big news might result in you inviting the entire town to your house for dinner.  It’s a situation that occurs multiple times each year here

 

December 18, 2015
18Dec15 Barrow Alaska 2
Many rural towns have folks that love to go hunting.  That is definitely the case for this city of 4000.  However, the animal in their sights is far different than most, for they are one of the few places on the globe allowed to hunt whales…

December 17, 2015
17Dec15 Barrow Alaska 1
The sun didn’t come up in Barrow, AK on November 20^th.  They won’t see it again for over two months.  It’s just part of life in the nation’s northernmost community; a place where the locals feel as if they’ll sweat to death if the forecast were to hit the upper 60s…

December 16, 2015
16Dec15 Cranberry Farm 3
It’s hard to imagine a farm growing a crop from vines that are over a century old.  But that’s exactly the case here.  Some of the plants that first began producing in the 1800s are still providing a great crop each year.  We visit the largest cranberry producer in the world…

December 15, 2015
15Dec15 Cranberry Farm 2
Most farmers want to avoid a flood that drenches their crops.  Here, it’s just part of the process to keep the vines growing and getting the crop out of the field.  We’ll visit the largest grower of this produce known for the holidays…

December 14, 2015
14Dec15 Cranberry Farm 1
It’s hard to image that a place once known for mining iron would become an area that later was recognized for growing bountiful crops, but that’s exactly what happen here.  And thanks to that fact, you may just get one of your favorite holiday dishes…

 

December 11, 2015
11Dec15 Tom Brand 5
To say Tom Brand got a second chance at life is to infer that he hadn’t been making the most of his first shot.  That is far from the case.  Tom has been a very successful broadcaster, family man and a person who’s faith has helped him in all times.  But the experiences of 2013 have certainly shaped the way he lives today…

December 10, 2015
10Dec15 Tom Brand 4
Do you believe in the power of prayer?  If not, today’s feature may just make you a believer.  Tom Brand shares his story of the prayers that he literally felt while enduring several weeks in the hospital and multiple brushes with death…

December 9, 2015
09Dec15 Tom Brand 3
Statistics show that if you need cpr, even in a hospital setting, your chances of survival are under ten percent.  Tom Brand’s heart stopped three separate times, yet he was literally shocked back to life. His story is one that you won’t want to miss…

December 8, 2015
08Dec15 Tom Brand 2
If you are a person of faith, you may believe there are angels watching over us.  Today’s story certainly supports that belief.  It involves a heart patient, his surgeon and a conversation that didn’t come to full light until many weeks later…

December 7, 2015
07Dec15 Tom Brand 1
Today we begin a series with Tom Brand.  Many of you may know Tom as a long-time broadcaster and today’s director of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.  He’s also been the editor of this program since day one.  The story of his life that unfolded in 2013 is one you won’t want to miss

 

December 4, 2015
04Dec15 Ackerman Farms 2
Over the holidays many of us will have a piece of Pumpkin pie.  When you eat that dessert, you might give a brief tip of the cap to one Midwestern town, because there’s a very good chance that pumpkin was grown here…

December 3, 2015
03Dec15 Ackerman Farms 1
During the 1980s many farmers were forced to change the way they farmed.  The financial conditions of the decade made a lasting effect on many.  One such farm is just east of Peoria, and the changes the family made are ones that have brought success today…

December 2, 2015
02Dec15 Pendelton Underground 3
Most towns have a mix of good and bad in their histories.  Perhaps that’s the case for Pendleton, Oregon.  Certainly most of the risqué establishments are gone, but taking a peak into their past tells us a lot about the days of the western frontier…

December 1, 2015
01Dec15 Pendelton Underground 2
You may think stories of secret underground tunnels and secret subterranean establishments is a thing of folklore.  But go below the streets of this small town and you’ll seemingly find another whole town with a very infamous story…

November 30, 2015
30Nov15 Pendelton Underground 1
About 200 miles east of Portland, Oregon on today’s interstate 84, you’ll find a town that once served the early travelers of the Oregon Trail and the rails that connected the country.  You’ll also find a town with quite a rough and tumble history…

 

November 27, 2015
27Nov15 McElhaney Cattle Company
Angus Brown is used to dealing with 120 degree plus heat and three inches of rain a year.  It’s a cattle operation that thrives in some of the most extreme weather conditions…

November 26, 2015
26Nov15 Plymouth Rock
Each Thanksgiving we are likely to remember the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock.  But is that rock really the spot they disembarked and eventually celebrated a meal we trace to our holiday?  We’ll go rock hunting…

November 25, 2015
25Nov15 Pilgrim Hall 3
Each November we celebrate Thanksgiving in this country.  But how did we get the annual holiday?  While it may have begun with the Pilgrims, the story of how and why it became our yearly event is one that played our over a couple of centuries…

November 24, 2015
24Nov15 Pilgrim Hall 2
We often trace our Thanksgiving holiday back to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony.  It’s true they did have a feast of thanksgiving, but it seems to have been a one time event – an event about which we have very few clues…

November 23, 2015
23Nov15 Pilgrim Hall 1
Where is the oldest museum in the nation?  You might guess New York or Washington, D.C., but the town is much smaller, yet still very significant in American history…

 

November 20, 2015
20Nov15 First Thanksgiving 2
Farming can be a challenging way to make a living, especially when you consider factors like the weather that are out of one’s control.  Now imagine farming with the methods of 400 years ago and you�����ll find a very difficult yet rewarding way of tilling the land – and a very valuable lesson to share with those who stop by…

November 19, 2015
19Nov15 First Thanksgiving 1
We associate the first Thanksgiving with the Native American and Pilgrims living in Plymouth Colony.  However, we know very little about that event.  Today we head to Plymouth Plantation and look back about 400 years to a meal that we still celebrate.

November 18, 2015
18Nov15 Squanto
His name is one from our history books, but perhaps we have forgotten just how important his role was in saving the lives of the Pilgrims.  We know him as Squanto, a native American that made six trips across the Atlantic in his lifetime and a man who those first settlers said was sent from God to guide them into growing the food to sustain their colony…

November 17, 2015
17Nov15 Plymouth Colony 2
Some regions of the country are better suited for specific crops.  That was the case for the Pilgrims who established Plymouth Colony.  They brought lots of seeds with them, but it was a crop that was new to them, that was actually best suited for their new home…

November 16, 2015
16Nov15 Plymouth Colony 1
In 1620, the men and women we call the “Pilgrims” landed near Cape Cod, and eventually established Plymouth Colony.  As we near Thanksgiving, we take a look at the fact and fiction about the story of their survival in a new land…

 

November 13, 2015
13Nov15 Amberly Snyder 2
Amberly Snyder is quickly making a name for herself at rodeos across the nation.  However, her life is one of inspiration far from those arenas.  We ride along for that amazing story…

November 12, 2015
12Nov15 Amberly Snyder 1
Riding a horse requires skill, especially if you’re on the pro rodeo circuit.  Now image that task without the use of your legs…

November 11, 2015
11Nov15 Edmund Fitzgerald 3
Each November 10^th, the bell here in Whitefish Point will chime 29 times for the crew that died aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald.  Forty years later, that shipwreck still affects the way vessels travel here…

November 10, 2015
10Nov15 Edmund Fitzgerald 2
a grand ship and a storm that sent her to the bottom of Lake Superior.  We remember her and the crew…

November 9, 2015
09Nov15 Edmund Fitzgerald 1
If you come here to the shores of Lake Superior in the summer, you are likely to find lovely waters and a picturesque setting.  Come in November, and the same place can be dangerous to ships and people…

 

November 6, 2015
06Nov15 Baldknobbers 2
It had a inauspicious beginning.  A variety show held in the basement of city hall that attracted a couple dozen patrons seated in metal folding chairs.  But it’s grown into one of the longest and best known acts in the country…

November 5, 2015
05Nov15 Baldknobbers 1
They were called the Baldknobbers – a group of vigilantes that roamed the Ozarks dispensing justice as they saw fit.  The group still exists but it’s far different that the renegades from the 1800s…

November 4, 2015
04Nov15 Todd Bradshaw 2
Today we visit with one of the biggest stars in country music – Kenny Chesney.  But it’s a story with a twist…and a story that has many headed to a very popular music show…

November 3, 2015
03Nov15 Todd Bradshaw 1
Perhaps some of us have an dreams of making it big someday on stage.  That was the case for Todd, but unlike many people, he actually loaded up the car and headed out in pursuit of his music dreams…

November 2, 2015
02Nov15 Northfield Jesse James
You probably have not heard of a man named Joseph Lee Haywood.  He died on September 7^th, 1876 trying to prevent a bank robbery.  But the story of how and why he died in the robbery is a story of heroism that lives on over a century later…

 

October 30, 2015
30Oct15 Roger Williams 5
Over a century before the founding fathers would write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, this man was expounding on the ideas those documents would guarantee.  It was his voice that perhaps inspired parts of them…

October 29, 2015
29Oct15 Roger Williams 4
In a sense, this capital city is a place established for exiles.  If your thoughts and ideas were too radical for the establishment, peoples from many walks of life could find a home here…

October 28, 2015
28Oct15 Roger Williams 3
Roger Williams’ ideas were simply too radical for his time and place, and for that, he was about to be sent back to England.  That is until he escaped and helped found one of the 13 original colonies…

October 27, 2015
27Oct15 Roger Williams 2
This week we are in the smallest of the fifty states, Rhode Island, for the story of the man who helped found the colony – a man whose life was one of controversy…

October 26, 2015
26Oct15 Roger Williams 1
In an age centuries before a recorder could capture someone’s voice, young Roger could accomplish the same thing by hand.  However, you know him not for his stenography skills but the founding of a colony…

 

October 23, 2015
23Oct15 NFA History 2
Next week at the National FFA Convention, there will be a recognition of the 50^th anniversary of two groups joining together.  However, a half century later, that combination of organizations still has its challenges…

October 22, 2015
22Oct15 NFA History 1
Separate but equal was almost always separate and NOT equal.  That was the case in agricultural education as well with two groups helping those who loved the farm…

October 21, 2015
21Oct15 Roanoke Hotel 2
At one time is was the grandest of hotels in the state of Virginia.  But the wheels of time eventually forced her shutdown and all of the furnishings were sold.  What happened next surprised many…

October 20, 2015
20Oct15 Roanoke Hotel 1
What’s it take to build a large city?  A railroad and nice hotel of course.  It was a winning combination for this city and we���ll take you there…

October 19, 2015
19Oct15 Grandma Saunders
My grandmother Darlene Saunders passed last week and today I’ll be a pall bearer at her funeral.  So today I honor her with this look back on one of our many visits…

 

October 16, 2015
16Oct15 Soo Locks 3
Locals often simply call it “The Soo.”  Ships know the place for the locks that help move them from one great lake to another.  The ships and cargo passing here find their ways to all corners of the world…

October 15, 2015
15Oct15 Soo Locks 2
The ships here are moving so slowly, it’s sometime difficult to tell if they are in fact moving at all.  Yet hundreds of people will line up to see the important procession of vessels passing here…

October 14, 2015
14Oct15 Soo Locks 1
Before highways crisscrossed this nation, rivers often provided the best road to move cargo and passengers.  But some of those rivers had mighty obstacles to be overcome…

October 13, 2015
13Oct15 Spanish Treasure Cave
In the years following Columbus’ voyage to the new world, other Europeans followed, some with ideas of conquering native American nations and capturing the continents wealth.  Part of that story found it’s way to what is today northwest Arkansas and a cave that hold the loot

October 12, 2015
12Oct15 Mayflower Society 2
Some people enjoy tracing their family tree.  A few may even trace their ancestors back to the founding of the nation.  You may just be surprised to learn you have a cousin who was a Pilgrim…

 

October 9, 2015
09Oct15 Mayflower Society 1
Visitors to Plymouth, Massachusetts are often fascinated with the history of the Pilgrims who landed here.  But some have a deeper connection to others to that story and for that reason this organization exists…

October 8, 2015
08Oct15 Dalton Gang 2
There is a very famous tunnel running beneath the surface of a barnyard in Meade, Kansas.  It was built in secret, but today it’s very much open to the public so you can explore and choose which side of the story you believe…

October 7, 2015
07Oct15 Dalton Gang 1
The infamous Dalton Gang robbed individuals and businesses in the Midwest during the early 1890s.�� But not all of the Dalton children had a life of crime…

October 6, 2015
06Oct15 Prudhoe Bay Animals 2
Human beings need to keep their body temperature close to 98 degrees in order to survive.  So finding an animal that can drop its core body temperature to just 32 degrees and survive is a bit out-of-the-ordinary…

October 5, 2015
05Oct15 Prudhoe Bay Animals 1
Animals that live in extreme cold of course have a heavy blanket of fur or hair to keep them warm.  But what animal has the warmest coat – a coat that even helps it overcome predators?  The answer is in Alaska…

 

October 2, 2015
02Oct15 Camp Floyd
For three years, 3500 soldiers served alongside one another in Utah Territory.  It was the largest military outpost in the country.  But within a matter of months, the place would become a virtual ghost town and those same soldiers would be fighting one another…

October 1, 2015
01Oct15 Packard Museum 2
Name your favorite brand of car and you can probably find a dealership within a reasonable distance of your home.  But if you favorite car is a Packard…well, you�������ll most assuredly need to come to the only showroom that remains…

September 30, 2015
30Sep15 Packard Museum 1
It was the luxury car of the first half of the 20^th century.  Today the company is gone, but the legacy of their fine engineering is still to be found in this city…

September 29, 2015
29Sep15 Cherry Farmer 2
Many Americans are growing more concerned about their health and diet.  That means this farmer has to put some thought into how to position his product and how to best visit with consumers about it’s use.  It can be a health wonder or a burden on the waistline…

September 28, 2015
28Sep15 Cherry Farmer 1
Ben LaCrosse grows a crop just about everyone enjoys.  However, it’s a crop that is difficult to harvest and one that needs special conditions to grow.  On average each of us will annually consume three quarters of a pound…

 

September 25, 2015
25Sep15 Prudhoe Bay 3
Sometimes the snow blows or the chill sets in and it���s just too miserable to have school.  However, here, the classes go on, even when the wind chill dips to over 40 degrees below zero or more…

September 24, 2015
24Sep15 Prudhoe Bay 2
If you’ve seen the show Ice Road Truckers, then there’s a good chance you’ve witnessed a part of the story we share today.  We’re on the Dalton Highway headed to Prudhoe Bay

September 23, 2015
23Sep15 Prudhoe Bay 1
Today we head north, to the end of the road in Alaska.  That means traveling up the Dalton Hwy to the Arctic Ocean to the town of Deadhorse at Prudhoe Bay…

September 22, 2015
22Sep15 Havemiester Dairy 2
This family’s dairy herd is not large when compared to the nation.  They joke that to get repairs for their milking equipment they have to call a museum, not a parts store.  However they’re thriving here…

September 21, 2015
21Sep15 Havemiester Dairy 1
Some of the first farmers in Alaska came here in the 1930s.  They were called colonists and many picked up farming roots in the Midwest for a new opportunity in the then territory’s Matanuska Valley…

 

September 18, 2015
18Sep15 Alaska State Fair Vegetable Superintendant 2
What’s the most visited area of a state fair?  Here it’s the crops department.  It may sound unusual until you learn what fair we’re attending…

September 17, 2015
17Sep15 Alaska State Fair Vegetable Superintendant 1
Just about all of us have been to our state’s fair.  This year we’re taking you to the northernmost such event you can attend in the U.S., and it’s quite a draw…

September 16, 2015
16Sep15 Alaska Vegetable Grower Scott Robb 3
Scott Robb holds five world records.  That fact makes him a well recognized man among Alaskan farmers and among those who attend the state’s fair.  We visit with him about those giant titles…

September 15, 2015
15Sep15 Alaska Vegetable Grower Scott Robb 2
Imagine a record that stood for over a century.  That’s quite a mark to be broken, but today, Scott Robb is the world’s best in this category…

September 14, 2015
14Sep15 Alaska Vegetable Grower Scott Robb 1
Sometimes you might wish you just had more hours of the day to get things done.  For a portion of the year, the people who live here, feel as if that���s exactly the case, and their gardens can prove it…

 

September 11, 2015
11Sep15 Holocaust Survivor Eva Kor 3
It’s sometimes difficult to forgive someone.  In this case, Eva was willing to forgive the perpetrators of murders against her family and thousands of others.  However it was her route to healing…

September 10, 2015
10Sep15 Holocaust Survivor Eva Kor 2
Their story is one that will make you cry.  Ten year old twin girls, taken from their mothers arms – in an instant their entire family was gone forever…

September 9, 2015
09Sep15 Holocaust Survivor Eva Kor 1
Today we begin a three part series with Eva Kor, a Holocaust survivor with a story you won’t want to miss…

September 8, 2015
08Sep15 Capulin Volcano 2
Many people traveling in northeast New Mexico pass this site and fail to realize the historical significance and the amazing views if they simply drive a couple of miles out of their way.  For those who do stop, the story and scenery are amazing…

September 7, 2015
07Sep15 Capulin Volcano 1
Which state has the most volcanoes?  The answer will most likely surprise you.  We’ll head to the crater…

 

September 4, 2015
04Sep15 Young Arizona
It’s just a small town of about 500 people. You’ve driven through bunches of them. But you probably have not driven through this town of a half thousand unless you were specifically headed there. That’s because you must drive 26 miles of dirt roads just reach the remote location…

September 3, 2015
03Sep15 Good Enough Mine 3
Not many people set out to own a historic gold and silver mine.  That was the case for Andre, but soon he found himself owner of much of the land below the city that he served as mayor…and today he’ll take you on a tour of what’s underground

September 2, 2015
02Sep15 Good Enough Mine 2
When the first miners hit veins of ore here, they knew it was “good enough��� to open a profitable mine.  And thus, the name “Good Enough” mine stuck.  But what they found underground was far more than simply good enough…it was great

September 1, 2015
01Sep15 Good Enough Mine 1
Not many folks have heard of Goose Flats, Arizona.  After all, the most exciting thing in Goose Flats was the fact that geese sometimes landed there as they migrated through the area.  But then a man named Ed Schieffelin came along and changed everything…

August 31, 2015
31Aug15 Jack Dempsey 3
We all had people we idolized as youngsters. Perhaps they were movie or sports stars.  Maybe you even got to meet them once. For one young lade from Colorado, she never forgot the day she met the sports star from her small town…

August 28, 2015
28Aug15 Jack Dempsey 2
When Jack Dempsey held the heavyweight boxing title, he had to defend his belt against the world’s top fighters…and one very mean typewriter. This is the story of a typewriter and the challenge to stay in the ring…

August 27, 2015
27Aug15 Jack Dempsey 1
If you called someone a “big baby” you would probably insult them as a whining coward. Jack WAS a big baby, and he became an even bigger man. In fact, some might say he was the mightiest man in the world for several years…

August 26, 2015
26Aug15 Camel Caravan 1
In Quartzite, Arizona you can find the grave of Hi Jolly. It’s the Americanized name of a man responsible for transporting many of the supplies needed for settlement of what is today. But his journey to this country and the method he used to transport those items makes him a unique individual in U.S. history…

August 25, 2015
25Aug15 Camel Caravan 1
How do you move people and supplies across a desert? Well, the answer may depend on what desert you are attempting to cross. The U.S. military decided to think outside the box. What resulted was an unusual site in the barren stretches of today’s state of Arizona.

