Individual Stories

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001                  The Nebraska National Forest -- The story of the creation of one of the worlds largest man-made forests and the fire in the 1960's that nearly destroyed it.  The forest is located in the middle of the Sandhills by Halsey, NE.

002                  Mothers Day Stories -- Unique mothers from the Midwest: Donna Reed, the all-American Mother; Arlette Schweitzer and Christa Uchytyl, the mother who became the surrogate mother to her daughter and became in the process a grandmother (Arlette carried Christa's Child.);  Susan LaFlesche Picotte, the first Native American woman doctor in the US; Joan Burny, newspaper columnist and Nebraska and US Mothers Association Mother of the Year.

003                  The National Music Museum -- The creation of the most important museum of musical instruments in the world.  It is located in Vermillion, SD.

004                  The Dutch of Northwest Iowa --  Their ancestry in the Netherlands, their first settlements in Pella, Iowa, their move to Northwest Iowa and a visit there during the tulip festival.

005                  Memorial Day 1-- A visit to five historic graves in the Heartland: Sergeant Floyd of the Lewis and Clark Expedition; White Buffalo Girl of the Ponca Trail of Tears; Ruth Dodge wife of General Dodge;  Kate Shelly the young girl who saved a train load of passengers during a rain storm; and Cleveland T. Hall the man who saved Washington, DC from the rebel army.

006                  The Winnebago Indian Drug Dependency Unit -- The creation of one of the nation’s most effective Drug Dependency Centers. It was begun without the mandate of the government, and then was threatened with closure because of the aging hospital in which it was housed.

007                  Boys Town -- The life of Father Flanagan -- from Ireland to Omaha and his creation of Boys town.  It was an innovation in the care of runaways and orphans.

008                  The Mitchell Corn Palace -- From the birth of the idea in Sioux City, Iowa to its eventual location in Mitchell, South Dakota.  Included is the story of the famous fire caused by an arsonist.

009                  The Fourth of July -- The story of the symbols that are part of an old time celebration of Independence Day:  the Declaration of Independence, parades and music, the  Liberty Bell, the origin of fireworks.

010                  Laura Ingalls Wilder -- The life of the Author of the Little House on the Prairie series as her family moves to Kansas, Minnesota, South Dakota and Missouri.

011                  Steamboats -- The beginning to the end of the era of the Steamboat in the mid-west including famous steamboats that went down.

012                  The Crash of U-232 -- The crash and rescue of United Airlines Flight 232 in Sioux City.  Seen through out the world as unique and at the same typical of any city in the Heartland.

013                  The Great Chadron to Chicago Cowboy Horse Race of 1893 -- It started out as a hoax played on gullible eastern tin horns but backfired when people from around the world wanted to know more about the event. So the people of Chadron set up the race with riders like gunman, and horse thief Doc Middleton.

014                  Mount Rushmore -- The creation of the mountain shrine to democracy.

015                  Two Gun Hart -- The famous marshal from Homer, Nebraska who was busting stills on an average of one a night during prohibition, while his brother Al Capone was setting them up.

016                  Midwestern Indian Legends -- Three stories told around the campfires of the plains Indians of South Dakota:  old woman who lives with the Wolves, Standing Bears horse, and Bowman.

017                  Vaudeville -- The rise and fall of a popular form of entertainment.

018                  Labor Day Stories 1-- The Farmer and a look at the farming methods of yesterday and today.

019                  Labor Day Stories 2 -- Five occupations that have disappeared or have changed:  The Black Smith, The Prairie Doctor, The Stage Coach Driver, The Miller, and The Hired hand.

020                  Earl May -- The story of the man from Western Nebraska who was a trapper, teacher, lawyer and then in Shenandoah, Iowa a nurseryman, a pioneer broadcaster (once named the most popular announcer in the world) and was the creator of the Earl May Garden Stores.

021                  Oscar Howe -- Famous Indian Artist from South Dakota who overcame terrible health and a racist, backward educational system on the reservation to change the way Indian Art is perceived in the world.

022                  Camp Clarinda -- Prisoner of War Camp in Clarinda Iowa.  The story of its creation; the prisoners and guards there; the armies oldest private; and the mystery surrounding the only death.

023                  Bess Streeter Aldrich -- Born in Iowa the daughter of pioneer parents -- she lived and died in Nebraska and became the beloved author of books on pioneer life including "A Lamp In Her Hand."

