Humans are very good at tricking each other, but they are also good at getting tricked. On this episode, lifelong Oregonian Marcus Axford takes you on a journey through the history of the states frauds, cons, and peddlers with stories about Bunco Kelley, the origin of the term "snake oil", and an epidemic that saved thousands of lives. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Thompson_(confidence_man) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ponzi#Early_life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghaiing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scam https://offbeatoregon.com/1407c.bunco-kelley-part2-the-m ..read more

Volcanoes are truly wonders of the natural world that we are privileged to have as part of our state, and on this episode lifelong Oregonian Marcus Axford takes you on a tour of their explosive histories. Stories include Crater Lake, Newberry Volcano, and more! Sources: https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/can-lakes-near-volcanoes-become-acidic-enough-be-dangerous-people-and-animals#:~:text=Yes.,pH%20of%201.9%20in%201992. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/frankenstein-published https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/how-climate-works/mount-tambora-and-year-without-summer https://scied.ucar.edu/l ..read more

You ever get that feeling when you stay at a hotel, you know the one where you feel like you're being watched? Lifelong Oregonian Marcus Axford takes you through the history of haunted hotels, including stories about Hot Lake Hotel, Haceta Head, The Benson and so much more! Sources: https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/hh-holmes/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel https://www.americanghostwalks.com/articles/king-castle-for-a-haunted-land-chicago-s-murder-ca#:~:text=Other%20employees%20have%20seen%20the,Castle%22%20before%20its%201938%20demolition. https://www.onlyinyourst ..read more

Grab your tickets and take a seat as lifelong Oregonian Marcus Axford takes you on a journey through the history of Oregon's railroads! Featuring stories about the first train in history, famed politician and founder of Springfield Byron Pengra, Henry Villard who connected Oregon with the rest of the nation, and infamous stage coach king Benjamin Holladay. Sources: https://oregoncoastscenic.org/about/ https://thegoodnewshub.com/history/first-train-journey-ever-on-21st-february-1804/ https://www.up.com/customers/track-record/tr041823-steam-to-green-evolution-of-the-locomotive.htm#:~:text=On%20 ..read more

Ever wonder if the magic of Disney ever graced Oregon in an impactful way? join lifelong Oregonian Marcus Axford to discover how much Walt Disney, his family and his works by other people influenced the state. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney#Reputation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Asperger#Nazi_involvement https://d23.com/a-to-z/westward-ho-the-wagons-film/#:~:text=Filmed%20in%20CinemaScope%20on%20location,Ranch%20at%20Thousand%20Oaks%2C%20California. https://disneyadulting.com/disney-connection-portland-oregon/#:~:text=You ..read more

Lifelong Oregonian Marcus Axford takes you on a roller coaster ride through the history of Oregon's amusement parks! Summer festivities are here and the heat is in full swing, and what better way to enjoy fun in the sun than an amusement park? Learning it's history perhaps? Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_fair https://www.funcrewusa.com/resources/carnival-vs-fair-vs-festival/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasure_garden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amusement_park https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/138306757/john-francis-cordray https://www.newspapers.com/image/80186992/?cl ..read more

It's our 1 year anniversary! As a treat and also to shamelessly round ourselves up to 30, we did a bonus episode talking about Oregon's state symbols as well as some history of symbolism itself! Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Providence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia https://leg.wa.gov/Symbols/pages/default.aspx#:~:text=State%20Symbols&text=Symbols%20are%20often%20adopted%20after,a%20request%20for%20a%20bill. https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon_state_symbols ..read more

Join lifelong Oregonian Marcus Axford and journey back to where it all began, the story of one of the most famous events in American history, the Oregon Trail! Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_migration#:~:text=Approximately%201%2C800%20of%20the%20world's,kilometres%20south%20for%20the%20winter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_run https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Price_Hunt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonquin_(1807_ship)#Destruction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Stuart_(explorer) https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/artic ..read more

Join lifelong Oregonian Marcus Axford as he dives into one of the darkest chapters of human history, and the role Oregonians played in World War II. Sources: John Bruning's book: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Three-Days-Starvation-Island-Aviation-ebook/dp/B08W51D8W5⁠ https://www.worldhistory.org/war/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayonet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_al-Rammah https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun#:~:text=The%20first%20devices%20identified%20as,Eurasia%20during%20the%2014th%20century. https://www.britannica.com/technology/biological-weapon/Biological-weapons-in-history htt ..read more

Join lifelong Oregonian Marcus Axford through the woods of Oregon to hear about the history of the logging industry and the tales of the trees they fell. Sources: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/zambia-worlds-oldest-wooden-structure-2367672#:~:text=Archaeologists%20working%20in%20Zambia%20have,an%20estimated%20476%2C000%20years%20ago. Centuries-old ship at ground zero likely from Philly | CNN https://palletenterprise.com/view_article/4985/Timber-Over-Time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrochronology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewing_Young https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/tradema ..read more