August 24, 2015
24Aug15 Bullhead City 2
When you picture steamboats, we may have images of stately paddle wheeled ships moving up and down the Mississippi River. So, it may seem odd for us to image those same boats cruising up and down a river in the middle of an American dessert. It’s exactly what happened here for over a half century…

 

August 21, 2015
21Aug15 Bullhead City
Every rancher knows they need good fences to keep the herd from running wild on the neighbor’s property.  In the 1850s there were not any fences here, but those who owned the cattle pushed their luck too far with their new neighbors in the desert…

August 20, 2015
20Aug15 Knute Rockne Memorial 3
He was perhaps an unlikely tour guide and an even more unlikely person to be recognized by cheering crowds and a large football stadium.  Perhaps that’s what endeared Easter Heathman to so many, his enjoyment of meeting people and sharing part of his unique link to history…

August 19, 2015
19Aug15 Knute Rockne Memorial 2
It’s been over eighty years since Knute Rockne walked the football sidelines at Notre Dame.  However, phrases like “Win one for the Gipper” and his national championships still resonate with many.  His legendary fame still brings people to the wide open spaces of Kansas to honor him…

August 18, 2015
18Aug15 Knute Rockne Memorial 1
It was an unlikely spot for a national story – the Flint Hills of Kansas in the early 1930s.  A place far from the national spotlight soon attracted attention from around the world as locals searched for survivors of a plane crash on the prairie…

August 17, 2015
17Aug15 Royal Gorge 2
For over seven decades, this bridge was a record setter, the highest suspension bridge in the world.  It continues to draw visitors from around the world who are amazed as they look through the planks at a river one thousand feet below them…

 

August 14, 2015
14Aug15 Royal Gorge 1
Thousands of people still drive to this location to be amazed by the natural beauty of this place.  It makes you wonder what the first explorers thought when they stumbled upon it by accident…

August 13, 2015
13Aug15 Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum 3
Perhaps it’s fitting that you have to go a bit out of the way to find the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  This well known site is certainly worth the drive, but in the early days, it was one of the more remote locations on the shores of Lake Superior…

August 12, 2015
12Aug15 Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum 2
Some sailors and airman have long feared the Bermuda Triangle for the mysterious fate of some who have passed there.  Whitefish Point is a bit different though.  Everyone knows its tremendous toll on ships, but for years, it didn’t seem to deter captains from plowing on through regardless the condition…

August 11, 2015
11Aug15 Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum 1
On a road map, it’s simply listed as “Whitefish Point.”  That place name has little significance to most, but for those living in northern Michigan, it’s a place very  well known on land and sea…

August 10, 2015
10Aug15 Monument Valley Bussing
Some students must ride a bus to school.  But imagine a school district where a student might spend nearly six hours simply riding to and from school each day. ��It���s a reality here…

 

August 7, 2015
07Aug15 Cottonwood Falls Courthouse 3
A county of only about three thousand people was tasked with a major challenge.  They needed to raise about $4 million to save their historic courthouse.  But how could so few raise so much?

August 6, 2015
06Aug15 Cottonwood Falls Courthouse 2
I’ve seen many courthouses in my journeys, but this one has to be one of the most amazing.  Beautiful inside and out, with some very unique stories to boot, including a deer that once lived inside the place…

August 5, 2015
05Aug15 Cottonwood Falls Courthouse 1
It only cost $40,000 to build this architectural masterpiece.  Of course, that was about 150 years ago, but the small town building is a unexpected draw for many to see across this nation…

August 4, 2015
04Aug15 Movie Manor Motel 2
When you check into this hotel, you’ll find the name of a movie star on your door.  In fact, you might even find a likeness of their autograph etched in the concrete on the driveway.  And the slice of Americana that this place is, has some tour groups reserving the entire hotel…

August 3, 2015
03Aug15 Movie Manor Motel 1
Many folks have fallen asleep on their couch while watching a movie.  In the case of one man in Monte Vista, Colorado, it produced an idea that built a one-of-kind family business…

 

July 31, 2015
31Jul15 Ed Davidson 3
Most prison camps wouldn’t want their detainees digging tunnels to freedom. But at Ed’s camp, it was a way to keep the prisoners occupied…

July 30, 2015
30Jul15 Ed Davidson 2
Ed believed he was a well informed pilot flying for the United States. Then the German captured him and told him things about himself that he’d never known…

July 29, 2015
29Jul15 Ed Davidson 1
Ed Davidson got to cross the Atlantic on the Queen Mary…but his trip wasn’t for pleasure, for he made that trip during World War II…

July 28, 2015
28Jul15 Concordia Brown Grand 2
Most of us recognize the name Napoleon Bonaparte as that of a famous French general. But for the residents of Concordia, Kansas, that name may mean something quite different. It’s an intriguing link to one very famous building…

July 27, 2015
27Jul15 Concordia Brown Grand 1
Today you don’t see many opera stars performing in rural America. But a century ago, the name on many buildings would lead you to believe those booming voices were a regular on small town stages…

 

July 24, 2015
24Jul15 Concordia POW Camp 3
At first glance, housing enemy soldiers in low security camps in the Midwest may not have seemed wise.  But for those who decided to escape, they soon found they had nowhere hostile to go…

July 23, 2015
23Jul15 Concordia POW Camp 2
During World War II thousands of enemy soldiers taken as prisoners of war where housed in hastily built camps in the Midwest.  Most were peaceful, but here in central Kansas, the endeavor had an auspicious beginning…

July 22, 2015
22Jul15 Concordia POW Camp 1
When the Allies began the fight against Germany in World War II, they began to take prisoners of war.  Some of those enemy soldiers would up in a place perhaps surprising to both sides…

July 21, 2015
21Jul15 Alcatraz 2
This island has some of the best views of San Francisco Bay and the city itself…yet most people didn’t want to live here. It’s a unique story of misery among beauty…

July 20, 2015
20Jul15 Alcatraz 1
At one time it was one of the nation’s most important forts…but that’s not how people would know it today…

 

July 17, 2015
17Jul15 JFK Birthplace 2
There was no doubt in Fitz’s mind that Joe was not the man for his daughter. The story of what happened when they married anyway is one that made American history…

July 16, 2015
16Jul15 JFK Birthplace 1
Beals Street looks to be just another street in suburban Boston.  But one house here is special, as it’s a home that produced a family lineage that’s still in the public eye today…

July 15, 2015
15Jul15 St Thomas Pirates 3
I recently had a fun conversation with a man who knows all about pirates. And he can set the record straight on much of the fact and fiction behind the men who plundered the seas. It’s fact and fiction in the pirate world

July 14, 2015
14Jul15 St Thomas Pirates 2
If a vacation spot tried to sell you all kinds of tacky trinkets and charged you a mint to enter the attraction, you might call it a “tourist trap.” Over a century ago such a situation was already taking place with people selling fake items to unsuspecting tourists.

July 13, 2015
13Jul15 St Thomas Pirates 1
We’ve all heard stories of pirates roaming the seas in search of golden treasure. It’s true there were men roaming the waters to commander and plunder other vessels, but what they were in search of was often not precious metals.

 

July 10, 2015
10Jul15 Judy Straus 5
We conclude our story with Holocaust survivor Judy Straus.  If you’ve missed any of her story of tragedy and triumph, be sure to go to AmericanCountryside.com and listen to each feature…

July 9, 2015
09Jul15 Judy Straus 4
As the end of World War II in Europe drew ever closer, the Germans stepped up the pace of sending Jewish families to death camps.  For the three members of the Straus family, each of their lives was very much in jeopardy…

July 8, 2015
08Jul15 Judy Straus 3
The scenes from Nazi death camps were staggering.  Now imagine experiencing those horros through the eyes of a child.  That was the case for Judy Straus…

July 7, 2015
07Jul15 Judy Straus 2
The Straus family left Germany in the 1930s to escape the rising power of Adolf Hitler.  Then, in the early 1940s, the Nazis invaded the new nation they called home…

July 6, 2015
06Jul15 Judy Straus 1
This week we visit with Judy Straus, a survivor of the Holocaust  Her story is one of tragedy and hope…and a story I hope you’ll tune into each day…

 

July 3, 2015
03Jul15 Tomb Guard 2
Every independence day we celebrate our freedom.  This soldier is reminded of the cost of that freedom…as he protects the resting place of America���s heroes…

July 2, 2015
02Jul15 Tomb Guard 1
Some jobs require you to wear a uniform.  Imagine a job where that uniform had to be worn with perfection…where a deviation of 1/64 of an inch could cost you your position…

July 1, 2015
01Jul15 Carl Mays 3
Ty Cobb was a great baseball player, but he was also known as a guy who would bend and break the rules.  So it’s somewhat unusual that Cobb would campaign to kick another player out of the majors for his behavior…

June 30, 2015
30Jun15 Carl Mays 2
Carl Mays had a career worthy of the baseball hall of fame, however many in his hometown will tell you that he���s not in Cooperstown because of one pitch he threw in his 15 year career…

June 29, 2015
29Jun15 Carl Mays 1
Some boys grow up hunting animals in the woods.  That was the case for Carl Mays, but he didn’t use a gun to hit his target and that made all the difference in his future career…

 

June 26, 2015
26Jun15 Colville Indian Reservation 2015
The name of their current tribal home is not an ancestral name, but rather the name of a fort where many of the native Americans of the area came to trade furs. It’s a reservation larger than the state of Rhode Island…

June 25, 2015
25Jun15 Grand Coulee Dam 2015
ve left behind…

August 4, 2016
04Aug16 Lost Luggage 2
Who would pack a surfboard in their luggage to go on an airplane?  Someone did, and then lost the surfboard.  Someone else took a pair of McDonalds golden arches – and then there’s the person that lost the guidance system to a F16.  The unique menagerie all wound up here…

August 3, 2016
03Aug16 Lost Luggage 1
Where does lost luggage go?  Perhaps you’ve wondered that if you’ve ever landed at an airport and your bags didn’t arrive.  Today we tell you where that luggage most likely gone if you don’t soon locate it…

August 2, 2016
02Aug16 Elvis Presley Birthplace
About 70% of the 100,000 visitors that come to this small home each year are from outside the U.S.  Yet the fame of this man seems to keep growing…long after his death…

August 1, 2016
01Aug16 Civil War Reenactment 3
Jacob Thomson is in one sense, immortal.  It may appear that he has met his demise, but soon he will come back to life again.  It’s all a part of his favorite pastime…

 

July 29, 2016
29Jul16 Civil War Reenactment 2
Jacob has the best of both worlds.  Hindsight is 20/20 and he can predict the future.  So you’d think he’d have it made in his role…but in a moment you’ll see things don’t always turn out like you’d think…

July 28, 2016
28Jul16 Civil War Reenactment 1
Today’s guest has not spent time fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan, yet he has fought some of the most important military battles in this nation’s history…

July 27, 2016
27Jul16 EBR Atomic Energy 3
It was an attention getter.  A statement that showed the world the United States was serious about using nuclear energy for peace.  But when you dig a little deeper, you’ll find the humor in the event…

July 26, 2016
26Jul16 EBR Atomic Energy 2
Arco, Idaho is a town that made history, but no one knew it when it happened.  Yet what happened here became worldwide news and makes it a historic landmark today…

July 25, 2016
25Jul16 EBR Atomic Energy 1
The Manhattan Project helped produce the first atomic weapons used at the end of World War II.  But when the war was over, many of those scientists went separate ways.  Some came here…

 

July 22, 2016
22Jul16 Elizabethtown Singer Jenny Lind 2
Imagine Taylor Swift was forced to stay in a small town and put on a free concert for the local citizens.  That’s what happened to this world famous star and the town still hasn’t forgotten it over 150 years later…

July 21, 2016
21Jul16 Elizabethtown Singer Jenny Lind 1
Name any female music star today and this Sweedish star of the mid 1800s would eclipse them all.  Her fame brought her to America where she made millions of dollars in today’s money…

July 20, 2016
20Jul16 Elizabethtown Diamond Hoax 3
If something seems too good to be true, then you might ask a lot of questions.  But what happens when your experts are even fooled by the story?  It results in a con for the ages…

July 19, 2016
19Jul16 Elizabethtown Diamond Hoax 2
It was one of the greatest swindles of its day.  A wild mining scheme that fooled some of the nation’s richest investors who placed their money behind finding diamonds…

July 18, 2016
18Jul16 Elizabethtown Diamond Hoax 1
You’ve heard of California prospectors that discovered silver and gold, but did you ever hear of one that struck diamonds?  Two men said they did…

 

July 15, 2016
15Jul16 Elizabethtown Kentucky 3
When several tragedies strike within a short period of time, people might say “the world is coming to an end.�������  That’s what the folks thought in this small town when a rare celestial occurrence coincided with raging fire…

July 14, 2016
14Jul16 Elizabethtown Kentucky 2
We all know Custer and his men met their fate at the Little Big Horn.  However, a chapter of the story you’ve probably not heard is how a town in Kentucky played an important role in that event…

July 13, 2016
13Jul16 Elizabethtown Kentucky 1
One day they would both become president of the United States, but when the two spent the summer in the same town passing each other on the street, you wonder if they ever noticed each other…

July 12, 2016
12Jul16 Craters of the Moon
It is a place on earth that looks like it doesn’t belong on the planet…perhaps that’s the reason they call it Craters of the Moon…

July 11, 2016
11Jul16 Boy Named Sue
You’ve probably heard of a boy named Sue thanks to Johnny Cash.  But was there really a boy named Sue?  The answer is yes, and he played an important role in history…

 

July 8, 2016
08Jul16 Scopes Trial 3
Imagine a packed crowd in a sweltering courtroom.  Refreshment vendor are allowed inside during recesses and chimps perform on the lawn outside.  It was a spectacle that drew worldwide attention…

July 7, 2016
07Jul16 Scopes Trial 2
His last name is forever linked to one of the most publicized trial in American history.  It was John Scopes that probably did not teach evolution, yet was tried for violating an act that polarized the nation…

July 6, 2016
06Jul16 Scopes Trial 1
Cities might devise many plans to help increase commerce and spur business growth.  Bringing a trial to your town would seem to be an odd choice, but nearly a century ago, that’s exactly what this town did…

July 5, 2016
05Jul16 Gettysburg George Pickett
Every Independence Day we remember those who have fought for our freedom.  One well known battlefield still draws thousands of visitors who learn about a man who made an ill fated charge…

July 4, 2016
04Jul16 Gettysburg John Burns
Imagine hitting the age to retire and then deciding to volunteer for the army.  That is what John Burns did.  The military rejected him. but then the battle came to him…

 

July 1, 2016
01Jul16 Jack Juett 3
You no doubt have heard of Paul Revere.  However, you’ve probably not heard of Jack Jouett.  When you hear the two stories, you’ll wonder why the history books remember Revere and not Jouett…

June 30, 2016
30Jun16 Jack Juett 2
It was June of 1881 and British troops were advancing on the home of future president Thomas Jefferson – in fact, they were under a mile away…

June 29, 2016
29Jun16 Jack Juett 1
There’s a good chance you���ve not heard of Jack Jouett, yet he may have been the man who saved some of the founding fathers in their revolution against England…

June 28, 2016
28Jun16 Huntington’s Disease 2
In the Bible, Jesus is referred to as “The Good Shepherd” who is willing to lay down his life for his sheep.  Today’s feature is also about the “good Shepherd,��� which in this case, is the story of a specific type of lamb that might provide life to people who are suffering…

June 27, 2016
27Jun16 Huntington’s Disease 1
At first glance, today’s story will seem to be one of little hope.  Yet, there hope and it’s coming from the livestock industry for people afflicted with a rare but debilitating and fatal illness…

 

June 24, 2016
24Jun16 Marielle Tsukamoto 5
The Tsukamoto school in Sacramento is a place of triumph.  Some may not know the story behind the name, but when you dig deeper, you find a farm family who worked to make the best of a bad situation…

June 23, 2016
23Jun16 Marielle Tsukamoto 4
When Marielle arrived in Arkansas, she found her new home must have been constructed for a group of second graders.  It was a humorous incident wrapped inside a regrettable chapter in American history…

June 22, 2016
22Jun16 Marielle Tsukamoto 3
Bob Fletcher is a hero to many around Sacramento.  When others were wronged, he stepped in to make things right – giving of his time and money to help save their farms and preserve family’s homes…

June 21, 2016
21Jun16 Marielle Tsukamoto 2
Why would anyone sell a perfectly good car for just five dollars?  It was the sad truth that was happening in many areas around Sacramento…

June 20, 2016
20Jun16 Marielle Tsukamoto 1
Farming in California’s central valley can have it’s challenges, however it can also provide the right soil and climate for bountiful crops.  However, this family faced a new obstacle directed at a specific group of people…

 

June 17, 2016
17Jun16 New Bedford Whaling 3
The residents of this city were so wealthy, their annual per capita income was the equivalent of purchasing two homes in the town.  It may take you awhile to guess the identify of that place…

June 16, 2016
16Jun16 New Bedford Whaling 2
A slave escaping his master needed a good place to hide.  Perhaps that what made this job perfect for those willing to accept the risks of dangerous profession…

June 15, 2016
15Jun16 New Bedford Whaling 1
Oil has long been big business for certain areas of the country.  Two centuries ago this city was known for oil, although it was much different than what you might think of today.

June 14, 2016
14Jun16 Old Faithful of California 2
Earthquakes are unpredictable and often very deadly.  So how could one predict those events to help save lives?  This man says he has a way that’s been proven effective…

June 13, 2016
13Jun16 Old Faithful of California 1
Old Faithful geyser is in Yellowstone National Park.  Well, one of the nation’s “old faithfuls” is in the park, the other is owned by this man who has quite a story….

 

June 10, 2016
10Jun16 Kokee State Park
Most people head to Hawaii for the balmy weather, so it’s quite unexpected to find this place has beautiful ocean views and temperatures that can dip below freezing…

June 9, 2016
09Jun16 Mount Sunflower 3
You can see for many miles from the summit, but it helps when you’re looking across the flattest state.  Still it’s a view people from around the world come to see…

June 8, 2016
08Jun16 Mount Sunflower 2
They’re called “highpointers” – people who seek to summit the highest point in each of the 50 states.  There’s not much climbing to do here, but it seems to be one of the most fun places to reach…

June 7, 2016
07Jun16 Mount Sunflower 1
It was a great place to check on his herd.  Who knew it would one day be a place that would attract over two visitors a year…to the middle of seemingly nowhere…

June 6, 2016
06Jun16 New Orleans Cemetery 5
You’ve heard the song “When the Saints Go Marching In” but did you know it’s still a very important part of many funerals today.  We head to a most unique celebration of life…

 

June 3, 2016
03Jun16 New Orleans Cemetery 4
People often enjoy a chance to tour the sets of famous movies.  Some of those backdrops are public places easily accessible most of the year, but this spot may seem a bit unusual as a prime spot to put on the camera…

June 2, 2016
02Jun16 New Orleans Cemetery 3
A funeral is often an tearful occasion.  While we honor and respect loved ones, it is an emotional time for family and friends.  However, this city proclaims it puts the “fun” in funerals…

June  1, 2016
01Jun16 New Orleans Cemetery 2
In New Orleans you’ll find what many consider an unusual way to bury the dead.  It involves moving bodies over a year after their death and throwing the caskets in the dumpster.  It commonplace here…

May 31, 2016
31May16 New Orleans Cemetery 1
Once a casket is buried, you probably expect it to stay in the ground.  The fact that the caskets here didn’t do that, created a unique situation in this city…

May 30, 2016
30May16 Campbell’s Resort 2
There are lake resorts all across this nation…but it’s not everyday that you encounter a family owned operation that has been in business for over a century…

 

May 27, 2016
27May16 Campbell’s Resort 1
In an age of hotel chains boasting hundreds of locations, it is still nice to find some lodgings with the comforts of today, with roots running over a century old.  Such is the case for this vacation spot special to many…

May 26, 2016
26May16 Judge Roy Bean 4
Housing a bar and a courtroom in the same location may seem a bit odd today.  It was unusual back then as well.  But if your name was Judge Roy Bean, well, it was just the way you lived life We head to the Jersey Lilly…

May 25, 2016
25May16 Judge Roy Bean 3
He was the man who dispensed law “West of the Pecos.”  His unique way of ruling on legal questions is just part of the mystique that continues to draw visitors to his courtroom yet today.  We head to Langtry, Texas…

May 24, 2016
24May16 Judge Roy Bean 2
We may not like the rules, but every place needs them.  And with the rules comes a person to enforce them.  But Langtry, Texas had few rules and no one to lay down the law.  That changed with a man named Roy Bean…

May 23, 2016
23May16 Judge Roy Bean 1
Roy Bean found a steady job supplying railroad work camps.  Then he discovered something rail workers really wanted…something to drink…

 

May 20, 2016
20May16 Farmer’s Branch
The name Farmers Branch sums up the beginning of this place.  A rich ag community along a north Texas stream.  Today the landscape has changed…but you can still find those roots…

May 19, 2016
19May16 Fort Lancaster 4
You might think of a “fort” as a place with high, secure walls that could repel an attack.  The reality in the west was few forts had such walls because it was very rare there was ever a direct attack.  The exception was this place…

