65: The Donner Party: An American Tragedy (Part 1)

65: The Donner Party: An American Tragedy (Part 1)

This episode kicks off our coverage of an infamous American tragedy – the Donner Party.

In the mid-1800’s, a group that would later be known as the Donner Party set out West in search of a better life. The California and Oregon Trails were notoriously tough. The journey was dangerous, unpredictable and long. So, when an irresponsible, self-serving douchebag named Lansford Hastings began touting a shortcut to California, members of the Donner Party were intrigued. Could there really be a faster way to California?

Tragically, Lansford was full of shit.

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride,” by Daniel James Brown
“The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny,” by Michael Wallis
The documentary, “The Donner Party”
“How the Donner Party was doomed by a disastrous shortcut,” by Erin Blakemore for History.com
“Lansford Hastings, the Donner Party, and the Civil War,” by Elizabeth Eisenstark for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine
“The deadly temptation of the Oregon Trail shortcut,” by Laura Kiniry for atlasobscura.com

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.

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76: Bad Blood: Ann Landers, Dear Abby Feud Goes Public (Part 3)

76: Bad Blood: Ann Landers, Dear Abby Feud Goes Public (Part 3)

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75: Advice Column Rivals: Dear Abby and Ann Landers (Part 2)

75: Advice Column Rivals: Dear Abby and Ann Landers (Part 2)

Ann Landers was thrilled. She’d just landed a job as the new syndicated advice columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. Her new role gave Ann something to call her own. Then, just three months later, her ...

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74: Family Feud: Dear Abby vs. Ann Landers (Part 1)

74: Family Feud: Dear Abby vs. Ann Landers (Part 1)

For decades, Dear Abby and Ann Landers were the undisputed queens of advice columns. They had millions of loyal readers. They were celebrated public figures. Their columns stood out for being sassy, s...

1 Okt 20251h 29min

73: The Pet Rock: A Fad is Born (Patreon Bonus)

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Wipe your slate clean of everything you *think* you know about the pet rock. You’ll marble (err, marvel) over its true history! Its inventor, Gary Dahl, thought he’d created a novelty gift that was se...

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72: Last Man Standing: Hiroo Onoda Finally Surrenders (Part 3)

72: Last Man Standing: Hiroo Onoda Finally Surrenders (Part 3)

It took countless efforts and nearly three decades to convince Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda that World War II was over. When those efforts finally paid off, Hiroo Onoda went home to Japan. He receive...

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71: Hiroo Onoda Fights a Non-Existent War (Part 2)

71: Hiroo Onoda Fights a Non-Existent War (Part 2)

World War II was over. (Really. Truly.) But a group of Japanese soldiers stationed on Lubang Island in the Philippines weren’t convinced. They didn’t believe that Japan had surrendered. So they kept f...

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70: The Japanese Soldier Who Refused to Surrender (Part 1)

70: The Japanese Soldier Who Refused to Surrender (Part 1)

As a second lieutenant in the Japanese Army, Hiroo Onoda took his job seriously. He’d been ordered to lead guerilla warfare missions on Lubang Island in the Philippines. He was told to never surrender...

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69: Judgement Day for the Donner Party (Part 5)

69: Judgement Day for the Donner Party (Part 5)

In the finale of our series on The Donner Party, rescue groups head off for Truckee Lake and Alder Creek, hoping to save as many survivors as they could. For many members of The Donner Party, the resc...

27 Aug 20251h 56min

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