Carefully, the fireman removed the man from the fuselage. He lay on his back, stretched across three passenger seats. Everything inside had been tossed around in the crash, leaving a tangle of seats, luggage, and bodies. Slowly as they could, the rescuers put the injured man on a stretcher and slowly carried him to a …
Gayno Smith Massacres Five People in Southern Iowa Read More »
August is always hot in Iowa. The sun beats down mercilessly, baking the ground and raising shimmering mirages from the asphalt highways. Worse is the humidity, filling the dry air like water fills a sponge. The only thing that does seem to like the oppressive, unrelenting heat is the corn. Some farmers say that …
Two Mass Murders Claim Iowa Families Only Two Months Apart Read More »
During an almost ten-year period, the Botkin family faced two awful tragedies. Today, we take a look at the horrific consequences of suicide and steam. Sources Mysterious Suicide of a Servant Girl. The Lima Times-Democrat, 6/13/1907 Young Woman Died by Her Own Hand. The Allen County Republican-Gazette, 6/14/1907 Mrs. Agnes Botkin. Dayton Daily News, …
Have you ever sat and watched people? I mean, not like in a weird, peek through their windows at night way, but like, while waiting for something. It could be in a crowded doctor’s office, or while waiting to get a table at a restaurant. I know there are several people out there that would …
Heartrending events in the life of Margaretha Nehlsen had brought her to the very depths of despair. No one knew that she was about to cause an even more horrific tragedy.
Starting in about 1820 and ending at the turn of the 20th Century, cultural norms in Western Europe began to shift. At the same time, things were also changing in the United States. America began to experience an enormous influx of immigrants from the western portion of the European continent and the United Kingdom. …
Poisoned Chocolate: The Nehlsen Murder/Suicide of 1910 Read More »
Mary Schlais was a beautiful young artist with her entire life ahead of her. A veteran hitchhiker, one bad ride in 1974 changed her life forever. Sources Stromberg, Joseph. The forgotten art of hitchhiking – and why it disappeared. http://www.vox.com, Jun 10, 2015 Ganzel, Bill. Wessels Living History Farm. http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org, 2003 …
Episode 58: One Bad Ride: The Murder of Mary Schlais Read More »
As America prepared to fight World War I, the deadliest pandemic the world has ever seen arrived silently. 50 million people died. Do some of them still wander the earth? Sources Garamone, Jim. World War I: Building the American Military. http://www.defense.gov Barry, John M. The site of origin of the 1918 influenza pandemic and …
Episode 46: Ghosts of the Pandemic, Part 1: Arrival Read More »
I have always loved Adams County. Located in the southwestern portion of the state, Adams county is the least populous county in Iowa, containing just under 3700 people. It’s very rural, and is comprised of rolling hills and rich green fields. People still wave to you in the street, or raise an index finger in …
History is a forgetful creature. While there is much about our past that we know, there is so much more that we don’t. If the stories aren’t written, or aren’t passed down through the generations in their retelling, then the knowledge is often lost. Sometimes, though, we catch glimpses of that hidden past. It might …