May 18, 2016
18May16 Fort Lancaster 3
When the Civil War began, U.S. troops at some forts suddenly found men headed two different directions, north or south.�� The fate of those forts was also in question…

May 17,2016
17May16 Fort Lancaster 2
Before the days or cars and trucks, horses and mules were often called upon to bear the load.  But at one point, the army had a different idea on the best way to transport its supplies here in the southwestern U.S…

May 16, 2016
16May16 Fort Lancaster 1
Today’s traveler might meet the occasional challenge of a traffic jam or a flat tire, but the travelers here back in the 1850s had a lot more on their minds.  That’s in part, why this place was constructed…

 

May 13, 2016
13May16 Missouri Star Quilt 2
It’s a nice sunny day in Hamilton, Missouri, with a population of not even 2000, but unlike a lot of small cities, you may have a hard time finding a place to park.  It’s a good problem to have…

May 12, 2016
12May16 Missouri Star Quilt 1
What kind of businesses help bring small towns to life?  Today’s example may surprise you, but it has folks from literally around the world coming here…

May 11, 2016
11May16 Warpaint 2
Imagine you could run so fast that you lost your boots!  That’s what happened here.  This is the lady who had to go get that boot…in front of a lot of people…

May 10, 2016
10May16 Warpaint 1
There are many teenagers that like to ride horses, but few get the chance to train a horse that’s seen by over 80,000 people at once…

May 9, 2016
09May16 Moore’s Creek
It is a small bridge over a small creek.  It was a big victory in an even larger war…

 

May 6, 2016
06May16 Multiple Currencies
One, five, ten, twenty? Now imagine there were more denominations and dozens of different types of bills in circulation. What you would have is a major mess–and that’s exactly what banking could be like in the 1850’s…

May 5, 2016
05May16 Home on the Range Cabin 3
It’s a place so important, the owners were once offered a blank check if they would sell.  It’s a story you can hear on radio and catch on TV this weekend on U.S. Farm Report…

May 4, 2016
04May16 Home on the Range Cabin 2
It’s one of the best known songs of that past century.  In fact, one president said it was his favorite.  But then a lawsuit stopped it from being played…

May 3, 2016
03May16 Home on the Range Cabin 1
You may not fancy yourself a poet, and you may have forgotten a poem called My Western Home.  But in a moment you’ll find that you do know those words quite well…

May 2, 2016
02May16 Dalles Oregon 4
It’s said to be the most dangerous route a postman ever took.  In fact, the route was eventually removed from the earth in order to keep people safe…

 

April 29, 2016
29Apr16 Dalles Oregon 3
He did not want to come to America and once he got here he quickly made arrangement to go back from wince he came.  But then something got in his way and changed his life and the history of this area…

April 28, 2016
28Apr16 Dalles Oregon 2
Life at a frontier outpost could sometime be isolated and lacking the amenities of affluence.  This commander had a plan to remedy that problem…

April 27, 2016
27Apr16 Dalles Oregon 1
It’s one of the more unusual place names in America.  The Dalles.  Where is it and what is it?  If you were a westward traveling pioneer, you probably knew the name well…

April 26, 2016
26Apr16 Jesse James Train Robbery
Great train robberies are the stuff of some great wild west movies.  In real life though, they say the first such event occurred here.  Today we travel to the spot were an infamous gang pulled the rails and waited for a big pay day…

April 25, 2016
25Apr16 Walter Kronkite Museum 3
How fast do you speak?  You’ve probably never thought about it, but this man knew the exact pace he needed to become one of the best in his profession

 

April 22, 2016
22Apr16 Walter Kronkite Museum 2
He was known as “the most trusted man in America.”  That’s a big title to live up to, but one this newsman filled for several decades…

April 21, 2016
21Apr16 Walter Kronkite Museum 1
This man made a name for himself as a war correspondent.  In fact, he even flew into the front lines on a glider just to get the story from the perspective of the soldiers in the heart of the battle…

April 20, 2016
20Apr16 Fort Knox 5
When most of us hear of Fort Knox, we think of gold.  While gold is there, there is much more to the story, for this is a military post with a very long and storied history…

April 19, 2016
19Apr16 Fort Knox 4
Whether you have any or not, many of us are fascinated by gold.  It’s the storyline of many a tv show and movie.  Where can you find the biggest vault of it?  The answer may surprise you…

April 18, 2016
18Apr16 Fort Knox 3
Everyone knows that much of the nation’s gold is at Fort Knox.  Or is it?  That’s the question many wondered a few decades back…

 

April 15, 2016
15Apr16 Fort Knox 2
You’ve heard of the gold at Fort Knox, and while we can’t go inside the vault, we do know much about the beginnings of that heavily fortified treasury and its contents.  We visit with a  man who lives just next door…

April 14, 2016
14Apr16 Fort Knox 1
During the depths of the US Depression in the 1930s, the federal government took several steps to spur the economy.  One was forcing the sales of all gold to the federal government…

April 13, 2016
13Apr16 Boundary Oak Distillery 3
Sometimes people will use secret codes to keep vital information from slipping into the wrong hands.  General Patton used such a code in World War II, just so he had something to drink…

April 12, 2016
12Apr16 Boundary Oak Distillery 2
When the U.S. adopted prohibition in 1920, most alcohol production ceased, but when production resumed in the 1930s, it seems some of the old recipes, so to speak, had been lost.  This man combines history and a distillery to unlock some unique products…

April 11, 2016
11Apr16 Boundary Oak Distillery 1
You can still find some old deeds that use a large tree to mark a property boundary.  Such was the case for Brent Goodin’s farm.  But their Boundary Oak is much more that simply a marker – it’s their business…

 

April 8, 2016
08Apr16 Tuckaleeche Caverns
For centuries, people have recognized the natural beauty along the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. We call it the Smokie mountains, but Steven Fananda’s family is hoping visitors want to see what is below ground as well…

April 7, 2016
07Apr16 Docville Farms 3
It’s only five stories tall, but it might as well be a skyscraper when you consider the view you get from the top.  It’s one of the few vantage points of a vital link connecting mid America to the rest of the world…

April 6, 2016
06Apr16 Docville Farms 2
It’s called Docville Farms, a working farm that is really just a portion of the vast acreage owned by one family. Yet it was that family who had a dream to give that farm, in a sense, to the citizen’s surrounding it…

April 5, 2016
05Apr16 Docville Farms 1
The plantations east of New Orleans once grew indigo as a cash crop.  Today, some of that land has been swallowed by development, or lost due to the mighty Mississippi River, but look closely and you’ll find  a unique story dating to the families of a century ago…

April 4, 2016
04Apr16 Streator Illinois 3
You’ve most likely never heard his name, but you’ve likely heard his music.  His family tried to dissuade him from majoring in music, but it turned out this small town musician hit it big with a new movie company…

 

April 1, 2016
01Apr16 Streator Illinois 2
Many people like to be patriotic and support our troops.  This small town went well above and beyond, helping over 1.5 million soldiers all with volunteer labor and food…

March 31, 2016
31Mar16 Streator Illinois 1
He was a farm kid who discovered one of the most distant objects in our solar system.  And recently, his ashes were sent to that speck of light he discovered way back in 1930…

March 30, 2016
30Mar16 Sutters Fort 5
It was all quite by accident.  A mechanic installing a water powered sawmill discovered gold in the process.  But the man you may have thought would get the richest, left the state and many say he died poor…

March 29, 2016
29Mar16 Sutters Fort 5
You may know the state of California’s flag has a bear on it.  But did you know that before it was a state, some knew it as the Bear Flag Republic?

March 28, 2016
28Mar16 Sutters Fort 4
California had an immigration problem.  There were simply too many Americans coming to Mexico illegally.  Sounds strange today, but that’s what happened when this man came to California…

 

March 25, 2016
25Mar16 Sutters Fort 3
If it were not for this Captain of the Swiss Guard, the history of California might be much different.  Never mind the fact he was never in the Swiss Guard and he abandoned his wife and kids for 15 years to make it all happen…

March 24, 2016
24Mar16 Sutters Fort 2
The right title can open doors sometimes closed to an average person.  So what do you do if you don’t have the best name?  Just make it up of course…

March 23, 2016
23Mar16 Sutters Fort 1
He had California on his mind but he had a lot of trouble getting there.  It was an adventure that would take just about everywhere but that state-to-be…

March 22, 2016
22Mar16 Albert the Bull 2
He is the biggest of his kind and you certainly won���t miss him if you drive into Audobon, Iowa.  He’s been in the movies and even an answer on Jeopardy.  We’ll take you to meet Albert…

March 21, 2016
21Mar16 Albert the Bull 1
It’s called Operation T-Bone and for over six decades it’s had an impact on west central Iowa.  It’s a mission that has changed over the year’s but is still very relevant today…

 

March 18, 2016
18Mar16 Walla Walla 4
By the end of 1847, the Cayuse Tribe had lost half of their members due to a measles outbreak.  The mounting deaths brought increased tensions between whites and natives.  What happened next still affects lives here today…

March 17, 2016
17Mar16 Walla Walla 3
In 1847 there was a measles outbreak in Oregon country.  The disease hit both whites and natives, but the death rate was much higher among the local tribes.  What happened next changed the course of history here…

March 16, 2016
16Mar16 Walla Walla 2
As white settlers moved westward, missionaries often moved ahead of them.  Their faithful goal was to evangelize to the native Americans and travelers alike and to assist with day-to-day life…

March 15, 2016
15Mar16 Walla Walla 1
It’s one of the most unique city names in the nation:  Walla Walla, Washington.  So what’s behind the name?

March 14, 2016
14Mar16 Sloss Furnaces 2
It’s the kind of place kids would love to climb around, on and through.  It’s also a place that tells and important part of America’s industrial age…

 

March 11, 2016
11Mar16 Sloss Furnaces 1
It’s hard to imagine today’s largest city in Alabama didn’t even exist at the time of the Civil War.�� However, in the years following that conflict, factors converged to spur quick growth…

March 10, 2016
10Mar16 St Bernard Parish 4
Imagine moving from a place of volcanic rock and only two inches of rain per year, to a swamp.  It’s quite a change, but one that they folks made quite successfully…

March 9, 2016
09Mar16 St Bernard Parish 3
St. Bernard Parish is not on the way to anywhere. And that fact, makes this story one to be told today, for it left a culture mostly intact for over two centuries…

March 8, 2016
08Mar16 St Bernard Parish 2
Where did the bulk of the early settlers east of New Orleans originally call home?  The answer will probably surprise you, but their story is very important to our history…

March 7, 2016
07Mar16 St Bernard Parish 1
When Spain acquired New Orleans and the Louisiana Territory, they had several challenges.  One of the biggest was finding folks to settle there who could keep out the British…

 

March 4, 2016
04Mar16 Boys Town 6
The goal of just about every coach is to win a game.  That certainly true of this coach, but he’ll tell you the definition of winning might be a little different for his group of football players…

March 3, 2016
03Mar16 Boys Town 5
When this coach took over his new team, they hadn’t won a game the season prior.  In his first season at the helm, they won only one game.  Then things changed…a lot!

March 2, 2016
02Mar16 Boys Town 4
Kevin Kush grew up with the game of football, and today football remains a big part of his life.  However, he could have never imagined where his desire to coach would lead him…

March 1, 2016
01Mar16 Boys Town 3
It’s a home away from home…a place to come when homelife has a formidable set of challenges that keeps a young person from finding hope for the future.  It’s century-old story…

February 29, 2016
29Feb16 Boys Town 2
You may have heard the phrase, “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.”  It became the motto of this place based on a real-life event that sums up it’s mission…

 

February 26, 2016
26Feb16 Boys Town 1
When this man saw a need about a century ago, he began his own town to help young men succeed.  Today the name of the place is synonymous with helping the most challenged find a place to call home…

February 25, 2016
25Feb16 Cheena Hot Springs
There are many natural hot springs around the world, but it’s safe to say the man behind this one is one of the most unique you’ll ever find.  He has hot thermal baths, the best hay in the world and an ice museum to boot…

February 24, 2016
24Feb16 Peoria Penicillin 5
It’s called “Super Slurper.”  If you’ve had very young kids, you’ve probably used it and never realized it.  Even more folks don’t realize it was developed in what seems a most unlikely place…

February 23, 2016
23Feb16 Peoria Penicillin 4
You could call it the “moldy cantaloupe that saved the world.”  It was an unlikely find, but one that indeed help save thousands of lives…

February 22, 2016
22Feb16 Peoria Penicillin 3
Early in World War II, the US Army Air Corp was traveling worldwide looking to help find a wonder drug that could save thousands of lives…

 

February 19, 2016
19Feb16 Peoria Penicillin 2
You may have heard of Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin back in the 1920s.  However, most folks don’t know the important role agricultural scientists played in bringing us that miracle cure…

February 18, 2016
18Feb16 Peoria Penicillin 1
It was a miracle drug.  Penicillin.  However Dr. Alexander Fleming’s discovery was far from an immediate success as the world’s supply could be used up on just one patient…

February 17, 2016
17Feb16 Greensboro Lunch Counter 2
Earl Jones was a lawyer and state legislator who just happened to have an office across the street from a very important and historic site.  When that building was threatened, he soon found himself owning a department store

February 16, 2016
16Feb16 Greensboro Lunch Counter 1
We don’t think much these days about going into any restaurant and ordering a meal.  But in 1960, some were not served.  That story came to a head at this lunch counter…

February 15, 2016
15Feb16 Fort Madison Big House
It’s one very large and empty house.  It’s what some call “The Big House.”  But this historic and currently empty place could soon be changing…

 

February 12, 2016
12Feb16 Fort Madison Prison
Most people would say this river town is a pleasant place to live.  However, for those who happened to find themselves inside the walls, it may not have been so pleasant of a stay here…

February 11, 2016
11Feb16 Fort Madison Ross House
In Ft. Madison, IA you will find the Betsy Ross house.  But hold on you say…American flag maker Betsy Ross lived in Philadelphia and never came to Iowa.  There’s a good reason such a house is in Iowa…

February 10, 2016
10Feb16 Fort Madison 3
It’s a long walk from Fort Madison, Iowa to St. Louis, Missouri.  However, that’s exactly what was facing a few dozen men if they didn’t receive food very soon…

February 9, 2016
09Feb16 Fort Madison 2
When the native Americans laid siege to this remote American outpost, it was a part of a coordinated effort to retake the middle of the continent.  Interestingly, their sights may have been set on taking a symbolic prize rather than taking lives…

February 8, 2016
08Feb16 Fort Madison 1
What is the oldest city in the state of Iowa?  The answer has a lot to do with the fight to keep a young nation independent and free…

 

February 5, 2016
05Feb16 Clabber Girl 2
Maybe you’ve heard of the Clabber Girl brand of baking powder.  It’s been around for over a century.  But perhaps you didn’t know it’s connection to one of the largest annual sporting events in this country…

February 4, 2016
04Feb16 Clabber Girl 1
Perhaps you think a story about baking powder would be quite bland, but the tale of these two brothers is one that still very much touches our world today…

February 3, 2016
03Feb16 Angel Fire 3
My in-laws had been telling me about a place called Angel Fire for many years.  They make an annual trip there to remember friends and family lost in the Vietnam War.  I was inspired when I recently made my first trip there as well…

February 2, 2016
02Feb16 Angel Fire 2
When Doc Westfall lost a son to the Vietnam War, the event changed his plans for the future.  His new dream was one that honored all who fought…and we do mean ALL who fought.  Come meet his dream…

February 1, 2016
01Feb16 Angel Fire 1
The Westfalls had dreams of a ranch resort where they could retire.  Then tragedy struck and the plans for the ranch became a dream that inspires thousands who come here…

 

January 29, 2016
29Jan16 Clinton House 3
When Kate Johnson began her babysitting job, she had no idea that the folks she was working for would one day become the nation’s first family.  Today she helps oversee one of the museums that tells their story…

January 28, 2016
28Jan16 Clinton House 2
What’s Sinclair Oil, the invention of the chicken pot pie and a former U.S. president have in common?  It may sound like a joke, but they all have a connection to one specific house…

January 27, 2016
27Jan16 Clinton House 1
Regardless your politics, it’s often interesting looking back on the lives of our presidents.  One such place is drawing plenty of attention as the home of a president and the home of a presidential candidate…

January 26, 2016
26Jan16 Medicine Lodge 2
A three-day event dedicated to an old peace treaty may sound a bit odd.  However, this town’s event draws thousands and can be traced back nearly a century…

January 25, 2016
25Jan16 Medicine Lodge 1
About as long as there have been banks, there have been bank robberies.  The one that took place in Medicine Lodge, KS over a century ago proved deadly for both bank officials and the robbers…

 

January 22, 2016
22Jan16 College of the Ozarks Milam Smith 2
I recently visited a college campus unique from many others.  It’s a place where students work on campus to pay for their education.  A place where honoring God and country is even more important than the learning taking place here…

January 21, 2016
21Jan16 College of the Ozarks Milam Smith 1
Today we hear a lot about the rising costs of higher education.  While that may be true, students here have found that some hardwork on campus can get you a top flight degree…

January 20, 2016
20Jan16 Carry Nation 2
This lady was known to back up her words with her hatchet.  And that hatchet is still well known over a century later.  In fact, you can come here to see it…

January 19, 2016
19Jan16 Carry Nation 1
If you attended David Nation’s church in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, many would say the real sermon began when David’s wife began the after-sermon lecture…

January 18, 2016
18Jan16 Medicine Lodge History
In south central Kansas you’ll find a place long important to Native Americans – a place where they and later white settlers would meet to discuss peace on the High Plains…

 

January 15, 2016
15Jan16 Mendenhall Plantation 3
In the heart of the south, there was one Quaker community determined to not only bring an end to slavery, but to help former slaves get the education they needed to build successful businesses.  The homesteads they built remain…

January 14, 2016
14Jan16 Mendenhall Plantation 2
We might imagine that prior to the Civil War, most large farming operations in the south used slave labor.  Today we take you to a homestead in the south that was working to abolish the practice…

January 13, 2016
13Jan16 Mendenhall Plantation 1
Major highways can be a very important way to get people to your business.  What do you do when your competitor moves the road?  Well this man had a solution that brought him even more prosperity…

January 12, 2016
12Jan16 Ralph Foster Museum 2
What is the most famous truck in the nation?  There are a variety of answers, but no doubt this old time ride is still in the minds of many, on the screens of many a tv rerun…

January 11, 2016
11Jan16 Ralph Foster Museum 1
At one point, this museum might have begun to look a bit like your grandmother’s attic – full of just about anything and everything from yesteryear.  Today it’s a wealth of interesting exhibits that draws visitors from across the country

 

January 8, 2016
08Jan16 Crowley’s Ridge
The Mississippi River has formed many new channels over the centuries. One of those old routes places it many miles from its location today and it’s all because of a ridge of land that stretches over 200 miles through Missouri and Arkansas…

January 7, 2016
07Jan16 Jerry Armstrong 4
The movie “Glory Road” shares the story of five black basketball players from Texas Western who beat an all-white Kentucky squad to win the NCAA championship in 1966.  It became a focal point for racial equality in sports.  Today we visit with a man who propelled Texas Western to the championship, but then sat the bench for that final game

January 6, 2016
06Jan16 Jerry Armstrong 3
Jerry Armstrong was a farm kid from Eagleville, Missouri.  He excelled at basketball and took a chance to play Division I and Texas Western College in El Paso.  What he encountered was a coach and a general public that were a bit foreign to the small town teen from northern Missouri…

January 5, 2016
05Jan16 Jerry Armstrong 2
Depending on your age, you either lived through or have heard about the racial tensions of the 1960s.  While prejudices still are found today, that decade was one in which all aspects of daily life struggled with equality…

January 4, 2016
04Jan16 Jerry Armstrong 1
When a small town school produces a big-time athlete, the entire community might rally around them.   Jerry was one such basketball player.  However his route to collegiate athletics would lead him far from home to a place few knew much about.  His story became a national story…

 

January 1, 2016
01Jan16 Best of 2015 – Edmund Fitzgerald
It’s a mystery that is now 40 years old…a mystery that lives on through a song that tells the story of a grand ship and a storm that sent her to the bottom of Lake Superior.  We remember her and the crew…