024                  Doc Middleton -- The life and times of one of Nebraska's most notorious outlaws, called the Robin Hood of the Niobrara -- his illegitimate birth, his escape from prison, the shootout in Sidney, the shoot out on the Niobrara, the theft of thousands of horses from South Dakota, his near hanging by a mob, a stint in prison again and the Great Chadron to Chicago Cowboy Horse Race of 1893.

025                  Ghost Stories 1 -- Five "true" ghost stories from the heartland: from Fort Madison -- the drowning of a pioneer girl who repays kind homesteaders; Arnold’s Park -- the message from the grave; Hastings -- the rainstorm on highway six and the child in the headlights;  Dakota City -- the haunted Bates House Hotel; and the Iowa Great Lakes -- the wandering spirit who leaves his mark on a farmers horses.

026                  Ghost Stories 2 -- The haunting of the C. C. White Building on the Nebraska Wesleyan University Campus in Lincoln, Nebraska, and a secretaries trip back in time to 1912.

027                  Governor Peter Norbeck --  A businessman and statesman who in 1916 was elected Governor of South Dakota.  His experiments in socialism shaped and diversified the state.  Many historians call his election the most important in the history of South Dakota.

028                  USS Indianapolis, Glen Milbrodt -- Glen (from Akron, Iowa) was a Seaman Second Class on the USS Indianapolis.  His ship delivered two atom bombs which were used to end the war with Japan.  His ship was then sunk by a submarine and he and his shipmates were in the ocean for five day awaiting rescue.  His story is called the Navy's worst tragedy.

029                  Jolly Time Popcorn -- The American Popcorn Company was born in            Sioux City, Iowa in 1914 as C. H. Smith and his son Howard husked popcorn in             their basement.  This is the story of pop corn and the company that became          America's first popcorn sold on the grocery store shelves.

030                  Thanksgiving-- Many of the Midwest’s traditions for Thanksgiving come from New England.  This is the story of harvest festivals the world over, the first pilgrims and Squanto their Indian friend who saved their lives.

031                  The Peace pipe --   A unique tradition for many Native American tribes, especially the plains tribes is the use of the Peace pipe.  It has been wrongly identified with only the peace process.  In fact it was a way for the users to pray to the Almighty.  Some of the most desired pipes came from stone mined at Pipestone, Minnesota.

032                  Glen Miller --  A band leader from the Midwest, Glen Miller swept to the top of the charts and into the hearts of a generation of Americans during the pre-war years.  He was born in Clarinda, Iowa.

033                  Little Boy Blue -- On Christmas Eve, the frozen body of a small boy was found in a small Nebraska town.  He was with out any identification so the resident of the community paid for his burial under the name of Matthew.  His nick name came to be little boy blue.  The search for his identity lasted two years.

034                  Wounded Knee -- The remnants of a fierce warrior nation huddled at a reservation in South Dakota.  Their spiritual leader, Sitting Bull had been killed, and many were waiting for the dead warrior Crazy Horse to return to help them retake their land.  Some history books call what followed the battle of Wounded Knee, it was really the last chapter of the plains Indians free life on the plains.

035                  The Blizzard of '49 1-- On a winter day January 2, 1949, the north winds blew in a blizzard that paralyzed the residents of Gordon, Nebraska for over 30 days.  A white minister set out to save the freezing Indians camped at the towns edge as an area Doctor tries to keep his cattle alive.

036                  The blizzard of '49 2 --  There was so much material that we produced two weeks of shows on this program.

037                  The Raid on Calliope -- Four young men started Sioux County in North West Iowa as a way to supplement their incomes.  The only settlers in the county at the time might have been a few trappers.  That left the men free to raid the county treasury.  Twelve years later another raid by the new Dutch settlers occurred when they decided they had enough of the shenanigans.

038                  Donna Reed -- The life of Academy Award winning actress Donna Reed from Denison, Iowa.

039                  The Square Turn Tractor --  Two inventors from Norfolk, Nebraska built a wonderful new tractor in the early part of the 20 century.  They sold the patent to a firm in Chicago who built a massive factory in Norfolk to manufacture the A.D. Tractor.  Then along came world War I.

