Case 25 SoCal's Rainmaker Wizard, Charles Hatfield!

Welcome to the culture of Pluviculture! Or as folks in America during the late 1800s called Rainmaking! A fringe science where savvy folk would travel to small towns throughout the Midwest & across the sw to draught ridden towns to promise them rain! In Nebraska a whole “rain god association” had formed teaching folk how to make rain grow in the sky! There were countless methods to do this from explosions to noxious fumes & chemicals. & today I bring you one of the most famous rainmakers who saved… or cursed the city of San Diego. Cuz in 1914 San Diego was plagued for years by draughts & LA taking their water. So the locals demanded the city council hire their local famous rainmaker, Charles Hatfield. & while the city accepted his offer to fill their dam, the city attorney, Cosgrove, made sure the city would never pay out even if rain came. & rain definitely came, but then it never stopped! & after a major storm smashed into San Diego, the rainmaker expected to be paid. Rumors say he told the city council they gotta pay now or the will witness REAL RAIN! & this was only days before the famous Hatfield Flood. So I’ll talk about this sensational story & Charles Hatfields whole life to figure out if he was just an excellent grifter, or a mad scientist bent on helping his nation! I’ll also talk other big names in Pluviculture & modern rainmakers! From Californias dowsing rod wielding Water Witches to a Florida company that claims it can make rain on demand! Plus some insight on real life weather modification & CLOUDSEEDING to see if the rainmakers where actually onto something! Lastly I’ll take you to these exact locations & many more around San Diego including abandoned gold mines, worlds largest objects & a church teaching 4th dimensional travel! I’ve got it here for you on the Season 1 Finale of Fringe History! The Podcast will be on hiatus for the rest of the summer after bringing you dozens of folklore legends over 1 year now. I’ll be returning in the fall with many more legends, but in the mean time I’ll be streaming folklore & metazoo cards on twitch! @FringeHistorygames. Checkout my other my project, a mature post-apocalyptic audiodrama called Grease Valley Radio for more cryptid adventures! & if ya need to reach me I’ll always be on the Instagram @fringehistorypod ! Thank you for all the great times & I hope to be back to ya soon with many more Cryptids & Americana legends! Fringe History is Created, Produced & hosted by Basti B. Cover Art by SCUMMY.Loves.You on Insta! For podcast updates + Daily Cryptid drops & case photos follow the Instagram @FringeHistorypod To reach out with Cryptid sightings, supernatural encounters or anything else email me at FringeHistorypod@gmail.com