December 31, 2015
31Dec15 Best of 2015 – Tombstone
When this man set out to find his fortune he was told he’d need to dig his grave when he got there.  He decided to mock those who made fun of him with the name of his new town…

December 30, 2015
30Dec15 Best of 2015 – Rex Hudler
Today’s sports stars often have high powered agents who negotiate their contracts.  However, this first round draft pick simply turned to his mom for help with that important job…

December 29, 2015
29Dec15 Best of 2015 – Titan Missle Silo
Over the year’s we’ve done some of our interviews underground.  That’s the case for today’s feature…situated on “level seven” of one of the most important sites of the late 20^th century…

December 28, 2015
28Dec15 Best of 2015 – Jim the Wonder Dog
Many people have dogs and some of us have even taught our dogs to do tricks. But Sam had a very unusual dog, for it seemed the dog learned all of the amazing tricks by himself, and no one could ever figure out how he did it…

 

December 25, 2015
25Dec15 North Pole Alaska 3
As the father of a first and second grader, it’s fun to see our kids write a letter to Santa.  Maybe you did the same thing once upon a time.  Where did that letter go that you mailed?  There���s a chance it may have wound up in this small town where it was indeed read by Santa…

December 24, 2015
24Dec15 North Pole Alaska 2
We all know that Santa lives at the North Pole.  But for awhile, Santa was living at the Davis Railroad Siding.  No it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, so something just had to be done about the name of the place St. Nick called home…

December 23, 2015
23Dec15 North Pole Alaska 1
A lot of communities in the U.S. will have a visit from Santa.  It’s a chance for the kids in the area to come meet St. Nick and make their requests known.  So perhaps it’s not that unusual the situation occurred here around Fairbanks, Alaska.  But what resulted is a place that people worldwide recognize as Santa’s true home…

December 22, 2015
22Dec15 Barrow Alaska 4
Do Eskimos live in igloos?  A lot of people who visit here are expecting to see that.  Some are disappointed and others are surprised at what they’ll find.  It’s all a part of the mystique of living as far north as one can go in this country…

December 21, 2015
21Dec15 Barrow Alaska 3
Some of us might celebrate a big occasion by going out to dinner.  If you live in Barrow, Alaska, there’s a chance your big news might result in you inviting the entire town to your house for dinner.  It’s a situation that occurs multiple times each year here

 

December 18, 2015
18Dec15 Barrow Alaska 2
Many rural towns have folks that love to go hunting.  That is definitely the case for this city of 4000.  However, the animal in their sights is far different than most, for they are one of the few places on the globe allowed to hunt whales…

December 17, 2015
17Dec15 Barrow Alaska 1
The sun didn’t come up in Barrow, AK on November 20^th.  They won’t see it again for over two months.  It’s just part of life in the nation’s northernmost community; a place where the locals feel as if they’ll sweat to death if the forecast were to hit the upper 60s…

December 16, 2015
16Dec15 Cranberry Farm 3
It’s hard to imagine a farm growing a crop from vines that are over a century old.  But that’s exactly the case here.  Some of the plants that first began producing in the 1800s are still providing a great crop each year.  We visit the largest cranberry producer in the world…

December 15, 2015
15Dec15 Cranberry Farm 2
Most farmers want to avoid a flood that drenches their crops.  Here, it’s just part of the process to keep the vines growing and getting the crop out of the field.  We’ll visit the largest grower of this produce known for the holidays…

December 14, 2015
14Dec15 Cranberry Farm 1
It’s hard to image that a place once known for mining iron would become an area that later was recognized for growing bountiful crops, but that’s exactly what happen here.  And thanks to that fact, you may just get one of your favorite holiday dishes…

 

December 11, 2015
11Dec15 Tom Brand 5
To say Tom Brand got a second chance at life is to infer that he hadn’t been making the most of his first shot.  That is far from the case.  Tom has been a very successful broadcaster, family man and a person who’s faith has helped him in all times.  But the experiences of 2013 have certainly shaped the way he lives today…

December 10, 2015
10Dec15 Tom Brand 4
Do you believe in the power of prayer?  If not, today’s feature may just make you a believer.  Tom Brand shares his story of the prayers that he literally felt while enduring several weeks in the hospital and multiple brushes with death…

December 9, 2015
09Dec15 Tom Brand 3
Statistics show that if you need cpr, even in a hospital setting, your chances of survival are under ten percent.  Tom Brand’s heart stopped three separate times, yet he was literally shocked back to life. His story is one that you won’t want to miss…

December 8, 2015
08Dec15 Tom Brand 2
If you are a person of faith, you may believe there are angels watching over us.  Today’s story certainly supports that belief.  It involves a heart patient, his surgeon and a conversation that didn’t come to full light until many weeks later…

December 7, 2015
07Dec15 Tom Brand 1
Today we begin a series with Tom Brand.  Many of you may know Tom as a long-time broadcaster and today’s director of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.  He’s also been the editor of this program since day one.  The story of his life that unfolded in 2013 is one you won’t want to miss

 

December 4, 2015
04Dec15 Ackerman Farms 2
Over the holidays many of us will have a piece of Pumpkin pie.  When you eat that dessert, you might give a brief tip of the cap to one Midwestern town, because there’s a very good chance that pumpkin was grown here…

December 3, 2015
03Dec15 Ackerman Farms 1
During the 1980s many farmers were forced to change the way they farmed.  The financial conditions of the decade made a lasting effect on many.  One such farm is just east of Peoria, and the changes the family made are ones that have brought success today…

December 2, 2015
02Dec15 Pendelton Underground 3
Most towns have a mix of good and bad in their histories.  Perhaps that’s the case for Pendleton, Oregon.  Certainly most of the risqué establishments are gone, but taking a peak into their past tells us a lot about the days of the western frontier…

December 1, 2015
01Dec15 Pendelton Underground 2
You may think stories of secret underground tunnels and secret subterranean establishments is a thing of folklore.  But go below the streets of this small town and you’ll seemingly find another whole town with a very infamous story…

November 30, 2015
30Nov15 Pendelton Underground 1
About 200 miles east of Portland, Oregon on today’s interstate 84, you’ll find a town that once served the early travelers of the Oregon Trail and the rails that connected the country.  You’ll also find a town with quite a rough and tumble history…

 

November 27, 2015
27Nov15 McElhaney Cattle Company
Angus Brown is used to dealing with 120 degree plus heat and three inches of rain a year.  It’s a cattle operation that thrives in some of the most extreme weather conditions…

November 26, 2015
26Nov15 Plymouth Rock
Each Thanksgiving we are likely to remember the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock.  But is that rock really the spot they disembarked and eventually celebrated a meal we trace to our holiday?  We’ll go rock hunting…

November 25, 2015
25Nov15 Pilgrim Hall 3
Each November we celebrate Thanksgiving in this country.  But how did we get the annual holiday?  While it may have begun with the Pilgrims, the story of how and why it became our yearly event is one that played our over a couple of centuries…

November 24, 2015
24Nov15 Pilgrim Hall 2
We often trace our Thanksgiving holiday back to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony.  It’s true they did have a feast of thanksgiving, but it seems to have been a one time event – an event about which we have very few clues…

November 23, 2015
23Nov15 Pilgrim Hall 1
Where is the oldest museum in the nation?  You might guess New York or Washington, D.C., but the town is much smaller, yet still very significant in American history…

 

November 20, 2015
20Nov15 First Thanksgiving 2
Farming can be a challenging way to make a living, especially when you consider factors like the weather that are out of one’s control.  Now imagine farming with the methods of 400 years ago and you�������ll find a very difficult yet rewarding way of tilling the land – and a very valuable lesson to share with those who stop by…

November 19, 2015
19Nov15 First Thanksgiving 1
We associate the first Thanksgiving with the Native American and Pilgrims living in Plymouth Colony.  However, we know very little about that event.  Today we head to Plymouth Plantation and look back about 400 years to a meal that we still celebrate.

November 18, 2015
18Nov15 Squanto
His name is one from our history books, but perhaps we have forgotten just how important his role was in saving the lives of the Pilgrims.  We know him as Squanto, a native American that made six trips across the Atlantic in his lifetime and a man who those first settlers said was sent from God to guide them into growing the food to sustain their colony…

November 17, 2015
17Nov15 Plymouth Colony 2
Some regions of the country are better suited for specific crops.  That was the case for the Pilgrims who established Plymouth Colony.  They brought lots of seeds with them, but it was a crop that was new to them, that was actually best suited for their new home…

November 16, 2015
16Nov15 Plymouth Colony 1
In 1620, the men and women we call the “Pilgrims” landed near Cape Cod, and eventually established Plymouth Colony.  As we near Thanksgiving, we take a look at the fact and fiction about the story of their survival in a new land…

 

November 13, 2015
13Nov15 Amberly Snyder 2
Amberly Snyder is quickly making a name for herself at rodeos across the nation.  However, her life is one of inspiration far from those arenas.  We ride along for that amazing story…

November 12, 2015
12Nov15 Amberly Snyder 1
Riding a horse requires skill, especially if you���re on the pro rodeo circuit.  Now image that task without the use of your legs…

November 11, 2015
11Nov15 Edmund Fitzgerald 3
Each November 10^th, the bell here in Whitefish Point will chime 29 times for the crew that died aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald.  Forty years later, that shipwreck still affects the way vessels travel here…

November 10, 2015
10Nov15 Edmund Fitzgerald 2
a grand ship and a storm that sent her to the bottom of Lake Superior.  We remember her and the crew…

November 9, 2015
09Nov15 Edmund Fitzgerald 1
If you come here to the shores of Lake Superior in the summer, you are likely to find lovely waters and a picturesque setting.  Come in November, and the same place can be dangerous to ships and people…

 

November 6, 2015
06Nov15 Baldknobbers 2
It had a inauspicious beginning.  A variety show held in the basement of city hall that attracted a couple dozen patrons seated in metal folding chairs.  But it’s grown into one of the longest and best known acts in the country…

November 5, 2015
05Nov15 Baldknobbers 1
They were called the Baldknobbers – a group of vigilantes that roamed the Ozarks dispensing justice as they saw fit.  The group still exists but it’s far different that the renegades from the 1800s…

November 4, 2015
04Nov15 Todd Bradshaw 2
Today we visit with one of the biggest stars in country music – Kenny Chesney.  But it’s a story with a twist…and a story that has many headed to a very popular music show…

November 3, 2015
03Nov15 Todd Bradshaw 1
Perhaps some of us have an dreams of making it big someday on stage.  That was the case for Todd, but unlike many people, he actually loaded up the car and headed out in pursuit of his music dreams…

November 2, 2015
02Nov15 Northfield Jesse James
You probably have not heard of a man named Joseph Lee Haywood.  He died on September 7^th, 1876 trying to prevent a bank robbery.  But the story of how and why he died in the robbery is a story of heroism that lives on over a century later…

 

October 30, 2015
30Oct15 Roger Williams 5
Over a century before the founding fathers would write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, this man was expounding on the ideas those documents would guarantee.  It was his voice that perhaps inspired parts of them…

October 29, 2015
29Oct15 Roger Williams 4
In a sense, this capital city is a place established for exiles.  If your thoughts and ideas were too radical for the establishment, peoples from many walks of life could find a home here…

October 28, 2015
28Oct15 Roger Williams 3
Roger Williams’ ideas were simply too radical for his time and place, and for that, he was about to be sent back to England.  That is until he escaped and helped found one of the 13 original colonies…

October 27, 2015
27Oct15 Roger Williams 2
This week we are in the smallest of the fifty states, Rhode Island, for the story of the man who helped found the colony – a man whose life was one of controversy…

October 26, 2015
26Oct15 Roger Williams 1
In an age centuries before a recorder could capture someone’s voice, young Roger could accomplish the same thing by hand.  However, you know him not for his stenography skills but the founding of a colony…

 

October 23, 2015
23Oct15 NFA History 2
Next week at the National FFA Convention, there will be a recognition of the 50^th anniversary of two groups joining together.  However, a half century later, that combination of organizations still has its challenges…

October 22, 2015
22Oct15 NFA History 1
Separate but equal was almost always separate and NOT equal.  That was the case in agricultural education as well with two groups helping those who loved the farm…

October 21, 2015
21Oct15 Roanoke Hotel 2
At one time is was the grandest of hotels in the state of Virginia.  But the wheels of time eventually forced her shutdown and all of the furnishings were sold.  What happened next surprised many…

October 20, 2015
20Oct15 Roanoke Hotel 1
What’s it take to build a large city?  A railroad and nice hotel of course.  It was a winning combination for this city and we’ll take you there…

October 19, 2015
19Oct15 Grandma Saunders
My grandmother Darlene Saunders passed last week and today I’ll be a pall bearer at her funeral.  So today I honor her with this look back on one of our many visits…

 

October 16, 2015
16Oct15 Soo Locks 3
Locals often simply call it “The Soo.”  Ships know the place for the locks that help move them from one great lake to another.  The ships and cargo passing here find their ways to all corners of the world…

October 15, 2015
15Oct15 Soo Locks 2
The ships here are moving so slowly, it’s sometime difficult to tell if they are in fact moving at all.  Yet hundreds of people will line up to see the important procession of vessels passing here…

October 14, 2015
14Oct15 Soo Locks 1
Before highways crisscrossed this nation, rivers often provided the best road to move cargo and passengers.  But some of those rivers had mighty obstacles to be overcome…

October 13, 2015
13Oct15 Spanish Treasure Cave
In the years following Columbus’ voyage to the new world, other Europeans followed, some with ideas of conquering native American nations and capturing the continents wealth.  Part of that story found it’s way to what is today northwest Arkansas and a cave that hold the loot

October 12, 2015
12Oct15 Mayflower Society 2
Some people enjoy tracing their family tree.  A few may even trace their ancestors back to the founding of the nation.  You may just be surprised to learn you have a cousin who was a Pilgrim…

 

October 9, 2015
09Oct15 Mayflower Society 1
Visitors to Plymouth, Massachusetts are often fascinated with the history of the Pilgrims who landed here.  But some have a deeper connection to others to that story and for that reason this organization exists…

October 8, 2015
08Oct15 Dalton Gang 2
There is a very famous tunnel running beneath the surface of a barnyard in Meade, Kansas.  It was built in secret, but today it’s very much open to the public so you can explore and choose which side of the story you believe…

October 7, 2015
07Oct15 Dalton Gang 1
The infamous Dalton Gang robbed individuals and businesses in the Midwest during the early 1890s.�� But not all of the Dalton children had a life of crime…

October 6, 2015
06Oct15 Prudhoe Bay Animals 2
Human beings need to keep their body temperature close to 98 degrees in order to survive.  So finding an animal that can drop its core body temperature to just 32 degrees and survive is a bit out-of-the-ordinary…

October 5, 2015
05Oct15 Prudhoe Bay Animals 1
Animals that live in extreme cold of course have a heavy blanket of fur or hair to keep them warm.  But what animal has the warmest coat ��� a coat that even helps it overcome predators?  The answer is in Alaska…

 

October 2, 2015
02Oct15 Camp Floyd
For three years, 3500 soldiers served alongside one another in Utah Territory.  It was the largest military outpost in the country.  But within a matter of months, the place would become a virtual ghost town and those same soldiers would be fighting one another…

October 1, 2015
01Oct15 Packard Museum 2
Name your favorite brand of car and you can probably find a dealership within a reasonable distance of your home.  But if you favorite car is a Packard…well, you�������ll most assuredly need to come to the only showroom that remains…

September 30, 2015
30Sep15 Packard Museum 1
It was the luxury car of the first half of the 20^th century.  Today the company is gone, but the legacy of their fine engineering is still to be found in this city…

September 29, 2015
29Sep15 Cherry Farmer 2
Many Americans are growing more concerned about their health and diet.  That means this farmer has to put some thought into how to position his product and how to best visit with consumers about it’s use.  It can be a health wonder or a burden on the waistline…

September 28, 2015
28Sep15 Cherry Farmer 1
Ben LaCrosse grows a crop just about everyone enjoys.  However, it’s a crop that is difficult to harvest and one that needs special conditions to grow.  On average each of us will annually consume three quarters of a pound…

 

September 25, 2015
25Sep15 Prudhoe Bay 3
Sometimes the snow blows or the chill sets in and it���s just too miserable to have school.  However, here, the classes go on, even when the wind chill dips to over 40 degrees below zero or more…

September 24, 2015
24Sep15 Prudhoe Bay 2
If you’ve seen the show Ice Road Truckers, then there’s a good chance you’ve witnessed a part of the story we share today.  We’re on the Dalton Highway headed to Prudhoe Bay

September 23, 2015
23Sep15 Prudhoe Bay 1
Today we head north, to the end of the road in Alaska.  That means traveling up the Dalton Hwy to the Arctic Ocean to the town of Deadhorse at Prudhoe Bay…

September 22, 2015
22Sep15 Havemiester Dairy 2
This family’s dairy herd is not large when compared to the nation.  They joke that to get repairs for their milking equipment they have to call a museum, not a parts store.  However they’re thriving here…

September 21, 2015
21Sep15 Havemiester Dairy 1
Some of the first farmers in Alaska came here in the 1930s.  They were called colonists and many picked up farming roots in the Midwest for a new opportunity in the then territory’s Matanuska Valley…

 

September 18, 2015
18Sep15 Alaska State Fair Vegetable Superintendant 2
What’s the most visited area of a state fair?  Here it’s the crops department.  It may sound unusual until you learn what fair we���re attending…

September 17, 2015
17Sep15 Alaska State Fair Vegetable Superintendant 1
Just about all of us have been to our state’s fair.  This year we���re taking you to the northernmost such event you can attend in the U.S., and it’s quite a draw…

September 16, 2015
16Sep15 Alaska Vegetable Grower Scott Robb 3
Scott Robb holds five world records.  That fact makes him a well recognized man among Alaskan farmers and among those who attend the state’s fair.  We visit with him about those giant titles…

September 15, 2015
15Sep15 Alaska Vegetable Grower Scott Robb 2
Imagine a record that stood for over a century.  That’s quite a mark to be broken, but today, Scott Robb is the world’s best in this category…

September 14, 2015
14Sep15 Alaska Vegetable Grower Scott Robb 1
Sometimes you might wish you just had more hours of the day to get things done.  For a portion of the year, the people who live here, feel as if that’s exactly the case, and their gardens can prove it…

 

September 11, 2015
11Sep15 Holocaust Survivor Eva Kor 3
It’s sometimes difficult to forgive someone.  In this case, Eva was willing to forgive the perpetrators of murders against her family and thousands of others.  However it was her route to healing…

September 10, 2015
10Sep15 Holocaust Survivor Eva Kor 2
Their story is one that will make you cry.  Ten year old twin girls, taken from their mothers arms – in an instant their entire family was gone forever…

September 9, 2015
09Sep15 Holocaust Survivor Eva Kor 1
Today we begin a three part series with Eva Kor, a Holocaust survivor with a story you won’t want to miss…

September 8, 2015
08Sep15 Capulin Volcano 2
Many people traveling in northeast New Mexico pass this site and fail to realize the historical significance and the amazing views if they simply drive a couple of miles out of their way.  For those who do stop, the story and scenery are amazing…

September 7, 2015
07Sep15 Capulin Volcano 1
Which state has the most volcanoes?  The answer will most likely surprise you.  We’ll head to the crater…

 

September 4, 2015
04Sep15 Young Arizona
It’s just a small town of about 500 people. You’ve driven through bunches of them. But you probably have not driven through this town of a half thousand unless you were specifically headed there. That’s because you must drive 26 miles of dirt roads just reach the remote location…

September 3, 2015
03Sep15 Good Enough Mine 3
Not many people set out to own a historic gold and silver mine.  That was the case for Andre, but soon he found himself owner of much of the land below the city that he served as mayor…and today he’ll take you on a tour of what’s underground

September 2, 2015
02Sep15 Good Enough Mine 2
When the first miners hit veins of ore here, they knew it was “good enough” to open a profitable mine.  And thus, the name “Good Enough” mine stuck.  But what they found underground was far more than simply good enough…it was great

September 1, 2015
01Sep15 Good Enough Mine 1
Not many folks have heard of Goose Flats, Arizona.  After all, the most exciting thing in Goose Flats was the fact that geese sometimes landed there as they migrated through the area.  But then a man named Ed Schieffelin came along and changed everything…

August 31, 2015
31Aug15 Jack Dempsey 3
We all had people we idolized as youngsters. Perhaps they were movie or sports stars.  Maybe you even got to meet them once. For one young lade from Colorado, she never forgot the day she met the sports star from her small town…

August 28, 2015
28Aug15 Jack Dempsey 2
When Jack Dempsey held the heavyweight boxing title, he had to defend his belt against the world’s top fighters…and one very mean typewriter. This is the story of a typewriter and the challenge to stay in the ring…

August 27, 2015
27Aug15 Jack Dempsey 1
If you called someone a “big baby” you would probably insult them as a whining coward. Jack WAS a big baby, and he became an even bigger man. In fact, some might say he was the mightiest man in the world for several years…

August 26, 2015
26Aug15 Camel Caravan 1
In Quartzite, Arizona you can find the grave of Hi Jolly. It’s the Americanized name of a man responsible for transporting many of the supplies needed for settlement of what is today. But his journey to this country and the method he used to transport those items makes him a unique individual in U.S. history…

August 25, 2015
25Aug15 Camel Caravan 1
How do you move people and supplies across a desert? Well, the answer may depend on what desert you are attempting to cross. The U.S. military decided to think outside the box. What resulted was an unusual site in the barren stretches of today’s state of Arizona.

