The Anytown, USA Podcast

We check out the island town of Barnegat Light, named after the US's second tallest lighthouse, and find stories of airship disasters, cranberrie bogs and Bloody pine robbers. Oh, and muskrats.

We are joined by a REAL LIVE one-time Oxford, Mississippi resident who fills us in on the city's history. We then take a dive into the Ole Miss riots, when white supremacists tried to stop James Meredith, the Universty's first black student, from enrolling.

We take a trip to Cleveland County, Arkansas and find out how Coach Bear Bryant gained his name and Stephen Dorsey lost a county. Hint: Wrestling bears is better for your reputation than stealing railroads.

We are joined by guest Moxie LaBouche of the Your Brain on Facts podcast to discuss some creepy goings-on in Richmond, Virginia. Confederate statues, grave robbers and even a vampire each make an appearance.

We visit Itasca County, home of lakes, logging and long-ago louts. We tell the story of Sam Christy, an 1880s roustabout who could take a real beating, and look at one of the last altercations between the US Army and a Native American group, the Battle of Sugar Point. Also, who stole the ruby slippers?

We look at the history of Tensas Parish and uncover a terrible story of voter suppression in the wake of Reconstruction.

The atlas takes us to Lake County Oregon, home to geologic oddities and the rumors of rangewars past. We tak about alkali lakes where fish won't swim and the legacy of the Sheepshooters.

In this special bonus episode, we chat with Justin Evans (of the Geneation Why and The Peripheral Podcasts) about a story from his hometown's past: the Kansas City Massacre.

A small resort community in the California mountains hides a dark history. Yep, we're going there: It's the freaking Donner Party.

We take a look at Morven, North Carolina, where a community comes together to support literacy. Then, we investigate the nearby ghost town of Sneedsboro and a tale of disappearance that began at its once-famous Inn. Along the way, we meet Blind Boy Fuller, a virtuoso of Piedmont Blues.

We start in Pamplin City, one-time manufacturers of popular clay pipes and end up in Appomattox Courthouse, the site of Robert E. Lee's surrender to U.S. Grant.

Our ongoing journey takes us to Barber County, Kansas, where we learn the story of the the hatchet slinging temperance warrior, Carrie A. Nation, and the 1893 Land Run where 100,000 settlers raced for a chance at the American Dream.

We take a look at Eagle County, Colorado, home of the Gore Range which was named after one of the worst people to ever slaughter buffalo, Sir St. George Gore. Courtney tells the story of how the Utes were forced out of their homeland due to a misguided, reform-minded bureaucrat.

We talk about the history of Cascade County, MT, from Lewis and Clark's bear encounters to the environmental legacy of the Anaconda Smelter Stack. Also: the interracial founders of Belt, MT and the natural wonders of the Great Falls themselves.

We start in Manhattan, Nevada, a town that's died and been reborn several times, before checking out the rest of Nye County. We find stories of a man who tried to turn himself into a tiger and a US county with a population of 0, no buildings and no paved roads. Finally, we touch on the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository and the problem of how to warn future generations away from our deadly trash.