The Extreme History Project: The Dirt on the Past

Stolen Spirits with Chip Colwell

Who owns the past and the objects that connect us to history? We discuss this and so much more with Chip Colwell as we talk about his book, Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America's Culture. Our conversation revolves around NAPRA, repatriation of human remains, and ultimately human dignity and the importance of relationships. Chip Colwell is the founding Editor-in-Chief of SAPIENS, an online magazine about anthropological thinking and serves as co-host of the SAPIENS podcast. He served as the Senior Curator of Anthropology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for 12 years and has published many academic articles, book chapters, and 12 books. Join us for this fascinating conversation, and a peek into the world of museums and repatriation.    

 

Before Yellowstone with Doug MacDonald

Join us for this timely conversation with Doug MacDonald on his book, Before Yellowstone: Native American Archaeology in the Park. As Yellowstone National Park celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2022, we discuss the deep history of people living in this region. The archaeological research done by Doug and his team of students from the University of Montana shows that the wild landscape has a long history of human presence. In fact, Indigenous people have hunted bison and bighorn sheep, fished for cutthroat trout, and gathered bitterroot and camas bulbs here for at least 11,000 years, and twenty-six tribes claim cultural association with Yellowstone today. We talk with Doug about the significance of archaeological areas such as Obsidian Cliff, where hunters obtained volcanic rock to make tools, and Yellowstone Lake, a traditional place for gathering edible plants. We also discuss the complicated history of Yellowstone and the controversial preservation of the wilderness idea. We debunk the myth that Yellowstone National Park was a wilderness untouched by humans. Join us for this important discussion!

 

To Learn More:

 

Before Yellowstone: Native American Archaeology in the Park by Doug MacDonald

 

The Lost History of Yellowstone: Debunking the myth that the great national park was a wilderness untouched by humans

The Year in Review with Crystal and Nancy

Join us as we recap our year of podcast episodes. We discuss what we've learned from our amazing guests, and some highlights from our second season of podcasting. We dive into the why we think this podcast is important and our take-aways from the year. Join us for this final conversation of 2021!

Forget the Alamo with Chris Tomlinson

Join us as we talk with Chris Tomlinson about his new book, Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth, co-written with Bryan Burrough and Jason Stanford. Every nation needs its creation myth, and since Texas was a nation before it was a state, it's no surprise that its myths bite deep. There's no piece of history more important to Texans than the Battle of the Alamo, when Davy Crockett and a band of rebels went down in a blaze of glory fighting for independence from Mexico, losing the battle but setting Texas up to win the war. However, that version of events, as Forget the Alamo definitively shows, owes more to fantasy than reality. Just as the site of the Alamo was left in ruins for decades, its story was forgotten and twisted over time, with the contributions of Tejanos--Texans of Mexican origin, who fought alongside the Anglo rebels--scrubbed from the record, and the origin of the conflict over Mexico's push to abolish slavery papered over. In our conversation, Chris explains the true story of the battle and walks us through the creation of the Alamo myth in the Jim Crow South of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As uncomfortable as it may be to hear for some, celebrating the Alamo has long had an echo of celebrating whiteness. Join us for this riveting and important conversation. 

Archaeology of a Chinese Community with Christopher Merritt

Join us as we talk with Utah State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) with the Utah Division of State History, Christopher Merritt, about his work as a SHPO and his interest in historic Chinese communities in the West. We talk specifically about a ghost town called Terrace, UT. Terrace was once a bustling town located along the transcontinental railroad, but has long since been dismantled and abandoned. The only evidence that remains are scattered bricks, glass and porcelain shards where buildings once stood. Terrace grew to about 1,000 residents at one time and was also the second-largest population of Chinese individuals in Utah (behind Corrine). In 2020 and 2021, archaeology was done at the townsite of Terrace to better understand the individuals that once called this place home, including the historic Chinese community. Chris talks with us about this archaeological excavation and what was learned from the artifacts and structures left behind. If you would like to volunteer to help with this project, follow this link. http://www.passportintime.com/available-projects.html. 