August 24, 2015
24Aug15 Bullhead City 2
When you picture steamboats, we may have images of stately paddle wheeled ships moving up and down the Mississippi River. So, it may seem odd for us to image those same boats cruising up and down a river in the middle of an American dessert. It’s exactly what happened here for over a half century…

 

August 21, 2015
21Aug15 Bullhead City
Every rancher knows they need good fences to keep the herd from running wild on the neighbor’s property.  In the 1850s there were not any fences here, but those who owned the cattle pushed their luck too far with their new neighbors in the desert…

August 20, 2015
20Aug15 Knute Rockne Memorial 3
He was perhaps an unlikely tour guide and an even more unlikely person to be recognized by cheering crowds and a large football stadium.  Perhaps that’s what endeared Easter Heathman to so many, his enjoyment of meeting people and sharing part of his unique link to history…

August 19, 2015
19Aug15 Knute Rockne Memorial 2
It’s been over eighty years since Knute Rockne walked the football sidelines at Notre Dame.  However, phrases like “Win one for the Gipper” and his national championships still resonate with many.  His legendary fame still brings people to the wide open spaces of Kansas to honor him…

August 18, 2015
18Aug15 Knute Rockne Memorial 1
It was an unlikely spot for a national story – the Flint Hills of Kansas in the early 1930s.  A place far from the national spotlight soon attracted attention from around the world as locals searched for survivors of a plane crash on the prairie…

August 17, 2015
17Aug15 Royal Gorge 2
For over seven decades, this bridge was a record setter, the highest suspension bridge in the world.  It continues to draw visitors from around the world who are amazed as they look through the planks at a river one thousand feet below them…

 

August 14, 2015
14Aug15 Royal Gorge 1
Thousands of people still drive to this location to be amazed by the natural beauty of this place.  It makes you wonder what the first explorers thought when they stumbled upon it by accident…

August 13, 2015
13Aug15 Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum 3
Perhaps it’s fitting that you have to go a bit out of the way to find the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  This well known site is certainly worth the drive, but in the early days, it was one of the more remote locations on the shores of Lake Superior…

August 12, 2015
12Aug15 Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum 2
Some sailors and airman have long feared the Bermuda Triangle for the mysterious fate of some who have passed there.  Whitefish Point is a bit different though.  Everyone knows its tremendous toll on ships, but for years, it didn’t seem to deter captains from plowing on through regardless the condition…

August 11, 2015
11Aug15 Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum 1
On a road map, it’s simply listed as “Whitefish Point.”  That place name has little significance to most, but for those living in northern Michigan, it’s a place very  well known on land and sea…

August 10, 2015
10Aug15 Monument Valley Bussing
Some students must ride a bus to school.  But imagine a school district where a student might spend nearly six hours simply riding to and from school each day.  It’s a reality here…

 

August 7, 2015
07Aug15 Cottonwood Falls Courthouse 3
A county of only about three thousand people was tasked with a major challenge.  They needed to raise about $4 million to save their historic courthouse.  But how could so few raise so much?

August 6, 2015
06Aug15 Cottonwood Falls Courthouse 2
I’ve seen many courthouses in my journeys, but this one has to be one of the most amazing.  Beautiful inside and out, with some very unique stories to boot, including a deer that once lived inside the place…

August 5, 2015
05Aug15 Cottonwood Falls Courthouse 1
It only cost $40,000 to build this architectural masterpiece.  Of course, that was about 150 years ago, but the small town building is a unexpected draw for many to see across this nation…

August 4, 2015
04Aug15 Movie Manor Motel 2
When you check into this hotel, you’ll find the name of a movie star on your door.  In fact, you might even find a likeness of their autograph etched in the concrete on the driveway.  And the slice of Americana that this place is, has some tour groups reserving the entire hotel…

August 3, 2015
03Aug15 Movie Manor Motel 1
Many folks have fallen asleep on their couch while watching a movie.  In the case of one man in Monte Vista, Colorado, it produced an idea that built a one-of-kind family business…

 

July 31, 2015
31Jul15 Ed Davidson 3
Most prison camps wouldn’t want their detainees digging tunnels to freedom. But at Ed’s camp, it was a way to keep the prisoners occupied…

July 30, 2015
30Jul15 Ed Davidson 2
Ed believed he was a well informed pilot flying for the United States. Then the German captured him and told him things about himself that he’d never known…

July 29, 2015
29Jul15 Ed Davidson 1
Ed Davidson got to cross the Atlantic on the Queen Mary…but his trip wasn’t for pleasure, for he made that trip during World War II…

July 28, 2015
28Jul15 Concordia Brown Grand 2
Most of us recognize the name Napoleon Bonaparte as that of a famous French general. But for the residents of Concordia, Kansas, that name may mean something quite different. It’s an intriguing link to one very famous building…

July 27, 2015
27Jul15 Concordia Brown Grand 1
Today you don’t see many opera stars performing in rural America. But a century ago, the name on many buildings would lead you to believe those booming voices were a regular on small town stages…

 

July 24, 2015
24Jul15 Concordia POW Camp 3
At first glance, housing enemy soldiers in low security camps in the Midwest may not have seemed wise.  But for those who decided to escape, they soon found they had nowhere hostile to go…

July 23, 2015
23Jul15 Concordia POW Camp 2
During World War II thousands of enemy soldiers taken as prisoners of war where housed in hastily built camps in the Midwest.  Most were peaceful, but here in central Kansas, the endeavor had an auspicious beginning…

July 22, 2015
22Jul15 Concordia POW Camp 1
When the Allies began the fight against Germany in World War II, they began to take prisoners of war.  Some of those enemy soldiers would up in a place perhaps surprising to both sides…

July 21, 2015
21Jul15 Alcatraz 2
This island has some of the best views of San Francisco Bay and the city itself…yet most people didn’t want to live here. It’s a unique story of misery among beauty…

July 20, 2015
20Jul15 Alcatraz 1
At one time it was one of the nation’s most important forts…but that’s not how people would know it today…

 

July 17, 2015
17Jul15 JFK Birthplace 2
There was no doubt in Fitz’s mind that Joe was not the man for his daughter. The story of what happened when they married anyway is one that made American history…

July 16, 2015
16Jul15 JFK Birthplace 1
Beals Street looks to be just another street in suburban Boston.  But one house here is special, as it’s a home that produced a family lineage that’s still in the public eye today…

July 15, 2015
15Jul15 St Thomas Pirates 3
I recently had a fun conversation with a man who knows all about pirates. And he can set the record straight on much of the fact and fiction behind the men who plundered the seas. It’s fact and fiction in the pirate world

July 14, 2015
14Jul15 St Thomas Pirates 2
If a vacation spot tried to sell you all kinds of tacky trinkets and charged you a mint to enter the attraction, you might call it a “tourist trap.” Over a century ago such a situation was already taking place with people selling fake items to unsuspecting tourists.

July 13, 2015
13Jul15 St Thomas Pirates 1
We’ve all heard stories of pirates roaming the seas in search of golden treasure. It’s true there were men roaming the waters to commander and plunder other vessels, but what they were in search of was often not precious metals.

 

July 10, 2015
10Jul15 Judy Straus 5
We conclude our story with Holocaust survivor Judy Straus.  If you’ve missed any of her story of tragedy and triumph, be sure to go to AmericanCountryside.com and listen to each feature…

July 9, 2015
09Jul15 Judy Straus 4
As the end of World War II in Europe drew ever closer, the Germans stepped up the pace of sending Jewish families to death camps.  For the three members of the Straus family, each of their lives was very much in jeopardy…

July 8, 2015
08Jul15 Judy Straus 3
The scenes from Nazi death camps were staggering.  Now imagine experiencing those horros through the eyes of a child.  That was the case for Judy Straus…

July 7, 2015
07Jul15 Judy Straus 2
The Straus family left Germany in the 1930s to escape the rising power of Adolf Hitler.  Then, in the early 1940s, the Nazis invaded the new nation they called home…

July 6, 2015
06Jul15 Judy Straus 1
This week we visit with Judy Straus, a survivor of the Holocaust  Her story is one of tragedy and hope…and a story I hope you’ll tune into each day…

 

July 3, 2015
03Jul15 Tomb Guard 2
Every independence day we celebrate our freedom.  This soldier is reminded of the cost of that freedom…as he protects the resting place of America���s heroes…

July 2, 2015
02Jul15 Tomb Guard 1
Some jobs require you to wear a uniform.  Imagine a job where that uniform had to be worn with perfection…where a deviation of 1/64 of an inch could cost you your position…

July 1, 2015
01Jul15 Carl Mays 3
Ty Cobb was a great baseball player, but he was also known as a guy who would bend and break the rules.  So it’s somewhat unusual that Cobb would campaign to kick another player out of the majors for his behavior…

June 30, 2015
30Jun15 Carl Mays 2
Carl Mays had a career worthy of the baseball hall of fame, however many in his hometown will tell you that he’s not in Cooperstown because of one pitch he threw in his 15 year career…

June 29, 2015
29Jun15 Carl Mays 1
Some boys grow up hunting animals in the woods.  That was the case for Carl Mays, but he didn’t use a gun to hit his target and that made all the difference in his future career…

 

June 26, 2015
26Jun15 Colville Indian Reservation 2015
The name of their current tribal home is not an ancestral name, but rather the name of a fort where many of the native Americans of the area came to trade furs. It’s a reservation larger than the state of Rhode Island…

June 25, 2015
25Jun15 Grand Coulee Dam 2015
It is the largest hydroelectric dam in the nation…spanning just a few feet shy of one mile across and over five hundred feet high It’s a place where few people live and it’s a many hours drive for most tourists to visit…

June 24, 2015
24Jun15 Lake of the Ozarks 2015
In the 1930s it became the largest lake in the world…and interestingly, that record setter was nestled in the undeveloped forestland of the Midwest…

June 23, 2015
23Jun15 Hair Museum 3
If you have a valuable heirloom you’d like to sell, you might see an expert appraiser to assess its value. For this type of item, Leeila Cohoon may just be the only expert in the world. We tap her knowledge…

June 22, 2015
22Jun15 Hair Museum 2
You might not picture our founding fathers wearing broaches or other jewelry. However, this lady says it’s just one of the interesting pieces of history she’s uncovered in her role as curator of a most unique museum…

 

Jun 19, 2015
19Jun15 Hair Museum 1
Today many people like to trace their family tree.  Before the age of photos and computerized records, there was another way to keep track of one’s family…a method that seems quite odd to folks today…

June 18, 2015
18Jun15 Strategic Air Museum Pilot 2
The first time Don tried to fly this plane, he must have appeared to be a drunk pilot, for his plane ziz-zagged back and forth down the runway.  That plane would end up being a cherished friend in battle…

June 17, 2015
17Jun15 Strategic Air Museum Pilot 1
It’s a plane that was born from tragedy, and interesting, a plane that would go on to haul millions of passengers and help win battles around the globe…

June 16, 2015
16Jun15 Death Valley 4
Very few people have attempted to live inside Death Valley National Park, but one that did built one of the grandest castles in the world.

June 15, 2015
15Jun15 Death Valley 3
Some of you might remember 20 mule team borax and the ol episodes of the Death Valley TV show.  Today we head to the place were those stories were true-to-life…

 

June 12, 2015
12Jun15 Death Valley 2
Because Death Valley is such a difficult environment to support plant and animal life…most suppose that is how it earned its name.�� In reality, the name is tied to one specific family…

June 11, 2015
11Jun15 Death Valley 1
On the border of California and Nevada you will find a place that has daunted countless travelers for the past 150 years.  Whether they attempted to cross by wagon train or in today’s automobiles…it’s still a place with beauty, intrigue and danger...

June 10, 2015
10Jun15 Old Tuscon Studios 3
Many movie greats have walked the streets of this fictional town, and you can too.  It’s a story that has spanned over 75 years now…

June 9, 2015
09Jun15 Old Tuscon Studios 2
It’s tough to find someone skilled in building an adobe home.  So this movie studio called on some experts who would up in the movies themselves…

June 8, 2015
08Jun15 Old Tuscon Studios 1
It the early days of movies, most were shot on lots in Hollywood, but one of the first ventures outside the state led move makers to this barren desert…

 

June 5, 2015
05Jun15 Tombstone Courthouse 2
In the 1880’s, stagecoaches brought dozens of people each day to a boom town called Tombstone.  But it was a cycle of boom and bust in the wild west…

June 4, 2015
04Jun15 Tombstone Courthouse 1
When this man set out to find his fortune he was told he’d need to dig his grave when he got there.  He decided to mock those who made fun of him with the name of his new town…

June 3, 2015
03Jun15 Spencer Rifle
Imagine that you had developed a new type of rifle that could helpful to the US Military.  How would you go about selling your device? This man simply took his rifle and ammunition and showed up at the White House…

June 2, 2015
02Jun15 Jim Thorpe
In 1912, he was proclaimed “The World’s Greatest Athlete” and some of his Olympic records stood two decades later.  He was a well-rounded athlete that even won the Dancing With the Stars competition of his day…

June 1, 2015
01Jun15 Buckhorn Saloon
When people can’t pay cash for items they want, they may try to barter. That’s what this saloon did, and what they received became a bigger attraction than the drinks they served…

 

May 29, 2015
29May15 Rex Hudler 3
His major league career spanned over 20 seasons and even included a stint in Japan.������ He’s still a aprt of the game in a new way today and we took time to catch up with him in the press box…

May 28, 2015
28May15 Rex Hudler 2
Today’s sports stars often have high powered agents who negotiate their contracts.  However, this first round draft pick simply turned to his mom for help with that important job…

May 27, 2015
27May15 Rex Hudler 1
Many young boys have dreams of playing pro sports.  This man had many sports from which to choose which left him with a tough choice to make…

May 26, 2015
26May15 Kaskaskia 2015
Today we head west of the Mississippi to the State of Illinois.  Yes, west of the Mississippi to the State of Illinois…

May 25, 2015
25May15 Harpers Ferry 2015 2
He is a man of legend…a man whose story may be larger than life…a renegade who history now looks upon as a catalyst to the civil war and the gaining of civil rights for all Americans.  It���s been about a century and a half now since his raid, but this town still remembers…

 

May 22, 2015
22May15 Harper’s Ferry 2015 1
Today the place is almost a ghost town.  But over a century ago it was one of the busiest and most important towns in the nation…

May 21, 2015
21May15 Wheeling Revolution 2015 2
Where did the American Revolution end?  Why Wheeling, West Virginia of course–when a sixteen year old girl saved the newly founded United States…

May 20, 2015
20May15 Wheeling Revolution 2015 1
It’s a chapter of the American Revolution that few know today…a string of battles fought on what was then the western frontier…

May 19, 2015
19May15 Wheeling Legends 2015
Samuel McCulluck faced what seemed to be a lose-lose decision.  Either surrender to his enemy and face certain death…or plunge over a three hundred foot tall cliff in an effort to escape…

May 18, 2015
18May15 Eureka Springs Weddings
It’s billed as the wedding capital of the south.�� The scenic beauty draws couples here and perhaps some legislation initially helped people tie the know as well…

 

May 15, 2015
15May15 Ava Drug Store 2015 2
When this drug store soda fountain reopened, they began charging 1950s prices. What’s unusual is they’re still using prices from decades ago…

May 14, 2015
14May15 Ava Drug Store 2015 1
Once upon a time, just about every town had at least one drug store soda fountain. Today we head to such a place that vanished but then came back to life…

May 13, 2015
13May15 Coronado National Monument
It’s been nearly half a millennium since Coronado’s exploration party marched through what is today’s Arizona. We head to a mountain pass to recall that history…

May 12, 2015
12May15 Melvin Alper 2015 2
Melvin Alper fought an entire year in Europe during WW II, but it was the last two months of the war that produced two stops he will long remember. We look back on this 70^th anniversary of the Victory in Europe…

May 11, 2015
11May15 Melvin Alper 2015 1
Melvin Alper had trained to face the enemy, but nothing could have prepared him for the scene he would face in southern Germany in 1945. We look back on this 70^th anniversary of the Victory in Europe…

 

May 8, 2015
08May15 Abraham Lincoln Oak Ridge Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is the most visited cemetery is the nation.  Which one ranks second?  Well a stop here honors a president who was buried 150 years ago this week…

May 7 2015
07May15 Abraham Lincoln Inauguration
On the surface, this old train station in Springfield, Illinois may not seem to be that important.  However, when you consider the bookends it represented to Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, you see why so many people travel here…

May 6, 2015
06May15 Wild Bill Hickok 3
John Sellers says the key to winning an old-west shootout was not quickness, but accuracy.  And when you take into account how difficult it was to hit a distant target, well, that changes the reality behind how those duels were conducted…

May 5, 2015
05May15 Wild Bill Hickok 2
In a movie “western” you might see two gunslingers fire their pistols at each other in the town square.  That’s exactly what happened here.  It was all over a small gambling debt and a stolen pocketwatch.  What resulted was a first of its kind confrontation…

May 4, 2015
04May15 Wild Bill Hickok 1
When the Civil War ended, there were still many unsettled scores of course.  Towns along the border with North and South were especially prone to violence between individuals supporting one side or the other.  That was the case here in Springfield, Missouri, and the tensions would have deadly results…

 

May 1, 2015
01May15 Australia Ayer’s Rock 2
If your car breaks down you probably call for help, or walk if needed.  Here, if your car breaks down it could likely mean your life, for there is no one to call and there’s a good chance no one will be driving by for many days.  It’s a beautiful yet harsh landscape…

April 30, 2015
30Apr15 Australia Ayer’s Rock 1
Today we head back to the outback for a fascinating look at central Australia.  It’s a place where the views go on forever and the rainfall can cease for months and years.  Yet it’s a place where large ranches have been able to manage a living for decades…

April 29, 2015
29Apr15 St Thomas Historic Trust 2
The folks back in Europe were only trying to help lay out the streets of a fledgling town.  Too bad they couldn’t actually see the terrain to know how their plans would need to be interpreted.  What resulted is a unique piece of history…

April 28, 2015
28Apr15 St Thomas Historic Trust 1
Many cruise ships pull into the main harbor on St. Thomas every week.  Most of those who visit don’t understand the centuries old history of this place.  Perhaps it’s best represented by a colorful fort standing watch on those who dock here…

April 27, 2015
27Apr15 St Thomas Coaling Ladies 3
In 1892 there were four coal workers strikes taking place in north America.  Only one was successful.  The location of that strike and the people behind it will surprise you.  It was an historic moment…

 

April 24, 2015
24Apr15 St Thomas Coaling Ladies 2
The coaling ladies of St. Thomas loaded coal for steamships in wicker baskets for about a penny per trip. But why were they paid in Mexican silver on a Danish island? It all has an unlikely connection to a man at the Alamo…

April 23, 2015
23Apr15 St Thomas Coaling Ladies 1
The historic photos of their work will amaze you. Hundreds of ladies with one hundred pound loads in their wicker baskets, day after day, for about a penny’s pay per basket…

April 22, 2015
22Apr15 Virgin Island National Park 3
So if you take a trip to the tropical forested hills of the Virgin Islands you might expect to see some wildlife. But one of the chief creatures you’ll find may surprise you. People are constantly asking, why are all the donkeys on the lose?