040                  John Lewis Waller --  John was born in 1852 a slave on the Sherwood Plantation in Missouri.  Thanks to an astute judge in Cedar Rapids, John became a Judge.  He went on to become a major player in Kansas politics, then an Ambassador to a foreign country, and was at the center of a storm that almost brought the US and France to war.

041                  St. Valentine's Day --  A look at the 3,000 year history of Valentine's Day practices, and then Valentine's Day in the Heartland as we travel to Valentine Nebraska, and the history of Lover's Leap near Crawford.

042                  Home on the Range --  The history of the song "Home on the Range", and the life pioneer Doctor Brewster Higley who wrote it.  His "never is heard a discouraging word" refers to his third wife who was a shrew and nagged him constantly until he ran away to the prairies of Kansas.

043                  Standing Bear 1 --  This is the story of the Ponca Indians and their trail of tears from their home in Northern Nebraska to Indian Territory in Oklahoma toward the end of the last century.  Standing Bear was one of their chiefs who led a small band back from Oklahoma to Nebraska and was arrested.

044                  Standing Bear 2 --  After Standing Bear's arrest he sued his captor General George Crook and won his freedom and that of his band in breakthrough  case that concluded Indians are humans and are equal under the law.

045                  W. Edwards Deming --  While US manufacturers were making their fortunes world wide with products that were designed to wear out, the Japanese were quietly learning how to make quality products.  Their teacher was a man from Sioux City, Iowa.  It wasn't until he was 81 that the US began to take the Japanese seriously and called on him for help.

046                  Sitting Bull --  This was the man who defeated Custer at the Little Big Horn.  His life was destined for that confrontation as he learned the art of war at the age of 14 and became one of the most famous warriors in the Sioux Nation.

047                  John K. Hanson -- Hanson retired from a busy career running a furniture story, farm implement dealership and an auto dealership.  Then went on to create Winnebago Industries, the market leader in RV’s.

048                  Horse 1 -- Traces the early history of the horse through civilization.

049                  Horse 2 -- Continues the story of the horse.

050                  Horse 3 -- History of the work horse and other specialized breeds.

051               Missouri River Race -- The story of a race up the Missouri River in the years that immediately followed the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The prize was access to the fur trade business.  The loser might be killed.

052                  Lost Girls – This story is set near Thedford, Nebraska and recounts the wanderings of two little girls lost  in the Sandhills of Nebraska.  The story is set in the late 1800’s

053                  L. Frank Baum -- The writer of the Wizard of Oz books lived for a time in South Dakota, was nearly involved in a gun fight, and generally considered a failure.  All he was good at was spinning tales.

054                  Memorial Day 2 -- The history of the celebration is traced back to the Civil War.

055                  Clarence Chamberlain -- From Denison, Iowa, this early pilot was considered by most the front runner in the race to fly non-stop across the Atlantic.

056                  Rail Roads -- The rise and fall of the rail road industry is explored.

057                  Kate Shelly -- Considered the premiere railroad heroine, Shelly saved a passenger train from a certain crash in the Des Moines River.

058                  Great Spencer Fire -- This blaze nearly burned down the entire town.  It was started by fireworks.  Legislation nationwide greatly limited the sale of fireworks as a result of the fire.

059                  The Coyote -- Several Native American stories about Coyotes are presented.

060                  Creation Stories -- The stories of the beginning of the world from the myths and legends of several Native American cultures are told.

061                  The Bertrand -- The riverboat Bertrand ran aground and sank in the Missouri River near Desoto Bend.  When discovered, a museum was created to show its wares.  The voyage of the Bertrand is presented.

062                  Lewis and Clark 1 -- The background on the expedition.

063                  Lewis and Clark 2 -- The two explorers begin and met their first Indians.

064                  Lewis and Clark 3 -- The part runs into is first real danger on the trip in confrontations with the Brule Sioux.

065                  4-H, the early years -- The history of the club and its roots are presented.

066                  Buffalo Bill -- A story of the mans life, and an attempt to look beyond the myths and into what really happened.  His real story is more fascinating then the legends.

067                  Rodeo -- Picks up where the story of the Wild West shows leave off and presents the history of modern Rodeo.

068                  Chisholm Trail -- The history of cattle, and the trails north from Texas into Kansas, Colorado and Montana.

069                  Story of Corn  -- How corn came to be and the Myths and religions based on it.

070                  Family Stories -- Stories that I heard and loved as a child.  They are about my family and are often humorous.

