Category Archives: Uncategorized

With all the Chaos Surrounding it, How Was the Alaska Railroad Ever Built?

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Episode 57: With all the Chaos Surrounding it, How Was the Alaska Railroad Ever Built?

One of the greatest mysteries in Alaska – even though it is quite visible to the naked eye – is the Alaska Railroad. Every year, more than 400,000 visitors to Alaska ride the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Fairbanks with a stop in Denali National Park.  And it is not a modest railway. It has 656 miles of track and carries 5.11 million tons of freight annually. It has only been owned by the State of Alaska since 1985, but before that, it was the only federally owned and operated railroad.

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Meet Steve Levi, your host for Episode 57:

With all the Chaos Surrounding it, How Was the Alaska Railroad Ever Built?

 

 

Steve Levi is a 70-something writer in Alaska. He specializes in the impossible crime and the Alaska Gold Rush.  An impossible crime is one in which the detective must figure out HOW the crime was committed before he can go after the perpetrators.  As an example, in THE MATTER OF THE VANISHING GREYHOUND, the detective must figure out how a Greyhound bus with four bank robbers, a dozen hostages, and  $10 million can vanish off the Golden Gate Bridge. Steve’s books can be seen at www.authormasterminds.com/steve-levi and www.steverlevibooks.com. He also does two historical uploads a week.  Send Steve your email, and he will include it in the mailings.

The Mysterious Pig

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Episode 55: The Mysterious Pig

How did a 200-pound pig become the “darling” on an Arabian horse ranch?
Owning a ranch isn’t very mysterious. It’s a lot of plain hard work. But some mysterious things have happened here. I’m going to tell you about one of them.

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Prince Ali had everything: talent, charisma, and a devoted best friend, Becky Howard. He won every time he set a hoof in a show ring. He garnered more fans from personal and TV appearances. Becky was with him every step of the way, even riding him in the Swallows Day Parade in their hometown, San Juan Capistrano. Disaster struck when two thugs put Becky in a coma, drugged him and dragged Prince Ali off to sell for diabolical purposes. When their buyer realized who Ali was, he nixed the deal. That landed the pampered show horse high in the mountains in late March. One night, a week later, he discovered the corral gate unlatched. Prince Ali mustered every ounce of strength, courage, and stamina he had to walk into the wilderness, searching for the best friend he couldn’t live without.

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Meet Victoria Hardesty, Your Host for Episode 55: The Mysterious Pig

Victoria Hardesty has owned, bred, and shown Arabian Horses for more than 30 years. She and her husband operated their own training facility, serving many young people who loved and showed their own horses. She is the author of numerous articles in horse magazines and was the editor of two Arabian Horse Club newsletters, one of which was given the Communications Award of the Year by the Arabian Horse Association at their national convention. An avid reader from childhood, she read every horse story she could get her hands on. Victoria and her writing partner, Nancy Perez, have written seven novels about Arabian horses. Check out their website at http://www.wonderhorsebooks.com/author-bio and see their books at Victoria Hardesty and Nancy Perez | Bookshelf (authormasterminds.com).

Wall of Silver — The Lost Mine

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Episode 37: Wall of Silver — The Lost Mine

Who can resist a story about a lost mine? King Solomon’s Mine in Africa, the Lost Dutchman’s Mine in Arizona, and The Wall of Silver in Michigan. They all have a story. Historically, Michigan had vast iron ore and copper deposits in its Upper Peninsula. Gold and silver were also found there, but no mother loads were found in Michigan. Richard Kellogg says he has seen a wall of pure silver at least 90 feet long in a mine in the Keweenaw peninsula of Michigan.

Source:

Kellogg, Richard. Wall of Silver: A Treasure Hunter’s Dream. Avery Color Studios, Inc. 2004

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

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Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

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Meet Valerie Winans, the host for Episode 37: Wall of Silver — The Lost Mine

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

 

Trailer for Mysterious

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Why do so many people disappear in Alaska? Who buried Sister Mary Janina in the basement of the church? How did a pig manage to calm the animals at an Arabian horse ranch? Are there stories about Bigfoot in Alaska? Was the sinking of the Clara Nevada an accident or mass murder? Can it rain blood? Where did the saying, “Another one bites the dust,” originate? What happened to the Grand Duchess Anastasia?

Join us on the podcast Mysterious and explore the mysteries in the world around us, including unsolved murders, mysteries found in nature, intriguing historical events, paranormal experiences, and baffling enigmas of space.

The author hosting each episode investigates a true mystery related to their genre. We invite you to listen to Mysterious and take a journey into the unknown.

What Happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald?

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Episode 21: What Happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald?

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down

of the big lake they called Gitchee Gumee

The lake it is said never gives up her dead

when the skies of November turn gloomy

Gordon Lightfoot’s lyrics memorialize the tragedy of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, but the mystery remains – what sunk the great ship?

Sources:

Stonehouse, Frederick. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Avery Color Studios, Inc. Gwinn, Michigan. 1977.

Charles River Editors. The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald: The Loss of the Largest Ship on the Great Lakes. Kindle

Schumacher, Michael. The Trial of the Edmund Fitzgerald: Eyewitness Accounts from the U.S. Coast Guard Hearings. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis, MN. 2019.

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meet Valerie Winans, your host for Episode 21: What Happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald?

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.