In the summer of 1863, an unscrupulous businessman named Thomas Durant gained control of the Union Pacific Railroad, the company chartered by Congress to build the transcontinental railroad westward from the Missouri River. Durant quickly used his new position to siphon money into his own pockets.
2,000 miles to the west in California, on the other end of t ... Show More
Dec 2024
Transcontinental Railroad | The Golden Spike | 4
<p>In January 1869, leaders of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific met in Washington, D.C. to discuss the final stretch of construction. For years, the two railroads had been advancing toward each other without a defined location for their tracks to meet. But now, their grading ... Show More
39m 36s
Oct 2025
Cemeteries: Our First Public Parks
Graveyards are often portrayed as eerie, haunted places. Today, they’re depicted as places of fear and sorrow, where the living rarely go. But historically, cemeteries were central to community life. Far from being hidden or feared, they were embraced as spaces for reflection, cr ... Show More
1h 16m
Apr 2025
The Moth Podcast: National Parks Week
In honor of National Parks Week, we've got three stories, all about our National Parks, and why they matter. This episode was hosted by Tim Lopez. Storytellers: Kathy Nicarry finds strength in Yellowstone National Park. Tim Lopez is feeling a bit lost, and then becomes a Park Ran ... Show More
41m 53s
Aug 2025
The Murder of Tomomi Hanamure: Grand Canyon National Park
On May 8th, 2006 to celebrate her 34th birthday, Tomomi Hanamure laced up her hiking boots, as she had done so many times before, for an adventure. Her return journey to the Grand Canyon was a way to mark another year around the sun, to a place she felt so personally drawn to. Tr ... Show More
1h 6m
Nov 2025
Lost & Found: The Miraculous Survival of Truman C. Everts. Yellowstone National Park
Truman Everts, a 54-year-old bureaucrat, joined the 1870 Washburn Expedition to explore Yellowstone. After becoming separated from the group, he lost his horse, food, gun, and blankets. Alone for 37 days, he endured brutal storms, frostbite, a scalded hip, and even a mountain lio ... Show More
1h 6m
Nov 2024
National Park After Dark is Scared to Death
Dan and Lyndze Cummins, hosts of Scared to Death join us today to share some creepy tales. First, we chat about their personal thoughts on and experiences with the other side before they bring us to California and Idaho for some very strange stories filled with legends, curses an ... Show More
1h 28m
Jun 2025
The Couple Who Lived and Died for Lions: Meru National Park
George and Joy Adamson lived for lions. After raising a cub they named Elsa and telling the world about it, they were catapulted into the center of conservation and controversy. Their methods were questioned, but their love for the wild was not. While they were both murdered, the ... Show More
1h 24m