071                  The Wallace’s of Iowa 1 -- This story traces the immigration of the Wallace’s from Europe to the US. and follows their history through the Civil War.

072                  The Wallace’s of Iowa 2 -- Continues with the Wallace’s and follows the son into Politics, the Grandson who starts Pioneer Corn, becomes Secretary of Agriculture and runs for the Vice Presidency.

073                  The Lawrence Massacre -- Considered the worst wartime disaster on civilians, this raid took place in Lawrence, Kansas, the home of the Free State movement.

074                  Jesse James 1 -- Jesse and Frank James as children and the influences on their lives by the events leading up to the Civil War.

075                  Jesse James 2 -- Jesse and Frank go to war.

076                  Jesse James 3 -- The gang robs their first bank and discover a trade.

077                  Jesse James 4 -- They hit their first Train, and become national and international news.

078                  Jesse James 5 -- The James gang tries for a big score in Northfield, Minnesota.  The plans go tragically astray.

079                  Jesse James 6 -- The James gang continues to rob banks and trains but their days are numbered.

080                  Lewis and Clark 4 --  The Corp. of discovery winters in North Dakota with the Mandan and Hadatsa.  The temperature plunges to 45 below as they prepare to try gun boat diplomacy to punish the Sioux and Arirkara for raiding their hosts.

081                  Lewis and Clark 5 --  The expedition begins its second year in the spring of 1805.  They go up river concerned about an attack by the Assiniboin and meet the most fearsome animal alive, the grizzly bear and suffer their worst accident on the Missouri River to date.

082                  Lewis and Clark 6 -- The expedition approaches the continental divide.  They are still traveling on the river and losing hope they will find the Shoshoni who they expect to trade with for horses.  Without horses they will be forced to spend the winter in the mountains where game is scarce.  The Corp. Of Discovery is facing disaster.

083                  Lewis and Clark 7 -- The expedition reaches the great falls of the Missouri and takes a month to portage around it.  Clark and Sacajawea nearly perish in a flash flood.

084                  Lewis and Clark 8 -- Lewis strikes out ahead of the expedition in hopes of finding the Shoshoni to arrange a trade for horses with them.  When they find them the tribe fears the explorer is really trying to lure the band into an ambush with their enemies.  The fate of the entire project is now in jeopardy.

085                  Ghosts 3 – More Ghosts stories inspired by writers in the Midwest including some otherworldly visits in South West Minnesota.

086                  Lewis and Clark 9 – Lewis and Clark finally find Sacajawea tribe and they trade for horses but the challenge now is to find a way down the mountains which prove to be more difficult then expected.

087                  Lewis and Clark 10 – Lewis and Clark meet the Nez Perez Indians and are given a place to stay and food to eat even though that tribe is out of food.  The explorers term them one of the best tribes they met on the journey.  They end the week with a dangerous trip down the river.

088                  Lewis and Clark 11 – Lewis and Clark continue their trek toward the ocean but run into a tribe on the river that could be described as one of the worst they had met.

089                  Lewis and Clark 12 – The story begins with Lewis and Clark celebrating Christmas in their new home, however they food supply is very low and their feast consisted mostly of old and bad elk meat and a few dried roots.

090                  Lewis and Clark 13 – Lewis and Clark begin their journey back to St Louis, Missouri.  While still on the western slope of the of the mountains, the explorers find a large river that needs to be explored.  While part of the party is gone the other group defends themselves from a tribe of Indians intent on stealing everything in the explorers possession. 

091                  Lewis and Clark 14 – Lewis and Clark are still on the western slope of their journey and decide to travel completely by land and trade some of their canoes for horses.  A job that proves to be very difficult.

092                  Lewis and Clark 15 – It was now early June and Lewis and Clark were still on the Western Slope of the mountains.  They were faced with a very real possibility that they would not make it back to St. Louis that year.

093                  Lewis and Clark 16 – Lewis and Clark make it over the mountains and their guides decide to leave and go back to their tribes on the western slope.  Apparently they were afraid of running into their enemy on the plains. 

094                  Lewis and Clark 17 -- Lewis and Clark did meet these enemies of their guides and had their worst fight with these Indians of the journey.  The two men were apart at the time.

095                  Lewis and Clark 18 --The explorers still had to travel a great distance to reach St Louis that year and it was already the end of August.