April 21, 2015
21Apr15 Virgin Island National Park 2
Take a walk around the US Virgin Island of St. John and you’ll find numerous remains from the old sugar plantation days. In fact, roads and trails over 300 years old can still be found winded through the forest…

April 20, 2015
20Apr15 Virgin Island National Park 1
When Columbus made his voyage to the Caribbean in 1492, life for both civilizations began to change. Today we head to one of the islands marked by that change…

 

April 17, 2015
17Apr15 Nicholas Beazley 3
People often come to the new community center in Marshall, Missouri for regional meetings on a variety of topics.�� But what may go unnoticed is the museum attached to the other side of that community center.  For those who venture inside, they’re amazed at the story they had never heard so close to home…

April 16, 2015
16Apr15 Nicholas Beazley 2
In the 1920, this was the largest commercial pilots school in the world.  So large, other nation’s such as Chine sent their own air force here to learn to fly.  The location will surprise you and we’ll take you there…

April 15, 2015
15Apr15 Nicholas Beazley 1
When Russell Nicholas came home from World War I, he wanted to begin his own business.  He ended up purchasing 75 box cars worth of these…and the rest as they say, is history…

April 14, 2015
14Apr15 Ford’s Theater
It’s been 150 years since John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln. ��Today, we go to the site of the tragedy…

April 13, 2015
13Apr15 Santa Anna’s Leg
It’s been over 150 years since Illinois soldiers faced Santa Ana in the Mexican War. However traces of that battle fought over 1500 miles to the south can still be found in the names of cities and the relics in museums…

 

April 10, 2015
10Apr15 Ernest Muncreif
Many schools take field trips this time of the year. They are usually a fun event for students to get some time out of the classroom. But some field trips don’t go as planned…

April 9, 2015
09Apr15 Appamatox 2
After four years of Civil War the conflict had claimed over 630,000 lives.  It was time to begin the long process toward peace and healing.  We look back 150 years on the surrender of Lee at Appomattox…

April 8, 2015
08Apr15 Appamatox 1
Most Americans know it as the place where the Civil War ended.  Although that is not technically true…it is still the spot where the war between the states entered it’s final chapter…

April 7, 2015
07Apr15 Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesan
Ask an American who is the most famous architect in their country’s history and this man’s name is probably at the top of the list. However, many can���t tell you much about the man’s life or home…

April 6, 2015
06Apr15 Troy Kansas Lincoln Visit
People often associate Abraham Lincoln with the states of Illinois or perhaps his birthplace in Kentucky.  But what state is the farthest west he ever traveled?

 

April 3, 2015
03Apr15 Troy Kansas Peter Toth 2
To some, they resemble totem poles, but the works of art are more modern and quite intricate.  At least one can be found in every state and they tell the story of the native residents who once lived there…

April 2, 2015
02Apr15 Troy Kansas Peter Toth 1
Peter Toth was just a boy when his family was forced to leave Hungary.  The event left a lasting impression on him and influenced what he would someday undertake once he moved to the United States…

April 1, 2015
01Apr15 Titan Missle 3
In the 1980s there were 54 Titan II missile silos across the U.S.  Those missile carried the largest land-based nuclear warhead ever developed.  Today, this is the only one of those site you can visit…

March 31, 2015
31March15 Titan Missle 2
They were some of the largest and most devastating weapons ever developed and today we visit with a lady who stood on watch in case those armaments needed to be used…

March 30, 2015
30Mar15 Titan Missle 1
Over the year’s we’ve done some of our interviews underground.  That’s the case for today’s feature…situated on “level seven” of one of the most important sites of the late 20^th century…

 

March 27, 2015
27Mar15-San-Marcos-Resort
Phoenix, Arizona has plenty of golf resorts that attract thousands of visitors, but ask someone who established the first course in the state and they’ll be hard pressed to tell you it was actually a Midwestern veterinarian who had more grazing land than he could manage…..

March 26, 2015
26Mar15-Bloch-Brothers-4
What happens when the CEO of a major corporation decides he wants to begin teaching middle school math?  It’s a real life story that played out in a challenging neighborhood in Kansas City.

March 25, 2015
25Mar15-Bloch-Brothers-3
Tom Bloch���������s father and uncle founded H&R Block, a company that Tom eventually led as CEO.  But there was something else that weighed on his heart���another career.�� The story of an extraordinary decision is today’s American Countryside

March 24, 2015
24Mar15-Bloch-Brothers-2
There are some folks that think they can run your business better than you can.  In this case, the man at the newspaper was right.  His advice to two brothers helped them launch a major corporation.

March 23, 2015
23Mar15-Bloch-Brothers-1
Very few people like to figure their taxes and even fewer like to pay them.  But this pair of brothers found an unlikely business doing something few enjoy…

 

March 20, 2015
20Mar15-Oklahoma-Oil-2
The price of oil is a figure many Americans closely follow.  Now imagine a time when the price dipped so low the top producer cut drilling to help spike the price.  It all happened inside our nation’s borders…

March 19, 2015
19Mar15-Oklahoma-Oil-1
If you struck oil underneath your home, well you might just move in order to strike it rich.  But what happens when you strike oil next to the home of the governor…

March 18, 2015 – Glen Miller
18Mar15-Glen-Miller-3
He was one of the most famous Americans in the early 1940s…a man who was making up to $20,000 per week.  But he knew he wanted to use his talents to serve his country and he would give his life in the process…

March 17, 2105
17Mar15-Glen-Miller-2
Even if you are not old enough to have enjoyed this man’s music when he originally created it, there’s no doubt you’ve heard it.  In fact, he recorded fifty-nine, “Top 10” hits in just four years time…a feat never matched.

March 16, 2015
16Mar15-Glen-Miller-1
The gentleman who ran a store in Grant City, Missouri could have never imagined what would happen when he bought one of his young employees a trombone.  That purchase propelled the young musician to become world famous.

 

March 13, 2015
13Mar15-Clarks-Trading-Post-2
Imagine a animal show where bears bolted from the stage to barrel past tourist and make a break for the ice cream stand. It’s just one of the many stories from a show that still draws huge crowds for over half a century…..

March 12, 2015
12Mar15-Clarks-Trading-Post-1
Along I-93 in northern New Hampshire you’ll find a spot that’s been attracting families for three and four generations now. In order to get those families to pull over, the place needed a stopper…..

March 11, 2015
11Mar15-Hildene-2
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky and lived most of his adult years in Illinois. But where did future generations of the Lincolns reside? Most people don’t know it was in this beautiful stretch of mountains far from Abraham’s Midwestern roots…..

March 10, 2015
10Mar15-Hildene-1
Being the son of a U.S. president has its perks. However, it does provide a very high bar of achievement for that second generation. Which presidential child did the best? It might just be the son of one of the nation’s greatest presidents���..

March 9, 2015
09Mar15 Chiricuhua National Monument 2
Southeastern Arizona has been a place for ranchers to graze cattle for well over a century.  However, one ranch family found this spot too beautiful to keep to themselves…

 

March 6, 2015
06Mar15 Chiricuhua National Monument 1
It’s a place of amazing natural beauty, with stone spires rising high into the sky.  It’s also a place of history, where two cultures collided…

March 5, 2015
05Mar15 Tombstone Arizona 3
Many would consider this cemetery to be a tourist attraction.  Yet it doesn���t charge admission and is a place of respect.  It’s a place with a steady stream of visitors…

March 4, 2015
04Mar15 Tombstone Arizona 2
Most cemeteries have markers with a person’s name, date of birth and death, and little else.  Not so for many of the markers in this well-known burying ground…

March 3, 2015
03Mar15 Tombstone Arizona 1
There are several cemeteries in the west called “Boot Hill.”  That’s because many of the dead died with their boots on…

March 2, 2015
02Mar15 Tomahawk Maker 2
Perhaps you’ve seen a circus side show or an old Western where people threw tomahawks for sport.  It’s a competition still very much alive and this man builds what you need to throw…

 

February 27, 2015
27Feb15 Tomahawk Maker 1
This young man began his enterprise at the age of only ten…and now, just a few years out of high school, his craftsmanship has made him well known across the nation…

February 26, 2015
26Feb15 Eureka Springs 2
Imagine a seven story hotel in which each floor is a ground floor.  We’ll take you to the town where that unusual site and much more still attracts thousands…

February 25, 2015
25Feb15 Eureka Springs 1
If you think water is just water, then don’t tell the folks in this small town, because it’s the water they owe for their livelihood…

February 24, 2015
24Feb15 Salton Sea 2
It’s a lake with an elevation of over 200 feet below sea level.  It’s also a body of water with no outlet and the largest lake in the state of California…

February 23, 2015
23Feb15 Salton Sea 1
It’s the largest lake in California.  So large, in fact, it’s called a sea.  You couldn’t find this lake on a map at the beginning of the 20th Century…

 

February 20, 2015
20Feb15 Presidents Week 5
He was the only man to serve as president and chief justice, but most people that visit his home here in Cincy have questions about an entirely different subject…

February 19, 2015
19Feb15 Presidents Week 4
To date, no U.S. president has been born in North Dakota…but this commander-in-chief experienced a rebirth there that he said was the reason he one day presided in the oval office…

February 18, 2015
18Feb15 Presidents Week 3
This president set the record for having the most children with a total of 15.  His second wife was actually younger than some of the children from his first message, and the last of his children was born when he was 70.  It’s an interesting story about one of the most unpopular of presidents…

February 17, 2015
17Feb15 Presidents Week 2
Most people want to elect a president who knows a little, if not a lot about how to govern a nation.  That’s why it’s a bit unique for a past president to run for office on something called the Know Nothing ticket…

February 16, 2015
16Feb15 Presidents Week 1
This is the man people may have forgot was even President, the man who followed Andrew Jackson…

 

February 13, 2015
13Feb15 New Mellary Abbey
When people began attending funerals here, many had the exact same reaction. They mentioned that when they passed, they wanted a funeral just like that. What resulted is a business with deep ties to the mission they men serve…

February 12, 2015
12Feb15 4-H Clover
The 4-H Program is now over a century old and many people recognize the familiar green clover that symbolizes those well-known clubs. But the story behind why 4-H has a clover and exactly what it means is a feature that not many people have heard…

February 11, 2015
11Feb15 Clear Lake Iowa 3
In northern Iowa you will find many picturesque corn and soybean fields dotting the landscape.  But one of these fields it hallowed ground for many.  In fact, music fans still regularly come here to pay their respects to the legends of rock n’ roll…

February 10, 2015
10Feb15 Clear Lake Iowa 2
AFFILIATES–PLEASE NOTE:  This program only contains 1 :30 Commercial
Don McClean wrote the song “American Pie” about the day “the music died.”  It was the night of February 2^nd, 1959 and Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens had just finished played a concert at Clear Lake, Iowa…

February 9, 2015
09Feb15 Clear Lake Iowa 1
It���s been over fifty years now since a big time music tour rolled through the upper Midwest.  It was called the Winter Dance Party Tour and it included the biggest rock n roll names of that era.  On the night of February 2^nd, 1959 they played the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa…

 

February 6, 2015
06Feb15 Chicago Holocaust Museum 2
The movie, “Monuments Men,” details the race by Allied forces to save precious Jewish artifacts from destruction by the Nazis.  That story played out in real life at the end of World War II and today you can see some of the items saved…

February 5, 2015
05Feb15 Chicago Holocaust Museum 1
In 1976 a group led by Frank Collin wanted to march in the city of Skokie, Illinois.  The event drew national attention and multiple court rulings because it was a group of Nazi sympathizers who proposed to march in a predominately Jewish community.  This museum perhaps would not be here if not for that demonstration…

February 4, 2015
04Feb15 Henry Straus 4
Today we know the atrocities committed against Jews at the hands of the Nazis.  However, in the years leading up to World War II, and even during the war itself, many in America simply couldn’t imagine such stories were indeed true.  We visit with a man who made that journey to the U.S. just ahead of the war…

February 3, 2015
03Feb15 Henry Straus 3
It is a night that Henry Straus will never forget.  November 9^th, 1938.  It’s today known as the “Night of Broken Glass.”  Today we go back to that time with a man who witnessed it as a ten year old boy…

February 2, 2015
02Feb15 Groundhog Day
He is by far the oldest and wisest groundhog in the nation, and every February 2, you can be assured the eyes of the nation will turn to a place called Punxsutawney…

 

January 30, 2015
30Jan15 Henry Straus 2
We resume our moving conversation today with Henry Straus as he share his family’s challenges living as Jews in a country where the Nazis were rising to power. We appreciate the assistance of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center with this series…

January 29, 2015
29Jan15 Henry Straus 1
From his earliest memories, Henry Straus remembers discrimination. As a young Jewish boy living in a German city, his family faced laws that stripped them of many of the freedoms they once had enjoyed. His family knew they needed to leave the country…but was it already too late?

January 28, 2015
28Jan15 Bates County 3
In the summer of 1863 the Union Army issued Order Number 11, an edict that forced every resident living in Bates County, Missouri to leave or be shot. Almost all homes and businesses were burned to the ground. No county business was conducted for the next three years…

January 27, 2015
27Jan15 Bates County 2
If two people are arguing, perhaps it’s best they both stop and take a rest from one another. That was the situation in Bates County, Missouri, but the argument was over slavery, and that rest would require both sides to completely leave the county…

January 26, 2015
26Jan15 Bates County 1
In the decade leading up to the Civil War, tensions rose along Kansas’ border with Missouri. Even if one tried to stay out of harm’s way, it seemed trouble would still find them. That was the case for residents of Bates County, Missouri.

 

January 23, 2015
23Jan15 Penneytown 2
Virginia Houston holds a unique distinction. She was the last child born in Penneytown. It’s a fact that holds much significance in her life and has influenced the work she does today. We’ll go to a place called Penneytown…

January 22, 2015
22Jan15 Penneytown 1
Establishing a new city can take plenty of planning. Now imagine trying to begin that new town when others are very motivated to stop you. It was the case for newly freed slaves in the years after the Civil War…

January 21, 2015
21Jan15 Jim the Wonder Dog 3
Any betting man or woman would love to know the winners before placing a wager. The people of Marshall, Missouri know that there was once a way you could predict the future. It all had to do with one very amazing canine…

January 20, 2015
20Jan15 Jim the Wonder Dog 2
Many people have dogs and some of us have even taught our dogs to do tricks. But Sam had a very unusual dog, for it seemed the dog learned all of the amazing tricks by himself, and no one could ever figure out how he did it…

January 19, 2015
19Jan15 Jim the Wonder Dog 1
It all began quite by accident. A pup mysteriously arrived on a train, addressed to a man who loved to hunt. That pup grew to become an excellent hunting dog, but soon, the canine was remembered for something far more impressive that helping point birds…

 

January 16, 2015
16Jan15 War in the Pacific Museum 2
Getting an appointment to one of the military academies can be difficult. But Mike Hagee had a hometown connection that he thought might be able to help him make the cut. The top admiral of World War II once lived just down the street…

January 15, 2015
15Jan15 War in the Pacific Museum 1
Where is the War in the Pacific museum located? It stands to reason it would be next to the Pacific Ocean of course. However, it’s actually located hundreds of miles from any large body of water. The reason why has everything to do with one very important military leader…

January 14, 2015
14Jan15 Maui Gold Pineapple 3
There is perhaps nothing sweeter and more delicious to taste than a pineapple cut straight out of the field. Steve Potter will let you stand at the end of the row and cut the fruit for you to taste until you’re belly is full, but if you want to experience it in the U.S., you’ll have to come here…

January 13, 2015
13Jan15 Maui Gold Pineapple 2
Gardeners and farmers are used to planting seed and then waiting in due time for their harvest. But for those who happen to plant pineapple, well, the wait is a bit longer, but the crop is certainly sweeter…

January 12, 2015
12Jan15 Maui Gold Pineapple 1
There once were thousands of acres in the Hawaiian islands devoted to growing pineapple. Much has changed over time. Today there is but one major farm growing the crop…

 

January 9, 2015
09Jan15 Kauai Farm Bureau 1
Many seed companies have research stations in locations that can grow multiple crops each year.  However, one of those locations is in jeopardy of being erased due to ballot measure directed at the very research they conduct…

January 8, 2015
08Jan15 Kauai Farm Bureau 1
Many farmers must deal with conditions that are both hot and cold, wet and dry, tough and tougher.  So, on the surface, farming in the tropical climate of Hawaii sounds like the perfect place to put down roots.  However, the challenges to farming on the islands may be the greatest of any state…

January 7, 2015
07Jan15 Kahuka Farms 2
The average American eats about 25 pounds of bananas each year.  It’s safe to say most of us can’t tell you much about how to grow bananas though.  That’s where Kahuku Farms steps in…

January 6, 2015
06Jan15 Kahuka Farms 1
American Countryside listeners recently had  a chance to tour agriculture in Hawaii.  One of the highlights was a farm growing fruits common for us to eat, but uncommon for us to actually grow…

January 5, 2015
05Jan15 Two Harbors Docks
They are some of the largest boat docks you’ll ever see.  Not mere spots on a lake from which to fish, but rather one thousand foot long steel railways for trains to dump their contents onto waiting ships.  It’s a process that’s been taking place here for over 150 years…

 

January 2, 2015
02Jan15 Best of 2014 – The Rights to a Cowboy Song
In the 1930s a cowboy song began to get quite a bit of air time on radio stations.  But suddenly the music stopped, when one couple claimed they were the lawful owners of the song and had not been paid their royalties…

January 1, 2015
01Jan15 Best of 2014 – Burning the White House
It was an act that seemed unthinkable.  Another nation’s army marched into the United States capital and burned its most important government buildings to the ground, with the president and other government officials fleeing the advancing troops.   It all happened 200 years ago…

December 31, 2014
31Dec14 Best of 2014 – Navajo Codetalker
When World War II began, many men here in Navajo country volunteered for the armed forces.  Some of those men were asked to use their native language to send coded messages that were unbreakable by the enemy���.

