Episode 21: The Whitechapel Club

May 23, 2022May 22, 2022 / Samantha Engel / Leave a comment

Club? Professional networking opportunity? Secret society? In Gilded-Age Chicago, the Whitechapel Club was a little bit of all of these. Join Samantha and Aaron as they explore the origins, activities, and membership of this macabre circle of journalists. Along the way, enjoy a story from a belly dancer, phrenology, and a ritualistic funeral pyre on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Time Stamps

Introduction: Secret Societies- 1:11
Club Life in the Gilded Age- 6:40
Establishing the Whitechapel Club- 11:00
Club Activities- 14:14
Mid-way Break- 25:07
The End of the Whitechapel Club- 31:26
Who was a Member?- 33:53
The Funeral Pyre- 37:10
Professionalization, Phrenology, the Morbid, and the Occult- 42:11

The Chicago Press Club ca. 1894 Image courtesy of chipress.tripod.com
Kinney Brothers (American) Omene, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes, 1890 American, Albumen photograph; Sheet: 1 7/16 × 2 1/2 in. (3.7 × 6.4 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick (63.350.220.245.1409) http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/656155
The Whitechapel Club Image courtesy of chipress.tripod.com

Episode 19: Gangster Ghosts of St. Paul

April 25, 2022April 24, 2022 / Samantha Engel / Leave a comment

Haunted histories can be fun and they can allow people to explore actual history along with deeper metaphysical questions. But where is the line between haunted history and haunted attraction? In this episode Samantha and Aaron dive into the stories of two haunted locations in St. Paul, Minnesota that have connections to Prohibition and, perhaps, gangster ghosts. Perhaps? Maybe?

Timestamps:

Intro- 2:14
What’s the Deal with Prohibition? – 3:34
The Wabasha Street Caves – 12:30
Mid-Way Break- 35:32
The Schmidt Brewery- 43:17
Why do Gangsters Intrigue Us?- 52:11
Ghost Tourism, History Tourism, and Dark Tourism- 54:45
The Boundaries Between History and Legend- 55:57

Schmidt’s Brewing ca. 1905, Image courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society
Wabasha Street Caves Bar, Image courtesy of
Wabasha Street Caves Exterior
Schmidt Brewery

Further Reading
Adrian Lee. Mysterious Minnesota: Digging up the Ghostly Past at 13 Haunted Sites. 2nd Edition, 2017.

Episode 16: The Windigo: From Legend to Pop Culture

March 14, 2022March 13, 2022 / Samantha Engel / 2 Comments

The legendary monster of Algonquian lore, the Windigo (or Wendigo), regularly appears in popular culture, but how well is it represented? What is the Windigo? Samantha and Aaron dive into the legend of the Windigo, explore actual Windigo cases, and then put television and comic books to task. Who passes and who fails? What do we lose when the monster is removed from its cultural context? Find out in this week’s episode of Great Lakes Lore!

The Windigo’s MO- 1:39
Cannibalism!- 5:52
Jack Fiddler the Windigo Hunter- 8:47
The Swift Runner Case- 12:37
The Windigo and Canadian Law- 14:52
L’Espagnol- 17:57
Midway Break- 20:26
Algernon Blackwood- 27:32
Native American Legends in Pop Culture- 29:55
X-Files and the Manitou- 32:56
Hulk Smash Windigo!- 39:02
Charmed- 41:46
Supernatural- 43:22
Windigo Psychosis- 49:25
Wrap-Up- 53:20

Map of Algonquian language pre-European contact (image from Wikipedia)
Swift Runner (image from fortsaskonline.com)
Robert Fiddler, son of Jack Fiddler (image from Wikipedia)
We…think this speaks for itself…

Episode 15: Were There Witches in Whitewater?

February 28, 2022February 28, 2022 / Samantha Engel / 1 Comment

America’s “Second Salem,” you say? We’re on it! Aaron and Samantha dive in to explore the legends surrounding the town of Whitewater, Wisconsin. When they got down to the sources did they find evidence of witchcraft, cursed books, murder, and spiritualists? You’ll have to tune in to find out. The pair put their history skillz (yes, with a ‘z’) to the test in “Were There Witches in Whitewater?”.

Intro- 00:20
Whitewater Background- 02:15
The Legends- 04:29
Morris Pratt- 09:40
Pratt’s Spiritualist Temple- 12:27
Midway Break- 17:58
The Morris Pratt Institute- 23:26
Spiritualism 101- 26:21
Mary Worth- 38:38
Real Murder in Whitewater- 46:13
Wrapping It All Up- 52:45

Episode 14: The Circleville Letter Writer

February 14, 2022February 13, 2022 / Samantha Engel / 3 Comments

The mystery of the Circleville, Ohio letters is a tangled web of accusations and threats that Samantha and Aaron attempt to unknot in this week’s episode. They begin by outlining the basic chronology of the strange happenings that began in Circleville in 1972 and then move on to look into the way the story has been shared by news outlets, television shows, and podcasts. Why are we fascinated with true crime? What is it about this mystery, in particular, that has pulled Aaron down a weird dark rabbit hole? Are we all worried someone will find our secrets?

Timestamps

Introduction- 0:00:40
The First Letters- 0:04:31
Letters Continue (And Signs!)- 0:10:37
Ron’s Death- 0:13:28
More Letters and a Gun (!)- 0:15:16
Midway Break- 0:18:01
Paul Freshour’s Arrest- 0:22:20
Freshour’s Appeal to the FBI- 0:29:43
The Weird Website- 0:34:00
Martin Yant Article (With More Letters!)- 0:36:25
Unsolved Mysteries- 0:40:50
48 Hours- 0:42:22
Whatever Remains Podcast- 0:47:17
Internet Forums and Why We Like True Crime- 0:56:32
United State Postal Inspection Service- 1:03:03
Final Thoughts (Finally!)- 1:05:51

Sources/Further Reading
48 Hours Episode

Strange Circleville Letters Website

Unsolved Mysteries

Episode 13: The Haunting History of Mackinac Island

January 31, 2022January 30, 2022 / Samantha Engel / Leave a comment

Some places accumulate stories more readily than others and Mackinac Island is just that place. With thousands of years of history and deep spiritual connections, this 4.3 square mile island is oozing with stories demanding our attention. In this episode, Samantha and Aaron are joined by Claire Herhold, a public historian who spent six seasons working on the island, to dive into this rich and diverse history. We’re positive you’ll find the true history far more interesting than some of the ghost stories folks have made up over the years.

You can find Claire on Instagram and TikTok @clairherhold!

As you may have seen around our social media, our Patreon is now live! Cheeso Media, which produces Great Lakes Lore and The Saucer Life has launched a Patreon, which will give subscribers additional material for each show, every month! Two shows for the price of one! You can find it at patreon.com/cheesomedia.

Timestamps
Introductions- 0:01:14
A Brief History- 0:04:34
Forts and War- 0:06:50
Natural Landmarks and Legends- 0:26:23
Break- 0:37:37
Mission House Boarding School- 0:39:21
Tourism- 0:46:52
The Drowning Pool- 1:00:35
Magdalaine LaFramboise- 1:07:17
The Problem with (some) Ghost Stories- 1:11:05
Postscript- 1:26:42

Further Reading
Mackinac State Historic Parks
Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau
Grand Hotel History
On Boarding Schools