Archaeology from Africa to Montana with Jack Fisher

Join us as we talk with archaeologist Jack Fisher about his career as an archaeologist. We discuss his ethnoarchaeological research among the Efe people in the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, his work at First People's Buffalo Jump in Montana, his research partnership with John Parkington of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and his work on an antelope kill site called Lost Terrace. For further reading, be sure to read Jack's chapter in Pisskan: Interpreting First Peoples Bison Kills at Heritage Parks. His chapter, co-written with Tom Roll, is entitled "First Peoples Buffalo Jump Archaeology: Research Results and Public Interpretation."  Dr. Jack Fisher taught anthropology at Montana State University (Bozeman) for 30 years and now serves as an Emeritus Associate professor at Montana State University. During his career, his archaeological research focused on the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains of Montana. He also did archaeological research in the Western Cape of South Africa in collaboration with archaeologists at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. At the beginning of his career, he did ethnoarchaeological research for one year among Efe people, part-time hunter-gatherers, in the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Forensic Anthropology with Dr. Lilly White

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Lilly White on her work as a forensic anthropologist. We talk about how she became interested in the field, the cultural and historical traditions around death and dying, Lilly's work during the pandemic as a condolence specialist, and what her work as a forensic anthropologist entails. Lilly received her PhD in Anthropology in 2019 from the University of Montana and currently owns Bone & Stone Anthrosciences with her husband, Stocky White. Follow Bone and Stone on Instagram @deathphd. 

 

Cemeteries in The West with Ellen Baumler

Join us as we talk with historian Ellen Baumler about her new book, The Life of the Afterlife in the Big Sky State: A History of Montana's Cemeteries. We talk about burial customs, headstone symbolism, the history of cemeteries in the west, boot hills, and cultural identity reflected in western cemeteries. Ellen Baumler was the interpretive historian at the Montana Historical Society from 1992 until her retirement in 2018. She is the author or editor of numerous books, including Spirit Tailings: Ghost Tales from Virginia City, Helena and Butte, The Girl from the Gulches: The Story of Mary Ronan, and Dark Spaces: Montana's Historic Penitentiary at Deer Lodge. Ellen is a master storyteller and public historian that makes history relevant through her writing, public appearances, radio spots, and historic walking tours. 

 

To Learn More:

Check out Ellen's new book, "The Life of the Afterlife in the Big Sky State: A History of Montana's Cemeteries."  

Ancient Footprints with Matthew Bennett

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Matthew Bennett, the lead scientist on a recently published article in the Journal Science that examined a set of human footprints preserved on an ancient lakeshore in New Mexico's White Sands National Park that date to between 21,000 and 23,000 years old. We discuss the fossilized human footprints, but we also talk about footprints of other animals including camels, mammoths, and giant sloths that are intermixed with the human prints at this site. We discuss how Matthew and his team determined that the footprints were those of children and teenagers, and how Matthew and his team have consulted with the 32 indigenous nations in the area and his commitment to an indigenous archaeology framework. Dr. Bennett brings this topic to life with his "evidence-based storytelling" so have a listen and enjoy our conversation about these ancient footprints that have pushed the evidence for the peopling of Americas back to at least 21,000 years ago.   

 

For Further Reading: 

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/24/1040381802/ancient-footprints-new-mexico-white-sands-humans            

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58638854

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/fossil-footprints/

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/a-prehistoric-hunt-preserved-in-incredible-fossilized-tracks/558797/

https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/first-americans-how-and-when-were-americas-populated

The Bon Ton Building with Crystal and Nancy

On this podcast, Crystal and Nancy dig deep into the history of a historic structure in downtown Bozeman. This building is significant because it currently houses Nancy's boutique, Moka, along with three other businesses including Alara Jewelry, Plume Bridal and Visions West Gallery! We explore the history of this building through the historic characters and businesses that have occupied this space through the years. We talk about the history, but also talk with current tenants including Babs Noell that owns and operates Alara Jewelry. Babs has occupied her space in the building for 17 years. We talk with her about the history of her space, along with the ups and downs of having a shop within a historic structure. Join us for this "in the field" podcast as we explore downtown Bozeman and the Bon Ton Building! A big thanks to our sponsors for this episode, Steep Mountain Tea and The Western Heritage Center.