December 30, 2014
30Dec14 Best of 2014 – Archduke Ferdinand Assassination
It’s difficult for many of us to name many specific battles or events in World War I.  We may have learned the war began when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.  That is somewhat true, however the story of what happened to the assassin and items associated with him…

December 29, 2014
29Dec14 Best of 2014 – Feral Camels
American farmers and ranchers may have predators and feral animals that pose problems to their business.  The same can be said her in central Australia, but the challenging animal is a camel…

 

December 26, 2014
26Dec14 Best of 2014 – Luckenbach Texas
Hayden Whittington began driving to Luckenbach, Texas before most people had ever heard of it.  He remembers the days when you might be the only person in town sitting under the shade trees next to the general store.  Over time, the crowds grew and he would up being employed by the town…

December 25, 2014
25Dec14 Holiday Christmas Store
If Santa Claus needed a place to buy all of his decorations, this would be it. It’s big business in small town Michigan and it brings Christmas cheer every day of the year…

December 24, 2014
24Dec14 Night Before Christmas
We know the words of “’twas the night before Christmas;” words that helped solidify the image of Santa over 200 years ago. Here’s the the place that marks the beginning of their story…

December 23, 2014
23Dec14 Algona POW Nativity 2
This year in Algona, IA, residents will celebrate the 70^th anniversary of a very special Nativity scene.  It was a gift from prisoners far from home, who were about to leave the friends they had made in a foreign country…

December 22, 2014
22Dec14 Algona POW Nativity 1
During the advent season, many families and churches will set up Nativity scenes.  They figures remind us of the birth of Jesus.  But here, the Nativity scene is always set up, for it is by far too large to ever be taken down…

 

December 19, 2014
19Dec14 Algona POW Camp 4
If a soldier is taken as a prisoner of war, they may try to escape to freedom.  That was the case for the Germans living in this U.S. based POW camp.  However, when they escaped in the middle of Iowa, they found it was a long way back home…

December 18, 2014
18Dec14 Algona POW Camp 3
Imagine the pain of losing a son or daughter who was fighting in a war.  Now imagine hiring one of the enemy soldiers to work with you, taking the place of that child.  It sounds unthinkable, but the situation played out many times here…

December 17, 2014
17Dec14 Algona POW Camp 2
When young men went to fight in Europe and the Pacific during World War II, many communities were left with a shortage of labor.  To help ease that burden, POWs, mostly from Germany, were sent into the countryside to work field and perform many other jobs…

December 16, 2014
16Dec14 Algona POW Camp 1
During World War II, some U.S. communities experienced the conflict in a unique way.  They became the homes for foreign POWs, captured abroad and sent here for the duration of the war…

December 15, 2014
15Dec14 Hawaii Taro Farmer 2
We have all heard of corn and soybeans, but most of us are not familiar with taro.  However, go to Hawaii and you���ll find it is a long time crop that is made into poi, a long-time staple of diets there.  But growing taro has many challenges…

 

December 12, 2014
12Dec14 Hawaii Taro Farmer 1
Some long-time ag operations in the U.S. are designated as Century Farms.  Family members have been stewards of those acres for over a century.  But not all of those farms are found in the lower 48.  Today we head to a sixth generation farm in Hawaii…

December 11, 2014
11Dec14 Pearl Harbor Jimmy Lee 3
When we think of Pearl Harbor during World War II, we often focus on just the events of December 1941.  However, for those living in the area, it marked the beginning of three years of martial law.  Jimmy Lee experienced that life from the ages of eight to eleven…

December 10, 2014
10Dec14 Pearl Harbor Jimmy Lee 2
The December 7^th attack on Pearl Harbor cost the lives of over 2000 American servicemen and women.  Over half of those killed that morning were on the USS Arizona.  It was an event 8 year old Jimmy Lee witnessed from his farm on the other side of the harbor…

December 9, 2014
09Dec14 Pearl Harbor Jimmy Lee
Jimmy Lee’s family lived on the banks of Pearl Harbor.  As a kid, one of his jobs was feeding their hogs.  That’s what he was doing on the morning of December 7, 1941.  He would soon become a witness to one of the major events of the 20^th century…

December 8, 2014
08Dec14 Berkley Plantation 3
Malcolm Jameson’s family has a unique tie to their family farm.  It all began with a grandfather who fought on the property during the Civil War…

 

December 5, 2014
05Dec14 Berkley Plantation 2
Any good bugler knows to play Reveille in the morning, Taps in the evening.  But how did those calls become commonplace in the military.  Well, the story for the latter can be traced to a 400 year old farm  in Virginia…

December 4, 2014
04Dec14 Berkley Plantation 1
Public speakers are often warned to keep their comments brief.  Long windedness can bore an audience…or even worse it might kill you…

December 3, 2014
03Dec14 Sand Creek Masacre 3
It’s been 150 years since a massacre on the high plains angered a nation.  The subsequent military investigations showed that what some thought was a battle was most likely a widespread murder…

December 2, 2014
02Dec14 Sand Creek Masacre 2
While U.S. troops fought Confederate forces in the eastern half of the country, troops on the high plains were concerned about an Indian uprising.  Their fear produced a very sad chapter in American history…

December 1, 2014
01Dec14 Sand Creek Masacre 1
Most of the battles during the Civil War were fought east of the Mississippi River.  However, today we take you to a place where tensions were high far from the major skirmishes of the war…

 

November 28, 2014
28Nov14 Berkley Plantation
You may have thought Thanksgiving dates back to the pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, but this place claims to have held the first feast…

November 27, 2014
27Nov14 Turkey Talkline
You’ve heard from her before, but considering the way some of us cook, maybe you should listen again.  If your Thanksgiving meal needs help, we’ll talk to the lady who helps turkeys in trouble…

November 26, 2014
26Nov14 Turkey Pardon
It’s one of the most controversial decisions that can be made in the legal system.  The end of November has annually produced more Presidential pardons than any other time of the year, though…

November 25, 2014
25Nov14 Joe & Aggies Cafe
Today we’re at Joe & Aggie’s café, a restaurant that’s been serving up great meals for over 70 years now in Holbrook, Arizona…

November 24, 2014
24Nov14 Wigwam Hotel
If you, your kids or even your grand kids have seen the movie Cars, then you probably remember the Cozy Cones.  They���re patterned after a real-life motel of concrete wigwams…

 

November 21, 2014
21Nov14 Battle of Island Mound
If you were recruiting students for careers in agriculture, a large city might be the last place you’d think to make your pitch.  However this man believes it���s the first place many businesses need to be looking…

November 20, 2014
20Nov14 Corey Flournoy 2
If you were recruiting students for careers in agriculture, a large city might be the last place you’d think to make your pitch.  However this man believes it’s the first place many businesses need to be����looking…

November 19, 2014
19Nov14 Corey Flournoy 1
Twenty years ago a the Future Farmers of America made an unlikely choice for their national president…for his years were spent far from any working farm…

November 18, 2014
18Nov14 Life Without Limbs 2
He’s a nationally known speaker who will never experience his knees  shaking or his palms sweating.  That’s because he has neither…

November 17, 2014
17Nov14 Life Without Limbs 1
Imagine living in a world where you had no arms or legs.  Some might��say it’s a life not worth living.  But today you’ll meet a man doing more than many able bodied people…

 

November 14, 2014
14Nov14 Tyson CEO Donnie Smith 3
How should you dress for work?  It’s a question many businesses must address with their employees.  Here, the answer may seem a bit unique, but it’s one adopted by the CEO himself…

November 13, 2014
13Nov14 Tyson CEO Donnie Smith 2
How do you influence people in agriculture?  To some, it may seem like��an odd question.  However the answer is one that this CEO thinks is paramount to his company and to how folks in agriculture can better connect with the world around them…

November 12, 2014
12Nov14 Tyson CEO Donnie Smith 1
He had dreams of becoming a vet, and while that did not come true, his work today is certainly a position well recognized in the world of agriculture…

November 11, 2014
11Nov14 2014 Antelope Island 2
Every fall there is a round-up of the herd here just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah.  You can even bring a horse, or rent one and help corral hundreds of bison roaming one of the largest islands in the nation…

November 10, 2014
10Nov14 2014 Antelope Island 1
Until the 1960s, ranchers took animals by a barge from the mainland to this island for grazing.  The vast rangeland was difficult the reach and winter storms could produce swells of ten feet or more on the lake.  Yet, ranching continued here for well over a century.  We�����ll go to that once hard to reach spot���

 

November 7, 2014
07Nov14 Yuma Arizona 3
George Strait once sang that he had some oceanfront property in Arizona and if you’d buy that he’d throw the Golden Gate in free. This Arizona town isn’t exactly on the ocean, but much of its existence depended on it…

November 6, 2014
06Nov14 Yuma Arizona 2
Before bridges crossed rivers, communities often relied upon ferries to carry people and supplies. In some cases, those ferry operators were able to build thriving businesses. Two such men lived in the middle of a vast desert…

November 5, 2014
05Nov14 Yuma Arizona 1
Yuma, Arizona is in the Sonora dessert. The annual average rainfall is about three inches per year. So it is a bit ironic that it is a river here that made the outpost a city and made those who stayed some of the wealthiest in the pioneering southwest…

November 4, 2014
04Nov14 Kahokia Mounds 2
We’ve probably all heard of Indian mounds scattered throughout parts of North America.  Here just east of present day St. Louis was the largest of those mounds.  In fact, you can still see it and climb it today…

November 3, 2014
03Nov14 Kahokia Mounds 1
Before there was a United States of America, this was the largest city within it’s modern boundaries.  In fact, it’s size still marvels those who consider its origins over a thousand years ago…

 

October 31, 2014
31Oct14 USS Indianapolis 4
When Japan surrendered to the U.S…Americans rejoiced to know that the conflict was coming to an end.  Buried in the news that very same day was one of the most sobering stories of the war…

October 30, 2014
30Oct14 USS Indianapolis 3
It was one of the worst disasters at sea in U.S. naval history.  The loss of life combined with the horrific conditions were overshadowed by the end of WW II though…

October 29, 2014
29Oct14 USS Indianapolis 2
As August of 1945 neared, one ship took a top secret cargo across the Pacific.  But for the men of the U.S. Indianapolis that shipment would soon overshadow their own fate…

October 28, 2014
28Oct14 USS Indianapolis 1
He grew up in the heart of the Midwest, but during world war II, his life at sea would become one of the most important stories of survival to ever be told…

October 27, 2014
27Oct14 Major General Arnold Fields 2014
Major General Arnold Fields spent 34 years in the Marines. He attributes much of his success to an organization known for black jackets with a cotton boll on the back…

 

October 24, 2014
24Oct14 Spook Light
People like to have answers, and perhaps that’s what makes this phenomena so interesting.  There seems to be no explaining it…

October 23, 2014
23Oct14 Christiana Riot 2
It’s called the Christiana Riot – a showdown between a slave owner and those harboring his runaway slaves.  It led to bloodshed here just a few miles north of the Mason Dixon line…

October 22, 2014
22Oct14 Christiana Riot 1
In the years before the Civil War, many people stood up for the cause��of freedom and equality.  Some of those who showed the most bravery were former slaves…

October 21, 2014
21Oct14 Wausau 2
Most people like to work in buildings that have a solid floor underneath them.  The fact that this place has a floor with springs is what has kept it around for over a century…

October 20, 2014
20Oct14 Wausau 1
This city had one important product that kept its economy afloat.  That’s because the product, actually floated.  Sound confusing?  We’ll unravel the story…

 

October 17, 2014
17Oct14 Philipse Manor
When America won her independence, there were thousands of men and women who remained loyal to England during the war.  What happened to them?  In some cases, they perhaps fared far better than if they had supported the patriots…

October 16, 2014
16Oct14 French Lick Scenic Railway 2
The heyday of passenger rail travel was about a century ago.  But don’t tell that to the folks in southern Indiana, for they are riding the historic rails of this town as they did in times of old…

October 15, 2014
15Oct14 French Lick Scenic Railway 1
Airlines might devote more flights to popular winter destinations like Phoenix or Florida.  One hundred years ago they were adding trains for this popular spot in Indiana…

October 14, 2014
14Oct14 Fromm Fur Farm 2
In the woods of northern Wisconsin there is a lodge that housed some of the leading businessman of the world.  They came to one tiny town for a shot of acquiring the best of the best…

October 13, 2014
13Oct14 Fromm Fur Farm 1
The Fromm Brothers might be said to have been as “sly as a fox.”  That’s because their business plan led them to develop the silver fox, an animal that brought them fame and fortune…

 

October 10, 2014
10Oct14 Kit Carson 3
Comic books tell the story of larger than life characters.  In the mid 1800s, the comic books of the days took one unassuming mountain man and turned him into a frontier superhero…

October 9, 2014
09Oct14 Kit Carson 2
Sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know.  In Kit Carson’s case, it was both that made him a well-known figure yet today…

October 8, 2014
08Oct14 Kit Carson 1
This well-known frontiersman loved to hear the stories of those traveling west.  One day, he decided it was time to sneak away and try that life too…

October 7, 2014
07Oct14 Hollenberg Pony Express 2
The pony express was in operation for just a little over a year, however the story of horses and riders racing mail across the country continues to fascinate…

October 6, 2014
06Oct14 Hollenberg Pony Express 1
They say that in real estate, the three most important things are location, location, location.  That was true even in the 1850s.  It led one enterprising family to settle at the joining of two important trails to capture new business…

 

October 3, 2014
03Oct14 George Washington Cherry Tree 2014
Sometimes a person gains so much fame, they become bigger than life. So is that the case when we hear the story of George Washington telling the truth about a cherry tree he chopped to the ground?

October 2, 2014
02Oct14 Safari Museum 2014
Osa Johnson was certainly not an imposing figure, but give her a gun and she could drop some of the most ferocious animals in the world before they made lunch of her husband. This is the story of how the pair captured images that fascinated the country…

October 1, 2014
01Oct14 Christ Church 3
The Civil War produced many encounters where former friends found them themselves on opposite sides of the conflict.  That fact was brought home at this historic church…

September 30, 2014
30Sep14 Christ Church 2
Perhaps no church has hosted more national leaders over the past two��centuries than this one.  In fact, you can still worship there and sit in the pew of the presidents…

September 29, 2014
29Sep14 Christ Church 1
Some people sit in the exact same spot in church every Sunday.  This president did the exact same thing, but he paid for the right…..

 

September 26, 2014
26Sep14 Brandywine 3
It was a strange meeting – a British general requested the assistance of an American signer of the Declaration of Independence. It took place at the largest battle of the Revolution…

September 25, 2014
25Sep14 Brandywine 2
It was a place the new American nation lost, yet won – a battlefield where they stood ground for six consecutive baynotte charges and earned the respect of the British…

September 24, 2014
24Sep14 Brandywine 1
In the first years of the American Revolution, General Washington lost many battles, but he always survived to fight another day.  The battle of Brandywine was one such place…

September 23, 2014
23Sep14 Hobo Day 2
If you showed up at a strangers’ home and asked for a free meal, they  might slam the door in your face…or just maybe you’d find a kind soul  who would take you in.  The later will be the case this weekend in one  city…

September 22, 2014
22Sep14 Hobo Day 1
Many high schools and colleges pick a theme for their football homecoming.  In Brookings, South Dakota the theme remains the same…perhaps the most unique in the nation…

 

September 19, 2014
19Sep14 Birmingham Civil Rights 3
It’s a church that symbolized the march for freedom and equality, yet it’s a site of blood spilled in the effort.  We go to 16th Stree Baptist Church…

September 18, 2014
18Sep14 Birmingham Civil Rights 2
It was time for change, but for those who spoke out, their life was in grave danger, in a place dubbed Bombingham…

September 17, 2014
17Sep14 Birmingham Civil Rights 1
The attack on this pastor’s home was meant to kill him.  Instead, it inspired him.  In fact, those who wanted him to be quiet were now in for a man more passionate than ever for his cause…

September 16, 2014
16Sep14 California Organic Winemaker 2
Just as a chef might experiment with many ingredients to find the perfect dish, a winemaker works with a multitude of factors to create the best product from their grapes…

September 15, 2014
15Sep14 California Organic Winemaker 1
The state of California has great diversity in its agriculture.  Part of that industry is it’s thriving vineyards and wineries…

 

September 12, 2014
12Sep14 French Lick 2
In the movie “Field of Dreams”, a farmer builds a baseball field in the middle of his corn field.  Perhaps the people in this southern Indiana town feel a bit the same.  Here it’s two grand hotels that rose from the surrounding countryside over a century ago…

September 11, 2014
11Sep14 French Lick 1
Many homes have a front porch.  It can be a place to relax and simply enjoy the outdoors.  In this town, it’s the hotel that has the front porch.  The rockers are also a place to relax, but the folks that have sat here aren’t your run-of-the-mill crowd…

September 10, 2014
10Sep14 Larry Bird 2
Most museums will put the artifacts behind glass, not to be touched.  Sure it’s interesting to look, but it might seem a little stuffy.  That’s not the case here.  Do you want to see some of the biggest and����most important trophies from the game of basketball?  It’s not problem to get them out and let you take all the pictures you like…

September 9, 2014
09Sep14 Larry Bird 1
Many of our towns and cities have people that we look up to.  Perhaps they aren’t known to the rest of the world…or just maybe they are an����international superstar.  The latter is the case for one small Indiana town that produced one of the greatest basketball players to ever set foot on the court…

September 8, 2014
08Sep14 Stephen Douglas Birthplace
Abraham Lincoln led the country through the Civil War, but it was this man who defeated him for the Senate two years earlier. We’ll go to the home of the man known as the “little giant…”

 

September 5, 2014
05Sep14 Gadsby’s Tavern 2
Imagine staying in a hotel that encouraged you to sleep with your��clothes and shoes on so that you could make a quick escape in case of a fire!  Roll back the clock a couple of centuries and it was perfectly normal here…

September 4, 2014
04Sep14 Gadsby’s Tavern 1
Many of the homes and businesses in Alexandria, Virginia can trace their history to the founding of the nation.  That’s true of one very important tavern.  It was here that the notable names of the day gathered to conduct business in the newly founded United States…

September 3, 2014
03Sep14 Scott City 2
Near Kansas’ border with Colorado you can find a place called El Cuartelejo.  It’s the ruins of an ancient home who’s occupants were on the run from the Spanish…

September 2, 2014
02Sep14 Scott City 1
In western Kansas you can find the foundations for an old Native American settlement.  Perhaps that doesn’t seem too out of the ordinary, until you dig a little deeper and find that this type of dwelling doesn���t belong in Kansas, but instead belongs to tribes from states away…

September 1, 2014
01Sep14 Monument Rocks
It’s one of the natural wonders of Kansas.  A place of white spires rising from the prairie plains that have been a landmark for centuries…

 

August 29, 2014
29Aug14 Cyrus McCormick
For centuries, crops were cut and threshed by hand. That all changed with a young farmer in Virginia. This is the story of a birthday present that revolutionized agriculture…

August 28, 2014
28Aug14 New Harmony Indiana 3
In 1825, Robert Own of Wales, purchased an entire town in the state of Indiana.  His dream was to create a utopian society where morals were upheld and people of all walks of life had a chance to succeed.  It remains both a dream and a reality here…

August 27, 2014
27Aug14 New Harmony Indiana 2
Harmony.  It might be defined as finding peace with one’s self and one another.  That’s what the people who established the town of Harmony were looking for.  And for the most part, they achieved their dream��far better than the rest of the world…

August 26, 2014
26Aug14 New Harmony Indiana 1
There are many reasons people came from Europe to the newly founded United States.  Some came to find freedom to practice their religion.  That was the case for a community established in extreme southwestern Indiana…a community that remains today…

August 25, 2014
25Aug14 John Deere Plow
Although you may associate his name with tractors, he never saw one.  Yet his name is synonymous with the equipment used in agriculture…

 

August 22, 2014
22Aug14 White House 1812 War 4
It was an act that seemed unthinkable.  Another nation’s army marched into the United States capital and burned its most important government buildings to the ground, with the president and other government officials fleeing the advancing troops. �� It all happened 200 years ago this week…

August 21, 2014
21Aug14 White House 1812 War 3
Perhaps the most famous first lady to ever occupy the White House was Dolly Madison.  She was known to host parties with lavish desserts, but she is also beloved for the heroism she showed in the face of the burning of Washington…

August 20, 2014
20Aug14 White House 1812 War 2
Although George Washington was the nation’s first president, he never got to live inside the presidential mansion that was being constructed in Washington, D.C.  Our first presidents did have much influence over the way that home and the surrounding grounds would be designed��though…

August 19, 2014
19Aug14 White House 1812 War 1
It was a long and tedious process to build the U.S. Capitol and what we know as the White House.  The hand labor, intricate carvings and movement of materials were all time consumers.  However, one of the��biggest delays in getting those buildings ready for service has everything to do with the farm…

August 18, 2014
18Aug14 Palmer Alaska Farmers Market
When you think of fertile farmland, you perhaps think of a location with deep rich soil in the Midwest. But to find the land growing the largest vegetables in the nation, you have to travel far to the north…

 

August 15, 2014
15Aug14 St Genevieve Missouri
We’ve all seen a log cabin. Such structures were the norm for many Americans early in the country’s history. But did you ever see a log cabin with the logs arranged vertically instead of horizontally? There are only a handful in the U.S?and most are here…

August 14, 2014
14Aug14 Hot Zone Falconry 2
Farmers might contract with someone to spray for weeds, fertilize the soil or harvest a crop.  Some farmers even contract for a company to come fly falcons around the field.  We take flight with a unique ag business…

August 13, 2014
13Aug14 Hot Zone Falconry 1
There are many challenges to growing a crop.�� Poor weather, weeds, and disease are just a few.  We often don’t think of birds as a potential problem, but here, the birds can destroy a crop in just minutes.  What’s a farmer to do?

August 12, 2014
12Aug14 Artichokes 2
Some people turn up their nose at brussels sprouts.  Where do artichokes fare in comparison?  We head to a valley where the unusual crop is grown���

August 11, 2014
11Aug14 Artichokes 1
Sometimes it’s hard to get kids to eat their vegetables.  Now imagine the vegetable looks like a hand grenade and people believe you can choke when eating it.  It’s a marketing challenge, but this lady will convince you, the problems are all in your head…

 

August 8, 2014
08Aug14 Iditarod Headquarters Reddington
Some sports not only require thousands of hours of training, they also require a hefty financial investment. For those who run Alaska’s famous Iditarod, it is a part of their life. We visit with one of the Alaska most well known mushing families…

August 7, 2014
07Aug14 Home on the Range 4
In the 1930s a cowboy song began to get quite a bit of air time on radio stations.  But suddenly the music stopped, when one couple claimed they were the lawful owners of the song and had not been paid their royalties.  What ensued was a quest to unearth the history of a song we all know…

August 6, 2014
06Aug14 Home on the Range 3
The song, “Home of the Range,” turns 140 years old this year.  It might not sound like a big deal, but the song and the site where it was written have had quite an impact on our nation, and this fall there will be festivities to honor the famous lines…

August 5, 2014
05Aug14 Home on the Range 2
Brewster Higley didn’t think much about the poem he’d written.  In fact, he stuffed it in a book and hadn’t looked at it for over a year. But when a different set of eyes read it, they saw the potential for  the verses.  The rest they say, is history…

August 4, 2014
04Aug14 Home on the Range 1
On the surface, the story doesn’t seem too different from other settlers stories of the late 1800s.  A man from Indiana decided to move west and homestead a quarter section of land in Kansas.  He built a cabin and fell in love with the land around him.  But the man and that cabin would play an important part in history…

 

August 1, 2014
01Aug14 Niagra Falls NY 2
Don Lokor is asked many questions about Niagara Falls.  He is considered the resident historian of the national landmark.  The question most asked…what about those fools who attempt to go over the falls…

July 31 2014
31Jul14 Niagra Falls NY 1
Before Yellowstone was ever made the first national park, Niagara Falls became the nation’s first state park.  The thundering waters have long captivated crowds who will drive or fly hundreds of miles to come see it.�� The story of the falls as a tourist attraction and honeymoon destination is quite intriguing…

July 30, 2014
30Jul14 Farmland Movie
Most farmers would not consider themselves movie stars.  This Minnesota hog farmer certainly doesn’t.  However, that hasn’t stopped
him from fielding autograph requests and tv interviews about his time on the big screen.  We met him and his role in a movie about the job he loves...

July 29, 2014
29Jul14 RAM Truck CEO 2
What influences someone to buy a new car?  Is it great wealth, cool styles, or maybe a clunker that bit the dust?  All are potential reasons.  But, to this automaker, there are other global factors influencing just how many cars and trucks we need to manufacture here...

July 28, 2014
28Jul14 RAM Truck CEO 1
It’s been dubbed the Great Recession…the economic downturn of that began in 2009.  One of the industries hardest hit were automakers.  Today we have the unique opportunity to sit down with a man in charge of one of the biggest brands in the nation...

 

July 25, 2014
25Jul14 Frank Phillips 2
When Frank bought a plane he needed a hangar in which to park it. Soon the plane wasn’t the only thing in the building. In fact, visitors still come here to see that plane an much, much more…

July 24, 2014
24Jul14 Frank Phillips 1
The president of this oil company was looking for a place to entertain business leaders from the east coast and around the world. He settled on a ranch in northeastern Oklahoma. This is the story of the ranch where million dollar deals are still done���

July 23, 2014
23Jul14 Pikes Peak 3
Today we may rely on the latest advancements in science and medicine to help cure disease.  Of course, in the 1800s, science provided some answers, but many folks simply looked for the best climate to help their ease their ailment...

July 22, 2014
22Jul14 Pikes Peak 2
You’ve perhaps never heard of James’ Peak.  It more accurate to say you’ve heard of the mountain, but you simply don’t know it by that
name.  In fact, you may have been to the top of the peak that James climbed, but he didn’t get the credit so to speak...

July 21, 2014
21Jul14 Pikes Peak 1
As Lewis and Clark headed west and north in 1803 to explore the newly acquire Louisiana Purchase, another explorer headed to the
southwestern reaches of that territory.  One of the landmarks he found still bears his name today…

 

July 18, 2014
18Jul14 Hell Michigan
We go to great lengths to gather the stories you here on this program…and this time we literally went to hell and back to get the feature you’ll hear…

July 17, 2014
17Jul14 Elwood Haynes
Who invented the first automobile?  You might be surprised that it wasn’t Henry Ford…but this man from Kokomo, Indiana…

July 16, 2014
16Jul14 Bents Old Fort 3
It was perhaps the most important stop on the entire length of the Santa Fe Trail. However, under two decades after its establishment, it was burned to the ground…

July 15, 2014
15Jul14 Bents Old Fort 2
Today you can travel down just about any interstate highway in America and find plenty of truck stops. Now turn back the clock nearly two centuries and imagine an 800 mile long interstate with just one such stop…

July 14 2014
14Jul14 Bents Old Fort 1
When you think of forts in the western U.S., you may remember military fortresses built to keep the peace and secure the routes of settlers.  That’s what makes this early fort unique, for it was not built by the government, but rather an enterprising group of men on the Santa Fe Trail…

 

July 11, 2014
11Jul14 Gettysburg Depot 2
There was a mix of emotions when President Lincoln stepped onto the platform at this Gettysburg, Pennsylvania railroad depot.  There were feelings of sadness and loss, represented by the coffins awaiting shipment to loved ones.  Yet there was hope, signified by the commander and chief’s visit and the words of comfort he was about to share…

July 10, 2014
10Jul14 Gettysburg Depot 1
Many communities have saved and then restored their old rail depots.  That’s the case for this small Pennsylvania town.  However, the depot here has more history than most, for it had connections to a famous battle and a favorite president…

July 9, 2014
09Jul14 Ed’s Elephant Collection 2
Some people believe that a elephant figurine will bring you good luck.  If that is true, Ed Gotwald is the luckiest man in America.  Regardless, his story is one that makes people smile and effects people’s lives in more ways than he could have imagined…

July 8, 2014
08Jul14 Ed’s Elephant Collection 1
Lots of people collect things.  Sometimes the story of how and why they began collecting is more interesting than the collection itself.  That may be the case for Ed Gotwald.  His collection is unique, but the story of a wedding gift that went viral is truly remarkable…

July 7, 2014
07Jul14 Inventor Benjamin Franklin
His first invention involved a kite–and perhaps his most famous discovery involved one too…

 

July 4, 2014
04Jul14 Tomb Guard
Every independence day we celebrate our freedom. This soldier is reminded of the cost of that freedom as he protects the resting place of America’s heroes…

July 3, 2014
03Jul14 Gettysburg Chaplain 4
In the fall of 1861, Father William Corby, a Notre Dame educated priest, not yet 30 years old, joined the 88th New York and the Irish Brigade as their chaplain. The regiment was a part of many of the fiercest battles of the Civil War. But it’s Corby’s action on July 2nd, 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg that will long be remembered…

July 2, 2o14
02Jul14 Gettysburg Chaplain 3
There are hundreds of monuments here at Gettysburg National Battlefield. Many times it’s difficult to know the story behind each one…there are simply so many. That���s why one statue placed upon a small rock may not draw that much attention. But when you learn the story about the man it depicts, you’ll be intrigued by his interesting route into this battle…

July 1, 2014
01Jul14 Gettysburg Chaplain 2
If you are a student of the Civil War, you probably know some of the important names like Generals Lee and Grant, or battles like Antietam and Gettysburg. It’s easy to overlook important aspects of the war that often go unnoticed. Today we take a look back at one of those areas…the role of the chaplain…

June 30, 2014
30Jun14 Gettysburg Chaplain 1
A soldier needs many resources in battle. One of those items is perhaps most important, yet intangible. It’s the importance of one’s faith…and today we take a look at the role of an army chaplain…a position that helps one minister to the needs of those who may be on the front lines…

 

June 27, 2014
27Jun14 World War I 3
It’s difficult for many of us to name many specific battles or events in World War I.  We may have learned the war began when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.  That is somewhat true, however the story of what happened to the assassin and the items surrounding that tragic day are intriguing and we take a look back…

June 26, 2014
26Jun14 World War I 2
Some say the event that began the first World War occurred on June 28, 1914…a century ago.  Today we take a look back and what happened that day – events of chance that helped ignite a worldwide conflict…

June 25, 2014
25Jun14 World War I 1
This week marks 100 years since the world faced its first global conflict.  It was a war that would engulf countries on multiple continents.  Yet, ask someone why it began and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and there’s a good change all of the answers are correct.  We look back at World War I…

June 24, 2014
24Jun14 Center of the Hemisphere
I recently headed west on highway 29 from Wausau, Wisconsin.  I then turned north, back west, then back north…and then, found myself next to a sign on the edge of a large farm field.  Many would say I was in the middle of nowhere.  Not so fast…if you stand here…you’re actually in the middle of everywhere…

June 23, 2014
23Jun14 Circus Museum
It all began with Albert, Otto, Alfred, Charles, and John. Without their last names, those first names might not mean anything to you. Put together with the phrase “prepare to be amazed,” and you’ll definitely recognize the names…

 

June 20, 2014
20Jun14 Ernest Hemmingway Home 4
If you walk around Key West, Florida, there’s a good chance you may encounter a most unusual type of cat. Many of the felines here have six toes and the reason they’ve found a home here has to do with the location on the water, and perhaps one well-known author…

June 19, 2014
19Jun14 Ernest Hemmingway Home 3
It’s the single largest residential property in Key West, Florida.  The couple who lived here led lives that most of us can only imagine…

June 18, 2014
18Jun14 Ernest Hemmingway Home 2
Replacing your ceiling fans with Parisian chandeliers might be an upgrade. That’s what this decorator believed to be the case.�� However, ask the folks who now spend their time in this home and they’ll tell you it would sure be nice to have those old fans back…

June 17, 2014
17Jun14 Ernest Hemmingway Home 1
We’ll be in Key West, Florida for the next installments of our stories, taking a look at well-known author, Ernest Hemmingway, who made his home here. You may be familiar with his books, but his life in the southernmost U.S. was one of intrigue and adventure…

June 16, 2014
16Jun14 Chandler Arizona Show Pigs
You don’t expect to see 400 hogs in the middle of a city, but that’s what’s happening in the Phoenix metro area. And there’s a very good reason for the animals to be there. It may just be one of the best ways to help students learn skills for life…

 

June 13, 2014
13Jun14 Pine Creek Mill 2
Retirees are often looking for a good cause to which to devote their time. Not many take up grinding flour from a 160 old water powered mill…

June 12, 2014|
12Jun14 Pine Creek Mill 1
People near Muscatine have always known of a place called Pine Creek Mill, but for most of the 20th century, it sat idle, with a little work done to keep the outside of the structure preserved. The mill came to life though when this group of volunteers devoted their time to the project…

June 11, 2014
11Jun14 Wausau Insurance
There’s a good chance you’ve never been to this railroad depot.  However, if you’re over forty years old, there’s a high likelihood you’ve seen pictures of it, for it was this historic spot that made its way into the logo and ads of a prominent insurance company…

June 10, 2014
10Jun14 Wausau Vietnam Exhibit 2
Most people consider graffiti a visual nuisance, something to be removed and forgotten.  The type of graffiti on this ship was different though.  It actually contained a snapshot of uncertainty for men heading to war.  We go inside a most intriguing exhibit…

June 9, 2014

09Jun14 Wausau Vietnam Exhibit 1
In the 1960s, ships like the General Nelson M Walker took thousands of men across the Pacific to the war in Vietnam.  Many of those ships have now been scrapped, including the Walker.  However, before she was dismattled, an interesting project unfolded…

 

June 6, 2014
06Jun14 Methodist Museum
If you do something the same way day after day, you might be said to have a method to your work. The method these brothers used in their work is still copied today…in fact, the method is still in the name…

June 5, 2014
05Jun14 Roy Hawthorne Navajo Codetalker 4
Roy Hawthorne had three brothers who had already volunteered for the Army.  So when Roy was 17, he too joined the battles of World War II, entering the Navy.  His role would be to use his native Navajo language to send message unbreakable by the Japanese…

June 4, 2014
04Jun14 Roy Hawthorne Navajo Codetalker 3
Our series with Navajo codetalker, Roy Hawthorne continues today.  Remember, you can hear the full interview on the Scenic Route at AmericanCountryside.com and on American Countryside tv as a part of this weekend’s U.S. Farm Report broadcasts…

June 3, 2014
03Jun14 Roy Hawthorne Navajo Codetalker 2
When World War II began, many men here in Navajo country volunteered for the armed forces.  Some of those men were asked to use their native language to send coded messages that were unbreakable by the enemy…

June 2, 2014
02Jun14 Roy Hawthorne Navajo Codetalker 1
This week you’ll be hearing a series of programs with World War II Navajo codetalker, Roy Hawthorne.  You can also see our American Countryside television special with him this weekend on U.S. Farm Report.  It’s an amazing piece of history…

 

May 30, 2014
30May14 Johnstown Flood 4
It was an American disaster that was hard to imagine. A giant flood and an immense fire were destroying a city of over 30,000 people simultaneously. We remember the tragic story of tragedy 125 years ago…..

May 29, 2014
29May14 Johnstown Flood 3
It was a story of miraculous heroism among a story of deep tragedy.  125 years ago a wall of water cut loose from a breached dam was about to swamp Johnstown, Pennsylvania. As a tidal wave thundered down the valley, one locomotive engineer braved the swell to warn people of the impending danger…

May 28, 2014
28May14 Johnstown Flood 2
When 51 inches falls on an area in one month…well, it’s likely there’s going to be problems. Here, those problems provide tragic. It was a tragedy that took place 125 years ago this week…

May 27, 2014
27May14 Johnstown Flood 1
It was one of the worst disasters in American history���the break of the south fork dam that created the great Johnstown Flood. In a moment we return with the stories of tragedy and heroism…

May 26, 2014
26May14 Arlington Army Ladies
On Memorial Day we remember our loved ones, but these ladies recognize our fallen soldiers this weekend and every day of the year…

 

May 23, 204
23May14 The Lone Ranger
No matter your age, you’ve most likely heard of the Lone Ranger, his horse Silver and his faithful Indian companion Tonto who fought for law and justice.  They are fictional characters���but many believe they are based on real men and events.  Who could that real-life inspiration be?

May 22, 2014
22May14 Bass Reeves 3
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “Wanted, Dead or Alive!”  It certainly was used on some occasions, but near Ft. Smith, Arkansas, the term was of little use to the U.S. Marshalls.  They definitely wanted to catch the wanted fugitive, and they most certainly wanted them alive…..

May 21, 2014
21May14 Bass Reeves 2
If a fugitive is captured, they are usually transported to a jail to await a hearing before a court of law.  That’s what happened here in Ft. Smith, Arkansas.  However, the time from capture to courtroom was often interrupted by a very long walk behind a wagon…..

May 20, 2014
20May14 Bass Reeves 1
He was one of the first African American U.S. Marshalls in the nation.   His reputation as a crack shot and tenacious tracker of fugitives brought him praise from local citizens and fear from those he chased…..

May 19, 2014
19May14 Law In the Indian Territory
In Ft. Smith, Arkansas you can find the courtroom where Judge Issac Parker used to preside.  It was a place where fugitives who had escaped into the adjacent Indian Territory were brought to face justice.  The men who tracked them down were the U.S. Marshalls…..

 

May 16, 2014
16May14 Uranium Mine 2
It’s a museum with its mine underneath the floor – an unusual, but effective idea on promoting the industry that once flourished here…and perhaps may flourish again…

May 15, 2014
15May14 Uranium Mine 1
Many mining booms begin quite by chance. That was the case about 100 miles west of Albuquerque. However, the mineral discovered was quite different than most found in the U.S…

May 14, 2014
14May14 Holbrook Petroglyphs 3
I’ve always enjoyed the chance to view Native American petroglyphs.  The ancient rock writing is fascinating, but it’s hard to find but a handful of the shapes are pictures scattered at sites in the western U.S. But then I discovered the Hidden Cove Petroglyph Park. It’s a newly opened, yet rarely seen look an hundreds of such writings…

May 13, 2014
13May14 Holbrook Petroglyphs 2
They’re called petroglyphs. They are carvings or drawings made into the stone from hundreds of years ago. We know little about what they mean, yet there are an abundance of them in this spot…

May 12, 2014
12May14 Holbrook Petroglyphs 1
Just outside Holbrook, Arizona you can find the remains of an old corral that once housed the herd of the Zuck family. The ranch hands and the cattle are long gone, but the place speaks to the early settlers that hoped to tame this wide-open frontier…

 

May 9, 2014
09May14 Australia Curtis Springs 5
American farmers and ranchers may have predators and feral animals that pose problems to their business. The same can be said her in central Australia, but the challenging animal is a camel. Remember you can hear our full interview on the Scenic Route at AmericanCountryside.com…..

May 8, 2014
08May14 Australia Curtis Springs 4
Sometimes you need someone to “show you the ropes.” The same can be said for this cattle ranch. Here the older animals may save hundreds when they know the path to the best grazing or the nearest watering hole…..

May 7, 2014
07May14 Australia Curtis Springs 3
We continue our series outside our nation’s borders today with a visit to the Curtin Springs Station in central Australia. It’s about 200 miles to the nearest vet and you may go weeks or even months without seeing some of your herd, yet it’s a place where one family is making a living…..

May 6, 2014
06May14 Australia Curtis Springs 2
U.S. farmers and ranchers are no stranger to droughts. However, here in central Australia, these ranchers must manage their ground as if each rain, may be the last one they’ll see for the next decade. It’s a million acre ranch in the Outback…..

May 5, 2014
05May14 Australia Curtis Springs 1
Today we begin a fascinating series from an over million acre ranch in the Australian outback. The story of Curtin Springs Station is one you won’t want to miss. You can hear the daily features right here…and you can hear the entire interview on the Scenic Route at AmericanCountryside.com…..

 

May 2, 2014
02May14 Austalia Alice Springs 5
It’s a highway that once had no speed limits. There are still portions of the road where you can go as fast as you like. And you can travel a very long way without stopping. This two-lane highway is over 1700 hundred miles long and has just six stoplights…..

May 1, 2014
01May14 Austalia Alice Springs 4
The city of Alice Springs is a place with rich history and amazing landscapes. It’s still the center of business for those who call central Australia their home and a place that people love to explore…..

April 30, 2014
30Apr14 Australia Alice Springs 3
In the heart of the Outback, you can still see the telegraph station that helped link cities like Sydney and Melbourne with the rest of the world. The town of Alice Springs grew up around those first buildings and today is a seeming metropolis in the sparsely populated interior of the country…..

April 29, 2014
29Apr14 Australia Alice Springs 2
It was a walk of over 4000 miles across some of the most remote stretches of land in the world. Add to it a harsh landscape with little water and temperatures that can easily top 100 degrees. This was the area that had to be conquered and we’ll head “down under…..”

April 28, 2014
28Apr14 Australia Alice Springs 1
For the next couple of weeks we’ll be outside of our country for a look at life “down under.” We’re headed to the Outback of Australia, a place some compare to the western U.S., yet a place you’ll find to be much more remote than any spot to be found in America…..

 

April 25, 2014
25Apr14 El Rancho Hotel 2
The movie stars are gone, but the legends still abound, including the story one celebrity who rode his horse into the bar, so both could get a drink. It’s a place with tons of history, but a hotel that is still serving travelers today……

April 24, 2014
24Apr14 El Rancho Hotel 1
It was built to house movie stars. A hotel in western New Mexico where celebrities could catch some rest and relaxation away from the movie set. Today we go inside that iconic lodge…..

April 23, 2014
23Apr14 Tom Bass 2
Jackie Robinson is known for breaking the color barrier in baseball.  However, some people say the first athlete to break that trend took the field decades earlier in a different sport. His story is one still well known in mid-Missouri…..

April 22, 2014
22Apr14 Tom Bass 1
Today we say hello to our listeners on KXEO in Mexico, Missouri.  Folks there know the name Tom Bass…and you should too. His story of overcoming challenges to become world renowned in his field is today’s edition…..

April 21, 2014
21Apr14 Birmingham Childrens March 5
In 1963 this city’s police force brutally attacked Gwen Webb.  Just over a decade later, she was a member of that law enforcement group.  But there was another surprise in store for Gwen and all of those in the city….